Black-Eyed Peas & Goat Cheese Side Dish

We are welcoming the sun with this beautifully coloured side dish. The warm weather is just around the corner, we can feel it!  This delicious dish goes perfectly with roasted chicken or pork chops.

Ingredients

1½ cups (375 mL) dried black-eyed peas
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 tbsp (25 mL) extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
Pinch pepper
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped Italian parsley
1 cup (250 mL) halved grape tomatoes

Dressing
3 tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp (25 mL) cider vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
2 tbsp (45 mL) chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped Italian parsley
1 cup (250 mL) halved grape tomates
1/3 cup (75 mL) crumbled goat cheese

Directions

1. Sort through peas and remove any stones. Rinse peas in fine mesh sieve.

2. Combine 6 cups (1.5 L) water and black-eyed peas in large deep bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Discard water and rinse peas.

3. Bring 8 cups (2 L) of water and soaked peas to boil in large pot. Reduce heat; partially cover and simmer rinse; set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

5. Combine yellow and red pepper and zucchini in bowl. Drizzle with oil and add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread onto large parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Roast in oven about 35 minutes or until golden and tender.

6. Whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard and salt in small aside.

7. Scrape roasted vegetables into large bowl. Add cooked peas and stir to combine. Drizzle with dressing. Add chives, parsley and tomatoes and sprinkle with goat cheese. Stir to combine.

Other Bean Option: White pea beans (navy beans) or pinto beans.
Canned Bean Option: Use two 19 oz cans black-eyed or pinto beans, drained and rinsed.

Spinach, Bacon and Cheddar Frittata

This delicious Italian styled omelette is perfect for breakfast, lunch or even dinner! This dish makes a great meal for a special occasion or for a Sunday breakfast. 

  Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• ½ cup whole milk
• ½ lb fresh spinach, rinsed, dried and torn into roughly 1-inch pieces
• 8 slices bacon
• ½ large onion, peeled and diced
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• Kosher salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Cook the bacon in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. When bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan, drain on paper towels and set aside. When it's cool, roughly chop it into ¼ inch pieces — or just crumble it up.

3. Reserve about 2 Tbsp of bacon fat, then add diced onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until it's slightly translucent.

4. Turn off the heat under the pan, then add the spinach pieces and stir with a wooden spoon for a minute until the leaves are fully wilted.

5. In a glass mixing bowl, thoroughly beat the eggs until nice and frothy. Add the milk and stir until combined. Season to taste with Kosher salt.

6. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and sprinkle the bacon pieces in as well. Give everything a stir to distribute the ingredients evenly. This is the last time you're going to stir, so get it all out of your system now!

7. Turn the heat under the skillet back on to about medium and cook for about 5 minutes or until the egg begins to set. No stirring!

8. Add the grated cheese, sprinkling it evenly across the top, and then transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until the eggs are fully cooked.

The healing power of food

Kale

Kale is a green leafy vegetable that is a huge source of the antioxidant sulforaphane. This antioxidant helps fight all kinds of cancer including prostate, skin, intestines and breast. Kale is also full of Indole which helps fight colon and cervical cancer. Kale has tons more antioxidants than spinach or broccoli and adding a little bit to your diet is a good idea. A serving of Kale gives you 13 times the Vitamin K you need, and nearly twice the amount of Vitamin A.

Kiwi

This fuzzy little fruit has twice as much Vitamin C as an orange and about as much potassium as a banana. This tiny fruit has a sweet bold flavour and is full of cancer fighting vitamins! Studies have shown that this fruit also decreases asthmatic symptoms in children who ate it on a regular basis. And on top of all of this, it is high in fibre as well!

 Cherry

Another delicious fruit that has a positive effect on your health are cherries! In ancient Chinese medicine, cherry juice was used to fight anemia and help relieve arthritis. Cherries have a high level of anthocyanins which are known to help with inflammation, fighting cancers, neurological diseases and diabetes.

Beans

Beans are most commonly known for the effect they have on a certain bodily function. Beans are very good for you though! They help heal the digestive tract, protect against diabetes and are loaded with more antioxidants that meat, grains or fruit. Beans are known to actually stop cancerous cells from spreading.

Watercress

Watercress is a food that contributes no calories to your diet but is loaded with nutrients. Talk about a miracle food! Ounce for ounce, it has more vitamins and calcium that any other food on the planet! Adding some watercress to your salad daily not only prevents cancer but it kills cancerous cells and it will keep the carcinogens in your food from infecting the good cells.

Spinach

It is well known that spinach is a very healthy food because it is high in vitamins. Spinach has been known to kill cancerous cells in those with colon cancer. It also helps heal and prevent those with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This delicious vegetable is full of iron, calcium, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Little shrimp with a big taste!

Coconut Shrimp

Here is a delicious dish that can be used as an appetizer or you can pair it with a side like rice or pasta for a complete meal! For dipping try, seafood sauce, plum sauce or sweet chili Thai sauce!

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup beer
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups flaked coconut
• 24 shrimp
• 3 cups oil for frying

Directions

1. In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, beer and baking powder. Place 1/4 cup flour and coconut in two separate bowls.
2. Hold shrimp by tail, and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Dip in egg/beer batter; allow excess to drip off. Roll shrimp in coconut, and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a deep-fryer.
3. Fry shrimp in batches: cook, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.