Lemon Walnut Muffins

Living in California can mean free fruit, especially when you have friends with a gorgeous lemon tree in their backyard. These lemons are amazing, thin-skinned and super juicy - It's hard to get this lucky at the grocery store. 

Lemons are a good source of vitamin C and citric acid, which aids in digestion and dissolving kidney stones.

I would not include the pulp in this recipe as the muffins tend not to bake as evenly. 

Makes 10-12

• 1 cup rolled oats

• Zest of one lemon 

• Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)

• 1/2 cup boiling water 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder 

• 1 teaspoon baking soda 

• 3/4 teaspoon salt 

• 1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

• 1/3 cup white sugar 

• 1/2 cup applesauce unsweetened 

• 2 eggs (or 2/3 cup applesauce)

• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a small bowl soak oats in lemon juice, zest, and boiled water for 15min. (Note: much easier to zest the lemon prior to juicing!)

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin. 

In a separate bowl, blend whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, beat applesauce, sugars, eggs (or substitute 2/3 cup applesauce), and vanilla with hand held mixer. Add oat mixture and beat to combine.

Stir dry ingredients into batter using a spoon. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. 

Sprinkle chopped walnuts generously over muffin tops, patting them lightly so they do not come loose. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick (toothpick inserted at center of largest muffin should come out clean when done). 

Beet & Lentil Soup

Winter is coming = soup time. I used to make pureed veggie soups like this, but without lentils, and they were not nearly as satisfying. With the addition of lentils, a large bowl of this hearty soup is enough to keep you warm and full.

Wondering about nutrition? Beets do wonders for your insides: the betalains in beets provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support. Lentils are a heart-healthy superfood that is 25% protein, rich in dietary fiber, folate, and magnesium. Sweet potatoes pack a lot of Vitamin A and antioxidants. Don't skip the raw parsley garnish - this herb contains health benefiting essential volatile oils, antioxidants, potassium, and Vitamin K.

Makes 4 bowls

• 3 medium beets
• 1 small sweet potato 
• Handful fresh parsley 
• 3/4 cup lentils, rinsed
• 2.5 cups water or vegetable broth
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 chili peppers 
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• Pinch chili flakes
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Peel and chop beets and sweet potato into small chunks (no bigger than 1in cubes or cook time may be longer). Place in nonstick pan. 

Chop a handful of fresh parsley and add to pan with rinsed lentils and water or vegetable broth. Cover with lid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 35min. 

Meanwhile, mince garlic and chili peppers - set aside. 

Once the beets mixture has finished simmering, remove the pan from heat and let cool before transferring to a blender. Blend until smooth. 

While blending, add a small amount of olive oil to the same pan, and brown garlic and chili peppers over medium heat. Add garlic and chili peppers to blender and blend til mixed. 

Transfer everything back to pan. Add paprika, turmeric, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Add water until desired consistency achieved (I added about 3/4 cup for a thicker soup). Stir to combine. Cover and let simmer at low heat for 15min. 

Serve warm. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Slow Cooker Smoked Sausage and Root Vegetable Hash with Quinoa

It was 29C yesterday. And it's only April. Slaving over a flaming stove in the heat last night was not an ideal experience, so I'm playing smarter today by busting out the slow cooker. 

I went with a chipotle beef smoked sausage for this recipe because I like spice in everything I eat, but you could easily substitute with any Polish, summer, smoked or Hungarian sausage. I used about 3/4s of of a 12oz package because I'm not feeling super carnivorous; feel free to reduce/increase this amount to your preference. 

You can change up the veggie combination if you like. I picked these ones for their beautiful red, orange and yellow hues. Nutrition-wise, the list is long... Highlights? 
   Beets: omegas, folate and manganese.
   Butternut squash: SO MUCH vitamin A.
   Sweet potato: MORE vitamin A, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.
   Garlic: anti-cancer, immune-strengthening and heart disease prevention.
   Onion: anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, pro-heart health, pro-immune system, and pro-digestion

Serves 4-6

• 2 large beets
• 1 small butternut squash, divided
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 bulb garlic
• 9oz chipotle beef smoked sausage
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1 ground cumin
• pinch chili flakes
• fresh ground pepper and salt
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/3 cup quinoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 1/3 cups vegetable broth or water

Start by peeling and chopping the beets, butternut squash (reserve half squash, unchopped, for later), sweet potato and carrot into bite-sized pieces (~1inch). 

Peel and mince garlic. 

Slice sausage lengthwise in half, then halve again into semi-circles. 

Add sausage and garlic to a non-stick pan over med-high heat. No need to add any oil as the sausage will produce enough once heated. Cook for 3-4min until nicely browned, stirring occasionally. 

Meanwhile, lightly spray your slow cooker with non-fat cooking spray. Add chopped beets to slow cooker. 

Once your sausage and garlic are browned, remove from heat. Add chopped butternut squash, sweet potato, carrot, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili flakes, pepper and salt to the pan. Stir and toss to coat the vegetables in the spices and sausage oils. 

