Curried Red Lentil Stew

My daughter has decided that she is a vegetarian.  She will now no longer eat animals  for whom she feels sympathy.  So far, she feels no sympathy for fish.  In any event, I am trying to include more meals with alternate sources of protein.  The below recipe comes from the Bon Appetit Fast, Easy, Fresh cookbook.  (As usual, I have reduced the fat.)  We thoroughly enjoyed it, both on its own and served over basmati rice.  I think I'll serve it with a barbecued tandoori style chicken next time.

Curried Red Lentil and Swiss Chard Stew with Chick Peas


1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
5 tsp curry powder
6-8 c vegetable or chicken stock
1 large bunch swiss chard, stems removed and chopped (about 12 cups)
1 lb red lentils
1 16 oz tin chick peas

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until golden.  Mix in curry powder.  Add stock and chard.  Bring to a boil and add lentils and chick peas.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring twice, about 10 minutes.
Can be served topped with yogurt.

Jamie's Roast Chicken and Potatoes

I recently tried a number of recipes from Jamie Oliver's cookbook Jamie's Dinners.  Sadly, a number of them were really disappointing, but this recipe is a keeper for sure.  The potatoes, in particular, are comfort food of the highest order - lemony, garlicky, bacony - mmmm!  Enjoy!

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary Roast Potatoes

4 1/2 lb free range organic chicken
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into golf ball sized chunks
1 large unwaxed lemon
1 whole clove garlic, broken into cloves
handful fresh thyme
olive oil
handful rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
6-8 slices side bacon

Several hours before you need to start cooking, and up to a day ahead, rub chicken inside and out with salt and pepper, cover and keep in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 375 and remove chicken from the refrigerator.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add potatoes, lemon and garlic cloves.  Cook for 12 minutes.  Drain, cover and let steam for 1 minute longer.  Remove lemon and garlic cloves, and toss the potatoes around in the pan with the lid on to rough up the edges a bit.
While still hot, stab the lemon about 10 times with a knife.
Pat chicken with paper towels, and rub with olive oil.  Put the lemon, garlic cloves and thyme into the cavity, and put the chicken in a roasting pan (make sure it is large enough to hold the chicken and the potatoes later).  Cook the chicken for about 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken to a plate.  Toss the potatoes in the roasting pan with the pan juices and the rosemary leaves.  Make a gap in the centre and return the chicken to the pan.  Lay the bacon over the chicken and cook for another 45 minutes,  until the chicken is done.
Before serving, remove bacon from chicken, crumble and toss with potatoes.

Another Cannellini Bean and Kale Soup

This recipe is very similar in ingredients to the prior recipe, but it ends up with a thicker, somewhat heartier broth.  It is also made WITH oil and WITHOUT sausage.  The celery adds a depth to the flavour.  The original recipe, which I have altered a little, comes from the www.nigella.com website.  I made it last week and really enjoyed it.

Canellini Bean and Kale Soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 carrot
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 onion
• 5 peeled, smashed garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 piece parmesan rind*
• 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
• 2 cups cooked cannellini beans or 2 cans of drained and rinsed cannellini beans
• 6 cups water
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste, depending on the saltiness of your stock cube
• Pepper to taste
• 1 bunch kale (black kale, curly green kale - whatever you prefer), stems removed and finely chopped
• grated Parmesan for serving

1. Blitz the carrot, onion and celery in a food processor until all is a nubbly mush.
2. Put olive oil in large stock pot or Dutch oven, turn on heat and add carrot/onion/celery mush and garlic cloves. The vegetables should soften, but not color. If they start to brown, add a splash of water.
3. When vegetables have cooked for about ten minutes, add the beans and tomato paste. Stir and let cook together for a few minutes.
4. Add water, parmesan rind, stock cube, pepper and salt. Boil vigorously for about 45 minutes. The vigorous boiling helps some of the cannellini beans to break down and thicken the soup - the broth should have some body to it. Add more water if needed.
5. Add the kale, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until kale is tender. Serve topped with a respectable amount of grated parmesan.

