Mains, Favourites
JP Siou
Coach JP's Famous Chili

Originally published in 2013 (the first recipe I published!) and last updated in September 2021, this recipe was overdue for another update based on some more recent tweaks.

I use a slightly unusual combination of spices and herbs in my recipe that gives the chili a real depth and complexity of flavour that takes it beyond any store bought chili I've ever had.  Chili purists will balk at the inclusion of beans, and while this recipe *could* be made bean-free, it is intended to be a complete meal in a bowl, so a starchy carb element is a key component.

This is real, whole food with lots of protein, veggies and high-fibre starchy carbs, so it doesn’t really need any “pseudo-healthy” window dressing!

With the relatively high proportion of starchy carbs, this is best used as a post-workout meal, but if your carb intake is reasonable otherwise, go ahead and have this whenever.  It can also be made ahead and the excess portions frozen for later use with good results.

Coach JP's Famous Chili
Mains, Favourites
JP Siou
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

This is one of the most popular meals I make for larger family gatherings or social events, and is inspired by my Italian-Quebecois stepmother’s legendary pasta feasts.

The ingredients are relatively simple and inexpensive, and the process is pretty easy as well…or at least not very technical - there is a bit of work involved!

This makes a LOT of food (25-30 meatballs), so definitely share it with friends and family!

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Sourdough Breads, Favourites
JP Siou
Sourdough Ligurian-Style Focaccia

Inspired by the foccaccia made in Liguria by Samin Nosrat in Netflix’s “Salt Fat Acid Heat” (based on Nosrat’s book by the same name), this version is made using my trusty sourdough starter rather than packaged yeast.

Sourdough Ligurian-Style Focaccia
Soups, Favourites
JP Siou
Tortilla Soup

This is one of the most-requested meals around our house, and has stood up well in comparison with tortilla soups we’ve had at multiple local Mexican restaurants, and with the ones we’ve had in Mexico. Is already gluten-free, and can be made dairy-free and vegan quite easily.

Tortilla Soup
Soups
JP Siou
Lentil, Quinoa & Greens Soup

This recipe is a hybrid of a few different ones from across the internet, and can be made vegan or dairy-free by substituting coconut oil or vegetable oil for the ghee / clarified butter and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Packed with protein from the quinoa and lentils, and very tasty with a little spicy kick from curry powder and chili flakes, this soup is a definite winner! Even got the stamp of approval from my usually pretty picky eater, Kira. :)

Lentil, Quinoa & Greens Soup
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Coach JP's Famous Chili

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Coach JP's Famous Chili

Originally published in 2013 (the first recipe I published!) and last updated in September 2021, this recipe was overdue for another update based on some more recent tweaks.

I use a slightly unusual combination of spices and herbs in my recipe that gives the chili a real depth and complexity of flavour that takes it beyond any store bought chili I've ever had.  Chili purists will balk at the inclusion of beans, and while this recipe *could* be made bean-free, it is intended to be a complete meal in a bowl, so a starchy carb element is a key component.

This is real, whole food with lots of protein, veggies and high-fibre starchy carbs, so it doesn’t really need any “pseudo-healthy” window dressing!

With the relatively high proportion of starchy carbs, this is best used as a post-workout meal, but if your carb intake is reasonable otherwise, go ahead and have this whenever.  It can also be made ahead and the excess portions frozen for later use with good results.

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Sourdough Discard Biscuits

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Sourdough Discard Biscuits

WOW - these were good! Best biscuits I’ve ever made, uses up some sourdough starter discard, and super easy as well.

Be warned, though - these are delicious for a once-in-a-while treat, but they have a LOT of butter in them, so shouldn’t be a regular feature. You will want them to be though…LOL!

This recipe is adapted from this one from King Arthur Baking Company, but modified to be proportional to the amount of discard sourdough starter you have on hand, and with some additional notes on the method I used.

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Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

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Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

This is one of the most popular meals I make for larger family gatherings or social events, and is inspired by my Italian-Quebecois stepmother’s legendary pasta feasts.

The ingredients are relatively simple and inexpensive, and the process is pretty easy as well…or at least not very technical - there is a bit of work involved!

This makes a LOT of food (25-30 meatballs), so definitely share it with friends and family!

Lentil, Quinoa & Greens Soup

Lentil, Quinoa & Greens Soup

This recipe is a hybrid of a few different ones from across the internet, and can be made vegan or dairy-free by substituting coconut oil or vegetable oil for the ghee / clarified butter and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Packed with protein from the quinoa and lentils, and very tasty with a little spicy kick from curry powder and chili flakes, this soup is a definite winner! Even got the stamp of approval from my usually pretty picky eater, Kira. :)

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Sourdough Starter

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Sourdough Starter

After watching the Netflix 4-part series "Cooked", based on the book by Michael Pollan of the same name, I got the itch to try making long-fermented sourdough bread to provide my girls with a healthier option for their school sandwiches (here's a good article that lays out the basics of why long-fermented sourdough is healthier, and here's another talking a bit about artisan breads, bakeries and sourdough benefits as well).  The only ingredients in the bread I make now are water, flour, and salt.

Anyway, long story short, after playing around with a couple of different sets of instructions on how to get your own starter going, I settled on this method for starting and maintaining the starter (also known as "levain"), and have successfully done this for a couple of years now.

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Chickpea Hummus

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Here's a recipe and instructional video for one of my favourite snacks, homemade chickpea hummus.  From start to finish, it takes about five minutes to make.  I absolutely love this with sugar snap peas for dipping, and it's got some high-fibre, slow-digesting carbohydrate, healthy fats and a little bit of protein to keep you satisfied.

You could cut the fat and calorie content a bit if you want by substituting water for half of the olive oil, and you could also substitute some sesame oil or sesame seeds for the tahini.  This is a traditional lemon and garlic flavoured hummus, but you can play around with adding some roasted bell peppers, roasted garlic, etc. for variety - experiment away!

Ingredients:

  • 1x 398ml can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed well
  • 1 tsp of sesame tahini (you can substitute sesame oil, sesame seeds, or just omit if you want)
  • Juice of 1 whole lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 - 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Preparation:

  • Put everything except the olive oil in a food processor with the standard blade
  • Process on high, drizzling in the olive oil until the desired consistency is achieved.

Total calories are somewhere between 500 and 600 calories for the entire recipe, depending on how much olive oil you use.  For me, this makes 3 servings, with each serving having about 7g protein.