"the Eat Well Gourmet" Chickpea & Carrot Salad

I learned to make this salad in the early '80's when I was managing the Beaches location of the Eat Well Gourmet in Toronto.  The owner, Josephine Ingrao, was an administrative dietitian who created a successful take-out and catering business featuring healthy, gourmet foods.  I learned a lot from her as she was honest in her feedback and inspirational!  I got the job by combing the yellow pages for ads I liked and companies I might want to work for.  This is a recipe I go back to time and time again.

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, have gone mainstream in Canada largely since the spread hummus became popular.  I love hummus and often make it with peanut butter instead of tahini as I don't always have the latter around.  Here chickpeas are featured in a marinated salad which keeps well in the fridge up to a week.

The local foods used in my salad are fresh carrots, parsley I had frozen last summer and the mint in the vinegar.  I don't know if chickpeas are grown in Ontario or not?  My understanding is that they are mainly grown in the prairie provinces.  Eating vegetarian meals, like this salad, reduces your carbon footprint.

The rest of my ingredients are organic.  In my opinion, organic spices taste a lot better than conventional and if they are certified organic they are free of chemical pesticides and residue.  I am not an expert in organic food rules but there is opportunity to add non spice ingredients to spices.  Recently I heard of flour being added to a chili powder blend creating problems for people needing to follow a gluten free diet. Buying organic spices and other organic foods also allows you to avoid genetically modified crops.

Click this link to print recipe.

INGREDIENTS - all homegrown or organic
Makes 10 x 250 ml (1 cup) portions

6 cups (1.5 L) chickpeas, cooked
2 cups (500 ml) carrots, diced
1 cup (250 ml) parsley, fresh, minced
2 Tbsp (30 ml) paprika, sweet
1 Tbsp (150 ml) fennel seed
1/4 cup (60 ml) XV Olive Oil
1 cup (250 ml) herb or good vinegar*
1 tsp (5 ml) black pepper 

*Note: the vinegar I used was organic mint and white wine vinegar I had made back in August when the mint was fresh and plentiful in the garden.  Mint goes really well with this salad.  Other good choices are plain apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar..... something bold!  Black olives aren't part of the original recipe but they would go well.  The original Eat Well Gourmet recipe used diced canned artichoke hearts as well.

METHOD:

1.  Measure the cooked chickpeas into a good size salad bowl that you can store in the fridge.  If you are using canned rinse them under cold running water to remove some of the salt.  The equivalent is approximately 2-3 of the 598 ml cans drained.

2.  Cut carrots into quarters and slice across.  Lightly steam carrot chunks.

3.  Toss all together and garnish with minced parsley and a good sprinkle of paprika.  I used organic paprika and you might have noticed that it is not garrish red.  I suspect much of the mainstream paprika has added red dye.  This seems like a lot of vinegar but it gets soaked into the beans.  Using more vinegar also allows you to cut back on the higher fat and pricey olive oil.  You can adjust it to your taste. 

The photo below is of some local parsley I bought at the farmer's market.  I freeze it in zip-lock freezer bags.  Frozen parsley is a snap to slice and you can take what you want and put the rest back in the freezer for another recipe. 

 
Leave salad to marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours before serving.

This salad is lower in fat than what is shown below as you wouldn't typically eat all of the dressing.

NUTRITION FACTS (per 158 gram or approx 1 cup - 250 ml serving): 230 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 25 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 6 g fibre, 6 g sugar, 9 g protein.  % Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet are 100% vitamin A, 20% vitamin C, 8% calcium and 20% iron.

Fun Fruit & Herb Vinegars

Over the years I have come up with numerous herb, fruit and flower combinations that I use when making flavoured vinegars.   I like to give these beautiful bottles as hostess and Christmas gifts.  It is ideal if you make these throughout the summer from your garden herbs and local berries.  I will mention a few that you can create during the winter months with fresh or frozen fruits and fresh herbs you can get from the store. 

