Quinoa and black beans team up to make this dish a fibre powerhouse. Blending some of the cooked soup produces a thicker, heartier texture. You can find smoky-tasting canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Latin section of many grocers. But you could use dried ancho or chipotle chile powder if desired.
1 Tbsp (15 mL) grapeseed or extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup (160 mL) uncooked quinoa
3 cups (750 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
2 - 14 oz (396 mL) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp (10 ml) minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 tsp (5 mL) cumin
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded white cheddar cheese
1/3 cup (80 mL) chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and quinoa and toast quinoa until slightly fragrant, about 4 minutes.
Add broth, black beans, chipotle pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 13 minutes. Stir in lime juice.
Remove half the soup, and carefully purée in food processor or blender until smooth. Return to pan and heat 2 minutes. Divide among serving bowls and garnish with cheese and cilantro.
Serves 6.
Each serving contains: 327 calories; 17 g protein; 7.5 g total fat (2.5 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 49 g total carbohydrates (2 g sugars, 14 g fibre); 251 mg sodium
source: "Crazy about Quinoa", alive #363, January 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.