Food Challenges

Quinoa Tabouleh

This is a classic hot weather salad that has been adapted for the gluten free diet. Quinoa is a great grain and comes in several varieties: regular, whole grain. Royal Red and Royal Black. This particular recipe was made with whole grain quinoa, but it’s very attractive if you use Royal Red, which has a nuttier flavour. You could also try a combination of quinoa varieties. In this recipe I have used the herb lemon balm because I’m allergic to mint. Although these two herbs are in the same plant family, I can tolerate the lemon balm whereas I can’t eat mint at all. You can use the mint for a more traditional flavour or the lemon balm, which adds a more delicate note to the overall taste.

3 cups flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped lemon balm (or mint)
4 – 5 spring onions (green onions, scallions), finely sliced
4 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup organic quinoa (regular, whole grain, Royal Red or Royal Black)
1/2 cup lemon juice
½ tsp allspice
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
Salt & pepper

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add the quinoa and bring it back to the boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes. When the quinoa has absorbed all the water, remove it from the heat and fluff it with a fork. Set aside. Allow it to cool completely and chill, covered in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, lemon juice, allspice and extra virgin olive oil. Whisk until completely incorporated. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, chopped parsley, chopped lemon balm, sliced spring onions, and finely diced tomato. Toss to mix thoroughly.

Just before serving, add the lemon and olive oil dressing. Toss well. Serve cold with the heart leaves of a romaine head as scoops.

Lemon Asparagus Soup

It was one of those cool, rainy summer days today. I wanted something to chase away the chill, so I used what I had on hand. Asparagus is in season, so I decided to combine some of my favourite flavours in a soup. This recipe is the result of my efforts – it’s great either hot or cold. I served mine with a spoonful of organic low fat yoghurt in the centre. It added a lovely tang to the richness of this velvety soup.





2 cups asparagus
1 cup onion
2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp curly parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp lemon balm, chopped
1/2 Tbsp dried tarragon
Sea salt & pepper to taste


Wash a bundle of asparagus well to get all the sand out of the heads. (Soak in cold water and let the sand fall to the bottom) Break off the woody ends and chop the heads and stems until you have about 2 cups. Peel and chop a sweet onion.


In a medium size pot, melt the butter and sauté the onion until it is translucent. Add the chopped asparagus and continue sautéing until the asparagus has turned bright green. Add the chicken broth, parsley, lemon balm, lemon juice, and tarragon. Cover the pot with a lid and let simmer until the asparagus in tender (about 10 minutes).


Transfer the hot soup to a blender and liquefy. Return the soup to the pot and keep warm.


Makes 4 small (1 cup) servings.


Nutritional Information: approximations only


225 g serving
70 calories
3.7 g fat
2 g fibre


High in Vitamin A and C, Iron and Calcium

Seafood Salad

2 raw lobster tails, deveined and cut into pieces
12 shrimp, medium to large, cooked – deveined and shelled
1 Tbsp butter
½ cup sweet onion, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped and crushed
1 Tbsp lemon juice + 2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp vermouth or white wine
¼ cup celery, finely sliced
1 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped (1 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped (1 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
Sea salt and pepper to taste


In a skillet, melt the butter and add the chopped onion. Cook the onion until it is translucent. Add the garlic. Sauté the lobster meat in the butter with the onions and garlic until it begins to turn white/red. Add the cooked shrimp, 1 Tbsp lemon juice and vermouth/white wine. Cook briefly (1 to 2 minutes) to blend the flavours and cook off the alcohol. Strain the seafood and onion, reserving the liquids in a bowl. Place the seafood in the refrigerator, uncovered, to cool. Return the liquid to the pan and reduce it by half over medium heat. Pour it into a small bowl and set it aside in the refrigerator to cool.


When the seafood and liquid have cooled, you can combine the ingredients to make the seafood salad.
Mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice, tarragon, chives and liquid from the pan which has now solidified. Stir well to make the dressing. In a bowl, combine the cold, cooked seafood, celery and mayonnaise dressing. Toss well to blend the flavours. Return to the refrigerator, covered, until you are ready to serve the seafood salad.


Serve the salad cold over a bed of greens, grilled romaine leaves, in a GF wrap or cheese bowl.


Makes 2, main meal, servings

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day to everyone out there!

I wanted to make a special luncheon for my husband before he left for work today. He has been a wonderful step father to my son, Peter. We teamed up to make Paul something we knew he would enjoy. Peter acted as my sous chef and we had a great meal on the table in no time. Because my husband is allergic to shrimp, I made his lunch with chicken. Peter opted for the chicken version as well.

I enjoyed every mouthful of the seafood!

We served Mediterranean Tomato Salad and Cheese Bowls filled with Chicken or Seafood Salad. It was easy to throw together and tasted amazing.

I hope you ladies with little ones and grown-up kids are doing something special for your Dad today!

Lobster Salad

My favourite summer vacation is to head for the East Coast and feast on seafood. Lobster is on sale, in our area, at the moment, so I couldn’t resist taking this opportunity to create a luxurious treat. It’s rich and decedent!





2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1 Tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp capers, diced
4 oz lobster meat, 1 cup
30 g smoked salmon, 1/4 cup diced


Combine all the ingredients and stir well. Chill. Serve over a bed of baby romaine lettuce and thinly sliced tomato. Garnish with a twist of smoked salmon stuffed with a single caper.


Nutritional Information: approximate values per serving.


