Category Archives: Recipe

Recipe: Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Apricots

Posted on December 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

A turkey dinner is complete once there is some homemade cranberry sauce. I first tasted this cranberry sauce many years ago at a Thanksgiving dinner. I never got my hands on the recipe, so I created this one over the years based on the flavours I first enjoyed. And it is still my favourite cranberry sauce.

1 bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 water

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Zest of one lemon

1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans, optional

In a medium saucepan, bring water, orange juice, cranberries and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add chopped apricots and lemon zest. Stir frequently and cook until cranberries burst and are cooked through. Mix in toasted pecans if using. Enjoy at room temperature.

 

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Recipe: Gingerbread Waffles

Posted on December 13, 2012 | 2 comments

This is a favourite Christmas time recipe of mine that I love to make for some special little people and for family and friends in general. They are fairly sweet waffles to begin with, so a little maple syrup, whipped cream or icecream are great toppings.

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 egg

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup currants

1-2 tablespoons crystallized ginger

In  a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg and brown sugar. Add molasses, buttermilk and butter, blend well. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients, add currants and ginger. Stir until just combined.

Preheat waffle maker. Pour 1/2 of batter at a time. Makes 8 waffles.

 

 

 

 

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Recipe: Root Vegetable Soup

Posted on December 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a hearty soup recipe that provides an interesting way to eat a variety of veggies all in one bowl. Add any spicing that you think would enhance the flavour.

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 celeriac root, cut into cubes

1 rutabaga, cut into cubes

1 parsnip, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup barley

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme

1 bunch rapini, chopped

Salt, pepper and lemon juice

In a large soup pot, saute onion, carrot and celery. Add root vegetables cook until slightly softened and browned. Add chopped tomatoes, vegetable broth, barley, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 35 minutes. Add chopped rapini. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

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Recipe: Sweet Potato Soup

Posted on November 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a recipe I put together yesterday after having sweet potato soup recently suggested to me as a soup idea. Sweet potatoes contain vitamins B, C, D, magnesium, potassium and beta carotene. I looked through a few recipes and came up with this version. The red lentils add an extra nutritional boost as well. I quite enjoyed the thick texture and rich taste of the coconut along with the spices, which have a slight curry flavour.

Sweet Potato Soup 

4-5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, minced

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil

4-5 cups of vegetable stock

1/2 cup of red lentils, rinsed

1 tablespoon creamed coconut (concentrated coconut, available at health food stores) (optional)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground tumeric

1 stalk lemongrass

8-10 cilantro stems

salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

In a large pot, saute onion, garlic, apple and sweet potato until softened. Add vegetable stock and red lentils, bring to a boil. Add creamed coconut, cumin and tumeric, stir. Add lemongrass and cilantro stems. Simmer until sweet potatoes are very soft. Remove lemongrass and cilantro stems. Use a handheld immersion blender to puree the soup. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to your taste.  Enjoy!

 

 

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Recipe: Lobster Roll, Lobster Taco

Posted on November 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

I love lobster rolls and lobster tacos. I had a lobster roll this summer in old Montreal by the water at Muvbox http://www.muvbox.ca/en (we were actually out for a run and had to stop for a lobster roll!)

Lobster tacos were always amazing at Bymark  http://bymark.mcewangroup.ca/with their slight Asian influenced flavour. Their shrimp version is quite good as well.

Sometimes, I am lucky enough to have lobster cooked for me by my parents. Then, I make lobster sandwiches for our family. The inspiration for lobster tacos came recently when my mom mentioned she couldn’t have a lobster roll while she is not eating bread. Here are the loose recipes for both a lobster roll and a lobster taco. The taco idea can be used as a gluten free substitute for various sandwiches, if the soft corn tortilla is appealing enough for you.

Lobster Roll

Small dinner rolls ( I like Cobs bread www.cobsbread.com)

cooked lobster, shrimp or crab meat

chopped celery

chopped green onion

mayonnaise

Old Bay seasoning

lemon juice

salt and pepper

This is a loose recipe for whatever quantity of lobster you have on hand. I would suggest 1 tablespoon of celery, green onion, and mayonnaise for every cup of cooked lobster you have. In a bowl, combine lobster, celery, green onion and mayonnaise. Season mixture with Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, salt and pepper to your taste.  Spoon into sliced rolls-enjoy!

Lobster Taco

Chopped, cooked lobster, shrimp, or crab

Guacamole http://www.vivianlaw.ca/recipe-guacamole/

Chopped cilantro

Hot sauce http://www.vivianlaw.ca/recipe-tanzanian-hot-sauce/

Corn tortillas

Warm tortilla in a pan. Spread guacamole onto tortilla and top with chopped lobster, cilantro and hot sauce. Enjoy!

 

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Recipe: Tanzanian Hot Sauce

Posted on November 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

I learned of this recipe while sharing lunch with a generous young lady from Tanzania a couple weeks ago. This is a homemade hot sauce that is also known as pilli pilli. It can be served with grilled meats or anything else you enjoy with hot sauce.  Here is my version of the free form recipe with scotch bonnet pepper and tomato being the key base ingredients, then you add other ingredients to your taste. It is important to use scotch bonnet or habanero pepper for their flavour. Lime and sugar are nice additions to round out the heat.

