Brussel Sprouts Gratin

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

500 g of brussels sprouts, cleaned
75 g of smoked lard or bacon, sliced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
300 g potatoes
1 egg yolk
nutmeg, salt and pepper

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 210C.

Cook brussels sprouts for 10 minutes in boiling water. Meanwhile, peal potatoes and put them to cook about 30 minutes in boiling water.

Cook lard in a pan until golden, then remove and saute onions until tender. Place lard and onions on a paper towel to absorb grease. Once cooked, mash the potatoes. Mix the egg yolk, a bit of butter, the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

In a gratin pan, place half the brussels sprouts, cover with 2/3 of the lard/onion mix. Place the remaining sprouts and finish with lard and onions.

Pour the egg preparation over the brussels sprouts and cover with the mashed potatoes and heat in the oven for 15 minutes.

Slightly adapted from www.marmiton.org

Amazing Lasagna with Ham

Hands down the best lasagna recipe I have ever made (Pascal agrees). Don't forget to use all the chicken stock. It will feel like you're pouring too much into the pan, but it will make the lasagna nice and moist, especially as I don't pre-cook them (too much of a waste of time). I've made it in a more classic version as well, simply adding ground beef to the tomato/onion/basil sauce. Mmm....

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

400g of fresh lasagna pasta sheets
1 onion, chopped
8 slices of ham, cut into fine strips
100 cl of tomato sauce
30 basil leaves, finely chopped
150 g of parmesan, grated
50 cl of chicken stock
pesto
salt, pepper, olive oil
100 cl of bechamel sauce (see any french cookbook to prepare... or call me!)

PREPARATION:

In a heavy pan, heat olive oil and saute onions until tender. Add tomato sauce with two times its amount in water and the basil leaves cut finely. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. In the mean time, prepare your bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place a layer of lasagna in an oven-proof pan, add a layer of the tomato/onion/basil sauce, a layer of bechamel, strip of ham and dabs of the pesto. Cover with a second layer of lasagna and continue in the same fashion.

Finish with a layer of tomato sauce and pesto. Drisle with the chicken stock and place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Once cooked thoroughly, cover with the parmesan and leave the pan a few minutes in the oven for the cheese to melt. Serve with salad.

Slightly adapted from www.marmiton.org.

Black (Turtle) Bean Soup

Beautiful dish of dark black and purple colors. A great way to eat more leafy greens.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6 to 8):

2 cups black turtle beans, picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped

PREPARATION:

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the beans, and cook until tender. Drain and set aside.

When the beans are cooked, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve with a dollop of greek yogurt or creme fraiche.

Quinoa and Mushroom Pilaf with Dill

This recipe comes from Stanford Hospital's Cancer Center website, which I found randomly one day when looking for healthy recipes and which has some great recipes: http://cancer.stanfordhospital.com/forPatients/services/nutrition/recipes/default.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6):

2 cups quinoa (red or white)
8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, quartered
3 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth (note: I often put less stock and substitute with water)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 shallots, coarsely chopped
2 navel oranges, peel and pith removed (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp fresh or dried thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION:

Rinse quinoa thoroughly and drain. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking; add mushrooms, shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms and shallots have released their liquid and are slightly caramelized, about 7 minutes. Add quinoa; cook, stirring until it begins to pop and crackle, about 5 minutes.

Add stock and thyme to pot; bring to a boil. Stir, cover and reduce heat. Simmer until quinoa is tender but still chewy, about 20 minutes. Stir in the butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving, add dill and oranges (if desired) and gently toss.

Baked Acorn Squash with Apple Stuffing

This is a staple for us in the winter. The squash halves present pretty well and make an attractive side dish. For the kids, I often mash the squash and apple mixture after I take it out of the oven. And the puree freezes well, which is a great plus.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

2 small acorn squash (1 1/2 pound total), halved and seeded
1 large or 2 small apples, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons diced celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons margarine, melted
1 handful of pine nuts
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 400F. Prepare a square baking pan with nonstick pan spray. Place the squash cut side down in the baking pan. Bake 20 minutes.

While the squash is baking, combine the apples, celery, onion, pine nuts, margarine and 2 tablespoons of water in a medium bowl, mix well.

Turn the squash cut sides up. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Divide the apple mixture to fill the cavities of the squash. Bake the stuffed squash halves, covered with foil, for 30 minutes or more. Serve hot.

Turnip and Leek Soup

There are many variations on this recipe. This one I've adapted from a a book called "You Are What You Eat" by Dr. Gillian McKeith. French Women Don't Get Fat has a version that is more diet-oriented.

For a smoother texture, you can add a potato. To make it more substantial, you can add pasta. And you can always add creme fraiche or bit of bacon if you feel the need to liven up the taste.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

1 bouillon cube
4 small turnips, peeled and diced
6 leeks, sliced
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 handful tarragon (optional)

PREPARATION:

Add the stock cube to approximately 1 quart water and bring to a boil. Add the turnip and simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the leeks and then boil for further 5 minutes. Add the onions, celery and garlic simmer for further 10 minutes. Take off the heat, add the tarragon and then blend.