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Our January ‘Nourish Yourself’ has been a huge hit among Vegans, Vegetarians and veggie loving meat eaters. The portion sizes we have been serving are identical to our regular meals, but the difference is that 2 out of 3 days, we are substituting animal protein with nutrient dense vegetable options.

 

For years, the Red Apron has been trying to ‘encourage’ our clients to eat more vegetables and less meat. We are not vegetarians ourselves, but believe that reducing our consumption of animal proteins is both good for our health and the planet. This thinking has not been wholeheartedly embraced by our meat loving customers in the past, although this year we seem to be winning a few more people over.

However, I think it’s important that all of our customers understand some of the challenges we face in moving this goal forward. First, regardless of how popular a vegetarian or vegan menu is, it is never as popular as our meat based meals. In fact, on average we see 50 to 75 people fewer people sign up for each vegan of vegetarian ‘Dinner to your Door’ Menu than those with meat. As you can imagine, this takes it’s toll on our bottom line. Additionally, we see that the meatless meals are being enjoyed by meat eaters looking to expand their vegetable intake, but we don’t see a lot of vegans and vegetarians step up to order these meals. Often their commitment to being vegetarian/vegan is combined with other food intolerances, allergies, and preferences.

With all this in mind, we have decided to carry on with at least one Vegan or Vegetarian dish each week, rotating it around the days on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Over the next few months we will evaluate the feedback and the numbers and hopefully we will the interest in those meals continue to grow. So please, tell your vegan and vegetarian friends to check out those menus online!

We want to remind all of our customers that we have a large, and growing selection of Vegan and Vegetarian meals in our retail store. These items can be added to your deliveries on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

There are many ways to squeeze more veggies into your diet each day:

Make a vegetable soup! Most of our soups are vegetarian or vegan, and many of them are pureed. They are super popular, especially with people who have young kids. It seems that a kid who would not eat a vegetable unless forced, would happily slurp up a creamy cauliflower and potato soup without blinking. Chunky soups make a delicious and hearty dinner, served with warm bread and butter or olive oil. They also provide you an opportunity to use bone broths which are extremely good for your skin, bones and hair.

Blend veggies into a smoothie! A fruit based smoothie can be made more delicious and nutritions by adding a veggie or two. Beets are nutritious and add beautiful colour. A handful of spinach or kale can make a smoothie vibrantly green and nutritious.

Start every meal with a salad! Make a small green salad and load it up with other vegetables to enjoy before your meal. For young children, put a plate of carrots, snap peas, radishes, and cucumbers out before dinner so they can snack on vegetables. Then you don’t have to argue over whether they eat veggies on their plate. I did this often when my kids were young, and I was always surprised by how many vegetables a ‘hangry’ kid will eat.

Build a Bowl! We have a new cookbook in house from America’s Test Kitchen called ‘Bowls – vibrant recipes with endless possibilities. It’s available in our retail store and it’s full of veg-forward ideas to build a bowl. It’s a beautiful and creative book that will get you enjoying vegetables in many different ways, and with every meal, including breakfast. Here is a photo of my breakfast bowl, which was vegan chili, served over sweet potato, with a poached egg and avocado on top.

This week I am sharing a few recipes for soups that are easy and adaptable.

Potato & Leek Soup

Note: The basic recipe is very versatile, and you can easily adapt this recipe to accommodate different vegetables. Some examples are Butternut & Fennel, Carrot & Ginger, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Jerusalem Artichoke etc.. If you want to add some depth of flavour, the root vegetables can be roasted beforehand.

Ingredients:

Olive oil or canola oil

1 medium

white onion, diced

2 cloves

garlic, minced

3 pounds

potatoes (preferably organic)

3 – 4 large

leeks

1 cup

white wine

4 cups

vegetable chicken stock

1 pinch

thyme

1 cup

whipping cream

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel and chop potatoes into 1 inch pieces.

Wash and slice leeks. Sometimes with leeks it is easiest to slice them up and then rinse them in a colander, as they can get quite a bit of dirt wedged in between the layers. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add leeks and sauté until tender. Deglaze with white wine and cook until wine is almost evaporated. Add potatoes and stock. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Add cream and remove from heat and cool. Blend in batches in a blender until smooth. Add more water/stock if necessary to achieve the desired consistency. Re-heat until warmed through and serve.

White Bean, Kale & Potato Soup

Olive oil

1 medium

onion, diced

2 cloves

of garlic, peeled & minced

1 can

organic white beans (rinsed & drained)

1 bunch

of kale (rough chopped)

3 medium

potatoes (peeled, cubed & cooked until tender)

1 liter

chicken or vegetable stock

Juice from can of tomatoes (1 can of tomatoes will be used in 3 recipes)

Fresh time & oregano (1 tablespoon each, chopped)

Sauté onions & garlic in soup pot in 2 tablespoons of oil. Add kale and cook until wilted. Remove from pan. Put white beans, potatoes, stock, tomatoes and juice in the soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add herbs and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add back kale & onion mixture and test for seasoning. Add salt to taste and serve.

