Eating Healthaliciously

This blog has moved!

2011-06-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Please visit www.aurelieshealthyliving.wordpress.com in the future.

Thanks,

Aurelie

Honey Spice Bars

2010-04-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

These whole grain snack bars have a hint of honey, but are sweetened mostly with healthy fruits. They are great for school lunches and quick snacks.

1 cup white whole wheat flour
3 tbsp rolled oats
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp poudre douce or nutmeg
1/2 cup dried apricot puree
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
3 tbsp apple juice concentrate.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the flour, oats, cranberries, and spices.
3. Incorporate the puree, oil, honey/maple syrup, and juice into the dry ingredients and pat the mixture into an oiled 8'' x 8'' pan.
4. Bake the bars in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden. Let cool, slice, and serve!

Makes 8 bars

Blueberry Dressing With a Hint of Ginger and Cinnamon

2010-02-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

Unless, as does the famous Popeye, you enjoy ingesting copious amounts of plain, dark, leafy greens, you are most likely always looking for new ways to eat these nutrition powerhouses. This blueberry dressing may become one of your favorite ways to dress dark, leafy green salads. It's especially good in a spinach salad topped with apples, celery, and walnuts.

Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp blueberry jam (use fruit-sweetened if possible)
1 tsp mustard
Ginger, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper to taste

1.In a mixing bowl, whisk all the ingredients together with a fork. Serve!

Makes about ½ cup dressing

Slow Cookin' Beans

2010-01-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

Until recently, I was a diligent promoter of cooking beans... over the stove. Now, not so much. Why the change?

I discovered the slow cooker. Oh, sure-- I had cooked (mostly stews) with the slow cooker before, but without great results. However, I did notice two characteristics that nearly all slow-cooked meals shared: they all tasted the same (this is a downside for me since I like lots of variety in my dishes) and they all emerged perfectly cooked for slow-cooker, especially the meals containing beans. It was the latter characteristic that prodded to try cooking dried beans in a slow cooker.

It so happens that cooking beans in a slow cooker is a perfect solution to almost every problem that can arise when cooking beans (over-bubbling, burning, under-cooking). Plus, a slow cooker isn't as finicky as the pressure cooker and always results in perfectly cooked beans.

If you've been wary of cooking beans regularly because of the hassles, give the slow cooker a try. To do so, soak beans overnight in a large bowl of water. Then, in the morning, drain and rinse them, transfer them to the slow cooker, cover them with water and set the slow cooker* to either the high setting for 6 hours or the low setting for 8 hours. Meanwhile, live your life and come home to a pot beans ready to be ''played'' with. You'll be glad to have given a chance to the slow cooker.

*Some beans take less time to cook than others, but these settings work well for the average bean.

Review Coming Soon

2010-01-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Stay posted for a review of the Ronco Electric Food Dehydrator! I was recently approached by a company who has a dining room furniture online store and a cooking equipment online store and who offered me the opportunity to review one of their products. Of course, I accepted, and, after looking over their products, I decided that the food dehydrator would be the most review worthy item. So, in the following weeks, I'll be experimenting with dehydration as a healthy food preservation method. Look out for a slew of posts on the topic.

Pineapple Blueberry Bake

2010-01-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

Pineapple Blueberry Bake

This easy-to-make bake makes a nice dessert for casual weeknight suppers.

4 cups chopped fresh pineapple

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

2 tbsp almond butter

2 tbsp cashew butter

1 banana, peeled

¼ cup apple juice concentrate

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In an 8'' x 8'' pan, toss together the pineapple and blueberries. Set aside.
In a small bowl, blend the nut butters, banana, juice, and spices together using a handheld blender. Mix the nut butter mixture into the fruit.
Bake the fruit bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Serve!

Makes 4 servings

Notes:

*You can use ¼ cup of either almond or cashew butter in place of a combination of both. Tahini can be used in the case of nut allergies.

An Idea Worth a Toast

2009-12-21T09:43:00.000-08:00

Here in New Brunswick, we are enjoying a quiet, snowy day that is a nice respite from the cold, icy, biting weather we've been having recently. The Christmas spirit is in the air and even though our family is staying close to home this holiday season, we're (or at least I am!) planning a Christmas feast.

With ideas for all sorts of festive desserts running through my head, it's definitely not astounding that I was in the mood to toast the holiday season with a festively topped toast (no pun intended): date square toast!

Date squares are traditionally made somewhat in the same way as apple crisp. They have a layer of crust (made up mostly of oats), a thick layer of pureed dates, and a topping of either more of the crust or chopped nuts. By using a slice of whole grain toast instead of the crust, you can make a delicious breakfast version of this dessert that is still wholesome enough to be considered breakfast.

