Clean Eating - Cucumber Sandwiches

Clean party? Why not invite your friends over for a cleanse friendly hors d'oeuvres
And exotic herbal teas! Start a healthy trend!

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, sliced

1 avocado
1 lemon, zest and 1 tsp zest
1 can chunk tuna, drained
1 green onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Instructions:

Mash the avocado in a small bowl

Stir in lemon zest and juice to loosen

Toss the remaining ingredients in the avocado

Season with salt and pepper

Spoon onto sliced cucumbers and top with another slice

Drizzles the sandwiches with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper

Pictured below garnished with green onion and red chili

Clean Eating - Quinoa and Stewed Lentils

Stewed Yellow Lentils

Ingredients:

1\2 cup yellow lentils
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated or minced
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Instructions:

Heat a medium sized sauce pan over high heat

Add the olive oil and onion, fry until softened

Add the garlic, spices and lentils, stir until coated

Cover with water and bring to a boil

Reduce heat to simmer and cook until lentils have softened


Quinoa

Ingredients:

1\2 cup organic quinoa
3\4 cup water
1 tsp salt

Instructions:

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil

Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook until water in completely absorbed

Allow to sit for fifteen minutes and then fluff with a fork


Pictured below drizzled with olive oil and served with steamed green beans, carrots and cucumbers

Clean Eating - Grilled Salmon with Clean Salsa, Rice and Aduki Beans

Grilled Salmon
Ingredients:

2 salmon fillets, skinless
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Instructions:

Preheat your grill to high heat

Season the salmon heavily with salt and pepper

Ensure you oil the grill to prevent sticking

Grill salmon 3 minute on each side (do not move around on the grill fish will stick)

Grill some asparagus seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil along side

Rice and Aduki beans

Ingredients:

1\2 cup aduki beans
1\2 cup water
1 cup brown rice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups water

Instructions:

In a medium sized saucepan bring the aduki beans and water to a boil and then drain and rinse

Return the beans to the pan and coat with olive oil

Add the cumin, ginger, garlic and salt and fry until fragrant

Cover with water and bring to a boil

Reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed


Clean Salsa

Ingredients:

1\2 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 mango, diced
1 avocado, diced
1\4 cup red onion, diced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp olive oil
1\2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and stir

Refrigerate until ready to serve

Makes an excellent sauce for heavier fish like snapper and salmon

Pictured Below

Cleanse Friendly Recipes All This Week!!!!

I guess the story for this week's blog begins at my Naturopath who shattered my fantasy world (LOL.) Skinny apparently doesn't mean healthy. Apparently, my body was full of yeast and I needed a "cleanse" to rid myself of toxins. I received the diet plan a single sheet of paper which made me immediately wince! No tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, sugar, yeast, white rice, condiments, starch etc...

What would I eat? Childhood memories flashed back of brown rice, vegetable stir-fry and aduki beans :( No fun and absolutely no flavour!! As a Chef I knew this didn't have to be the case. There are so many flavourful ways to eat clean, stay full and satisfy my palates cravings for diversity.

This year I began a cleanse highly recommended by a celebrity. The first day I was starving and nauseous all day,  I started to eat their recommended supper (fried onion,garlic and broccoli simmered in water and pureed) and half way through I vomited. I went up to bed early miserable and laid their confused as to why I was choosing to punish myself? Cleansing should be invigorating, NOT punishment!

If you have decided to cleanse for health benefits don't leave yourself hungry. Eat plenty, eat well just eat clean!

Clean Eating - Brown Rice, Chicken and Hummos

Clean Food doesn't have to leave you hungry and unsatisfied!  This menu is full of flavour and tailored to meet most "cleanse" restrictions. 

