Honey & Chipotle BBQ Sauce

I LOVE BBQ sauce especially on pulled pork, roasted potatoes, grilled chicken, pork chops, even with grilled portobello mushrooms. I could put BBQ sauce on EVERYTHING. The only thing is that I'm not a fan of commercially made BBQ sauces, because they are filled with crap like genetically modified high fructose corn syrup.  To be quite frank I'm not a fan of any commercially made processed foods. I'd much rather make my own, and know exactly what is going into my food and body.

Every spring I make a batch of BBQ sauce so that I can have it on hand for whatever and whenever I need. I jar all of the BBQ sauce to preserve it. If you're unfamiliar with the jarring method check my Honey, Maple & Chipotle BBQ sauce from last year. 

This BBQ sauce is a little sweet, tangy, spicy and smoky. It's really unique and delicious, it is sweetened with fruit and honey. I will be using this recipe for my slow cooker pulled pork tonight! 

Recipe 

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

3 small red onions diced

3 cloves garlic minced

1tbsp paprika

2tbsp Dijon mustard 

2 chipotle peppers diced + 3bsp adobo sauce (this is the sauce that is in the can of chipotles) 

3 cups water 

3 cups plain tomato sauce (homemade or store bought) 

3tbsp honey 

6 medjool dates (pitted and diced) 

1 tbsp salt

1tbsp pepper

1tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method

1. Heat heavy bottomed pot on stove, add coconut oil

2. Add onions and garlic, cook them until fragrant

3. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes

4. Use an immersion blender or bar blender to blend to a smooth texture. 

*adjust ingredients and seasonings to your liking 

Happy Sunday Sauce day! 

-Alexandra 

The best Lasagna: Sweet Potato Lasagna

I am crazy in love with sweet potatoes. They are so delicious, satisfying and nutritious!

I have been craving comfort food lately. What better way to satisfy that hunger then with lasagna? Lasagna is one of my childhood favourites. I remember watching my mom assembling the lasagna, and me impatiently waiting to eat it. Lasagna is something everyone looks forward to.

I replaced the noodles with thinly sliced sweet potato, the ricotta cheese with 1% cottage cheese. I used extra lean ground beef, and added extra veggies for a super healthy and nutritionally balanced meal. Everyone in the family enjoyed this meal. I have a few picky eaters in the family, and they didn't even notice the vegetables in this dish that they dislike. Nobody missed the noodles!

So here is my healthy spin on lasagna!

Ingredients

1L tomato sauce (I make my own and jar them, you can use any store bought tomato sauce) 

1lg extra lean ground beef, turkey or chicken

1 large onion 

4 cloves garlic 

4 medium sized sweet potatoes

1% cottage cheese (500g)

1 small carrot

1 small green pepper

2 cups fresh spinach

6-8 Cremini mushrooms

Olive oil 

Salt + pepper to taste 

Method

1. Dice onions, garlic,  mushrooms, green pepper, grate carrot on a box grater, and set aside separately. 

2. Heat up 2tbsp olive oil in a large skillet

3. Cook onions until fragrant, add garlic, pepper and grated carrots + cook

4. Add ground beef (or whatever you decide to use) and cook thoroughly. Once the meat is cooked thoroughly add tomato sauce to the pan and heat 

5. In another frying pan sautée Cremini mushrooms, and spinach, set aside

6. Wash sweet potatoes and use a mandolin to slice them thinly (I left the skin on for extra fibre and nutrients of course) 

7. Blend cottage cheese in blender until smooth in texture

8. Take a 9x11inch pan, place a bit of the meat and tomato sauce on the bottom, a layer of sweet potato, another layer of the tomato and meat sauce, add a little bit of spinach and mushrooms, cottage cheese, and repeat

9. Once the lasagna is assembled cover with aluminum foil and bake @450F for 1hr or until done

*you can tell done was by inserting a fork or knife into the lasagna, if it is soft it is ready

-Alexandra xo

Healthy Watermelon "Cake"

I was at work a while ago and I was asked to come up with a vegan and gluten free dessert for some clients that were attending a banquet. I came up with this simple and delicious Watermelon "cake". It is only 4 ingredients! It is easy to make, and it is a great alternative to cake if you're trying to live a healthy lifestyle. Even if you aren't vegan or gluten free, you must try this recipe. I had to make three of these cakes for the banquet at work. There were leftovers and I couldn't help but keep eating this "cake". It was light. refreshing, and I even felt like I was treating myself.

