It’s the New Year again and it seems like we just popped the last bubbly and threw confetti into the air. If your 2007 health resolutions went the way of your confetti then perhaps it’s time to set more realistic guidelines for a healthier eating plan. Just like any new skill, eating healthier takes planning and practice. Making one or two simple changes to your diet successfully will give you the confidence and boost you need to keep adding healthier changes. To help get you started in 2008 here are a few easy to include tips that you can start introducing into your daily eating routines.

1. Plan your menus for the week (this will take some practice and time in the early weeks) and shop only once per week. This will help keep you away from the impulse packaged foods aisle and give you all the ingredients you need at your fingertips to create quick and healthy weekday meals.

2. Reduce the salt but bump up the flavour in your cooking by cutting back on the salt and increase the amount and types of spices, herbs and flavourings. By including fresh or dried herbs and flavours like garlic, chilli and ginger into your meals you won’t feel the need to add as much sodium in your recipes. Take the salt shaker off your table too!

3. When baking substitute half the suggested white flour with whole wheat flour. You may need to add one or two more tablespoons of liquid as the mixture will be slightly drier with whole wheat flour but you’ll increase your protein and retain essential natural nutrients that you don’t get in white flour.

4. Add canned beans to your stews, soups, casseroles and salads. Packed full of fiber and protein, drained, canned beans such as chick peas, kidney beans and black beans are easy to use and keep on hand.

5. Help cut the fat in your diet by switching your family to low fat or skim milk products. These contain the same amount of protein, B vitamins and calcium but with less fat. If you cook or bake with cheese, choose a strong tasting cheese like mature cheddar or blue cheese and you won’t have to use as much.

Here’s a recipe that you can include in your weekly meal plans. Ginger Chicken With Rice Noodles is high in protein, low in fat, contains ingredients that keep well in your pantry and refrigerator and can be prepared in advance. Simply reheat the baked chicken and poaching liquid when ready to serve and place over hot rice noodles or rice of your choice. Feel free to decrease or increase the chillies to suit your family’s tastes. My kids like the “funny see through” noodles and have increased their tolerance to chillies the more they have been exposed to them! Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Ginger Chicken with Rice Noodles
Serves 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
250ml (1 cup) low sodium chicken broth
60g (1 inch piece) ginger, peeled and very thinly sliced into matchstick size pieces
4 green onions, sliced thinly
1 green chilli, deseeded and sliced thinly
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon sugar
225g rice noodles
For the Sauce:
1 teaspoon fish sauce
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
60g (½ cup) sugar peas, sliced thinly
Coriander leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place chicken breasts and broth in a large shallow saucepan. Add enough cold water to just cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove chicken and place on plate to cool, keeping liquid in pan.

Continue to simmer the poaching liquid until the stock is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and keep warm.

Meanwhile cut each chicken breast into 4 slices. Arrange side by side on a large piece of foil. Divide the ginger, onions and green chillies among the chicken slices.

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, lemon juice and sugar; stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over chicken slices. Fold foil over and around the chicken to make a parcel. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

While chicken is baking, pour boiling water over noodles until covered in a heatproof bowl and soak for 15 minutes.

To serve, divide the noodles amongst 4 large, deep soup plates. Unwrap the chicken and arrange the pieces and accumulated juices equally over the noodles. Spoon the poaching liquid over the chicken and garnish with coriander if desired.

I’ve never been one for resolutions and especially at New Year’s; too much fun going on at this time of year to burden myself with unrealistic expectations. Besides resolutions are often about cutting back in your life and I’ve always felt that life is too short to deprive yourself of all the good stuff; like champagne, rich gooey cheeses and butterscotch sauce - everything in moderation I say!

Instead of resolutions I usually just make little promises to myself throughout the year as I see fit. For instance somewhere in the middle of 2007 I decided that I needed to stop being such a procrastinator in certain areas of my life. I pushed myself not to put off those little tasks that can add up quickly and then stress me out even quicker. So I made the call for any home repairs when they happened, I tackled my writing assignments well before they were due and I picked up the clutter when I saw it instead of stepping over it (and over it and over it!). I must say I did a pretty good job of sticking to it and I feel great about it. So maybe I am happy to make resolutions but just not only on January 1st. Seeing as it’s January 7th I should be safe to try a few.