Add contents of the pan to the crock pot, cover, and set to cook on low for 4.5-5 hours. Go do other stuff, like not sweat over a hot stove in the heat :)

A little closer to meal time, finely dice the onion and reserved half butternut squash. Add to non-stick pot, with 1 tsp olive oil, over med-high heat. Stir for 2 minutes, then cover with lid, reduce heat to low, and let cook for another 8 minutes. Increase to high heat, add quinoa, salt and cumin, then stir for another minute before adding vegetable broth or water. Once it has reached boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 15-20min or until all liquid absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes before fluffing and dishing out. 

Serve the quinoa and slow-cooked hash side by side, or dish the hash out over top of the quinoa. Enjoy! 

Orange Oatmeal Muffins

Please please please do not use store bought orange juice for this recipe! The zest and fresh squeezed juice of real oranges will energize your kitchen with the most refreshing scent. Then as the muffins bake, the smell of warm citrus fills your entire home - you definitely won't be able to resist having one fresh out of the oven!! 

These muffins contain no fats, so they are light and healthy. Using applesauce instead of butter or oil ensures the muffins stay moist. I've made these both with and without eggs, just add more applesauce in place of eggs, per below. 

** Just tried the same recipe, using lemon for zest and juice in place of orange - great alternative if you lemons at hand. We both prefer orange though :)

Makes 12

• 1 cup rolled oats
• Zest of one small orange 
• Juice of 2 small oranges (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup boiling water 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1/3 cup white sugar 
• 1/2 cup applesauce unsweetened 
• 2 eggs (or 2/3 cup applesauce)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

In a small bowl soak oats in orange juice, zest, and boiled water for 15min. Note: it's easier to zest the orange prior to juicing! 

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin. 

In a separate bowl, blend all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, beat applesauce and sugars together. Beat in eggs (or substitute 2/3 cup applesauce), vanilla and oat mixture. 

Stir dry ingredients into batter by hand. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick (toothpick inserted at center of largest muffin should come out clean when done). 

Chicken and Asparagus Penne, Bell Pepper & Tomato Sauce

I've been guilty of buying store-bought pasta sauce for way too long. There's no excuse considering how quick and easy this sauce recipe is, plus the added satisfaction of knowing the healthy ingredients you're putting into the sauce! 

I chose asparagus as my green vegetable for this dish because this detoxifying plant is packed full of antioxidants, and vitamins K, C, A and E, and also because the OCD in me enjoys cutting asparagus spears down to the same length as the penne noodles. Feel free to substitute with different greens, like peas, zucchini, etc.

Makes dinner for 2, and leftover lunches for 2

• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
• chicken marinade: 
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne or chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 red bell peppers
• 5 roma tomatoes
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 tsp of each: basil, oregano, parsley
• salt, pepper, and cayenne/chili flakes, to taste
• 1 box (375g) whole grain penne, or pasta of choice
• optional: 1 6oz can tomato paste, plus 6oz water (if you want pasta that is very heavy on sauce)

Begin by slicing the chicken breast into thin strips (about the size of penne). Add all marinade ingredients to chicken and stir to combine. Cover and set aside in fridge. 

Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic cloves. Size and shape won't matter much as they will be pureed in a blender later. 

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic, and let cook for 1min. Reduce heat to med-low, and cover for about 5min. 

Meanwhile, wash, then roughly chop the red bell peppers and roma tomatoes. Be sure to remove the seeds from the peppers. Again, the size and shape of these veggies won't matter as they will also be tossed in the blender later. 

Once the onion has been cooking for 5min, add the chopped peppers and tomatoes, stir, increase to medium heat, cover and let cook for another 5-10min (or til the veggies have softened and broken down a bit - ie. the tomato skins will have separated from the flesh). Remove pan from heat and leave uncovered to let cool. 

While these veggies are cooling, bring a large pot of water (enough to cook the penne) to boil. 

Wash and cut the asparagus down to about the same size as the penne, then set aside. For thicker spears, slice the asparagus lengthwise so it all cooks in the same amount of time. 

Once the veggies have cooled down enough, transfer to a large blender (or in batches to a smaller blender like the magic bullet I used), and puree only til you no longer see large chunks of vegetables. Do not overblend! Pour the blended veggies back into pan. Add dried basil, oregano and parsley, then salt, pepper and cayenne/chili flakes to taste. Stir and bring to med-high heat, then add marinated chicken and asparagus. [optional: if you want to make a pasta that is quite heavy in sauce, now is the time to add the 6oz can of tomato paste and 6oz of water. Just stir it in and let simmer with everything else.] Cover, reduce to med-low and let simmer for 8-10min (or til chicken is cooked through). 

Add penne to boiling water and cook per package instructions. Drain once al dente, and rinse to remove excess starch. Add drained pasta to finished sauce in pan and mix thoroughly to coat the pasta. Serve when pasta has been reheated through. 

Feel free to top with more chili flakes, fresh ground pep, parmesan, or chopped parsley!

