vegetables » Living Lou

Quinoa Bowl

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen developing recipes. There are meticulous notes involved, multiple drafts and different coloured pens – the whole nine yards. But there is something magical about being in the kitchen and just throwing whatever you have together. While most of my time in the kitchen is spent working on recipes, I try to carve out a few times a month where I just go in there with nothing in mind and just throw whatever together. There are definitely some pretty big failures, but also some great successful dishes.

That’s how this Quinoa Bowl came together. It was 11:30 at night and I needed something to bring to work for lunch the next day. I wasn’t looking to create a “blog worthy” dish, or follow a recipe, I was literally just throwing ingredients together. I had leftover zucchini, broccoli and kale in my fridge that needed to be used up. With the addition of a little Italian sausage, I had a meal ready to go in 15 minutes. Plus, I love when things are monochrome, so the idea of this dish having all green vegetables pleases my nerdy, uniform side. This Quinoa Bowl is the kind of thing that works well for a quick dinner, but I love to make a batch at the beginning of the week and bring it for lunch.

Quinoa Bowl (serves 2-4)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/4 cups water
1 link hot Italian sausage, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 zucchini, sliced in semi-circles
1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1 cup chopped kale
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and cover. Reduce heat and cook for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook sausage over medium-high heat, about five minutes or until fully cooked. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, cooking for a minute or until fragrant.

Next, add zucchini and broccoli. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until beginning to soften.

Add kale. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until kale has wilted.

Finely, season with lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Toss vegetables with sausage and cooked quinoa.

This Quinoa Bowl will quickly become a lunch staple.

- Lou

Roasted Eggplant Dip

When I received my July assignment for The Secret Recipe Club I was a little bit nervous. You see, I was assigned the lovely blog Smells Like Brownies which would normally be the perfect fit because I love brownies, but…

I’m in Greece! And baking on a small island in Greece is completely different from baking in Toronto. The flours are different and the sugar is different. What if I didn’t have the right tools? What kind of impact would the change in altitude have? Luckily, Melissa from Smells Like Brownies has such a variety of recipes on her blog that I found the perfect recipe, a popular Greek dip, Melitzanosalata, also known as Roasted Eggplant Dip. The best part – eggplants straight from the garden.

My grandparents grow a ton of vegetables. Talk about a food bloggers dream, literally having a farmer’s market in your own backyard. Typically a Melitzanosalata uses just parsley instead of rosemary, but I loved the addition of rosemary – plus we have about three massive bushes of rosemary growing in the garden. If you’re looking for another one of my favourite eggplant recipes, checkout my Eggplant Salad – it’s too good.

Roasted Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata) (serves 2-4)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 onion
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Poke the eggplant all over with a fork and roast for 40 minutes or until tender.

Once eggplant is done, slice in half and scoop out the inside.

In a food processor, combine the eggplant, garlic, onion, rosemary, parsley and olive oil. Pulse until desired consistency.

Serve with crackers or pita, I served mine with melba toast and it was delicious.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Lou

Summer Roasted Vegetables

I love vegetables; grilled, roasted, sauteed or raw. These Summer Roasted Vegetables are just another way to enjoy the produce of the season. The tomatoes and red pepper are what add that nice summer touch that differentiates these from your typical potato, carrot and onion roasted vegetables.

What adds the easy touch is the use of Cookin’ Greens™ by The Toby Brand™. Cookin’ Greens™ are a range of products of dark-leafy greens. The greens are farm picked and within six hours, double-washed, double blanched, chopped and quick-frozen for your convenience, locking in all of their flavour and nutritional benefits. I was able to throw in a bag of the Designer Mix – chopped spinach, collards, rapini, yellow beans and onion - right into my pan without any prep. To me the best part is the no crying while chopping onion!

Before my experience with Cookin’ Greens™, I’d never really used a lot of frozen vegetables in my kitchen, but after my great experience with their products, I can definitely see myself including more frozen veggies into my recipes. While you can purchase straight kale, spinach and rapini, it’s the Designer Mix and the Athlete’s Mix that stood out to me because they really reduce prep time and they add another layer of flavour.

Summer Roasted Vegetables (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 500g bag Cookin’ Greens™ Designer Mix, frozen
6 mini potatoes, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
2 carrots, chopped into rounds
8 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red pepper, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
5 cloves of garlic, quartered
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pan combine vegetables and thyme.

Toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

I hope you enjoy these Summer Roasted Vegetables as much as my family did!

- Lou

Disclosure: I was provided with two coupons for two free packages of Cookin’ Greens. I was not compensated in any other way for writing this post. The decision to write about the product was my own and all opinions are 100% mine.

White Balsamic Vinaigrette

To say that it’s been hot in Toronto is an understatement. On Monday it was hotter than L.A and Athens, when does that ever happen in May? Never. There is really only one thing that you can eat during extreme heat and to me, that’s salad. I find that it’s really the dressing that makes the salad. I have to say that I find myself tempted to buy some of the crazy flavors available in grocery stores, like Bacon Ranch, but quickly realize that all the sugar, salt and added fat is not worth it. That said, I’m determined to make a homemade version of Bacon Ranch dressing at some point this summer.

Unlike bacon ranch, this White Balsamic Vinaigrette is a light, fresh and healthy dressing that goes well on just about any salad. It’s a favourite simple go-to dressing that makes a great side salad or works as a main as well.

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

Ingredients

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, honey and oregano.

Slowly, while whisking, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream. Season to taste.

This White Balsamic Vinaigrette is a light and refreshing salad dressing perfect for the coming sweltering summer months.

- Lou

Oven Fries

Aren’t oven fries the best? They are homier and more comforting than regular fries, right? Plus they’re healthier because they’re baked not fried.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sold on oven fries. Have I sold you on them yet? Aside from oven fries, I have another recent obsession. I like to call it “puppy in an Ugg boot”. Meet Sophie!!! She’s a Morkie – half Maltese, half Yorkie.

Sophie is such a little rascal, here she is playing with my sweet Mother. I’ve talked about my good ‘ol Dad on here before, but have somehow not really talked about my Mom. I think these photos say it all – isn’t she the best. She’s also obsessed with soup, so many of the soup recipes on here have been inspired by her.

Have I mentioned that I’m obsessed with my pup? She’s insane but so cute.

So, that explains my slight absence, plus we’re deep in finals, my friends. Deep. As in I will be spending the entire weekend preparing for my THREE exams happening on Monday and Tuesday. Hold me.

Oven Fries (serves 2-4)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 lbs potatoes, cut into wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss potato wedges in olive oil. Add spices, toss to coat.

Arrange, in one layer, on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.

A super easy, and tasty side dish or snack. I love to dip them in a lot of ketchup. Mmm!

- Lou