To make, take a toasted slice of whole grain bread, spread on almond butter or tahini (bitter tahini complements sweet foods wonderfully), generously spread on date puree (or chopped Medjool dates), and lastly, top with a handful of chopped pecans and shredded coconut and a pinch of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Quick and Healthy for the Holidays: Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce

2009-11-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce

Of the traditional holiday foods, cranberry sauce is one of my favorites. It's not only for pouring on top of turkey. Cranberry sauce is a wonderful topping for toast, cakes, pancakes, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal among many other foods. It also makes a nice dip for fruit.

The cranberry sauce recipe below will produce a tasty, sweet cranberry sauce without the empty of calories of added sugar. Rather, the dried fruits and fruit juice used to sweeten this sauce add nutriments to it as well.

2 parts fresh cranberries
1 part orange juice concentrate
1 part apricot or date puree
Cinnamon to taste (optional)

1. In a large pot (preferably nonstick or with a thick bottom), mix the juice and cranberries together.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer until all the berries ''pop''. Stir the mixture often and watch it carefully as cranberry sauce burns easily.

3. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the apricot or date puree. Serve!

Notes:

*Choose a calcium-fortified orange juice if possible.

*If desired, you can use apple or white grape juice concentrate instead of orange juice concentrate.

*This sauce will keep for about a week in the refrigerator and actually tastes better as it ages, so feel free to lessen your load on the ''Big Day'' by making it in advance.

Potato Sandwiches: An alternative to the traditional sandwhich.

2009-11-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

Here's an idea. Use some oven-roasted spuds (either russet or sweet potatoes) to make a tasty and healthy sandwich. This is an interesting alternative to a traditional sandwhich and is a good stepping stone for those who want to make the switch from refined to whole grain bread.

What can you top your spud-wich with? Pretty much everything you would top a typical sandwich with, although you might want to slice your potatoes thin and make several small sandwiches rather than piling them up (which makes them harder to eat. The spud-which I recently indulged in was a tasty hummus, tomato, and Montreal steak spice combo. Use your imagination!

Multigrain vs. Whole Grain

2009-11-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

What is does multigrain mean? What does whole grain mean? And which one is better for you?

I got asked the above questions at a recent book signing and thought I'd share my answer here as well.

Multigrain- Containing different types of grains. We often see multigrain cereal and bread products made with different types of flours, but you won't find, say, multigrain rice.

Whole grain- Made with a whole grain rather than a refined grain. Almost all products that are made with cereals can be bought in whole grain varieties.

So which is better, multigrain or wholegrain?

Generally speaking, a balanced diet is one that includes a variety of foods and nutritious foods. Choosing a multigrain product over a whole grain product can add diversity to your diet, but not all multigrain products are made with whole grains rather than refined grains, so they may be less nutritious than a whole grain product. Choosing a whole grain product will (theoretically) be the most nutritious choice of the two, but will be less diverse. Obviously, the perfect choice would be a multigrain product that is 100% whole grain.

''But I've never seen ''whole multigrain'' describing a product!'', you say. No worries, as it isn't the product description that has the answers you are looking for. Product descriptions are often misleading anyway. Did you know that a product made with whole grain flour may not be 100% whole grain? It may actually contain a considerable amount of refined flour compared to the amount of whole grain flour.

To find out what the product you want to buy actually contains, you'll need to read the ingredient list. When I do this, I look for the words ''whole... flour'' and count the number of times these words appear. This tells me how many types of whole grains the product contains. I also make sure to check for refined flour, which is sometimes referred to as wheat flour or as unbleached flour. If refined flour is one of the first ingredients listed, I grow wary as this means that it is one of the primary ingredients in the product. However, if it is far down the list, I will keep the product in mind, as the refined flour may be used only for flouring or another similar purpose.

The Secret to Keeping Avocados from Browning

2009-11-09T10:09:00.001-08:00

Recently, a sale at the grocery store caused us to snap up a bag of much appreciated avocados. Naturally, I have been making plenty of (what else?) guacamole lately because of this.

Anybody who is familiar with avocado will tell you that they can be a pain when it comes to keeping them from browning or oxidizing. In fact, internet forums are full of speculations as to what might keep avocados from oxidizing. Avocado pits? Citrus juice? Avocado peel? Chlorinated water?

The secret to keeping avocado from browning seems to have been ''discovered'' by an American student's science project. And apparently the secret isn't pits, peel, citrus juice, or chlorinated water. It's olive oil.

Since learning of this trick, I have applied it whenever I use avocados and I can assure that it works. Sure, it won't keep the avocado green forever, but it will keep it from browning while at the dinner table and for about a day in the fridge afterward.