You can have your "cake" and eat it too with this healthy alternative. The great thing about this cake is that it has so many health benefits, vitamins, and nutrients! Coconut contains lauric acid which is great for your skin, and prevents wrinkles. It also has antibacterial properties which fights infection, and is good for your bones.  Watermelon is a nutrient packed all star! Once you add up all the nutrients that this fruit is packed with, you might want to start eating it more often. It is high in vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium, and vitamin A. Vitamin A is excellent for your vision, and Vitamin C aids in keeping the immune system strong.  This "cake" would be a great dessert to bring to a family barbecue or gathering with friends. Your friends and family will be surprised by the creativity and the health benefits of this cake! The clients that i made this for were very pleased. You might never even think about "real" cake after you've had this!

Recipe
1 Watermelon (For the cake part)
2 packages coconut cream (For the icing)
Agave Syrup or Honey or icing sugar ( I used Agave syrup because it is vegan and the clients I made this for were looking for a healthy alternative)
2 packages sliced Almonds (If you're allergic to almonds, or nuts, you can use shredded coconut also)

Method
1. Peel watermelon. I have included a video on how to properly do this. Instead of dicing the melon like shown in the video, slice into rounds width wise.  I chose the three nicest round pieces for the cakes. You can set aside the leftover watermelon for snacks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHIXpTQbIM

2. Once you have your rounds cut out, place paper towel on top, or dab with a clean kitchen towel to remove excess water. (This will help the icing stay in tact)
3. Place the coconut cream and a couple tbsp of Agave syrup into your mixer, or use your hand blender to whip. Whip only about 1-2 minutes until pliable. Over whipping will cause the "icing to be too runny" (If you'd like your icing to be sweeter you can add a little more agave syrup)
4, Start assembling your watermelon cake as you would a regular cake
5. Once you get to masking the outside of your cake,  it helps to put your "cake" in the freezer between each outer layer of icing, to help set the icing. Once the icing hardens in the freezer, it is much easier to mask the outside with the next layer of "icing"
6. Once you're finished icing your cake, take a handful of sliced almonds and cover the outside of your cake with almonds
7. You can use additional fruits such as blueberries and strawberries to garnish the top of the cake

-Alexandra

Sunkissed Sunday: First BBQ of the Season

For the first time in what seems like forever I finished work at a decent hour today. I left at 5pm and made dinner for the loves of my life. What better way to spend a Sunday night then firing up the grill for the first time this season?!?! I was way too excited. I have a deep passionate love for food, if you didn't already know. Without it I really don't know what I'd do...I'm in luck though because food does exist. It allows me to be creative, de-stress, bond with people, and make ever lasting memories with the ones I adore. I was very fortunate because I experienced all of that over tonights' dinner.

I used the Honey, Maple & Chipotle BBQ sauce I made last night and marinated chicken thighs in it. These babies were accompanied by "Greek style"sweet potato fries, with an avocado and yoghurt dip and some roasted red peppers.

Honey, Maple & Chipotle BBQ Chicken Thighs

Ingredients
6 Chicken Thighs
1 cup Honey, Maple & Chipotle BBQ sauce
Salt and Pepper

Method
1. Preheat Grill to 350F
2. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper
3. Toss chicken thighs in half of the Honey, Maple & Chipotle BBQ Sauce
4. Grill chicken thighs, until done and juices run clear
5. Brush chicken thighs with the remaining BBQ sauce

"Greek Style" Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes
4 oz Greek or Macedonian feta
1/2 Lemon
Salt and pepper
olive oil

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Peel and wash sweet potatoes
3. Cut into "fries" or wedges
4. Toss in olive oil salt and pepper
5. Place on baking sheet lined with aluminium foil
6. Bake for 30 minutes of until done
7. Place sweet potato fries on a plate of platter, crumble feta on top
8. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top

Avocado Yogurt Dip

Ingredients
1 avocado
1/2 lemon
1 tsp of sambal oelek, or sriracha, or tabasco
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup plain unsweetened low fat yoghurt (I used Liberte Organic 0% plain)
salt and pepper

Method
1. Mince garlic
2. Cut avocado in half scoop out flesh and discard the pit
3. mash avocado with a fork until smooth
4. mix remaining ingredients all together
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste

*Serve this tasty dip with Greek fries for dipping

Grilled Red Peppers

Ingredients
2 medium peppers
olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
1. Cut peppers into quarters, and discard seeds
2. Toss in olive oil salt and pepper
3. Grill until done

Cheers to kicking off BBQ season 2013!

-Alexandra

Honey, Maple & Chipotle BBQ Sauce

I've been impatiently waiting for summer since last summer. It's the end of May and the weather isn't quite right. It's cooler than usual. Barbecue season is almost here, it's just been way too cold for me to get outside and grill. So today I decided to make a BBQ sauce that I could jar and use all season long. What else would I do on a freezing cold day off? Of course I'm going to make something...I must concoct something delicious on my day off. If I'm not cooking at work I'm cooking at home! This sauce is sweet, smokey and a little spicy. Divide the recipe if you don't want to make so much sauce. This recipe should last up to a couple weeks in the fridge. You can literally put this s%^$ on EVERYTHING...Pulled pork, burgers, sliders, pizza, chicken, steak. It's going to be my all purpose BBQ sauce for EVERYTHING!

