Lentil, Kale, and Sweet Potato Stew

I'm back! The food blog has been wholly neglected recently, due to classes.. and mainly the fact that I can't take decent pictures without natural sunlight- Which was slightly lacking in Van this winter.. Who knew!? 

So now that I am done with my semester, I am finally able to enjoy my free time, do some cooking, and try to eat/yoga/run myself into beach and music festival-ready condition for the end of May (Sasquatch.. then Florida.. I'm a little excited.. I've already bought my swimsuits..)

It seems like everyone is into the the cleansing thing this time of year. See: intothegloss

I've tried the juice thing before, and it is no fun.. Especially if you actually need energy for a.. job? friends? I'd rather not be cranky for 3-5 days, thank you. 

This year, I'm trying to focus on detox-friendly foods that are still FOOD. This soup (more like a stew) is great for a detox-friendly meal, and I love it even when I'm not trying to eat healthy in particular. It is delicious and really filling.. Enjoy!

• 1 can low sodium diced tomatoes
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth (or veggie broth)
• 1 cup lentils, dried green
• 1 large sweet potato, cut into small cubes
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green or red pepper, diced
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• Pinch garam masala, cumin (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups water (more or less, depending on if you want it soupier or stew)
• 1 small zucchini, quartered and diced (optional)

Saute onion in a small amount of olive oil (add a splash of water if things start to stick). Add sweet potato, garlic, and curry powder after 3 minutes. Saute for about 5 more minutes, until everything is tender. Add can of tomatoes, lentils, broth, and water. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes or until lentils are tender. Add kale and red pepper at the end, so they don’t get soggy, and cook for about 10 more minutes! Done!

Sweet Potato Vegetarian Chili

Along with Ina, Michael Smith is one of my favorite chefs. I used to always watch his show, Chef at Home (when I had a life), and I even got to meet him once!! He was at a Kingston, Ontario, farmer's market, and I was slightly star-struck.. His style of cooking is very much like mine: lots of lentils, greens, soups, and spices. I got his most recent cookbook, Chef Michael Smith's Kitchen, for Christmas, and it is full of crazy good recipes! After a tough decision regarding which recipe I would try first, this vegetarian chili did not disappoint. The chipotle chilies add TONS of flavor, and the sweet potatoes are a slightly unexpected addition to your average chili. I edited it a bit due to laziness and my cumin threshold, but you can find a version of the original recipe here. Enjoy!

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and 1 cm cubed
• 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

Garnishes: Cilantro and sour cream

Heat some olive oil in a large soup pot, and add onion and green pepper. Saute veggies over medium heat until they begin to brown (about 7 minutes). Add garlic and spices, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, sweet potato, chilies, and 2 cups of water to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until desired thickness and potatoes are tender. Throw on some cilantro and sour cream. Voila!

Good beer.. Good knives.. Good food

We're Back! With Hummus!

Oops.. I may have slightly underestimated the time needed for grad school. I got thoroughly distracted from my dear food blog.. and this damn rain/ early sunset makes picture taking significantly more difficult! Christmas was a lovely break, and with it came a beautiful new immersion blender! I was so excited, and am definitely finding all sorts of ways to use it! Homemade hummus is actually possible without a food processor, the immersion blender makes it perfectly creamy. Making hummus from scratch is so much cheaper for me than buying it at the greek store down the street (Although I haven't yet perfected their amazing pesto hummus..). This recipe is nice and garlicky, and perfect with veggies or toasted pita. Enjoy!

• 1 can chickpeas, partially drained (leave about 1 tbsp of juices with the chickpeas)
• 2 tbsp tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon (more to taste)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and blend! If you need more liquid, add either some extra olive oil or lemon juice, whatever you like! Chill for a few hours or overnight, it gets more garlicky the longer you let it sit.

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

Things have been a little busy in the past while, so my cooking/photography time has plummeted. I am somewhat in denial about the amount of work I have to do in the next few weeks.. So what better way to procrastinate than cook!? The North Shore mountains got their first sprinkling of snow yesterday, and it is so beautiful! Sunday dinner needed something warm and light (a bit too much dim sum for lunch..). This is another Ina Garten classic, so simple and SO flavorful. Roasting the veggies before making the soup adds tons of flavor- She is a genius! Enjoy!

• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
• 4 cups chopped leeks, cleaned
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6-7 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (I just used milk)
• 1/4 cup parmesan

Roast potatoes and leeks in olive oil and pepper at 400 for 40-45 minutes, or until tender. Add arugula and roast for 5 more minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl, adding the wine and 5 cups of the chicken broth. Be sure to scrape the pan clean of all the crispy bits- these add tons of flavor! Puree the vegetables and stock until smooth in a food processor or blender. Transfer to large pot. Add stock until the consistency reaches a thick soup, and add cream and parmesan. Heat, covered until ready to serve.

Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Thanksgiving weekend was so much fun- Pemberton was beautiful, and I couldn't have asked for better weather. Apparently the Huffington Post agreed that this was the best place to spend thanksgiving! The weekend was filled with a visit to the local farm, plenty of wine (maybe a little too much..), and copious amounts of incredible food. They even made a turducken, which was soo delicious! 

Needless to say, this week called for some lighter meals. This recipe was super tasty, and pretty easy to make. It was also quite good cold for lunch today.. I adapted this from Richard Corrigan's recipe. Enjoy!
-Jillian

• 1 red onion, sliced ½” thick
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1” cubes
• 1 large zucchini, cut into 1” cubes
• 1 small acorn squash, peeled and ¾” cubed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1-1/2 cups couscous, uncooked
• 1 tsp cumin
• Pepper, to taste
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• ½ lemon

Toss vegetables with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until cooked. Combine couscous with cumin and pepper. Boil 1-1/2 cups of water, add couscous, stir, cover, and remove from heat. After five minutes (or until water has been absorbed), fluff couscous and move to large bowl. Mix in roasted vegetables, fresh parsley, and juice from ½ a lemon (More or less to taste!). Serve warm, or cold! Makes enough for 4 people as a side dish. 

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Canadian thanksgiving is this weekend, and I couldn’t be more excited! My cousins have invited me out to Pemberton, and I hear it is just beautiful up there. Fall foods are my favorite- And I now that the pumpkin spice lattes are available at starbucks, it is getting out of control. This recipe is super healthy, and definitely satisfies my pumpkin cravings (I will not be skipping that pumpkin pie, though!). These guys are great for breakfast, or perhaps a snack during stats class? (I didn’t bring enough with me!) Recipe adapted from The Goddess of Baking. Enjoy!

-Jillian


Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups flour 
• 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar, packed 
• 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder 
• 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda 
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon 
• 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg 
• 1/8 Teaspoon Cloves 
• 1-1/2 Cup Rolled Oats 
• 1 Egg 
• 1 Cup Pureed Pumpkin 
• 1/4 Cup Milk 
• 1/4 Cup vanilla yogurt 

+ Extra oats for topping

Thoroughly combine flour, oats, sugar, soda, baking powder, and spices in a bowl. Add pumpkin, egg, milk, and yogurt. Mix well, and divide into a muffin tin of 12. Top with extra oats. Bake at 375 for 17 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly. Makes 12 muffins.