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! 

Spicy Baked Yam Fries

Fries hold a very special place in my heart. Right next to chips and instant noodles. Mmm unhealthy, salt-laden delights... And so my mission to create healthier alternatives continues! 

Yams are an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium and manganese, and in my opinion, best eaten along with a generous assortment of spices. Spices which are high in iron (cumin) and Vitamin A (paprika), also contribute to the nutritional value of these yam fries. This recipe is quick in prep-time and only takes 35min to bake. Serve hot out of the oven with ketchup, and try a few good shakes of Frank's hot sauce on the ketchup if you're looking for extra kick! 

Makes 2 sides

• 2 medium red skinned yams
• 1 tsp ground cumin*
• 1/2 tsp chili powder*
• 1/4 tsp seasoning salt*
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper*
• 1/4 tsp paprika*
• 1/4 tsp cajun*
• pinch chili pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp olive oil

*Spice generously! I use heaping portions for the above spice measurements. 

Preheat oven at 425°. 

Peel, then slice yams into long and skinny sticks. Place sliced yams into a plastic bag or large zip-lock.

Combine spices and olive oil in a small bowl. Mix well. Add spice paste to bag and toss, massaging bag to coat yams evenly. 

Arrange onto baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. 

Bake 35min. 

Yam fries cool quickly, so serve immediately out of the oven. Try a few good shakes of Frank's hot sauce on ketchup if you're looking for extra kick in the dippin!