by Julianne De Witt | Sep 26, 2021 | Appetizers
Hummus is easy to make and when you add all the fun toppings, it’s way better than store-bought! Creamy, smooth, lemony hummus topped with chopped castelvetrano and kalamata olives, sliced radishes, crumbled feta, heirloom cherry tomatoes and fresh torn basil. So good!
Loaded Hummus
This one's a crowd pleaser! Lemony, creamy hummus topped with all the fun stuff - almost a meal in itself!
- 540 mL can chickpeas drained
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice more to taste
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt to taste
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1/4 cup water more as needed
Toppings
- whole chickpeas
- chopped fresh basil
- crumbled feta
- chopped heirloom cherry tomatoes
- sliced radishes
- chopped castelvetrano and kalamata olives
- fresh cracked pepper
- Spike seasoning or salt as needed
- chilies
Add tahini and lemon juice to food processor and blend until creamy.
Add olive oil, garlic, salt, chickpeas and blend. Slowly add water and blend until perfect consistency is reached. Adjust seasoning as needed.
Add hummus to a shallow bowl, make a well in the center, pour in a bit of olive oil. Add fresh cracked pepper and chilies. Add hummus toppings. Serve with your favourite raw veggies, pita bread, crackers and pretzels.Enjoy!
by Julianne De Witt | Sep 23, 2021 | Desserts
This rum raisin apple crumble is a fresh take on my traditional crumble recipe. Heavy on the fruit and generous on the topping, which is more buttery oatmeal cookie than crumble. Make sure you have your favourite vanilla ice cream on hand to go with – it’s a must!
Rum Raisin Apple Crumble
- 1 cup of rum
- 1 cup of raisins
- 8-9 medium sized apples (gala or fuji) peeled, cored and diced
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cup butter softened
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add rum and raisins to a small saucepan and place on medium heat until raisins begin to puff. Take saucepan off heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
Add sliced apples, rum and raisins, white sugar, cinnamon to a 9x13 baking dish. Add cornstarch to a little cold water, add to apple mixture and mix well.
In a separate bowl add butter, oats, flour and brown sugar, mix well to combine
Add topping to apples, and press down lightly.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Enjoy!
by Julianne De Witt | Sep 21, 2021 | Mains
A popular recipe with my family and friends. I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe because I prefer them but chicken breast works well too.
I always keep a few bottles of the Naam’s Miso Gravy in my pantry. If you haven’t tried miso gravy before, you must. It’s packed with flavor and so delicious on roasted veggies, salmon, oven fries and makes a fantastic cooking sauce for chicken.
If you’re feeling fancy, add in some assorted wild mushrooms!
Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or soft polenta and your favourite veggies. Perfect fall meal!
Miso Chicken and Mushrooms
Course: Main Course
Keyword: Diabetic Friendly, easy weeknight meal, Low Carb
Servings: 4
- 10-12 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 bottle Miso Gravy I use Naam's
- 3 tbsp parsley chopped (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Working in batches, sear chicken thighs on both sides in olive oil over high heat (don’t cook through). Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a medium sized Dutch oven, lightly sauté onions and mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat. Turn off heat and add flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir to incorporate the flour into the mushroom mix.Lay chicken thighs on top of mushroom mix. Pour the bottle of miso gravy over top and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Enjoy!
by Julianne De Witt | Sep 20, 2021 | Salads, Sides
Nut crusted goat cheese, pear and arugula salad with a simple Dijon vinaigrette. These flavours work perfectly together – warm, crispy goat cheese medallions nestled on top of peppery arugula and accented by sweet pears. The goat cheese is the star of the salad – breaded in panko crumbs and fried to a golden brown. A simple but elegant salad for any night of the week.
I like to use local goat cheese from Salt Spring Island Cheese – their cheeses are all handmade, using traditional methods and only natural ingredients.The secret to making these is to freeze the goat cheese first. That way, during the frying process, the coating gets toasted, while the cheese thaws and warms on the inside still holding it’s shape and not completely oozing out the sides.
You must try this salad. Even your picky eaters will love it!
Panko Crusted Goat Cheese, Pear and Arugula Salad
Arugula, sweet pears and rounds of crispy panko-crusted goat cheese served with a simple Dijon vinaigrette.
Servings: 4 people
Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch salt & pepper
Salad
- 1 container (142g) baby arugula
- 1/2 cup pecan halves toasted
- 1 red or bosc pear halved, cored and sliced thinly lengthwise
- 1 150 g pkg soft, fresh goat cheese
- 1/2 cup panko seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Form goat cheese into 6-8 equal rounds. Place on plate and put in freezer for 30 minutes.
Prepare the vinaigrette. In a small jar, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, salt & pepper. Put lid on jar and shake to combine.
Add arugula, toasted pecans and pear slices to salad bowl.
