Grilled Fruit Chia Pudding {Recipe ReDux}

I hope you're been enjoying a great July so far and all the flavours of the season. This month's ReDux theme is A Spirited ReDux:
From plain Jane vanilla extract to fancy-pants elderflower liqueur, we like to keep a little liquor in the kitchen. Show us how you like to cook, bake or mix-it-up with spirits, extracts and other alcohols. A splash of vodka makes summer sauces shine – and liqueurs brighten desserts: What’s your healthy recipe with spirit?

 

I was inspired to combine grilled fruit and chia pudding since I enjoy fruit and chia with yogurt on a regular basis. Grilling allows you to spend time outside and brings out the sweetness of fruit.

 

Last summer we had a delicious grilled pineapple dessert made by a dear friend, and at a foodie night I think it was a cajun/creole theme) we enjoyed bananas foster - these were the flavours I was thinking of for this recipe. I wanted to make something 'summery' and somewhat healthy. You can definitely play around with the spices and spirits used in the chia pudding and try different fruit on your grill.

 

Grilled Fruit Chia Pudding
Makes: 4-8 servings (depending on portion size)

Ingredients 
Pudding
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp almond extract

Fruit
oil for grilling
2 peaches, cut in half, pit removed, and sliced again to create 8 circular pieces
1 pineapple, cut into 1/2" slices (you should get 4-6 slices)
2 bananas, peeled, cut in half length-wise and width-wise for 8 slices

Directions 
1. Prepare the chia pudding the night before you plan to use it. Combine all pudding ingredients. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Wash and slice fruit as above. Heat barbeque to medium heat and brush lightly with oil. Place sliced fruit on grill (as much as you can fit). Turn 45 degrees after appropriate cooking time (below) to get nice grill marks. Then flip once, grill, and turn 45 degrees. Remove from heat.
       Grill times: peaches 2-3 minutes (8-12 total), pinepple 3-4 minutes (12-16 total), banana 1-2 minutes (4-8 total)
3. Place fruit in 4-8 dishes. Remove chia pudding from fridge, stir, and spoon over top. Enjoy!

This is great as a dessert or as leftovers for breakfast. As always, see below for fabulous recipes from other reduxers.

Happy grilling, happy summer!
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

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Community and Creativity

This summer we're taking part in our first CSA (community supported agriculture) and receiving organic, heirloom vegetables from PayDirt Farm.

We've had one delivery so far and get our next one tonight, so I figured I better get posting! In our first one we received: spinach (3 varieties: Monstrueux de Viroflay, Nobel Giant & Gigante D'Inverno), radishes (2 varieties: purple plum & long scarlet Cincinnati radish), lettuces (3 varieties: Merlot, Merville de Quatre Saison & Vivian), chard (2 varieties: rainbow & Bright Lights - both colourful chard) and a bunch of onion chives. Just like when we received the CHEP Good Food Box in the past, I find it's always exciting to get items I might not typically purchase and then find recipes to use everything up.

I found lots of great recipes to try and shared some of our lettuces as well. Since we are only 2 adults in our household (which is why we're getting a 1/2 share), I also had to be creative and made a few big batches to freeze so that we can continue to enjoy these vegetables in the future. I made a pot of my New Year's Eve soup with chorizo from Pine View Farms, and a spinach soup from Farmgirl Fare that we now have as lunch leftovers from the freezer. I discovered that I prefer a creamier spinach soup or something more hearty - lesson learned.

I also made a swiss chard with raisins and pine nuts side dish that we enjoyed with grilled parmesan zucchini and shrimp. I 'failed' at feta, red pepper, and spinach quinoa bites in that they became squares as I couldn't get them to hold a bite/ball shape (I added a few bread crumbs, but decided squares would suffice).

I also made a crustless quiche with spinach and mushrooms, I find it's a great supper one night and breakfast the next, and we always have eggs in our fridge, so it's an easy dish for me to throw together and a great way to include more vegetables.

I served a lentil, swiss chard (in place of kale), and barley salad at the lake on the weekend and it was delicious, I will definitely make it again. It was also a great way to use some barley which I often have sitting in the pantry for addition to a soup in the fall/winter.

