Cooking show recipe book - printer version
Meal Planning and Shopping 101
Pre-Shop: Map it out!
- Decide how much you time you have for prep & cooking
- Calendar time for cooking
- Make a simple menu template and a grocery list
Shop Smart:
- Produce: Choose more fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables; ready to eat options can save time (cherry tomatoes, whole fruit, baby carrots)
- Protein: Look for options that for your budget, diet preferences and are minimally processed. Hidden Gems: nutritious, economical foods like grains, low sodium canned goods, oats, and nuts can be found in the aisles.
- Be Savvy: Hit the sales, choose no name options, and know what’s in season! Try swapping a high cost vegetable for a lower cost or frozen one in main dishes.
At Home: Prep ASAP after you shop! Take 5, 15, or 45 minutes.
- 5 min: Wash produce before storing or portion some snacks
- 15 min: Prep produce, pre-cook rice/quinoa, hard boil eggs, prep hummus with veggie packs or yogurt parfaits.
- 45 min: Batch prepare or cook a meal (double the recipe and freeze 1/2 for later), make a grain or bean salad, homemade muffins or granola bars.
Basic Frittata
Chef Javier
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp milk or cream of choice
- 1 cup leftover vegetables
- 1/2 cup grated or crumbled cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Leftover spaghetti
Directions:
- Whisk egg and milk of choice, season with salt and pepper.
- Use non-stick or cast iron fry pan to saute leftover vegetables.
- Add leftover spaghetti followed by egg mixture. Cover and let cook until firm and eggs are cooked through. Top with cheese, cover and cook for 1-2 min longer to melt the cheese.
B.Y.O Mac & Cheese
Chef Daniel, REV
Step 1: Choose a Noodle
- Macaroni noodles are our fave, but you can use any kind
- Dietitian Tip: Try wholegrain, gluten free, or spiralized veg for something different.
Step 2: Sauce
- Pesto
- Cream Sauce
- Cheese Sauce
- Dietitian Tip: Make your own easy pesto at home with basil, olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast.
Step 3: Power it up with Protein
- Chicken
- Bacon
- Black bean crumbles
- Dietitian Tip: anything on hand will work here! Try some smoked tofu, leftover taco meat, or canned tuna for more variety.
Step 4: Top it all off!
- Clean out your fridge and load in ALL the extra veggies you can here for a personalized and nutrition packed bowl! Our faves include:
- Roasted red peppers
- Tomatoes or bruschetta mix
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Edamame
- Corn
- Zucchini
- Broccoli
Step 5: Totally Optional
- For all those cheese lovers, give a little extra sprinkle on top!
- Cheddar
- Parmesan
- Nutritional yeast
- Feta
Easy Pasta Skillet
Chef Sean, The Market at UWP
Ingredients:
- 450g lean ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken), or vegan crumbles
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 225g button mushrooms, halved
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 x 500g box pasta, cooked
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, for serving
Directions:
- Cook ground meat or veggie crumble, onion, mushrooms and garlic in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown. Drain of any excess grease, Stir in remaining ingredients except pasta.
- Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat and simmer 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add cooked pasta to mixture and combine well, remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan or nutritional yeast for serving.
Dietitian Tip: Toss in any extra veggies you have on hand with this dish to reduce food waste in your fridge and add some extra nutrients to your dinner!
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Chef Denise, Cash Ops
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 package coleslaw mix (454 g)
- ¼ cup shredded carrots
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or Coconut Aminos)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha (or to taste)
- 4 tablespoons green onions, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Directions:
- Place a large wok or skillet on the stove over medium heat.
- Add oil. Add onions and sauté for about 3 - 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and ginger and cook for about one minute, stirring the whole time.
- Add the ground beef to the onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook beef until brown and no longer pink and juices run clear.
- Empty the bag of coleslaw mix and shredded carrots to the ground beef.
- Cook with the ground beef until the cabbage is wilted and carrots are softened.
- Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, and sriracha. Stir.
- Garnish with chopped green onions, more sriracha, and sesame seeds. Serve hot!