This meal would be best served with crusty bread. The soup can be garnished with fresh chopped parsley and grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar).

We are entering the third of our four week January tradition of focusing on ways to Nourish mind, body and soul. Our veg-forward menu featuring weekly vegetarian and vegan meals has been a tremendous success. Here is some of the feedback we have received:

We’re REALLY loving the menu this month and the vegan/veggie options in particular. ! Thanks for the diversity, the always great food and service! ‘
— Kevin

Just wanted to let you know that I LOVE the Nourish Menu! The dinners are not only finger-licking good but I feel healthy and light after! Thanks! I’m looking forward to trying more of your Nourish recipes 🙂
— Sarah

‘We really enjoyed last night’s dinner. I have to say that you won me over with your vegetarian or vegan meals in the last few months. When I ordered sporadically, I was one of those people who usually chose the dinners that included meat, but I’ve been delighted with so many meals that I probably wouldn’t have chosen in the first place, including the vegan ones. Now, I’m thrilled to see that vegan dinners and I can’t wait to taste all of them. Thank you for all hard work you put into making such flavourful meals.’
— Jacynthe

As we move through this month of self care, I wanted to share some suggestions on how we might be able to Nourish our spirits, especially during a month of cold and snow.

Take a few moments throughout the day to enjoy a few deep breaths. Often the stress of the day can cause us to breathe shallowly, and reminding yourself to breathe can often calm the mind, the nerves, and the stomach.

Stretch, especially when first waking and before getting out of bed. Starting off the day slowly while listening to your body’s needs sets the pace for the day. Throughout the day take small stretch breaks to keep the blood flowing, and the muscles relaxed, especially if you spend most of your day sitting at a desk.

Stop and think before saying YES automatically. Our desire to please others often leads us to agree to take on more than we can manage. It’s ok to say no, especially when your plate is already full.

Laugh often. Find what makes you giggle uncontrollably and do it as often as you can. Watch comedies or hang out with people whose humour you enjoy. The health benefits are too numerous to even mention.

Declutter something – a closet, drawer or cupboard. Organizing something makes us feel good every time we go back to that place.

Call and speak to people you love or miss. Although we are more connected than ever, we often don’t take the time to settle into a good phone conversation and catch up with an old friend or family member.

Let things go. We all carry around our ‘hurts’ and at some point it’s important to let it go. Forgive, forget, and move on. If you need help, then create a ritual for letting go. Make space in your heart and soul for letting the good things in by cleaning out the garbage that you have been carrying around for way too long!

There are only two weeks left to jump on the Nourish Yourself bandwagon and enjoy these delicious meals.

Our recipe this month is a simple vegetarian chili with lots of delicious serving suggestions. We have it on this Wednesday’s menu but you might enjoy it so much you want to make a batch yourself. Vegan Chili is so easy to make because you can literally use any vegetables that you might have on hand or are in season. You can keep it warm in a crock pot which makes it the perfect dish to serve to a crowd after skiing, skating on the canal, or a long winter walk.

Red Apron’s Vegan Chili

Ingredients

1 tablespoon

vegetable oil

1 cup

onions, chopped

¾ cups

carrots, chopped

3 cloves

garlic, minced

1 cup

diced red peppers

1 cup

diced zucchini

1 cup

diced cauliflower

1 large can (28 ounce)

can of diced tomatoes

1 small can

tomato puree

1

chipotle pepper minced (from can) or to taste

1 ½ cups

cooked kidney beans *

1 ½ cups

cooked black beans *

1 tablespoon

chili powder

1 tablespoon

ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons

dried oregano

Note: other optional vegetables include mushrooms, spinach, diced butternut or sweet potatoes, corn kernels, etc.

*Note: we use organic dried beans and soak overnight and cook till tender. They can be kept in the freezer portioned out in small bags to use. However, in a pinch you can use a good quality low salt canned bean, preferably organic.

Directions

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Saute the onions, carrots and garlic until tender. Add the remaining vegetables, and seasonings. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the tomatoes and beans. Test for flavor. If you like it spicy you can add cayenne pepper at this point. Salt to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Serving Suggestions

Set up a ‘serve yourself’ chili bar with a variety of toppings and garnishes. My list includes:

Baked sweet potato or white potato – spoon the chili over the potato and garnish for an extra hearty meal!

