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Dilled Potato and Leek Salad

Care of Amy Symington Makes 5 servings You do make friends with salad, if you top it with this recipe’s delish dressing! Dressing: 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp maple syrup pinch of salt 1 clove garlic, pureed Directions: In a small bowl add ingredients.  Whisk.  Set aside until needed. Salad: 3 cups fingerling potatoes, largely diced 2 sweet potatoes, largely diced 1 leek, greens removed and chopped 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped Black pepper to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl add potatoes, sweet potatoes, leeks and oil.  Mix thoroughly. Put potato mixture into a roasting dish or pan. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Remove from oven, place in a large heat safe bowl, sprinkle with dill and black pepper to taste, add dressing as needed and toss. Serve hot or refrigerate and serve cold. Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes

Garlic Greatness

Care of Amy Symington     Although often criticized for its stanky breath and garlicky sweat inducing qualities, Allium Sativum, also known as garlic, is definitely worth the potential risk of losing friends. Here is why. It is a prebiotic.  Firstly, what the heck is a “prebiotic”?  Well, it is a non-digestible food that stimulates the growth of good bacteria (bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria) that exists in the small and large intestines. Simply stated, a prebiotic improves the host’s health by improving their metabolism. In turn, this increases the absorption of vitamins and minerals, and reduces the risk of colon cancer and potentially most illnesses. Raw garlic is an example of a prebiotic. It is an immune booster.  When crushed or chewed, garlic releases a compound called allicin that has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties, which is why it is often used to combat those nasty winter illnesses. What is even better than that, garlic helps in preventing said illnesses from occurring in the first place. It is also used to fight fungal infections like thrush, combat bacteria related digestive disorders and doubles as a disinfectant. It is good for your heart. Garlic reduces the presence of… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Celery Root: Dig It!

Care of Laura Wright This knobby, dirty, scraggly brute of a vegetable (also called Celeriac) is one of my favourite culinary delights of the cold weather season. Celery-like shoots emerge above the soil, while the beast-like root vegetable grows beneath the dirt. As you may probably guess, it has a detectable celery note, but also a creamy sweetness that reminds me of new potatoes. It’s dreamy as a vegetable puree or worked into soups, even slicing it up real thin and tossing it into salads brings an earthy note of freshness. Treat It Right: You can generally find celery root at farmer’s markets around this time of year at a very reasonable price point. If your local grocery store has a decent seasonal vegetable selection, it may be stocked there as well. Look for large beige-white, turnip-sized bulbs with a bunch of craters and roots near the root vegetable section. Once you get that baby home and you’re ready to cook, give it a good scrub and trim off the top and bottom ends so that you have opposing flat sides. From here, put one of the flat sides face down on the cutting board. Now you… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Crushing on Cranberries

Care of Laura Wright Plump and tart, cranberries are synonymous with fall. Along with apples, root veggies, pumpkins, pears and squash, their deep burgundy hue points to cooler days, warm sweaters and falling leaves. I see plenty of recipe applications using the sweetened dried version of these antioxidant powerhouses, but fresh ones? They’re less commonly used and possibly under-appreciated for sure. I thought they deserved some love so I provoked their sour sweetness in a decadent (but still wholesome) breakfast treat. Other than providing a gorgeous and healthy topping for spicy and intense pancakes, cranberries certainly have a lot of great attributes going for them. Some Back Story: Cranberry bushes are native to eastern regions of Canada and the United States. They have a long history of medicinal use in Native American populations ranging from prevention of kidney stones to the belief that ingestion of the berries purified the blood. Additionally, a paste made from cranberries was applied to the skin as a healing salve to treat arrow wounds. It is one of three fruits that can trace its roots specifically to North American soil (blueberries and concord grapes are the other two). Sniffles? Take some Vitamin C(ranberry):… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Be a Plum Bum!

Care of Amy Symington There is absolutely nothing like sinking your teeth into a perfectly ripe, sweet and succulent plum; the syrupy tart juice dribbling down your cheeks and all over your hands. It is inevitably messy business, but more than worth the sticky clean-up. Before they become the most flawless looking, shiny, smooth and miniature sized rear ends, they are perfectly picked from small plum trees or shrubs anywhere from the month of May up until September, depending upon where you are located in the world. Prunus domestica, its well suited Latin name literally means “plum tree of the house” as it was one of the first fruits to become domesticated. The stone fruit is spawn from the beautiful, but somewhat thorny pinkish white flowers formed by the tree in early spring.  A spectral of colours from white to green to yellow to red to the most popular bluish purple are available for edible appreciating. Well known for its high dietary fibre content and natural laxative effects, the plum, or prune in its dried form, is also rich in potassium, fluoride and iron.  It is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin K and a very good… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Chia Super Powers