Here she is...

Ingredients

1/2 cup Honey

1/2 cup real Maple Syrup

1 cup ketchup

1 can Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1L water, chicken stock, or veg stock

4 medium onions

4 cloves garlic

1 Bay Leaf

1tbsp Apple Cider vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Chop onions and garlic finely. Roughly chop chipotles and set aside with adobo sauce 

2. Heat olive oil in pot, sweat onions, and garlic until fragrant (no colour)

3. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot

4. Simmer for an hour until thickened

5. Add salt and pepper to taste
6. Remove Bay leaf and discard

6. Blend in a blender or with immersion blender

Jarring Method

1. Clean and wash Mason jars in the dishwasher

2. Boil jars (after they come out of the dishwasher), lids, and screw tops in a boiling water bath

3. Drain boiled jars upside down on a clean towel

4. Ladle hot/boiling barbecue sauce into sterile jars (if you use a funnel to do this, boil it too)

5. Using tongs, place a lid on the jar and then screw a screw top down on the jar

6. Place filled jars in a boiling water bath that covers the jars by at least 2 inches

Boil for 25-30 minutes

7. Remove jars and allow to sit until the "pop up" part of the lid sucks down (sometimes you can hear this happen; it goes "pop."

8. When jars have completely cooled, remove the screw top, and store in a cool dry place.

Happy Sauce Making!

-Alexandra

Healthy spring pasta: Roasted Spaghetti squash with tomato/olive oil sauce +ground chicken

I've been craving pasta and carbs a lot lately. I know pasta isn't the greatest when it comes to nutritional value, so I made a healthy spin on a classic. I used spaghetti squash as my "pasta" in this dish. All of the vegetables I used in this sauce remind me of spring. It is so gloomy out, this pasta gave me hope that spring is on it's way.

This dish is one of my favourites, and is loaded with vitamins A & C, good carbs, and protein. You can't go wrong with eating this rainbow!

I ate this "pasta" with my mean green Kale & Broccoli salad, this recipe is also on my blog

Feeds 6-8

Ingredients
2 spaghetti squash
2 yellow onions
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch asparagus
1 bunch basil
1 lemon
6 tbsp olive oil
5 vine ripe tomatoes
12 cherry tomatoes
1lb extra lean ground chicken
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Cut spaghetti both squash in half lengthwise
3. Place face down on an oiled baking sheet
4. Bake for an hour or until done
5. In the meantime, dice onions, garlic, tomatoes, slice the asparagus
6. Heat olive oil in a large skillet
7. Sweat onions until fragrant
8. Add garlic and sweat
9. Add tomatoes and asparagus
10. Cook until the tomatoes lose their form and create a sauce like texture
11. In another pan cook the ground chicken
12. Add the olive oil tomato sauce to ground chicken once it is cooked
13. Finish the sauce off with torn basil and lemon juice
14. Season with salt and pepper to taste, keep tasting your food while you cook to ensure the perfect meal
15. Once the spaghetti squash is roasted, remove seeds, and scrape the squash out with a fork
16. Spoon some of the ground chicken/ tomato olive oil sauce on top of the roasted squash
17. Garnish with more basil and real grated Parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

-Alexandra

Mean Green Kale & Broccoli salad

I just got back from Miami and I think I brought some of the good weather back with me to Toronto. It started to warm up as soon as I returned! When the weather gets nicer I always crave lighter foods than in the winter. I've been trying to be a good girl and eat all my veggies lately. I decided to make a salad with kale and broccoli. Kale is a super food chocked full of amazing nutrients. It's a little bit tough and bitter. It's best to let this salad sit in the fridge for a couple hours before consumption to marinate and soften up the kale. This procedure takes away from it's bitterness. Here it is! The whole family loved it, including my picky father.

Ingredients
1 bunch kale
1 bunch broccoli
1/2 red onion
1 green apple
1 hand full pepitas
2 handfuls raw almonds
1 cup raisins (you could use dried cherries or cranberries also)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Wash and chop kale into bite sized. Pieces
2. Wash broccoli and cut florets into bite size pieces
3. Peel stems of broccoli and julienne
4. Dice onion and green apple
5. Roughly chop almonds
5. Toss all ingredients together in a bowl


White Balsamic & Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients
1tbsp Dijon mustard
3tbsp honey
4tbsp white balsamic vinegar
6tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Place first 3 ingredients in a bowl
2. Mix together thoroughly
3. Slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil while whisking to emulsify the vinaigrette
4. Pour over salad, and toss
5. This salad is good for up to 5 days refrigerated

Eat the rainbow!

-Alexandra