by Julianne De Witt | Nov 12, 2021 | No Recipe Required
I’ll admit I haven’t quite been able to let go of summer yet. We still have the BBQ going and when we are grilling I like to have a big, beautiful salad on the side.
One of my favourites, is mixed baby greens topped with prosciutto, blackberries, marcona almonds and a healthy portion of decadent burrata.
With this type of salad featuring all these wonderful flavours, I simply dress it with a good quality olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, fresh ground pepper and salt.
Lately I’ve been using smoked maldon salt and it works really well in this recipe.
You could substitute blueberries or raspberries and any other nuts you fancy.
This is a very easy salad to whip together on a weeknight or for friends on the weekend.
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. 
by Julianne De Witt | Jun 10, 2020 | Healthy Snacks
These granola bars are easy to make and kid approved!
A Healthier Granola Bar
Looking for a healthier granola bar than the store bought version? These bars are simple to make and only have 6 ingredients.
Course: Snack
Keyword: Diabetic Friendly
- 2.5 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup hemp seed
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp stevia chocolate chips
Place butter, vanilla and honey into saucepan, stir and heat until butter melts. Combine butter mixture and oat mixture in a bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips. They’ll melt a bit but this helps to hold the bars together. Line a 8x8 pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Press the mixture firmly into the pan. Chill 2 hours. Cut into bars. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp stevia chips and drizzle over top. Chill until set. Keep in the fridge.
by Julianne De Witt | May 25, 2020 | Breakfast & Brunch
Start your day off right with a nutritious , low carb breakfast bowl. Skip the potatoes and sub in cauliflower rice! Sauteed with scrambled eggs and topped with crispy bacon, chopped spinach and 2 types of cheese, trust me you won’t miss the potatoes!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups cauliflower rice
2 eggs, whisked in a small bowl
3 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled
2 tbsp grated cheddar
1 tbsp grated parmesan
2/3 cup fresh baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan, add cauliflower rice and sauté until al dente, approximately 2-3 minutes. Pour eggs over rice and stir until eggs are cooked through, add spinach and cook for an additional minute. Add cauliflower mixture to a bowl, top with cheeses and bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Tips:
I always keep a few bags of cauliflower rice in my freezer so I can make this recipe whenever the mood strikes. Frozen cauli rice takes a lot less time to cook than the raw variety.
I like to reserve some of the chopped fresh spinach to add on top with the cheese and bacon.
Recent Comments