Care of Laura Wright These tiny seeds, like little dark grey or white poppy seeds, hold a lot of power within their unassuming exterior. Sourced primarily from the Amazon basin and in the south of Mexico, it is believed that Aztec warriors would consume chia seeds before going into battle to enhance their endurance. That sounds like some potency right there, right? I think we can all agree that a little more power and vigour to help us rise up to the adventure of life is a great thing. Chia seeds can cover all the bases with that, trust. OH-megas! These seeds have more omega-3 fatty acids than flax seeds (a known vegetarian source of omega-3s) and as a bonus, contain much higher levels of antioxidants, improving their shelf life greatly. You don’t have to grind them to enjoy the benefits either (like flax). The seeds form a gel when digested (and when added to water), making for a slow breakdown of carbohydrates and other nutrients within. Working more of these little seeds into your diet could mean a big boost in cardiovascular, immune and skin health. Stay Hydrated: Chia seeds can absorb up to nine times their… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Green TEAriffic

Care of Amy Symington To the Chinese, the health benefits of green tea is ancient history, quite literally. Only in the recent past has Western culture jumped on the green tea bandwagon and for more than legit reasons. Green tea contains a type of anti-oxidant rich polyphenol called catechin that has been shown to have various health benefits relating to disease prevention. We are talking the big bad diseases here too; namely type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and some cancers. There is consistent epidemiological data that suggests green tea helps to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (or “bad” cholesterol), and inhibits cancer cell growth as well as reduces the formation of blood clots, minimizing heart attack and stroke risk. All of which helps to fight against the risk of obtaining the big bad diseases listed above. It has also been shown that green tea extract is beneficial for whole-body metabolism, particularly by increasing fat oxidation. The most effective time for green tea’s fat burning powers is when the body is at rest and has been fasted (i.e. right in the morning). Interestingly, due to this increased rate of fat burning, researchers from… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Charming Chard

Care of Laura Wright (blogging at http://www.thefirstmess.com) We should all know by now that eating your greens is a big step towards good health maintenance and feeling the high vibes. Kale has certainly been getting a lot of attention in the past year or so but what about chard! Leafy chard, from the same family as spinach and beets, with its various coloured stems deserves a little spotlight too. Buying it: Leafy, green chard originally hails from Sicily (despite commonly being referred to as Swiss Chard) and has an earthy, slightly salty taste. There are 3 main types available at markets around this time of year and into the early fall: Rainbow Chard with its pink, yellow and white stalks, Rhubarb or Ruby Chard with its deep red stems and slightly stronger flavour and the classic Fordhook Chard with more crinkled leaves and thicker white stems. As with any green leafies, going organic is optimal when buying chard as leafy vegetables in general tend to harbor more pesticide residue than others. Killer Carotenoids: Vibrant chard is loaded with antioxidants in the form of carotenoids. Carotenoids offer pigmentation to yellow, orange and red produce as well… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Ginger: A Series of Facts

Care of Amy Symington Serious facts about ginger: Its recorded origin dates back 3000 years to a Sanskrit word “srngaveram” which translates to mean “horn root,” coinciding with its horn and root like appearance.  However, the Indian and Chinese are believed to have been utilizing this spicy pungent root for well over 5000 years, specifically for medicinal purposes. There is no question then why ginger is one of the most frequently utilized spice and dietary condiments in the world.  Zingiber officinale, or ginger as we know it, is also world renowned for its potential relief of nausea, arthritis, colds and headaches in addition to potentially preventing chronic diseases like the big bad 3 – diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In recent years much research has been executed and many scientific reports have been written in regards to ginger’s powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea properties.  As always in the nutrition world the execution of more research is necessary to defiantly determine the outcome of ginger’s consumption, however currently there are some powerful reasons for adding ginger to your food repertoire. As ginger has extremely high levels of antioxidants present (only pomegranate and some types of berries exceed its levels)… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Roasted Celery Root with Apple Cider Reduction

Care of Laura Wright Serves: 2 Notes: If you want to make this a side dish, look for a slightly larger celery root, dice it into cubes, roast it and toss it in the reduction before serving. It should take about 15 minutes to cook at the smaller size. Celery Root: 1 small to medium celery root, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds 1 sprig of thyme, leaves removed and lightly chopped 1 tbsp grape seed oil salt and pepper Reduction: 2 cups apple cider 1 sprig of thyme 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp natural sugar 2-3 black peppercorns Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Start the reduction: Place all reduction ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and keep at a lively simmer until reduced by two thirds. I ended up with a bit more than a 1/4 cup. Stir occasionally. Strain the mixture, pour it back into the saucepan and place it on a low burner to keep warm. Roast the celery root: toss the slices of celery root with the oil, chopped thyme, salt and pepper. Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes