Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

This is a great make-ahead meal. I cooked up a big pot before going back to work to use as lunches for the week ahead.

1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 medium red pepper, chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
4-5 large button mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 19 oz can red kidney beans
1 - 14 oz can chickpeas
1 - 5.5oz can tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon sliced pickled green chilies or banana peppers (optional)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

1. Add everything to your crock pot and stir together to mix well.

2. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

3. Serve over cooked rice or quinoa and top with shredded cheese or sour cream!

This post is part of Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist.

Winter Apple & Beet Salad with Honey Dressing

Eating locally grown produce in the winter can get really tiresome, really fast. Around Vancouver, winter's bounty is basically limited to squashes and root vegetables - things that don't bode well for a fresh, crisp salad. Thankfully apples are in abundance, as are beets. And although not local, pomegranates are in season until the end of January. Add all that to layer of fresh mixed greens* and you have an artful, appetizing winter salad!

Serves 2 entrée sized salads.

Honey Dressing

A simple oil & vinegar dressing with a hint of sweetness.

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 teaspoons local honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl or salad dressing cruet and mix well.

Tip: Coat your teaspoon in olive oil to make the honey slide off easily into your bowl!

Salad


1 medium size beet, greens cut off
4 cups mixed baby salad greens (I used baby spinach and pea shoots)
1/2 small red apple and 1/2 small green apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons feta cheese (optional)
prepared dressing

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees (F). Rinse beets and place on a sheet of foil and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Seal foil around beets to make a small packet. Bake in pre-heated oven for 25-35 minutes until fork tender. Remove from oven to cool. When beets have cooled enough to handle, put on some rubber gloves and remove the skins using your fingers. Skins should be tender enough to slip off, by pushing up with your thumbs. Once peeled, cut off root ends, then cut beets into small, bite sized chunks.

2. Arrange salad greens over two plates. Top each plate with half the beet chunks, half the red apple slices and half the green apple slices. Sprinkle half the pomegranate seeds and feta cheese over each plate. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over top.

This would also be great topped with toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds!

(*No, salad greens aren't locally available in winter either, but we have to pick our battles!)

This post is part of Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist.

Make the Switch - How to Shop Local

Kits Beach, Vancouver
A few months ago, I posted about what it means to be local and just last week I posted some resources for locally and humanely raised animal products. I think I skipped a step in there though, so now it is time to talk about how to make the switch to locally grown and produced products.

Get Local BC suggests you start small. Begin with one or two of the foods you buy the most, rather then an entire food group. Find local sources for the products and compare prices to find the best supplier for your needs and wallet. Once you have made the switch to one or two local items, do the same with a few more items until you have local sources for much of your fresh food supply.

Granville Island Market, Vancouver

Other tips to help you shop and eat local:

- First, define what "local" means to you. Revisit my post about what it means to be local. Do you want products produced and growth within Canada, within your Province, or within your regional area?

- Avoid large, chain grocery stores. These grocery stores carry very little local produce (if any at all), and often what they do carry is not as fresh as you would get elsewhere. There are some exceptions, of course so check the produce department of your local grocery store to see what locally grown products they offer. The best alternative is to shop your local, independent grocer or your local organic/natural foods grocer.

- Learn what products are "in season" each month, before you go shopping. Not everything is available year round. Eating local means eating in season. Check Get Local BC's Seasonal Chart or my posts on Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter foods. (Lists applicable to BC and Pacific North West region only. If you live in other area of the country, go to Google to find an "in season" chart for your area.)

- When starting the switch to local, don't worry about organic. If you can find local AND organic produce, GREAT! If not, think about what is more important to you, based on your food philosophies. Some people feel better about eating organic. Some feel better about eating local. Again, both would be ideal but sometimes it is not possible. I tend to buy local over organic, especially in the Summer during market season. Come fall & winter I tend to buy organic in the stores. Check my post about whether or not to buy organic before you make your choices.


- In the Spring and Summer, visit your community Farmer's Market. The produce is picked at the peak of freshness and brought to the market for you to buy, direct from the grower. Roadside farm stands are also a great choice!

- In the off season, visit independent produce markets, like Kins Farm Market or sign up for a home delivery service like Spud.ca or Organics@Home.

