Chez Darren Andrew

Tag Archives: food


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Finding Balance

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been taking a more active role in my well being lately, putting my physical health in top priority to help with my struggle to maintain good mental health. As important as my dedication to the gym has become in finding balance in my life, food also plays an extremely important role in maintaining a healthy mind. As the old saying goes, “You are what you eat” and to be a healthy living organism, it is important to eat foods that are as close to being in their natural living state as possible. That being said our lives are very complicated and I’m not one to completely turn my back on vice, what fun would life be if indulging in hedonistic behaviours wasn’t available to balance out the banality of virtuous living. Setting long term goals and striving to achieve them helps our minds stay healthy and stimulated by the accomplishments that we are all able to obtain. What I’ve really come to realize is that finding balance is the most important goal to set and recognizing that along the journey to reach our goals moments of failure are bound to happen. It’s in those moments of failure that fuel our minds to regain the momentum to pick ourselves back up and continue to strive toward finding balance.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with a blog about food. Food is the life force that drives our lives, it’s the fuel that we need to exist. It’s also a drug that comforts us when we are down, a vice to escape from the world. It’s a powerful thing that can aid or hinder the results we want to see in our lives. So perhaps its time to offer more than just recipes that come out of my kitchen and explore food in a little more depth, explaining what I’m eating and why I’m eating it.

Many changes to come at ChezDarrenAndrew.com as I seek balance between my fitness goals and the many temptations of the culinary world.

Thanks for reading!
-Darren Andrew

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Quinoa, Black Bean and Sweet Corn Salad

For the Salad:

  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 small red onion, finely diced
  • 4 green onions, chopped finely
  • 1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
  • 1 cup quinoa (2 cups cooked), cooked as per package instructions (in chicken or vegetable stock) and cooled
  • 2 cups of frozen sweet corn, blanched in hot water
  • 500 ml can of black beans , rinsed and drained
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced

For the Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon, or a tbsp of bottled lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp of ground cumin
  • Salt and Black Pepper

Instructions:

Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add the jalapeno, red onion, green onion, cilantro and let sit while quinoa cooks and cools. Cook the quinoa in chicken or vegetable stock as per the package instructions, and when it is ready cool it by either placing the pot in cold water and frequently string and changing the water out until cool. Another option would be to make extra the day before to have leftovers to make salads like this one, rice or other grain like barley or millet could be used instead of quinoa. Mix all reaming ingredients in the bowl to distribute the dressing evenly throughout the salad.

This salad is best if left to mingle in the fridge overnight, but it’s great right away also. Enjoy!


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Summer Time Chicken and Veg Soup

On warm summer evenings soup may not be the first thing that comes to mind to make for dinner. But this chicken vegetable soup is light, tasty and will actually help cool you down and re-hydrate you after spending a day in the sun. Hot liquids actually work to help your body naturally kick into high gear and start sweating, which helps to lower your body temperature. Cool liquids actually do the opposite and make your body work hard to warm your core back to normal, making you feel hotter than before consuming the cool beverage.

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 3 ribs of celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1/2 red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • 1/2 zucchini, diced
  • 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn
  • 2 cups of cooked chicken, leftover from a whole roasted bird
  • 1 litre of home made chicken stock
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about five minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and chili flakes, for about ten seconds. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for about five more minutes, continuing to stir frequently. Add the cooked chicken, stock, Italian seasoning and soy sauce, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes before serving.


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Black bean and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Black bean and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Honey Lime Vinaigrette

  • 3 tbsp liquid honey
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and core removed, finely diced
  • 1/2 white onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, lightly chopped
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil
  • 1 can of black beans rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups of peaches and cream corn kernels, fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 a red pepper, finely diced
  • 1/2  a zucchini, finely diced

In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, cider vinegar, salt, pepper and cumin. Stir in the onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper and let sit for ten minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. This will allow the strong nature of these ingredients to mellow out and infuse the dressing with their flavors. Add the olive oil and cilantro before stirring in the beans, corn, red pepper, and zucchini to the salad. Cover and refrigerate for two to four hours, or overnight for best results.


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Happy National Grilled Cheese Day!

In honour of National Grilled Cheese day, I’m making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner tonight. Now I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous to have a day that is dedicated to a sandwich but the grilled cheese sandwich does hold a certain nostalgic spot in my heart that reaches back to childhood days when anything loaded with butter and processed cheese was the right choice to make when looking for a snack. Today, I’m skipping all the extras that go into the grilled cheeses that I make now in my adulthood and using the ingredients that truly ring with childhood days, white bread and processed cheese. However, I am trying a new method that promises perfectly golden crust and a gooey melted inside. Better yet, this method makes a whole bunch of grilled cheese sandwiches all at once!

Classic Oven Baked Grilled Cheese Sandwiches – makes 6

Based on the idea found here at Where Flours Bloom

  • 12 slices of white bread
  • 12 slices of processed cheddar cheese
  • Butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit. Butter one side of each piece of bread and place half the slices butter side down onto a baking sheet. Place two pieces of cheese onto the bread and top with the other slice of bread, butter side up. Put a second baking sheet on top of the buttered bread and gently press down. Bake in the preheated oven for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown.

When I tried this the top baking sheet wasn’t heavy enough to brown the top slice of bread, which lead to me having to flip over the sandwiches after ten minutes. Next time, I will try weighing down the sheet by putting a pot on it.

Enjoy!


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Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Seeing as I’ve all ready typed this recipe out, I thought I’d better keep it in a safe place! This was probably one of the best soups I’ve ever made.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of whole milk
2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of shredded extra sharp cheddar
4 cups of broccoli florets, pulsed 12 times in a food processor
Salt and Pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper

Heat the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and sautee until softened. Add the garlic, cayenne pepper and flour. Whisk constantly for about two minutes to cook the rawness out of the flour. Whisk in the chicken stock and milk until it begins to thicken. Add the chopped broccoli. Whisk in 1/2 a cup of cheese at a time until it melts smoothly into the soup.

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