Lentils, whole grain quinoa, and a vegetable medley team up to make this loaf a fibre powerhouse. Serve it with your favourite salsa.
3/4 cup (180 mL) brown/green or beluga lentils
1/2 cup (125 mL) quinoa
2 tsp (10 mL) vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup (250 mL) cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) pecans, roughly chopped
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup (180 mL) quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup (180 mL) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 cup (250 mL) fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp (15 mL) curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
In medium saucepan, bring lentils and 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered until lentils are tender, about 25 minutes.
In separate small saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup (250 mL) water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
In sauté pan, heat vegetable oil over medium. Add onion, carrot, and mushrooms to the pan and cook until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in red pepper and continue to cook for 3 minutes.
Remove vegetables from pan and toast pecan pieces until browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
In large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well. Transfer mixture to loaf pan and press down until even. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 50 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before unmoulding and slicing.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 461 calories; 21 g protein; 17 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 59 g carbohydrates; 18 g fibre; 116 mg sodium
source: "Load Up on Lentils", alive #336, October 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.