Category Archives: Recipe

Recipe: Pear and Arugula Salad

Posted on September 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a recipe that was inspired after I got my hands on the best honey ever

http://www.vivianlaw.ca/the-best-honey-ever/ 

this summer and was also given a sample of sunflower oil from my friends at La Societe Orignal. This was what I came up with as a way to use honey and sunflower oil in the same dish, because those were the exciting new ingredients I procured that day. I’m still not sure where this idea came from, perhaps from ordering a pear, arugula and walnut salad on a Montreal patio and having the pear replaced with canned lychee(?). This is a really simple, and delicious salad to put together. The sauteed pears also pair very well with waffles and/or icecream (salted caramel was my pick).

Sauteed Pears:

Core and slice 1-2 medium ripe pears. Heat 1/2 tbsp butter in a small skillet. Add 1/2 tbsp of Classe Ouvriere honey (ordinary honey is alright too). Stir pear slices in butter and honey mixture and saute until lightly browned and softened.

Pear and Arugula Salad:

Organic baby arugula

1-2 sliced, sauteed pears,

drizzle of cold pressed sunflower oil

Place the desired amount of arugula (at least 2 large handfuls) onto a plate. Drizzle with sunflower oil. Top with sauteed pear slices and enjoy.

Leave a comment

Posted in Healthy food, healthy recipe, Recipe, Vivian Law

Tagged ,

Recipe: Three Lentil Soup

Posted on September 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a recipe I adapted from the Canadian Living Slow Cooker Collection. I found it worked just as well on the stove top. I use 3 types of lentils for the nutritional and texture variety. This is a brownish coloured soup that packs a lot of nutrition as a source of fibre, magnesium and folate on a cold day.

1/3 cup brown lentils

1/3 cup green lentils

1/3 cup black lentils

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 plum tomato, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

4-5 cups vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, tomato and celery until softened. In a strainer, rinse lentils thoroughly. Add lentils, bay leaf, thyme and vegetable stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, simmer over medium low heat for 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to your taste. Enjoy piping hot topped with finely chopped greens such as watercress or chard (the greens will wilt and cook lightly in the hot soup).

 

Leave a comment

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

Healthy Drink Recipe: Mango Lime Soda with Minisyrup

Posted on September 19, 2012 | 2 comments

This is a delicious, natural, calorie free beverage recipe that has a great story behind its origin. I was introduced to Minisyrup through a chance encounter at the Chicago airport earlier this year. Minisyrup is best described as a burst of flavour or a flavour enhancer, similar in concept to vanilla extract. Minisyrup flavours beverages with natural, concentrated flavour without any sugar or sweetener.

The recipe inspiration starts with the discovery of the summer drink of choice-grey goose orange and soda with lime…

http://www.vivianlaw.ca/summer-drink-grey-goose-orange-and-soda-with-lime/

With fresh lime juice as the key ingredient, I recalled how I learned about the incredible flavour this drink ingredient adds many years ago in my classic Mr Boston guide to cocktails.  This concept was brought back to me in the creation of the grey goose orange and soda with lime. Lime was the secret ingredient again, when a guest and I added Mango minisyrup to a vodka soda with lime, and created another great new drink . Vodka soda with lime and mango minisyrup was an outstanding cocktail, on par with the grey goose orange and soda with lime.  However, as much I as enjoy a cocktail, I saw great inspiration in the mango minisyrup as it packs so much flavour, and I saw many healthy applications for the product…

Club soda or sparkling water is a non alcoholic beverage that I tend to prefer over plain water at home or in restaurants. It seems like more fun than water with the bubbles.  A good friend and I had some club soda with lime and mango minisyrup with our final outdoor lunch of the season last week and found it to be a superb non alcoholic beverage. We felt this was a great discovery, as she is always looking for an enticing drink to serve her teen children when she is pouring wine or cocktails for the adults. We tested the mango lime soda on her teens and they loved it!

Here is the recipe, complete with photo inspiration from my young friend Francesca.

Fill a tall glass with club soda and ice. Add a squeeze of fresh lime and 2 pumps of Mango minisyrup. Enjoy!