Calories: 270
Fibre: .4 g
Fat: 11.9 g


High in Selenium and Vitamin B12

Squash Tart

3 cups cooked squash, mashed
1 cup onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 tomato, sliced
50 g cooked back bacon, finely diced (2 thick slices)
2 oz cheddar cheese, grated
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp water


Sauté the onion in a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of water until it is translucent. In a medium sized bowl, combine the cooked bacon, cooked onion, cooked squash and oregano. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.


Add 2 tsp of oil to an oven safe frying pan. Form the squash mixture into a large patty. Add the squash patty to the frying pan and cook over medium heat until the bottom begins to brown (about 3 to 4 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes, until it begins to form a light crust. Remove from under the broiler and sprinkle half of the grated cheese on top of the squash patty. Arrange the tomato slices on top of the cheese and cover with the remaining cheese. Return to the broiler and continue cooking until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.


Remove from the oven and cut into 4 pieces. Serve hot with apple pear chutney or additional diced, cooked bacon.


Nutritional Information: Approximate values per serving


Calories: 131
Fibre: 2.6 gm
Fat: 8.3 gm
High in calcium, phosphorus , vitamin B6 and vitamin C

Apple Pear Chutney

2 cups apple (2 organic Fuji apples)
2 cups pear (2 organic D’Angou pears)
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup purple onion
1 clove garlic
¾ cup tequila gold
1/2 cup honey
2 limes
¼ cup pistachio nuts, without the shell
6 pieces candied ginger

Peel, core and dice the apples and the pears. Place in a large bowl. Peel and dice the red onion. Add to the bowl. Peel and crush the garlic. Add it to the bowl. Toss well. In a medium sized pot, combine the diced, pear, apple, onion, dried cherries, tequila gold and honey. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for about an hour, uncovered. Take off the heat and allow to cool.

In a shallow pan, dry roast the pistachio nuts. Watch them constantly and move them around the dry pan, so as not to burn them. Set them aside to cool. Dice the candied ginger into small pieces and set aside. Peel the limes and cut them into segments. Set aside.

When you are ready to serve your meat, toss the pistachio nuts, lime segments and candied ginger into the chutney.

Makes 10 servings. Suggested servings: with pork, lamb or chicken and over frozen vanilla yoghurt.

Nutritional Information: approximations only

Calories 95      Fibre 1.8 gm      Fat 0.1 gm

Low in sodium (2 mg), High in Vitamin C and sugar (21.7 gm)

Feta and Beet Salad

4 beets
2 tsp canola oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp thyme
1 Tbsp feta cheese


Wash the beets carefully in cold water. Leave the root in place and keep a small amount of stem (2 fingers wide). Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender (30 minutes). Drain off the water and allow the beets to cool.


When the beets are cool, cut off the root and stem. Remove the skin. (Use rubber gloves to prevent your hands from staining) Dice the beets into small cubes.


In a serving bowl, combine the diced beets, canola oil, thyme and lemon juice. Toss the mixture well so that all the ingredients coat the beets evenly. Add salt and pepper if desired.


Crumble the feta cheese on top of the salad and it serve cold. Makes 2 portions


Nutritional Information: Approximate values per portion


Calories 144
Fibre 4.2 gm
Fat 6.1 gm


High in dietary fibre, manganese, potassium, vitamin C


Low in cholesterol

Lighten Up! Broccoli Soup

This soup is very quick and easy to make. It’s starch free as well. If you like a thick soup, add less liquid and more broccoli.


2 to 4 heads of organic broccoli and stems ( peeled ) about 6 cups
1 large organic onion ( peeled ) about 2 cups
6 to 8 cups of water, organic low fat chicken or vegetable broth
1 small bunch of fresh organic parsley ( chopped )
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper ( to taste )


Bring the water ( or broth ), salt, pepper, and the bay leaf to a boil in a large pot with a lid. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.


Finely chop the onion, and broccoli in a food processor until it’s a mealy paste. Add the processed vegetables to the boiling broth and cook for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and remove the bay leaf.


I like a smooth, creamy soup, so I put it through the blender on high until it has a velvety texture. This soup has a bright green colour and bold taste. It freezes well and is packed with nutrients because of the very short cooking time.


I like to add nutmeg to mine, but that’s a personal preference, so I add it at the table.


Makes 6 large servings


If you want some variety, you can add cream or half and half before you serve it. Just remember, you can’t freeze soup made with cream because it will separate when you reheat it. Cream will also increase the fat and calorie content. This is also very nice with toasted gluten free croutons and grated old cheddar on top.


Nutritional Information: approximations only


Calories 85
Fibre 3.1 g
Fat 1 g

Salmon Salad Cups

This is my twist on an old summer or luncheon favourite. I serve it with a bowl of soup to make a complete meal.





200 g salmon, (1/2 cup) canned wild pacific, mashed
1 Tbsp parsley, fresh finely chopped
1 Tbsp chives, fresh, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 tsp tarragon, dried
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 cup lettuce, romaine, 4 leaves cut in half


Wash 4 romaine leaves and pat them dry. Cut each one in half width wise to make 8 “cups” or “boats”. Set aside.


Drain the salmon, if using canned, and mash the meat with a fork to break it into small pieces, in a mixing bowl.


In the same bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients with the salmon and mix well. With a spoon, place equal amounts of the salmon salad on each romaine cup.


Arrange on a plate and serve cold. Makes 2 servings.


Nutritional Information:


Calories 246
Fat 14.9 g
Fibre 0.9 g


High in B6, B12, Niacin, phosphorus, selenium, thiamine.