We enjoyed a variety of salads and sandwich type items with our lettuces and shared the fragrant and flavourful chives with my parents on baked potatoes.

Needless to say, I've been busy in the kitchen (which I love) and I still have lots to share with you. I look forward to posting our upcoming CSA vegetables and how I decide to use them in my kitchen.

Are you gardening, going to a local farmer's market, or participating in a food delivery or CSA program this year? 

Share in the comment section to help others know what's available, what's possible, and what you like to create this time of year.

To your health & happiness!

Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Happy Hours

I apologize for my recent absence from the blog - I have still managed to do the monthly ReDux challenges, but I haven't been posting as often as I'd like. In the meantime, I hope you've been visiting the Nutrishus facebook page and my instagram account to see what I've been up to, what's happening in the world of nutrition, and what I'm making in my kitchen.

I've been taking part in #100happydays since April 28, and have been sharing that on instagram as well. It relates well to my former posts about mindfulness, gratitude, and being in the moment. No matter what the day is like, I look for at least one source of happiness to focus and reflect on - I personally think it's a great exercise (however you choose to find your happiness).

Part of my absence has been a reflection on my life as an entrepreneur. I get so many ideas, and often need time to sort through them in order to decide where to spend my time and energy. I'm hoping to get more clarity around that this summer and set some goals to keep me focused. As you know, goals are very important, they involve action, and help use accomplish things and change habits.

I had a client recently state "I don't know where to start". Taking on our health can seem overwhelming, but I am still a strong believer in variety, moderation, and balance (although you need to consider how you define each term) as well as making small changes now for lifelong results.

Perhaps that means spending 10 minutes tonight washing and chopping vegetables while your supper is cooking. Those veggies can then be eaten the rest of the week raw as a snack, used in salads/stirfries/omelets, or thrown on the grill if you're cooking more outside these days. For many people, healthy eating goals need to focus on increasing vegetables (and fruit); so be brave and purchase a new variety the next time you're grocery shopping or hit up the local farmer's market. If you don't know what to do with the new ingredient, you can often find recipes in stores, talk to a friend or co-worker, or use google or pinterest for inspiration. Don't feel like you have to eat 3 new meals for the next 7 days, just focus on one meal this week, or cook in big batches so that you have leftovers and one less meal to plan during your busy week. I know I like leftovers this time of year because it means I'm using the stove less and keeping my home cool.

In case you're looking for happiness in a song or need something to listen to while you're cooking tonight, here is Pharrell Williams's 24 hour music video - Happy:



Here's to many happy hours in your kitchen and in your healthy future!
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Lemon Ginger Biscuits {Recipe ReDux}

I'm posting this later in the day than usual, but it's still the 21st! This month's theme was:

Cooking with Tea
Tea cups around the world are bubbling up with bold new flavors: From cardamom chai and sencha green to bubble teas and veggie teas. We wish we could attend the World Tea Expo the end of this month – but in lieu of a plane ticket, we’ll be cooking and baking and stirring up tea-inspired healthy dishes.

I'm really curious to see everyone's creations, as there are many ways to interpret this theme and many flavours to play with.  I started planning on Mother's Day and that inspired me to make a new variety of biscuit (tea biscuit, baking powder/soda biscuit, or whatever you like to call them). We served cranberry orange biscuits as part of our family brunch, but the Twinings in my cupboard was calling me. The light spring flavours that stood out to me were lemon and ginger.

With biscuits in mind I was also inspired to try raspberry chia jam (adapted from a house on the hills) and making my own candied ginger (from healthy green kitchen).  I must say, the jam is delicious and the ginger is very flavourful, mine didn't look quite as beautiful at healthy green kitchen's though!

I have fond memories of biscuits on a Sunday morning and I felt like many people probably even have tea with their biscuits, so it fits the theme doubly.

Lemon Ginger Biscuits
Makes: 30-50 biscuits with 2 to 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutters (depends on desired thickness)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking  soda
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1/2-1 Tbsp candied ginger
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup plain greek yogurt
2 Tbsp milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450F. In a bowl stir together flours, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and baking soda. Cut in butter/margarine with a knife until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ginger, toss to mix in. Make a well in the centre and add lemon juice, yogurt, and milk. Using your fork, stir until just moistened.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by folding and gently pressing for 10-12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Roll until about 1/4 inch thick (or 1/2 inch if you prefer) and cut with a biscuit cutter. Reroll the scraps and continue cutting biscuits out.
3. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and place biscuits about 1 inch apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm with butter/margarine, honey, or jam.

