A Pomegranate a day…

…keeps the smile on my face

It's winter. It's cold and a lot of us are miserable.

Oh really Captain Obvious?  Pure genius that is. Water is wet and fire is hot, I suppose? Sheesh.

Okay, that's a fair enough point. A bit mean though…

Oh please. I mean really, what do people expect? It's winter. In the Northern Hemisphere. Where cold stuff happens. Did they expect sunburns and balmy breezes?

Well, no…

BBQ's and Mai-tai's?

I doubt it.

Bikinis and hokey surfer songs?

Something tells me no.

Well… there you go then.

I think that some people just have a hard time dealing with the cold..

Oh don't I know it. Like last week - beautiful blue skies, bright ball of sun up there and that guy said "it would be a nice day if it wasn't cold" 

It's wiiiiin-terrr.

Jumpin' Juniper Balls !!

And the early dark doesn't…um…Excuse me?

Why can't they just accept that it's cold and stop talking about it?? Constantly going on about it doesn't make it any easier to get through!!

Jumpin' Juniper Balls?

Let it go. 

It's not like winter lasts forever. It's really only a few months of actual cold and the rest is up and down and all over the place.

Seriously. Jumpin' Juniper Balls?

I said let it go. Sheesh. I'm making a point here.

Sorry. Carry on.

Well… you kind of derailed my thoughts there… I guess I'm done.

Okay. Sorry again… 

But you do realize you were a bit unfair just now…yes? 

Bah

How eloquent…

…Hey so the holidays went well right? …and let's not forget Valentine's day…

hmmmph

You got to eat some great food ! …speaking of great food, there's some of that cheesecake tart in the fridge…

I'm on a diet.

Oh come on… 

No.

The one with the Mango Pineapple topping…

Why don't you go have a piece and I'll finish this up - it's my fault, I shouldn't have started this on an empty stomach. Go on.

All right. I guess… just a small piece though

Oh go on, make it a big one. And maybe some coffee?

Oh all right, I'm gone. 

…ahem. So…. Anywhoo…

Where was I?

Oh, yes!  Winter is making us miserable…and maybe just a wee bit bonkers as well. 

All joking aside, I do get it. 

The cold days and frostier nights, that damp wind that cuts through every cloth known to man and chills you to the bone; the long, dark hours spent getting your coat, hat, boots, gloves, three sweaters and two pairs of wool socks on just to go take the dog out for a 30 second pee…the irony of practically giving yourself a heart attack shovelling the walkway and drive just so the mailman can safely deliver to you another heart attack in the form of your heating bill… it all adds up to extreme moments of deep and abiding loathing for the winter season.

Sunny side up

There are a few things we can do to help combat the winter blues and while not many of us can manage to embrace it wholeheartedly, many of us are able to at least enjoy it, for the most part. When we were kids, winter weather didn't stop us from doing anything we wanted to do - indeed, we looked forward to the winter for the unique things to do like building snow forts with our friends/soon-to-be enemies and then enthusiastically and usually violently defending those fortresses of snow, as well as tobogganing, skating and snowmobiling.

Winter tends to mean a slow down to us adults. We move slower as our spirits drag our feet; we drive slower - and if you are like me you are not driving that slow out of choice. It is rather due to the fact that we're stuck behind some desiccated old fart who believes he is the leader in the Bingo Parade and drives accordingly. However, there are times when slower driving is necessary which of course adds to our schedules and stress levels leading to long, dark and trying days.

Winter 2014

Pushing through

Since most of us are not about to don toque and parka to take on the suicide slope at Toboggan Hill, we can attempt to get a similar rush while enjoying winter by taking brisk walks, exercising at the gym more often, dancing like a mad fool in your living room - preferably without the spouse and children around. Trust me, therapy bills are no laughing matter. They're damned expensive and you have better things to spend your dollars on.

Some find joining a group or taking a class helpful, either in the real world or online. There are many interesting courses to be found on the web and I recommend checking them out. Follow an interest or further a hobby, as far as it will take you.

Most of all, the key to enduring something unpleasant is to look for what you can enjoy, tolerate or change our thinking about - sometimes it's all a matter of perspective. If you have shelter from the cold, you are better off than a lot of people. If you can fill your belly with warm, homemade food, you are better off than a lot of people. If you can come online to divert your attention from your misery, even for a short time, you are better off than a lot of people. 

I can't do much more than suggest some solutions to help you get through the winter. I can simply hope of better days ahead for you and to try to help you nourish your body at the very least. Nourishing the body with warm, comforting and hearty food usually will end up nourishing the soul as well.

