This is a twist on the usual bowl of pasta for dinner. The sauce is made with coconut milk and almond butter, so while it’s über creamy, there isn’t any dairy. Substitute wheat pasta with brown rice or quinoa noodles if you want a gluten-free option (make sure your soy sauce is wheat-free, if that’s the case).
1 lb (450 g) whole wheat penne or spaghetti
1 head broccoli florets
14 oz (400 mL) can light coconut milk
1/4 cup (60 mL) almond butter
3 Tbsp (45 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp (10 mL) grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried chili flakes
1 cup (250 mL) chopped cilantro or shredded basil
In large pot, boil pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets into small pieces. Add to boiling pasta for last 1 minute of cooking.
While pasta is cooking, place coconut milk, almond butter, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and chili flakes in blender. Whirl to purée. Pour into large, wide frying pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and gently simmer until sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes.
Drain pasta and broccoli. Add to frying pan along with cilantro. Stir to coat noodles with sauce. Spoon into bowls and serve.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 354 calories; 15 g protein; 14 g total fat (5 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 49 g total carbohydrates (4 g sugars, 10 g fibre); 481 mg sodium
source: "30 Minute Meals", alive #371, September 2013
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.