Oven Roasted Orange Ginger Beef Stew

It’s hard to imagine getting worked up about a parsnip.  It ranks right up there with rutabaga on the sexy scale.

And yet there I was, celebrating the delightful taste of this simple, understated white root vegetable in this stew.

Earthy and more complex than its carrot cousin, it imparts a gentle honey sweetness that is unmistakable and delicious.  Its fibrous texture is equally pleasing. A good source of folate and fibre, parsnip is a nice complement to the abundant beta-carotene found in carrot and sweet potato.

You won't need a crockpot for this warming Sunday stew.  It's a one pot wonder that is oven roasted and enormously quick to pull together.

Like most stews, this one tastes even better the day after once all the delicious flavourings have had an opportunity to fully emerge.  But don't worry, you won't be disappointed eating it straight from the oven.  And the smell of it roasting... well, I'll let you experience that one for yourselves.

Oven Roasted Orange Ginger Beef Stew

• 750 gram stewing beef (1 ½ pounds), cut into cubes
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peel on cut into chunks
• 3 parsnip, cut into chunks
• 6-8 carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup dilute orange juice
• 1 ½ cups beef stock
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp grated orange zest
• 2 heaping Tbsp grated ginger
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 Bay leaf

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Serves 8

Heat oven to 325 F.

In a large ovenproof casserole dish, toss beef with flour.  Add remaining ingredients to the dish and stir to combine.

 

I found some beautiful tricoloured carrots for this recipe

Bake the stew with cover on for 3 – 3 ½ hours (stirring occasionally if possible), until beef is tender and vegetables are al dente. 

Remove bay leaves before serving.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos with Avocado and Arugula

I’m delighted to report that I was invited to do a guest post over at The Three Little Piglets this morning on healthy eating. Thanks for the invitation Jen.

One of my biggest objectives as a nutritionist is to show people that healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.  Nor does it have to be tasteless or boring!

 

All you need is a few wholesome ingredients, and you’re well on your way.  These black bean burritos are a good example.  They are full of health-building nutrients and the entire recipe only calls for 6 ingredients. 

You’ll have a perfect weeknight meal – or game day meal - in less than 20 minutes.

Let’s have a closer look.

Nutrient Highlights:

Black Beans are rich in folate, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. They are also high in fibre and an excellent source of vegetable based protein.

Sweet Potatoes offer an outstanding source of beta-carotene (outranking virtually all other vegetables in this category), and are packed with disease fighting antioxidants.   They are also an excellent source of vitamin C, fibre, niacin and vitamin B6.

Avocados, for their part, are an excellent source of health-building monounsaturated

fat, as well as a good source of fibre, folate, vitamin K, vitamin E, and vitamin B5. Avocados are also rich in lutein, a carotenoid that operates as an antioxidant to help protect our eyes from disease.

Cooked Tomatoes are one of the best dietary sources of lycopene, a potent antioxidant with cancer-fighting potential. 

Arugula (or Rocket), like most green leafy vegetables, is rich in vitamin K and a good source of vitamin C, folate and magnesium.  Green leafies are also an outstanding source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids that operate as antioxidants to help protect our eyes from age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

The best news is that all of these ingredients also happen to taste delicious – especially when they come together in a warming, satisfying burrito.  The peppery arugula really comes through in this recipe, making it especially delightful.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos with Avocado and Arugula

• 1 cooked sweet potato, diced with skin left on preferably
• 2 cups cooked black beans, well rinsed if using canned
• 1 large ripe avocado, diced
• 1 cup arugula
• 1 cup natural salsa of your choice, or 2 large chopped tomatoes with a sprinkle of sea salt
• 4 large spinach tortillas, or whole grain tortillas of your choice

Serves 4

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Notes:

I like to provide options in my recipe suggestions so that people don’t feel like it’s an all or nothing proposition. 

I tend to bake my sweet potatoes because I like the taste and texture that arises from the roasting process (including the skin where plenty of nutrients reside). I often toss vegetables in the oven in the morning while I’m preparing breakfast or making my sons’ lunches and simply re-heat when I need them later in the day. For the sweet potato, I suggest 400 F for about 20-25 minutes – just until al dente (sweet potatoes cook faster than white potatoes).

