simple eats

Chipotle Sweet Potato Noodles

I love Mexican flavours and try to often think of interesting ways to incorporate the flavour profiles outside of the beloved taco. Even though, I could eat taco’s every single day!

After a little inspiration from Pinch of Yum, this Chipotle Sweet Potato Noodle recipe is a new favourite dish added to the weeknight rotation!IMG_3283

Sweet, spicy, smokey, hearty and fresh; this noodle recipe is simple and healthy and an easy go-to recipe to whip up. The chipotle dressing and sweet potato noodles make for an amazing base that you can simply add any toppings of your choice and you are set for a delicious meal. I worked with what I had on hand, peppers, tomatoes, jalapeno, kale, avocado, pepitas, goat feta, and cilantro. However, this would be equally as awesome with some black beans and roasted corn. And you can easily omit the cheese to keep this vegan friendly.

Here’s the dish –

Sweet Potato Noodle Bowl (yields 4-6 servings)
  • olive oil
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 cup chopped greens – kale, spinach, arugula, etc (I love black kale!)
  • 1/2 cup raw pepitas
  • 1/4 cup goat feta or cojita (or opt for no cheese)

Chipotle Lime Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons water
  • juice of one orange
  • juice of one lime
  • 2-4 individual chipotle peppers, canned in adobo sauce
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon agave or honey
  • pinch of Himalayan sea saltFullSizeRender (8)
  1. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped peppers and saute until soft.
  2. Pulse the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking.
  3. Remove, wipe skillet and add a little more olive oil over medium heat. Add the sweet potato noodles and toss for a minute or two until softened (no more than 5). Also, toss in a 2 TBSP of the dressing to coat noodles.
  4. Once slightly cooked, toss the noodles, peppers, kale, cilantro, and pepitas together.
  5. Toss with the salad ingredients and top with tomato, avocado and crumbled cheese.

FullSizeRender (7)

Dig In. xx

Blackened Tilapia

I’ll admit that I always get nervous each time I mix these spices together, in fear that it is going to be too much flavour in all the wrong ways but I always end up being blown away with how well they blend together.

To save yourself some time, mix up 4 x’s the amount of spice, that way you always have this spice on hand.

Blackening Spice:

  • 3 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp himalayan sea salt
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Blackening Spice

For the Fish:

  • 4 tilapia fillets
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • lemon wedges

Blackened Fish

  1. Mix spices.
  2. Pat Tilapia dry, coat with spice mix, allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  3. Heat oil on med-high heat, heat until hot.
  4. Cook fillets for 3 minutes per side or until fish is opaque and can be flaked.
  5. Plate and squeeze with lemon juice.

Blackened Tilapia

Keep it Spicy! xx

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash is one of my favourite fall/winter vegetables. Served sweet or savoury, it never disappoints, plus it’s a nutritional powerhouse!

Here’s a run down of its top nutrient facts and all the reasons we should eat more squash this season (as if you even needed a reason). 🙂

  • high in potassium. preventing high blood pressure and heart disease
  • high in fiber, supporting a healthy digestive tract
  • high in vitamin A (457% of your daily allowance), supporting eye health
  • high in maganese, helping maintain healthy bones
  • high in vitamin C, boosting immune function
  • high in antioxidants, reducing inflammation

Here’s a sweet and savoury soup that will delight your tastebuds.

Butternut Squash Soup (yields 6-8 servings)

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp curry powder (to taste)
  • 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 500-900 ml of vegetable or chicken broth
  • ½ cup pure apple juice
  • 4 cups, butternut squash, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup pear, peeled and chopped
  • ¼ tsp himalayan sea salt
  • ground black pepper to taste
  1. Peel and chop butternut squash, drizzle with coconut oil and roast for 45 minutes.
  2. Melt coconut oil in saucepan. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle curry powder over vegetables and cook for 3 minutes.
  4. Add ginger, broth, apple juice, pears and roasted squash.
  5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
  6. Let it cool slightly and purée.
  7. Add salt and pepper to taste.Butternut Squash Soup

Savour each bite! xx

Roasted Tomato Soup

A handful of simple ingredients makes for a healthy soup loaded with flavour. This tomato soup is one that you can’t really screw up. I’ve made it time and time again and it always turns out deliciously good! However, I felt my mother was a tad uncertain when I started to wing a recipe in the midst of our organized soup marathon. But to her delight and at no real surprise, I did great and to quote  “this is the best tomato soup I’ve ever had”.

Here’s the dish and don’t be too worried about the measurements, you can’t really go wrong when combining these ingredients. The real trick here is roasting cherry tomatoes until they get a bit carmelized but be careful not to burn them.

Roasted Tomato Soup (yields 6-8 servings)

  • 6 pints of cherry tomatoes
  • 2-4 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1-2 cooking onions
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • handful of basil
  • handful of parsley
  • 28 oz. can of peeled san marzano tomatoes (plum work well too!)
  • 900 ml vegetable broth
  • himalayan sea salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup

  1. Drizzle cherry tomatoes with olive oil and roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes.
  2. While tomatoes are roasting, heat olive oil on low and sauté onion + garlic until soft.
  3. Add basil and/or parsley to onion and garlic.
  4. Add in can of tomatoes.
  5. Once tomatoes are roasted add to pot + vegetable broth.
  6. Season with S&P and purée.
  7. Feel free to add additional broth if needed.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Happy Fall! xx

Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Soup

It’s that time of year again when I like to stock pile my freezer full of warm cozy soups! It has become tradition that each year, my mom and I plan a weekend full of Fall things and soup making is always top of the list.

We made our lists, hit up the local market, made an action plan, cranked the tunes and got our cook on! Our organization and quick kitchen artistry  was so on point. Seriously, our soup game was so strong that we cranked out a selection of 7 soups for the season. I’ll be sure to share you these recipes over the next couple weeks.

Today I am dishing on one of my favourites – Roasted Cauliflower & Leek. YUM!!

Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Soup (yields 6-8 servings)

  •  whole cauliflower cut in 2-inch florets
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp earth balance butter (or unsalted butter/margarine of choice)
  • 2-3 leeks (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 900 ml package of vegetable broth (don’t be afraid to add more if needed)
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp himalayan sea salt (to taste)
  • 1 tsp ground pepper (to taste)

Roasted Cauliflower

  1. Place cauliflower on parchment lined baking sheet; drizzle with oil. Roast in oven at 425 F, turning occasionally, until very deep golden on all sides, about 45 minutes to an hour. The darker you roast it the richer the taste will be. Just do not burn!
  2. In soup pot, melt butter over medium heat; cook leeks and garlic, stirring, until leeks are softened, about 8-10 minutes.
  3. Add in dijon and mix.
  4. Add in vegetable broth + roasted cauliflower. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Use hand blender to puree the cauliflower and leek mixture. Blend until smooth. Add more broth if needed.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Let simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

Roasted Cauliflower & LeeksRoasted Cauliflower & Leek Soupxx!