One of the key habits to support a healthy lifestyle is maintaining a good diet. Registered Dietitian, Fatim Ajwani, and her colleagues at UHN’s Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Program provide bi-monthly cooking demos for patients enrolled in the Program and those who recently completed their treatment. The demos take place at Toronto Rehab‘s Rumsey Centre and feature recipes which support a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Patients are able to sample the food made and participate in making one of the meals which they can take home. These demos help patients learn how to incorporate healthy food choices to manage their health and well-being, and are just one of the many ways Program staff support patients to develop strategies that reduce their risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Ajwani and her colleagues – Veronica Rouse RD, Cecillia Tang RD, Lisa Cotie, Geo Sigian and Diana Carvalho – contribute to the preparation, set-up and presentation of the demos.
Vegetable stock
The key to making a great soup is a good stock base. This recipe can be used as part of the other two recipes in this article, or for any other recipe you have which calls for vegetable stock. This stock can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or 6 months if frozen.
Yields 2 L
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 onions
- 2 plum tomatoes
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 10 pieces black peppercorns, cracked
- 1 bay leaf
- 2L water
Instructions
- Roughly chop the carrot, celery sticks, onions and tomatoes
- Add the chopped vegetables and the rest of the ingredients to a medium saucepan. The 2L of water should cover the ingredients. Add more water if needed.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Strain the stock using a cheesecloth or strainer to remove all of the vegetable pieces and spices, leaving just the liquid
- Reserve for use in soups, sauces, or other preparations
Nutrition facts
38kcal Calories, 9g Carbohydrates, 1g Protein, 0.2g Fat, 0.05g Saturated Fat, 0g Trans Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 30mg Sodium, 262mg Potassium, 2g Fiber, 4g Sugar, 2956IU Vitamin A, 12mg Vitamin C, 34mg Calcium, 1mg Iron
Recipe adapted by Geo Sigian (original recipe from George Brown Culinary School)
Lentil soup
Yields 6 servings
Note: This recipe requires a hand blender or traditional blender.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion (peeled and diced)
- 2 medium carrots (peeled and diced)
- 5 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- 1 ½ cups red lentils, rinsed
- 2/3 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (or substitute with 1 diced potato)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp curry powder or turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne (optional)
- ¼ tsp saffron (optional)
- Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
- ¼ tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
- Stir in the vegetable stock, lentils, corn, cumin, curry powder (plus saffron and cayenne, if using) until combined. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are completely tender.
- Stir in the lemon zest and juice until combined. Season the soup with salt and black pepper.
- Using either a hand blender or traditional blender, puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency. Add more stock or water if too thick.
- Serve warm, garnished with an extra fresh lemon slice if desired
Nutrition facts
Calories: 239kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 200mg, Potassium: 701mg, Fiber: 15g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 3423IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 4mg
Recipe adapted by Fatim Ajwani, RD (original recipe from Gimme Some Oven)
Minestrone soup
Yields 6 servings
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion (peeled and diced)
- 2 celery stalks (sliced)
- 3 large carrots (peeled and diced)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (2 large cloves)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups fresh spinach (roughly chopped)
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
- 28 oz can of “no salt added” diced tomatoes
- 1 cup (8 oz) canned red kidney beans* (rinsed)
- 1 cup (8 oz) canned white kidney beans* (rinsed)
- 1 cup small uncooked pasta
- Shredded parmesan cheese for serving (omit to keep the dish vegetarian)
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook and stir the extra virgin olive oil, carrots, celery and onion over medium-high heat until the onion has softened, about 3 – 4 minutes
- Add the tomato paste, salt, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken or vegetable stock, tomatoes and beans. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender.
- Stir in the pasta. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until pasta reaches desired tenderness, stirring often.
- Stir in spinach and serve with shredded Parmesan cheese as desired
Nutrition facts
Calories: 288kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g. Protein: 16g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 398 mg, Potassium: 1260mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 9434IU, Vitamin C: 30mg, Calcium: 147mg, Iron: 5mg
Recipe adapted by Geo Sigian (original recipe from George Brown Culinary School)