Find and order Mango minisyrup at https://www.zavida.com/minisyrup/mango-minisyrup

 

 

 

 

2 Comments

Posted in Healthy Beverage, healthy recipe, product review

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Recipe: Spicy Noodle Salad

Posted on September 14, 2012 | 1 comment


After perfecting the spicy mango lime dressing this summer, I worked on a gluten free noodle salad that would include lots of veggies to create more of a meal with the salad. Napa cabbage delivers a light crunch with a milder flavour and the sugar snap peas add a touch of sweetness with their crunchy texture. I quite enjoyed the blend of flavours and textures, and so did my testers.

1 250g package buckwheat and sweet potato noodles (or 250g rice noodles)

8-10 leaves of napa cabbage, chopped finely

1 cup sugar snap peas, cut thinly crosswise

2 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves chopped

1/4 cup-1/2 chopped cilantro

1/2 fresh mango, cut into thin match sticks

Spicy Mango Lime Dressing –  http://www.vivianlaw.ca/recipe-spicy-mango-lime-dressing/

Cook noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, toss together noodles, cabbage, sugar snap peas with the dressing, mix well. Top with mint, cilantro, and mango, mix again gently. Serve and enjoy at room temperature.

Make this salad a meal by topping it with some lean protein of your choice. Try tofu cubes, shrimp, fish, grilled chicken or pork.

 

 

1 Comment

Posted in gluten free, healthy recipe, Recipe, Veggies

Tagged , , ,

Recipe: Spicy Mango Lime Dressing

Posted on September 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a recipe I developed this summer after being inspired by reading a recipe  in the newspaper for an Asian salad from a food truck. This Asian flavoured dressing is great for a cold noodle salad, coleslaw or broccoli slaw. The sesame oil(antioxidants) and sunflower oil (vitamin E) are tasty, more unusual fats that add more nutritional variety to your diet.

1/2 mango, cubed

1 shallot, finely minced

1/2 cup or more chopped cilantro, stems included

1 red thai chili, minced

1 tsbp sesame oil

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

Fresh lime juice from 1 1/2 limes

1/2 tbsp agave syrup

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Adjust lime juice or agave syrup to your taste. Enjoy the dressing with packaged coleslaw, broccoli slaw, and adding cold noodles is an option to make a more substantial salad.

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in Recipe

Tagged

Recipe: Spicy Black Bean Dip

Posted on August 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

This recipe is inspired by a great dip that Chef Melissa Saunders has made a few times. Her version changed my mind about black bean dip, as I’m not the biggest fan of black bean dip. Her dip was so tasty that I became open to making black bean dip myself sometime. I used this dip for raw veggies and even more fun, a black bean and cheese quesadilla made with corn tortillas.

2 cups or 1 can of black beans

1 clove of garlic, slivered

1/2 jalapeno pepper minced (remove seeds if you prefer a milder dip)

Juice of 1-2 limes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, pulse black beans, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, and jalapeno on high until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add cilantro and pulse again until well blended. Enjoy with fresh veggies, chips or in a quesadilla.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in Healthy food, healthy recipe, Healthy snack, plant food, Recipe, Vegan, Veggies

Tagged ,

Recipe: Sauteed Callaloo

Posted on August 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

I developed a love for callaloo while I was in Jamaica. It has to be one of the tastiest green veggies around and it is so easy to eat a good volume of it. I have found it here in Toronto at Caribbean Corner in Kensington Market, so look for it at a Caribbean grocer near you.

There is some technique to handling this plant once you have it in your hands. Separate the leaves and the stems throughout. Use a paring knife to remove the fibrous outer coating from the stems.

Sauteed Callalloo

1 bunch of callaloo, stems and leaves separated

1 clove garlic, slivered

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to your taste

Cut the stems and leaves of callaloo into small pieces. See below for a visual:

In a large pan, heat olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Add cut callaloo, saute for 2-3 minutes or until leaves start to wilt. Cover pan and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper or any other seasoning to your taste. Enjoy!