Warm up those buds

I'm a firm believer in keeping the hands busy when the mind is delving the depths of despair. We tend not to be our own friends when we are down, indeed we often make matters worse for ourselves. Keeping occupied does help to corral those wayward thoughts and feelings, for a time at least. I'm sure you know by now that one way is for me to get me arse into the kitchen and have some fun. The recipe for a crockpot stew that follows actually came about last winter but I never got around to writing a post about it. 


Keeping it spicy

One delicious way to get some heat into your life during these cold times is to embrace spice and the foods that tingle the taste buds, like chilies and horseradish. Horseradish is a very underrated vegetable that should be passing over your tastebuds at least a few times per year. Its pungent fumes will clear out your sinuses, brighten up those eyes and put some roses into your cheeks!

Homemade horseradish sauce is incredibly easy to prepare. You can control the magnitude of the fume or 'heat' by adjusting the length of time the veg is left to sit before adding the vinegar. Vinegar stabilizes the 'heat' so if you like it mild, add it right away! Some purists do not advocate adding sugar to the recipe but you do what you like and it will be delicious.

8 to 10 inch piece of horseradish, peeled and rough chopped small or shredded
1/4 tsp salt
about 1 tbsp of water
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar

Add horseradish to food processor with water. Whiz up. Add salt, sugar and then the vinegar when you deem it hot enough. You won't need to wait long - 30 to 40 seconds for medium heat and about a minute for hot. Whiz up briefly to incorporate and transfer to a jar. You can vary the type of vinegar you use - try cider vinegar for an interesting change! Keep in fridge for 3 to 4 weeks. For a lovely sandwich, try adding some horseradish to your mayonnaise :)


Stirring the Pot

Stew:

2 - 3 lb eye of round beef roast or another inexpensive cut, cut into chunks
2 cups pure pomegranate juice, one cup reduced to a thick syrup
2 cups beef broth
1 pie pumpkin, flesh removed from rind and cubed
1 large sweet potato, washed and cubed
1lb of mini white or yellow potatoes
8oz mushrooms, quartered
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped 
1 apple, chopped small
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
oil and butter for browning
2 tbsp or more flour for dredging

Marinade:

1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 dried chilli, crushed (optional - I used chilli de arbol which is medium hot, like cayenne)
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce

Mash:

1 rutabaga, waxed outside removed, cubed
2 or 3 tbsp prepared horseradish sauce, jarred or homemade, to taste
butter
salt and pepper, good pinch of each


Place marinade ingredients in glass or metal bowl, add meat and marinate overnight or at least for 3 hours.

After marinating, remove meat and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge in flour and fry in an oil/butter mixture until browned.

As the meat is browned, put in crockpot with the prepped vegetables and the herbs. Put more butter into pan the meat was browned in and add the dredging flour + more to equal approximately 3 tbsp. Cook for two minutes. Pour in about 1 tbsp of the pomegranate syrup, making sure to scrape up bits off the bottom of the pan.

Add beef broth and pomegranate juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let thicken about 3 minutes. If too thick, add some broth to thin. Pour into the crockpot. Cook until vegetables are tender.

For the mash, place cut up rutabaga in pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to med-low, cooking until vegetable is tender. Drain, add butter, salt and pepper and mash until smooth. Add the horseradish sauce and blend.

To serve: place both items side by side on plate with a drizzle of pomegranate syrup on top of the stew or in an elegant swirl on the plate.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur  The Groaning Board 2015

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Quick and Easy: Tropical Cheesecake Tart

I think I may have mentioned that I don't bake very often. I may also have mentioned that I love cheesecake. In case I haven't, I love cheesecake :) About the only dessert I make is a cheesecake. And so this is a recipe for…wait for it… cheesecake :)

I try to limit myself to once or twice per year and then completely pig out when the time comes. It's not a pretty sight.

After being good and suppressing an intense craving for it for quite some time, one day I caved. I came up with this one-gazillionth way of enjoying that smooth, luscious richness that is the cake of cheese.

This is a very simple and easy recipe that doesn't require much in the way of baking skills, fortunately for me. It's useful if you have whipped cream before but it isn't a difficult task to master. Just remember to chill the bowl beforehand and don't over whip. It is also important to fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture, don't stir or beat.

1 pkg puff pastry, thawed and rolled ( I picked up pre-rolled for greater ease)
1 pkg cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup whipping cream (35%)
1/3 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
400g fresh or frozen mango chunks, thawed
1 ripe pineapple, pared, cored and chunked

Bake puff pastry according to package directions - usually for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, after poking holes all over with a fork. Let cool. (Push down all bubbles in the crust before spreading on the cream cheese mixture.)

