Vegging For Two

Summer is right around the corner and everyone is heading to a patio or back yard BBQ. Why settle for water while everyone else is drinking something frozen and yummy? Enter the Mocktail! Here are a few recipes for some really great ones courtesy of the LCBO!

Apricot Invasion

Cool Cat

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine 1 oz. apricot juice, 2 oz. raspberry juice and 2 oz. cranberry juice. Shake and strain into a highball glass. Top with soda and garnish with a mint sprig.

 

English Garden Sipper

 

 

Fill a cooler glass with ice. Add 4 oz. iced tea and 4 oz. raspberry juice. Garnish with fresh lemon and raspberries.

According to ‘What To Expect When You Are Expecting’, those with a baby on the way need to ensure they are getting 3 servings daily of Vitamin C. Your body can’t store Vitamin C so don’t skip a day! But don’t worry, 3 servings is easier to get then you might think. For instance 1/4 of a medium red, yellow or orange bell pepper has one serving. Eating this stuffed pepper will ensure you are getting your 3 servings and then some. Helping you with tissue repair and wound healing as well as your baby’s bone and teeth development.

Ingredients

6 sweet peppers of any colour
1lb ground beef – feel free to use a veggie ground substitute or rice mixture
1 cup rinsed black beans
1 cup frozen corn
½ cup salsa
1 TBSP taco seasoning – homemade or store bought low sodium variety
Shredded cheese for topping *optional

Remove the tops of the peppers and prepare for stuffing by removing the seeds and membrane inside each pepper. Open peppers in a way to allow peppers to stand on their own or with minimal support.

Mix other in other ingredients except cheese in a bowl. Stuff peppers almost to the top but leave a little bit of room. Top stuffing with a spoonful of salsa.

Arrange peppers in a baking dish and add ½ cup of water to the bottom of the dish. Cover with tin foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-40 minutes depending on how large the peppers are. Bake until meat is cooked all the way through. Top with shredded cheese and place in oven for another 2 minutes or until cheese has melted.

I’ve never had much luck with making my own pickles, but I came across this recipe the other day and had to share it. I haven’t made them myself yet as Asparagus season is still a ways away (but closer and closer each day!) but it’s good to have on hand just to be ready! Asparagus is a great vegetable packed with loads of natural folic acid. Make sure you get plenty of folic acid all through out your pregnancy but it is also a good idea to have a reserve build up in your body before you even become pregnant.

Ingredients
3 lbs asparagus spears
4 sprigs fresh tarragon
2 small shallots, halved
2 cups white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 TSP pickling salt

Wash and cut asparagus so that there is 2 cm of head space in your jar.

Pack asparagus into clean, sanitized jars with tips down.  Tuck in a tarragon sprig and 1/2 a shallot among spears.

Combine vinegars, water, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour mixture into packed jars leaving 1 cm of head space.

Makes 4 x 500ml jars.

Oh onions… we have had a love hate relationship ever since I was young. To this day I still order a burger with no onions but swap my fries for onion rings. Onions themselves are low in fat, sodium and cholesterol (not so much when in ring form) and provide loads of vitamin C, fiber, folate and vitamin B6. Here is a great, easy recipe for everyone… even the onion haters.

Ingredients
1 large Vidalia onion (or another sweet onion variety)
3 TBSP parmesan cheese, grated
3 TBSP of your fave BBQ sauce

Peel your onion and cut into 6 wedges being careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom. Place the onion on a large sheet of foil, slightly pulling apart wedges. Drizzle with BBQ sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Wrap the onion tightly in foil and bake in your oven at 450 degrees for 40 minutes until onion is tender. Open the foil pouch (leaving the onion inside) and turn your oven on to broil. Place onion back in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until onion is slightly browned.

Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C, a vitamin that has been shown to help your immune system ward off and fight colds and other illness. When you are pregnant, your body’s immune system is compromised and your ability to take medication to handle illness is limited, that’s why it’s so important to stay as healthy as possible!

This is my basic recipe for the easiest homemade tomato sauce in the world. It uses canned tomatoes – which are perfectly healthy as long as you buy the ‘no salt added’ variety. Really. Read the the labels, if you are not buying ‘no salt added’ tomatoes then you are in for a shock. Regular canned tomatoes can have up to 400 mg of sodium per serving vs the approximate 28 mg that ‘no salt added’ tomatoes have. I do add salt for taste, but even with adding your own salt the sodium level is still way lower.

Ingredients
Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion chopped
1 Can of plum tomatoes – 14 oz – No Salt Added
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon

In a skillet heated on medium heat, warm a small amount of olive oil. Add to it onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes juice and all (though if you are using diced tomatoes drain 1/2 the liquid from the can) and break up the plum tomatoes using a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until liquid reduces and the sauce is the consistency you like. Add in oregano and cinnamon – these are optional but add a depth of flavour to the sauce.

That’s it! As easy as opening one of those jars of pre-made sauce but without the preservatives. Feel free to add any number of other items such as other veggies or meat. Add them to the pan and cook after the onions but before the tomatoes.