Here are a few of my foodie promises to myself.

· Explore a different culture’s cuisine. African flavours and spices are first on the list.

· Open those bottles of wine I have been saving for a special occasion. Isn’t a Tuesday enough of a celebration?

· Continue to push my kids’ palettes with new tastes and textures. My 6 year old asked me if we were still on that “sophisticated palette kick” - um yes... that would be called eating in our house!

· Stop procrastinating and stock the freezer with batch meals for those crazy week nights—cabbage rolls, stews, soups, lamb shanks etc.

· Take my own advice and clean out my kitchen cupboards. I’m tired of moving the blender, the food processor and 3 coffee makers (don’t ask) just to get to the hand mixer.

I’ll let you know how the list goes! Happy New Year and Bon Appétit.

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house, this creature was stirring….and chopping and mixing and stuffing! Yes, it’s that time of year again to gather everyone around the table for what seems like a never ending procession of food. If I’m not cooking for my classes then I’m in my own kitchen trying to meet the demands of cookie exchanges, class treats, baked gifts and stocking up the freezer with nibbles for those impromptu invites for a glass of Christmas cheer (now those I don’t mind prepping for!). To help make all of this shopping and chopping go smoothly there are a few kitchen tools that I couldn’t live without. Well okay I could but you’d have one grumpy cook in the kitchen and we all know that’s never a good thing! So to help fill your Christmas wish list and hopefully your stocking, here are a few of my favourite things!

1. A good sharp knife—it doesn’t have to be the most expensive knife, just the sharpest. In fact I purchase used Chef’s knives at Nella Cutlery for around $20 each and make sure I get them professionally sharpened every 6 months or so.

2. Microplane—Before these became popular I used to buy wood rasps in hardware stores. They are fast and easy to use for grating anything from lemons to butter to chocolate.

3. Industrial Grade Large Cutting Boards—in at least 4 different colours. I reduce the chance of cross contamination and multi-task without constantly cleaning and drying the same board.

4. Cast Iron Grill Pan—when I’m too lazy to fire up the BBQ, the grill pan makes an ideal indoor substitute and gives me those perfect grill marks every time.

5. Someone to clean up after me. Indispensable. Thanks honey!

Hope your holiday meals are stress free, full of laughter and delicious too! Happy Holidays to you and your family. Bon Appétit.

Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup

These little gems are a garnish for sparkling wine. The little flower sits in the bottom of your glass, all the bubbles stream off and slowly open up the flower. At the end of the drink you can eat the flower which has a delicious raspberry and rhubarb flavour. I picked up a huge jar of these in Australia and if you want to sample them you’ll just have to book a cooking class!

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house, this creature was stirring….and chopping and mixing and stuffing! Yes, it’s that time of year again to gather everyone around the table for what seems like a never ending procession of food. If I’m not cooking for my classes then I’m in my own kitchen trying to meet the demands of cookie exchanges, class treats, baked gifts and stocking up the freezer with nibbles for those impromptu invites for a glass of Christmas cheer (now those I don’t mind prepping for!). To help make all of this shopping and chopping go smoothly there are a few kitchen tools that I couldn’t live without. Well okay I could but you’d have one grumpy cook in the kitchen and we all know that’s never a good thing! So to help fill your Christmas wish list and hopefully your stocking, here are a few of my favourite things!

1. A good sharp knife—it doesn’t have to be the most expensive knife, just the sharpest. In fact I purchase used Chef’s knives at Nella Cutlery for around $20 each and make sure I get them professionally sharpened every 6 months or so.

2. Microplane—Before these became popular I used to buy wood rasps in hardware stores. They are fast and easy to use for grating anything from lemons to butter to chocolate.

3. Industrial Grade Large Cutting Boards—in at least 4 different colours. I reduce the chance of cross contamination and multi-task without constant

ly cleaning and drying the same board.

