Tag Archives: Healthy Eating

Winter Squash and Kale Rye Galette

January blog posts tend to be full of lofty resolutions and unrealistic goals about how to live a better life. I promise you, this is not one of those posts. I admit that I have have been guilty of exactly this, every January for the past 8 years. Check out my January healthy eating blog posts, if you like (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014 ).

This year, I just can’t seem to get my ass in gear. I’m feeling particularly unmotivated and blah. I feel like this guy. Can’t get off the couch to stop bingeing on Bonus Family and Working Moms on Netflix. Very addictive. I know I’m not alone. Almost every single person I have spoken to in the past 2 weeks is feeling this way. I’m here to give you permission to forgo goal setting this year. Treat yourself kindly and ease back in at a pace that makes you feel comfortable.

I eased back in gently by choosing a galette for my first January post. Made with butter and cheese! I am a big believer in small steps. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

We’re taking baby steps here with this galette. I incorporated some whole grains into the crust with the addition of rye flour. I snuck in a layer of Gruyere and ricotta cheese between the kale and the butternut squash. It’s all about moderation.

This rye crust could go sweet or savoury. It is flaky AF. I learned how to make it from Kim Boyce in her book, “Good to the Grain”. If you’re interested in incorporating more whole grains into your baking, this is a fantastic resource. I love the lyrical way she describes this dough.

“The method for making this dough is similar to that for a rough puff pastry, a method I learned while working with Sherry Yard at Spago. It calls for letting a rough dough, made from chunks of butter and moist clumps of flour, rest in the refrigerator to give the gluten time to relax and the flour time to absorb the water. After an hour, the dough is rolled and folded a few times to create long “laminated” layers of butter throughout the dough, which give it its flakiness.”

Feel free to enjoy with a small glass of wine, if you are so inclined. Tell them saltandserenity told you to be kind to yourself!

Click here to print recipe for Squash-and-Kale-Rustic-Rye-Galette Download

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

Romanesco Cauliflower with Crispy Sicilian Topping

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If there were ever a dish that could convince me to become a vegetarian, this would be the one! Eating this dish did not leave me feeling deprived of anything. Every bite was satisfying and left me craving for more.

Cauliflower is one of my favourite vegetables. I love it raw in this shaved salad. It makes an excellent substitution for rice in this stir-fried dish, and steamed and mashed with potatoes and cheddar cheese and stuffed into potato skins is one of my favourite winter dinners.

When I saw this beauty at the market, I knew she had to come home with me. This is a Romanesco cauliflower. (I have also seen it called Romanesco Broccoli). It’s crunchier than regular cauliflower with a more delicate and nutty flavour profile. Romanesco is essentially an edible fibonacci spiral. Linda at Garden Betty, does an excellent job explaining that last sentence. Mother Nature is really showing off all her glory here. Each tiny peaked floret is an identical but smaller version of the entire head.

I decided to showcase Romanesco’s delicate flavour by roasting it. Slice the head into thick planks. Little bits will fall off as you are slicing. Just put them in the center of the sheet pan to protect them from burning. Olive oil, salt and pepper and a hot oven are all it takes to turn them golden brown and delicious.

I was on the phone with my big sister Faith, the day I was making this. I told her I was planning to top the romanesco with toasted Panko breadcrumbs, capers and almonds. She suggested adding golden raisins to the mix. Brilliant idea Faith! Every bite offers a perfect blance of flavour and texture. Sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy and nutty. If you can’t find Romanesco, just use regular cauliflower of broccoli. It will be equally delicious.

Click here to print recipe for Romanesco Cauliflower with Sicilian Crispy Topping

Roasted Spiced Salmon and Tomatoes

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As we enter the season of butter, sugar and peace on earth, I thought it would be a good idea to post something healthy to counteract all the treats that come our way this time of year. Prep time is minimal for this dish and you can get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. Bookmark it for those busy days ahead. In addition to being fast and delicious, it is also very pretty and would make a great dish for entertaining.

The inspiration for this dish comes from Donna Hay. I adapted it slightly. She cooked the fish en papillote, which involves wrapping each piece of salmon in parchment paper. It’s a great technique for lean cuts of protein like white fish and chicken breasts, but I didn’t think it was necessary for salmon, which is quite high in healthy omega 3 fats.

Since you’re turning on the oven already, add a tray of roasted grape tomatoes. The acid-sweet balance of these are perfect with the rich salmon. Once the tomatoes are in the oven, get working on the fish. Thinly slice some lemons to make a base for the fish fillets. The spice mixture is a blend of smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, honey and olive oil. Finish with a sprinkle of coarse salt. I found a jar of pretty pink Himalayan salt at HomeSense last week!
Scatter some fresh basil and chopped olives on the roasted fish and dinner is done.

Click here for recipe for Roasted Spiced Salmon and Tomatoes.