• Chopped green onions
• Chopped cilantro
• Sour cream or vegan coconut yogurt
• Shredded cheddar cheese or vegan cheese
• Crumbled corn tortilla chips
• Pumpkin seeds
• Guacamole or diced avocado
• Diced spicy sausage to satisfy the meat lovers in your party
• Hot dogs in buns – ladle your chili over the dog and you have chili-dogs
• Lime wedges

This month at the Red Apron we are celebrating the New Year with a month long celebration of Nourishing Meals that are veg-forward, nutrient dense, and featuring one Vegan and one Vegetarian meal each week!

There are so many ways to Nourish your body beyond food. Head to the spa for an evening, or a weekend and pamper yourself as the seasons change. Just 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa you can visit Le Nordik to relax and unwind. This is a popular destination and you have to call ahead to make a reservation.

Just outside of town in the other direction you can spend a night or two at the Strathmere Retreat. I visited recently for a night with my mom and was so impressed with their food and services. It’s the perfect little getaway.

If you are willing to drive a little farther, you can visit Ste. Anne’s Spa in Haldimand Hills and truly be pampered. Now that their wedding season is over, these venues will be offering specials to entice you to visit.

Resting, disconnecting and sleeping are all great ways to Nourish Yourself. Sometimes we just need a little break from the hustle and bustle and a stay-cation or a few days away somewhere quiet will do the trick.

The New Year is a good time to consider learning something new! Attend a workshop or a class, not for work or career advancement necessarily. Nourish your brain by learning something that truly interests you. Supply and Demand on Wellington offers pasta making classes which is a fun way to spend an evening while learning something new. The Urban Element on Parkdale has a whole schedule of classes on their website. C’est Bon Cooking School offers classes and foodie tours around Ottawa.

We often get obsessed about diet and exercise in the New Year, but there are ways to move your body that are lots of fun. Find a big toboggan hill in Ottawa and become a kid again. Aside from all that exercise you will get trudging back up the hill, there is nothing more thrilling than barrelling down the hill at full speed! Take a dance class. There are so many options ranging from ballroom, to pole dancing, to salsa. Dancing always make me feel joyful, and I look for every opportunity I can find to dance.

Speaking of Joy, we have a new cookbook in the Retail Store from Joy McCarthy, bestselling author and creator of Joyous Health. If you follow the link to her blog you can find the recipe for her delicious Creamy & Dreamy Kale Salad.

The holiday break has given me a bit of time to cook for my family – something I don’t often have time to do! I love to cook, especially when I am not in a rush to get a meal on the table. That’s why I love the Red Apron Dinners. I don’t have to worry about shopping, prepping and cooking. I get to just re-warm and enjoy a Nourishing Meal made from scratch.

But when I do have time to cook, I go all out,  and this past week we made pasta – from scratch. We find this to be a fun, family activity, and afternoon spent making pasta can provide simple meals for other occasions if you make enough to enjoy now, and freeze for later. I received Evan Funk’s American Sfoglino as a Christmas Present and it’s a beautiful book which I would highly recommend. I like how he lays out the recipes, with the pasta recipes at the front, and the sauce recipes in chapters.

Our old Atlas 150 Pasta machine I picked up at CA Paradis years ago still does a great job, but we are also practicing hand rolling and hand shaping pasta, which is a bit more of a challenge, and in some cases requires some tools that not everyone would have in their kitchen.

The recipe I want to share with you this week is for the Ricotta Gnocchi – a dish that I enjoyed often when visiting Italy this past summer. For the Bolognese I am sharing a link to one of Evan’s own recipes, but I will warn you – it’s fantastic and will require a lot of time and equipment including a meat grinder! You can use my recipe, which is quite simple, but not nearly as spectacular.

Lately I have been using fresh milled local flours from Almanac Grains – available at the Ottawa Farmer’s Market. Their 00 Durham, mixed with a small amount of Semolina, seems to be the perfect pasta flour.

Ricotta Gnocchi

400 grams

ricotta (I suggest letting it sit in a strain for at least an hour to drain off any excess water)

3

eggs beaten

1/2 cup

finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons

salt

5 grates

fresh nutmeg

1 1/4 cup

flour (you will probably need more)

semolina flour for dusting

Pulse the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, salt & nutmeg in a food processor or whisk until smooth. Pour the flour onto a clean work surface and make a whole in the middle. Using a bench scraper, combine the flour and wet ingredients, folding and cutting until incorporated. At this point you may need to add more flour. You want to fold and knead the flour for a few minutes until combined, soft and not too sticky. Form into a ball and dust the surface with a good amount of semolina flour, place the dough on the dusted surface, and cover for an hour to rest.

