Recipes — The Renata Collective

Breaded, coated, baked chicken is a go-to in our home for a ‘can’t think of what to make for dinner tonight’ moment. This is a ‘copycat’ recipe of Shake & Bake made without the preservatives and levels of salt that many conventional coating products contain – just plain breadcrumbs (regular or gluten free), a bit of cornmeal, arrowroot, spices and some nutritional yeast for the yummy flavour and nutrition it provides.

Meal Prep Alert: Make up the coating mix ahead of time – double or triple the recipe – to have it on hand when you want to make this recipe.

Best Ever Baked Meatballs

Here is an easy baked meatball recipe – healthier since they are baked and not pan fried in oil. Use lean meat, ground chicken or turkey to further reduce the fat content. I make up a batch of these to have for dinner one night and keep the rest in the fridge for leftovers or to grab a meatball as a snack when the afternoon hungries hit and when energy is running low. Toss them in some Renata Collective Bang Bang Sauce or Harissa Sauce - SO GOOD! These meatballs are great to add to a broth for soup, to simmer in a tomato or a mushroom sauce for dinner served over pasta or rice, or put into a bun for a meatball sub! Yum!

Dinner, Light Supper, Lunch, SnacksRenata RichardsonNovember 18, 2021Best Ever Baked Meatballs, Baked Meatballs, Meatballs, Healthy DinnerComment

Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Mushrooms, Beans and Greens

Pan-frying gnocchi is new to me and I LOVE IT! I had always boiled gnocchi and scooped it out when it rose to the surface. Pan-frying gnocchi is so easy and so delicious – you need gnocchi (store bought is fine to use), a little olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, a grind or two of fresh pepper, fry until nicely browned and they will be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Heaven!

Super Simple Wing-Alternative Baked Chicken

A simple wing-alternative chicken recipe that is super simple to make and very tasty to eat, and a healthier alternative since they are baked and not deep fried as some wing recipes require and the seasoning in so simple and really delicious! Serve with your sauce of choice!

Dinner, Light Supper, Lunch, appetizerRenata RichardsonOctober 25, 2021Super Simple Wing-Alternative Baked Chicken, Chicken WingsComment

Smoked Paprika Spiced Chicken with Sour Cream Sauce

This family favourite chicken dinner is always a hit. It’s a great dish to make for company too and looks much fancier than it really is! It is easy to put together, it cooks on the stove top, the quick sauce at the end absolutely makes this dish so delicious! It calls for sour cream but to make this recipe dairy free you can use coconut cream. Serve with some rice or quinoa to soak up the sauce, some steamed veggies or a salad on the side and your meal is complete and fabulous!

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Whole roasted cauliflower is quite a fabulous side dish! Basted with the Lemon Tahini Sauce and roasted until tender, it’s easy to prepare, impressive when presented and delicious when served and devoured. This will be on our Thanksgiving menu! Trust me, you will want it on yours too!

.This is a great dish to serve for those who are vegan and sharing your table! The cauliflower is toothsome and with this sauce – it’s just so delicious! Leftovers are so good reheated or eaten cold, so have them as a snack, add to a salad or as a side to dinner the next night!

Fusilli with Chicken and Veggies

Need a quick pasta dish that’s delicious and nutritious and where the veggies provide the flavour so no additional sauces are necessary? This fusilli chicken and veggies is a go-to for me! It cooks up quickly – in the time your pasta water gets boiling and the pasta cooks, the rest is done too and it’s on the table! I don’t add parmesan to this pasta dish – you can, of course, or for extra nutritional benefits, sprinkle some nutritional yeast on instead!

Dinner, Light Supper, LunchRenata RichardsonSeptember 27, 2021Fusilli with Chicken and Veggies, Pasta dinner, Quick DinnerComment

Hearty Spinach Salad with Grains, Roasted Red Peppers and White Beans

I enjoy salads year-round and especially ones that double as a whole meal – for lunch or a light dinner. This recipe fits the bill. If you have some leftover rice, as in this recipe, or quinoa, include them in your salad to make it hearty and delicious. I love that this salad has the balance of protein, carbs and fat, and is so fresh and full of wonderful nutrients to nourish your body and to satisfy your hunger and your taste buds!

Quinoa Veggie Pilaf

I love this recipe! It’s one that I have used at workshops for a couple of years now, and a recipe I make and share with friends, to demonstrate how you can pack a lot of plant-based nutrition into your meal, how balanced it is with protein, carbs and healthy fat, how quick and easy it is to make, and to turn those who don’t like quinoa into liking quinoa! Really, it truly is delicious and nutrition packed, gluten and dairy free, a one-pan recipe that is quick and easy to make. It is also super versatile – use whatever veggies you have in your fridge, and during our long Canadian winters, you can use frozen veggies.

One Dish Delish Saucy Chicken and Veggies

Here comes a one dish baked chicken recipe – chicken thighs, veggies, spicy goodness! The sauce pulls this dish together and it’s one baking dish for easy clean-up! Serve it with some rice noodles or if you have meal prepped and have rice or quinoa already cooked – a quick reheat and you are ready to serve dinner.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

This is a simple, only 3-ingredients, recipe that is fun to make and delicious to eat. I’ve cooked these both pan-fried and boiled and both are fabulous. Drizzle with some olive oil on top, or the sauce of your choice, and let the flavour of the super healthy sweet potato shine through. Plus the orange looks so pretty on your plate.

Lemon Honey Dijon Dressing

Lemon Honey Dijon Dressing recipe - a wonderful summer salad dressings – or for any time of year really. It’s very flavourful and all you really need are some spring greens, one or two salad veggies cup up and I LOVE this with fresh blueberries. I have a jar of this in the fridge ready to go so a salad can be a side dish for dinner or a quick lunch in a flash!

Quick Spicy Thai Beef

Summer meals need to be quick, easy and delicious and the BBQ is a great way to not heat up your kitchen and cook quickly. As a change of food from the grill, may I suggest an alternate - Quick Spicy Thai Beef. You’ll have dinner on the table in a half hour and have a wonderful meal to serve your family. A wonderful blend of sweet and spicy sauces makes this quick-to-prepare savory dish delicious.

Pesto in a Jiffy

Fresh, flavourful, delicious and so quick and easy to make – this pesto recipe is made with a couple of secret ingredients that increases the nutritional goodness and ups the deliciousness – I know this recipe will be something you make often!

Roasted Mushroom Polenta

Polenta – I’m sure you are familiar with this wonderful dish made of cornmeal but perhaps have not tried to make it. I encourage you to make this recipe and it is so simple and so delicious. I love to make extra polenta, store in the fridge and then fry it up with an egg on top for breakfast or a light dinner with a side salad. Polenta is a wonderful base for so many toppings – a hearty stew, chili, sautéed or roasted veggies as in this recipe – mushrooms!