The Canadian Press
With grocery prices continuing to rise, many Canadians are looking for ways to save on their food dollar.
Pulses, which are grown in Canada, are a great way to boost protein for not much money. Stock your pantry with a variety of beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils.
Load your grocery cart with seasonal produce, such as nutritious root vegetables and citrus fruit, and look for less expensive cuts of meat.
Here are some recipes featuring ingredients that will help you plan healthy, lower-cost menus for your family.
PULSE TACOS
The year 2016 has been declared the International Year of Pulses by the United Nations to celebrate one of the world’s most important foods: the edible seeds of the legume family. Beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils are packed with fibre, protein, nutrients and flavour. Their nutritional intensity, inexpensive accessibility, and ease of cooking have made them indispensable staples to cooks all over the globe.
Wherever we live we all do our best to make healthy choices at home, but it’s a lot easier when those choices are delicious. These meatless tacos created by chef Michael Smith, Canada’s International Year of Pulses ambassador, are stuffed with so much sunny southwestern flavours that no one will notice the absence of meat.
Pulse Filling
30 ml (2 tbsp) canola oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
18 ml (1 heaping tbsp) chili powder
5 ml (1 tsp) ground cumin
250 ml (1 cup) green lentils
1 can (540 ml/19 oz) beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
500 ml (2 cups) water
2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
2 ml (1/2 tsp) hot sauce
Toppings
Head of bibb or iceberg lettuce
12 hard taco shells
Few handfuls of grated cheddar or taco blend cheese
Salsa
Large bunch of fresh cilantro
2 limes, cut into wedges
Lentil bean filling: Into a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat, splash canola oil. Toss in onions, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Saute until vegetables soften and spice flavours brighten, 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in lentils, beans, water and salt. Bring mixture to a slow, steady simmer. Cover tightly and continue slowly cooking until lentils are tender, 35 minutes or so. Stir in hot sauce.
Assembly: Fit a full leaf of lettuce into a hard taco shell. This will hold the fillings in when the hard shell inevitably breaks. Fill each taco with a heaping spoonful of lentil bean filling. Pack with cheese, salsa and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Makes 12 tacos, 4 to 6 servings.
Source: Chef Michael Smith.
ORANGE, FENNEL AND CELERY SALAD
This recipe is a nice change from everyday salads and great for lunch the next day too.
Leave the peel on the apple for extra colour and nutrients.
75 ml (1/3 cup) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
250 ml (1 cup) sliced fennel (1 small fennel bulb)
250 ml (1 cup) sliced celery (2 to 3 stalks)
250 ml (1 cup) diced apple (1 medium)
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) segmented and diced oranges (2 to 3 oranges)
15 ml (1 tbsp) celery greens and/or fennel greens
Dressing
50 ml (1/4 cup) plain yogurt
15 ml (1 tbsp) honey
15 ml (1 tbsp) orange juice
7 ml (1/2 tbsp) apple cider vinegar
Pinch each salt and pepper
Toast pepitas by spreading in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place on centre rack of oven at 160 C (325 F) for 5 to 7 minutes. Watch carefully as they may over-toast very quickly. Set aside to cool.
Dressing: In a jar, combine all ingredients and seal tightly. Shake vigorously. Taste and adjust accordingly.
In a salad bowl, mix fennel, celery, apple and oranges. Top salad with dressing and mix well. Garnish with celery greens and toasted pepitas.
Makes 4 servings.
Source: Getty Stewart, PHEc, www.gettystewart.com.
ROOT VEGETABLE SLAW
Nick Saul, president and CEO of Community Food Centres Canada, adapted his recipe for root vegetable slaw from one created by U.K. chef Yotam Ottolenghi. Packed with colourful root vegetables, it’s delicious and nutritious.
The recipe appears in the new book “Goodness: Recipes & Stories” by Peter and Chris Neal, a collection of recipes from 37 chefs, entrepreneurs, growers and food activists from across Canada. Fifty per cent of the profits will be donated to Community Food Centres Canada to bring people in low-income communities together to grow, cook, share and advocate for healthy food.
60 ml (4 tbsp) fresh lemon juice
60 ml (4 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
45 ml (3 tbsp) sherry vinegar
10 ml (2 tsp) superfine sugar
5 ml (1 tsp) sea salt
3 beets, trimmed and peeled
2 carrots, peeled
1 large parsnip, peeled
1/2 medium celery root, peeled
175 ml (3/4 cup) fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
175 ml (3/4 cup) fresh mint leaves, shredded
150 ml (2/3 cup) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
7 ml (1/2 tbsp) grated lemon zest
5 ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine lemon juice, oil, vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until sugar and salt have completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Fill a large bowl with ice water. Using a mandoline, cut beets, carrots, parsnip and celery root into matchsticks. Place in prepared ice bath (this will help to retain their colour). Drain well, then place in a serving bowl and pour hot dressing over top. Toss to coat well. Set aside to cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Just before serving, add cilantro, mint, parsley, lemon zest and pepper to marinated vegetables. Stir to combine.
Divide among serving plates.
Makes 6 servings.
Source: Nick Saul in “Goodness: Recipes & Stories” by Peter and Chris Neal (Blakeman Books, 2015).