Put mango and pineapple chunks into food processor and whiz up. Transfer to a small bowl and rinse and dry container. Place room temp cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla into processor container and whiz until creamy and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl.

In a chilled bowl, whip the 35% cream until soft peaks form and fold into cream cheese mixture, just until blended. Spread an even layer onto puff pastry. Cover cream cheese with a layer of mango/pineapple mixture and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.

Cut into squares to serve and garnish with mint leaves.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2015

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Weekday Suppers: Beer Braised Beef with Peppers and Mushrooms

And the band played on

Okay so I've said it before and I'm saying it again - an ecologically sound, locally sourced, sustainable eating lifestyle is the ideal. Sometimes however, you can't live up to the ideal. Sometimes paycheques won't stretch any further than the meanest of food budgets that forces you to make some hard choices in terms of what sorts of meals you can make for yourself and your family. You know you should be feeding your family and indeed yourself the best of foods in order to stay healthy. You know the ideal is what you should be aiming towards and the guilt starts to eat at you when you can't seem to attain that consistently. 

What do you do then? Do you dig into the very back of your closet, you know the dark place at the back that seems to absorb all light and odd socks, searching for that hair shirt you could swear you hung on to? Should you castigate yourself with a willow switch and a ham sandwich for not being perfect? Of course not. You have to live in the real world and we'll leave the intense guilt for someone who has time for that sort of thing.

Unfortunately, when we are faced with an example of how we cannot live up to the standards we've imposed upon ourselves, we are apt to give up entirely. Dieting, recycling, getting more exercise - all seem to be endeavours of which we demand absolute perfection from ourselves or it isn't worth the effort. We sell ourselves short of so many 'good' things when we do this.

It seems especially dimwitted to me to try to attain perfection when it is a foreign state for us mere mortals, especially to attain perfection as defined by someone else's standards. Better for our sanity and our world if we simply try to be the best we can be as a person and at everything we try, but never perfect.

Two out of three ain't bad

Sounds weird but one of my life goals since, well, forever, is to be the least hypocrite I can be at all times. That little voice in my head, which abhors hypocrisy, especially the willfully blind kind of hypocrisy, analyzes everything I say or do for the scent of it. At times it seems a losing battle as there are so many ways a human can become a hypocrite. It's just easier to talk about doing than to actually do.

 I try to do what I can in terms of sourcing local, sourcing humane and in season foods but I also must make that philosophy budget friendly. It's all fine and dandy to want to save the world one calorie at a time but in the real world of mortgages, credit cards and university dreams, money you can save by going bulk at Costco or the supermarket when there is a sale on is not only prudent but necessary. You must balance a desire to support local business while giving the finger to BigBusiness with the need to keep to a budget, both in money and time. 

In a word: compromise.

Beer Braised Beef with Peppers, Mushrooms & Onions on a bed of arugula

My compromise for weekday dinners is to utilize pantry ingredients more often. Canned, dried, preserved and frozen items can help get a quick and easy meal on the table when you need the help the most. Some items I wouldn't recommend more than twice per year, others once or twice per month. For some, their meals will consist of a boxed or frozen prepared side dish and if that is what is necessary, so be it. Just try to serve it within a balanced meal, or if it is to a meal itself like the college standby of mac and cheese, then add other ingredients to it to balance it out. Try also to limit how many times per week you turn to these types of side dishes. (A three dollar bag of potatoes will go a long way and is a much healthier side alternative to a boxed pasta.)

I use less tender meat cuts or mid-range meats that are on sale when my budget requires me to shop for meat at the grocery store. Let's face it, if you are buying from the supermarket, one cut pretty much is the same as the next regardless of what you may read or hear from marketers. The beef isn't aged and the pigs and chickens are killed too early, in my opinion. Sometimes it is necessary to buy your meat from those stores, so choosing and preparing an inexpensive cut is best and don't really concern yourself with what is on the label. Making cheap cuts stretch for a few meals and taste good is imperative. 