2 tomatoes, diced

2 scotch bonnet peppers, seeded (leave the seeds in if you like it really hot)

1 shallot, minced

juice of 1 lime

1-2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

salt to taste

In a food processor, puree all ingredients. Adjust seasonings to your taste or add any other variation you enjoy, such as, garlic, onion, ginger, lemon, etc.

 

 

 

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Recipe: Guacamole

Posted on November 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

Avocados are a healthy super food with their high monounsaturated (healthy) fat content, fiber content, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B, vitamin C, copper, and lutein for the prevention of macular degeneration. My favourite way to have avocado is in guacamole. Here is my take on guacamole, everyone has their own, so make it your own with your own additions. I use shallot as a cross between onion and garlic. I feel cilantro and jalapeno are required for zip and spice.

2 ripe avocados

Lime juice to taste (1/2 lime)

1 plum tomato finely chopped

1 shallot finely chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, scoop out avocado, mash with a spoon and mix in lime juice. Add tomato, shallot, jalapeno and cilantro, mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the avocado seed in the guacamole if you are not serving it immediately to help prevent browning. Enjoy with tortilla chips, crackers or with tacos.

 

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Posted in gluten free, Healthy food, healthy recipe, Healthy snack, plant food, Recipe, Vegan, Vivian Law

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Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup

Posted on October 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

Locally grown butternut squash is available at this time of year and the colder weather makes this soup a natural choice. Butternut squash contains beta carotene, vitamin C, manganese, calcium, magnesium and potassium. This is a simple recipe that was told to me verbally by another foodie who highly recommended fried sage as a secret ingredient. The soup is still good even when you cannot get your hands on fresh sage.

1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into cubes (bake the squash at 350 for 10 minutes if is hard to peel or cut)

1 onion, finely diced

1-2 apples or 1 pear and 1 apple, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil (if you prefer a vegan version)

4 cups vegetable broth or stock

salt, pepper, cardamom, to taste

In a large pot, heat butter or oil over medium heat. Saute onion, apple and pear until softened. Add cubed squash and saute briefly. Add vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until squash is soft. Let soup cool slightly and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, cardamom or any other spices to your taste. Enjoy!

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Recipe: Fall Fruit Crisp

Posted on October 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a rather loose recipe to inspire you to make a healthy dessert anytime. I consulted with Chef Melissa Saunders to ascertain the appropriate amount of fruit per person. For example, if making apple crisp, allow for about 1-1.5 apples per person you are making crisp for. Or about 1 cup of fruit per person. I tend to leave the fruit plain to let the natural flavour come out through the cooking process. You can always squeeze a little lemon or add a sprinkle of sugar or honey if desired.

For the crisp topping. I prefer a simple version with just oats, butter, and brown sugar, because it has more crisp. It is also easy to create a gluten free version by using gluten free oats. Oats on their own are gluten free, it is in processing that they may come into contact with gluten. The formula for the crisp topping would be 1/4 cup oats, 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon brown sugar per person. You could use coconut oil instead of butter to make this a vegan recipe.

Crisp Topping

(Serves 4 as an example)

1 cup quick oats

1/4 cup butter at room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange sliced fruit in an even layer in a glass baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together oats, butter and brown sugar with your hands until well combined.

Spread over prepared fruit in glass baking dish.

Bake for 30-45 minutes or until topping is browned as desired. Enjoy warm on its   own or with a little whipped cream or icecream.

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Recipe: Pumpkin Pie with Whole Grain Crust

Posted on October 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is my favourite pumpkin pie recipe that I have developed over the years. Chef Michael Smith provided the inspiration for a whole grain crust a several years ago for an apple pie. He even created a gluten free version in 2010. I enjoy the whole grain crust with pumpkin pie filling, because it holds up well in texture and flavour. The filling with apple butter adds a luscious sweet flavour to the pumpkin. I found the original recipe for this filling years ago in my Bon Appetit cookbook. However, the recipe came with a delicious sounding gingersnap crust that included a rim of overlapping pastry leaves, which was sadly beyond my pastry skills. I had to find an alternative crust and this one here a tasty, reasonably healthy choice with the whole grains.

Gluten Free Version:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/chefs-recipe-whole-grain-crusted-apple-pie/article1241347/

Whole Grain Crust

1 cup whole wheat or barley flour

1 cup rolled oats

2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup oil (try grapeseed)

1/4 cup water or orange juice

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add oil, and mix well until combined. Add water and stir until the mixture comes together. Form a round disc with hands. Chill until ready to use.

Pumpkin Filling

1 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin

3/4 cup whipping cream

6 tablespoons apple butter

5 tablespoons brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, then add and combine all other filling ingredients.

Roll out dough on a floured surface into a large disc enough to cover a 9 inch pie plate. Press into greased pie plate and gently push to cover edges of pie plate.

Pour filling into pie plate prepared with whole grain crust. Bake for 45 minutes or until filling is barely set. Remove from oven, cool and enjoy!

 

 

 

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