Lentil Enchiladas
At 25 I found Fernie and the home I had been looking for since I left my family home and food became a central theme once again in my life. I had my own kitchen and although it was small, I was inspired to make it my own. Once we decided to start a family I knew I was going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen and it was important to me that it be bright and roomy. Before long we renovated making it three times the original size of our 1950’s bungalow kitchen.
I had two boys in two years and took my job as a stay home mom very seriously. A large part of that job consisted of ensuring an offering of healthy homemade food shared around a family table. I prepared all of our food from scratch and pureed everything we ate into baby food for my boys. I bought local free range beef, lamb and chicken, whenever possible.
Every fall I made apple sauce with apples from the neighbour’s tree sweetening it with maple syrup. My boys did not have processed sugar until about the age of five. It was when they started school that I let go of the fact I was no longer going to be with them every hour of every day to monitor what they were eating. I told myself they had a healthy first five years and it was time to start the long and never ending process of every parent, that of letting go...
One day my oldest son came home from grade one very excited. They were, he told me, going to Key City Theatre to see a performance and were stopping at McDonald’s for lunch. My boys had never been to McDonalds. After my initial disappointment I realized this was an important experience for him as well as an education. I told him I wanted a full report of what he thought of the food when he got home. After school, he was no sooner in the door when he announced “that food sucked!” This didn’t surprise me coming from a child when asked what he would like to eat on his fifth birthday said “vegetarian pizza with broccoli and spinach!”
Though we are not a vegetarian family, we eat many vegetarian dishes. Here is one of our favourites.
Lentil Enchiladas with corn and tomato salsa ~
Filling
1/2 cup brown lentils – washed
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup cubed avocado
whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salsa
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed and drained
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp fresh limejuice
salt and pepper to taste
chopped jalapeno pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375oF. Place lentils and broth in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place salsa ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, stir to combine and set aside. Once lentils finish cooking, drain immediately and add rest of filling ingredients. Lightly oil an 8” x 8” x 2” baking dish. Fill each tortilla with 1/2 cup lentil mixture, wrap and place seam side down in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Serve with salsa. Serves 4
Local Food News
Loaf Bakery, Café & Pizzeria ~ to celebrate the start of the hockey season, Loaf has teamed up with the Fernie Ghostriders to offer a fantastic pre-game Pizza, Beer & Ticket deal. The delicious 12" Ghostriders' pizza will be available for dine-in in Loaf's fully licensed café before every game, and pizza-by-the-slice will be available to grab'n'go. Missing the Farmers Market? Drop into Loaf on Saturdays to sample their specialty breads; Potato & Bacon loaf, Chilli bread and Chocolate & Cranberry bread are some of the tasters that will be on offer to try before you buy.
Lizard Creek Lodge ~ Every Friday night they offer a $27.95 three course meal now served with Skimmerhorn Wines by the glass or by the bottle. Join them the Monday of Labour Day Weekend from 11am – 2pm for a BBQ on their deck for $16 per person. Included in the BBQ - chicken and ribs, house made salads, chips and salsa with a non alcoholic drink. They will also have wine and draft beer specials all day. Also in the month of September you can enjoy a chilled Seafood Platter with a bottle of wine for $65 for 4.
The Cottonwood Tree ~ more “new” food at the Tree including Schar gluten-free chocolate dipped cookies, short bread cookies and crisp bread, Annies gluten free rice pasta and cheddar, Gogo quinoa gluten-free quinoa burger, Glutino wildberry organic bars, Olivico organic extra virgin olive oil, Pacari organic RAW dark chocolate and golden berries, Whispering Winds organic loose leaf green tea. Next Food Coop September 20.
Max Restaurant and The Pub Bar & Grill, Park Place Lodge ~Thursday is Rib Night. Tasty baby back ribs with a special 40 Creek Whiskey BBQ sauce are available Thursday nights in both Max Restaurant and the Pub Bar & Grill. Hockey Night in Fernie starts up again this September. The Pub is featuring a dinner and game ticket package for all Ghostrider home games this season starting with the home opener Friday September 24 with an after game party will feature Shred Kelly live.
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