What you need to know

Look for well marbled meat without a thick rind of fat. Not because the fat is bad - it is very necessary for the juiciness of the meat, but not for the added weight that will contribute to a higher cost per lb/kg. Why pay for something you'll just be removing later?(The only time I do that is when I buy a large pork loin roast - the whys and wherefores I will be covering in a later post.) Thick cuts are a better choice than thin ones, especially with pork, for tenderness even if you plan to use a marinade. This recipe is great for every cut of beef and will yield a moist and tasty meat that resembles pulled pork in its consistency.

approx $5.65 per person - serves 4 with leftovers

Beer-Braised Beef with Peppers, Mushrooms & Onions

2 ginormous steaks (I used top sirloin grilling steaks) approx 4-5 lbs total
1 bottle of ale, stout or porter depending on your tastes
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or wine vinegar in a pinch
3 - 4 cups beef broth
1 tbsp oregano
steak seasoning of your choice
      mine: blend of ground pepper, paprika, oregano, celery seed, salt, garlic
2 bay leaves
2 medium onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
couple of dashes of liquid smoke, optional

Liberally sprinkle steak seasoning over meat.  Add oil or lard to a large saucepan and get heat to a fairly controllable high heat. Sear meat. Assemble braising liquids in a large bowl. Put seared meat in to sit while onions and garlic are sautéing in same saucepan. Put meat and liquids into pan once onions are softened. Add seasonings and bring pot to the boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until meat falls apart. This works well in a slow cooker at low heat for 8 hours then cranked at high until really done.

Steak top

1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

Sauté until softened and serve on top of beef which in turns sits on a bed of arugula. Spoon a bit of the cooking juices over top of the beef.



Tip: Strain braising liquid and refrigerate. Next day, remove the disc of fat and use it to sauté mushrooms and onions to make a gravy for leftover hot beef sandwiches or a pot pie using the liquids within the recipe.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2015

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Baubles and Wobbles

Christmas Greetings 2014

Here we are once again at another Christmas season and once again I'm totally overwhelmed but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love this time of year from the houses all decked out in their illuminated finery, to the muzak playing in the malls, to the food, food, food that you're allowed to indulge in to your hearts content. After all, worrying about your diet is what New Years is for, right?

I don't know about you but I've spent enough time this past year worrying about things and I  am taking a break from all of that.  One thing I love to do to de-stress over the holidays is to 'light-spot' christmas lighting displays by hitting suburbia to see the creative results by those who love this time of year as much as I do. There is a sense of community to be found along with a healthy dollop of christmas spirit. You don't have to have any religious sensibilities to appreciate this time of year either - simple appreciation for friends, family and the child-like joy that wells up in your soul at this time is all that's needed.

Take advantage of lower gas prices and do a tour of where you live - I'm sure you'll be surprised at how an undemanding task like sitting in a car can reap some sparkling rewards :)

Lights ! Lights ! Found in suburbia in Woodstock, Ontario

This year, at the new house, I decided to do a bit of outside decorating. I have never been able to accomplish this before so the potential to go all out was there, lurking below the surface of practicality but I did manage to restrain myself. Nothing like an implacable budget to keep the christmas faeries in line ! So while I wanted to go "Griswold" on the tree and house, I ended up going "Charlie Brown" instead. My Magnolia  at the front looks very scraggly without the leaves so I picked up a wagon load of oversized ornaments and hung them from the tree after wrapping the base with white lights. It really does look like a Charlie Brown tree, which is just fine by me. I'm just happy I got to join in the fun this year. Gotta love that dollar store !

Simple materials from the dollar store

My Christmas craft project this year was something simple and inexpensive but oh so pretty when you're done. What started me thinking of doing this wreath is that I have an assortment of handed down ornaments from my mother that I don't usually put on the tree. I don't decorate with a gold scheme but I still want to utilize the ones my mother gave to me. So to practice and to see the effect, I decided to use balls I already had along with some balls and a wreath purchased from the dollar store. It was an easier project than I thought, or I should say it wasn't as messy as I thought it would be. Me and a glue gun usually means burns and taking a chisel to the glue that ended up everywhere but where I needed it. 

Directions are pretty straightforward. Start with the inner and outer edges then fill in the centre with assorted sized. Fill in any holes with some mini ornaments. If you have some special ones you'd like to showcase, then add those at the end in strategic places.

Now that I've made this one, I'll be making either a wreath or a garland with my mothers glass ornaments for next Christmas.

Handmade joy !

For Christmas dinner this year I am not doing a fowl as I usually make, but am going down a food alley I've never gone before. Rabbit. That's right, I'm cooking rabbit. Now before I get people with their "up with bunnies" T-shirts all riled up, I should point out that rabbit has been eaten the world over for centuries upon centuries. It's a good lean protein that is easy and cheap to raise. 

