Eye for a Recipe

This soup, adapted from a NYT Cooking recipe, is savoury and hearty. Sauté onion and celery and then add garlic and thyme. Stir in the squash and stock and simmer until the squash is tender. Add the beans and cook for a few minutes. Add the sour cream and peas and warm through.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I use Better Than Bouillon for the stock, Simple brand sour cream, Unico canned beans and Green Giant frozen peas.

Butternut squash soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

Salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeds discarded and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups total)

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed

½ cup sour cream

2 cups frozen peas

Preparation:

Heat a large Dutch oven or pot on medium-high until hot. Add the olive oil, onion and celery; season with salt and stir until softened and starting to colour, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and stir until fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds.

Stir in the butternut squash and vegetable stock, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the butternut squash is tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

Place the cannellini beans into a bowl and roughly mash a portion of them with a fork. Uncover the butternut squash, add the beans and stir to combine. Cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and peas and heat until everything is warmed through. Taste and season well with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle the butternut squash mixture into bowls. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

From NYT Cooking

This recipe from NYT Cooking is a great side dish. Roast the parsnips until golden. Meanwhile, combine miso and lemon juice in a large bowl. Cook oil, thyme and garlic until the garlic is just golden and add to the miso mixture. Toss the arugula with the miso mixture and scatter over the parsnips. Sprinkle with Parmesan and lemon zest and serve. Cook’s note: I used a mixture of parsnips and carrots and butter lettuce instead of arugula. I omitted the lemon zest.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used Smart Miso brand white miso and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Genuine Parmesan contains no additives—look for the name stamped on the rind.

Parsnips with miso and Parmesan

Ingredients:

2¼ pounds (1.13 kg) parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthwise (or halved, if thin)

5 tablespoons (75 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh thyme leaves, divided

Fine sea salt

1 tablespoon (15 ml) white miso paste

1 teaspoon (5 ml) finely grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 cups (500 ml) packed arugula

½ cup (125 ml) lightly packed finely grated Parmesan

Preparation:

Heat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C).

Line a 11-by-17-inch (28-by-43-cm) sheet pan with parchment paper. Mix the parsnips with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the oil, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the thyme, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt, then spread them in an even layer. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn them using a spatula and roast until nicely golden, another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the miso and lemon juice together in a large heatproof bowl.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil, the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) thyme and the garlic to a small pan and heat on medium-high, stirring often, just until the garlic starts to turn lightly golden, about 3 minutes, then pour the mixture into the miso bowl and stir to combine.

To serve, toss the arugula in the miso bowl until well coated. Scatter the arugula and any dressing left in the bowl over the parsnips. Sprinkle the Parmesan and the lemon zest over the top. Serves 4-6.

From NYT Cooking

This delicious recipe from Canadian Living is a great way to get more leafy greens and beans into your diet. Brown sausage, add tomatoes, basil, salt and sugar and simmer. Stir in the beans. Meanwhile, cook the pasta, drain and return to the pan. Add the sauce, reserved cooking liquid and Swiss chard. Transfer to a glass baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and bake for about 30 minutes.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Look for sausages with no preservatives, such as the PC Free From brand. Check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. Blue Menu or Unico tomatoes and beans are additive-free. Simple brand mozzarella cheese is free of additives and colour. Genuine Parmesan cheese contains no additives—look for the name stamped on the rind.

Sausage and Swiss chard rigatoni

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons (20 ml) olive oil

3 (12 oz/375 g total) Italian sausages casings removed

3 cloves garlic minced

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) hot pepper flakes

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh basil

¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt

1 pinch granulated sugar

1 cup (250 ml) rinsed drained canned navy beans

5 cups (12 oz/375 g) rigatoni pasta

8 cups chopped Swiss chard (13 oz/380 g)

2/3 cups (165 ml) shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup (60 ml) grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; sauté sausages, breaking up with spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and hot pepper flakes; cook for 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes, basil, salt and sugar; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in beans. (Make-ahead: Let cool; refrigerate in airtight container for up to 24 hours.)

Meanwhile, in large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook pasta until still slightly firm in centre, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to pot, reserving ½ cup (125 ml) cooking liquid. Add sauce, reserved cooking liquid and Swiss chard; toss to coat. Transfer to 10-cup (2.5 L) glass baking dish.

Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; cover with greased foil. Bake in 375°F (190°C) oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly and browned, about 10 minutes. Serves 8.

From Canadian Living

You won’t miss the meat in this vegetarian chili recipe from the Globe and Mail. Roast or air fry the sweet potatoes to add flavour. Sauté onion and peppers, add garlic and cilantro, chili powder and cumin. Add tomatoes, beans, sweet potatoes and water and simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve with your favourite chili toppings.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I used Unico tomatoes and Blue Menu kidney beans.

Veggie chili

Ingredients:

1 medium dark-fleshed sweet potato (or winter squash), peeled and cut into chunks

Canola or other vegetable oil, for cooking

Salt, to taste

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Half-bunch of cilantro (optional)

2-3 tbsp (30-45 ml) chili powder

2 tsp (10 ml) cumin

1 28-oz can (796 ml) tomatoes – whole, diced, chopped or whole in puree

1-2 19 oz (540 ml) cans (or 2-3 cups/500-750 ml cooked) beans, such as kidney, black or chickpeas

Crushed corn chips, avocado, sour cream, chili oil or other condiments, for serving

Preparation:

If you like, roast your sweet potato first to give it a charred flavour by tossing the chunks in oil, spreading them out on a rimmed baking sheet and baking 425 F (218 C) – or roast them in an air fryer – for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are turning golden. (Otherwise you can add it to the pot along with the tomatoes and beans.)

Set a pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the onion, peppers and jalapeno, sprinkling with salt, for about five minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, chop and add the cilantro stems (if you’re using it) and about half of the leaves (save the rest to put on top) along with the chili powder and cumin and cook for another minute or two.

Add the tomatoes, beans and sweet potato, and about half a can full of water (use either the bean or tomato can), bring to a simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes, until thickened and everything is tender. If you like, cool and refrigerate overnight and reheat as needed. Serve topped with any condiments you like. Serves 8.

From the Globe and Mail