Optional: I wanted more lemon ginger flavour so I made a quick glaze with 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp honey, and 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger. Melt the butter, add the honey and ginger and stir frequently until honey dissolves. Drizzle on biscuits.

Enjoy a cup or tea flavours today (make it iced if you're getting hot weather),
Cheers,
Steph Langdon, RD
www.nutrishus.com

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Thai Twist {Recipe ReDux}

It's April 21, and in my world that has always meant the day between my brother and my birthday, or sometimes even the day we celebrated together. Currently, it means time for my monthly Recipe ReDux post! I haven't been posting as often as I'd like lately, but I always try to plan to participate on the 21st. The April theme this year is: Treasured Cookware – Share a story of classic cookware – and a healthy recipe to go with it. Some of us will be celebrating Mother’s Day next month (May 11,) but it’s more than once a year that many of us cook with a pan, a wooden spoon or another piece of cookware passed on to us from the kitchens of our favorite relatives. Let’s see what you can cook up with your treasured kitchen tool!

I thought this was a great topic, since we often have a food specific theme, and I am very excited to see the variety that comes out of it. I had many items to consider since I often get kitchen related gifts - such as the tagine my parents gave me yesterday.  I have platters and a cake plate from my grandma, wine glasses from my mother-in-law, various gadget from my bridal shower, etc. However, with our recent winter-like weather, I was inspired to make a soup and use the ceramic french onion soup bowls I have from my mom. I even used the homemade placemats she gave me for Christmas in some of the shots.

I've made french onion soup at least twice before, but since I love tom yum gai soup so much, I thought I would try a Thai twist and play around with the flavours. 

Thai Twist French Onion Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
5 medium white onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
pinch of salt and pepper
1 piece fresh ginger (2-3", size of your thumb), grated
1 lemon grass stalk, smashed & cut into 3 pieces
1-2 red Thai chili peppers, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups beef broth
1/2 whole wheat baguette
1/2-1 cup Emmental cheese, shredded 

Directions 
1. Melt butter and oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. I learned from chef Michael Smith that combining the two protects the butter and it's flavour from burning (and I also use his concept of caramelizing the onions). Add the onions, sugar, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and a splash of water. Stir and cover, cooking for 10-15 minutes.
2. Remove the lid and reduce to medium low, stirring frequently to keep the onions from sticking, for about 30-40 minutes until the onions take on a darker caramel colour.
3. Add the ginger, lemon grass, chili pepper(s), garlic, and broth. Simmer for 25 minutes. Meanwhile slice the 1/2 baguette into 1/2" pieces (I made 8) and turn on your broiler. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly toast each side.
4. Remove the lemon grass and discard. Spoon the soup into four oven safe dishes, top with toasted bread and shredded cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!

This variation adds a hint of spice and more complex flavours to a traditional dish. It was perfect for our rainy Sunday and will definitely be made again in my home.

See below for the cookware that inspired my fellow dietitians and their recipe creations. Feel free to share a story about cookware that you've received and/or that inspires you in the kitchen.

Happy eating!
Steph Langdon, RD

An InLinkz Link-up

Egg-cellent Easter

Those who know me, or read my posts, will know that I like to challenge our habits. When it comes to things like holiday weekends, I like to think of new ways to be healthy and still enjoy great food. I know we are fortunate enough to be invited for two family meals this weekend and I'm sure there will be some chocolate around. I'm also counting on some warmer weather, so that we can get outside and enjoy the fresh spring air.

Easter doesn't have to just be a feast and loads of chocolate or jelly beans. It can be a time to celebrate spring vegetables and fruit with new recipes. Or a chance to think of themes, like I do - for me, Easter is eggs and carrots. So today I thought I would share a few egg ideas that may inspire you this long weekend.

