Delicata Pizza

Recipe by Tania Burr

Yields two personal sized pizzas but can easily be converted for more! 

Homemade wholewheat pizza dough, pre-baked multigrain crust or 2 whole wheat pitas
3 tbsp pesto
10 slices delicata or other winter squash, ¼ inch thick
10 thin slices of tomato
2/3 cup cooked chard or spinach, sautéed or steamed
½ cup shredded mozzarella
½ cup shredded asiago or parmesian
Oil and flour for the pan

Preheat your over to 400⁰F. Slice your squash and place on a plate with a bit of water. Microwave for 3 -4 minutes until slightly tender. Spread out your pizza dough on a greased and floured cookie sheet until ¼ inch thick. Spread the pesto evenly over the dough leaving a border which will rise when baking. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella. Spread out the thinly sliced tomatoes and the sautéed chard. Top with the slightly microwaved squash segments (dab off the moisture) and finish with the shredded asiago. If you are using pizza dough, bake for 20 minutes until you can lift the dough and the underneath looks golden and cooked. If you are using prebaked crust or pita-bread, you will want to microwave your squash for 1-2 minutes more and bake for only about 10 minutes until the cheese turns a golden colour. Enjoy this delicious variation of a classic favourite!   

Roasted Beet Hummus

Recipe by Tania Burr

1 Medium or 2 small beets (just the root) 
2-3 gloves of garlic (will be roasted with the beets) 
1 large can chick peas – and half the juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive or sunflower oil plus extra for drizzling
¼ cup tahini
½ cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Wash the beet roots thoroughly and poke multiple times with a fork. Place beets on small squares of foil with a clove of garlic (sliced) and drizzle with oil. Can also add rosemary or other herbs. Wrap tightly and roast in the oven until a knife can be inserted easily into the beet. Once cooled, peel away the rough outer skin, or leave it on for extra nutrients and fiber. If you don’t have an hour, you can peel and cube the beets and roast them this way. You can also boil the beets but the flavour isn’t as amazing!

In a food processor, make a pulp out of the roasted beets and garlic. If you roasted with rosemary, do not include it. Add in the other ingredients and process until smooth. If it is too thick you can add extra juice from the chick pea can or simply some water. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. 

Carrot Cake

Recipe by Tania Burr

This carrot cake is super simple and so moist. I think the pineapple is the key. It goes perfectly with cream cheese icing!

2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup buttermilk (milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar)
1-1/2 cups brown sugar (or white or cane) 
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple
½ cup coconut
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Mix all dry ingredients including carrots and coconut in a large bowl. Beat eggs in a smaller bowl and add in all wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients while mixing. Ensure that mixture is well mixed but not over mixed otherwise it won’t rise well. Pour batter into a 9 x 13 pan or bake in two round 8 inch layers. 9x 13 pan will take about 45 minutes. 8 inch rounds take about 30. Cake is ready when you can touch the top and it bounces back. When cake is cooled, spread with cream cheese icing (see below). Cake freezes well (but often gets completely eaten before it makes it there) 

Cream Cheese Icing: The best part! 
½ cup butter (room temp)
4 oz cream cheese (room temp) 
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla. 

Whip together butter and cream cheese with electric beaters. Add in vanilla. Sift icing sugar in slowly to avoid clumps. If it isn’t think enough you can continue adding sugar as well as a bit of flower to stiffen the icing. 
 

