Healthy Eating = Healthy Living

Chef Jonathan Goodyear & Chef Rory White

Healthy & Seasonal Cooking Advice from Canada’s Top Chefs

By: Chef Jonathan Goodyear & Chef Rory White

Fall is a cooking season that everyone welcomes with open arms. Fall is saying goodbye to light and delicate summer flavours and getting back to hearty braised dishes with warm spices and simplicity, letting the ingredients shine with as little manipulation as possible.

A few favourite fall ingredients include:

  • Peaches and cream sweet corn
  • Squash- butter cup, kabocha, acorn, butternut
  • Celery root
  • Pumpkins
  • Sunchokes
  • Turnups
  • New potatoes
  • Apples
  • Pears
  • Kale

Just because you are using heartier ingredients, doesn’t mean your meals need to be heavy. Something that we should always want to highlight is light and healthy dishes. With more global conversation around health and longevity, it is time to start really focusing on healthy food. And with so much amazing local produce, fall is a great time to work with these ingredients.

Here are two favourite fall recipes:

Roasted Buttercup Squash Soup

roasted butternut squash soup

Serving Size

2 Litres (approximately 8 cups). It serves 4-6 people.

 Ingredients

  • 2 whole buttercup squash (also called Winter squash). Cut
    in half and remove seeds.
  • 1.5-litres (approximately 6.5 cups) of vegetable broth
  • 100ml of local honey
  • 4 shallots, peeled and sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • Half of a bunch of thyme
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Olive oil for mixing

Directions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.
  2. Toss your squash in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper
    and 50ml of the honey.
  3. Make sure to evenly coat the squash.
  4. Place the squash skin side up on a baking tray and put it into an oven for 30 minutes or until tender.
  5. Once cooked, allow it to cool slightly and remove the skin.
  6. In a pot over medium heat, start to cook your shallots and garlic.
  7. Once they begin to caramelize, add in the remaining honey, cinnamon and thyme.
  8. Bring the honey to a slow simmer, making sure not to burn it.
  9. After letting it simmer for 1-2 minutes, add in the vegetable broth and the peeled squash.
  10. Bring the soup to a slow simmer for in-between 5-10 minutes to allow the flavours to come together.
  11. After that, carefully transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.
  12. Taste your soup! Adjust the seasonings to your preference.

Plating Tip For an extra plate-based boost, try folding in some torn green kale after you blend the soup.

Crispy Kale and Wheat Berry Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette and Cloth-Bound Cheddar

Crispy Kale and Wheat Berry Salad

Serving Size

2 Liters (approximately 8.5 cups). It serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients for the Dressing

  • 25ml of champagne vinegar
  • 25 ml of local honey
  • 2g of truffle oil
  • 4g of Pommery mustard
  • 60g of cold-pressed canola oil

Directions for the Dressing

  1. In a bowl, whisk together the honey, vinegar, truffle oil and mustard to make a base.
  2. Slowly whisk in oil to create an emulsification.
  3. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Ingredients for the Salad

  • 2 cups raw wheat berries, cooked in vegetable broth
  • 1 bunch green kale
  • ½ cup dried cranberries, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes then dried
  • 60 ml of truffle vinaigrette
  • 1 piece of clothbound cheddar cheese, thinly shaved
  • Olive oil for tossing the kale

Directions for the Salad

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350°F
  2. Toss half of the kale you have in some olive oil and press between two baking sheets.
  3. Roast the kale for in-between 10-15 minutes or until crispy.
  4. In a large bowl, mix together squash, wheat berries, fresh kale, cranberries, and truffle vinaigrette.
  5. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
  6. Give the salad another mix and transfer it to your serving vessel.
  7. Top with crispy kale and cheddar cheese shavings.

For more about Chef Jonathan Goodyear

For more about Chef Rory White

Header photo c/o Top Chef Canada