split.pea.for.the.soul

An autumn storm came in strong on Saturday night. As the rain and wind continued on through Sunday the day presented itself as a perfect simple soup dinner inspiration. Split pea with smoked ham was on the menu. I picked up a multigrain baguette to pop into the oven from a local bakery and enjoyed the quick preparation and smells of the simmering soup as I cuddled up on the couch with my latest read watching the rain come down in sheets.

I recently reposted a link on facebook about nitrates in processed meats, please read. (http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com/2007/12/processed-meats-declared-too-dangerous-for-human-consumption/)

Ingredients;

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 leek, white part only, washed and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1- 1/2 pound nitrate free ham hock (smoked)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Pinch dried chile flakes (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups green split peas
• 10 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper

How to:

Heat the oil in a heavy stock pot at medium high heat. Add your onion, carrot, celery, leak and garlic sauteing for 5-7 minutes. Add the ham hock, thyme, bay leaves, chilli flakes and split peas and saute for another few minutes. Increase the heat and add the stock bringing to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours or until the split peas are soft.

Remove the ham hock, take the meat off the bone and set aside. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stalks. Using a hand blender or regular blender (be sure to leave the vent off the top and cover with a cloth as you are blending a HOT soup) blend some or all of the soup depending on your desired texture.

Top with ham pieces and season with salt and pepper.

enJOY!

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morning.metabolism.boost

As I delve deeper into the business plan of the juice bar both excitement and fear come forward.... well if I'm being honest here it's just mostly fear with a sprinkle of excitement. Every day I accomplish something big on the list of things to do 10 more pop up.

In the cleanse mode I returned home from a weekend in the Okanagan sun to juice and refill on water. One of the easiest ways to jump-start your metabolism and improve liver function is to Squeeze half of a lemon or lime into a cup of warm (or room temperature water) in the morning.

Dave's.chicken.skewers

Dave and I had a couple creative days in the kitchen this past weekend as we made multiple spot prawn recipes as well as this special creation from Dave. We were testing out the new grill Dave and Tanya got as a wedding gift from mom and dad.

Something I never would have thought of, grilled raspberries, turned out interestingly delicious!

Chicken Skewers;

Serves 4

12 wooden skewers-soaked in water for at least a half hour

4 breasts cubed chicken

raspberries, market fresh

garlic, diced

2 limes, juiced

a handful of chopped fresh dill

sea salt and pepper

Lemon Aioli;

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup good mayonaise

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

fresh chopped dill

summer.tofu.stirfry.

Fresh pea's from my garden out front inspired this tasty and quick stirfry. I also used the leaves from the pea plant in the sautee and LOVED them!

If you don't like tofu you could use chicken or just more vegetables! It is along the same lines as the noodle dish from the last post. Very simple and delicious. I put measurements in my recipes for those of you who like to follow a recipe however I never make the same dish twice.... I love garlic and chilies and often add more

I cooked up a batch of brown rice with a touch of sea salt and olive oil. Be sure to rinse your rice, and any grain for that matter before cooking so that it doesn't come out mushy.

Serves 4

2 TBSP Evoo

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cm of ginger, diced or grated

3 green onions, finely sliced

1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

1 large handful snap peas, trimmed

2 handfuls snap pea leaves

1 large handful shitake mushrooms, stems removed and chopped

7 oz firm tofu cut into 1cm cubes

1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1/2 cup water

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or sautee pan and fry the tofu over medium heat until golden. I like to throw in a dash of sea salt and fresh ground pepper as the tofu cooks. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Give the pan a quick wipe and add the additional 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, green onions and chilli and sautee for a minute. Add the remaining vegetables and continue to stir.

Add the soy sauce, hoisin, fish sauce and water and stir to combine. Cover the pan and continue to simmer for 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat, add the tofu to the pan then serve over hot brown or wild rice.

spelt.soba.noodle.salad

For everyone who isn't too sure about soba noodles, the way they taste and possibly look I found an amazing soba noodle with both spelt and buckwheat. The brand is SOBAYA and the color and texture is much more appetizing than a pure buckwheat noodle. I picked up some fresh peas and carrots from the market to throw together this fabulous and easy noodle dish.

2 TBSP Evoo

2 cloves garlic, diced (or more)

1 shallot, diced

1 red thai chilli (if I cannot find these at my local grocer I will use a spoonful of sambal sauce)

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tsp brown sugar

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a small sautee pan on medium heat. Add two cloves diced garlic and one shallot, sautee for one minute, until fragrant then add your finely sliced chilli (seeds removed if you don't like it too spicy-I love it!)

In a separate bowl combine rice wine vinegar and brown sugar. Add this to the sautee pan and stir. Let the mixture simmer and reduce.

Pour the sauce over the cooled soba noodles and toss in fresh, shelled peas and grated carrot.

july.at.the.farmers.markets.

The farmers markets seem to be a bit behind this year as the weather has emulated early spring more that mid summer;) Here is what we are seeing in Vancouver at the markets.... I am excited to head up to the Okanagan in a couple of weeks for a long weekend.... their markets are always bountiful and inspiring!

beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, fennel, garlic, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, salad greens, spinach, tomatoes, turnips and zucchinis. We have also been blessed with Okanagan cherries, raspberries and local strawberries.

Creamy mushroom risotto and garlicy spot prawns

Irene and I headed down to Fisherman's wharf beside Granville Island the day before Mother's Day to pick up our dinner right off the boat. Spot prawn festival was in full swing with hundreds of tasters waiting in line for their round at the different chef's tables prepping up their prawns. We skipped the tasting line to pick up our own batch for sauteing up the following evening. We left the heads on the boat although many others left with their prawns still squiggling; heads and all.

We paired these prawns with fresh spring asparagus and a creamy risotto made with a mushroom broth.

Loads of pressed garlic and a knob of butter with a sprinkle of sea salt and few turns of fresh ground black, white and red pepper to taste was all it took for our prawns. The asparagus were steamed then tossed in the prawn pan to pick up some of the garlic and butter. I also tossed in a splash of the Pinot Gris I was drinking while prepping the meal:) Don't be intimidated by risotto, there are people who claim it is a hard dish to make, however it just requires constant attention.

Risotto is a delicious once in a while treat; I don't prepare it to often as I prefer whole grains with more nutrients and if I'm going to do risotto I want to do it right with the best arborio rice and some good stock.

Mushroom Risotto Recipe

• 3 cups mushroom broth, (you can use any broth you like)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 shallots, diced
• 1 pound assorted wild mushroom, (such as oyster, crimini and stemmed shiitake)
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1. Bring mushroom broth to simmer in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover and keep broth hot.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter with olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add chopped shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add wild mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender and juices are released, about 8 minutes.
4. Add rice and stir to coat. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook stirring always for another 4 or 5 minutes.
5. You will actually be able to hear the rice begin to “crackle” as the starches are released.
6. Add the cold white wine to “shock” the rice. Cook for 3 minutes longer till the wine is almost gone.
7. Add 3/4 cup hot mushroom broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently
8. Add remaining hot mushroom broth 3/4 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes.
9. Stir in Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh thyme.
10. Serve warm. Add more Parmesan if you would like your risotto creamier.