Chicken Broccoli Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. broccoli
  
• 1 lb. chicken breasts
  
• 1 onion
  
• 1 garlic
  
• olive oil for frying
  
• 2 cups thick tomato sauce
  
• fresh basil, minced
  
• fresh oregano, minced
  
• 9 lasagna noodles
  
• 300 grams chevre
  
• 300 grams mozzarella, grated or thinly sliced
  
• freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

Precook lasagna noodles.
Cut broccoli into small florets and steam until nearly tender.
Peel and mince onion and garlic.
Stir fry onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
Dice chicken and add to onion and garlic.
Fry until chicken is lightly browned.
Stir minced herbs into tomato sauce.
Spread 1/3 of tomato mixture over bottom of large lasagna pan.
Cover with a layer of noodles.
Spread 1/3 of tomato mixture over the noodles.
Add half the chicken mixture, half the broccoli and half the chevre.
Follow with another layer of noodles topped with the remaining sauce, chicken, broccoli and chevre.
Cover with the third layer of noodles.
Arrange mozzarella over top of the lasagna.
Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes until mozzarella is golden brown.
Slice and serve, sprinkling freshly grated parmesan over individual portions.

Jambalaya

A little bit of everything adds up to a whole lot of wonderful!



Ingredients:

• 1 garlic
  
• 1 large yellow onion
  
• 1 green bell pepper
  
• 1 red bell pepper
  
• freshly ground black pepper
  
• ground cayenne pepper
  
• ground oregano
  
• 375 g Cajun smoked sausage
  
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  
• 400 ml clam juice
  
• 1/2 pound shrimp
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Mince garlic.
Cut onion into eighths and separate layers.
Remove stems and seeds from bell peppers and cut into bit-sized chunks.
Toss onion, garlic and bell peppers together in a large bowl.
Season vegetables generously with black pepper, cayenne and oregano.


Fry chicken in olive oil until cooked through. At this point, the chicken should be soft enough to cut easily into small pieces with a plastic spatula.

Remove chicken from heat and set aside.

Slice sausage 1/4 inch thick and fry until browned.

Remove cooked sausage from pan, placing between sheets of paper towel to absorb excess fat.

Stir fry seasoned vegetables in olive oil until onion becomes soft and translucent.


Add cooked chicken & sausage to the pan with the vegetables.
Add clam juice and bring stew to a boil.


Continue cooking Jambalya until most of the liquid has evaporated/been absorbed.
Add shrimp during final 6 minutes of cooking.


Serve over hearty whole-grain rice with a side of Garlic & Hot Pepper Corn Bread.

Jalepeño Cheddar Soup

This recipe makes a hearty, delicious, brightly coloured winter soup. The jalepeños give the soup a nice flavour, but are not the hottest peppers available. Add some of your favourite hot sauce or a few habeneros for a spicier soup.



Ingredients:

• 2 x 796 ml tins no salt added tomatoes
  
• 2 red bell peppers
  
• 3 cups carrots
  
• 9 jalepeño peppers
  
• 1-2 yellow onions
  
• 2 heads oven roasted garlic
  
• 1 lb aged cheddar cheese
  
• basil
  
• oregano
  
• olive oil

Directions:

Peel onions and carrots.
Remove seeds and stalks from peppers.
Cut onions, carrots and peppers into large pieces.
Toss with olive oil in a large oven proof dish.

Roast at 400°F for 40 minutes.
Transfer roasted vegetables to a large pan or stock pot.
Add tinned tomatoes and their juices.
Add flesh of oven roasted garlics.
Season generously with basil and oregano.
Stir all ingredients together and heat to a gentle boil.
Simmer until vegetables have softened.
Purée soup in a food processor or blender.
Return puréed soup to the pan.
Finely grate cheddar cheese.
Stir cheese into soup and heat until melted.

Enjoy this soup as a meal on its own, or with a salad or a flavourful bread such as my Ancient Grains Focaccia.

Ancient Grains Focaccia

This hearty and delicious focaccia is fragrant with olive oil and herbs. Omit the feta or substitute a soy-based "cheese" for a vegan alternative.

Best enjoyed still warm from the oven. If you have any leftovers they can be enjoyed the next day, lightly warmed.


Note: The focaccia did originally fill this pan. A good chunk of it got eaten before I had a chance to take a photograph!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons "Quick Rise" instant yeast
  
• 1 1/4 cups very warm water
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 + 1/2 cups white flour
  
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1/2 cup stone ground whole grain amaranth flour
  
• 1/2 cup stone ground whole grain quinoa flour
  
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary + additional for topping
  
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  
• kalamata olives
  
• tomato
  
• onion
  
• feta cheese

Directions:

Combine yeast with 1 cup white flour, sugar and salt.
Stir in very warm (hot to the touch, but not scalding) water.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, whole grain flours, and herbs.
Knead dough for 10 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup additional flour as needed if dough is too sticky. (Dough should be smooth and elastic after kneading.)
Allow dough to rest ten minutes in a warm, draft-free environment.
Coat a 10 x 15 inch baking sheet with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
Gently press dough into baking sheet to fit dimensions of sheet.
Cover with non-stick parchment paper and a tea towel.
Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free environment until doubled in size (approximately 30 minutes).
Pit and chop olives.
Slice tomato.
Slice onion thinly.
Crumble cheese.
Brush surface of dough with final teaspoon of olive oil.
Sprinkle olives, tomato, onion, feta and reserved rosemary over top of dough.
Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.