News & Events
- Jan12
Healthy, with a bit of exotic…
Growing up in Vancouver, I’ve been lucky enough to be exposed to an endless array of exotic cuisines and flavors. Chinese, Thai (my favorite), Indian, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Mexican, African, French…you name it, the list goes on! Like most people in the New Year, one of my resolutions is to eat healthier, or at least reduce my sodium intake. This makes it difficult when eating out, as you don’t know how much salt or fat are going into these meals you’re enjoying at exotic restaurants.
Bal Arneson’s book Everyday Indian is the middle ground between preparing spicy, fun recipes, but keep it light and healthy. Her book shows that you can still enjoy great, fresh Indian recipes, without all the fat and calories. Here is her recipe for No-Butter Chicken-I didn’t think it was possible, but its’ great!
Bal’s No-Butter Chicken
Serves 4
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup water
Place the oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat, add the onions, and sauté until dark golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds.
Reduce the heat to low, add the garam masala, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, turmeric, and salt, and cook for 2 minutes. Mix in the chicken and cook until the chicken is almost done, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the yogurt and water, and cook until the chicken is fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Your fantastic healthy chicken is ready to eat! Serve it with brown rice or whole wheat rotis.
Note: Feel free to use whipping cream instead of yogurt for the ultimate comfort food. Even I give in and indulge from time to time!
- Jan8
Eating Local is in!
According to the National Post column, The Appetizer, “the local food movement reached the mainstream in 2008 and 2009. Buoyed by an interest in more nutritious, less-processed food…many of us flocked to farmers’ markets.”
This theme is exactly what Anna Olson discusses in her newest book Fresh with Anna Olson. Her book is divided into the four seasons, with recipes that features the freshest ingredients that you can find locally, that time of year. Fall is laced with root vegetables for hearty soups, and spring brings in light dishes like fish and salad. Other interesting dishes for snacks and desserts, along with Anna’s recipe tips make this one of the bestselling titles this holiday season.
Read this article about Anna in the National Post for a great Roasted Vegetable Tart recipe and how Anna is on a first name basis with her local butcher!
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/story.html?id=2246261
- Jan5
A Healthy Salad for your New Years Resolution!
According to statistics, one of the most popular New Year’sResolution falls along the lines of eating healthier and losing weight. Intoday’s society, fast food restaurants are on the rise and to accommodate ahealthier lifestyle, places like McDonalds and Wendy’s are offering saladoptions such as Chicken Ceasar Salads or Mandarin Chicken Salads. While manyseem to think eating a salad at a restaurant constitutes a healthier option, itis not always the case as you may not know how many calories and fat are goinginto your meal.
Chef Michael Smith, Food Network star and the author one ofWhitecap’s fast selling titles The Best of Chef at Home, loves his vegetablesand has a whole chapter on great salads to make yourself at home. He alsoteaches you easy ways to make your own salad dressing-it’s way easier than youthink! Try one of my favorite salad recipes below, it is so simple but superhealthy and light.
This is asalad of contrast and balance. The sweetness of the cucumbers is sharpened bythe sourness of the spicy dressing, which in turn is cooled by the refreshingmint.
Serves 4
1 largecucumber, sliced as thinly as possible
1 redonion, thinly sliced
1 carrot,grated
a handfulof mint leaves
zest andjuice of 1 lemon
1tablespoon (15 mL) of olive oil
1tablespoon (15 mL) of honey
1teaspoon (5 mL) of soy sauce
1/2teaspoon (2 mL) of sriracha, or your favourite hot sauce
Toss all theingredients together in a large salad bowl until well combined. Serveimmediately or let it rest for a few hours. The texture will change as theacidic lemon juice and honey in the dressing draw moisture out of the cucumber.The salad will get a bit watery and soften. That’s okay; it still tastes great.Just toss again before serving.
FreestyleVariations
I oftentoss bean sprouts into this salad. Salted peanuts sprinkled in at the lastmoment are an excellent addition as well. If you’re a fan of Thai flavours, adda splash of fish sauce.
- Jan5
A Healthy Salad for your New Years Resolution!
According to statistics, one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions falls along the lines of eating healthier and losing weight. In today’s society, fast food restaurants are on the rise and to accommodate a healthier lifestyle, places like McDonalds and Wendy’s are offering salad options such as Chicken Ceasar Salads or Mandarin Chicken Salads. While many seem to think eating a salad at a restaurant constitutes a healthier option, itis not always the case as you may not know how many calories and fat are going into your meal.
Chef Michael Smith, Food Network star and the author one of Whitecap’s best-selling titles The Best of Chef at Home, loves his vegetables and has a whole chapter on great salads to make yourself at home. He also teaches you easy ways to make your own salad dressing-it’s way easier than you think! Try one of my favorite salad recipes below, it is so simple but super healthy and light.
This is a salad of contrast and balance. The sweetness of the cucumbers is sharpened by the sourness of the spicy dressing, which in turn is cooled by the refreshing mint.
Serves 4
1 large cucumber, sliced as thinly as possible
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, grated
a handful of mint leaves
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon (15 mL) of olive oil
1 tablespoon (15 mL) of honey
1 teaspoon (5 mL) of soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) of sriracha, or your favourite hot sauce
Toss all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl until well combined. Serve immediately or let it rest for a few hours. The texture will change as the acidic lemon juice and honey in the dressing draw moisture out of the cucumber.The salad will get a bit watery and soften. That’s okay; it still tastes great. Just toss again before serving.
Freestyle Variations
I often toss bean sprouts into this salad. Salted peanuts sprinkled in at the last moment are an excellent addition as well. If you’re a fan of Thai flavours, adda splash of fish sauce.
- Dec23
Happy Holidays!
All the staff at Whitecap Books would like to wish you all the best for a safe and wonderful holiday season! Thank you to all our authors, distributors, promoters, booksellers and fans for yet another successful book season.
Happy Holidays!