- If you live in British Columbia, buy Hot House. BC Hot House is 100% owned by local growers. BC Hot House tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers are sold around the world. We are lucky enough to have them based and grown, right in our backyard, with farms in Surrey, Abbotsford and Ladner. Just watch out for their other label MX Hot House. Those products are grown in Mexico during the winter months when there isn't enough light to adequately grow greenhouse produce here.

- Read labels and signs to know where your food is coming from. Not all produce at your local, independent grocer or produce markets is local. Kins carries a huge selection of produce from California. Just the other day I bought Californian plums because I wasn't paying attention. If you aren't sure, ask questions. You have a right to know where your food is coming from.

- Plant your own garden and grow the items you tend to purchase the most. If you don't have space for an outdoor garden, consider a container garden. This year I planted a large container herb garden, container lettuce and container tomatoes. Several cities now have community gardens as well.


- Preserve the Bounty! This summer I participated in The Nourished Kitchen's Preserve the Bounty challenge and preserved over 12 litres of in season fruit and produce for use in the winter months. I bought a food dehydrator and dried fresh herbs and in season fruit. Along with canning, drying, fermenting and vinegar preserving, you can also freeze some foods for use during the off season.

- If you can afford it and have the freezer space, buy your meat products in bulk. Buy a half or a quarter of a cow direct from the farmer. You will save money and time as you won't need to return to the farm or other vendors every few weeks or months to re-stock. With local beef and poultry readily stocked in your freezer, you won't be tempted to buy lesser quality meat of unknown origin from the grocery store. (Ann Marie at Cheeseslave says it takes 7 cubic feet of freezer space to store half a cow.)

- Adjust your cooking focus to be in line with seasonal food. In the summer, cook with beets, corn, green beans, zucchini and berries. In the Fall, try Brussels sprouts, parsnip, cauliflower and pears. In Winter, stick with apples, carrots, onions, butternut and other winter squashes. In the Spring enjoy asparagus, rhubarb and BC Spot Prawns.

- Realize that buying local doesn't mean giving up foods you love. Certain foods like citrus fruit, are not available at any time in British Columbia. Buy local when you have the choice but don't feel like you have to give up locally unavailable foods. Instead, buy from your local produce market to ensure you are getting the freshest produce possible and buy organic when possible. For pantry staples like soy sauce, sugar, coffee, rice, olive oil etc, buy high quality, un-refined and organic when possible.

For more information:

Get Local BC has produced a directory, mainly aimed at residents in the City of Vancouver. It has lots of good resources about where to shop for local products.

Eat Wild Canada has an extensive list of sources for grass-fed beef and other humanely raised animal products.

Check my post about local vendors and resources for locally and humanely raised animal products, such as dairy, meat, seafood and poultry.

This post is part of Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist

Chicken in Apricot Sauce

Apricots are in season locally so how about apricots for dinner tonight?

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (preferably pastured & organic)
salt & pepper
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp coconut oil
3/4 cup white wine or vermouth
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 shallot, minced
1 yellow pepper, cut into small squares
3 fresh apricots, pitted and chopped (for about 1 cup chopped apricots)
2 tbsp homemade apricot preserves
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1. Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until flattened and an even 1/2 inch thickness. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.

2. Add flour to a shallow pie dish. Dredge chicken through flour, coating both sides. Shake of excess flour.

3. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. You will probably need to cook chicken in batches. Add more coconut oil between batches.

4. De-glaze the pan by adding wine and scraping up any brown bits left from cooking the chicken. Add shallots and peppers and cook until wine is slightly reduced. Add white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard and stir together.

5. Add apricots and cook until fruit begins to break down, 2-3 minutes. Stir in preserves and season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup warm water to pan and stir.

6. Cut the chicken breasts in half and return them to the pan. Spoon sauce over chicken to coat. Reduce heat to low and simmer chicken in sauce for 5-8 minutes while you prepare your side dishes. Sprinkle fresh thyme over top.

7. Serve chicken with extra sauce spooned over top. Grilled vegetables or sautéd spinach make good side dishes.

If you find the sauce too sweet, add more white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard.


This post is part of Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist.