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Monday, August 18, 2014

No Pasta Pasta Dinner

If you’re cutting back on simple carbohydrates in your diet, or avoiding gluten, but are missing some of your favourite dishes, you might try this. I find the texture of the edamame, combined with the spaghetti sauce, satisfies my craving for pasta.

3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup shelled edamame, fresh or frozen
1 cup carrots, sliced into coins
2 cups sliced mushroom (optional)
2 cooked sausages (I like Italian), sliced
1 cup spaghetti sauce

In a large frying pan, combine water, oil, vegetables and mushrooms. Stir over high heat until they come to a boil. Cover, and turn down to low. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove lid, turn heat back up to medium, stir in sausage and spaghetti sauce, and continue to stir until warmed through.


Serves 2

Friday, August 8, 2014

Easy Borscht

I love the earthy taste of beets, and this recipe for borscht is one more reason to cook and freeze them in large quantities when they’re available (see recipe here). The recipe takes a while to make, though some of that is waiting time, but is quite simple.

2 cups beef stock
2 cups diced cooked beets
sour cream to taste
black pepper to taste

Combine stock and beets in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, continuing to stir. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cooled, blend the beets and stock to desired consistency (anywhere from slightly chunky to pureed). An immersion blender works well for this, but you might want to cover your clothes with an apron first as beet juice tends to stain—speaking from experience here.

Reheat to serve, adding a dollop of sour cream to each bowl. Sprinkle with pepper. The soup is also good cold. I’m thinking a slice of lime floating on top would look sensational.


Serves 4