Bistro Fish Soup - slow cooker recipe

This delicious, low-fat soup is a meal unto itself!  Just add a salad and voila, dinner is ready minutes after you arrive home from work.  This recipe comes from The Healthy Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson.  It's a treasure trove of easy, healthy slow cooker recipes.  I have adapted it for ease of use.  Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients - it is truly no more than about 10 - 15 minutes of prep time and the rest is the slow cooker doing all the work!  Ready made (frozen) fish stock is available at Pusateri's amongst other retailers.

2 TBSP olive oil
2 large leeks, white part with a bit of green, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
1 bulb fennel, trimmed, cored and chopped
4 sprigs parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel seeds (omit if you don't have on hand)
1/2 tsp each - salt and cracked black peppercorns or black pepper
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, including juice, coarsely chopped (San Marzano tomatoes are the sweetest by far!)
6 cups fish stock (the actual recipe calls for vegetable stock but use fish stock instead - it gives it an awesome flavor boost). If you don't have fish stock, cook with vegetable stock and instead place 2 lbs fish bones and pieces in a cheesecloth and drop in as well)
2 potatoes, diced

Rouille (optional)
1/4 cup low fat mayo
1 roasted red pepper, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
hot pepper sauce
finely chopped parsley

In a pan, heat oil for 30 seconds (but never allow it to smoke!)  Add leeks, fennel, onion and cooks, stirring, until fennel is soft, about 6 - 10 minutes.  Add parsley, garlic, fennel seeds (if using), peppercorns and salt and cook for one more minute while stirring.  Add tomatoes with juice and fish stock and bring to boil. Transfer to slow cooker. If using vegetable stock, add cheesecloth filled with bones, and potatoes, and stir well.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4 -5 hours, until vegetables are very tender.

Rouille:  In a mini-chopper, combine mayo, red pepper, garlic and hot pepper sauce to taste.  Process until smooth.

To serve:  ladle hot soup into bowls, add a crostini on top.  Garnish with a dollop of rouille.

Chef Erin Greene's Toasted Nut Quinoa

Chef Erin is a Toronto-based personal chef with whom I have worked on many occasions.  Her meals are always so creative and delicious!  This is a quinoa dish that she recently made for us.  Pronounced "keen-wah", it is very nearly  a perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids.  It is gluten-free and a great source of protein, although it looks like a grain.  It packs a tremendous nutritional punch!  As with most great chefs, she adjusts seasoning to taste, so while the recipe is a bit vague, it's very easy to create to perfection.  I have done it several times with awesome results.


2 cups quinoia, cooked according to package
1/4 cup finely chopped mint and 1/4 cup finely chopped basil
Zest of 1 lime
Fresh squeezed lime juice - start with about 1/4 of the lime and add per your taste
1/4 cup very finely chopped red onion
Soy sauce to taste (I prefer to use low-sodium, wheat-free tamari sauce)
Toasted almonds and hazelnuts - chopped / crushed
Ground pepper




Cook the quinoa according to package directions.  While cooking, crush and toast the nuts.  Don't pummel the nuts to smithereens - some crunch and texture adds to the dish!  Allow quinoa to cool.  Add zest of one lime.  Toss in  sesame oil ( 2- 3 tablespoons), lime juice and soy sauce to taste.  Add chopped basil and mint plus finely chopped onion.  Add nuts and pepper (to taste), toss together and taste.  Adjust seasoning as necessary.  Delicious hot or at room temperature.  

Two potato topped vegetable pie

I have been making this recipe for so long, I don't even remember where it originated!  It is a very low-fat vegan recipe that is deliciously filling and can easily used as a main entree.  Bring it along to a potluck dinner and the guests will be thrilled!   
   


 5 Medium Kohlrabi - peeled and chopped (if you cannot find, substitute turnip or rutabaga)    
1/2 cup barley
1 onion, chopped
1 rib celery, sliced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups mashed potatoes
2 cups sweet potatoes, mashed



Place all ingredients, except the potatoes, in a large saucepan & bring to
a boil.  Cover, reduce heat & simmer until the vegetables & barley are tender,
about 45 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350F.  Transfer the cooked mixture
to a lightly oiled casserole dish & top with alternate diagonal rows of both
kinds of potato. (For a more decorative look, try piping the potatoes).
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the edges bubble & the potatoes are golden
brown.  Serve immediately.