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce

Recipe by Tania Burr

2 small zucchini
~ 225 grams of Fettuccini or Spaghetti (Try brown rice pasta of whole wheat)
2 cups of cherry tomatoes or sliced roma tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
½ cup finely chopped spring onions
2 cloves minced fresh garlic
1/3 cup of cream cheese (low fat or vegan all work)
2 Tbsps. Olive Oil
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tsps. Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil pasta as per box instructions. Prepare the zucchini by cutting off the ends and using either a peeler or a spiralizer or a mandolin/knife combination to get the zucchini into spaghetti-like ribbons/slices and then steam them. Thin slices will require 3-5 minutes of steaming while thicker slices may need 7-10. It is all about desired consistency. You can also wait until the pasta is almost done and then add in the zucchini ribbons (2-3 minutes of boiling), although you may lose some nutrients in the water. The middle part of the zucchini can be chopped into medallions and steamed or fried separately. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and sauté ¼ cup of spring onions along with tomatoes and peppers until they are browned but peppers are still crisp. Remove the vegetables from the pan. Microwave the cream cheese for 30 seconds. Spoon in some of the vegetable broth and whisk well. Heat the other tbsp. of olive oil and add the remaining onions. Sauté for 2 minutes or until clear. Add in the minced garlic. Add remaining broth. Whisk in the cream cheese/broth mixture. A smooth, creamy sauce should form. This can be thickened with flour if needed. Stir in the chopped basil and flavor with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add drained noodles (zucchini and wheat) into the sauce skillet and mix gently but thoroughly. Stir in the tomatoes and peppers. Garnish with freshly cracked pepper, hot pepper flakes and parmesan cheese. Serve with a side of steamed greens and a protein such as grilled tofu or chicken breast.
 

Sauteed Chard With Roasted Pine Nuts and Parmesean

Recipe by Tania Burr

Swiss chard is one of my favourite leafy greens! This is a simple recipe that definitely does it justice. 

1 bunch Chard
½ cup red onion, diced
1 glove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. parmesan, grated
1 Tbsp. coconut oil or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Roast pine nuts under the broiler for approximately 2.5 minutes and then shake the pan and roast for another 2-3 minutes. Watch them carefully, as they burn easily. De-vein the chard. Chop both the stems and the leaves and keep them separate. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 1 minute. Add crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the chopped chard stems and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the chard leaf and mix well. After 2 minutes, splash in the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Once the leaves are softened, remove from heat and mix in the grated parmesan. Plate and top with roasted pine nuts. 

Variations: You can add white wine in with the chard stems for some extra flavor. If you find the chard to be bitter, you can add some golden raisins for sweetness. Add them in with the wine to the stems. 

Maple Kale Salad

Recipe by Tania Burr

I love maple in salads, and the maple walnuts and kale make for an awesome combination! Kale can be a bit tough, but raw kale softens fairly easily. After you chop it into thin slices, put the kale in a bowl and massage it with the tips of your fingers with some olive oil and salt for about 15 minutes. It should turn a bright green and soften up nicely! You can also choose to saute the kale for this salad. 

4 cups of kale, de-veined and finely chopped (1 medium bunch)
Plain goat cheese to taste
2-4 cups other salad greens (spinach, spring mix, head lettuce) 
2 medium crisp apples, chopped (tartness of a Macintosh is nice) 
2 carrots, grated or in strips
1-2 handfuls of dried cranberries
1 cup maple walnuts

Maple Walnuts:
1 cup of walnuts
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Dressing:
5 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/8 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Add maple syrup, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Let mixture heat until bubbling. Mix in the walnuts with a rubber spatula. Continue to stir as it turns into a thick syrup and coats the walnuts. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  

In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together. In a large bowl, mix together apple, kale and salad greens. Add dressing while tossing until leaves are desired wetness. Plate the green mixture and top with carrots, candied walnuts, goat cheese and cranberries. Keep remaining dressing in the fridge for your next salad. 

A Well-Dressed Salad

Recipe submitted by Farmer Claire

This is my all-time favourite salad dressing recipe! I grew to love salads after being introduced to this dressing during my time at The Homestead Organic Farm in Peachland, BC. I've heard that the recipe originally comes from a restaurant in Vancouver. Thanks to this dressing, a nice green salad is one of my favourite meals! I love adding dried fruit, chopped apples, nuts, seeds and cheese (in case you were wondering how a salad could be called a meal). I hope you like it as much as I do!

 
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup any veggie oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp tahini

Pulse all ingredients in a blender, then refrigerate, and enjoy!