Hello October! If you need me you can find me at the bottom of  the never-ending pots of delicious homemade soup that have taken over my kitchen! I know these pictures are a bit blurry but trust me this soup looks and tastes crazy good. Give it a try. You won’t be sorry. This particular soup has now been added to my list of favourites. Serves 6-8

• Safflower oil, for frying
• 5 pieces of naturally smoked bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 cups green cabbage, chopped
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch or two of chipotle chili powder ( more or less depending on how much heat you want in your soup )
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 red skinned potato, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 can diced tomato
• 1 can white kidney beans
• 4 cups veg broth
• 1/3 cup mixture of parmesan and asiago
• salt and pepper to taste
• additional bacon and cheese to top ( optional )

Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes, letting it brown. Add a couple more tbsp of oil along with the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the cabbage and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally. Add the spices, carrots, celery and potato. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato, beans and broth. Feel free to add a little salt and pepper if you like. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan/asiago. Using an immersion blender, pulse until desired consistency. Spoon into bowls and top with a bacon bits and a sprinkle of parmesan. Enjoy!

I know this isn’t technically a taco buuut it is a taco bowl! It’s a fresh and  yummy way to get your taco fix without binging out on tacos.

serves 4

FISH

• 2 pounds of white fish –  halibut, haddock, sole, flounder or tilapia
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• safflower oil, for frying

To make the fish: Preheat a large cast iron skillet ( or any heavy pan ) over medium-high heat. In a shallow bowl mix together the flour, spices and zest. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture until evenly coated. Pour enough oil in the skillet to evenly coat the bottom. Cook fish in two batches adding more oil if needed. Make sure the pan is still sizzling; if not, turn the heat up a little. Cook for a few minutes or until the bottom of the fish is golden brown. Carefully flip. Cook for a few more minutes then add 1/2 the lime juice. Remove from skillet and set aside. Repeat.

CREAMY CHIPOTLE DRESSING

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup vegenaise or mayonnaise
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, if you can’t handle the heat make sure to remove the seeds. If you like heat feel free to add a little more!
• pinch of salt

To make the dressing: toss all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until fully mixed. Set aside.

SALAD

• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
• 2 ripe avocado
• 3/4 cup black beans, strained and rinsed
• 2 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 handful of lettuce per bowl
• cilantro for topping

To serve: Fill four bowls with corn, avocado, black beans, tomato, cabbage, red pepper, onion and lettuce. Top with fish and a generous drizzle of creamy chipotle dressing . Sprinkle with cilantro. Enjoy!

Want to mix it up a bit? Try adding any of the following to your taco bowl -

• Mexican rice
• shredded cheese
• chopped pineapple or mango
• chicken instead of fish
• fresh or picked jalapeno
• crispy tortilla strips like in this recipe

While I was feeding Poppy her lunch yesterday I heard something on the radio that stopped me dead in my tracks….”HAPPY NATIONAL HOT DOG DAY” Whaaaaat?!! How did I not know it was national hot dog day?! Lucky for me being the wonderful wife that I am, I had bought Kegan the most amazing book on hot dogs for fathers day. I quickly flipped through the book for inspiration and before I knew it the “wiener and bean dog” was born!

• plain and simple, nothing fancy hot dogs
• classic white buns
• baked beans in tomato sauce
• bbq sauce, see recipe below
• shredded cheddar cheese

BBQ SAUCE

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp liquid smoke ( if you don’t like a smokey sauce skip this step )
• 1 tsp molasses
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup white onion, minced
• 1  clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch of chipotle chili powder
• pepper to taste

Toss all of the above into a medium pot and simmer over medium heat for 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened. BBQ sauce can be refrigerated for up to a week.

ASSEMBLY

in your skillet over med-high heat add a small knob of butter and cook the hot dogs for about 3 minutes, turning so they brown on all sides. Toast the buns. On the toasted bun sprinkle some cheese, add the dog, top with baked beans and bbq sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Canadian Living

Makes about 6-8 med large patties

Fish Cakes

• 1 rib of celery, coarsely chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 450g of tilapia or halibut
• 3/4 cup of bread crumbs ( I used 2 small pieces of gluten free bread )
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

In a food processor pulse together the celery, green onions and parsley until finely chopped. Scrape into a medium sized bowl and set aside. Now add the fish to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped making sure not to over pulse, you do not want the fish to be a puree. Add to the bowl. Tear up the bread and pulse in food processor until it has formed a crumbly consistency. Add the bread crumbs to the parsley bowl and mix in the egg, mustard and pepper. Divide into burger sized patties each about 1/2 inch thick. In a skillet heat the oil over medium heat; cook the patties for about 10 minutes or so turning once.

Mayo

• 1/3 cup Hellmans
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder

Toppings

• Avocado
• gouda or cheese of choice
• lettuce

In a small bowl whisk together the mayo, lemon juice and chili powder.

To serve:

Toast bread or buns; I used gluten free bread. Place patty on a slice of bread, top with some gouda or cheese of choice. If you want it melted place under the grill for a min or so. Now add the fresh avocado, lettuce and a nice smear of lemon chili mayo and finally add the second piece of bread. Enjoy!!