Curried Carrot Soup Variation

2009-11-07T04:43:00.000-08:00

Recently, I made a variation on my Curried Carrot Soup recipe in The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook that I thought I'd share with you. Fall is soup season for me, so I always come up with many new soup recipes and variations at this time of the year.

My most recent variation on the Curried Carrot Soup recipe involved substituting half of the carrots with chopped parsnips (yes, the root vegetable that looks like a white carrot although it isn't a carrot) and using red lentils instead of yellow split peas. I cooked the red lentils (with an additional cup of vegetable broth) directly in the soup, rather than cooking them beforehand like I do with the yellow split peas (which take more time to cook).

I really liked the soup this way. It had a nice, earthy taste perfect winter and it even kept its vibrant orange color. Definitely a good use for using up parsnips...

Clementines and Pomegranates: The Perfect Combo

2009-11-07T04:36:00.000-08:00

The Pomegrante Clementine Salad from my cookbook is one of my family's favorite holiday recipes. This is why I was tickled to see a holiday sale for both clementines and pomegranates (which were set up in boxes next to each other) at the Atlantic Super Store (the one near Staples and Zellers) in Moncton yesterday. Coincidence? I don't know. What I do know is that we'll be eating some yummy fruit salad very soon (of course I bought some!)!

Book Signing and Times and Transcript Recipe

2009-11-07T04:29:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

You are cordially invited to my book signing today, Saturday the 7th of November, from 2 to 4pm at the Dieppe Chapters store (next to Crystal Palace). I will be signing copies of The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook (makes a great gift) and will be handing out fresh-baked homemade Cranberry Apricot Cookies (sugar-free and whole grain to boot).

Also, if anyone reading subscribes to the Times and Transcript, they ran one of the recipes I posted here earlier (Southerwestern Style Bean Casserole) in the ''What's Cooking?'' column today. Check it out!

Moroccan-Style Vegetable Soup

2009-11-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

Moroccan-Style Vegetable Soup

This tasty, hearty soup is great for weeknight meals.

½ tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped carrots

2 cups sliced mushrooms

3 cups vegetable broth

28 oz can chopped tomatoes

2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 tsp Moroccan seasoning

3 tbsp raisins

1 tbsp apple juice concentrate

Salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, peppers, celery, carrots, and mushrooms for about 10 minutes or until tender.
Stir in the vegetable broth, tomatoes, and chickpeas and bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, cover partially, and let simmer until cooked (about 15-20 minutes). Stir in seasonings, raisins, and juice. Serve!

Makes 6 servings

This recipe is courtesy of Aurelie Pare, the young author of The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook. For more recipes like the one above and to obtain copies of The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook, please visit www.eatinghealthaliciously.blogspot.com.

Notes:

*Moroccan seasoning can vary in spiciness, so you may want to leave out the jalapeno to avoid making the soup too spicy.

*Pinto beans, white beans, kidney beans, black beans, and green lentils could be used instead of chickpeas, if desired.

*Try to find a low-sodium vegetable broth or make homemade vegetable broth to keep the sodium content in this soup low. You may also want to choose a low-sodium variety of canned tomatoes.

Freezing Jalapenos

2009-10-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

In my family, for the most part, we don't appreciate extremely spicy foods. That being said, I do add some time of spice to nearly everything I make. Recently, a near-by fruit and vegetable stand was selling jalapenos by the basket, so we decided to get some and freeze them for later.

To freeze the jalapenos, I chopped them finely (taking out the seeds and membrane first, of course), placed them in mini muffin tins (ice cube trays would be more suitable, but mine were occupied), covered them with water, and then froze them until solid (I waited overnight, but they seemed solid about 6 hours later). Once solid, I removed them from the tin by placing the bottom of the tin in hot water and I stored the jalapeno cubes in a freezer container for later use. The whole process, using up about half of my basket (12 jalapenos) and making 24 cubes, took up about an hour. I am quite pleased with my results and excited to have the jalapeno peppers on hand in the future!

The project went very well, although I do have one regret: not wearing plastic gloves. Why? Jalapeno peppers not only sting your eyes, the peppers can also create a burning sensation on your skin. I wore plastic gloves to remove the seeds from the peppers and to handle the peppers, but I left them bare while wielding the knife. A few hours later, part of my right hand was burning from the jalapeno juice! Ouch! Thankfully, after rubbing my hands in sugar (finally, a good use for that unhealthy substance), the burning abated and disappeared altogether after a few more hours.

Cruise Ship Lasagna

2009-10-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, Garfield isn't the only one who enjoys chowing down on lasagna. My family likes to eat lasagna as well.

