Original date: February 16, 2014

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my very first edition of my recipe of the week email. As a subscriber, you will have exclusive rights to receive a weekly recipe from gifted megachef Julie Tchir.

For my very first email, I am sending you a recipe for a delightful vegetarian dish (no meat, surprise I know!) This dish can be served on its own or as a side. A combination of roasted vegetables, quinoa topped with fresh basil and feta cheese, I could eat this everyday. This recipe comes courtesy of the lovely ladies from the Looney Spoons cookbook series, which is one of my favourites. They specialize in delicious and healthy cooking, often making substitutes to make your favourite dishes healthier. Iaam sure this will be one of many recipes from this series I will be sending you.

Recipe Tips:

Be generous with the basil and lemon zest used, beyond what the recipe recommends.
The original recipe calls for 1 cup of chickpeas to be roasted along with the vegetables. I removed this as a personal preference, but you might like to try it.Every week, I will also be providing you with an ingredient I can’t live without, and an interesting spice or herd to help make your spice rack robust, as everyone needs a robust spice rack. .Ingredient I can’t live without:

FRESH GINGER (a necessity in Asian and Indian cooking, try wrapping your ginger in tin foil to make it last longer in your fridge)A spice to try:

GAREM MASALA (a classic indian spice blend, I may be providing recipes down the road with this as an ingredient)If you have any requests for recipes, whether it be a certain ingredient or a certain nation’s cuisine, let me know and I will do my best to feature it as a recipe one week! Also, if you know anyone who would like to be added to the email, send me their address.Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here for printable Word version of recipe:
Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa

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Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa
From the cookbook “Eat Shrink and Be Merry” by Janet and Greta Podleski 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup quinoa
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 red pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
1 red onion chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1 cup mushrooms chopped
1 cup chickpeas drained
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp garlic
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper
1 / 2 cup feta
1 / 4 cup fresh basil or mint leaves

DIRCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450
In large bowl, toss vegetables, chickpeas, olive oil, balsamic, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Roast for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice .

Bring vegetable broth to boil.
Add lemon zest and quinoa.
Cook quinoa.

To serve, combine vegetables, quinoa, feta cheeses and basil