Put your heart into it

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Veteran Canadian cookbook author Anne Lindsay offers simple-­to-make, healthy recipes in her new greatest-hits volume.

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(SUPPLIED PHOTO)

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Rigatoni

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Pizza

On any day of the week, you can flip to almost any television channel and find a celebrity food icon standing behind a kitchen counter chopping away at -- and chatting about -- food. But even without a show of her own, there are few that have had the staying power of Canada's Anne Lindsay.

With books published all over the world, this member of the Order of Canada has been a very visible contributor to the national and international conversation about food for more than 25 years. She's been a regular writer for a variety of Canadian publications as well as the past nutrition editor at Canadian Living Magazine. Her recipes are respected and well-loved enough to have sold more than two million cookbooks.

She's back again in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation with a huge (500 recipes) cookbook, a hefty testimony to the work she's done and continues to do.

Lindsay became involved with the Heart and Stroke Foundation in 1986 when they asked her to write a cookbook based on their healthy-eating guidelines. The book was published in 1988 and was called The Lighthearted Cookbook. That relationship is still flourishing with her latest Lighthearted at Home: The Very Best of Ann Lindsay (Wiley, $38.95).

Lindsay shared some of her thoughts about her career and cooking via email. To start, she credits her mother's encouragement and her own love of eating good food with her early interest in cooking.

"In the '60s, I did cook a lot from Julia Child's Mastering the Art Of French Cooking and I learned a huge amount from the book. I still like to cook and to eat good food. I think home-cooked food tastes the best."

That preference for home-cooked food is also her key to good nutrition.

"The key to healthy eating is to cook from scratch and to avoid processed, pre-packaged foods and fast-food outlets as much as possible and to follow Canada's Food Guide," she says. "This means eating lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole-grain foods, lower-fat dairy products and fish. Children will learn from their parents and copy their habits."

That acknowledgement, that children will copy their parents' habits, is close to Lindsay's own heart as a mother and grandmother who recognizes the value of having little ones in the kitchen. She says it's important to let them participate in ways that are safe and age appropriate, while not underestimating their abilities. And she has one rule about which she is emphatic:

"Don't worry about the mess! The end result is worth it! They eventually will be able to clean up after themselves," she says. "My three-year-old grandchild can crack eggs into a bowl, stir them up and then with supervision cook scrambled eggs. My one-year-old granddaughter loves to wash lettuce. Cook with them and enjoy it. Be enthusiastic about cooking."

The joy that she shares with her grandchildren is also a reflection of one of her more general concerns about the future of the family kitchen: the possibility of a younger generation that doesn't know how to cook and the impact that might have on its future health.

"Healthy eating is a key factor to good health," she says. "Sharing meals together is an important part of family life and can be very enjoyable. Anyone who can read can cook. It is not difficult and is very rewarding."

Here are three recipes from Anne Lindsay's Lighthearted At Home. She says that these recipes are simple to make with easy-to-find ingredients available in any supermarket. She also points out that this book has all new nutritional analysis, and is a helpful tool for anyone with special needs, such as reducing the sodium or calories in their diet. All recipes meet the Heart and Stroke Foundation's guidelines for healthy eating.

Harvest vegetable curry 

Serve this colourful and flavourful main-course vegetable dish over couscous, bulgur or brown rice. The chickpeas and grain complement each other to form complete protein.

2 carrots, sliced

500 ml (2 cups) cubed peeled squash (about 2.5 cm / 1 inch)

500 ml (2 cups) broccoli florets

1 sweet red pepper, cut in strips

1 small (15 cm / 6 inch) yellow zucchini, cut in chunks

1 red onion, cut in thin wedges

1 can (540 ml / 19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil

30 ml (2 tbsp) minced ginger root

2 tbsp curry powder or paste

5 ml (1 tsp) ground cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ml (1/4 tsp) crushed red pepper flakes

125 ml (1/2 cup) sodium-reduced vegetable broth or water

30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh lemon juice

750 ml (3 cups) hot cooked brown rice, couscous or bulgur

60 ml (1/4 cup) chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley

Steam carrots and squash for 5 minutes. Add broccoli, red pepper, zucchini and red onion; steam for 5 minutes. Add chickpeas; steam for 3 to 5 minutes or until all vegetables are tender-crisp.

Meanwhile, in small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook ginger root, curry powder, cumin, garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add broth and lemon juice; simmer, covered, for 2 minutes. Toss vegetables with sauce. Serve over hot rice. Sprinkle with coriander or parsley. Makes 4 main course servings.

Italian sausage, red pepper and mushroom rigatoni 

Feel free to use hot Italian sausages or, for a less spicy version, sweet Italian sausage or some of each. You can chop the onions and garlic in the food processor to save time. Lindsay suggests using 3 or 4 fresh tomatoes instead of canned when they are in season.

500 g (1lb) hot Italian sausage

500 g (1lb) rigatoni, penne or corkscrew pasta

5 ml (1 tsp) canola or olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 sweet red peppers, cut in chunks

500 ml (2 cups) thickly sliced mushrooms

1 can (796 ml / 28 oz) diced tomatoes

10 ml (2 tsp) dried basil

10 ml (2 tsp) dried oregano

Freshly ground pepper

250 ml (1/2 cup) chopped fresh parsley, dill or basil

30 ml (2 tbsp) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to taste

In skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink in centre, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well; cut into thin slices.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until tender but firm; drain and return to pot.

In nonstick pan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, red peppers and mushrooms; cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil and oregano; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add cooked sausage, and pepper to taste. Pour over pasta; toss to mix. Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan; toss again. Pass extra Parmesan at the table. Makes 8 servings.

Variation: Pasta with shrimp and tomatoes

Substitute 500 g (1 lb) large cooked shrimp for the sausage, or use 250 g (1/2 lb) each cooked shrimp and sausage. Add shrimp to tomato mixture when adding cooked sausage.

Fresh tomato pizza

This pizza has far less fat than the regular cheese variety, and is especially nice when Armenian or Italian-style flatbread is used as the crust. To serve as an appetizer, cut into bite-size squares.

One 30 cm (12 inch) pizza crust or flatbread round

250 ml (1 cup) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

125 ml (1/2 cup) very thinly sliced onion (preferably Spanish or sweet)

30 ml (2 tbsp) chopped fresh basil (or 5 ml /1 tsp dried)

15 to 30 ml (1 to 2 tbsp) dried oregano

2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

30 ml (2 tbsp) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

On baking sheet, sprinkle pizza crust with mozzarella, onion and half of the basil and oregano. Arrange tomato slices over top; sprinkle with Parmesan and remaining basil and oregano. Bake in 230 C (450F) oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Makes 4 servings.

Make Ahead: Assemble pizza, cover and set aside at room temperature for up to 1 hour or refrigerate for up to 3 hours before baking.

Variations: Choose low-fat, low-calorie pizza toppings. On top of the tomatoes, sprinkle one or two of the following:

Chopped jalapeno or sweet peppers

Chopped purple peppers

Sliced rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes

Caramelized onion

Artichoke hearts, halved

Lightly cooked asparagus or broccoli

Wild or button mushrooms

Arugula

Fresh or dried figs, sliced

Chèvre (soft goat cheese) or feta cheese

Fresh herbs such as basil, coriander, oregano

Non-vegetarians might add slivers of barbecued shrimp, chicken or meats; avoid bacon and pepperoni, both high in sodium and fat

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 17, 2010 D1