by Julianne De Witt | Nov 13, 2020 | Mains
Asparagus, zucchini and navy beans over buttery soft polenta. Lots of garlic, parmesan and a touch of olive oil. A nutritious and healthy bowl of goodness to fill you up. This recipe is really quick and easy so you can have dinner on the table in half an hour!
Creamy Polenta with Asparagus, Zucchini and Navy Beans
Buttery polenta and bright garlicky veggies. Hearty and easy to prepare!
Course: Main Course
Keyword: easy weeknight meal
Servings: 4
large frying pan
medium sauce pan
whisk
wooden spoon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 cups zucchini, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 398mL (14oz) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro or Italian parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
- 1/3 cup parmesan, petals or grated
Pour olive oil into frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, asparagus and zucchini and sauté for several minutes until veggies are just slightly underdone. Remove from heat.
Add water and salt to a medium sauce pan and bring to a light boil. Turn heat down to medium-low and slowly whisk in the cornmeal, ensuring there are no lumps. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. At the end of the cooking time whisk in butter and adjust seasoning.
Return asparagus mixture to medium heat. Add navy beans and heat through. Stir in cilantro or parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide polenta into four bowls, top each with asparagus mixture and top with parmesan. Enjoy!
Vegan option: Use plant based spread or a couple of tbsp olive oil in place of the butter and omit the parmesan.
by Julianne De Witt | Nov 11, 2020 | Mains
One of my favourite recipes to prepare. Tender chunks of beef braised in red wine with mushrooms and pearl onions: it’s a classic and a labour of love. My version is a bit of a shortcut from the original recipe I learned in cooking school as not everyone wants to spend that much time in the kitchen! I like to serve this with garlic mashed potatoes or soft polenta. To keep things low carb, if that’s your thing, serve it over cauliflower rice or mash. Comfort food at it’s best!
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Tender chunks of beef braised in a rich red wine gravy. A family favourite and perfect for your next dinner party!
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time5 hours hrs
Servings: 6
- 3 tbsp canola oil or other oil with a high smoke point
- 3 lbs or 1.5kg beef chuck stew cut into 2 inch pieces
- 5 slices bacon chopped
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups red wine a French burgundy if possible
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 cups pearl onions
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups mushrooms quartered
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Season beef with salt. Place oil in a sauce pan over high heat. Working in small batches, brown the beef on 2 sides. As meat is browned, set it aside. Once all meat is browned, turn down heat add a splash of wine to the pan and deglaze making sure to scrape up the bits with a wooden spoon. Pour the pan drippings into your slow cooker and add the browned beef.
Return the saucepan to medium heat, add the bacon and sauté for several minutes until cooked through, then add the onions, carrots and garlic and continue sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour and spoon the tomato paste over the onion mixture and stir to combine. Using a rubber spatula, add this mix to the slow cooker.
Next add to the slow cooker the wine, beef stock, bay leaves, thyme and some salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly and set slow cooker on high heat for 5 hours.
At the 4 hour point, sauté the mushrooms in butter until cooked. Add the mushrooms and pearl onions to the slow cooker, stir and continue cooking for another hour or until meat is very tender. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired and garnish with chopped parsley.
by Julianne De Witt | Nov 11, 2020 | Sides
A perfect way to enjoy that sweet summer corn, or use frozen corn if fresh is unavailable. Succotash is a dish that was introduced to struggling early colonial settlers back in the 1700’s by indigeous Americans. Composed mainly of corn, beans and assorted vegetables – these were ingredients unheard of in Europe at the time. Succotash was served as meal (rather than a side, as it is nowadays), as it is inexpensive to prepare and very nutrient dense. My version is easy and delicious! Perfect for BBQ season and it also makes a great side for Thanksgiving dinner!
Simple Succotash
My version of succotash is easy to prepare and delicious. Must be all the bacon!
Servings: 6
- 6 ears corn, shucked, kernels removed or 3 cups corn kernels, thawed from frozen
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 slices bacon, chopped
- 3/4 cup canned pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup assorted heirloom cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- zest of one lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
In a large sauce pan, sauté onion over medium heat in olive oil. Add bacon and cook until browned.
Add corn and continue sautéing for 5 minutes. Add pinto beans, black beans, cherry tomatoes, parsley and cilantro and continue cooking for several minutes until heated through.
Remove from the heat, stir in lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon and adding a couple of tablespoons of butter at the end of the cooking time.
Spice it up by adding a couple of chopped, seeded jalapenos, a pinch of cayenne pepper or a pinch of smoked paprika. 
by Julianne De Witt | Nov 2, 2020 | Mains
One of my favourite fall meals – sausage stuffed acorn squash. The filling features savory Italian sausage, diced apple, onions and fresh sage, stuffed inside perfectly roasted squash then topped with parmesan and broiled. A wholesome and easy to prepare recipe that the whole family will love. It’s a win win!
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sausage, Apple and Sage
Delicious roasted squash stuffed with savory sausage, apples and sage. Healthy and easy to prepare, this is great recipe for a week night, or any night.
Course: Main Course
Keyword: easy weeknight meal, healthy
Servings: 4
- 2 medium acorn squash halved, seeds removed
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb sausage
- 2 small apples peeled and diced
- 1 medium onion peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh sage diced finely
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp grated parmesan
Preheat oven to 400°. Place squash skin side down on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast for 40 minutes or until squash pierces easily with a fork.
While squash is roasting, prepare the sausage filling. Add sausage to frying pan over medium heat and cook. Using a wooden spoon, break up larger pieces of sausage so that all pieces are relatively uniform in size.
When sausage is cooked 3/4 of the way through, add the onion and garlic to the frying pan. Cook until onions are translucent. Add apples and sage and continue cooking until apples soften and sausage is browned and fully cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Take acorn squash out of oven, using a soup spoon, scoop a little squash out of each half and add it to sausage. Mix to combine.
Fill each half half of squash evenly with the sausage mixture. Top with parmesan cheese and return to oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Hints:
You can use sausage links for this recipe, just remove the casings before cooking.
Ground chicken thighs can be used in place of sausage, just be sure to add some olive oil to the pan so that the chicken doesn't stick or become too dry.
I like to serve this with a simple green salad and dijon vinaigrette. 
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