Below is a photo of some of the summer vinegars I made (left to right): strawberry balasamic vinegar, apple cider with sage and cranberry and raspberry white wine vinegar.  I use them to add inspiration to my winter salads!  Follow this link to get a print copy of this blog post.

Vinegar is fermented wine derived from the French word vin aigre.  It contributes a bright, sharp flavour to food and can seriously reduce the amount of salt needed in recipes.  Vinegar, and other acidic foods such as tomatoes and lemon juice, have been shown to lower the glycemic index of the dish they are used in.  This means food is more slowly digested and leads to a slower rise in blood sugar.  Vinegar has next to no calories and is a friend of those watching their weight or those changing their food ways to manage heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.

The type of vinegar you use to make your flavoured vinegars depends on your preference, what you like to cook and your pocket book.  Higher prices are attached to the best vinegars.  I don't use everyday white distilled vinegar for much other than cleaning my toilet (did I say that?).  Vinegar lasts quite a while and gets used slowly so I buy the good ones and enjoy them.  The photo below shows the types of organic vinegar I have been using.

Apple Cider Vinegar is my everyday all purpose vinegar.  I buy a raw, unpasteurized, wood aged and organic apple cider vinegar from Eden organics.  It has the live "mother" or vinegar culture which appears as a cloudiness in the bottle.  This type of vinegar pairs well with fruits like apple, cranberry and pear.  It also goes well with strong herbs like tarragon, thyme, sage and rosemary.

Balsamic vinegar is traditionally made from Trebbiano grapes and aged in oak barrels.  It has a sweetish after-taste.  I have a Silver Leaf traditional Balsamico organic vinegar from Greece.  The real balsamic is aged 12 years for "vecchio" and 25 years for "extra vecchio."  Much of what we buy in the store is actually a wine vinegar with added caramel for colour and flavour. 

Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice or rice wine alcohol.  It has a subtle, sweet flavour.  Buy the unseasoned one without added sugar or salt.

Wine vinegars - white or red wine grapes are fermented in oak.  They range in flavour from mellow to sharp.  The white wine vinegar I am using is from Spectrum Natural and it is organic and a product of Modena, Italy.  They say it is a blend of Italian white wines that has been slowly fermented and aged.  The Inari red wine vinegar I am using is also organic and contains mother.  It is from Italy as well.

BERRY and HERB VINEGAR

Use on green salads, fruit salads or as part of a marinade for meat or poultry.  The vinegar will tenderize tougher cuts of meat and the taste will cook off (trust me)!  The benefit of using frozen berries is that they are cleaned and ready to go. 

1 cups (250 ml) fresh or frozen berries (e.g., cranberries, raspberries, blueberries)

Sprigs of fresh herbs, cleaned and dry

3 cups (750 ml) cider or other vinegar

Experiment!  Try:

- fresh apple slices, thyme and apple cider vinegar

- cranberry, sage and apple cider

- cranberry and rosemary with any vinegar is particularly festive for Christmas

- blueberry thyme and balsamic vinegar

- strawberries in balsamic vinegar

- raspberry, mint and white wine vinegar 

METHOD:

1.  Stuff berries and herbs into clean and sterilized bottles.   You can wiggle things around with a chop stick or skewer to get an artful arrangement.  The quantities above for berries and vinegar are approximate. 

2.  Pour vinegar of your choice over.  I like to use a funnel when I do this.  Make sure the herbs are completely covered as they can grow mold if they are not.  Add a bit extra if possible as the fruit and herbs will absorb a bit of the vinegar as they sit.  

3.  Seal, label and date.  Store in a cool place or refrigerator as berries have a tendency to ferment.  Read further down for more tips on the process.

HERBS:

You will need fresh herbs to go with the berries.  They are a bit pricey but there is a good selection in most grocery stores.  You can also add dried herbs to the vinegar if you prefer.  The flavour will be good but they are not as pretty.  When you begin using the vinegar be sure to remove any exposed herbs as the bottle empties.  If you don't take this precaution molds can grow on the exposed herbs.

