Recipe: Cauliflower Soup with Pancetta Hash

Cauliflower Soup with Pancetta Hash

I created this soup the other day and I am quite proud of it. It's also very good with a sprinkle of parmessan cheese. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

1 head of Cauliflower, cut in florets
5 medium White Potatoes, peeled and diced
3 medium stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium cooking onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 Bay leave
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried chili pepper (if you like a bite!)
3 ½ cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 litre water


Pancetta Hash
1/2 cup Pancetta, diced
3 medium potatoes, diced (peel on)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tbsp Olive Oil

Directions

Soup
1. In a 5 to 6-quart saucepot, heat oil on medium until hot.
2. Add celery, carrot and onion, and cook 10 minutes or until tender.
3. Add cauliflower and potatoes and cook for approx. 5 minutes.
4. Stir in chili, thyme, oregano, bay leave, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cook 30 seconds, stirring.
5. Add broth and water to saucepot; cover and heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2-3 hours (the longer, the better!)
6. In batches, ladle mixture into blender (remember to remove the bay leave). With center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape, blend mixture until pureed (you can also use a hand blender - but be careful as the mixture is hot!). Return all soup to saucepot and heat through.
7. Garnish each serving with a heaping tablespoon of Pancetta Hash (see below). 

Makes approx 8 1/2 cups. 

Pancetta Hash
1. In a small saucepot bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add diced potatoes and cook until tender.
3. In a frying pan, heat oil on medium until hot.
4. Add pancetta and garlic, and cook until garlic is golden brown.
5. Add potatoes and seasoning, and cook until potatoes are crisp. 
6. Remove garlic.
7. Garnish each serving of soup with a heaping tablespoon.

The photo in this post belongs to Melissa Macchione.
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New Year, New You: Baby Steps

So you've started your New Year's health resolution. How's that going for you?  Many people I have spoken to have already fallen off the wagon and it's only 6 days into the new year. Why is that? I think it's because their goals were unrealistic. If you are one of those people who've already said good-bye to their resolution to eat better or to go to the gym everyday, perhaps you should read my post: New Year, New You: Tips on Setting Goals 

After ready New Year, New You: Tips on Setting Goals I encourage you to re-write your New Year's health resolution using my tips.

Now that you have your new New Year's health resolutions I want you to start each resolution at a pace you can keep up with. Think of this before you start. A baby doesn't learn how to walk overnight. He takes a serious of steps to get to the end result, walking.

Step 1- Holding his head up.
Step 2 - Sitting up on his own.
Step 3 - Pulling himself up.
Step 4 - Assisted walking.
Step 5 (End Result) - Walking on his own.

If your New Year's health resolution is to Eat Better  here are a few baby steps that apply to most people who are currently eating an average North American diet.

Step 1 - Avoid congesting foods (fatty meats, bad fats, refined flours, refined sugar, dairy)
Step 2 - Eat a diet rich in non-glutenous whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh pressed juice, fresh spring water, raw nuts and seeds.
Step 3 - Replace animal products at dinner at least 2 times per week with alternative protein sources such as legumes, grains, greens, sprouts, nuts and seeds.
Step 4 - Eliminate or at least cut down on caffeine, alcohol, recreational drugs and tobacco.
Step 5 - Eat in a calm and relaxed state, chew food thoroughly, keep meals simple and avoid overeating.

It’s inevitable that you will have a minor or major setback along your journey. A baby doesn't walk perfectly without have a few tumbles. They may cry but they always get up and start where they left off. You can learn a lot from them. After all we were once in their shoes, weren't we and we are doing just fine now walking on our own. A couple of chocolate cookies in the big scheme of things won’t ruin your entire weight loss goal. It may set you back a bit and you’ll probably feel guilty about it, but that’s it. Relax. My advice to my clients: Take a deep breath, brush it off your shoulder and move on. Learn from each lapse and come up with a strategy to work around it next time.

You may also find these articles I wrote helpful:

New Year, New You: Tips on Setting Goals
The Un-Diet: Say NO to Dieting in 2014

The information presented here is not intended to replace professional medical care when needed. Consult a qualified healthcare practitioner for disease diagnosis, therapy choice, medicine selection and dosage.

What's for Dinner? Italian Chicken in Envelopes, Quinoa Salad with Beans and Pralines Salad

Italian Chicken in Envelopes

Italian Chicken in Envelopes

What you'll need:

4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts

1 medium cooking Onion, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 large Tomato, chopped 

2 stalks Celery, chopped

1 tsp dried Oregano

10 fresh Basil leaves, cut into ribbons

4 Bay Leaves

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp freshly Ground Black Pepper

What to do:

Cut 4 (10-inch) pieces of aluminum foil; grease with 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Place Chicken Breast in center of each piece of foil.

Combine: onion, garlic, tomatoes, celery, olive oil, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Mix well. 

Spoon mixture over each Chicken Breast.

Add one Bay Leave to each envelope.

Fold foil into neat sealed envelopes.

Place on cookie sheet.

 Bake at 425F for 40 minutes

Serves 4 (you can serve from envelopes!)

Quinoa Salad with Beans

Quinoa Salad with Beans

What you'll need:

 1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Water

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 cup Green Beans, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces

 1 can Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained

 2 Green Onions, finely chopped

1/2 English Cucumber, diced

2 Tbsp fresh Italian Parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar

3 Tbsp. fresh Lemon Juice

How to cook Quinoa:

In a saucepan bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup Quinoa, bring back to a boil, cover, cook over medium heat for 12 minutes or until Quinoa has absorbed all the water. Remove from heat, fluff with fork, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Yields about 4 cups.

The Salad:

Steam Green Beans for 2 minutes. Soak in ice water bath and drain well. Set aside.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large salad bowl or casserole dish with lid (I use this....no clean-up involved. Leftovers straight into refrigerator)

Refrigerate salad for 1 hour before serving.

Serves 4 (leftovers can be kept in refrigerator for 3 days! Hello, lunch!)

Pralines Salad

What you'll need:

1 cup Stevia

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Sweet Paprika

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 Tbsp Sunflower Oil

1 cup Whole Raw Pecans

To make the Pralines:

Combine: 1/2 cup of the sugar, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Heat sunflower oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat. Stir in pecans and remaining 1/2 cup sugar.

Continue to saute, stirring frequently until the sugar has caramelized and the pecans turn golden brown.

Remove from heat and toss the pecans in the spice mixture until completely covered. 

Sift pecans with hand strainer.

Turn onto baking sheet to cool.

You can serve the nuts warm or store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. 

To make the Salad:

Combine:

8 cups combination of Leafy Green Lettuce, Kale, Spinach and Arugula

1 cup sliced fresh Strawberries

1 small Red Onion, finely sliced

1/2 cup soft Goat Cheese, crumbled

1 cup Pralines (see above recipe)

Dressing:

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp Honey or Agave Nectar

Salt and Pepper to taste