4. Cast Iron Grill Pan—when I’m too lazy to fire up the BBQ, the grill pan makes an ideal indoor substitute and gives me those perfect grill marks every time.

5. Someone to clean up after me. Indispensable. Thanks honey!

Hope your holiday meals are stress free, full of laughter and delicious too! Happy Holidays to you and your family. Bon Appétit.

“Christmas is for kids. Christmas is for kids. Christmas is for kids.”

This is the mantra that I will silently be chanting over and over again this holiday season as I curb the urge to decorate the house straight out of a Dickens novel. In year’s past I’d spend hours hand tying bows (colour coordinated to my place mats), readjusting the pine branches so they sat just right (even on the trees outside!!), made sure each wrapped present matched the one sitting next to it and of course decorating the Christmas tree so that it was evenly balanced with light, colour and texture! Last year as I hung precariously off the kitchen bar stool trying to reach one of the silver bows that wouldn’t bend at an exact 45 degree angle, my husband snidely commented to me that perhaps our children might like to have a go at adding a few decorations. I rose my eyebrows and asked my 5 year old if he would like to add a decoration to my (ooops, our) Silver Bells themed tree. “Really?” he asked in astonishment. “Sure”, I said. “After all it is the family tree.” And with that he pulled out the Transformer Santa Claus puppet that he made at school and stuck it right smack dab in the middle of the tree blocking the hand blown glass ornament I had picked up in New York one year. As I reached over to start to re-position it, I heard dear hubby clear his throat and start to hum “Peace on earth, good will to men”. I withdrew my hand, ruffled my son’s hair and told him that now the tree was complete with good old Optimus Prime Santa and silently suppressed a cringe.

This year I’m letting the kids do the tree decorating (my husband tells me it’s good therapy for me!) and to help keep me out of the way, I’ll be in the kitchen. We’re having a Tree Trimming Party with all the works so while I’m whipping up fragrant Mini Tourtière Tarts, the family tree will be made over into a Bob The Builder/ Transformer/Spiderman evergreen extravaganza! The boys are excited, my husband can’t stop chuckling every time he thinks of it and I am secretly contemplating decorating the master bedroom with every single bow and ball I own just to get even!
Whether you’re having a tree trimming party or just looking for a holiday inspired meal, try these open faced Mini Tourtière Tarts. The spices will have your home smelling like Christmas even if your tree might not look like it! Enjoy and Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Mini Tourtière Tarts
Makes 20 tartsPreparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Notes: Tourtière is a French Canadian meat pie that is traditionally served on Christmas Eve so these little open faced appetizer size tarts are easy to make thanks to frozen mini tart shells. Serve them with your choice of side vegetable or salad and you have a satisfying and aromatic meal that will get you into the holiday spirit.

Ingredients:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons water
450g ground pork
2 teaspoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream
20 frozen mini tart shells

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine onion, water, pork, and seasonings. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until pork is cooked through and onion is soft. Drain any excess fat.

3. Combine egg and sour cream together. Stir into the meat mixture.

4. Arrange tart shells on a baking sheet. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture into each tart shell.

5. Bake at for 8 minutes at 425F, reduce oven heat to 350 degrees, and bake for about another 14 minutes, until the pastry is golden. Serve immediately.

November is the month for me that I sit back and take a deep breath and enjoy the ability to do so. Heading into one of our busiest times of the year, November is a time to keep things simple and fuss free before the headiness of December rushes at us. That’s why I always like to invite a few friends over at this time of year so I can truly enjoy their company without having the sometimes stressful commotion of a big holiday gathering. For a relaxed simple and welcoming evening I often throw a stew party. Stews are ideal to do in advance (most stews freeze well and hold in the refrigerator for up to 3 days), are often inexpensive to make yet substantial enough to tame the biggest of appetites. Sometimes I prepare 3 different stews for my guests to choose from, some crusty bread and a glass of wine or specialty beer. Even easier, ask a few of your guests to bring a pot of their favourite stew to make it a stew tasting party. Make it informal by serving the stew in deep bowls or big cappuccino mugs. Throw a few big pillows and warm blankets on the couch and floor and allow your guests to curl up in front of the fire and enjoy a relaxed meal winter picnic style! Here’s one of my favourite stew recipes to start you off. Enjoy!