Flatten out the dough into a square about 1/2 inch thick and dust (generously) with more semolina. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into 1/2 inch strips. Then cut into 1/2 inch squares. Toss the little squares in a bowl with more semolina until fully quoted and carefully remove them to a parchment lined baking sheet. When you are finished, I suggest you put them into the freezer to firm up until you are ready to eat.

These can be frozen and bagged for later use.

Boil the gnocchi in salted water for about 2 1/2 minutes – testing one to make sure it’s cooked through. They will float to the surface when cooked, but frozen gnocchi might take another minute to fully cook through. Remove with a slotted spoon or skimmer and put them directly into your heated sauce in a saucepan on medium high heat for 1-2 minutes, then serve immediately with fresh parmesan.

Happy New Year!

The New Year presents us with an opportunity to reflect – on our careers, our health and our family –  and set our intentions for the coming year. What are the major goals we want to set for ourselves this year? What small changes do we feel we are capable of making to improve our life. How are we going to take better care of ourselves and those around us in 2020?

Many of us struggle to treat ourselves with kindness and I believe that our resolutions and intentions should reflect kindness, to ourselves especially. It’s easy to say ‘I resolve to lose 20 pounds’ this year and then be self-critical when we find it a difficult goal. It would be much kinder to say ‘I intend to fill my beautiful body with more delicious and nutritious vegetables every day’. The end result could be the same.

The vegan and vegetarian trend is strong and there can be a lot of pressure on meat eaters to conform. However, there are still many very ethical farmers out there producing ‘clean’ meat, free of hormones and antibiotics. They care about their land and their animals and often focus their efforts on raising heritage breeds, which themselves are endangered creatures. We can resolve to eat less meat for our health and the environment, and be careful to only support trusted and local sources. This is a resolution I have been practicing for many years in our home and our business.

In this time of concern for the climate, there are many ways we can reduce our impact. Resolve to bring your own shopping bags, and purchase items that are packaged in fully recyclable containers, or not packaged at all. Become familiar with our City’s blue and black box program and be clear on what goes in these bins.  At the Red Apron we are working to ensure that all of our packaging can be either re-used, composted or goes into the blue, black or green bin in the City of Ottawa. A significant amount of our packaging is made in Canada, and made from 100% recycled materials. More and more of our packaging is made from plants and compostable.

Often our resolutions involve serious commitments to fitness and exercise. That’s wonderful if it works for you, and all of us could benefit from more movement. Maybe there are other opportunities to increase movement in ways that speak more to your heart and soul? I love to dance, so look I for opportunities to go dancing any time I can. My business partner takes couples dance classes each week at Fred Astaire. You can go Salsa Dancing every week at Rahim’s Salsa on Elgin. If dancing isn’t your thing, then walk more, take a yoga class, or swim!

One of my most important resolutions that I try to practice each day is expressing gratitude. Like everyone, I experience struggles, challenges, set-backs, frustrations and loss. It’s part of life, and the older we get the more opportunity we have to experience these things. However, I am very focused on the things in my life that cause me joy and I try to show appreciation for these gifts every day. I communicate my appreciation and gratitude verbally to those I love, and work with, and I am very aware of how fortunate I am. Some people find a gratitude journal is very helpful, and others count their blessings each morning or night before bed. Being grateful has made a huge difference in my life and it has honestly changed the person I am.

One really important personal resolution I have made is to try to spend more time outside, and surrounded by nature, especially trees. A forest walk can have huge physical, mental and health benefits that we are only recently able to quantify. Exposure to forests and trees has been proven to boost the immune system lower blood pressure and stress, improve your mood and increase your ability to focus. It can accelerate recovery from illness and increase energy levels while helping to improve sleep. Talk about drug free cure for what ails you!

This January, the Red Apron will be Nourishing our customers with a month of meals that are designed to boost your immune system, increase your vegetable consumption, reduce your meat consumption, and introduce new colours and flavours into your diet. Our ‘Nourish Yourself’ menu features a weekly vegetarian and a weekly vegan meal, and is posted on our website.

This month I wanted to share easy ideas for Taco Meals. I love tacos and find them to be a very simple way to eat a nutritious breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you keep your freezer stocked with a package of corn or wheat flour tortillas, you can execute a delicious meal in very short order using mostly leftovers in your fridge. This type of meal is extremely popular with young kids too, and allows them to participate in making some of their food choices.