Recently, I made a lasagna variation on the Cruise Ship Pasta in The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook. While there is still some tinkering to be done with this variation, I feel confident enough to post the details. The original Cruise Ship Pasta recipe is loaded with pasta (obviously!), marinara sauce, pineapple, black olives, green peppers, and tomatoes and can be served hot or cold in a pineapple "boat" (thus the name). To make my lasagna, I used the same ingredients, but made some changes to the original recipe so it would work for lasagna.

For starters, I used a mixture of marinara sauce and vegetable broth (3 cups marinara to 1 cup broth) to form my sauce (I always cook the noodles in the lasagna rather than separately).

A fourth of my sauce mixture formed my first layer in the 8'' x 15'' pan that I used.

I topped off the sauce with some whole wheat lasagna noodles and then came 2 cups of cooked beans (I used black-eyed peas, but I think white or pinto beans or green lentils would work well) mixed with 1/3 cup cashews (unsalted and ground into a paste in a coffee grinder) and seasonings (2 tsp nutritional yeast, 2 tsp dried basil, cayenne pepper, salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and black pepper).

Then came another 1/4 of the sauce, more noodles, and double the pineapple-veggie mixture + seasonings used in the original recipe.

Finally, 1/4 of the sauce, the last layer of noodles, and the remaining sauce topped off the lasagna.

Filled to the top? Yes. Overflowing? No, just right.

The baking time was about an hour and twenty minutes at 375 degrees while covered with aluminum foil. The end result was a tasty lasagna which vanquished my qualms about how the cooked pineapple would taste (lovely).

Usually, it never takes me more than an hour to bake my lasagna, so this is the area that needs to be worked on with this recipe. I'm not too sure why this one took longer to cook, but I'm suspecting that either the pineapple (would surprise me, but it could be) or the depth of the pan (maybe a little deeper and with a lid would be best) is the culprit. Luckily, there is a pineapple sitting on my counter and some veggies in my fridge and pantry, so I think I'll be polishing this recipe off soon.

Lemony Dill Peas

2009-10-21T05:13:00.000-07:00

Lemony Dill Peas
A quick and easy way to serve up green peas.

1 cup water
2 cups frozen green peas
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dried dill
1 tsp prepared mustard
Black pepper to taste

1. Add water to a medium-sized pot and bring the water to a boil, covered. Add the peas, cover partially, and let boil for about 4 minutes.

2. Remove from heat, drain (water can be reserved for making vegetable broth if desired), and rinse the peas with cold water (to stop cooking). Return the peas to the pot and stir in the lemon juice, dill, and mustard. Season to taste with black pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Sweet Potato Pie: Casual-Style

2009-10-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

Even when the holidays are over and I don't have the time to make pie, I continue to pine away for the Sweet Potato Pie made with sweet potatoes, orange juice, and almond butter in The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook. Sweet potatoes are a favorite in our family and luckily the near by fruit and veggie stands keeps them in stock, so I decided to make only the pie filling and served it "mashed potato" style.

To hasten the sweet potatoes baking time, I cut them into smaller sections rather leaving them whole. After the sweet potatoes were cooked and the skin was peeled off, all that was left to do was add the flavoring ingredients and blend away. Because this pie doesn't contain any eggs, there was no need to cook it after this.

Definitely a tasty side dish and much more convenient then making pie on a busy weeknight.

Brownie Birthday Cake

2009-10-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

For my mother's birthday this year, I made the Brownies from The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook, but baked them in a springform cake tin to make a tasty Brownie Cake. I was definitely pleased with this variation on the original recipe, although I caution anyone else who makes the cake to wait until the cake has completely cooled before removing it from the cake tin and putting it onto the cake platter.

To top off the finished cake, I used a new (still experimental) healthy frosting/dip recipe. The main ingredients are autumn squash (believe it or not!), chocolate/carob powder, dates, and bit of cashew butter and vanilla. It was surprisingly tasty and no one noticed the squash base. How's that for sneaking in veggies?

Spicy Red Lentil Beanballs

2009-10-18T08:03:00.001-07:00

Eating pasta with some Red Lentil Beanballs from The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook is one of my favorite ways to eat pasta and I am constantly coming up with new variations on this recipe. The variation I made last night was the original recipe but with a lot of added red pepper flakes for kick. It was definitely a yummy variation on the classic healthy (lots of legumes, omega-3 rich walnuts, and healthy seasonings) beanball recipe.

I rarely measure when adding spicy ingredients (such as cayenne pepper, chiptole pepper, and red pepper flakes) since I find the amount of spice preferred is going to vary widely for everyone, but I will give you an educated guess on how much I added to the recipe, just for reference. For one Red Lentil Beanball recipe, I added roughly 1 1/2 to 3 tsp red pepper flakes. This seems like a lot, but the lentils seem to neutralize the spicy flavor, so it is actually only mildly spicy.