Moroccan Vegetable Stew With Couscous
Serves 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Note: This stew has a delicious aroma that will welcome your guests the minute they walk through the door. Don’t be put off by the amount of ingredients, this is a great opportunity to clear out your pantry and use up some of your spices.

Ingredients:

1 onion*, cut into wedges
2 carrots*, peeled and cut into 1 inch rounds
3 zucchini, cut into 1 inch rounds
1 small butternut squash, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 slender (Japanese) eggplants, cut into 1 inch rounds
3 cloves garlic*, peeled and left whole
¼ teaspoon chilli powder*
½ teaspoon cinnamon *
2 teaspoons ground cumin*
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
¼ cup (65ml) extra virgin olive oil*
1 x 425g tin crushed tomatoes*
1 tablespoon honey*
½ cup (125ml) vegetable stock*
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 250g package of couscous* – prepared according to direction on pack

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400F.

2. Place onions, vegetables and garlic in a shallow roasting pan. Mix together spices and toss through vegetable mixture with olive oil. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes or until soft.

3. Transfer vegetables to a medium sized saucepan. Add crushed tomatoes, honey and stock and cook a further 10 minutes. Stir through coriander. Serve with couscous.

*Denotes recommended pantry item.

Join me in supporting Empty Bowls on Sunday October 21st from 1pm—4pm at Appleby College, Oakville Ontario. I’ll be there with 60 litres of home made soup for you to taste!

Share in the spirit of Thanksgiving and help raise both funds and awareness of homelessness in the Oakville community. Empty Bowls guests choose a unique pottery bowl, handcrafted by artisans and taste delicious soups prepared by top chefs from local restaurants. They then take home their bowl as a keepsake. Your minimum $50 donation goes directly to Home Suite Hope, providing ongoing solutions to local homelessness. For tickets: www.appleby.on.ca/community/EmptyBowls.aspx

The month of October cannot go by without mentioning food. This is the month that our taste buds start to crave heartier meals and local produce is often at its peak with the abundance of apples, pears, squash, turnips and the like. You might go apple picking with the kids and then be stuck with 2 bushels of apples which will eventually get turned into every pie shape and form possible. Our children will be looking forward to devouring Hallowe’en treats (maybe not the best food group but it’s so much fun!!) and of course if it’s not you cooking the Thanksgiving turkey then chances are you’re still enjoying it and all the fixings at a family gathering. I’m getting full just thinking about it!

If you’re responsible for this year’s family gathering or just want a lighter alternative to all the major “eating events” this October you might want to try my Cream of Lettuce Soup as a beautiful starter to any great meal. It’s bright in colour, low on calories and will even have your kids eating their vegetables and drinking their milk.

Cream of Lettuce Soup
Serves 10-12
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking: 1 hr
Notes: The lettuce gives this soup a beautiful light green colour, perfect for the fall and like most soups it can be made the day before. Do not add the final cream until you are ready to serve and reheat gently so as not to curdle the cream. The soup may thicken upon standing so add additional chicken stock if required when reheating.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 heads of Iceberg Lettuce, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 6 cups (1500ml) good quality chicken stock
• 2 cups (500ml) milk (can use 1% or 2%)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup (65ml) 10-18% cream (your choice depending upon the fat content desired)
• ¼ cup coriander, chopped for garnish

1. In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add lettuce, rice and chicken stock; bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. In a heavy bottom pot, gently warm milk being careful not to scorch.
3. Cool soup slightly and blend in food processor or blender. You may need to do this in batches. Return the soup to the pot and add warm milk, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Just prior to serving add ¼ cup whipping cream. Serve garnished with coriander.

For some reason I struggled this month to find something inspiring and interesting to write to you about. Maybe my brain is in overload testing new recipes, getting the kids organized at new schools, working and figuring out how I’m going to manage 3 Thanksgiving dinners in 3 days! In any case I decided to look at last year’s October newsletter to see what we talked about. And then it hit me. I must be in some sort of subconscious depression because at this time last year I was on my way to Italy ready to eat and drink my way through Tuscany. Talk about inspiring. I started pouring through my photos, recipes and food goodies from that trip. I was startled to notice a few hours had gone by and I needed to get down to the task at hand.

