Eliminate the carbs: Easy food hacks to replace traditional carbs with more vegetables.

EGGPLANT BRUSCHETTA

Ingredients:

  • For Eggplant
  • 2 medium eggplant, sliced into 1 inch rounds
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • For the Bruschetta
  • 5 roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp feta cheese (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425F, coat parchment lined baking sheet with olive oil.
  2. Arrange eggplant on sheet and flip to evenly coat with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Once time has elapsed flip and season, return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.
  4. While the eggplant is cooking, make the bruschetta. Combine, diced tomatoes, garlic, parsley, balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  5. Top eggplant with mixture and a bit of crumbled feta for garnish and serve immediately. Eggplant can get soggy so make sure you don't let it sit too long!

Tips:

  • You can also serve this tasty bruschetta on toasted bread, or any roasted veggies of your choice!
  • Afraid of soggy eggplant? Spread the rounds out on a paper towel and salt generously. Let it sit for about 30-40 minutes then rinse thoroughly.

EGGPLANT PIZZA

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium eggplant, sliced into 1 inch rounds
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup pizza sauce
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup onion, sliced
  • 1 cup green pepper, sliced
  • ½ cup pepperoni
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425F, coat parchment lined baking sheet with olive oil. Arrange eggplant on sheet and flip to evenly coat with olive oil.
  2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Once time has elapsed flip and season, return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven, top with pizza sauce, veggies of your choice, and mozzarella cheese.
  5. Return to oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Ingredients:

For the Eggplant

  • 3 medium eggplant, sliced into 1 inch rounds
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg white
  • 1.5 cups Italian breadcrumbs
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • For the Marinara Sauce:
  • 1 yellow Onion diced
  • 1 cup cremini Mushrooms diced
  • 1 Carrot diced
  • 1 Zucchini diced
  • 2 cloves Garlic crushed or finely chopped
  • 1 can whole tomatoes - San Marzano style is our favourite!
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3-5 basil leaves to taste
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • For the cheese:
  • 1 cup ricotta
  • 2 cups mozzarella
  • 1 egg

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, dip each eggplant slice into egg followed by breadcrumbs. Place eggplant on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spray the eggplant with cooking spray then bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn eggplant, spray again, and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes. You can also skip the breading and just roast the eggplant in the oven with salt and pepper for approximately 25 minutes.
  2. While the eggplant is cooking, make the marinara. In a saucepan over medium high, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add carrots and zucchini and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until mushrooms have released their water. Lastly, add garlic and sauté for one more minute.
  3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and basil and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and cook on low with lid for 30 minutes. Once sauce has reduced, add salt and pepper to taste if desired.
  4. For the cheese “sauce,” beat together ricotta, egg, and one cup of the mozzarella and set aside.
  5. Time to layer! Spread a bit of marinara at the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, then layer eggplant, marinara, eggplant, cheese and repeat until all ingredients are used. Top off the lasagna with the remaining cup of mozzarella.
  6. Bake at 375 covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly.

Tips:

  • Make a triple batch of this sauce and freeze it for future meals!
  • If you do bread the eggplant you can make this dish ahead and bake the night you want to serve it. It may need 60 minutes instead of 45.

STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Ingredients:

  • 1 large spaghetti squash or 2 small
  • 1 tsp olive oil1 lb extra lean ground beef*
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 cups cremini mushrooms chopped
  • 1 can lentils drained and rinsed, 540 mL/19 oz
  • 1/2 can crushed tomatoes** 796 mL/28 oz
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (TexMex Monterey Jack or cheddar)
  • 1 tsp chives chopped , optional

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400F.
  • Cut end off squash, and slice lengthwise. Scoop out seeds until halves are hollow.
  • Brush olive oil on cut rims and place cut side down on parchment-lined baking tray.
  • Place in oven and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until fork tender.
  • While the squash is cooking, prep the meat stuffing.
  • In a large pot, cook ground beef on medium-high heat until brown (about 5 to 8 minutes).
  • Reduce heat to medium.
  • Add onion, garlic, chili powder and salt. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add mushrooms, lentils and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.
  • Take squash out of oven once cooked.
  • Spoon beef mixture into squash “bowls” and top with cheese. Sprinkle on chives if using.
  • Broil in oven until the cheese is melted to your liking.

