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Vegetable Soup
If you may have been overindulging a little bit more than usual lately, a tried and true way to lose a little weight and feel better is to fill up on tasty, nutritious vegetables, and my Skinny Vegetable Soup is the perfect choice. You start with a simple base of onions, leeks, celery and carrots, and then add some tomatoes, chicken or vegetable stock, butternut squash, pinto beans and lots of kale. I used fresh thyme to flavor the soup, but there are many different herbs that would work well (like maybe rosemary or even cilantro!), so feel free to try your favourite. The result is a comforting, hearty and good-for-you soup that doesn’t taste “healthy” at all. I topped it with a little grated Parmesan for a salty, cheesy kick. Delicious. Enjoy!!
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Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
I recently made a batch of homemade Roasted Tomato Basil Soup, a traditional and healthy favorite that never gets old. I roasted some tomatoes in the oven to bring out their flavor and sweetness and added a couple cans of diced tomatoes to enhance it even more. If you are like me and you have lots of fresh basil around from your garden, then this is a perfect way to enjoy a meal that highlights this delicious herb. I added a whole cup of basil leaves to the soup for lots of flavor. I decided to serve it with some short-grain brown rice, however, the possibilities are endless. You can add mini pasta, colorful wild rice, or serve simply with toasted bread. This soup is quick to make, easy, and incredibly comforting. Enjoy!!
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Mushroom and Stilton Quinoa Risotto
I’m always looking for healthy alternatives to my comfort food favorites, so when I came across this recipe for Mushroom and Stilton Quinoa Risotto from The Art of Eating Well, I had to try it. I’ve been enjoying several recipes from this book recently and totally adore the clean cooking philosophy of the book’s authors, Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley. This recipe uses quinoa as the base for the risotto and does not contain any rice. Using quinoa not only makes it more nutritious and protein-packed, but it also has the added bonus of being easier and quicker to make. I found some beautiful chanterelle and chestnut mushrooms from my local farmer’s market that worked perfectly for the dish, in addition to some some strong, high-quality stilton cheese. The cheese added loads of creaminess and flavor, while still keeping the overall dish light and fresh. I can’t wait to experiment with other types of quinoa risottos, the possibilities are endless!
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Lobster Biryani Masala {Daniel Boulud}
My husband and I are huge fans of Chef Daniel Boulud and his collection of restaurants, in particular DBGB in NYC, Bar Boulud in London, and Restaurant Daniel in NYC, for special occasions. Thus, when Chef Boulud’s book, Daniel: My French Cuisine, came out celebrating recipes from Restaurant Daniel, I couldn’t wait to get cooking. I already made the Fondue Ravioli (scrumptious) and the famous Duo of Beef with Tardivo & Sweet Potato Dauphine, both with huge success, so this time I set out to make his Lobster Biryani Masala.
It’s technically an appetizer, but in no way should be underestimated based on that distinction, since it is truly an elegant and exquisite dish in its own right. A tender fresh lobster tail is served alongside homemade fried, biryani-spiced lobster samosas, with grilled hearts of palm, coconut chutney and freshly dressed romaine lettuce. The spices are well balanced, and the rich fried samosas are complemented beautifully by the lightness of the lobster tail and salad. It’s contemporary in looks and taste.
I won’t lie by saying this recipe is easy or quick to make – in fact, it is indeed a full-on project, but if you are like me you will love taking hours out of your day scouring your local farmer’s market and fishmonger for fresh ingredients, and then slaving in the kitchen preparing a heavenly feast. Let’s get started…
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Curried Coconut Lentil Soup
This weekend I set out to recreate a delicious Curried Coconut Lentil Soup that I had while I was in Africa a couple weeks ago. While creating the recipe, I wanted to make sure that the soup had a distinct coconut flavor, lots of nutritious vegetables and grains, and a healthy dose of warm curry spices. This soup ticks all the boxes and makes for a delightful lunch or light dinner. It is full of flavor and thickens beautifully thanks to the red split lentils and creamy coconut. I added diced tomatoes and tomato paste for an extra flavor boost and bit of sweetness.