I will be posting the recipe I've come up with along with the sides I'll be serving. Check back over the next week to see those posts :)

Christmas Menu

Green Pea Soup with Mint

Goat cheese, Pepper and Artichoke bundles

Rabbit in White wine with Pearl Onions, Carrots, Celery and Grapes

                   served on a grilled Portabello Mushroom

Sauteed Potatoes with Bacon and Chives

Roasted Honey Walnut Beets

I hope each and everyone of you have a fabulous and safe Christmas holiday!

Edit Dec 29 2014: I decided to make the goat cheese bundles for New Years instead and I went with my recipe of Rabbit in Cider instead of wine. The pearl onions were changed to chopped sweet onion.

all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board

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Quick and Easy: Cider, Onion and Parsnip Soup

Ahem… well now. It's Valentine's Day and I, as a blogger and a female, am supposed to be swamped with romantic notions and the mad desire to blog about chocolate, strawberries and more chocolate. I did give it some thought actually but as I am a 44 year old woman who is daily tallying the marks of time on her skin and is trying to teach others how to eat healthy on the cheap, Valentine's indulgences should be avoided. As well, I just don't do Valentine's Day. Never have and more than likely never will. I look around at all the oozing romantic cuteness spreading like a bad rumour and wonder why we do this? I can understand wanting to recognize the importance of a romantic side to our lives, really I can. But I would much rather have a mad, grand passion and be made to feel sexy and interesting 365 days a year than be told rather clumsily that golly, gosh and gee what a swell gal I am, once a year. I'm just sayin'.

I know both genders are conditioned to believe that all women are standing there with their hands out for some goodie today but you would be surprised how many don't actually care about this day at all. The giggling young ones and the unsatisfied middle aged married ones may be the easiest to convince that a gift on a day in February guarantees true love and appreciation, forever. The rest of us however, realize that it is a commercial day designed solely to play on the ever-present feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty we all feel at some point in our relationships and on the guilt we feel that we may have spent the previous year taking our partner for granted or worse, on the premise that you are buying the continued love and support for another year with a trinket. Since these feelings are part of the human condition, we are all going to fall victim to purchasing proof of our feelings, or fall victim to expecting to be gifted as proof of others feelings towards ourselves. There is nothing wrong with being extravagant on Valentine's Day, if you can afford it figuratively and literally, just look to your motivations for giving or receiving. If what you are considering buying/doing or what you are about to get has a price tag that makes your heart skip a beat, maybe reconsidering the relationship you are in is in order. Again, I'm just sayin'.

Now that I have said it, I will offer up a few tips for this day. I do believe that a simple demonstration of appreciation is all that is required, if you wish to be a part of this day. A simple meal, a single flower, a REAL connecting gaze that shows that you are really seeing your partner in all their facets and you love what you see, time spent doing what they like to do, or if what they would really love and cherish from you on this day is your absence, well, then, bugger off for a while. 

It's a little late for breakfast in bed - and a healthy, non-indulgent one is the way to go - but if you are the type to leave mid-week celebrations for the weekend, keep it in mind. One important detail to remember when gifting your loved one with a meal, whether cooked by you or catered in some way, is to try to avoid foods that are strong smelling like garlic and onions or heaven forbid, are gas producing! That is hardly the atmosphere you wish to create. The cliché is candles and roses, not candles and explosions…

Another important point about cooking for someone on this day, is to have everything prepared ahead of time. Choose a meal that is quick, easy, non-messy and able to sit without spoiling in case plans get derailed for a bit (wink wink, nudge nudge).

If you are going out, choose an activity you both will enjoy that is relaxed and stress-free. Surprising her with a night out is a lovely idea but to be practical, a woman has to know how to dress for the evening. It is very stressful to get ready for an evening out without knowing the destination. A few hints about formality or the meal being served can help her decide without giving it all away. I was once surprised with a charity dinner with Chef Michael Smith and knowing it was semi-formal with a sit-down meal was very helpful.

However you choose to celebrate this day, if you do at all, remember the principle of KISS… Keep It Simple Sunshine…

Well, for those of us not into this day, we still have to eat. The soup I have for you today is light-tasting, filling and definitely has a flavour not discovered everyday. The onion flavour is a wee bit strong so I wouldn't recommend serving it on Valentine's Day unless you've been together for a while. Certain smells seem to dissipate and not have the same impact after a few years together.

The soup is meat-free, gluten-free, and vegan so it is a soup to pull out on those occasions that you have a number of guests who dispositions you are unfamiliar with.