All that reminiscing about Italy made me realize that although it’s great to revisit the past it’s also equally important to enjoy the here and now. So with that in mind, I’m going to celebrate October with my family and friends to it’s fullest. I may have to roast 3 turkeys at once to enjoy with 3 separate family and friend groups, I’ll dress the kids up to the nines and let them eat as much Hallowe’en candy as they can muster on the 31st, help bake 1000 Apple Crumble Pies at my son’s school and make 60 litres of home made soup and dish it out at Empty Bowls Charity Event. And through it all I’m going to remember how lucky I am to not only have a fantastic family to share this with but some wonderful friends to indulge in a glass of wine when my arm can’t stir another pot or baste another bird!

No matter how you chose to spend your October, try to remember to thank the people who you share your meals with for taking the time to stop what they’re doing, sit down and raise a fork with you!

Hi Erika,
I live in Canada and can find them at any major grocery store. Sorry I can't help you out in Ithica. I've checked their website and it shows they distribute to New York but not where. Perhaps you can ask your local grocery manager to bring them in for you? They're worth it!

“I’m hungry. There’s nothing to eat. You never buy anything good!”

Sound familiar? If so, chances are you have kids at home and hungry ones at that. Between dodging requests for sweet treats, the fridge door being open for what seems like hours while they complain about the lack of food or at least “good stuff” to eat, and trying to get supper on the table, after school snack time can often become more of a nightmare than dinnertime.

There’s no doubt about it that kids are hungry when they get home from school. They have had a full day of activity both physical and mental so it’s important to recharge their batteries. The trick is trying to give hem something healthy and satisfying but not too filling before dinner. As we head back to school here are a few snack suggestions to help you head the whining off at the front door and help your kids start their school year off right with a balanced and healthy diet.

Get your kids involved! Have your kids help plan the weekly snacks, make a list of ingredients, find them in your kitchen, and/or shop for them. It gives them a sense of control and accomplishment by letting them make choices whenever possible.

Put a copy of Canada’s Good Food Guide on your fridge and have your kids circle weekly food items. A picture is often a great reminder of what you have in the house and stops those impulse and often unhealthy snack grabs.

Get creative. For the days that you have time, introduce new foods. Kids will often try unfamiliar foods when they have transformed them into “personal creations” like funny face mini pizzas or fruit kebobs.

Be organized. For those busy days, have plenty of prepared snacks ready to go. Bags of their favourite dried fruits, seeds and nuts, yogurt and fruit cups or toasted whole wheat pita breads with their favourite spreads are just some examples.

If you’re really pressed for time and need to use prepackaged snacks, get your fat facts and sugar smarts right by reading the labels before you buy. Choose food and beverages low in sugars, other caloric sweeteners and solid fats.

In my 20’s I sampled the newest chic cocktails at the hippest clubs in town and flirted outrageously with the cute bartenders. Flash forward a few decades and cosmos and clubs don’t really factor into my life now that I have two young children. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t be a party mama! I love to invite my sleep deprived friends over for a night of chi-chi cocktails, adult conversation and the chance to flirt outrageously… with our hubbies. If you need some help getting your groove back, try these simple steps to hosting a cocktail party. Welcome back party mama!

1: The Invite
Send an email invitation but be sure to include some basics points such as the start and end time and the adults’ only theme. Although your first time mom friend may think it’s a great educational experience for junior, cocktail parties are not family events!

2: The Bar
There is no need to stock a full bar. Offer your guests a selection of beer, wine and a non-alcoholic option. I often provide one specialty drink to help get them in the party mood. You could offer a concoction like vodka and Red Bull which helps to keep those sleep deprived parents awake for the party! As for the amount of beverages you need, count on 1 bottle of wine (750ml) for every 2 guests. (Maybe 2 bottles per guest if there are a lot of moms in the room!)