BOTTLES TO USE:

Reduce, reuse, recycle.  This is your opportunity to clean and sterilize some bottles and jars that you like.  The first photo in this post shows (left to right) recovered whiskey bottle, tamari bottle and juice bottle.   Use bottles or glass jars that are free of chips or cracks.  Good choices are clear wine and liquor bottles.  You can pick up decorative bottles at many dollar stores but I prefer to recycle when I can.

HOW TO CLEAN AND STERILIZE BOTTLES:

Thoroughly soak and wash the bottles.   Remove old labels.  A baby bottle brush is handy for this task.  Sterilize them by immersing in a pan of water and simmering for 10 minutes.  Once sterilized, remove from water and invert on kitchen towel to dry.  Use while warm.

HOW TO SEAL YOUR BOTTLES:

You can buy stoppers at a wine making store.  They usually have cork or plastic stoppers.  I buy the plastic as they are easy to put through the dishwasher and keep clean.  I also buy the heat shrink covers they put over wine bottles.  They shrink around the bottle when immersed in boiling water.  You can also use steam from a kettle to shrink the wraps.

Yours in good taste, © Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc.  http://nancyguppy.com/

Quinoa Corn Polenta with Roasted Garlic Red Pepper Sauce

This delicious, hearty polenta dish is a bit of work but well worth the effort.  It took me an hour and 15 minutes to make it including roasting the garlic and peppers in the oven.  The polenta triangles are served over a roasted garlic and red pepper sauce that is a snap to make in a blender or food processor.  Impress you friends!

Quinoa is a high protein, quick cooking whole-grain from South America.  Corn grits are made from coarsely ground dried corn.  If you don't have grits you can use fine or medium corn meal.  Grits are heartier than cornmeal as they contain the hull and germ of whole grain corn.  The toasted sunflower seeds and thyme add depth of flavour.

I packed the other three servings into plastic containers and put them in the fridge for easy-to-grab lunches for the upcoming week.

It serves 4 people as a main course or 8 as a side-dish.

Click here for a printable recipe.

INGREDIENTS: 

1/3 cup Sunflower seeds, raw, organic - 80 ml 

3 cups Water, cold  - 750 ml
½ tsp Salt, sea - 2.5 ml
2 Tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin, cold pressed - 30 ml
½ cup Quinoa, dry - 125 ml
½ cup corn meal (polenta) - 125 ml

½ tsp  thyme, dried (sub 2 tsp – 10 ml fresh leaves) - 2.5 ml
4 tsp Olive oil, extra virgin, cold pressed - 20 ml

METHOD:

1.  Toast the sunflower seeds in a dry skillet.  Shake the pan frequently and stir with a wooden spoon.

Toast until golden, about 3-5 minutes.  Don't walk away from them as once they get going they can burn easily. 

2.  Put 3 cups (750 ml) cold water in medium saucepan.  Add salt and 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil and bring to a boil.

I used fine cornmeal.

Stir in the quinoa and corn grits, stirring occasionally.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.  

Add the dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves) and cook, uncovered, stirring often until the quinoa and cornmeal are cooked through - about 20 minutes.  Taste it before you stop cooking to make sure the grains are tender.  The mixture is very thick.  I used a wooden paddle to scrape off the bottom and mix well during cooking.

3.  Stir in the toasted sunflower seeds.

Spread into a lightly oiled 10 x 10 inch (25 cm square) baking dish.  Let cool for 20 minutes or until firm.  

I have a foggy spot in the middle of my lens.  Really need a new camera.  Zooms broken too!  On the wish list.

When cool, cut the polenta into quarters and then cut each section into 4 triangles.  

4.  Heat 2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the polenta triangles and saute until golden, about 3-4 minutes per side.  I sauteed them in two batches adding two more teaspoons oil to second batch.

5.  To serve, spread 1/4 cup (60 ml) roasted garlic and red pepper sauce over centre of plate and top with four triangles.  Serve any remaining sauce on the side.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme or parsley.  The sauce makes approximately 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) depending on size of garlic and peppers so there will be some leftover.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme or parsley if you have it.  I used some parsley I have growing in my kitchen window.  Enjoy!  The recipe for the sauce is below.

Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Sauce (makes approximately 1 1/2 cups - 375 ml)

2 each  Garlic, heads 

2 each  Red peppers, fresh, medium 

½ tsp  Salt, sea  - 2.5 ml
¼ cup Olive oil, extra virgin, cold pressed - 60 ml
1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar  - 15 ml
¼ tsp  Black pepper, freshly ground - 1.25 ml
¼ tsp Red pepper flakes, hot (to taste) - 1.25 ml

1.  Preheat the oven to 375'F.  Use your hands to take off the papery outside of the garlic.  Use a sharp knife to cut off the top quarter inch off the garlic bulbs.  I save vegetable bits like these in the freezer for my next soup stock.  Place garlic in an oven-proof dish and drizzle with a teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil and roast for 45 minutes until soft.

2.  You can use jar or your own roasted peppers.  I am out of the ones I froze from last summer so I used fresh.  I used one green pepper as I didn't have two red.  The sauce wasn't as vivid a red colour as it would have been.  I am a big believer in using what you have on hand.

I cut the peppers in half and discarded seeds and stem end.  Use your  hands to rub with olive oil and place in oven with the garlic to roast.

Below the garlic is baked.  Take it out of the dish to make it cool faster.

I cut the roasted peppers into smaller pieces to get them to cool more quickly too.  The sauce is getting pureed so I didn't remove the skins.  Simpler, adds fibre.

3.  Put the garlic and the peppers in the blender.

4.  Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper and red chile pepper flakes (to taste).  I tried it with less salt but thought it needed the whole amount to bring out the flavour.  Blend until smooth. 

Serve with the polenta triangles (recipe above).

NUTRITION FACTS (per ¼ recipe – 4 polenta triangles and ¼ cup sauce): 420 calories, 28 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 37 g carbohydrate, 4 g fibre, 3 g sugar, 7 g protein. %Daily Values are 6% calcium, 20% iron, 2% vitamin A and 200% vitamin C.

Yours in good taste, © Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc.  http://nancyguppy.com/

Early February sunset at Chapman's Landing.

Cranberry Poppyseed Vinaigrette

This is one of my favourite winter salad dressings. I keep frozen cranberries on hand and it whips up fast in the blender. The ingredients are simple and also rely on a good olive oil and local honey. I have seem my daughter mop up this tasty vinaigrette with her bread! It is good over all types of greens and also in a winter salad with shredded cabbage and grated beets. Top with your favourite nuts for extra fibre and healthy fats.

Vinaigrettes are versatile and you can us them as marinades as well as salad dressings. This is a good marinade for chicken and mild, white fleshed fish.

I like to encourage people to make their own salad dressings.  It is fun to be creative and you end up with better quality and reduced fat, sugar and salt. This concoction is additive and sodium free! Traditional vinaigrettes are 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Play with this…. I mostly use 1 part oil to 1 part vinegar. Another good combination is 1 part oil: 1 part vinegar and 1 part wine, stock, juice or water.  

Also, remember not to overdress your salad - ¼ to 1/3 c (50-75 ml) of vinaigrette should dress 8 cups (2 liters) of salad greens.


Click this link for a printable recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen - 125 ml
1/2 cup red wine vinegar - 125 ml
1/2 cup olive oil - 125 ml - I used an extra virgin cold pressed
1/2 cup honey, local - 125 ml
1/4 tsp cumin seeds - 1.25 ml
2 Tbsp poppy seeds, whole - 30 ml

METHOD:
Simply combine all ingredients, except poppy seeds, in a container like a glass jar with a lid.  Cover tightly and shake until blended. For a more stable emulsion and a creamier texture, blend in blender one minute. A food processor, traditional blender and immersion (stick) blender also work well.

Stir in poppy seeds. Store any unused portions in the fridge.  Below I am using poppyseeds I saved from my summer garden.

