Butternut Squash and Carrot Moroccan Stew

Shopping at a busy mall can be overwhelming and, during the holiday season,
downright intolerable.  But the worst part (for me) is the selection of
food, or should I say, the lack thereof.  Endless choices of burgers,
Chinese buffets and everything deep-fried, leaves me feeling a bit
despondent.  Can I be the only person in downtown Toronto yearning for a
food fair upgrade?   But today’s experience would be different.  There is a
new kind of food fair in town, a fresh take on fast-food in the Toronto
Eaton Centre.  I couldn’t be more excited! 

On the escalator ride down to the new food fair, I first notice a
McDonald’s....  Feeling a little deflated, I picked up my chin anyway, and
continued toward the heart of the food fair.  My eyes started to open wider
as I saw names like Urban Herbivore (a popular, healthy and very tasty vegan
restaurant), Big Smoke Burger (which offers yummy, organic, gourmet burgers
topped with freshly made guacamole, rosemary mayo and blue cheese), Amaya
Express (Amaya’s flagship restaurant, according to top food critics, is the
best Indian restaurant in town, and now they had a fast-food installment).
Cue angels singing in my head.  

Now, the only decision to make is which place to try first.  My husband and
I zeroed in on Urban Herbivore.  We perused the menu and he selected a
Moroccan stew served on your choice of brown rice, noodles or quinoa.  I was
feeling particularly virtuous that day, and chose a freshly-juiced juice.
The juice was delicious, but the stand-out, by far, was the Moroccan stew.
It was spiced perfectly, with excellent balance—not too spicy and not too
sweet.  As I took another bite, I decided that I too wanted something that
healthy and tasty coming from my kitchen.

I found the recipe below by fluke.  I was looking up how-to-cook quinoa
recipes and this version of Carrot Butternut Squash Moroccan Stew (served
with quinoa)  came up in my search on www.epicurious.com.  Because my first
attempt at making a Moroccan-spiced vegetable stew was disappointing (the
flavours were flat and the stew tasted lifeless); I was now on a quest for
an impressive version that would satiate my taste buds, just like the Urban
Herbivore stew.   

I made the below recipe last night, with a few of my own additions and
changes.  The stew was amazing; full of deep, rich flavour from the blend of
spices (one of my additions was to toast and grind whole cumin and coriander
and heat together with the other spices).  I also cooked the onions until
they almost “melted”, which added a nice sweetness along with the carrots
and butternut squash.  The cayenne added a nice hit of heat, so I added
raisins to mellow out the spiciness—and it worked perfectly.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon ground cumin, toasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of saffron
1 cup water
1 796 ml can of whole tomatoes, drained of liquid and crushed lightly by
hand
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups 1-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (from 1 1/2-pound squash)
2 cups 1-inch cubes peeled carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
Parsley and toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for garnish

Preparation:

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft,
stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in paprika
and next 8 ingredients warm until fragrant. Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, and
lemon juice. Bring to boil. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over
medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20
minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover
and chill.) Rewarm stew. Spoon quinoa onto platter, forming well in center.
Spoon stew into well. Sprinkle with a big handful of chopped parsley and toasted pepitas.

Ricotta Pancakes with Apple and Blueberry Compote

I love ricotta pancakes — and this recipe is no exception.  One Sunday morning, a few months ago, I peered into my refrigerator; looking for inspiration; wanting to make something special for my husband and me. I was thinking something brunch-y, maybe eggs or waffles, but there was only one egg in the house...  In my panic (and desire for a yummy breakfast), I grabbed my MacBook and searched the internet for ideas.  Success!  I found this Canadian Living magazine recipe for ricotta pancakes (which requires only one egg) and was — long sigh — finally in business.   

These pancakes are easy to prepare, not too sweet and have a smooth, tender texture.  