Eggs are a great, quick protein to add to any meal or snack. One large egg has 6g of protein, 70 calories, and 14 key nutrients (including iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B12, folate, protein, selenium, and choline). They are also very versatile and can help you get vegetables into your day if you're creating things like omelets or frittatas. I have a few recipes on my Pinterest page that I have tried and enjoyed:
- spinach, mushroom, feta frittata
- mini quiche
- quinoa, egg, avocado, and edamame

With eggs in mind, I recently came across a Canadian Lentil recipe that I tried for lunch today. See below for the recipe and share your favourite Easter food traditions or egg dishes in the comments.

Top of the Mornin' Lentil Frittata

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter
• 2 (whole) shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 (whole) cloves of garlic, minced
• 1½cup (375 mL) chopped kale
• 1 (whole) green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup (250 mL) fully cooked lentils or canned lentils, drained and rinsed
• 8 (whole) eggs, whisked
• ¼ cup (60 mL) 2% milk
• dash sea salt and ground black pepper
• ½ cup (125 mL) shredded aged cheddar cheese
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• to taste salt and ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350˚F. In a 9-inch, deep, oven-proof skillet, sauté the shallot and garlic in butter until golden. Add the kale and green pepper and sauté until rendered. Add the cooked lentils and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper together. Add the egg mixture to the skillet. Gently stir the mixture once. Cover the skillet and cook on low-medium heat until the
sides are slightly golden (the centre will still be runny).

3. Remove the lid, sprinkle the cheese over the frittata and bake in the oven until the centre is no longer runny. Use the broil option if available to add additional browning to the top of the frittata. Set to rest for 5 minutes.

4. Garnish with parsley or cilantro, and season with salt and pepper.

5. Cut into wedges and enjoy!

 

Happy Easter!

Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Petite Personal Patties {Recipe Redux}

It's March 21, so that means time for the monthly Recipe Redux challenge! This month's theme was A Play on Patties: While St. Patty’s Day will be over by the time The Recipe ReDux rolls around this month, we’re celebrating the ‘patty’ all month long. Think healthy tuna burgers, potato patties, or veggie stacks. 

As usual, I wanted to create a dish using quite a few vegetables and I also like playing around with legumes since I know many people are unsure what to do with them in the kitchen. I also decided to try a new take on the traditional burger in a bun accompanied by fries. So, I made the "bun" out of potato instead! Also, knowing that people have different taste preferences (or picky eaters) I made sliders with a variety of toppings so everyone can personalize their own. Any leftover toppings can be used for a fritatta or salad tomorrow. I feel that they're sort of like a falafel texture, and I had fun with all the toppings!

Makes 10-12 sliders

Ingredients

2 medium white potatoes, scrubbed, skins still on

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 can (540ml or 19oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch fresh parsley (or cilantro), rinsed and roughly chopped

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup bread crumbs

8-10 white mushrooms, sliced

1/2 medium onion, sliced

5-6 handfuls of arugula

1 avocado, sliced

1/2-1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Salt and pepper

*optional: mayo, cheese

Directions

1. "Buns": Preheat oven to 450F and slice potatoes into 1/3" rounds. Microwave for about 3 minutes (or more) to speed up the roasting time. Lightly brush with olive oil and season with pepper; place on baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes total (turning once) until golden brown. Set aside to cool until ready to use.

2. Meanwhile prepare your patties: Place rinsed beans, garlic, parsley, egg, cayenne, and a dash of pepper in a food processor. Mix until smooth consistency, remove and add breadcrumbs. Heat a saucepan over medium with 1/2 Tbsp of oil. Form 10-12 slightly flattened patties and cook in two batches to allow room to flip. Cook for about 5 minutes per side and remove from heat.

3. Prepare toppings: wash and slice mushrooms and onion. Heat a saucepan with 1/2 Tbsp oil over medium heat and cook each (I did them separately) for about 5 minutes or until brown. Prepare tomatoes and avocado and place arugula on plates. 

Note: patties can be formed ahead of time and refrigerated covered; topping vegetables can also be sliced ahead of time.

Create your masterpiece with a potato, patty, toppings, and another potato. Enjoy!
What kind of patties are you making these days? Fish cakes? A unique dessert? Check out the Reduxers below for more ideas.

Here's to enjoying food :)
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

An InLinkz Link-up