"winterize your diet"

I have never been one to actually make recipes out of magazines, but when I was flipping through my Natural Health magazine a couple weeks ago the pictures from the "Winterize your diet" section instantly captured my attention. Looking at the ingredients I realized that we did not have one of them - so Andrew and I whisked off to the grocery store about ten minutes later to buy ingredients for the three best looking recipes. We have now made three of the six recipes and they have all been amazing.



New Year's Soup
Prep: 15 min Cook: 45 min Serves 6

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablesppon extra virgin olive oil
3 carrots, cut into 1/8" rounds (about 2 cups)
3 parsnips, cut into 1/8" rounds (about 1 cup)
1 bunch collard greens, stems removed
3 cups cooked black eyed peas (*peas take about 1-2 hours to cook!!)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
4 cups vegetable stock (I think it would be better with chicken stock)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. In soup pot or large Dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil 3 minutes or until soft. Add carrots and parsnips and saute 3 minutes

2. chop collard greens into bite-size pieces and add to pot along with black eyed peas and oregano. Add vegetable stock, bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in apple cider vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve.




French Lentils with Roasted Roots, Caramelized Onions and Thyme
Prep: 20 min Cook: 1 hour Serves 6

1 rutabaga, peeled and diced
1 celeriac (celery root), peeled and diced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 cup dry French lentils
3 cups vegetable stock or water
Sea salt
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 large red onion, diced
4 cups mushrooms (variety of choice, about 1 pound), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
Fresh parsley chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit
2. Place rutabega and celeriac in 8-by8-inch baking dish, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and roast 20 minutes. Remove from oven and toss. Return to oven and roast an additional 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. While vegetables are roasting, rince lentils and place in pot with vegetable stock and a pinch of salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon oila nd 1 tablespoon lemon juice and set aside.
4. In large skillet over medium heat, saute onion in remaining olive oil until it starts to brown (5-7 min) Then add mushrooms and mirin. Add remaining 3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 tablespoon at a time) to deglaze pan and caramelize vegetables. Add thyme and saute 2 minutes longer for a total saute time of 12-14 min. Fold in lentils and roasted vegetables and saute to heat through. Season to taste with salt, toss with parsley and serve.



Sweet Root Casserole with Dried Fruit
Prep: 30 min Cook: 1 hour 15 min Serves 8

2 medium sweet potatoes
6 parsnips (2 cups)
5 carrots
1 small yellow onion, sliced into wedges
10 pitted prunes, halved
1/2 cup unsweetened dried cherries (we used dried cranberries)
1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder (can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoon corn starch)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Zest of one lemon, coarsely chopped
Sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Peel and chop sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots into 1-inch chunks and place in 9-by-13-inch casserole. Add onion, prunes, cherries and ginger and toss.
3. In separate bowl, combine orange juice, maple syrup, lime juice, arrowroot, nutmeg, lemon zest ande salt. Whisk to combine ingredients and pour evenly over vegetables
4. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil and baste. Return uncovered casserole to oven and bake another 15 minutes. Toss vegetables and bake a final 15 minutes. Remove from oven, toss to re coat with sauce, and serve.


Pictures from Natural Health Magazine