10 Minute Meals- Quick and healthy dinner ideas

2009-10-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

We all know that eating healthy and exercising is the way to go when it comes to leading a balanced lifestyle and warding off preventable diseases, but many of us are unable to find room in our already busy lifestyles to add these beneficial activities to our schedules. While I'm not the right person to offer up tips about working out (I find time for it, but I'm not exemplary!), I thought I'd encourage other people with filled planners and long to-do lists to eat healthy by posting about one of my favorite "10 minutes or less" meals today.

Super Quick, 10 Minute Hearty Tomato Soup

This flexible, easy recipe is a cinch to make on busy weeknights. Keep your refrigerator and freezer stocked up with the ingredients for this recipe so you can prepare a tasty meal whenever you need to.

3 cups tomato or vegetable juice
1/4 prepared hummus
1-3 cups frozen vegetable mix of choice
1-3 cups cooked or drained and rinsed canned beans of choice
Basil, cayenne or red pepper, black pepper, and Montreal steak spice to taste
Lemon juice to taste (optional)

1. In a medium or large-sized pot, whisk together the hummus and vegetable juice with a whisk. Stir in the vegetables and beans and bring the mixture to a boil, uncovered, over high heat.

2. Lower the heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 6 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. Season to taste and stir in lemon juice. Serve!

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Notes:

*Make sure to use a low-sodium tomato or vegetable juice. Be careful of added sugar in certain brands as well. The traditional V8 is typically the healthiest choice in large grocery stores.

*I like to make my own hummus in big batches and freeze it for later use, but I also occasionally supplement my hummus supply with store-bought hummus.

*This soup is very flexible. Make it with loads of veggies and beans for a type of stew to serve over brown rice or another whole grain or make it without the veggies and beans for a simpler soup.

*Beans to use include pinto, turtle black bean, garbanzo, red kidney bean, and white navy bean. Frozen edamame (soybeans) can also be used in place of cooked or canned beans.

Three Uses for Tahini (and sesame seeds)

2009-10-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

An Introduction to Tahini

What is it?

Tahini is a smooth, creamy substance made from sesame seeds that has a texture similar to peanut butter and nut butters. Tahini is a Middle-Eastern staple that is used in hummus, the popular chickpea dip.

How can it be made/where can it be bought?

Many superstores, large grocery stores, healthy food stores, and bulk food stores sell prepared tahini. You can also make your own by toasting sesame seeds and grinding them into a smooth paste in a coffee grinder.

A few ideas for using it...

1) Whisk tahini together with lemon juice and spicy seasonings to make a tasty sauce for steamed leafy greens and other vegetables. Top with fresh parsley and pine nuts if desired.

2) Use tahini (or toasted sesame seeds ground into a paste) in place of nut butters in savory recipes. This is especially an especially practical use for those with nut allergies.

3) A final idea... cranberry sauce and tahini! This is one of those odd combinations that tastes divine. I love it over toast and oatmeal.

Dried Fruit Puree

2009-10-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love something sweet? The key to eating healthy though is to steer away from "empty" calories and to load up on the nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. To keep baked goods tasting good and filled with good-for-you nutrition, I employ fruit instead of sugar among many things.

There are many different ways to sweeten with fruit and the following are some of my favorites: juice concentrate, fresh fruit (pureed bananas, for example), and dried fruit puree. While most of these are self-explanatory, I am often asked what dried fruit puree is and where it can be bought. To clear up the confusion, let me clarify that dried fruit is basically softened dried fruit blended until smooth and that it must be made, not bought, using the method below.

Dried Fruit Puree

Great for sweetening baked goods and other sweet recipes, dried fruit puree can be made from all sorts of dried fruits such as the following: apricots, dates, raisins, and prunes.

2 cups dried fruit of choice
Water
Seasonings (cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon or orange juice, etc.) (optional)

1. Put the dried fruit in a small pot and cover them with water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

2. Lower the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until all or most of the water is either absorbed or evaporated.

3. Using a handheld blender (a food processor is my second choice as using a blender is inefficient), puree the mixture until smooth and stir in the seasonings if using. Either use immediately or transfer to a plastic container suitable for freezing and keep for up to a month. Suggested uses include sweetening baked goods, thickening sweet mixtures, and slathering on whole grain toast (see Apricot'n Almond Spread or Gingery Date Spread in The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook).

Makes roughly 1 1/2 cup dried fruit puree

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

2009-10-12T03:52:00.000-07:00

Having lived in the US for most of my life, I always find it a bit strange to have Thanksgiving before Halloween rather then after. Just one of those things you have to get used to, eh?