Brown Rice & Lentils

Ingredients:
1 shallot, diced
1/4 green lentils
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat

When the oil is hot fry the shallot until softened

Add the lentils, garlic and spices and stir until fragrant

Add the rice and stir until coated

Pour in the water and bring to a boil

Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook until all of the water is absorbed

Chicken

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tandoori seasoning
1 tsp olive oil

Instructions:

Heat your grill to medium-high heat

In a large bowl rub the chicken with the spices and oil

Grill for 5 minutes on each side

Slice and serve with hummos as sauce

Hummos Sauce

Ingredients:

1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic
1 lemon, zest and juice
1\4 cup water

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender

Pulse into a smooth paste

Serve as a sauce or dip

Salad

Ingredients:

Lettuce
Red onion
Avocado
Cucumber
Cabbage

Dressed in lemon juice and olive oil

Pictured Below

Weekend Treat - Pizza Casserole

An easy belly-buster supper sure to get those kids off to bed!

Ingredients:

1 package penne shaped pasta
2 sticks pepperoni, or turkey pepperoni, sliced
1/2 green pepper julienned
10 mushrooms sliced
1/2 onion diced
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp pepper
1 jar marinara sauce, such as tomato and basil

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to the lowest broil setting

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it heavily

Cook the pasta as per the package directions for Al dente

In a non-stick skillet fry the pepperoni, mushrooms and greens pepper until the pepperoni begins to sweat

Add the onion, oregano and pepper and stir to remove all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan

Add the sauce and reduce heat to simmer

Drain the pasta and pour into sauce, stir to coat

Pour the pasta into a heat-proof baking dish and top with cheese

Bake until cheese is hot and bubbly, approximately 10 minutes

Pictured below

Desserts - Easter Bun

A sweet after dinner treat! Best served with butter or cheddar cheese.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice

1 cup sultana raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries (cherry flavoured)

2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup stout beer (like Guinness)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees

Sift the flour, sugar, powder and spices in a large bowl

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter and eggs

Mix until well combined and then pour in the beer

Add the raisins and cranberries

Kneed dough together and bake in a loaf pan for 1 hour

Recipe yields two loafs

Pictured below with aged cheddar cheese

Easter Bunny Bakes A Field of Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

A bunch (at least 6) extra ripe bananas
A can of crushed pineapple
2 boxes french vanilla cake mix
6 eggs
2 1\2 cups milk
1 tbsp cinnamon
2\3 cup cooking oil

Icing:
4 cups icing sugar blended with 1\8 cup milk

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Mash the bananas in your largest mixing bowl

Add the pineapple and stir until well combined

Add the eggs one by one stirring constantly

Add the mix alternating with the milk until combined

Stir in the oil and beat the batter for a few minutes until most of the lumps are gone

Spoon the batter into muffin cups using a quarter cup measure

Bake 20 minutes or until lightly brown

Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting

Pictured Below

Desserts - Easy Lemon Shortcake

A Super easy Weeknight Dessert!

Ingredients:

1 lemon cake mix (and ingredients required)

1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
(or real whip cream spray)

1 pint strawberries
2 tbsp sugar

1 tub vanilla icing

Instructions:

Prepared cake as per package directions.

Bake in two round 9 inch cake pans

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla and set aside in fridge

Slice strawberries and toss with sugar

Once cake has cooled place first layer on your serving dish

Spread a thin layer of whip cream on the bottom layer and then arrange the berries on top

Spread the remaining cream over the berries and then top with the second layer of cake

Mix the icing to soften it and ice the cake starting with a big glob in the middle and then working your way down the sides

Pictured below garnished with lemon zest 

Dessert - Oatmeal Raisin Coconut Cookies

For an ever more decadent treat, sandwich cookies around a scoop of your favorite ice cream!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup flour
1 cup oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup coconut

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Cream butter and sugars to a smooth paste

Stir in vanilla, egg and milk

Add powder, soda and salt, beat one minute

Add flour and stir to form thick batter

Add oats, coconut and raisins and stir until well distributed

Spoon onto cookie sheet a few inches apart

Bake 8 - 10 minutes

Pictured Below