Fresh Herb Omelet with Greek Yogurt

I have so many herbs in my back yard garden.  Tarragon, Oregano, Basil, Lemon Thyme, Parsley and the list goes on...

Rather than my usual breakfast shake, I challenged my husband to make an egg dish with our fresh herbs for breakfast.  His creation -- a fresh herb omelet filled with Greek yogurt and garnished with our garden fresh tomatoes and parsley.

Having a backyard (or front yard) garden rocks!

Joanne Levesque 

Registered Holistic Nutritionist

Serves 2

1/3 cup fresh herbs (any combination of oregano, basil, tarragon, lemon thyme, chives etc.), finely chopped

5 pastured eggs (from your local farmers market), my favourite are from Funny Duck Farms

Sea salt and white pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

cherry tomatoes and more herbs for garnish

Beat eggs with salt, pepper, and chopped herbs.  Melt butter in a small non stick pan over medium heat.  Add eggs and cook and gently stir with a spatula until almost done.  Add Greek yogurt on top and gently fold the omelet in half.  Heat for about 30 to 60 seconds and remove from heat.  Split between two plates and garnish. Serve with toasted whole grain or gluten free toast.

Enjoy a garden inspired breakfast.

Kale Soup

I pulled out a cookbook from Emeril Lagasse the other day and was inspired by his Kale Soup.  The first thing that impressed me about this soup is that it included kale and beans which are a staple in my house.  The second thing that impressed me about this soup is that it made 5 liters of soup.  That is a lot of soup!  Dinner for the rest of the week, yeah!

The original recipe includes chorizo sausage and chicken stock.  This is fine for omnivores.  If you are a vegetarian, then you can omit the sausage and use vegetable broth.

I make it with organic chorizo sausage I sourced from Funny Duck Farms http://www.funnyduckfarms.com/ who are located at the Ottawa Organic Farmers Market http://www.oofmarket.ca every Saturday between 10am and 2pm.

Joanne Levesque, RHN, Pure Med Office Manager

4 tablespoons olive oil  1 pound chorizo sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices  1 large yellow onion, chopped  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste  6 to 8 cloves garlic, to your taste, minced  1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves  1 cup dried white kidney beans, soaked in water for 24 hours* and drained  1 cup dried red kidney beans, soaked in water for 24 hours* and drained 4 quarts homemade chicken stock, or homemade vegetable stock 2 bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, use more if you omitted the sausage 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced 2 bunches kale, well washed, stemmed and cut into thin strips Heat the olive oil in a heavy 8-quart stockpot over medium heat.  Add the sausage and onion and cook stirring for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic, parsley, and beans and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add the chicken (or vegetable stock) and bring to a boil.  Add the bay leaves, thyme, and the crushed red pepper.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the beans are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.  Add the potatoes and kale, season with salt and pepper and continue to simmer until the potatoes are tender, about another 30 minutes.  Remove the bay leaves. This soup keeps well in the refrigerator in jars for up to 10 days. *Do not salt the soup until the beans are cooked.  Salt doubles the cooking time for beans.  As well, the longer you soak the beans in water, the less time you will need to cook them.

Beef Stew

This is a  recipe from Chef Jamie Oliver's official website http://www.jamieoliver.com.  It's  a favorite of his wife Jool's and it's a delicious easy meal that serves as comfort food during the winter months.

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it's quick and you can add any root vegetables you desire.  It is best to use grass-fed beef available at the Ottawa Organic Farmers Market http://www.oofmarket.ca for the best nutrition and flavour.  I make it in a slow cooker in the morning for a hassle-free dinner.

Joanne Levesque, RHN, Pure Med Office Manager

• olive oil • 2 tablespoons of butter • 1 onion, peeled and chopped • a handful of fresh sage leaves • 800g/1¾lb grass-fed stewing steak or beef skirt, cut into 5cm/2 inch pieces • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • flour, to dust • 2 parsnips, peeled and quartered • 4 carrots, peeled and halved • ½ a butternut squash, halved, deseeded and roughly diced • optional: a handful of Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and halved • 500g/1lb 2oz small potatoes • 2 tablespoons tomato purée • ½ a bottle of red wine • 285ml/½ pint beef or vegetable stock • zest of 1 lemon, finely grated • a handful of rosemary, leaves picked • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped Preheat the oven to 160ºC/300ºF/. Put a little oil and your butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and just a little salt. Bring to the boil, place a lid on top, then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4 – it depends on what cut of meat you’re using and how fresh it is. The only way to test is to break apart a piece of meat and if it falls apart easily it’s ready. Once it’s cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110°C/225°F and just hold it there until you’re ready to eat.  Serve with warm bread.  Mix the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating.  Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference – as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.

Herb Cream Cheese Scrambled Eggs

This recipe is not for everyone.  If you are not sensitive to eggs and dairy, then this recipe is quick, delicious and nutritious.

It starts with organic, pastured eggs that you pick up at the organic farmers market.  Eggs are a marvelous food.  A large egg contains 70 calories and is full of iron, vitamins A, D, E, B12, folate, protein, selenium, lutein, zeazanthin, and choline.  They are inexpensive (even the organic, pastured eggs) and are quick to cook.

The following recipe comes from 101cookbooks.com.  I found it when I was looking for recipes that contained lots of fresh herbs, since my garden is abundant with fresh herbs and I am determined to use as much as I can before the frost and snow claim them.

I used Organic Meadows Cream Cheese (found at Farm Boy and Loblaws/Superstore) which is organic and very spreadable.  Play around with the herbs.  Keep in mind that you wants tons of herbs and green onions in the cream cheese

.Joanne Levesque RHN, Pure Med Office Manager and Holistic Nutritionist

Serves 2

125 grams cream cheese at room temperature

4 tablespoons chopped herbs – equal parts thyme, tarragon, oregano

6 green onion, with greens, chopped

1/3 cup chopped chives

Fine grain sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

5 to 6 eggs, well whisked

Your favourite crusty bread or whole grain (or gluten free) toast

Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl, add the herbs and mash with a fork until the herbs are evenly distributed.  Add the green onions, most of the chives, a pinch of salt, and mash until those are incorporated as well.  Set aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-heat.  Add the eggs and let them set a bit.  Use a spatula to fold them over themselves, let them set a bit again, and repeat until they are nearly cooked to your liking.  Remove from heat, add 2 dollops of the cream cheese (roughly a tablespoon each) to the skillet, count to ten, then stir a bit more to work the cream cheese into the eggs.  Serve sprinkled with the remaining chives, salt and pepper to taste, and toast on the side.  You can also add a side of steamed broccoli or Brussels sprouts to make a balanced meal.

Prep time: 5 min - Cook time: 5 min