What I Ate This Week

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WIATWHello! Happy Friday everyone! :) Today, I am super excited to share “What I Ate This Week (WIATW)” on one of my absolute favourite blogs – Oh My Veggies. For those of you who follow Kiersten’s fantastic blog, you’ll know that each Friday she details what she ate during the week. I find her WIATW posts to be incredibly inspiring and have made many of the recipes she’s posted. When she asked me to do a guest post for this week’s WIATW, I was beyond excited, thrilled and overjoyed! Thank you so much Kiersten for asking me to participate and share what I ate this week on Oh My Veggies. Have a great weekend everyone! Here’s hoping for less snow/cold and more sun/warm!

The above photo details what my week-in-food looked like.

  1. Teriyaki Tofu Wrap with Macadamia Garlic Spread
  2. Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Curry Bowls
  3. Herbed Ricotta + Radish Crostini
  4. Mango Avocado Salad with Pineapple Mint Dressing
  5. Banana Nutella Swirl Muffins
  6. Mexican Quinoa Corn Chowder
  7. Vegetable Roasted Ziti (not pictured)

Herbed Ricotta + Radish Crostini

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20130501-DSC_8523The weather may still be snowy and chilly here, but my mind is set on spring. So much so that I trudged through the snow this morning to get the ingredients to make these delicious, spring-inspired crostini for lunch today. I also stopped by my favourite local Bakery – Stella’s – to pick up some whole wheat foccacia and a pear almond tart. Yum!

These crostini made for a perfect light lunch! The ricotta was perfectly flavoured with bright lemon zest, lemon juice and fresh herbs. I used fresh mint and dill for the crostini I made, but I bet that flat-leaf parsley and chives would be wonderful too. I really enjoyed the earthy, mildly spicy radishes a top the crostini, but you can use any of your favourite veggies. I think cucumber slices or thinly sliced yellow beets would also be a really nice option. These crostini are the perfect way to celebrate the coming of sping. (It’s IS coming….right!? hehe!) They are great for a simple, light lunch. They would also work great as an appetizer for a dinner party or as a contribution to a wedding or baby shower.

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Herbed Ricotta + Radish Crostini

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 to 10 slices of baguette (1/4 inch thick)
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, halved
  • 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (or juice of half a lemon)
  • 2 teaspoons of fresh chopped herbs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup of thinly sliced radishes
  • chopped herbs for garnish

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350'F. Place 8 to 10 pieces of bread on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the slices of baguette. Place baking sheet into oven and toast bread until lightly golden and slightly crisp (about 6 minutes).
  2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh herbs (chives, mint, parsley, dill etc), salt and pepper. Mix well.
  3. Once the bread is toasted, rub cut-side of clove of garlic half over the tops of the bread. Put a large dollop of the ricotta mixture on top of each crostini. Place 3 to 4 slices of radish on top of the ricotta mixture. Garnish with some fresh herbs.

Notes

Source: loosely adapted from Canadian Living Magazine

Veggie Chili Mac

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20130424-DSC_8432-2So…it snowed here AGAIN today. Seriously…this is getting crazy. Too much winter and not enough summer make Courtney go crazy. *hah* I’m longing for lounging on a patio and spending the day at the beach reading a good book. *sigh* Alas, the forecast states we will finally be in positive digits by the weekend. Fingers crossed!!! :)

Even though the snow made me a tad cranky today, this delicious veggie chili mac was perfectly warm and comforting. A few weeks back, my mom made this veggie chili mac for my dad, Jesse and me for Sunday dinner. We all loved it. Such a simple one-pot dish with so much flavour. I’m generally not a fan of vegetarian ground crumbles, but they worked perfectly in this dish to add some texture. The veggie crumbles and the beans made this dish a protein power house and was incredibly filling. This dish has become a go-to meal in our home. We’ve already made it a number of times. It’s great if you are looking to have some left-overs available for lunches and such.

Hope you are all having a great week! Any plans for the upcoming weekend? If it’s nice out, I plan on going for a few long walks. It’s been too long since I properly spent time outside. We are also going out for dinner with some good friends on Saturday. And, i’m hoping to spend some time in the kitchen over the weekend as well. I have so many recipes I want to try and share  :)

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Veggie Chili Mac

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of veggie ground
  • 1 tablespoon of canola oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons of chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
  • 1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1-28 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 1-19 oz can of white or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of vegan Worcestershire sauce (such as The Wizard's Vegan Worcestershire Sauce)
  • 1 pound of whole wheat pasta (radiatore or your favourite fun-shaped pasta)
  • 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or vegan cheddar cheese
  • sour cream or vegan sour cream
  • diced avocado

Method

  1. In a large saucepan, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until the onions are slightly translucent and soft (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add vegetarian ground and break up with a wooden spoon. If using frozen vegetarian ground, sauté until cooked through (about 5 minutes).
  3. Add garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin, dried thyme and pepper followed by the crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
  4. Add brown sugar and vegan worcestershire sauce followed by the canned kidney beans. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. While your chili simmers at a low-heat, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Once pasta is al dente, drain the pasta and add to the chili. Remove from heat.
  6. Serve the chili mac with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese or vegan cheddar cheese. Garnish with sour cream and avocado slices if desired.

Note: For my Canadian friends, I highly recommend using the President’s Choice Blue Menu vegetarian ground crumble. In my opinion, it has great texture. Also, if you cannot find vegan worcestershire sauce, you can omit it or add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the chili.

Source: adapted from Canadian Living Magazine