Breakfast Taco Ideas

I like to lay out a buffet of small plates, with a pile of warm taco shells and some, or all of the following ingredients:

• Scrambled eggs
• Black beans – warmed in a bowl with a sprinkle of cumin and a drizzle of olive oil
• Bacon or thick sliced pork belly
• Grated cheddar cheese
• Sliced ripe avocado or leftover guacamole
• Diced tomatoes or a tomato salsa
• Warmed taco shells, 2-3 per person

Lunch or Dinner Taco Ideas

We often serve tacos on the Red Apron menu and the varieties are endless. We have done duck, pork belly, fish, chicken, beef and vegetarian versions. Here are my suggestions on how to build an amazing taco buffet:

In the taco

• Protein of your choice – this could be any leftovers from a previous dinner
• Cheese – we like cheddar, goat cheese, or Monterey Jack
• Salsa – this could be a store-bought variety, or one you make yourself
• Slaw – slaw makes a great taco garnish, and any combination of shredded vegetables tossed in a spicey vinaigrette will do!
• Guacamole – easy to make with ripe avocado, diced tomatoes, lemon or lime juice & salt
• Beans – any variety, including re-fried – our southwestern salad (pictured above) is the perfect taco filling
• Hot Sauce
• Corn or wheat flour tortillas

On the side

Tacos are generally a complete meal all on their own, but there are a variety of items that make great sides for a taco meal.

• Rice or rice with beans
• Oven roasted sweet potatoes with chili and sea salt
• Refried beans
• Corn, or corn on the cob, depending on the time of year

Every holiday season presents the same challenges.  How to get through a typically very busy time of year with school, work, extracarricular activities, while at the same time preparing for the holidays which undoubtedly will involve entertaining friends, family & loved ones.  Depending on your approach to the season, your schedule may also include a healthy dose of gift shopping and wrapping.

If you are looking for some creative entertaining ideas, consider the following;

Order a smoked fish or shucked oyster platter from one of our wonderful fishmongers in the region. Pelican Seafood Market & Grill, and the Whalesbone on Kent  assemble a smoked fish platter that will impress your guests.  Paired with a bag of fresh bagels from Kettlemans, or some assorted artisanal breads from True Loaf Bakery, and you are ready to face any holiday brunch or cocktail.

Get out your slow cooker! You can load it up in the morning and come home to a meal that is ready to serve.  We have included an easy slow cooker recipe that will feed a small crowd or would be great to bring to a pot luck.

Mix up a batch of scones and freeze them unbaked for later use. (See recipe below). They are excellent for Christmas morning when you are opening presents and don’t want to cook breakfast.  Smear on some lovely spreadable goat cheese and your favourite jam. We sell both in our retail store!

Many of our local grocery stores will make up a fruit platter, cheese platter or vegetable platter for you on relatively short notice. This provides easy ‘fillers’ for your appetizer or buffet table and a healthy, kid-friendly options.

Host a pot luck. If you pick a theme and guide your guests towards solutions that are going to work well together, then your event/party will be that much more cohesive. For example, maybe you tackle the roast beef with gravy, and ask one person to bring a simple appetizer, one to bring the mashed potatoes, one to bring a vegetable medley and one to bring dessert.

Visit our retail store and stock up on our selection of Red Apron Holiday Appetizers, which included our delicious flatbreads, dips, spreads, selection of cheeses & charcuterie, pretzel bites with beer cheese, potato cheese poppers, sweet & sour meatballs, and so much more!

Remember to take some time out of your busy December schedule to take a walk to Parliament Hill to enjoy the lights.  Each year, Canada’s Capital Region glows with thousands of holiday lights during Christmas Lights Across Canada. Each night from dusk you can enjoy a beautiful show projected on to the Parliament buildings. Remember to bundle up!

Dried Fruit Scones

Ingredients

3/4 cup

well-shaken buttermilk

1/4 cup

pure maple syrup

1/2 cup

plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

3 1/2 cups

all-purpose flour

3/4 cup

sugar

1 teaspoon

salt

1 teaspoon

baking powder

1/2 teaspoon

baking soda

2 sticks (1 cup)

unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 lb

dried figs, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) – you can substitute dried cranberries, currants or any dried fruit combination.

2

large egg yolks

Directions

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.

Whisk together buttermilk, syrup, and 1/2 cup cream in a small bowl. Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment at low speed, (or whisk in a large bowl) until combined. Add butter and mix (or blend with your fingertips or in a pastry blender) until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Mix in the dried fruit, then add buttermilk mixture and mix until just combined. (Do not over-mix.)

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and drop 10 (1/4-cup) mounds of batter onto each sheet, leaving 1 inch between mounds. Scones can be made larger or smaller and I like to use my ice-cream scoop to measure and drop the dough.

