vegetarian » Living Lou

Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette

With warm weather comes cravings for healthy, fresh salads. The thing is, salads can get a little boring if you’re eating the same old dressing and vegetable combination every day. I know this first hand because that’s exactly what I did with this dressing. I’m surprised I haven’t posted this recipe for Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette because I would bring this salad dressing for lunch every single day of my senior year of high school.

Ever since I graduated from high school, (almost two years ago…wow) I haven’t been making this salad dressing nearly as often. The truth is, I don’t think I’ve been eating as many salads as I used to. I think that’s one of the side effects of university – healthy eating habits go right out the window. Recently, I’ve been making more of a conscious effort to eat healthy foods and snacks and I can tell you that I feel so much better. Is anyone else planning a health kick this month? Mine’s been going pretty well so far, I mean, I didn’t buy any chocolate covered pretzels last time I was at the grocery store.

Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette (makes 3/4 cup)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/8 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper.

Next, while continuously whisking, pour in olive oil in a light, steady stream. Continue to whisk until olive oil is incorporated into vinegar and dressing has thickened, about 30 seconds. The dressing should be thick enough to coat a spoon (as seen in photo above). The oil and vinegar should not be separate.

Are you on a healthy kick too? What kinds of recipes are you looking for? Let me know. Give this Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette a try for your next lunch.

- Lou

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is one of the simplest pasta sauces you can make and I’ve definitely been in the mood for simple these days. I’ve been trying to simplify everything whether it be enjoying simple meals or simplifying my routines, I’m a little tired from going 100 miles an hour 24/7. The thing about simplifying is that it can easily come across as just being lazy, but I think this pasta dish is the perfect example of how simplifying can lead to some stellar results and not to mention delicious flavours.

This Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce is perfect if you’re craving pasta (which let’s be honest, who isn’t craving pasta?) but feel like something different from tomato sauce, bolognese sauce or pesto sauce. Other than the addition of a teeny tiny bit of cream at the end, this sauce is extremely healthy and is made with all fresh ingredients. After all of this talk of simplifying things, you might be wondering just how is this sauce simple? Well, if I told you that all the ingredients are roasted in the oven and then pureed (in a bender or with an immersion blender) would you believe me? There is no stirring and there are no tomato splatters all over the kitchen to clean up – you don’t even have to be in the kitchen, you can sit on the couch and watch Oprah reruns…if that’s your thing.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients
3 red peppers, quartered
1 onion, quartered
2 large tomatoes, quartered
3 whole cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes (if you don’t want it spicy or are making this for kids, use less red pepper flakes)
2 tbsp cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place red peppers, onion, tomatoes and garlic in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Roast in the oven for 45 minutes.

Once vegetables are done roasting, remove to a blender or a pot. Add cream and puree in the blender or with an immersion blender.

Serve over whole wheat pasta with parmesan cheese.

This Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce is so simple you’ll be wondering why you hadn’t made it until now.

- Lou

Cookin’ Greens Stuffed Peppers

I’ve mentioned my love for Cookin’ Greens before and my feelings have only grown since I first tried their products in the summer. I’m a big fan of their nutrient-packed, not to mention convenient, frozen vegetables. I love that the veggies can be cooked straight from frozen with no prep! I always have a bag in my freezer, so when I was approached to participate in an exciting project involving Cookin’ Greens and the TV show Dragons’ Den I jumped at the chance.

This week, Cookin’ Greens will be on Dragons’ Den, which is a show where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their ideas and businesses to five multi-millionaires with the expertise and money to turn great ideas into booming businesses. It’s a favourite show of mine and I can’t wait to watch the episode. Leading up to the episode, Cookin’ Greens has been posting a new recipe each day on their Facebook page developed by myself and other bloggers.