That being said, I want to wish all my fellow Canadians a very happy and tasty Thanksgiving, According to this article, we have alot to be thankful for!

By the way, although I haven't uploaded the pictures of the Thanksgiving feast we ate Sunday night, I thought I'd share our menu below.

To celebrate our Thanksgiving, we ate a feast of the following (recipes from The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook are marked with a *):

Salad with romaine lettuce, apples, walnuts, celery, and balsamic vinaigrette (lemon juice, b. vinegar, olive oil, mustard, date puree to cut the acidity, and salt and black pepper to taste)

Fresh avocado drizzled with lemon juice and red pepper

Oven Roasted Potatoes with Montreal Steak Spice*

Roasted Plums and Carrots with Fresh Ginger (a new recipe!)

Sweet Potato Pie*

Savory Lentil Loaf*

Sugar-free Cranberry Sauce*

Pretty Pecan Pie*

Pomegranate Clementine Salad*

Cranberry Pistachio Crunch

2009-10-12T03:50:00.000-07:00

Cranberry Pistachio Crunch

This divine treat is a variation on chocolate bark that gets a boost of flavor from raspberry jam, cranberries, and pistachios. By giving preference to carob chips over chocolate chips (carob contains more calcium, no caffeine, and since it's naturally sweeter, it tends to be lower in added sugar), by choosing sugar-free raspberry jam, and by sneaking in some flax meal, this indulgence is a better choice (concerning taste and nutrition) then the chocolate candy bars typically served at Halloween.

1 cup carob or chocolate chips

1/4 cup raspberry jam (use a sugar-free or low sugar variety)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios

2 tbsp flax meal (optional)

1. In a small pot, melt the carob chips over low heat. When the carob is completely melted, stir in the raspberry jam, remove the pot from heat and using a handheld blender, puree the mixture until smooth.

2.Stir the cranberries, pistachios, and flax meal into the carob mixture, working quickly so the carob doesn’t harden while you are mixing.

3. Now, spoon the mixture into and 8 x 8 pan lined with wax paper. Using your hands or a spatula, firmly and evenly press the mixture accross the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or until hardened. Cut the bark into squares or break them into pieces. Serve!

Makes 16 servings

This recipe is courtesy of Aurélie Paré, author of The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook (as seen on CTV Halifax's Live at 5, CTV Toronto's News at 6, CTV Montreal's News at Noon, CityTV's Breakfast Television, and Radio Canada's Téléjournal Acadien, among others). For more information and more recipes, please visit www.aurelieshealthycuisine.com and www.eatinghealthaliciously.blogspot.com. If you have any questions or would like to view the nutritional info of this recipe, please send an email to aurelie@aurelieshealthycuisine.com

*A homemade berry "jam" can be made by simmering 2 cups berries with 1/2 cup apricot or date puree (see the Lemon Blueberry Bars at www.eatinghealthaliciously.blogspot.com) and 1/4 cup apple juice concentrate until cooked. You may need to adjust the thickness of the jam (berries vary in water content) by adding extra puree.

*When choosing your carob or chocolate chips, make sure to choose a variety that does not contain harmful hydrogenated oils.

Southwestern Bean Casserole

2009-10-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

Southwestern Bean Casserole

This creamy, comforting casserole is a cinch to whip together, making it perfect for rushed autumn weeknights. Big plus- it will please the whole family. Serve alongside a salad or sautéed greens with some roasted potatoes for a complete meal.

½ cup cashews, unsalted

½ cup vegetable broth

½ tbsp Montreal steak spice

Cumin and black pepper to taste

3 cups cooked yellow-eyed peas

1 ½ cup chopped bell pepper

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 slice whole grain bread

¼ cup baked corn chips

2 tbsp cashews

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried rosemary

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a grinder, grind the cashews into a paste. Transfer the cashews to a mixing bowl and stir in the vegetable broth and seasonings. Use a handheld blender to blend until smooth, then stir in the beans, pepper, onion, and garlic.

3. Transfer the bean mixture to an oiled 8 x 8 pan, cover, and bake for an hour in the preheated oven. Meanwhile, grind the bread, chips, and cashews into an uniform mixture.

4. When beans are done baking, remove them from the oven, stir in the rosemary, and sprinkle on the crumb topping. Return the casserole to the oven uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Serve!

Makes 6 servings

This recipe is courtesy of Aurélie Paré, author of The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook (as seen on CTV's Live at 5 and Radio Canada's Téléjournal Acadien). For more information, please visit www.aurelieshealthycuisine.com.

*Romano, pinto, and white among many beans could be used in place of the yellow-eyed peas, if desired.

*For a pretty presentation, use several colors of pepper.