Tips to Customize your Bowl:
- Protein: Swap Beef for Sausage, Ground Pork, turkey or chicken, or veggie ground round!
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce gives this recipe a lot of flavor. You can use tamari or coconut aminos, for a gluten-free alternative.
- Rice Vinegar: Often combined with soy sauce in Asian dishes, it is sweeter than most other vinegar. If you don’t have it, use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar as a substitute.
- Sriracha: Sriracha is a unique hot sauce often used in Asian dishes. If you don’t have it, you can use another type of chili garlic sauce or any type of hot sauce you like. Adjust the amount to your spice preference!
Kaali Dal
Chef Mark, Catering
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cup black lentils, dry
- 1/2 cup kidney beans, dry
- 1 1/4 cup (9 oz) tomatoes, chopped
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Cherry tomato, cilantro and grated ginger (for garnish)
Directions:
- Soak dry beans and lentils in cold water over night.
- Cook beans and lentils in ample water until tender at low heat. When Fully cooked drain the beans to the point they only have a little moisture left.
- Once lentils are cooked add the tomato, butter, ginger and garlic and continue to cook low and slow for 15-20 min.
- In a separate pan heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil and toast cumin seeds, then add the onion and chili powder. Simmer until cooked, and reserve. Add to main pot 3 minutes before serving.
- Serve in bowls and garnish with cherry tomato, cilantro, soft butter and fresh grated ginger.
Fun Food Fact:
- Dals are thick purée-like stew or soup made from lentils – one of the most adaptable ingredients in any Indian kitchen! Dal is a very versatile dish that can be kept simple and basic or featured as an extravagant dish.
This particular recipe was adapted from: "From India" by Kumar and Suba Mahadevan.
Overnight Oats
Chef Djura, V1
Master Overnight Oats Recipe:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or quick oats
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 1/2 cup yogurt (or additional milk)
- sweetener of choice (as desired)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- Optional Add In's: fruit, nuts/nut butter, chia, flax, hemp
Strawberry Shortcake Oats:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or quick oats
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 1/2 cup strawberry or plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp strawberry jam
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup strawberries and blueberries (mixed)
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Banana Bread Oats:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or quick oats
- 1 cup almond milk (sub any other milk you like)
- 1 tbsp honey (sub maple syrup to make vegan)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sliced banana
- 1-2 tbsp crushed walnuts
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients in a jar or food safe plastic container. Let sit 6-8 hours or overnight and enjoy!
Overnight Oats Recipe Tips:
- If the mix is too dry add a little more milk, if it's too wet, add a little more oats until desired consistency is reached. Remember, the oats will absorb some of the milk overnight, so a little extra liquid is OK!
- Try different combinations to mimic some of your favourite flavours, here are some more ideas:
- Pumpkin Spice: Pureed pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamn, nutmeg, hemp and pumpkin seeds
- Apple Pie: Diced apple, apple butter, vanilla ygurt, cinnamon, pecans or ground flax
- Carrt Cake: Shredded carrots, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, walnuts
Tallarin Saltado con Pollo
Chef Javier
Ingredients:
- 1 large potato, cut into fries
- Vegetable oil (as needed)
- 1 large chicken breast, sliced into strips (1/4" thick)
- 1 red onion, sliced into strips
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and sliced in strips
- 1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Fry potatoes in pan with a little vegetable oil. Set aside.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- In a separate bowl whisk together soy sauce, vinegar and cumin. Set aside.
- In a frying pan with vegetable oil on high heat, cook the chicken. Brown on one side, flip and cook for additional 2 minutes or until cooked.
- Stir in onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 1 minute longer.
- Stir in soy sauce mixture. Turn off heat and toss with french fries. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Tips:
- Swap chicken for any tender cut of meat you like! Beef also works well.
- You can swap potatoes for noodles or another starch if you prefer in this recipe.
- For a healthier option, try roasting potatoes in the oven, use a non-stick frying pan, and keep vegetable oil to 2-3 tsp total.