Tag: Vegetarian

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

On By juliemarie87In Recipes, Soups1 Comment

Hello All!

It looks as though fall is well underway (at least here in Calgary, where some day’s it’s apparently even winter), and when the cool weather hits I can’t help but want to make delicious, homemade soups! There’s just something about a nice, hot bowl of healthy soup on a cold day that brings my spirits up. Can anyone relate?

Last weekend was Thanksgiving here in Canada, and it was also the first time in 30 years that I have not been home for the holidays. It was admittedly a little tough to be away from my friends and family back home. However, some new friends here in Calgary were kind enough to invite me to my first Friendsgiving, which was wonderful! The food was absolutely delicious, and the company a true delight as well!

Fav things
All of my favorite things: Muskoka Howling Wolf coffee, a Butternut Squash from Mom’s Garden, and pumpkin spice cookies 😉

My family was sweet enough to send me a care package though with some of my favorite things, and of course my winter coat and mittens for the colder days. My mom decided to grow butternut squash – a favorite of mine – in her garden this year, and I was surprised to receive one of her beautiful squash’s, all the way from Ontario, included in my care package.

Although I occasionally mix it up, there is one thing that I truly love to make with butternut squash: SOUP! My Creamy Butternut Squash Soup recipe is one of my all time favorites, and I feel a little bad for not sharing this delicious, healthy recipe with all of you sooner. Oops! Alas, the time has come for me to divulge the secrets of my infamous butternut squash soup! I hope you enjoy it 🙂

Butternut Squash Soup
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup drizzled with real maple syrup and garnished with pecans!

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled cut into approx.1” cubes
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 large carrots, peeled & diced
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled & diced
  • 2 apples, peeled and diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • ½ tsp. Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
  • ¼ cup olive or coconut oil
  • 2 cups unsweetened coconut (or cashew) milk
  • 3 Tbsp. raw honey or real maple syrup (optional)

Method:

  • Heat olive or coconut oil in a large soup pan over medium high heat. Add in onions and sauté about 5 minutes or until starting to soften. Reduce heat to medium, add in minced garlic and ginger; continue to sauté about 3 minutes more, stirring often.
  • Add carrots, sweet potato, cinnamon, and nutmeg into pot, stirring to combine and sauté about 2 more minutes. Add in butternut squash, apple, and vegetable broth so that vegetables are covered to the top with liquid (add a little water if need be) and season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium high.
  • Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until all veggies are soft. Turn off stove. Using an immersion blender, puree soup in pot until thick and smooth in consistency.
  • Gently stir in coconut milk, and honey or maple syrup, if desired, for a little more sweetness. Season with extra salt, pepper, and cinnamon to taste and if needed.

Notes:

  • Special equipment: Immersion blender. Alternatively, soup can also be transferred to a regular blender to puree and then poured back into pot. However, allow soup to cool a bit first if doing this for safety as it will be very hot.
  • This recipe is gluten and dairy free, and vegan.

 

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Butternut Squash, Kale and Caramelized Onion Lasagna

On By juliemarie87In Dinner, Recipes3 Comments

Hello wonderful people!

Here in Ontario it appears that winter was not quite ready to move on, as we got one more cold spell and even some snow over the weekend. The forecast is calling for a few more days of cold, and then the temperatures are expected to start to rise again, thankfully! Spring and summer – you’re welcome to make an appearance any time now!

Although I tend to hide inside on these these chilly, snowy days and don’t get to enjoy much of the outdoors, one perk is that I do find myself spending a little extra time in the kitchen trying to come up with fun new recipes. I love running my culinary “experiments” on days like these, and it’s even more exciting when the result of the experiment is actually a tasty one haha!