Making Healthy Baked Goods without Nuts

2009-10-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

Since I exclude eggs and (most of the time) oil from my baked good recipes, I often use moderate quantities of nut butter to supply the proteins and fats that the recipes need to succeed. A few people have asked me if it was possible to make my baked good recipes without nuts for people with allergies. With a little bit of experimenting in the past weeks, I have found that it is possible.

Rather than use nut butter as usual, I use 1/3 cup flax meal in place of every 1/4 cup nut butter. The baked goods turn out well this way, but I do have a few words of caution: make sure that the flax meal you use is finely ground to avoid a grainy texture, add one or two tablespoons of canola oil if making a recipe that needs to be especially rich (such as a brownie recipe), and keep in mind that this method is best for baked goods such as muffins and cakes. For cookies, I recommend using a combination of canola oil and dried fruit puree instead of nut butter if need be.

Mesquite Powder

2009-10-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Upon a recent trip to Bulk Barn, I came across mesquite powder, one of their new products. Intrigued by the aromatic smell, the description (a powder that looks and can be used much like carob powder or cocoa powder, except with a hint of naturally occurring coffee and cinnamon flavor), and the nutritional info (much like carob, this tasty dessert ingredient is also rich in calcium). Naturally, I had to take some home and experiment.

Results? Well, time was a bit too sparse to do any real research (although I have my plans... mesquite brownies, anyone?), but it was an excellent substitute for carob in my Almondy Carob Dip and quite tasty mixed into to a classic banana-almond smoothie. I love the wonderful flavor it has and the fact that the taste isn't bitter like chocolate.

Blueberry Lemon Oat Bars

2009-09-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Lemon Oat Bars

These back-to-school treats are great for the lunchbox, breakfast, and snacks.

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp lemon zest
1/3 cup dried blueberries
2 tbsp rolled oats
1/2 cup apricot puree
2 tbsp canola oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a grinder, grind the 1st cup of oats into flour and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in cinnamon, zest, blueberries, and remaining oats.

3. Add the apricot puree and oil to the oat mixture and combine thoroughly. Press evenly and firmly into an oiled 8 x 8 pan, then bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and cut into 8 bars (Slice for times vertically and once horizontally). Serve!

Makes 8 bars

Notes:

*To make apricot puree, place a cup of apricots in a small pot. Next, cover the apricots with water and let them simmer until they are fork tender and there is barely any water left. Using a handheld blender, puree until smooth. Makes about 3/4 cup (extra puree can be kept in the freezer).

*If desired, dried cranberries, dates, or raisins can be used in place of the blueberries.

*If you'd like to use nut butter in these in place of oil, you can. Cashew and almond butters would be great here.

Alter Eco Quinoa

2009-08-31T11:38:00.000-07:00

Product: Alter Eco Quinoa
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Details:

After my post on quinoa a few weeks back, I was contacted by someone from Alter Eco Quinoa who thought I might be interested in reviewing their product. I was!

To test the product out, I decided to keep things simple and cooked up the quinoa in some vegetable broth after rinsing it.

*Just to clear up any misconceptions, let me say that there is nothing special about the taste or nutrition of Alter Eco Quinoa--it's basically just plain quinoa. I just tested it out for the sake of doing a thorough review.*

Verdict:

I really enjoyed this product. I love the fact that it is Fair Trade and certified organic. This is something that is important to me, seeing how I often time contemplate the origins of tasty, but foreign cooking ingredients (coconut! bananas!). The taste and nutrition was basically normal for quinoa (which, for those of you who didn't read my earlier post on quinoa, translates to absolutely delicious). There are only two things that trouble me about this product: the quinoa isn't pre-rinsed (I find that the biggest benefit of packaged quinoa is that it is typically pre-rinsed) and the quinoa doesn't seem to be available throughout Canada.

Gluten-free Perfect Pancakes

2009-08-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

*New* Gluten-free option for Perfect Pancakes:

For all of you who don't eat gluten (or have friends who don't)...

Use 2 cups of gluten-free baking mix and 1 tsp guar gum (find both of these at bulk food or health food stores) in place of the 2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour. Prepare as usual and enjoy!

Gluten-free option for Cranberry Apricot Cookies

2009-08-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

After receiving an abundant amount of requests at a recent book signing at Planet Organic in Halifax, I decided to make a gluten-free version of my Cranberry Apricot Cookies (the recipe already has a spelt option for those who can't or prefer not to use wheat) for the Vegetarian Durham Festival.

A gluten-free reader had explained to me a few weeks beforehand that she had success with a gluten-free version of the cookies by using gluten-free baking mix and xanthan gum. Based on this, I substituted an equal amount of gluten-free baking mix for the whole wheat pastry flour in the recipe and added 1/2 tsp guar gum (similar to xanthan gum).