Putting it all together

butter

olive oil

4 large sweet onions, thinly sliced or chopped small

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium parsnips, washed, peeled and chopped

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 cups chicken broth or flavourful vegetable broth

2 1/4 cups apple cider - not mulled!

salt and pepper

1 tbsp fresh thyme

2 rounded tsp curry powder

Sauté the onions in the butter and oil until browned and aromatic. You are not caramelizing but frying the onions for this recipe so a higher heat and no sugar is used. When they are almost done, add the parsnips, garlic and celery. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the apple and seasoning and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the broth and cider. Cook for fifteen minutes at simmer until parsnips are soft. Process with an immersion blender. Adjust seasonings. Serve with pumpernickel bread.

To fancy this up to serve for a special occasion, make croutons out of the pumpernickel and very finely slice some apple and finely chop some more fresh thyme for garnish. Choose a white dish to serve in as the colour of the soup can look garish and unappetizing if you choose the wrong coloured dish. A simple arugula salad tossed in some balsamic vinegar is all that is necessary to accompany this soup.

all text and photos ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Quick and Easy: Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Soup

Soup. You may well wonder, as you look through my recipes, why I focus so much on soups and stews. It's really rather simple. It is inexpensive, easy, can be made to feed many people and next to pizza, is the perfect meal. Pizza? you ask. Yes, but let's be clear here. I am talking about pizza done right; in perfect balance. Where we go wrong is in our choice of pizza, how much of it we eat and how often. Otherwise, pizza in and of itself is a balanced meal choice.

When we indulge in pizza we tend to go for items such as pepperoni, bacon, sausage and extra cheese which translates into nitrates, nitrates, nitrites and fat, not to mention all the extra fillers found in dry sausage-style cold cuts and in sausages themselves. We also seem to drop the word 'vegetable' from our vocabulary when ordering our pizzas. If we choose vegetables that are as fresh as possible, meats such as chicken and ground beef and lighten up on the cheese, we can have a slice or two and greatly diminish the possibilities of another lecture on how bad pizza is for us. 

This soup packs all the flavour of a great pizza, costs less to make than it does to order a pizza and is so very good for you and not to mention but I'm gonna anyway, it is incredibly easy to make. Consider whipping up this smooth, velvety, flavour seduction for your lovely one after a romantic day of ice skating this Valentine's Day - it's one way to warm up.

If you read my previous article with the Red Pepper Chipotle Soup, you'll know a bit about lycopene in red vegetables. Sweet potatoes also have some lycopene as well as beta-carotene which is found in orange coloured vegetables. It is extremely high in vitamin C making this soup a powerhouse for boosting your immune system and the overall health of your skin and body. I attribute only suffering from a bad cold for three days to the week I've spent developing and making these soups. Not a testimonial, more of an opinion :)

What you need to know

This easy-to-make soup requires no special know-how at all especially if you've followed along so far and are clear on caramelized onions. I encourage the non-cooks who want to make something special to give this a try. Not only will you impress people with an elegant presentation of this golden yumminess, you will be able to add to your repertoire of go-to dishes and put this in a place of honour right beside PB&J's and Kraft Dinner. Of course, if making toast makes you sweat, you may want to consider going out to eat.

Putting it all together

Caramelized Onions

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp olive oil

4 large sweet onions, chopped or sliced

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp allspice about 3 berries if using whole, crushed in mortar and pestle

pinch salt

This will have to been done in batches so make sure to divide the sugar and spices between the batches. Increase your butter/oil as needed. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until golden brown and soft.

Soup

While your onions are caramelizing, prepare the soup pot with the following:

5 medium sweet potatoes, chopped

2 boxes of beef broth 900mL each (approx 4 cups each)

1 tsp dried thyme

3/4 tsp allspice about 5 or 6 berries, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

scallions or green onions for garnish, greens only

As the onions are cooked, add to pot. When the last batch goes in, bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Process with immersion blender. It is not necessary to add cream to this very thick soup. If you find the consistency is too thick (?!) add some hot beef broth until you're happy.

This will make enough soup for a large family to be full and satisfied so there will be leftovers if you're a couple or a single. The soup freezes, thaws and reheats well so I suggest making the recipe as is and freezing the rest but you can divide the recipe evenly in half for a smaller meal.

Coming up next is, yes, another soup that will not only tempt your tasty buds but make them want to sin again and again (naughty tasty buds), but then we step it up a bit in time for Valentine's Day with a meal that is nicely presented and manly enough to please everyone. I don't post 'gourmet' recipes often as my goal is to provide meal ideas for the everyday, but I do love to experiment on special occasions. The recipe in question was the result of a need to challenge myself to present an elegant dish with seasonal and local ingredients only. As I've only made it once before, I will be retesting this dish this weekend to ensure my memory is as good as I believe it is :)

all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Quick and Easy: Red Pepper Chipotle Soup

Free those radicals baby!

