roasted carrot & broccoli quinoa

back on my quinoa kick… toasted with some vibrant veggies!

this is a simple way to repurpose leftover apple-glazed roasted carrots and use up that extra broccoli that’s been sitting in the crisper in your fridge. oh yeah, and quinoa is a fantastic way to add a little fiber boost to a dish.

prep veggies:
- chop leftover roasted carrots into thin sticks
- cut broccoli into small florets

the quinoa:
- bring to a boil: 1 cup (250mL) organic quinoa & 2 cups water in a small pot (no cover)
- then reduce to simmer, cover pot and cook until the water is absorbed into the grains (approx 10-12 min). it’s ready when the grain is translucent.
- allow to cool, then fluff with a fork

the stirfry:
while the quinoa is cooking, start stirfrying the veggies.
- add broccoli florets to a large wok on medium heat
- add 1/4 cup water to wok and blanch broccoli until it turns a vibrant green and slightly tender
- heat up 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil in a large wok
- add 1/4 white onion (peeled, rough chop) to wok

- add a dash of sea salt
- add chopped carrots to wok
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- stirfry for a few minutes until veggies are warmed up
- add 1.5 cups cooked quinoa and toss with veggies in wok, until quinoa is slightly toasted

turkey & split pea soup

turkey foodcoma? figuring out what to do with all that leftover turkey from thanksgiving dindins? here’s an easypeasy slowcooker recipe that will have you coming back for yet another helping of turkey! it’s that good. :)

add some pantry basics and some fresh produce to the turkey leftovers, and you’ve got all the ingredients you need to cook up a hearty turkey & split pea soup. yummers.

slowcook the soup:
add the following ingredients into a medium slowcooker and stir to combine well.
simmer on high heat in the slowcooker for approx 4-4.5 hours.

- 1 large can (approx 800mL) crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup organic baby potatoes (rough chop)
- 1.5 cups organic baby carrots
- leftover turkey meat (with bones)
- 3-4 cups water (divided)
- 1/2 cup fresh italian parsley (finely chopped)
- sprinkle 1 tsp quatre épices (spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves & black pepper)
- dash of sea salt
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- splash of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar

slowcooked bison stew

i spy… bison fingers? well, not really — more like bison ribs, where the meat just falls off the bone in a stew.

so… bison fingers, you ask? well, that’s what the label read on the package of meat from local alberta organic producer, sunworks farm. always on the hunt for new ingredients for my next culinary experiment, i couldn’t help but be intrigued by the ‘bison fingers’ and thought these meaty ribs would make a great addition to a hearty slowcooked stew. perfect for a cozy sunday dinner at home.

slowcook the stew:
add the following ingredients into a medium slowcooker and stir to combine well.
simmer on low heat in the slowcooker for approx 8 hours.

- 1 large can (approx 800mL) crushed tomatoes
- 1.5 cups organic baby carrots
- 1.5 cups organic potatoes (rough chop)
- 2 red bell peppers (pitted, sliced into chunks)
- 500g organic bison ‘fingers’ or ribs
- 1 clove garlic (peeled, diced)
- 1 cup fresh italian parsley
- 4 cups water
- splash of red wine (i used some leftover cabernet sauvignon in this recipe.)
- dash of sea salt
- season w/ ground black peppercorns

at the 6.5 0r 7-hour mark, add the following ingredients:
- 1 cup organic yellow split peas

note: recommend not leaving the slowcooker unattended. you will need to stir ingredients occasionally and lift the slowcooker lid slightly to release steam occasionally during the slowcooking process, so it’s best to stay nearby. be sure to follow the safety instructional manual that came with your particular model of slowcooker.