Honey Mustard Glazed Grilled Halibut/Salmon

I have always hated fish. HATE IT. I know that it is healthy for me so I try and eat it as often as I can, plus my husband and daughters both love it. I have been using this great recipe from Modern Healthy Mom for a couple of years now and I have to say that I actually 'like' fish when prepared this way. She uses salmon in her recipe, but both my husband and I don't really love salmon, so we usually do halibut (we find it less fishy tasting). Whatever you choose, is sure to be good! I used to only make this in the oven, but recently have started to grill it, and I have to say grill wins all the way. Are we really surprised? 

Ingredients 

4 salmon/halibut fillets

1 tablespoon of butter/coconut oil (both are delicious)

1 tablespoon coconut sugar/brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions 

Put butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and melt. Remove from heat and add in the sugar, soy sauce, honey and mustard and stir to combine. Rinse fish in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Oil the grill and heat to medium high heat. Place fish on the grill, brush with sauce and close the lid. Cook for 5-6 minutes then flip and brush with more sauce. Cook for 4-5 more minutes or until halibut is done. When the glossy sheen is gone and the halibut is flaky and opaque through the middle, you know it is ready. Enjoy - Alex

Kim's Famous Chicken Soup

I have a friend named Kim. While you may not know her, she deserves to be famous because of this chicken soup, hence why I called the recipe, Kim's Famous Chicken Soup. I had the luxury of eating this at her place a couple of times and I am not kidding you, YEARS later I was still craving it. I finally got around to asking her for the recipe and I am so glad I did. We made this the other night and everyone in my family LOVED it, just as I suspected they would. All chicken soups are good, but the trick to this one is the homemade broth using a whole chicken. It really does take the soup from being good to great! 

 I also love that this recipe is so versatile. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand. We used the typical carrots, celery, onions, and garlic.  I didn't give exact amounts on the veggies because it it totally up to you how much you like of everything. I like mine really garlicky and probably added 6-8 garlic cloves. Next time I will probably add even more. My girls ate theirs with a scoop of rice in their bowls, you can always add noodles if that's what you like. I chose to squeeze a little fresh lemon juice in mine just for fun. All options are delicious and totally up to you. Make sure to read the full recipe before starting to make things easier, and thank you Kim for this wonderful recipe, I hope I got it right! 

Ingredients

1 whole organic chicken

water

carrots

celery

onions

garlic

vinegar

salt and pepper

Directions

Place the whole chicken in a large pot and fill with water until chicken is completely covered with 1 inch of water over top. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil chicken for 1 1/2 hours. Keep adding water in the pot if needed since some of it will boil out. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from pot (leave the water in the pot) and set aside to cool. 

Once the chicken is cool enough to work with, remove the meat from the bones and place on a plate for later. Take the chicken bones and place them back into the water along with some roughly chopped carrots, celery, onions, garlic, 1 tbs vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to low, cover and simmer as long as possible (up to 8 hours) adding water when needed.  Place the meat in the fridge for later. I usually end up with a lot of meat so I take half of it and freeze for later, or keep it in my fridge to use later that week. If you like soup with a lot of chicken, then leave it all in. It's totally up to you. 

When you are ready to make your soup, ladle out all of the veggies and chicken bones. I usually place a large bowl in my sink with a colander sitting inside of it and strain everything out that way. I take half of the broth and freeze it for later, but again, this is up to you. Once everything is strained out, you can place fresh diced onions, carrots, celery, and garlic back into the broth along with your chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes or until the veggies are cooked through. If you want to add noodles, then do so after 10 minutes to make sure everything is done at the same time. I added in some oregano at the end and some more salt and pepper to taste. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did - Alex

Lemony Pasta with Tuna and Peas

Okay, so this might not be the healthiest dinner, but it screams comfort food for me. My Mom used to make this when we were little and I will always have a soft spot for it in my heart. I have changed it up a bit since the good old days (adding a bit of lemony flavour to it), and both versions are so good. It is a quick and easy dinner for a rushed weeknight, or when you're feeling like a good meal Mom used to make. 