Aging. Aging has been on my mind lately or rather aging skin and appearance has dominated my thoughts especially as I have the best seat in the house to watch my own farcical attempts to retain youth. I have become a great fan of Oil of Olay, scarves and low light and they do their best to make me believe this old gal is aging gracefully. In my quest for extended youth I have turned my thoughts to how to achieve this through food. Everyone knows or should know that a balanced diet, plenty of sleep (unaided if possible) and consistent exercise will help you to feel better, look better and live healthier. What I am interested in is which foods will help you to achieve this perfect balance. The short answer? Anti-oxidants to destroy free radicals and essential fatty acids to feed your skin and hair the good stuff. But what does that mean?

Taking it to the limit

I have always had an intense and keen interest in food nutrition and an intense and keen dislike for diets. I don't care who is flogging the diet - doctor, fitness guru or celebrity - these quick-fix, short-term Bandaid* solutions doom you and your health to failure. In great confidence they attempt to sell you a 'cure-all' for whatever ails you from losing weight to managing an illness to avoiding a particular food group to narrowing down your food choices to a particular food group for personal morality reasons. Vegan, Gluten-free (non-medicinal), Vegetarian, Paleo, Raw, Juicing - all proponents claim that their way is the right way to feed your body and improve your health. How can they all be right? Well, they're not, not really. 

Eating right for weight loss purposes requires a balance of need and want. We want tasty, rich, satisfying meals but we need vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates in appropriate numbers or our child-like glee at meal times will mean tears at the doctors and wails at the bathroom scale. We want to have fun but exercise needs discipline. We want to live in the here and now but we need to think of our future selves' welfare more often and take our aged selves more seriously. We live like we hate the person we will become and are doing our best to get a jab in now.

Following an eating plan tailored to those who suffer from Celiac's disease, irritable bowl disease or irritable bowl syndrome, Crohn's disease when you don't actually suffer from them puts your body into an imbalance.  We fall for these miracle food cures because the human body is a remarkable machine that will carry on until it can't. What that means is we are like clockworks with tiny parts, large parts - all working together to keep us going. It will work with minimal maintenance but eventually the gears will grind, teeth will snap off, metal will squeal and finally the clockworks will come to an abrupt stop.

For optimal health of the machine, we require this balance. For functioning and staying at work for about eight hours a day, doing minimal physical activity you can get by with an imbalanced diet… for a while anyway. Think of all the times you have had to forgo meals or eat inferior take-out because of scheduling. What happened before you next ate or ate properly? Feel lightheaded? Tired? Grumpy? Did you kill a small antelope with your bare hands on the way to the restaurant, as an appetizer? Multiply that by months, even years of eating without all the necessary nutrients in the necessary numbers per day and you get the picture. A healthy body, whether by design or luck, needs food from all the necessary groups containing all the necessary nutrients. An ill body needs a diet that will ease suffering and provide relief from the symptoms and/or flare-ups. It is by no means a perfect solution but it is an important one for the sufferers.

Eliminating a food group from your menu plans for moral reasons is purely a personal decision that is based upon a misguided perception of the human condition and an overestimation on our place in the food chain. In an effort not to be dismissive of Vegans and Vegetarians I will say that no one can gainsay their emotions and sensitivity to the natural world. Their hearts are in the right place. That said, I believe they are in error with their judgement. The common argument for one half seems to be for a belief in the sanctity of all life (in this case it seems to be the cute and cuddly mammals) so they refuse to eat anything with a face or benefit from their natural processes such as cheese and milk even though the bovines are still chewing the cud while this goes on. We are animals with our place in the food chain and quite frankly we aren't better than the other animals. We are exactly like the other animals and to me, refusing to take your place in the food chain causes a disassociation with what we are and where we stand on this planet. We are animals that now raise food instead of hunt it. The other half seems to veer between saving the planet from the flatulence emanating from over-produced livestock and a belief that we were not supposed to eat meat in the first place. Apparently red meat has the distinction of being a serial killer from which there is no escape. Yes, a bit of facetiousness but hey, wouldn't be me if I didn't indulge now and then.

As for the Paleo, Juicers and Raw dieters… can we say crystals, shamans and running naked in the forest chanting to the stars? Harsh yes, it would be if I was 100% serious (only sitting at 85%)  but what they are doing is harsher still. They are informing a vulnerable public of half truths and misconceptions and, dare I say it, phoney science. 