Whisk together yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons cream, then brush over tops of scones.  Bake, switching position of baking sheets halfway through baking, until scones are puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes total. Transfer to a baking rack and cool enough to handle.  Scone batter can be mixed a few hours ahead of time or frozen on a baking sheet and then bagged in an airtight bag.  They can be baked from frozen but will take a bit more time.  Use a toothpick to test for doneness

White Bean Cassoulet

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon

olive oil

1

large onion, finely chopped

4

chicken thighs, bone in

2

pork sausages, cut in half or thirds

4 oz

double smoked bacon, diced

3

cloves garlic, minced

2

carrots, peeled & diced

1 teaspoon

dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon

black pepper

1 tablespoons

tomato paste

3 cups

chicken stock or water

1 1/2 cups

white (great northern) beans, soaked overnight and drained

3 tablespoons

minced fresh parsley

To Prepare:

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion to hot oil; cook and stir until onion is tender, about 4 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme, salt & pepper. Remove from pan.  Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove.  Brown Sausage on all sides.  Remove. Sauté diced bacon.  Transfer all ingredients to the slow cooker and add tomato paste, chicken stock or water and beans.  Make sure the beans are completely covered with the liquid.  Stir until combined.  Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours.  Test beans for doneness. Before serving, garnish with chopped parsley and home made croutons.

In our business we try to support local growers and producers as much as possible, and work to keep our dollars in our community. When shopping for the holidays I try to apply those same values. In the spirit of a happier, more ethical and local holiday season, here are some of tips you might find helpful.

I try to shop local where possible. Each dollar you spend at an independent business returns 3 times more money to your local economy than one spent at a chain store, and makes a lasting impact on the prosperity of local residents. Independent businesses employ more people per dollar of revenue and use the services of other local businesses  (accountants, doctors, farmers, lawyers, designers, developers, printers, etc.).

I talk to the shop owners directly. Your shop owner and their team should be able to tell you what their position is on sourcing brands and products for their shelves. Are they selling fair trade, sweatshop free, organic or local products?  For example, in a recent conversation with a new business in our community – The Stomping Ground– I discovered that the owner makes significant efforts to ensure his products are fair trade and many of his brands are also organic. His ability to articulate the  values he adheres to when sourcing new products, which convinced me that I could feel comfortable shopping in his store.

In that spirit you can ‘shop local’ at the Ottawa Farmer’s Market at Lansdowne this Saturday & Sunday  from 9am-3pm (December 21 & 22).The Christmas market goes beyond food stuffs and showcases knitters, weavers, crafters, soap & jewelry makers, just to name a few. Visit their website for details and a list of vendors.

Re-gift, make by hand or re-purpose. I am not a super crafty person and don’t own any fancy tools or equipment, but I can cook and bake.  I am also not opposed to re-gifting items that I know I can’t use (but please don’t tell my mother).  I also have a few simple and creative ideas for turning something old into something beautiful.

A few years ago I took a tarnished silver cream & sugar set, planted them up with succulents, and gifted them to a friend. They were so beautiful, I almost hated to part with them.  This year I poured vodka over some vanilla beans in a beautiful bottle I had saved. In 6 months my recipient will have vanilla extract.  If they can’t wait that long, they can make some crafty vanilla infused cocktails.

I am sharing recipes that are great for breakfast/brunch and both can actually be made the night before and popped into the oven first thing in the morning.

Christmas Morning Frittata

2 teaspoons

olive oil

1 small

onion or green onion, chopped

2 large handfuls

fresh spinach, chopped

8

whole eggs

8

sun-dried tomato halves, chopped

1/2 cup

crumbled feta or chevre

2 tablespoons

chopped fresh basil

or

1 tablespoon

pesto

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook onions until soft but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Lightly whisk eggs in a bowl and season with salt & pepper.   Oil the bottom of a baking dish and cover sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, basil, spinach mixture. Pour over the filling mixture and bake until firm in the center – approximately 20-30 minutes. You can test for doneness by jiggling the dish and if the center appears runny then continue cooking.  Do not overcook as your frittata will continue to cook for a few minutes after it has been removed from the oven.

You can do all these steps the night before right up to the cooking, and keep the frittata in the fridge overnight.  Cooking time may vary if the frittata goes into the oven cold.

Morning Buns

1 ½ cups

milk

1/3 cup

vegetable oil

1/3 cup

sugar

3 1/3 cups

flour

7 gr

yeast (1 package)

½ cup

flour

½ teaspoon

baking soda

1/3 teaspoon

baking powder

½ teaspoon

salt

4 cups

sliced bananas

1 cup

caramel sauce

1 cup

chocolate chips

Warm the milk, oil and sugar until the sugar is disolved and the mixture warm to the touch but not hot.

In a large bowl or stand mixer with a dough hook combine the 3 1/3 cups of flour and yeast and add the warm milk mixture.  Mix until combined.  Let stand for one hour or until doubled in size, covered with a tea towel.

Mix the remaining half cup flour with baking powder, soda and salt and add to the dough mixture.  Knead for 5 minutes until a soft dough comes together.

Mix the bananas, caramel sauce and chocolate chips and set aside.

