Paul Finkelstein’s favourite family meals

Source: Best Health Magazine, October 2009

My family and I love the fall. The cooler weather is our excuse for digging out favour­ite sweaters, jumping in piles of leaves with the kids and enjoying bug-free walks through the forest near our home in the town of Stratford, Ont. (I teach culinary arts at Northwestern Secondary School, where I created The Screaming Avocado café, a student-run healthy alternative to the cafeteria.)

And after a day outside enjoying the brisk air, nothing tastes as healthy and fresh as a stir-fry. A variety of seasonal vegetables is still available, so be adventurous. It’s fun to eat this with chopsticks; I always cut the vegetables larger to make them easier to pick up.

Because this is the time of year for beets’ underappreciated vegetables that are a great source of vitamin C, fibre, magnesium and folate’I’ve included a roasted beet and beef salad. It tastes extra-delicious if you roast your own, but canned beets are just fine. I’ve added Gorgonzola cheese because the flavour and texture
differences are great together, but skip it if you’re counting calories.

Finally, I’ve added a baked salmon recipe. Feel free to switch the salmon for another variety; any fish works with the citrus salad’which is a burst of sunshine on your plate.

Get the recipes:
‘ Roasted Beet & Beef Salad with Mustard Dressing
‘ Seasonal Vegetable & Tofu Stir-fry
‘ Baked Salmon with Citrus Salad

Photo above: The Finkelstein family enjoying the autumn weather