3: Set Up
Set your bar up as a self serve area or consider hiring a bartender. This accomplishes 3 things:
1. The bartender won’t over pour the guests,
2. They will keep the bar clean and organized allowing you to socialize more
3. If done properly, they could provide some eye candy

4: Nibbles
You’ll have to provide something for your guests to eat but don’t feel you have to make everything yourself. If budget allows, hire a caterer to prepare 2 or 3 hot hors d’oeuvres that you can heat up and then put together a selection of high impact but low effort nibbles such as premium cheeses, good olives, artisan breads, specialty pates and cured meats. Make your offerings small enough to be handled with one hand. Parents don’t often get the chance to indulge and when they have a drink in hand they won’t want to put it down!

5: Atmosphere
Dim the lights, light some candles and delete all traces of The Wiggles from the ipod. The parents with the bags under their eyes will thank you!

6: All Good Things Must Come to an End
With the promise of the 2 year old’s 6am wake up call, signal the night’s end with the offer of coffee, something sweet to nibble on and the local taxi number.

By the time you read this I will have moved back to the city from my summer long holidays at the cottage with the kids. I will have said good bye to long days in the sun where playing and swimming take precedence over rigid dinner routines. On these glorious carefree days, the kids and I will often have a late supper of bread, cheese and tomatoes down by the water as the sun sets low in the sky. Come September and we are back in the city and fully immersed in work, school, daycare, swim lessons, soccer practice and everything else that city life throws at you we have to be a bit more organized regarding meal times. So as you settle yourself into back to school and end of summer routines here is a quick and healthy dinner recipe that will at least ease the burden of what to make for supper.

Chili Rubbed Tilapia with Asparagus & Lemon
Serves 4
Preparation 5 minutes
Cooking 10 minutes
Notes: The vegetables can be prepared in the morning or even the day before. Feel free to substitute the asparagus with green beans, sautéed Asian greens or broccollini.

Ingredients:

• 750g asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp chili powder*
• ½ tsp garlic powder*
• ½ tsp salt*, divided
• 450g Tilapia, Pacific sole or other firm white fish fillets
• 2 tbsp olive oil*
• 3 tbsp lemon juice*

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Put asparagus in a steamer basket, place in the pan, cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.

2. Combine chili powder, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a plate. Dredge fillets in the spice mixture to coat. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook until just opaque in the centre, gently turning halfway, 5 to 7 minutes total. Remove fish from pan and keep warm. Return the pan to the stove and add lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and asparagus and cook, stirring constantly, until the asparagus is coated and heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately with the fish.

By the time you read this I will have moved back to the city from my summer long holidays at the cottage with the kids. I will have said good bye to long days in the sun where playing and swimming take precedence over rigid dinner routines. On these glorious carefree days, the kids and I will often have a late supper of bread, cheese and tomatoes down by the water as the sun sets low in the sky. Come September and we are back in the city and fully immersed in work, school, daycare, swim lessons, soccer practice and everything else that city life throws at you we have to be a bit more organized regarding meal times. So as you settle yourself into back to school and end of summer routines here is a quick and healthy dinner recipe that will at least ease the burden of what to make for supper.

Chili Rubbed Tilapia with Asparagus & Lemon
Serves 4
Preparation 5 minutes
Cooking 10 minutes
Notes: The vegetables can be prepared in the morning or even the day before. Feel free to substitute the asparagus with green beans, sautéed Asian greens or broccollini.

Ingredients:

• 750g asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp chili powder*
• ½ tsp garlic powder*
• ½ tsp salt*, divided
• 450g Tilapia, Pacific sole or other firm white fish fillets
• 2 tbsp olive oil*
• 3 tbsp lemon juice*
  
  1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Put asparagus in a steamer basket, place in the pan, cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.
  
  2. Combine chili powder, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a plate. Dredge fillets in the spice mixture to coat. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook until just opaque in the centre, gently turning halfway, 5 to 7 minutes total. Remove fish from pan and keep warm. Return the pan to the stove and add lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and asparagus and cook, stirring constantly, until the asparagus is coated and heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately with the fish.
  
  *Denotes recommended pantry item.