This wholesome dessert is very simple to prepare and even easier to eat. Plain granola and pecans add crunch, and bananas and almond butter add flavour.
1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
1/3 cup (80 mL) plain granola
2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped pecans
3/4 cup (180 mL) apricot purée
1/4 cup (60 mL) almond butter
1 banana, peeled and mashed
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
Mix flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and granola in large bowl. Mix in pecans, puréed
almond butter, and banana.
Press into oiled 8 x 8 x 2 in (2 L) pan and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool, cut into squares, and serve.
Serves 16.
Each portion contains: 66 calories; 2 g protein; 2 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 11 g carbohydrates; 2 g fibre; 113 mg sodium; 4 g sugars
TIP: To make about 1 cup of apricot purée simply place 1 cup of dried apricots in a small pot and cover with water.
Let pot boil over high heat, then simmer until fruit is tender and most water has been absorbed.
Purée until smooth using a handheld blender.
source: "Diabetes-Friendly Desserts", alive #337, November 2010
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.