Balanced Living
Butternut Squash, Chickpea & Kale Curry
Posted by Arja on February 20 in Main Dishes, Meatless
Cold nights call for warm food. Certain foods and spices are considered warming, and consuming them helps to warm up our bodies. In cold weather food cooked using these flavours can help beat the chill after a frigid dog walk, or warm us up after an afternoon of outdoor fun with friends and family.
Read More →Why Choose a Plant-Based Diet? Plus a Kale and Bean Stew Recipe!
Posted by Arja on January 15 in Main Dishes, Meatless, Soups and Stews
Whether you’ve made this the year that you take control of your life and health again, or you’re already on your way down the path towards better health, trying to make sense of all the different diet types out there can be daunting. Should you be vegetarian, or vegan? What about going gluten-free? Or maybe you should try following Paleo for a month? Though we say we’re not looking for the next “quick fix”, it’s tempting to make a choice based on the idea that it will make losing weight easier. Whatever your ultimate reason is for choosing one diet style over another, be it politically, medically, or emotionally driven, you should know that you don’t have to put a label on it if you don’t want to.
Read More →The Economy of a Chicken
Posted by Arja on September 10 in Main Dishes
There’s no doubt about it. Cooking with fresh food takes a little more time than packaged, convenience foods. If you’re trying to reinvent the wheel with each meal, then you’re probably spending more time in your kitchen then you really want to be. If you plan ahead, and by this I mean with menu planning and shopping lists, you can cook in larger batches and take elements from a meal made earlier in the week and use them in meals later on. My dear friend, Dawn Nita, is a trained chef and today we’re lucky enough to have her share a post about how she does this in her own home.
Read More →Super Powered Pesto
Posted by Arja on April 10 in Main Dishes
When you talk about pesto, most people immediately think of the delicious, garlicky concoction made with fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan. Pesto is fresh tasting, and best to make in the summer when fresh basil is easy to come by. Over the last few years I’ve discovered a love for pesto made from a variety of different leafy greens, including dandelion and arugula, as well as with fresh ramps (wild leeks) and garlic scapes (the curly green flowering stems removed from the bulb).
Read More →Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas with Spelt Orzo
Posted by Arja on April 3 in Main Dishes, Meatless
Spring has sprung and I’ve started dreaming about warmer weather gatherings on my deck with friends and family. I love getting together with people for a simple barbeque where everyone can contribute something to the meal. It makes things easier on the host, for one thing, and also means that everyone gets to try all the yummy side dishes and salads that everyone else has brought to share.
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