Here in Toronto, we had one of our first snowfalls of the season, and luckily I had the next day off work. Being cooped up inside, what could be more comforting than the aroma of a hearty soup simmering on the stove?
Since I love dipping into different cultures when I’m cooking, instead of the typical italian lentil soup, I decided to add some indian flare, to spice it up a little.
Ground cumin and garam masala are two popular indian spices that are readily used within indian cuisine. Cumin is actually quite beneficial for our bodies, since it increases the heat in our body, which boosts our metabolism and immune system. Cumin is also known as a powerful liver and kidney cleanser. Try cooking with some different spices and your body will reap the benefits!
Recipe:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup lentils
2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon garam masala
1 onion
2 large carrots
1 celery stalk
3/4 tin of 400g chopped tomatoes
4 cups chicken stalk
1/2 plain yogurt
Sauté onion in saucepan for five minutes.
Add all of the spices and stir for one minute, until fragrant. The secret to unleashing the fragrant properties of these spices is to incorporate heat. In a pan, make sure to heat the spices just for a minute. This literally releases the aroma of the spices.
Add carrot and celery, cook for 2 minutes.
Add lentils, tomatoes and stalk and bring soup to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes or until lentils are soft to your desired liking. Season to taste.
Serve with a spoonful of yogurt, some black pepper and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
This soup is very flavourful and will definitely warm you up!
My mornings are not the same, unless I steep my usual fresh slices of ginger in my green tea. I do this not just for extra flavour, but most importantly for added health benefits.
This ancient spice has been used throughout the world in cooking and traditional medicinal purposes. This root has an abundance of beneficial properties for our body… The benefits include the treatment of nausea, upset stomach, the common cold, gastrointestinal complaints, heartburn and many other problems. Ginger promotes a healthy immune system as well as it supports cardiovascular and digestive system health.
From my experience, ginger is really an amazing natural remedy for nausea.
Take two or three pieces of sliced ginger and steep it in either hot water or in tea for at least twenty minutes.
Here’s enough reason to start incorporating more ginger into your life!
If that’s not decadent, I don’t know what is… These cookies were definitely rich, however I made sure to go easy on the sugar. I love the dark rich taste of chocolate, but when too much sugar is added, the sweetness overload completely kills it for me.
It’s amazing what a little heat can do:
What you need:
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup good-quality chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325° F. Pour flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and stir well.
Melt the chocolate chips with the butter in a small heatproof bowl overtop a pan of simmering water. Let cool for a few minutes.
Put the chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a bowl and stir well. Now combine into the flour mixture and mix well until everything is mixed completely. Fold in some more chocolate chips into the mixture.
Drop about 1.5 inches of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 15 minutes.
- Cookies should be soft. Do not over-bake! Let cool on the parchment paper before eating, or else cookies will break apart.
They were absolutely amazing.
I am all about taste and flavour, and let me tell you, this sushi restaurant does not spare on either. Whether you want fried dumplings, sushi, miso soup, or salad.. you will not ever be disappointed with this place. My friend has travelled all over, specifically in Toronto, Miami, and New York, and she has never tasted such sushi as good as this place. Yup.. it’s that good.
My favourite are the dynamite rolls, as I loooooove shrimp tempura rolls with some extra kick!
House green salad:
Dynamite rolls (tempura shrimp, salmon, avocado, cucumber, fish eggs):
Everyone needs to treat themselves sometimes…
Cut up an assortment of different vegetables. This helps to provide an abundance of vitamins and different colours to fill your dish.
Stir fry chopped veggies with 1 tablespoon of oil (don’t overcook). You want to make sure you leave the veggies firm, this ensures most of the nutrients don’t get lost in the cooking process. Next, add some pesto and a few tablespoons of water.
- You can add tomato sauce instead if you prefer it.
- This dish is amazing with some grilled chicken on the side.
- Grate your choice of hard cheeses.
- Use whole-wheat pasta, if you want to maximize the healthiness of this dish.
I literally grabbed whatever veggies I found in my fridge and quickly cut them up, threw them in a pan to fry with some oil for 5 minutes. I whisked an egg and tossed it in the pan for a nice and healthy scrambled eggs. Season the veggies and eggs with whatever herbs you desire. I used a mixture of herbs, salt and pepper. I love goat cheese and thought I’d spread some on my toast. It was definitely a healthy alternative to your typical scrambled eggs, and it was very tasty too.
- Eat with multi-grain, whole wheat bread for extra fibre and nutrients.
This famous mexican dip, made mainly with ripe avocados is so tasty and also healthy. Avocados are filled with vitamins, good fats, and also fibre. The healthy fats inside avocados, make this dish a very healthy choice, since they contribute to many health benefits.
It seems deceiving when trying to pick a ripe avocado - normally when a fruit or vegetable turns black, it’s not exactly edible anymore. However, the darker the avocado, the more ripe it is!
Guacamole is a very easy dip, that can be modified to suit different tastes. Normally, I would throw in some hot chillies to spice this dip up, although this time I omitted the extra spice.
4 ingredients: 1/2 of tomato, 1/4 small onion, 1 teaspoon lime, and of course, avocados. I used two avocados.
Chop the tomato and onion and add to a bowl with the avocado. Squeeze in the fresh lime juice and mix everything together well. Salt and pepper to taste, and you’re done!
Guacamole is a great snack or appetizer eaten with tortilla chips, or even as a sandwich topping.
This dish is very healthy and completely satisfying.
Look in your fridge and gather any vegetables that you would enjoy in your lasagna. I love peppers, so I made sure to incorporate three different coloured peppers.
Start by roasting all your veggies until they start to brown.
- I used zucchinis, onions, carrots, and peppers.
While the veggies are roasting, cook the lasagna sheets. Make sure you have your ricotta cheese and tomato sauce ready. Now you can start layering: Tomato sauce, pasta sheet, ricotta cheese, veggies, some mozzarella. Repeat until the pan is full.
- Make sure to season the ricotta cheese. I used some nutmeg, oregano, basil and black pepper.
- Remember to salt the veggies, and salt the pasta sheets while they cook.
- While the veggies are roasting, it’s a good time to roast some garlic for any future meals. I added some to the lasagna for extra flavour.
Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes covered. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 5 mintutes.
Makes a very fulfilling lunch at work…
This is my healthy version of the KFC twister!
Spicy chicken fingers, yogurt, roasted red peppers, roasted onions and fresh lettuce on a whole-wheat pita.
While the chicken is cooking in the oven, I thought why not cook some peppers and onions to add to my wrap as well.
- Add black pepper to the yogurt to add more spice and flavour. However, these spicy chicken fingers were spicy enough for me.
Great lunch.