Lo Bak Go (Chinese Radish/Turnip/Daikon Cake)

(This tastes way better than it sounds, I promise). 

If you've tried this dish before, it was likely at a dim sum restaurant. Dim sum places offer a quick lo bak go fix, but usually leaves me unsatisfied as restaurant lo bak go contains too much gloppy rice flour filler and isn't as firm and flavorful as my grandma's recipe. My grandma is one incredible lady though, so it might be unfair to compare anything to hers. When I lived in Vancouver, each Chinese New Year, I'd be the lucky and grateful recipient of a pan or two of my grandma's homemade lo bak go, ready to be steamed or pan-fried, heavily dipped into oyster sauce, and delivered to my belly. Man, I miss those days. 

My grandma speaks Cantonese only, and my Cantonese abilities are limited and sometimes laughable. Luckily, she's passed the recipe on to her daughters, and my mom learned the recipe from her sisters-in-law and wrote it all down in English, yay! During my last visit home, my mom bought all of the ingredients so I could learn the recipe myself. What a great way to spend a day - chopping, measuring, stirring and chatting with my mom in the kitchen, all the while preparing what we hoped to be as delicious a lo bak go as my grandma puts out! This recipe does not disappoint.

This recipe is for three 7" foil pans. This may seem like a lot, but if you're a lo-bak-go-fiend, like any self-respecting Chinese person, these 3 pans won't last long at all. Plus, there's quite a bit of prep work involved, so it makes sense to make a larger batch while you're at it. 

Yields three 7" round foil pans 

• 12 large dried Chinese black mushrooms
• 4lbs "lo bak" (daikon or Chinese radish: please see photo to the right as these are not the usual radishes used in Western cuisine)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 Chinese sausages
• 1 tbsp dried shrimp
• 1 tbsp dried garlic
• 3 cups rice flour
• 1 cup corn starch
• 3 tbsp wheat starch
• 2 tsp salt
• chicken broth (14.5oz can, 1/4-1/2 cup as needed, and 1/2 cup as needed)
• optional garnish: sesame seeds
• oyster sauce (for serving)

Prepare the dried Chinese black mushrooms in advance, as they take some time to rehydrate and soften. Place dried mushrooms in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak until softened (about 20min), then cut off stems (can be discarded or saved for other use such as soup). Do not discard the water used to soak mushrooms as it now contains a deep mushroom flavor, and will be used later in this recipe. Transfer the mushrooms to a medium pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-med, cover, and let simmer for 45min until soft, checking often to ensure there is water left in the pot (add more water, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed). Remove from heat, uncover, and let cool.

Peel diakon as you would a carrot, then slice into small strips about 2 inches long. In a large pot, bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1 tsp of sugar to a boil. Add sliced daikon to pot, reduce heat to medium, cover, and let cook until daikon appears transparent (pictured left). Stir occasionally, and top up with water, 1/2 a cup at a time, if none left in the pot. Once transparent and very little liquid remaining, leave daikon in pot, remove from heat and set aside.

Fine dice the Chinese sausage, cooled black mushroom and dried shrimp. Diced pieces should be small, about the size of your pinkie finger nail. 

Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a medium non-stick pan over med-high. Add diced sausage, mushroom, dried shrimp, and dried garlic. Add a pinch of ground pepper, and stir fry til fragrant, about 8min. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, corn starch, wheat starch and salt. Stir. Add one can of chicken broth and stir til dry ingredients moistened. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved water used to soak mushrooms, and stir. Stir in an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken broth, as needed to mix well. Set aside. 

Reheat the pot of daikon, then remove from heat. Add stir-fried mixture of sausage, mushroom, dried shrimp and dried garlic to daikon. Stir. Add the flour mixture to the pot of daikon, stirring well to mix. Add up to another 1/2 cup of chicken broth, if consistency is too stiff to mix thoroughly. Stir well. 

Divide evenly between the three 7" foil pans, smoothing over the top to finish. Sprinkle sesame seeds over top. Steam using a large pot with steamer baskets, by filling the pot with just enough water not touch the steamer basket at the bottom. When placing the steamer baskets/pans inside the pot, make sure edges of pan do not touch the sides of the pot. Bring to a boil, then steam for one hour, or until the daikon cake sets and is firm to the touch. Replenish pot with boiling water if necessary during steaming. Once the daikon cake is set, carefully remove from steamer, and cool on rack for at least 1 hour. Cover and refrigerated for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight before preparing to eat. Stored properly in airtight containers, the steamed daikon cake keeps about a week and a half in the fridge. 

When ready to make for serving, loosen the sides of one pan by running a knife along the edge. Flip over into palm of one hand to unmold, then place right-side up onto cutting board. Slice into rough squares/rectangles about 1/2-inch in thickness. Heat a small amount of oil on a non-stick an over medium heat. Add sliced daikon cake to pan and cook 3-4 minutes each side, til golden brown. You may need to cook in batches depending on how many slices you can fit onto the pan (sliced daikon should only be placed single layer onto pan). Serve hot, with oyster sauce.