Roll out the dough to make a rectangle about ½ inch thick.  Spread the banana mixture on top of the rolled dough and then roll the dough up into a log shape.  Slice the log into 1 inch pices and arrange the swirls in a greased 9 x 13 cake pan so they are touching each other.

At this point you can put the pan in the fridge overnight to bake the next morning.  You could also freeze your buns for a couple of weeks and bake from frozen.  Otherwise, put the pan right into a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I have to be honest and say that Black Friday has never sat well with me. The Holiday season, and all the spending that surrounds it, causes me to become a touch anxious. During my childhood, we saw our Christmas tree reflect how our our society was changing. Each year the gifts became more plentiful, and the frenzy of shopping, spending, wrapping and giving became more extreme. Now I have young adult children who are trying to live their lives in ways which reflect their values and priorities, which I must admit, are also a reflection of mine. This image, which came across our Instagram feed, says it all.

A few years ago I sat down with my two adult (or almost adult) sons and we discussed how we wanted to celebrate the holiday season. We saved the traditions that had importance to us. They offered help during the holidays with cooking and planning, in order to ease the burden on me, and we all agreed that presents were not the priority, but time together would be the focus. My extended family has been more of a challenge to convince.

Along the them of more time, less money, I have compiled a few ideas make your Holiday Season less costly, allowing you more time with the people you love.

Replace rampant gift giving with a single gift exchange, secret Santa or Yankee Swap. At our holiday party this past weekend we did a Yankee Swap. Everyone buys one gift, picks one gift, and has a chance to trade (or steal) the gift after they are all unwrapped.

Bake together. My Mother hosts a cookie baking party with her grandchildren each year. She looks forward to this day and it gives the kids, ranging in age from 7 to 30, a chance to interact with each other over a shared project.

Re-gift. We all have something beautiful at home that we once cherished, but no longer need or have a place for. Letting go of the stigma of giving away something you own is difficult, however this might end up being a win-win situation for everyone.

Re-purpose: If you have a creative streak, it might be possible to come up with some wonderful gift ideas. One year I planted succulents in tarnished silver tea service vessels (cream & sugar) and gave them as a funky retro gift. They looked so pretty I wanted to keep them myself.

Opt out. It’s been difficult, but I have informed my family that I want to opt out of the gift giving and participate only in the ‘eat, drink and be merry’ part of the festivities. This was met with initial resistance, and although I have asked not to receive gifts, some members of my family still insist on buying for me. It’s a personal struggle that continues because I find it difficult to show up empty-handed, knowing that others have spent money on me. We are still working it through.

In the spirit of simplifying things, here are a few ideas for gifts you can easily make in large batches, package in decorative containers, and give to almost anyone.

Vanilla Extract

You will need one tall, slim, 8 to 10 oz glass bottle or jar (repurposed is best) and 4 vanilla bean pods. Slice open the beans and put them in the jar. Pour over at least 1 cup of vodka, bourbon, rum or brandy. Close the jar and shake. You can give this gift immediately, add a fancy label, and get creative when selecting the country of origin of the vanilla beans. What’s important is that the recipient not use it for 4-6 months, but shakes it occasionally. Aside from cooking with it, you can add a few drops to a smoothie, yogurt, coffee, and creative cocktails.

Christmas Morning Muesli

Mix 5 cups of rolled grains (could be oats, flax, spelt, barley, whatever you like or a combination of them all) with the zest of 2 oranges or clementines, 1 cup of chopped nuts (pecans, pistachios, almonds, any nut will do), 1 cup of dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, cherries), 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Mix well and package in repurposed mason jars.

Rosemary Lemon Finishing Salt

To make a large batch, take 2 cups of sea salt, 3/4 cup of dried lemon zest, and 3/4 cup of dried rosemary. Combine all the ingredients and divide into small decorative jars (a small amount of salt goes a long way).

It’s official. We are four weeks away from Christmas and that means preparations are in full swing at the Red Apron. We have started decorating the store, hanging the ornaments & decorating the windows. Whether we are ready or not, it’s coming.

So how can the Red Apron help you this Holiday Season?

1. There are four weeks of Red Apron ‘Dinner to your Door’ deliveries before deliveries left of 2019. Ordering healthy, delicious and nutritious meals from the Red Apron means you have more time left in your schedule to get ready. The Thursday meal is perfect for your own holiday entertaining on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night. Whether you are feeding 2 or 20, we have you covered.
2. Our retail fridges and freezers are stocked with Holiday Appetizers including bacon-potato-cheese poppers, pretzel bites & beer cheese, sweet & sour meatballs, dips & spreads, a carefully curated selection of cheeses and charcuterie, crackers & chips, just to name a few. If you are hosting friends for a pre-holiday get together, filling your fridge & freezer with these convenient options will make entertaining a breeze.
3. Red Apron Gift Cards make the perfect gift for anyone who loves good food and doesn’t always have time to shop and cook. It’s the gift that keeps on giving into the New Year!
4. Our freezers are stocked with Turkey Pot Pies & Tourtière which make for simple and delicious dinners on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years, or any time in between. Our 9.5 inch pies serve 4-6 people generously and bake from frozen in under an hour.
5. Shop our in store selection of Foodie Gifts including cookbooks, jams, preserves, stocking stuffers like specialty tinned seafood, fine olive oil, caramel corn, decorated cookies, peanut brittle, and much more.