As you can imagine, the spices are extremely important for this soup, so make sure you use fresh and good-quality spices. For my spice mix, I used Daylesford Organic Curry Powder, which was a mix of Cumin, Coriander, Onion, Fenugreek, Turmeric, Garlic, Ginger, Yellow Mustard, Black Pepper, Chilli, Cinnamon, Cardamon, Cloves. It worked great, but you can certainly create your own curry spice mix as well if you have all of the ingredients!
Read on for the full recipe and step by step instructions for this warm and hearty soup…
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How to Make Almond Milk {step-by-step photos}
I have been making homemade almond milk for about a year now and it has been such a success that I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the bland store-bought varieties again. It always seemed like a daunting process and since I don’t have a VitaMix, I was initially even worried my regular blender couldn’t handle it. None of this proved to be true. In fact, almond milk is actually super easy to make and requires only a regular blender. The only mildly tedious part of the process is soaking the almonds overnight before you make the milk. I have outlined all of the steps I use to make the milk in the photos below. Once you start making it, you get used to the process and it becomes easy and quick. I make it weekly (or more) and couldn’t live without it!
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Paleo Bread
On my quest for healthy, clean recipes, I came across a very popular recipe for “Paleo Bread” from Elana’s Pantry, a cooking and baking blog specialising in grain-free recipes. With wholesome ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour, flaxmeal and coconut oil, there is no doubt this homemade bread packs a nutritional punch. There is no white or whole wheat flour and no white sugar, making this bread totally gluten free and refined sugar free, and, of course,
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Cheesy Quinoa & Mushroom Burgers
These Cheesy Quinoa & Mushroom Burgers have become a go-to meal for me. In fact, I have made them at least 4 times in the past month. They are so hearty and satisfying and with a little prep, make for a healthy, casual meal. Quinoa is known as a “superfood” in the health world because it is one of the few grains that is a complete protein, unlike wheat or rice. Quinoa also packs in significant amounts of dietary fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron.
I like the fact that these veggie burgers feature quinoa, rather than just starchy beans like most veggie burgers usually do. The burgers are made with onion, mushrooms, cheese, pecans, an egg and a dash of soy sauce and sprinkling of herbs. The result is
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Roasted Chicken with Clementines & Rosemary
I was browsing through Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook, Jerusalem, and was inspired by a unique recipe for roasted chicken with clementines and Arak, an anise-based Lebanese spirit. I have been spotting leafy clementines at my local farmer’s market lately – it is peak season after all – so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to cook up a savory dish featuring this sweet and juicy fruit. I didn’t have some key ingredients in Ottolenghi’s recipe on hand (mainly the Arak and fennel), so I decided to get creative and create something a little different on my own, still of course featuring some lovely clementines.
I first marinated the chicken in olive oil, orange juice, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, and then tossed it with thin slices of fresh clementines, a generous sprinkling of fresh rosemary and a few pieces of onion. I then roasted it in the oven until cooked through and golden. The combination of zesty orange along with the caramelization from the brown sugar and the sweetness of the balsamic vinegar created a delicious, light and flavorful sauce. This recipe is so easy and perfect for a quick, throw-together meal. Serve it with a green vegetable and/or rice if you can spare the carbs. Enjoy!!!
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Layered Vegetable Bake
I hope everyone had a wonderful festive season and enjoyed a lot of delicious food with your loved ones! For those of you like myself who may have overindulged a little too much (see here), I am excited to introduce the first of several healthy recipes this month here on The Chic Brûlée. I refuse to sacrifice on taste, so all of my healthy recipes are not only low in calories and carbs, but delicious in their own right as well.
I recently picked up a copy of Honestly Healthy by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson, a cookbook that follows the trendy alkaline diet, beloved by the likes of Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow (just sayin’). The diet discourages ‘very acid forming’ foods like starchy grains and vegetables (pasta, wheat, beans, etc.) as well as all dairy products, meat, and fish, because, in their opinion, these foods are bad for you. It also promises many health benefits and aims to reduce the amount of internal stress on the body. Although I am NOT following the diet in its entirety, I was excited to try out a few recipes in the book and add them to my healthy eating repertoire.
Last night I made a divine Layered Vegetable Bake. A sort of “lasagna,”