Take for example the recipe I’m sharing with you today: my Butternut Squash, Kale, and Caramelized Onion Lasagna – a delicious and healthy vegetarian dinner option. I wasn’t sure how this would go and whether the ingredients would come together to compliment one another, but fortunately they did. This lasagna is packed with fresh and nutritious veggies, and black beans for some extra fiber which aids digestion and helps you to feel full for longer. I used Blue Menu brand whole wheat lasagna noodles (more fiber – yay!), along with low sodium pasta sauce, and finished it off with a bit of herbs, spices, walnuts, and cheese.

BN squash kale onion veg lasagna 1
Butternut Squash, Kale, & Caramelized Onion Veggie Lasagna

This recipe is relatively easy to prepare, delicious and filling (with all that fiber!), and will keep well for about 4 to 5 days if stored in an air tight container in the fridge. It does take a little more time to prepare – about 1.5 hours – but I assure you, it’s totally worth it! As always do try to use fresh, local, and organic ingredients when possible to get the greatest nutritional benefits from your food.

Butternut Squash, Kale, & Caramelized Onion Lasagna

Ingredients:

  • 12 whole wheat lasagna noodles (I use blue menu)
  • 1 medium butternut squash (about 4 to 5 cups), peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1 large red onion, sliced vertically
  • 4 cups fresh kale, washed and chopped (use spinach if preferred)
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 (19 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (I like the PC Blue Menu kind)
  • 1 (650 mL) jar low sodium pasta sauce
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1.5 cups Asiago or mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 3 Tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

  • Drizzle a rectangular (13 x 9 x 2 inch) baking dish with about 1/2 tbsp olive oil and set aside. Preheat oven to 375*F.
  • Soak lasagna noodles in cold water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl gently stir to combine black beans and ricotta cheese, set aside.
  • In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add in onions. Saute for approximately 10 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Add in butternut squash and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover and continue cooking for about 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally, or until the squash begins to soften and is slightly brown.
  • Add in kale and garlic, sage, oregano, and parsley, stirring gently to combine. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook about 5 minutes more or until kale is slightly wilted. Remove from heat.
  • Layer 1: Pour 3/4 cup (about 1/3 of jar) of pasta sauce into baking dish, smoothing out to cover bottom of dish. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce, then top with 1/2 of the veggie mixture, then 1/2 of the ricotta cheese black bean mixture.
  • Layer 2: Cover with 4 more noodles, 3/4 cup pasta sauce, then remaining 1/2 veggie mixture, and 1/2 cheese black bean mixture.
  • Layer 3: Cover with 4 more noodles, then remainder of pasta sauce. Sprinkle Asiago or mozzarella cheese over top, then walnuts, some fresh ground black pepper and a sprinkle of parsley.
  • Bake covered for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and uncover. Bake for about 5 to 10 minutes more, or until top is slightly brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
  • Smile, think of one thing for which you’re grateful, and ENJOY! 🙂
BN squash kale onion veg lasagna 2
Slice of delicious & healthy Butternut Squash, Kale, & Caramelized Onion veggie lasagna with a side of greens + simple olive oil & balsamic vinegar dressing from The Pristine Olive

I hope you’ll enjoy this hearty and healthy veggie lasagna as much as my family and I did; It’s the perfect meal for a chilly day, and is sure to warm and fill up your bellies and hearts, too!

Wishing you health and happiness,

XO Julie

Ginger Veggie Stirfry + Oscar’s 9th Birthday!

On By juliemarie87In Critters, Dinner, RecipesLeave a comment

Happy Thursday lovely people!

I hope you’ve been having a marvelous week thus far. As some of you might know, earlier this week I celebrated my pup Oscar’s 9th Birthday! We celebrate every year and it’s so much fun. I think I get more excited about the dog birthday parties than I do about my own birthday haha. It was a wonderful occasion and this year I made a healthy veggie stirfry for my mom and I, while the dogs enjoyed some all natural “duck stew” for Oscy’s birthday dinner, followed by Timbits for dessert.

Oscy birthday 2016
Blowing out the candle on Oscy’s Birthday Timbit!