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in antioxidant, Greens, Healthy food, healthy recipe, plant food, Recipe, Recommendation, Vegan, Veggies, Vivian Law

Tagged ,

Recipe: Quinoa Waffles

Posted on August 1, 2012 | Leave a comment

This recipe came to my attention from a client in April and I finally tried it this past weekend. The recipe originates from the chef at Dish cooking studio. I was reluctant to try it at first, because I do not enjoy the taste of quinoa flakes. However, this is a great gluten free recipe if you stick with the quinoa flakes or use gluten free oats (my preference). These waffles were great the next day, toasted and topped with Nutella and fruit. I would not recommend them hot off the waffle iron, as they were a bit too soft.

Quinoa Waffles (Serves 2)

¼ cup quinoa flour
¼ cup quinoa flakes or 2 tbsp quick oats + 2tbsp millet flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ Tbsp brown sugar or honey
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp coconut oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 very ripe banana, mashed
¼ cup non dairy milk such as Coconut Dream, almond, soy or oat milk

In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients except for the brown sugar and mix well. In another bowl, beat together eggs, mashed banana, coconut oil, milk and brown sugar or honey. Add wet ingredients to dry and lightly mix together. Be sure not to overmix to ensure a tender waffle.

Have waffle iron heated to desired setting. Pour batter into prepared hot iron, cook to desired doneness and remove from iron. Cool and store in an airtight container. Serve toasted with Nutella and fruit.

Leave a comment

Posted in healthy recipe

Tagged , , ,

Recipe: Simple Sauteed Collard Greens

Posted on July 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

My first recollection of eating collard greens was at a Vancouver barbecue joint called Memphis Blues 5 years ago. We ordered something called the Elvis platter, which is every meat that they serve at the restaurant. I ordered a side of collard greens to complement the vast quantities of meat. It was too much food, but I recall that I quite enjoyed the collard greens. It has taken me a few attempts over the years to cook collard greens to a taste and texture I enjoy. Here is the recipe, try it whenever you need some leafy greens (which we recommend is all the time!). Collard greens provide vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, and various healthy phytonutrients.

2-3 slices of pancetta or bacon

1 bunch organic collard greens, cut finely, crosswise, tough talks removed

dash of hot sauce

In a large pan over medium heat, brown pancetta until almost crisp. Add cut collard greens to pan and saute for 2-3 minutes. Depending on how tender the greens are, cover the pan for 2-3 minutes until the greens are tender, but still bright green in colour. Season with hot sauce to taste. Serve with turkey, lamb, chicken or enjoy the greens on their own.

Leave a comment

Posted in healthy recipe

Recipe: Healthy Granola

Posted on July 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

Granola is a food that most of us enjoy for the taste and texture, but consider to be a food that is too high in calories to enjoy regularly. However, the source of the ‘high calories’ is very important to consider. This recipe is wheat free and contains various sources of fibre and healthy fats that we could all use in our diet. The soluble fibre in the oats can help lower blood cholesterol. The pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds provide healthy fats and vitamin E in addition to fibre. The coconut oil provides flavour and medium chain fatty acids, which help your cells absorb nutrients amongst other benefits.  I like to have granola for breakfast with non dairy milk, such as Coconut Dream, and fresh berries. I find it to be a great source of steady energy that tastes great at the same time. Many friends that have tried this granola just love to eat it out of hand as a quick snack.

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/4 cup oat bran

1/4 cup whole chia seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1tsp ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup or combination

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together oats, coconut, ground flaxseed, oat bran,  chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and cinnamon. In a small sauce pan, melt together honey and/or maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Pour liquid honey mixture over the oat mixture and toss to coat evenly. Spread mixture evenly on shallow rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 min, remove from oven, use a spatula to stir the mixture to ensure even browning. Bake a another 15-20 minutes until granola is crunchy and browned to your desired level.  Add 1/2 cup of your favourite dried fruits after the granola cools, if desired. Store in an airtight container. Try a 1/3-3/4 cup serving size to see what amount fits your energy needs.

Leave a comment

Posted in Healthy food, healthy recipe, Healthy snack, Vegan, Vivian Law

Tagged , , , , , ,