Some food for thought

Here's an article that Rob wrote that was recently published in Wilfrid Laurier University's Blueprint magazine. It's a sort of guide to learning how to read (or not) into all those fancy words you see in grocery stores - "organic", "natural", etc... I found it interesting and hope you do too!

Read the article here.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

This is a recipe that Rob found on YouTube, and admittedly, Rob cooked it and not me.

Ingredients

3 or 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 red onion, roughly chopped

1 cup chopped cilantro *fresh*

1 red pepper, roughly chopped (optional)

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained.

2 limes, juiced

3 tbsp olive oil

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Toss chopped potatoes and onions with a bit of oil. Place on baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes (or until you can pierce the potatoes with a fork).

3. Meanwhile, put lime juice, olive oil, and jalapeños into a blender and blend until smooth.

4. When potatoes and onions are done, let the cool.

5. Add potatoes, onions, red peppers, beans cilantro, and the lime mixture to a bowl.

6. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

This salad tastes better after it has been refrigerated for a few hours, but it is very tasty!! If you are not a fan of cilantro (like me), you can use it sparingly until it meets your tastes.

Butternut Squash and Sage Soup

This is a variant on the Sage and Squash Pasta recipe I posted a while ago.

To make the pasta sauce, you heat up some sage in some oil or butter, add about 1.5 cups of mashed squash, and puree it. Then toss in your favourite pasta and voila!

Here's how you make the soup!

Ingredients

2 cups of squash (cooked and mashed)

2 tsp of sage (dried or fresh)

2 tbsp butter or oil

Some veggie broth

Directions

1. Heat up butter/oil in the pan and add sage.

2. Add squash to pot and stir.

3. Add a bit of broth.

4. Puree with a hand blender.

5. Add more broth until the soup is the desired texture.

This soup is the most delicious!! My favourite, especially in winter.