Nutrition Facts (per 2 Tbsp – 30 ml): 60 calories, 4 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fibre, 5 g sugar, 0 g protein. % Daily Values are all 0 for calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C as the serving size is small.

Yours in good taste,
© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
http://nancyguppy.com/

Fruity and Nutty Quinoa Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

This is one of my most popular quinoa salads. It is a great dish for pot lucks and get togethers.  I also like it packed on the bottom of clear containers, pint or quart size canning jars and topped with your choice of salad greens and vegetables for grab and go salads and lunches.  When you are ready to eat simply dump on a plate and the grain salad with the dressing will fall over the greens.  The salad jars keep in the fridge for at least three days.

Click here for a Printable recipe 

Makes 6 x 1 cup (250 ml) servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dry quinoa - 250 ml

2 cup water - 250 ml

½ cup almonds - 125 ml

1 apple, cored and chopped

½ cup dried apricots, sliced - 125 ml

¼ cup sunflower seeds -60 ml

¼ cup dried cranberries - 60 ml

¼ cup raisins - 125 ml

2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped - 30 ml

¼ cup maple syrup - 60 ml

¼ cup balsamic vinegar - 60 ml

2 Tbsp olive oil - 30 ml

2 Tbsp water - 30 ml

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard - 15 ml

METHOD:

1. Combine the quinoa and 2 cups (500 mL) of cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

2. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl. Add almonds, diced apple, slivers of dried apricots, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, raisins and chopped mint; toss to combine. 

3. In a jar, combine maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, oil and water. Seal and shake until well blended.

4. Pour in vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh mint. Serve warm or cold.

Note: You can store the vinaigrette in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; shake well before use. Makes I cup (250 ml) dressing  and is so good on many things!

Nutrition Facts (per 1 cup or 150 g quinoa salad without the green salad): 260 calories, 10 g fat, 55 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 4 g fibre, 16 g sugar, 6 g protein.  % Daily Values are 20% vitamin A, 4 vitamin C, 6% calcium and 20% iron.

Yours in good taste,
© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
http://nancyguppy.com/

Pumpkin Vinaigrette

Here's a simple and tasty vinaigrette that comes together quickly.  Maple and  balsamic are always a winning combination and adding the pumpkin puree gives it an autumn kick. The vinaigrette also makes a good marinade for pike, pickerel, chicken etc.  The recipe made approximately one cup (250 ml).

Click this link to go to a printable recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup Pumpkin, puree (from fresh or canned) - 60 ml
¼ cup Balsamic vinegar - 60 ml
1 Garlic, clove, minced finely
1 Tbsp Maple syrup - 15 ml
¼ tsp Sea salt - 1.25 ml
¼ tsp Black pepper, freshly ground -1.25 ml
1/3 cup Olive oil, extra virgin, cold pressed - 75 ml

METHOD:
1.  Mince garlic finely.  

2.  Add garlic and rest of ingredients  to a glass jar.  Cover with lid and shake.

To make your own pumpkin puree you can peel it and cut it in cubes and boil until tender.

OR you can bake your pumpkin or squash until very soft.  Either way you will have to use a blender or food processor to create the puree.  Mashing might work but it may not create a fine enough texture.

Dry some of the seed to plant in next year's garden.

Nutrition Facts (per 1 Tbsp/15 ml): 50 calories, 5 g fat, .5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 40 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, 0 g fibre, 2 g sugar, 0 g protein. % Daily Values: 0% calcium and iron, 20% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C.

		2000 Calories	2500 Calories
Total Fat (g)	Less than	65 g	80 g
Saturated fat (g)	Less than	20 g	25 g
Cholesterol	Less than	300 mg	300 mg
Sodium	Less than	2400 mg Preferably 1500	2400 mg Preferably 1500
Total carbohydrate (g)		300 g	375 g
Fibre	At least	25 g	30 g

%Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.  Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.  Calories per gram:  Fat 9, carbohydrate 4 and protein 4

Yours in good taste,
© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
http://nancyguppy.com/