Ingredients

1 box whole grain, whole wheat pasta (375g)

1/2 cup or more of frozen peas

1 can tuna

1/4 cup miracle whip/mayonnaise 

zest and juice of 1 lemon

sat and pepper to taste

Directions

Make the pasta according to directions on box. When the pasta only has 5 more minutes of cooking, add in the frozen peas and finish cooking together. Meanwhile, place tuna, miracle whip, zest of 1 lemon and juice of 1 lemon in a large bowl and stir to combine. Drain the cooked pasta/peas and place in bowl along with the tuna mixture. If you're finding the mixture too dry then add in a little more miracle whip/mayo. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and a little more lemon zest if desired. Serve warm. Enjoy - Alex

No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars

I was in the mood to do a little baking today and decided it would be a good day to eat some granola bars. I turned to pinterest and found some on Averie Cooks that looked absolutely delicious. They were so easy that no baking was even required, but they satisfied my sweet tooth just fine. I did change the directions ever so slightly (I don't have a microwave), so if you're looking to make them even faster than how I made them, then follow the recipe on her blog. I also used puffed rice instead of crispy rice because I didn't have any on hand. If you're looking for something with a little more crunch, I suggest getting the crispy rice, but if you're looking for something chewier, then go with the puffed rice. Either one would be delicious! 

Ingredients 

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, to taste)

2 cups quick oats

2 cups crispy rice cereal (I used rice puffs)

chocolate chips (optional- I didn't use)

Directions 

Line and 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang. Spray with cooking spray and set aside. 

Place the honey, peanut butter and sugar in a medium sized pot and cook on medium-low until melted. Whisk in the cocoa powder, vanilla and salt and bring to a low boil while stirring constantly (watch that it doesn't burn). Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a medium sized bowl stir together the oats and krispy rice cereal. Pour the dry mix into the wet mix and stir. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and mix well. 

Turn the mixture onto the prepared pan and press down firmly with your hands or a spatula. If the mixture is really sticky, wet your hands or the spatula with a little water and press down again. Cover and place in the freezer for 1 hour so it can set, or 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. 

Using the foil overhang, remove bars from the pan, place on a cutting board and slice into bars. 

Enjoy - Alex

Simple Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

 Every year I make my own pumpkin puree, and every year I am leftover with crazy amounts of pumpkin seeds. I have tried several different flavours now, but I always find myself coming back to this one. It is so simple, that it is hard for me to even call it a "recipe," but I thought I'd post it anyways. My daughter and I snacked on this all afternoon. Sometimes simper is just better!

Ingredients 

2 cups dried pumpkin seeds (from 2 medium pumpkins)

1-2 teaspoons olive oil 

sea salt

Directions

Place dried pumpkin seeds in a medium sized bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place the seed mixture on a pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, stir and bake another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. You will hear the seeds popping and crackling in the oven - this is a good thing! Once done, remove, cool and enjoy! - Alex

Quinoa Veggie Burgers

I recently ordered the cookbook 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake. She is a whole food blogger that I have been following for years and I was so excited when she announced that she had a cookbook coming out. Of course I bought it the second I could. I have been trying the recipes this week and all of them are so good. No I am not being paid to say this, the recipes are just THAT good!

Today I tried out her quinoa veggie burgers and it was like I had died and gone to heaven. It was one of the best tasting veggie burgers I have had in a long time! Full of flavour, filling and healthy! What more could you ask for? I was so excited about it I shared one with my neighbours ha ha. 

(She loved it too by the way.)

I usually don't include dairy in my recipes but this called for sharp cheddar cheese and I'm glad I didn't sub anything out in the recipe. I just made it exactly as it was written on the paper. If you are looking to get rid of the dairy, maybe try nutritional yeast in replace of the cheddar cheese. Let me know if you try it and it works out, but DON'T pass up making this delicious burger!

(I halved the recipe and it made about 5 burgers.)

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked quinoa - cooked according to the package directions

2/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup minced carrots 

1/3 cup minced onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 eggs

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Directions 

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the olive oil. Wet hands and form the quinoa mixture into 8 patties about 1 inch thick. Place on a clean plate or cutting board. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the burgers to the pan, cover and cook until the bottoms are browned (6-8 minutes). Covering the pan will ensure the burgers cook all the way through the middle without overcooking on the outside. Flip and repeat. If the pan is looking dry, add in a little more oil. 

Serve warm topped with hummus and an avocado and wrapped in lettuce leaves. These make great leftovers and can be frozen.  Enjoy - Alex

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

It's fall time and you know what that means.. soup season! 

 My soup addiction is hitting me once again with full force. This soup is dairy free, yet creamy and because the ingredients are roasted first, it has a rich flavour to it.  How many times can I say soup in one post? Just go make it okay?

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped

1 medium onion

2-3 large pears, chopped 

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

olive oil

kosher salt

1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Directions 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place the squash, onion, pears and rosemary in a glass dish and drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until squash is cooked all the way through. Place in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour in chicken stock until desired consistency is achieved. Pour into bowls and top with more fresh rosemary, sour cream, or homemade croutons. Enjoy - Alex