Tips:

  • Feel free to sub in ground chicken or turkey instead of beef
  • Store the remaining tomato sauce in a covered glass or plastic container (good for 5 to 7 days). I usually double up the meat sauce recipe so I use the whole can.
  • Depending on the size of the squash, you might have meat sauce left over. You can use it to top pizza, serve in lettuce cups at another meal, or freeze for a busy day.

ZOODLES WITH PESTO

Ingredients:

  • 6 Zucchini
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2-3 cups fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese  

Directions:

  1. Let's prepare the zoodles! Spiralize your zucchini and you'll have wonderfully curly zoodles. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a pan and sauté the zoodles for 2-3 minutes to soften them a little. Set aside.
  2. Now it's time to make the pesto. Wash the basil leaves and toss them into a blender or food processor with the pine nuts, remainder of olive oil, pepper and parmesan cheese. Blend until you have a smooth sauce. If your sauce seems too thin, add a bit more parmesan until you reach the desired consistency. Some parmesan cheeses are saltier than others, so only add salt if needed at the very end.
  3. Toss the sauce with the zoodles, garnish with a few basil leaves and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese to taste.

Tips:

  • This sauce freezes well, so feel free to double your ingredients and freeze extra portions for future use.
  • If you find your pesto is a bit thick, add some water or stock.
  • Pesto is very versatile, if you don't have enough basil you can add some avocado for a creamier version.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN PORTABELLA “BUN” BURGERS

Ingredients:

  • 8 Portabella Mushrooms caps
  • 4 oz goat cheese or feta cheese
  • 3 Onions sliced1 Red Pepper sliced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts butterflied
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Wipe caps and remove stems, some also remove the “gills” (dark brown underside of the cap) this is optional. Rub them with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, butterfly the chicken breasts so that there are 4 smaller fillets.
  4. Blend olive oil, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
  5. Brush seasoning onto chicken and place either on a BBQ, indoor grill, or sauté pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until the centre is no longer pink.
  6. In another sauté pan and a bit of olive oil, saute onions and peppers on medium heat or until onions are translucent.
  7. Now you're ready to build some burgers! Layer a portabella cap, chicken, goat cheese, onion and red pepper mix, and another portabella cap. The burger will be so juicy you don't even need sauce!

Simple Stir Fry

Ingredients:

Stir Fry

  • 1 cup Broccoli florets
  • 1 cup Snap peas or snow peas
  • 2 Carrots thinly sliced
  • 1 Red Pepper or Green Pepper
  • 2 cups Bean Sprouts rinsed well
  • 2 Green Onions minced
  • 2 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed

For the Sauce

  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 cup low sodium chicken or beef broth
  • 1/3 cup rice wine or rice vinegar
  • 3 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp Garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp Ginger minced
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes or Siracha hot sauce (you can omit if you don't want it spicy!)

For the "rice"

  • 1 large head Cauliflower
  • 2 tsp peanut or vegetable oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large wok (or non-stick pan), heat 1 tbsp of oil and stir-fry cubed chicken on high heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until no longer pink, remove from wok.
  2. Heat remaining oil and stir-fry veggies for 1-2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water and cover. Let the veggies steam until they are tender but crisp.
  3. Combine soy sauce, broth, vinegar, sugar, water and oil in a bowl.
  4. In a small saucepan over high heat fry garlic and ginger in sesame oil until fragrant. Dissolve corn starch in ¼ cup water and set aside.
  5. Add soy sauce mix to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add cornstarch mixture.
  6. Stir until the sauce thickens and add to veggies. Reincorporate chicken and stir fry for another minute or so.
  7. Slice cauliflower into florets, place a few at a time in a food processor and pulse until it resembles rice.
  8. Toss cauliflower rice into a non-stick pan over medium high with two teaspoons of peanut oil or vegetable oil. Stir fry until the rice appears dry and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Spoon stir fry over cauliflower rice.