*  I used some chunks of asiago when I made it and that worked just fine too!

WW Tuscan Soup

One of my all time favourite WeightWatchers cookbooks is Dining with the Duchess from back when Sarah, Duchess of York, was their spokesperson.  The recipes are VERY tasty and many are even dinner party worthy.  This soup is a staple around my house during the winter months, when kale appears regularly in my organic box.  You can use cabbage or any other leafy green instead of kale if you'd prefer.

Tuscan Soup


4 c chicken broth
1 15oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14-1/2oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound kale, cleaned and finely chopped
1/2 pound low-fat smoked sausage, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
4 tsp grated parmesan cheese

Combine broth, beans, tomatoes, carrot, onion and garlic in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until carrot is tender, about 15 minutes.
Stir in kale and sausage, and cook until kale is tender, about 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve, sprinkled with cheese.

Makes 4 servings, 5 points per serving.

(NB  It was only 3 points per serving under the WW plan when the book was published.)

Grandma's Turkey Stuffing

Well, another Thanksgiving is under my belt - literally and figuratively!  This year I tried a new stuffing recipe, along with my grandmother's traditional bread and celery stuffing.  Tradition won out.  This is the taste of turkey stuffing for me.  I thought I'd share it with you!

Bread and Celery Stuffing

4 c diced celery
1 c chopped onion
1/4 c butter
12 c cubed multigrain or wholewheat bread, left out overnight to become a bit dry
1/2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 beaten eggs
1/2 to 3/4 c chicken stock

Saute celery and onion in butter over medium heat until soft.  Remove from heat and combine with bread and seasonings.  Toss lightly.  Pour beaten eggs over mixture and toss lightly again.  Add enough stock to moisten.

Put it all into a casserole dish, cover and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove the lid and let the top crisp up for another 5-10 minutes.

(Please note that when my grandmother and my mother made this, they used white bread, 1 c of butter, 1 tbsp of salt and milk instead of stock.)

Cranberry, Orange and Applesauce Loaf

I made this loaf for the first time this week, and Will said - "now this recipe you can make again!"  So I will.  I've made two small variations from the original recipe (which you can find in Rose Reisman's Family Favourites):  I have omitted the topping and reduced the sugar.  At 16 servings, I count 4 points per serving.

Cranberry, Orange and Applesauce Loaf

1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c canola oil
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp orange juice concentrate
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c low-fat plain yogurt (I used nonfat greek yogurt)
3/4 c flour
1/3 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp b powder
1/2 tsp b soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
2/3 c dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine applesauce, oil, sugar, egg, orange zest, orange juice concentrate, vanilla and yogurt in a large bowl.  Mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients.  Stir dry mixture into wet mixture until just moistened.
Pour into loaf pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until tester comes out clean.

Taken from Nigella's Pasta alla Genovese

Last Christmas, Hugh gave me Nigella Lawson's cookbook - Kitchen.  In it is a recipe for Pasta alla Genovese, which we all enjoyed on New Year's Eve.  I've made it a few times since then and it is a hit with everyone in the family.  I admit to using my own or, more often, store bought pesto.  The Costco pesto is easy and works just fine.  So below are the cooking instructions for everything but the pesto.  Serves 6-8.

Pasta alla Genovese

500g floury potatoes, slices 1 1/2 cm think and cut into chunks
500g pasta
200g green beans, trimmed and halved
approx 1 c good quality pesto

1. Put the prepared potato chunks into a large saucepan with enough salted water to take the pasta later, and bring to the boil.
2. Cook the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes, then add the pasta. Check the packet cooking instructions, and at about 4 minutes before the end of the specified cooking time, add the green beans.  Cook the remaining 4 minutes.
3. Before you drain the saucepan, remove and reserve about 1/2 cupful of the cooking liquid. Drain the potatoes, beans and pasta, and put them back into the dry pan.
4. Add pesto and enough cooking water to give a runny sauce that coats the pasta. Serve immediately.