If you prefer, you can boil the sweet potato (being mindful that you will lose some of the water soluble nutrients), or prick the potato and cook it in the microwave (about 3 minutes on high – it cooks fairly quickly).

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15 minutes before serving time, simply combine beans and salsa in a medium size pot on the stove until the mixture just comes to a boil.  Reduce and simmer.

Meanwhile, if you cooked your potato earlier in the day and it has now cooled, simply toss the diced pieces in a skillet (dry or with some olive oil) or microwave and heat for a couple minutes.

Lay the four tortillas out on a flat surface and, using half the portion of arugula (1/2 cup), sprinkle a few leaves in the middle of each tortilla shell.

Top the leaves of each tortilla with roughly 1/2 cup mixture of beans and salsa and then add a divided portion of warm potatoes and avocado.  Finally, top each tortilla with the remaining arugula.

Beginning with outer edges of shell, tuck, pinch and roll tortilla before cutting it in half.
 

Here is a helpful illustration on how to wrap a tortilla

 

Enjoy!

Rich and Silky Dark Chocolate Truffles

Inspired Edibles turns One Today!

This time last year, a friend of mine had just shared a melt-in-your-mouth apple muffin from a Martha Stewart recipe – I loved the flavour and unique presentation so much that I came home and starting playing around with it – you know, messing with the recipe the way foodies do. Anyway, on this occasion, I was pretty happy with the result (remember the recently featured Apple Buttermilk muffins? Those would be the ones - revisited).  The rest, as they say, is a small piece of history.

Over the past year, Inspired Edibles has been very fortunate to greet over 90,000 visitors (overall clicks to the site) with its most frequent guests coming from Canada, the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.  Other familiar visitors include Australia, Germany and France with occasional visits from Russia, China, the Ukraine, Vietnam, the Maldives, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines – (as well as many others). 

It's been an incredibly fun year and I want to thank each and every one of you for sharing this adventure with me and for your kind and continued support. 

What can you expect from Inspired Edibles in year two?  Well, in addition to more junk food (ha!), a detailed index is in the works along with proper recipe printing capacity (yay!). As always, I remain open to your comments and feedback.

You’ve been patient, so let’s move forward...

Those of you who follow my blog know that I have a deep affection for chocolate (I have never kept this a secret).  With this in mind, I thought it only fitting to whip up something a little special with my favourite antioxidant rich confection – these truffles are surprisingly easy to prepare and so impressive... you can dazzle your loved ones with these homemade delights on Valentine's day ~ or any day!

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coconut, plain dark chocolate and chopped peanut

with peanut butter infused ganache truffles

Rich and Silky Dark Chocolate Truffles

Truffles are made from a ganache base - a simple combination of heated cream and chocolate (which I have further simplified).

For the Basic Ganache

200 grams (7 ounces) of 75% cocoa chocolate, chopped

1 cup whipping cream (35%)

1/8 tsp coarse salt

In a sturdy pot set to medium heat, bring cream just a boil.  Remove from heat and add chocolate and salt to pot but do not stir.

Let the chocolate sit with the cream and salt for 5 minutes undisturbed before whisking.  If you stir the ingredients too soon, the chocolate will cool too quickly and you will end up with grainy ganache rather than a silky, smooth ganache.

Once the 5 minutes have elapsed, whisk the ingredients together gently until the chocolate has fully melted and the mixture appears smooth and shiny (a thing of beauty). 

Place chocolate mixture in the fridge for approximately 2 hours or until it has hardened sufficiently to be rolled into truffles (but not too hard to manipulate).

 

Remove chocolate from fridge and spoon out like-size pieces of chocolate (a melon baller or spoon will do the trick) rolling them in the palm of your hand into little balls.  You can return the chocolate to the fridge at any time if you feel that it is getting too soft.

Once you have rolled your chocolate into little balls, you’re ready for your toppings. 

Topping Ideas

Coconut shavings

Chopped Nuts or Seeds (almond, peanut, hazelnut, flaxseed, chia, etc.)

Cocoa
Chopped dried fruit (cranberry, papaya, apricot, etc.)

Spread desired toppings out on a flat dish and simply roll chocolate truffles in mixture to coat, pressing into chocolate gently if necessary for fruit, etc.

Place truffles in a decorative miniature cup (you can find candy/chocolate cups at kitchen stores and bulk stores) and place truffles in a small box if you wish to present as a gift.

This recipe will make about 16-20 truffles.

Variations

Alcohol - If you wish, you can add 2 Tbsp of rum, brandy, cognac or triple sec to the cream at the beginning of the recipe described above for an alcohol-infused truffle.

Peanut Butter infused Ganache - To make the peanut butter infused chocolate, add 3/4 cup of smooth natural peanut butter to the ganache immediately after whisking the cream and chocolate together.  Be sure to integrate the peanut butter little by little, whisking as you go, to fully combine.  Refrigerate mixture as described above before rolling your peanut butter truffles and covering them in chopped peanuts, as desired.  You could also use almond butter or any other nut/seed butter of your choice.

This variation will create about 22-24 truffles.   

Sundried Tomato and Zucchini Bean Dip with Warming Chili-Garlic Sauce

Hummus is lovely and I eat it frequently but every once in a while I'm looking to expand my repertoire and in the mood for something, well, different.

This is a versatile, nutrient rich white bean dip that's been dressed up and seasoned with thermogenic ingredients - (for those of us who do not live in southern climates, warming spices can go a long way in the wintertime...).

Once the blender's out, this dip will take you about 6 minutes to pull together.  You can enjoy it with an assortment of vegetables, on whole grain bread/crackers (I have Mary's wheat free/gluten free crackers featured above), or as a spread in sandwiches, wraps, on burgers, etc.  There's no end to the applications and it's a simple and tasty way of enhancing the nutritive quality of everyday food.

 Sundried Tomato and Zucchini Bean Dip with Warming Chili-Garlic Sauce 

• 540 mL cooked white kidney beans (19 fl oz), thoroughly rinsed if using canned
• 6 large pieces of sundried tomatoes
• 1/3 cup fresh grated unpeeled zucchini, packed
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

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Place all ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth or desired consistency is achieved (I like lumps and bumps and discovering bits of colour in my dip, so I stop before the mixture is fully blended).

Classic Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons and Caramelized Bacon

It was one of those nights where nothing is planned but everything falls into place.

We emerged from our Toronto hotel room mid-evening, turned the corner and took our chances on a historic building with a striking oak entrance (hand carved, it turns out).

We were escorted up the stairs and into the white-clothed dining room, past the marble fireplace and next to the candle blazoned piano.  It appeared that we may have been a tad underdressed, the four of us in our blue jeans.  No matter.  The folks at Tom Jones took good care of us.

The friendly piano man was taking our requests and playing his own collection of former world classics.  Remember this beauty by Badfinger... every fiber of my being was standing at attention.

But if the atmosphere was dynamite, the food was even better.  Of particular note was the House Caesar Salad.  Our waiter made it right in front of us in a gorgeous wooden bowl.  We watched him crack the egg, drizzle the Worcestershire sauce, whisk the olive oil and grate the Parmesan cheese.  It was mesmerizing and, without a doubt, the freshest tasting Caesar salad we’ve ever been treated to.

Classic Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons and Caramelized Bacon

• 4 slices whole grain dark rye bread, (leave bread out on counter for at least one hour before making croutons)
• 1 generous head Romaine lettuce, washed and gently torn
• 6-8 strips of bacon
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 egg (you could also substitute 2 Tbsp natural mayonnaise)
• 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp white rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp anchovy paste, or whole anchovy as desired
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

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Note:

The croutons and caramelized bacon taste best eaten with 30 minutes of baking.  You can assemble the salad dressing while the croutons and bacon are baking in the oven.

For the Homemade Croutons

• 4 slices whole grain dark rye bread (leave bread out on counter for at least one hour before making croutons)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Touch of chili pepper, if desired

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut rye bread into cubes and place in a bowl large enough to accommodate mixing.  Drizzle bread cubes with olive oil, sea salt and chili pepper (if using), and mix well to combine seasonings.

Spread seasoned bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until croutons are fragrant and crispy (you may wish to shake the pan and/or flip the croutons halfway through cooking).

For the Caramelized Bacon

• 6-8 strips of bacon
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

Keep oven at 400 F.

Lay 6-8 strips of bacon out on a non-stick baking sheet. 

Sprinkle surface of bacon with 1 Tbsp of brown sugar and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove tray from oven and carefully flip bacon over (be careful, it's hot).  Sprinkle the other side of bacon with remaining brown sugar and return tray to oven for another 5 minutes or until desired doneness is achieved (I like my bacon well done so I leave it in longer).


For the Caesar Salad Dressing

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 egg (you could also substitute 2 Tbsp natural mayonnaise)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp white rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp anchovy paste, or whole anchovies as desired
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Using a wooden bowl for the salad, rub fresh garlic along the surface of the bowl.  For a large bowl, 2 garlic cloves is ideal.

Once you have rubbed the bowl with garlic, you can begin making your dressing right in the bowl.  Add egg (or natural mayonnaise), Worcestershire sauce, mustard, black pepper and anchovy paste (if using).  Whisk ingredients together in bowl with a fork.

Add olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and rice vinegar to bowl, whisking to combine with other ingredients.  Add sea salt and adjust seasonings as desired.

Place torn Romaine lettuce into salad bowl with dressing and add fresh grated Parmesan, mixing gently to fully combine.

Divide salad among 4 bowls and top with homemade croutons and caramelized bacon pieces. 

Blueberry Chai Pudding

We just returned from celebrating my mom's 80th birthday in the Quebec Laurentians.  Just a small gathering of immediate family - you know, 70 or so of us (gotta love those French Canadian, Irish Catholic fusions). 

As things would have it, it was a picture perfect weekend for mom - stunning blue skies, brilliant snow filled mountains, and plenty of sugar happy grandchildren running amuck.  We were reunited with family we don't get to see nearly as often as we'd like, and although the time seemed to pass in a flash, as these things often do, it was a pretty wonderful visit.

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On to today's project.

I have to say, this pudding turned out even better than I had hoped (some experiments work - some really don't). 

The texture is remarkably similar to that of a traditional dessert pudding with a smooth, silky quality and a burst of chai flavourings and blueberry bliss in every bite. 

Be sure to read the cooking notes below for best results.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Chai Pudding

• 250 grams silken tofu (about 2 cups)
• 1 + 1/2 cups blueberries, thawed and drained if using frozen
• 2 Tbsp agave
• 2 Tbsp palm sugar
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamon
• 1/2 tsp ground clove
• 1/2 fresh grated nutmeg (it's easy to grate and tastes delicious)

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Notes:

I have used my own spices to create a chai blend here but if you have a favourite Chai tea, you could substitute 1 heaping tablespoon or so in place of the cinnamon, cardamon, clove and nutmeg.  The only difference is that you may taste the grittiness from the ground tea leaves and spice bits.  I have tried this version as well and while I love the taste of the spice pieces, the abrasive quality of the bits started to wear on me after a while.  If you are not bothered by that textural quality, it's a very tasty version as well.

If you are working with frozen berries, be sure to thaw and drain them first.  If you use them from frozen they will defrost in the pudding and leave a puddle of water.

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Begin by draining excess liquid from tofu in a colander (you can use the back of a spoon to help expel liquid).

Place all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Pour into individual serving dishes and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Garnish with mint and a couple of blueberries, as desired.

Serves 4.

Seared Scallops with Lime infused Tahini

Ever since I came across this post on Mis Pensamientos blog, I've been craving tahini in a big way.

I started out by making her delicious salad, twice, but couldn't stop there.  Before I knew it, I was hijacked by visions of pan seared scallops with lime infused tahini, rendering me completely helpless against the forces of the kitchen. 

Not such a bad thing after all.

Since everyone in this family has a thing for coleslaw (crémeuse ou traditionnelle?), I served the scallops on a bed of raw cabbage drizzled with the tahini sauce.  De.lish. 

You could also do the reverse and enjoy the scallops over the tahini sauce ~ as desired. (I had to make them again just to be sure it was a suitable alternate.  Pure torture).

Seared Scallops with Lime infused Tahini

For the Scallops

• 6 scallops
• Olive oil

For Lime Infused Tahini

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 tsp tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest
• Pinch of sea salt and cracked pepper
• A few pieces of stray cilantro, chopped

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Directions: 

Serves 2

Combine tahini ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk until combined.  Allow ingredients to sit together for at least 1 hour before serving.  Be sure to stir again before drizzling over scallops.

