Raclette, tartiflette,..ohhhh do we love those indulgences!!!!

But after week(s) of indulgence during ski break, time to get back on track,…!!!

What about a healthy  minestrone soup with plenty of vegetables?

You can easily create a meal soup out of this and dinner is ready!

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

-3 tablespoons olive oil

-1 onion, diced

-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

-2 stalks of celery, diced

-2 carrots, diced

-1 zucchini, diced

-2 bell peppers, diced

-1 can (~400 g) kidney beans (or cannellini beans), drained and rinsed

-2 tablespoons fresh basil

-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-1 can (~500 g) crushed tomatoes or tomato coulis

-2 tablespoons tomato paste

-1,5 liter of vegetable stock

-handful of spinach (optional)

-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1) Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent (~5 minutes). Add the garlic, celery, carrots, zucchini and bell peppers and cook until they begin to soften (~5 minutes).

2) Stir in dried oregano and add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock and tomato paste. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.

3) Stir in the kidney beans and spinach (optional) and simmer for another 5 minutes.

4) Serve with Parmesan cheese and basil.

Note:

-Create your own version:

• My kids love this soup with pasta and/or chicken. 
• I prefer mine with quinoa and harissa (gluten-free).
• You can basically serve this soup with the vegetables you have on hand. Add or omit some of the vegetables in the recipe.

-Make a big batch and freeze left overs.

-Save the rinds from Parmesan cheese and add it to the soup for some extra flavor (remove before you serve the soup).

Kids Friendly Dish - Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potato

My daughter Sienna is convinced that the candy 'Fruitella' has tons of fruit in it and therefore doesn't need to eat her fruits,…

Long way to go!

However my picky eater loved this recipe,...

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

-500 g ground beef or lamb

-1 onion, chopped

-2 cloves garlic, chopped

-spice mix: 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt

-500 g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 teaspoon salt

-2 tablespoons milk

-500 g mushrooms, chopped

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 small onion, chopped

-1 clove of garlic, chopped

Directions

For the filling:

1. Add olive oil to the pan along with the onion, garlic, cumin, ginger, chili powder, salt and cinnamon and cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat until the onion is softened.

2. Add the meat to spice mix and brown the meat over medium heat. 

For the mashed potatoes:

1. Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until tender.

2. Drain well and add the olive oil, milk and salt.

3. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or food mill (passe-vite), blend until they reach a creamy consistency.

For the mushrooms:

1. Add olive oil, onion, garlic to a pan and brown the mushrooms. Add peper and salt.

Assembly:

1. Preheat the over to 180° Celsius.

2. Fill a casserole dish with the meat filling, add a layer mushrooms and spread the mashed potatoes mix on top.

3. Bake for 40 minutes until the topping is beginning to brown.

Tips:

-This is a perfect make ahead dish. You can prepare everything in advance and basically just heat it in the over when needed.

-There are plenty of variations you can make to this dish (use duck confit as filling or chicken) or make a vegetarian version of this dish (replace meat with lentils, chickpeas, etc).