6: Pre-order your Red Apron Whole Turkey or Turkey Dinner for 2 (or 4-6-8, etc) for pick up in our retail shop on December 23rd or 24th. These freshly prepared meals will make it easy to host a small our large group on December 24th or 25th. Just re-heat, serve, and enjoy your company.

A reminder that we are closed from 4pm on December 24th until 9am on January 2nd, 2020, with Delivery Service resuming on January 7, 8 & 9, 2020. Stock your freezers with Red Apron Take Home Dinners to feed yourself through the Holidays.

This week’s recipe is for a delicious holiday appetizer that we have often made for the retail store. Regretfully we will not be making them this year, but it’s one you can easily prepare yourself.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

I consider myself the ‘Leftover Queen’. I can look into an empty fridge or freezer that is full of odds and ends, and within 30 minutes I can produce an amazing meal for 4-6 people. It’s my superpower and I am not shy to brag about it. But I have a secret weapon. The Red Apron.

At the end of each week my fridge and freezer are both full of quality leftovers. Those, plus a few key ingredients, and I can make magic.  My pantry list includes the following:

• a good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• lemons, limes and green onions
• good local flour in the freezer (I keep Almanac Grains 00 durham flour in my freezer)
• a bag of rice in the cupboard (basmati or jasmine are my go-to choices)
• at least one ripe avocado
• cheese (any kind)
• bones (from chicken, beef, lamb from meals I have brought home)
• fleur de sel & some fresh herbs
• fresh eggs
• not so fresh bread
• corn flour tortillas in the freezer
• one can of fire roasted tomatoes
• one box of good quality pasta

If you open my fridge or cupboard on any given day, these are the things you will find. You would wonder – ‘does anyone live in this house’? I do have the benefit of living within walking distance of a few good grocery stores, and the Ottawa Farmer’s Market.

Often for breakfast I serve breakfast tacos. I scramble up some eggs, heat up any leftover rice and beans from the week, dig out my any leftover slaws or salsa from the week, shred some cheese and slice up the ripe avocado and give it a squirt of lime or lemon juice. I heat up my tortillas from the freezer (over the gas flame on my stove) and I have a very tasty breakfast. It works just as well for dinner with any leftover chicken, beef or pork.

My most recent infatuation is with fresh pasta, made using Almanac Grains 00 Durham, which paired with just about anything is delicious. A good quality boxed pasta does the trick too. You can take one can of fire roasted tomatoes, add any leftover vegetables you have from the week, and toss with some freshly boiled pasta and grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar) or crumbled feta or chèvre. This is an easy Friday night dinner. This example below uses leftover salmon, fresh kale from a salad that didn’t get eaten, and a can of diced tomatoes.

Eggs (Bekings) paired with pretty much any Red Apron Dinner leftovers, make a great omelette the next day, or stir fried with some plain rice, makes a delicious and nutritious dinner.

This past weekend I made the most amazing soup/stew. Our Thursday ‘Dinner in the Bag‘ featured chicken, on the bone, with mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables. I had a lot of that meal leftover. I took the remaining meat off the bone. I put the bones and skin in a large saucepan and I browned them on medium high heat until they were good and crispy, with lots of brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan – ‘Flavour’ – as my Cordon Bleu Chef would say. If I had had an onion or leek, I would have chopped that up and added it in too. I deglazed with a little white wine (or white wine vinegar, hard cider, or cider vinegar) and added about 4 cups of water (or stock) and the remaining bits of gravy from the meal (I had one in the fridge and one in the freezer leftover from other Red Apron meals). I let that bubble on medium heat for 30 minutes.

Then I strained the ‘stock into the blender, and added with the remaining mashed potatoes and pureed until it was creamy. Meanwhile, I took the leftover chicken, and all the vegetables left over from the week (I had Brussels sprouts from Thursday, and arugula from Wednesday’s meal) and put them in my saucepan with a good dollop of butter, and cooked them on medium heat until warmed through. I poured back my ‘veloute‘ and seasoned with salt – et voila! A delicious, hearty and nutritious chicken stew. I served 3 people generously and it was made completely out of leftovers.