For the scallops, I like to use a cast iron skillet to get a good sear. I use a nice stable fat that can tolerate heat, such as butter or coconut oil, and get the skillet good and hot (but not smoking). Once the fat has melted and the skillet is hot, add scallops to skillet with a sprinkle of sea salt and cracked pepper. Allow scallops to sizzle for approximately two minutes before flipping to sear the other side for another two minutes or until done. (Frying time will depend on the size/width of the scallops you are working with).

When ready to serve, drizzle scallops with tahini (or set tahini in a small bowl beside scallops as pictured) or rest scallops over tahini sauce.

moi je préfère la traditionnelle ~

Apple Buttermilk Muffins

Since I know you've been missing my muffin recipes (that, and the fact that my boys returned to school this week), I busied myself making apple buttermilk muffins this weekend.

I think you'll like them.  They have a rustic, textured exterior thanks to the whole grains and a moist, full-flavoured interior with only a third of a cup of unrefined sugar.

I will be revisiting this recipe in a special upcoming post on January 23rd - so stay tuned...

Meantime, I was moved to resurrect my Snow Patrol CD yesterday morning. I caught these guys opening for U2 in Toronto a while back.  They rocked the city silly.  Here's one of my favourite tracks from the spirited Irish band: just say yes.

Apple Buttermilk Muffins (wheat free)

• 1 cup whole grain oatmeal
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 + 1/2 apples, peeled and quartered (6 quarters)
• 1/2 cup plump golden raisins
• 1/3 cup palm sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tsp vanilla

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Heat oven to 400 F.

Cut five apple quarters into small dice and cut remaining quarter into 12 thin slices for garnish. (Note: I used the better part of an apple in the recipe pictured for my 'thin' slices - they're more like chunky pieces).

In a large bowl, combine: oats, spelt, raisins, palm sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.  Mix in the diced apple.

In a separate bowl, whisk together: eggs, buttermilk, olive oil, apple sauce and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry mixing only until combined.

Divide batter among 12 muffin cups topping each with an apple slice from reserved quarter. Bake until muffins are beginning to brown around edges and are firm to the touch - 16 to 18 minutes. 

Allow muffins to cool slightly before enjoying.

Blackberry Mango Salsa Salad with Ginger Lime Vinaigrette

I had originally intended on posting my favourite mango salsa but it was nearing noon when I began assembling this recipe and I just knew fruits and veggies alone weren't going to cut it for lunch.  So, I mixed in some plump chickpeas for protein and fibre and was delighted with the result. 

Chickpea, an otherwise ordinary looking legume, has an outstanding nutrition profile and excellent culinary versatility.  In this salad, the chickpeas absorb the flavour of the ginger lime dressing beautifully, hitting the high notes when mixed in with cumin and cilantro.  The solid, buttery texture of chickpeas also adds depth and satisfaction to the meal.

Blackberry Mango Salsa Salad with Ginger Lime Vinaigrette:

For the Salad:

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 12 or so fresh blackberries
• 1/2 cucumber, partially peeled and diced
• 1/2 purple onion, chopped
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas, thoroughly rinsed if using canned
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

For the Ginger Lime Vinaigrette:

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil 
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp grated lime zest
• 1 Tbsp minced ginger root
• 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp cracked pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds

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Serves 2

Assemble salad ingredients together in a serving bowl or on individual plates.

Combine vinaigrette ingredients together in a container with fitted lid. Shake well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired before drizzling over salsa salad.

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For the love of Chickpeas:

A half cup serving of cooked chickpeas (also known as Garbanzo beans), provides over 6 grams of dietary fibre and 7 grams high-quality vegetable protein. This same serving size also provides 35% of an adult's daily requirement of folate and over 40% of the daily requirement of manganese.

How to cook Chickpeas:

Soak desired quantity of beans overnight. In the morning, drain the water and replace it with fresh, cold water for cooking. Place on stove and bring to a boil in a pot with a lid. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, tilting the lid slightly to allow steam to escape, and leave to cook for up to 90 minutes, or until tender.