I developed an uber healthy and delicious recipe of Cookin’ Greens Stuffed Peppers using Cookin’ Greens Athlete’s Mix in honour of their appearance on Dragons’ Den. The Athlete’s Mix features collards, spinach, kale, sweet red pepper and white beans – it’s a great combo of fibre, protein, iron and vitamins A and C. This recipe was inspired by my favourite dragon and fellow foodie, Jim Treliving. It was a little intimidating to create a recipe for a fellow foodie, but I knew I wanted to highlight his philanthropic efforts with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and create a heart healthy dinner that everyone would love. Head on over to the Cookin’ Greens Facebook page to get my full recipe for Cookin’ Greens Stuffed Peppers and be sure to watch the episode on March 24th at 8pm EST.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Cookin’ Greens. I was compensated for my time, but all opinions expressed are my own.

Winter Kale Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing

I’m on a bit of a health kick right now. I’ve realized that eating healthy and delicious foods puts me in a great mood. While I do love to indulge every now and then (case and point on Friday with my rich and decadent and oh so delicious Snow Day Hot Cocoa), it’s foods like this Winter Kale Salad that make me the happiest. Food is such a powerful thing, it has the ability to be such a positive force and make you feel empowered, but it also has the ability to be an extremely negative experience. I wish that everyone could love and enjoy food as much as possible and it’s recipes like this Ginger Soy Dressing that I hope will make that possible.

It bothers me when people say that salads are so boring – they aren’t…well sometimes I guess they can be a little boring. I mean if you’re eating plain lettuce with oil and vinegar, then yeah, it probably gets tired pretty quickly, but you can jazz up a salad with a simple dressing. Find ingredients that inspire you; there are so many things you can add to a salad. Try adding radishes, green onions, kale, cabbage, mushrooms, apples, walnuts, raspberries, pears or green peppers…I could seriously go on for hours.

This Ginger Soy Dressing is the perfect dressing to balance out the bitterness of raw kale. The honey and soy sauce in the dressing just complement the kale wonderfully and you will be addicted to this salad in seconds. The ginger adds a nice Asian touch to an otherwise typical vinaigrette.

Winter Kale Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients for salad

1 bunch kale, chopped
6-8 radishes, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
2 carrots, (make ribbons using your peeler)
Optional additions: cucumber, green pepper, leftover poached or roasted chicken

Ingredients for dressing

1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger (if you plan on leaving this in the fridge, use less ginger as it becomes more powerful the longer the dressing rests)
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic.

In a steady stream, add in the olive oil, whisking constantly.

Taste and adjust for seasoning.

This Winter Kale Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing is the perfect salad for lunch or to accompany dinner.

- Lou

Easy Spaghetti Sauce

I’m constantly in the kitchen; creating new recipes, photographing new recipes and eating new recipes – this Easy Spaghetti Sauce is a result of one of those sessions. But sometimes, when it comes to writing about the recipes, I can’t think of anything to say.

I could tell you that this spaghetti sauce doesn’t have any onion in it.

Or how when one of my profs asked how The Beatles suddenly got so much fame, I was ready to rattle off about their years in Hamburg.

I could tell you that I tore a muscle in my back and started going to massage therapy. And that I’ve come to the conclusion that massage therapy will always have a place in my heart.

Or that I have that can’t-eat, can’t-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over-the-fence, World Series kind of stuff love for my dog. (A little It Takes Two reference for my 90s guys and gals.)

Or how scary/exciting/amazing/nice/panic inducing it is that people I know in the “real world”, people I went to high school with, people I work with, people I go to school with now, actually read my blog.

Or how sometimes I think about how I could live off of chicken wings and spaghetti.

If you’re like me, and love a good spaghetti dinner this easy recipe is for you. There is hardly any chopping involved (just a couple of cloves of garlic). There aren’t 25 ingredients. It will be ready in less than 20 minutes.

Easy Spaghetti Sauce (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Next, add the herbs. Stirring and cooking for another minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Lastly, stir in the balsamic vinegar and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spaghetti Sauce doesn’t get much easier than that. The flavours are rich and the balsamic vinegar gives it a little je-ne-sais-quois!