Prepare the goat cheese. Place oil in sauce pan over medium-high heat. Remove goat cheese from freezer, dip in egg and roll in panko, pressing gently so that crumbs stick. Add goat cheese rounds to pan and brown for 2 minutes until golden then flip and repeat. Place on paper towel to remove any excess oil then add to salad, serve with vinaigrette and enjoy!
by Julianne De Witt | May 5, 2021 | Mains
On Tuesdays, I meet a good friend of mine for a lunch and a shop at our local public market. I always hit the fish store to pick up something fresh for dinner. Lately we’ve been all about the fish tacos, I mean who doesn’t love a good fish taco? This is my favourite recipe: beer-battered cod on warmed corn tortillas, served with a light slaw and zesty chipotle crème fraîche. Don’t be intimidated, this recipe is pretty simple ( if you don’t mind a bit of chopping). Hope you love it!
The Best Fish Tacos
Crispy beer-battered tacos with a light slaw and a smoky chipotle crème fraîche. So delicious!
Servings: 6
Fish
- 1 lb or 1/2 kg cod sliced into 1 inch (2 cm) strips
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/4 cup beer
- canola oil for deep frying
- white corn tortillas
Slaw
- 1 cup red cabbage shredded
- 1 cup green cabbage shredded
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 1 roma tomato chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- juice of one lime
- salt and pepper to taste
Chipotle Crema
- 1/3 cup crème fraîche
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/4 tsp (or more) chipotle powder
- salt to taste
Garnish (Optional)
- guacamole
- sliced radishes
- chopped cilantro
Prepare the batter. Place flour, baking powder and seasonings in a large bowl. Add beer and stir to combine, Use a whisk if necessary to remove any lumps. Set aside.
Prepare the slaw. Add cabbage, jalapeno, tomato, onion and cilantro to a large bowl. Add olive oil, lime juice and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Prepare the crema. Combine crème fraîche, chipotle, lime juice in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt.
Prepare the fish. Heat canola oil in a large pot (I normally have an inch of oil in the pot). Oil is ready when you place a drop of batter into the oil and it starts to bubble up. Working in small batches, coat the fish in batter then place into oil and fry until batter is golden brown and fish is cooked through (approximately 2 - 3 minutes per side). Transfer cooked fish to wire rack to drain off excess oil.
Prepare the garnish, if using.
Heat up tortillas individually in a frying pan until lightly browned.
To serve, add some slaw to each corn tortilla, top with 1 to 2 pieces of fish, drizzle with crema and garnish. Enjoy!
). You’ll love this one!
by Julianne De Witt | Jan 10, 2021 | Soups & Stews
Sablefish is the star in this rich and comforting bowl of goodness. Sablefish is also known as black cod or butterfish due to it’s remarkably delicate texture. Chock full of fish, new potatoes and aromatics and a touch of brandy, it’s a meal in a bowl. Some crusty bread and butter on the side is a must!
If you can get your hands on a good quality fish stock from your favourite fish store, I would recommend it. Clam nectar works well as a replacement. If you don’t have brandy, you can use white wine or add more fish stock.
I use 10% cream (half & half) in the recipe to cut down the fat content a bit without sacrificing the creaminess.
Enjoy!
Creamy Sablefish Chowder
Loaded with new potatoes, vegetables, bacon and a touch of brandy, this soup hits the spot!
Course: Soup
Keyword: comfort food
- 5 slices bacon diced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 5 stalks celery diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1/3 cup brandy
- 4 cups fish stock
- 1.5 cups red skinned baby potatoes cut into 3/4 inch pieces
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 to 1.5 lbs sablefish skin and bones removed, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 cups cream
- 4 tsp Spike seasoning (or salt) or to taste
- 2 tsp pepper or to taste
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Cook bacon in a small pan, set on paper towel lined plate to absorb grease. Set aside.
In a large soup pot over medium heat, add butter, onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Sauté for several minutes until softened. Add flour and stir.
Add brandy and stir, making sure to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Add fish stock, potatoes, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are almost done.
In a separate small saucepan, warm up the cream (do not boil).
Add the warm cream, bacon, sablefish, Spike (or salt) & pepper to the soup pot. Simmer (do not boil - this can cause curdling) over low heat until fish is cooked through, approximately 10 minutes.
Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings if needed and allow soup to sit for 15 minutes or so to allow flavours to combine. Serve and enjoy!
by Julianne De Witt | Dec 20, 2020 | Mains
Made in a muffin tin with lots of garlic and Italian seasoning, these minis are stuffed with a generous amount of mozzarella and topped with your favorite marinara sauce. This recipe couldn’t be easier and is kid-approved! I like to serve them with oven fries and green salad. This recipe makes 8 meatloaves.
Mini Cheese Stuffed Turkey Meatloaves
Stuffed with lots of cheese and topped with marinara sauce and parmesan, these will be a hit with your family!
Course: Main Course
Keyword: easy weeknight meal, healthy
- 1kg (2.2lbs) ground turkey
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 8 cubes mozzarella approx. 2cm each
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tbsp Italian parsley chopped (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray muffin tin lightly with cooking spray.
In a large bowl add ground turkey, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, egg and panko. Using your hands, mix everything together until combined.
Add the meat mixture to 8 of the muffin cups. Place one cube of cheese on top of each meat loaf and press into the centre of the mixture, then press the meat around it to enclose it completely. Spoon marinara sauce over top of each meatloaf. Bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked through.
Remove from oven. Set oven to 450°. Top meatloaves with parmesan and return them to the oven. Broil for a couple minutes until parmesan is melted. Top with parsley and enjoy!
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.
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