Simple truth is we are not Paleo-man, we have evolved to adapt to our surroundings like every other animal that has survived thus far. 

We cannot extract all beneficial nutrients from raw vegetables and fruits. Sometimes like in the case of today's recipe, certain foods require heat to extract all valuable nutrients. 

Juicing is a fantastic way to boost your morning breakfast routine or to have as a go-to snack but it isn't the best way to eat all the time. Fibre from eating the skins of the fruits and vegetables in their unprocessed form is important for our digestive systems - the Raw fooders have that right at least. Yes, you can make smoothies using the whole fruit but again, the breaking down of the insoluble fibre has already begun before it even hits your digestive system. By all means juice, just don't juice alone. In fact, these diets can be an interesting way to break up your routine once in a while, just like going meatless a few days a week can be a good thing. 

When it comes to the next best thing in the bookstores, keep in mind that common sense is the best editor/publisher of your own cookbook.  Do your research and get out the red editing pen! 

Seeing Red

This extremely simple and inexpensive soup is loaded with the good stuff. What you see above is essentially all the ingredients needed - add some broth and 10% cream and we're done.

So what's the good stuff Michelle? 

Well pipe down and I'll tell you.

The star of the show is the red peppers. While all the ingredients will do something lovely to your body, the red peppers are a powerhouse of nutrients that will blow your tasty buds and your mind. The rainbow of colours found in vegetables can give you a good idea of what good stuff resides within. Starting with green and ending in red, peppers at every stage offer a plethora of nutrients we need. Red peppers contain the highest amounts of Vitamin C as well as A,E and almost all of the B vitamin complex. Red vegetables also contain lycopene, the nutrient I referred to that multiplies when the foods such as tomatoes and red peppers are heated. This is due to the breaking down of the cell walls which allow more of the lycopene to be extracted. 

A can of crushed tomatoes will have more lycopene than a can of whole tomatoes which will have more than the equal amount of tomatoes just picked from the garden. 

This is directly attributed to the sterilization process of the industrial canning. After the cans are sealed, they are heated to a certain temperature. In the case of crushed tomatoes, they are heated twice - once in the crushing and again after the can is sealed.

Why is lycopene important? It is an anti-oxidant that has been linked with a decreased risk of many cancers including colon, stomach and cervical cancers and it can help lower the risk of heart disease.  For my immediate purposes, it also helps to prevent UV damage caused by the sun and is actually used in anti-aging creams.

The other but by no means lessor actors in the show are the allium family, the leeks and the garlic followed on stage by the benefits of orange oil and thyme. The allium family also offers a lot from the vitamin B complex as well as varying amounts of minerals, most notably manganese and a whopping amount of vitamin K in the leeks and an even greater whopping amount of vitamin B6 in the garlic. The thyme and the orange both contain vitamin C with a mega amount- 266% of our daily requirements - found in the thyme!

What you need to know

Knowing how to clean leeks efficiently is the only necessary technique you need to know. The best way is to cut of the dark green end about half an inch into the dark green. Then with the sharpest knife you feel comfortable with, insert the tip about 1/4 inch down from the root end all the way through to the other side and draw the knife through the leek as evenly as possible all the way down the length to the end. Under running water, gently separate the layers of the leek just enough to get the water in and wash well. Leeks grow in sand so they do tend to drag in some dirt as they grow and are trenched. Shake out well and then proceed to prep your leeks for your recipe.

Putting it all together

1 leek, washed, chopped                                                                                                       serves 4
2 garlic cloves, minced fine
1 jar 500ml (2 cups) roasted red peppers
4 chipotle in adobo, chopped
1.3L chicken broth (two tetra packs 3.75 cups each)
1 cup 10% cream
1 tsp orange zest
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, sauté the leek and garlic. Cook until the leek softens; add peppers. Cook for 8 minutes. Add broth/stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Process using a hand blender. Add the cream, salt and pepper to the pot as you reheat and add the zest to the bowls just before serving.

You can add fresh pasta, or dried that has been cooked already, to the soup. The first time I made this I added poached chicken and farfalle (butterfly/bowtie) noodles. This last time I made one half plain, pictured above, and one with leftover fresh linguine noodles, cut into one inch pieces.

Stay tuned to the next recipe where I "visit" Mexico for a tasty burger and get a recipe for the simplest mushroom soup anyone can make…like say a man with no kitchen experience could make it for his loved one on Valentine's day…just a thought :) 

Be safe. Be happy. Be well.



all photos and text ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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