This modified recipe makes 4 servings, but if you are a little greedy (like me) it serves two to completely stuffed.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup extra-smooth ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted  

Apple, Blueberry Compote:

• 1 cup wild blueberries or cultivated blueberries
• 1 apple, peeled and diced--I used a gala apple
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cinnamon stick

Preparation:

Berry Compote: In a saucepan, combine blueberries, apple, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Bring contents to a boil and simmer until liquid is syrupy. 

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Put ricotta in a medium bowl, whisk in egg, milk and butter. Pour over dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. 

Brush large nonstick skillet with butter and vegetable oil; heat over medium heat. Using 1/4 cup batter per pancake, pour in batter, spreading to form 5-inch circle. 

Cook until bubbles break on top but do not fill in, about 1-1/2 minutes. Turn and cook until bottom is golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with compote and maple syrup. 

Muesli

This recipe was developed out of necessity when I was starting my first cleanse (Wild Rose) and had no idea what I would eat for breakfast that did not involve toast. I was a self-proclaimed toast addict at that time—a true carbholic—and had not yet acquired a taste for cooked oatmeal.  As a kid, the sheer thought of cooked oatmeal was a complete turn-off.  

I adore oatmeal now, after years struggling over the texture, lack of flavour and how to make it delicious.  Because this recipe calls for the oatmeal to be soaked overnight, the oats retain a firm bite—almost like al dente pasta or rice.  The texture battle has been won and this recipe turned out to be a huge success—even my husband loves it, which is an accomplishment in my mind.  Being that Mark is my day-to-day culinary audience, his opinion is paramount in deciding which recipes are worthy enough to be shared on Twice as Yummy—and yes, he is the “twice” in Twice as Yummy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups large-flake oatmeal 
• 1 cup milk or almond milk (I use almond milk when I am trying to cut back on dairy)
• 1 cup yogurt or apple juice (apple juice sweetens the muesli nicely, and additional sweeteners are not necessary)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries or dried apricots or any combination of dried fruit that you like
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds, toasted walnuts, toasted hazelnuts or any combination of toasted nuts you like
• fresh berries, grated apple / pear and bananas
• cinnamon and honey to taste

Preparation:

Combine oatmeal, milk, yogurt and choice of dried fruit in a glass container.  Cover and soak in the refrigerator overnight. 

When you are ready to serve the muesli, add one grated apple or pear—any kind will do.  Serve with berries, bananas, toasted nuts, cinnamon and honey to top.

"Cream" of Carrot and Curry Soup

Fall is in the air, and with the cooler weather, soup is on my mind.  Creamy, comforting AND healthy (because it's pureed to achieve a "creamy" texture; no cream is added), this carrot soup warms your palate.

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1 inch chunk of ginger, chopped
• 4 large carrots, sliced
• 1-2 tsp curry powder, depending on how spicy your curry powder is
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• salt to taste

Preparation:

Saute onions, celery and ginger in a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt until soft.  Add curry power and saute until the curry powder is fragrant.  Add carrots, enough water to cover vegetables and simmer until carrots are soft.  Add honey, to taste and adjust seasoning.  Finish with lemon juice.

Puree with an immersion blender, or blend in small batches in a blender, until smooth.  Strain the soup, adjust seasoning and serve with a dollop of yogurt and drizzle of olive oil.

Low-Fat Oatmeal Cookies

I know, Oatmeal Cookies are not the grandest recipe to be my first posting on Twice as Yummy—and I rarely even bake; it's not even my recipe.  However, these cookies ARE yummy, and right now, a necessity for my tummy: I just ran 4 miles.

The credit for this recipe goes to About.com.  It was not the lowest fat oatmeal cookie recipe out there, but looked like the tastiest.  I modified the recipe a bit by adding walnuts, dried sour cherries and omitting the orange peel.  The walnuts do make the cookies higher in fat, but it's the "good" fat, and how I justify the addition.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups quick or old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries / cherries / golden raisins
• 3/4 cup walnuts

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Place oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl; stir with a whisk.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg whites and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour and oats mixture, stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Fold in cranberries. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons on to cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.