Brassica Grain Bowl

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While this is ostensibly a post about a Brassica Grain Bowl, what I really want to tell you about is a new habit I have adopted. If you are a friend of my daughter, you know not to call her on a Sunday afternoon. That’s when she does her weekly meal prep. She chops, roasts and steams various vegetables and grains and fills her fridge with the component parts she will need for healthy meals all week long. That way, when she gets home from work, she is less likely to call a glass of wine and a bag of chips dinner, as her mother has been known to occasionally do,
At some point, many children’s intelligence surpasses their parents and they start teaching us. I have decided to take a page out of my daughter’s book and start doing some weekly meal prep, so that my occasional solitary meals will be a bit healthier.

At the beginning of the week I fill a big zip-loc bag with chopped raw vegetables. My blend includes raw broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale and sugar snap peas.
Shredding Brussels sprouts is admittedly a fiddly task. Do it by hand to work on your knife skills or go ahead an bust out the Cuisinart.

All this chopping takes time. I binge-watch something addictive on Netflix. This month I’m watching Offspring. Shot in Australia, I have become smitten with the protagonist, Dr. Nina Proudman, a slightly neurotic and very funny OBGYN. She is a rockstar in the operating room, but not so skilled in her lovelife. The series showcases her two siblings and parents. While I would not call them dysfunctional, they are decidedly eccentric and unconventional. Good luck watching just one episode! Completely addictive.

This raw veggie mix makes a great base for a grain bowl, an excellent slaw to accompany roast chicken, a delicious stuffer for Tuesday fish tacos, and a perfect foundation for some shredded chicken for lunch. You can sauté it in butter or olive oil and garlic and serve it as a side dish.

After I chop the vegetables, I cook up one or two kinds of grains or some brown rice. I love farro, barley and I’ve really been into wheat berries lately. I adore their chewy texture and nutty flavour. If you like quinoa, go ahead and cook up a batch of that. I won’t judge you.

I like to keep a jar or two of homemade dressing in the fridge so that a salad can come together quickly. For this grain bowl I mixed up a herb-lemon vinaigrette.

I also roasted some butternut squash. Sweet potatoes would also be delicious. Chop it small so it roasts quickly.The last component of my meal prep is a batch of pickled vegetables. Carrots, cucumber and shallots are a nice mix. They last for a while in the fridge and are excellent on tacos and sandwiches.You can top your grain bowl with whatever protein you like. Grilled chicken, skirt steak, salmon, tofu, chickpeas, cheese and eggs are all great options. Avocado is always a good idea and don’t forget the crunch on top. Seeds and nuts of all kind add welcome texture.

Click here to print recipe for Brassica Grain Bowl.

Shaved Cauliflower Salad

Click here to print recipe for Shaved Cauliflower Salad.

Broccoli, Raisin and Olive Salad with Pine Nuts

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This is my favourite mug. The weight and shape of it feel just right in my hand. It is part of my comforting morning ritual. If you’re wondering, the mug is from Anthropologie,. Sadly, they don’t make them anymore. I bought a bunch of them with the initials of favourite family members and friends so they would feel welcome when visiting. Now I can’t make any new friends, unless their names start with certain letters that I already have on the shelf. Such a dilemma! It would be awkward to serve my new friend Xavier a latte in a letter M mug.Here is my mug from the rear view. With the small chip in the base it’s not quite as attractive as the front view. (Most of us look better coming rather than going) Despite this flaw, the mug is still quite functional, so I refuse to replace it. I am also flawed but functional, so my mug is a perfect analogy for me.

This broccoli salad was created the week before we moved. I had been trying not to shop for any groceries and use up what was in the house, so that we would have less stuff to haul. A lonely bag of pine nuts escaped the freezer purge earlier in the week, so they were added for crunch. A jar of raisins survived the pantry purge, so in they went for sweetness. The top shelf of the fridge held a few Kalamata olives and some leftover pickled shallots. Please don’t chop the florets off your broccoli and discard the stems. Once you peel the outer woody skin, the inside is quite tender.

I had some help in styling this salad from the talent behind the fabulous Instagram account @bowlsand beats (where health and hiphop collide). Full disclosure, she’s my daughter and she was home visiting for the weekend.

This was my first try at styling the salad. I wasn’t thrilled with the composition so I called her in to help.She immediately grouped all the little elements together for greater impact. Better but not quite satisfied, she suggested we try a round bowl instead. Perfect. We shot it with my iPhone for her Instagram page and then we ate!

Click here to print recipe for Broccoli, Raisin and Olive Salad with Pine Nuts.

Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs and Sweet Potatoes

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At some point over the holidays you know it’s time to rein it in. Eating a sleeve of Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joes (insiders tip: they are even better frozen!) with a chaser of prosecco and calling it dinner can’t go on for too many days in a row. I find it’s best to do it before January 1st. Everyone knows that New Years resolutions don’t last.

I’m not talking about a kale and quinoa salad or an almond milk-frozen banana- spinach smoothie level reining it in. That’s hard core and way too severe for late December. I’m just suggesting that you prepare a meal that contains some protein, complex carbs and perhaps something green, and that requires you to actually sit down and use a knife and fork to eat it.

