Author: chefalice

While this recipe is technically a type of sauerkraut because it is made primarily of shredded cabbage, it has an almost Asian flavor that makes it perfect for serving atop a bowl of brown rice or soba noodles for a quick and healthy rice or noodle bowl meal. Because it contains a whole pineapple, many assume it will be sweet tasting, but depending on the amount of fermentation time, it tends to taste more salty than sweet. It still has a delicious pineapple flavor that works beautifully with the cabbage and carrots. And don’t worry if you’re not an onion…

Hush puppies are savory Southern dumplings made by deep-frying small portions of cornmeal dough. This version replaces the typical cornmeal and wheat flour with flaxseed meal and sesame seed flour for a sugar-free, gluten free treat. They are a terrific accompaniment to any fish or chicken dish, and leftovers make a great snack; just reheat them in a hot oven for a few minutes to bring back the crispness. To make them, you’ll need a deep fryer or a heavy stainless steel pot that’s at least 6 inches deep. We call for soybean oil for frying because it’s safe to…

Tossing spices into air-popped or low-fat popcorn adds a punch of flavor to a quick and easy snack.

Cornmeal makes the texture of these muffins so enjoyable, and the pairing of the subtle lemon flavour and the bright blueberries makes this recipe a real winner. As a bonus, these muffins are lightly sweetened, so if you omit the lemon and blueberries, you will have a simple cornbread muffin that goes great alongside your favourite veggie chili or stew.

I should have called this recipe “It’s Time for Thyme in Corn Chowder!” That herb, along with the parsley, is really delicious in this creamy blend. Oh, I could break into song. I don’t have the sage and rosemary, but you get the drift. Since corn is difficult to digest, I rarely eat it. When I do, it’s in this soup. I go out of my way to source non-GMO corn, and combine it with alkaline components to balance the high sugar content and acidity. This is pure comfort food.

Everyone makes butternut squash soup, so how can we make it more interesting? The walnut pesto adds layers of flavor from herbs, funkiness from cheese, and crunch from the nuts so the one-dimensional, everybody-makes-it standby is now a lot more interesting. I use Pecorino instead of Parmesan because it is sharper (I think of it as more “sheepy”), so it stands out instead of fading into the squash, which Parmesan will do.

The delicious carrot, raisin and walnut muffins are surprisingly low in sugar and fat, and are packed with fibre and vitamin A-rich carrots.

I really didn’t know it was possible to whip up a shepherd’s pie in less than half an hour until I set my mind to it. I have had so much fun working on these recipes, partly because they’re delicious, but also because they’ve simplified my life so dramatically by cutting my time not only in half, but often by two-thirds or more. I actually prefer this shepherd’s pie to the slow-cooked one I used to make. The big trick? Microwaving potatoes cuts your mashed potato making time in half. There are a few other tricks that you’ll need to…