Oscy is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and one of the sweetest pups out there. His interests include sleeping (and snoring excessively loudly haha), eating, and walking around the back yard sniffing stuff. Oh, he also likes to eat dead birds that he comes across which mighty hunter Calvy has left behind (gross, I know), watching TV (not even kidding he actually watches it especially if it’s an animal show) and enjoys playing with plush toys.

All in all he’s a wonderful dog and one of the kindest souls out there! It’s tough to believe he’s already 9 years old! Where has the time gone? We came into each others lives when he was just a pup and I can’t imagine my life without that big fluff ball.

From visiting Santa at Christmas…

babies at Christmas 2015
Oscy and Calvin Visit Santa (2015)

To dressing up at Halloween…

oscy halloween 2015
In the Halloween spirit – Oscy the Pumpkin (2015)

And of course celebrating Birthdays…

Oscy Birthday 2016 3
Eve helping Oscy open his Birthday gifts (2016)

 

Oscy loves to join in on the fun and have a great time. I think it’s safe to say that he thoroughly enjoyed his birthday celebration, as did we!

As I mentioned, I’d prepared a healthy veggie stirfry for my mom and I to enjoy for Oscy’s “Birthday Dinner”. It was loaded with fresh veggies, ginger, and I prepared a simple and slightly sweet soy based sauce to accompany it.

This recipe is a quick and easy one that only takes about 30 to 35 minutes to make (including veggie prep, which takes the most time), so it’s perfect for a busy week night dinner. To make things easier try cutting up the veggies in advance so they’re ready to go and you’ll have a healthy and nutritious dinner ready in 15 minutes!

Simple veggies stirfry 1
Ginger Veggie Stirfry with Vermicelli Rice Noodles

Here’s what I did (makes about 4 serving) for my Ginger Veggie Stirfry:

Ingredients:

  • 2 bell pepper, cut into 1″ chunks
  • 1 medium onion, cut into 1″ pieces
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
  • 3 – 4 garlic cloves, diced
  • 2″ pieced ginger, peeled and diced
  • 1/4 cup cashews or peanuts, unsalted
  • 2 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
  • 3 cups cooked rice noodles (I use vermicelli), whole wheat spaghettini, or brown rice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup green onion, diced (to garnish, optional)

Sauce:

  • 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 6 Tbsp warm water
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp turbinado (raw) sugar or honey
  • 1/2 tsp fresh grated (or dry powdered) ginger

Method:

  • For sauce: in a glass bowl, melt coconut oil. Then add in soy sauce, water, sugar or honey, and ginger. Whisk gently to combine. Set aside.
  • For stirfry: Heat oil over medium-high heat; add in peppers, onion, mushrooms, and broccoli. Saute for about 5 to 8 minutes or until beginning to soften.
  • Meanwhile, cook noodles or rice according to package directions, then set aside.
  • Reduce heat to medium and add in garlic and ginger. Saute about 5 minutes more, then add in nuts. Stir to combine, saute about more minutes.
  • Reduce heat to low, add in sauce stirring to coat and combine, then add noodles or rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Garnish with fresh green onion (if desired), serve hot and enjoy!
simple veggie stirfy 2
Healthy Ginger Veggie Stirfry with Vermicelli Rice Noodles

And here you have it folks: a tasty, nutritious veggie packed stirfry dinner ready to go. It tastes great as “left-overs” as well, though I do recommend reheating in a pan if possible rather than a microwave to maintain the delicious flavours. This meal can easily be made gluten-free by using a GF soy sauce and rice noodles. As always, when possible do try to use local, fresh, organic ingredients.

If you give this a try I’d love to know your thoughts and see photos! (#genuinelyjulie) Please like and share if you’re a fan of this recipe 🙂

ps. I will soon have the Pinterest “Pin It” function available on here for sharing my recipes too!

Wishing you great health and much happiness!

xo Julie