GREEN CUISINE
Four wintery dishes to cook up based on Canada’s new food guide
Hearty, vegetable-forward winter recipes inspired by Canada’s new food guide,
Canada’s new food guide came out last monthand it wasn’t anything too shocking: eat more greens, cool it on the meat, use less salt, and (surprise), drinking juice is not the same as eating a piece of fruit. Most of us already know which foods are nutritious, but keeping meals exciting while avoiding the grain bowl slump can be a challenge. Luckily, there are cuisines around the world that already excel at using spices to maximize flavours without relying on salt, do wonderful things with meatless proteins, and make the most of natural sugars in vegetables to make them really pop. Best of all, these hearty and comforting dishes are perfect for this bitterly cold winter, and will make enough for a small group to stay inside all weekend. We even included a stew and brown rice recipe for the Instant Pot lovers.
Instant Pot Oxtail and Vegetable Stew Star Tested For the stew
A salad or smoothie isn’t the only way to incorporate more vegetables into a diet. During winter, slow-cooking hearty root vegetables and tough greens is a great way to make them more mellow for those who don’t always like the bitter flavours of leafy greens or find certain veggies too hard. This dish takes inspiration from Caribbean cooking, which often slow-cooks greens with lots of aromatics to infuse flavour and tenderize the leaves. Oxtail is also a common ingredient in Caribbean cooking and while it releases a lot of fat when cooked, it can be skimmed off just before serving, or better yet, refrigerate the stew overnight so that the fat rises to the top and solidifies, making it easy to spoon out.
2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable or canola oil 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced 4 finely minced garlic cloves 8 sprigs thyme, stems removed 2 tbsp (30 ml) finely minced fresh ginger 1 tsp (5 ml) each freshly ground black pepper, allspice and kosher salt 3 lbs oxtail 900 ml no salt-added beef broth 1/4 cup (60 ml) tomato paste 1 tbsp (15 ml) mild curry powder 1 minced scotch bonnet pepper 2 red bell peppers, roughly chopped 3 medium-sized carrots, cut into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) coins 1 large bunch collards, stems removed and leaves roughly torn
Add oil, onions, garlic, thyme, ginger, black pepper, salt and allspice into cooking chamber. Turn on Sauté function and cook onions until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add oxtail and cook until browned all over, about 10 to 15 minutes. If pot is too small, brown oxtail in batches. Turn off Instant Pot. Transfer oxtail and onions to a bowl and set aside.
Stir in broth, tomato paste, curry powder and scotch bonnet pepper to cooking chamber. Using a wooden spoon, scrape off browned bits from bottom of pot. Stir in bell peppers, carrots and col- lards. Return oxtail and onions to cooking chamber. Place lid on top, flipping toggle to sealing mode and cook on Manual setting on High Pressure for 30 minutes. Allow for Natural Pressure Release. Using a spoon, skim off top layer of fat if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Transfer to a serving pot and serve immediately.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Instant Pot Jamaican-Style Brown Rice and Beans Star Tested
As someone who grew up eating white rice, I had a hard time incorporating brown rice into my diet because I found its strong nutty flavour and crunchy texture overwhelms delicate dishes, such as steamed fish or tofu. But the bold flavours of Jamaican cooking — ginger, coconut milk, scotch bonnet peppers, allspice and garlic — does a great job of complimenting the flavour. I prefer brown rice cooked on the softer side so I use a longer cooking time and more liquid, but if you prefer a chewier texture, set the Instant Pot for 20 minutes. 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable or canola oil 1 yellow onion, diced 2 minced garlic cloves 1 tsp (5 ml) minced fresh ginger 3 sprigs thyme, stems removed 1/2 tsp (2 ml) each ground allspice and kosher salt 1/2 cup (125 ml) coconut milk 2 cups (500 ml) no salt-added chicken broth 1 minced scotch bonnet pepper 1 (250 ml) cup each brown rice and canned red beans, rinsed Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Sauté onion, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice and salt. Cook until fragrant and onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, broth and scotch bonnet pepper. Stir in rice and beans. Replace lid and set toggle to sealing mode. Cook on Manual setting on High Pressure for 25 minutes. Allow for Natural Pressure Release. Stir rice and beans. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.