Dear Students,

During this time when we are all in our homes, we decided it might be useful to share some simple, inexpensive and nutritious recipe ideas with you, to help you get through the coming days and make it easy for you to take good care of yourselves.

It may help to know that many supermarkets, like Metro and IGA, offer delivery services, so you can keep your visits to public spaces to a minimum, following current social distancing recommendations.

-Phil

*very nutritious*

Ingredients

2 aubergines
4 green peppers
6 zucchinis
2 onions
4 sprigs of fresh thyme and 4 sprigs of rosemary
Olive oil
Garlic (optional)
Salt and pepper
1 can of crushed tomatoes

Instructions

1. Chop all the vegetables coarsely into cubes. In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté all the vegetables except the zucchini in a bit of olive oil. Once they are lightly browned, add the zucchini, thyme, and rosemary. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Stir in the can of crushed tomatoes, lower the heat, and let simmer for an hour, stirring every 10 minutes.

3. The ratatouille can be eaten as is, with rice, over couscous, or with pasta.

*excellent as a snack or for breakfast*

Ingredients

4 cups instant oatmeal
4 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
1 cup peanut butter or soy butter (Wowbutter)
½ cup dried fruits (of your choosing)

Instructions

1. Combine everything in a bowl. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes until the mixture is pasty. (Add some oats if it is too runny).

2. Form into balls and chill in refrigerator.

3. Forming the mixture into balls is the fastest option, but you can also make energy bars in the shape you prefer.

*Easy, very inexpensive, can be prepared in large quantities*

Ingredients

2 kg of pork leg (inexpensive and easy to find)
2 cups of cheap beer (for example Pabst)
2 cups of water
2 onions
2 cubes of chicken stock (optional)
Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Coarsely chop the onions and place them in an ovenproof dish. Add salt and pepper to the pork leg (to taste) and place it over the onions in the dish.

2. Pour over the beer and the water. Cover with aluminium foil. Roast in the oven at 275 F for 6 hours. After 6 hours, verify if the meat is tender, and if not, let roast one hour longer.

3. Take out of the oven, let it cool down a little, and shred it coarsely using a fork. (Be careful not to burn yourself!). After shredding it, place it in another dish with the cooking juices and refrigerate. Keep the onions as an accompaniment for another meal—they are delicious!

4. Very good to eat as is, in tacos, in a sandwich, with pasta, etc.!

*quick, easy and nutritious*

Ingredients

1 kg semi-lean ground beef
1 bag (500 g) of frozen vegetables for spaghetti sauce
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of crushed tomatoes
5-6 Italian sausages
4 sprigs of fresh thyme and 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Remove the outside part of the sausages and place only its meat in a large saucepan with oil, over medium heat. Add the ground beef and stir until the meat is cooked.

2. Add the frozen vegetables. You will notice that the vegetables release a lot of water. Cook until half the liquid has evaporated and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat to minimum, add the thyme and rosemary. Let simmer for an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. The bolognaise should have a thick consistency. Let rest in the fridge. Store in Ziploc bags or plastic containers. The sauce can easily be kept in the freezer.

4. Good on pasta, rice, for a chili (adding legumes and corn), in a burrito, etc.

*inexpensive for the yield, nutritious, comforting*

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
1 lemon
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
6 big potatoes
8 carrots
Salt, pepper (and steak or BBQ spice mix, optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Insert the entire lemon, the thyme, and the rosemary into the chicken cavity. Season the chicken with the spices you have. Set aside.

3. Cut the potatoes in half and slice the carrots approximately 1-2 inches long (no need to peel them if they are clean…all the taste is on the edges!). Place the potatoes and carrots in an ovenproof dish and place the chicken on top.

4. Put in the oven for an hour. You can baste it every 15 minutes with the cooking juices that accumulate on the bottom of the dish , to make the chicken even more flavourful. Take out the chicken and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting it.

One chicken contains 2 breasts, 2 thighs, and 2 drumsticks, which yields about 3-4 meals on average.
Once the meat has been eaten, don’t throw away the carcass. You can use it to make an excellent chicken stock, which can be used to make a soup with the remaining vegetables and meat for example. I recommend the following recipe: https://www.ricardocuisine.com/en/recipes/3371-chicken-broth.

There you go! Keep it simple, but tasty and nutritious.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me: lpdurocher@ent-nts.ca

Take good care and exercise caution!

- Phil