The verdict? The cookies turned out wonderfully and were well received at the Vegetarian Durham Festival by both gluten and non-gluten eating people.

Quinoa: First Impressions

2009-07-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

Quinoa, a tiny ancient grain, is now gaining popularity in modern day North America for its great taste, versatility, and health benefits...

“Quinoa is a good source of protein and contains all of the essential amino acids (most grains do not). It is also higher in potassium and iron but lower in fiber than most grains, and it is gluten free so can be eaten by those with Celiac disease. It also makes a nice side dish - expands four times when cooked and cooks faster than rice. Some think it has a nutty flavor (I do); others say an "earthy" flavor.”-Judi Adams

For some (like me!), its an occasional change from brown rice:

Says Kristen Burris, "It is a personal favorite of mine and I suggest it to patients who are bored with rice or are looking for a healthier alternative."

For others, its a gluten-free life savior:

"As a Coeliac, quinoa is my saviour! Prior to diagnosis I ate a lot of couscous and pasta, especially focusing on wholewheat pasta for fibre context. A gluten free diet can typically be very low in fibre, especially if you just choose the ‘gluten replacement’ products like GF bread, pizza bases and dried pastas. Rice and potatoes not only get a little boring but they can again be low in fibre and high GI but quinoa, well, quinoa is like the proverbial cherry and cream on my gluten free pie – if cherries and cream were really, really good for you that is!"-Emma Lucas

For some it's an instant favorite:

“When I first tried quinoa - after already knowing the nutritional benefits – I was instantly hooked. Who needs plain old rice or even brown rice, when quinoa exists to mix with veggies and/or a protein. It’s an added bonus that it’s so good for you.” – Amanda Freeman, VitalJuice.com

"The first time I tried quinoa was at the Plant Cafe in San Francisco, formerly known as Lettus and I was absolutely hooked. Once I looked it up, learned more about it, I began buying it in bulk at Whole Foods - its an amazing grain - full of protein, fiber, and so much better for me than rice!"-Jamie Walker, www.ilikegranola.com

"I can't count the number of times a client has told me 'I did not know Quinoa even existed before seeing it on your menu & I LOVE IT'"-Zalmi Duchman, www.TheFreshDiet.com

And for others, it takes some getting used to:

The first time I tasted quinoa I was disappointed. I wanted to like it because of the purported health benefits. It was about four years ago and found the texture strange and mushy and thought it was very bland.

"Recently I tried quinoa again. This time I focused on technique to see if I could create a delicious dish using the grain/seed. I rinsed it before cooking and watched the cooking times more closely to avoid the mushy consistency. Viola!"- Lynn

But perhaps, like the following person, you have yet to try quinoa:

"Although I am a registered nurse and eat a very healthy diet, I have never eaten quinoa because;

a. I don't know where to find it.
b. I don't know how to prepare it.
c. I don't know what it tastes like. "

If you've been hesitating to try it, let me assure you that quinoa really is worth trying. No need to eat quinoa everyday for the rest of your life, but it is a great occasional change from the usual dinner grains and it is now available in many grocery stores, bulk stores, health food stores, and supermarkets.

Using it is simple- Cook it up just like you would do rice, sprout it for use in salads, or toast it in the oven and use it as you would rolled oats. The possibilities are endless and with what is most often described as a "nutty" taste by those with adventurous palates, it might just become your favorite grain.

Gluten-Free Baseball Concession Stand

2009-07-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

According to Examiner.com, a baseball concession stand at Coors Feild in Denver, went gluten-free after fan requests and after the executive chef was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Although it seems as if the food is not any healthier (hot dogs, burgers, soda, cookies, chips, brownies, etc.), it is good news for those with Celiacs.

Speaking of which, it seems that Celiac disease is on the rise in the US. In a study done by the University of Minnesota and by the Mayo Clinic which was published in the journal Gastroenterology, it was found that Celiac disease is at least 4 times more common today than it was 50 years ago.

What is especially interesting about this study is that to come to this conclusion, they used frozen blood samples from past US Air Force recruits to identify the number of people with Celiac disease rather than simply going by the number of people diagnosed. The cause of the increase is unknown, but highly intriguing...

Eating Healthy and Exercising Right Does Pay Back

2009-07-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

Finally, good news for those of us who wonder if paying more for fresh fruits and veggies (compared to process junk food) is really worth it- a recent study by Harvard, which is being published in The American Journal of Medicine this August, found that 60% of all bankruptcies in the US were due to sickness and the medical bills that came with it.

Of course, not all illnesses can be prevented by healthy eating and exercise, but since unhealthy lifestyle habits are behind the most common diseases in the US, it is safe to say that investing in your health could be a great fiscal decision.