This recipe was inspired by NYT Cooking editor, Sam Sifton. Every Wednesday he writes about cooking without a recipe. On October 12 2016, he suggested roasting chicken thighs with sweet potato fries and jalapeños. I have made it several times, tweaking the procedure and quantities so you don’t have to cook without a recipe!

This sheet-pan chicken dinner is the perfect way to ease you back into a healthy routine. Start with cutting some sweet potatoes into a julienne shoestring fries shape. A glug of olive oil and a judicious sprinkle of Kosher salt and coarse black pepper to coat the fries is all that is required for seasoning.Season some boneless skinless chicken things with more salt and pepper and a light dusting of smoked paprika (mild or hot, your choice). Roast for about 40 minutes in a hot (425°F) oven. Squeeze some fresh time juice over the chicken, scatter with thinly sliced jalapeño peppers (pickled jalalpenos are really good too!) and some cilantro and call it dinner. One frozen dark chocolate covered peppermint joe joe is a sensible dessert. It’s too soon to go cold turkey. Save that for January 1st!

Click here to print recipe for Chicken-Thighs-and-Sweet-Potato-Sheet-Pan-Dinner.

Sticky Chicken Lettuce Cups with Corn Salad

Click here to print recipe for Sticky Glazed Chicken Thighs in Lettuce Cups.

Kale, Chicken Sausage and White Bean Soup

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If you keep up on these things, you may know that one of the hottest “it” foods in 2013 was kale. I realize that we are already a month into 2014 now, so forgive me if I’m just a little late to the party.

Dubbed the “Queen of Greens”, Kale has a ton of health benefits. Low in calories, high in fibre and anti-oxidant rich, kale contains calcium, potassium and vitamins A, C and K. Research shows it helps fight age-related diseases too!

Last year I read about The Kale Effect (TKE). Defined as an “immediate, and observable, autonomic nervous system response to the absorption of the vitamins and minerals in nutrient rich kale. Symptoms may include uncontrollable smiling, laughing, and jumping up and down in the kitchen.”

I wanted in on “The Kale Effect” in the worst way possible. I mean who wouldn’t? I suspected the only way kale was going to make me laugh uncontrollably was if I chopped it finely, rolled it in paper and smoked it. But I was game to give kale a chance.

I spent quite a bit of time last year trying to like kale. Everyone gushed about kale chips. They said that eating these would make any craving for potato chips vanish. They said that kale chips were just as satisfying as potato chips. They were wrong! Kale chips taste like crispy seaweed that turns to dust in your mouth.

Then I moved onto raw chopped kale in a salad with apples and walnuts. Swallowing that raw kale felt like someone was trying to scratch the inside of my throat. Then I heard that you should massage your kale first, before eating it. Apparently massaging it breaks down the cellulose structure and raw kale goes from bitter and tough to silky and sweet. I never did try the rubdown. I have my limits. I mean, good lord, what’s next, a mani and pedi for your Brussels sprouts?

I worked my way through kale and onion pie, sautéed kale with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes, stir fried kale, smoked kale and braised kale with cabbage and balsamic vinegar. None of these were terribly awful (except for the smoked kale), but I certainly did not want to make any of them for a second time.

But damn, I wanted to get in on The Kale Effect. When would I begin smiling and laughing uncontrollably? It seems that the key to kale love, for me, was to combine it with lots of other ingredients so that it became filler and not the star of the show. That way you have lots of other delicious ingredients and still get all the benefits of kale.

The two main types of kale you are likely to encounter in the grocery store are curly kale, which is quite pungent, dinosaur or black kale, (also called calvolo nero) which is sweet and delicate in flavour.
Try this kale soup and soon, you too, may begin smiling and laughing uncontrollably and jumping up and down in your kitchen!I adapted a similar recipe for Sausage and Kale Soup with Black Eyed Peas from Serious Eats. I decided to lighten mine up a bit and I used spicy chicken sausages instead of traditional pork sausages. I also opted for canned white beans instead of soaking my own black eyed peas.The chopped kale gets added during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Just enough time to wilt and soften it. Before the kale is added, about a quarter of the soup is pureed in the blender. The finished soup gets a final garnish of freshly grated lemon zest, chopped fresh rosemary and a shaving of Parmesan Reggiano cheese.

I loved this soup. The spicy chicken sausage packed just the right amount of heat to keep this soup from being bland. Pureeing just a quarter of the soup created an amazing thick and comforting texture. The bitter kale, added right at the end, had just enough time to mellow slightly, while still retaining some texture. Lemon zest as a garnish added just the right extra hit of freshness and brightness. I am a kale convert.

Click here to print recipe for Sausage White Bean and Kale Soup.

P.S. Duking it out for super fruit of 2014 is the buffaloberry and the pichuberry. You heard it here first folks!!

Salt and Serenity

Tales from my kitchen