Fresh Summer Salad

This is such a great fresh summer salad. I love salads full of grains and this one is new favorite. Comes together in 10 min and gets better the longer it sits in the fridge.


Asparagus & Tomato Lemon Couscous Salad

2 cups Israeli Couscous (find it in the greek section at the grocery store)
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed off and cut into 1 1/2" pieces
2 tbsp Olive Oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
pint of cherry tomatos, sliced in half
3 tbso fresh parsley, chopped
salt & pepper
parmesean

1. Bring to a boil 2.5 cups of water in a pot. Add couscous. Cover and Cook 10 min, stirring occasionally.

2. In the last 2 minutes of cooking add the chopped asparagus spears to the pot and put the cover back on.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper.

4. Toss cooked couscous, asparagus, chopped tomatos and chopped parsley in a large bowl. Top with vinegrette and toss.

5. Top with parsley and parm.

6. Serve room temperature or cold.

My kind of grillin'!

When it comes to grilling, I'm a bit of an amateur. It's no secret that I'm not really a fan of huge chunks of meat, no matter how they are cooked. But fear not, there are some amazing grilled dishes that manage to have meat as a component, rather then the main star. This is a simple dinner that everyone will love. Interesting combination that totally, totally works.

Grilled Peach, Sweet Potato, Red Onion and Chicken Skewers with Pecans

4 Peaches, sliced into chunks (ripe, but not too ripe or they will fall apart on the grill)
2 Sweet Potatoes, cut into chunks
1 Red Onion, cut into chunks
3 Chicken Breasts, cut into chunks
1 cup Pecans

Sauce
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1 cup balsamic or sherry vinegar
salt
pepper

Pecan Spice1 tbsp honey
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice



15-18 Wooden Skewers (soaked in water so they don't burn)


1. Chop chicken, peaches, sweet potato and onion. Place chopped sweet potato in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3 minutes to start the cooking process.

2. Pour sauce ingredients into a pot, bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer 12-15 min to reduce.

3. Toss all chopped ingredients into a bowl. Pout over HALF of reduced sauce. Stir well.

4. Skewer all chopped ingredients.

5. Place foil on grill. Preheat. Place skewers on grill. Cook, turning often and bast with more sauce. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 min.

6. Place pecans on a square of foil. Top with pecan spices above. Toast on grill for 5 min. (Watch carefully so they don't burn.

Serve skewers on a large platter. Drizzle with any remaining sauce. Top with pecans.

Enjoy!

Salad fit for an Iron Chef

This is a serious recipe. I once shared a bite of this salad with a real live IRON CHEF champion. Yes, from that Iron Chef on Food Network. I was working at EAT! Vancouver last year when I first met Rob Feenie. I happened to have brought this for lunch and happened to come sit and chat with me while I ate it (and try it himself!). Ah the memories.
I probably have made this salad 50 times. It's super easy, really yummy, healthy and never disappoints. It's the perfect salad for spring and summer and gets even better once it's left in the fridge overnight. It's best if eaten at room temperature. (Did someone say perfect picnic food?)

Give it a shot. I promise you'll love it.

Quinoa Artichoke and Parsley Salad

2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup shallots (chopped)
t tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (not the oil pack ones....)
1 cup chicken broth (or veg broth or water)
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (rinsed)
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1-2 lemons
salt and pepper

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a medium pot. Add chopped shallots and thyme, saute for 5 min until softened.
2. Add chopped artichokes to the pot. Saute for 1 min.
3. Add chicken broth and Quinoa to pot. Cover and simmer for 15 min or so until all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked. Stir occasionally.
4. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and zest, parsley, 1 tbsp olive oil and salt/pepper.
5. Transfer to another bowl and let cool to room temp before enjoying or store in the fridge until ready to eat. (Remove from fridge and let it come to room temp a few minutes before serving.)

Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers with Garlic Dill Sauce

Here's a great easy weeknight meal that you will definitly love. These turkey burgers can be grilled on the BBQ or grill pan or pan grilled in a frying pan on the stove. You have to make the sauce. It takes the deliciousness factor up times 10.

Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers
(makes 4)

1 lb ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
5 oz frozen chopped spinach (about 4 cups of fresh wilted)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tbsp bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

1. Mix all ingredients together. Refridgerate until ready to use.
2. Form into paddies. Grill (or pan fry in greased pan) about 6min each side, until cooked through.)


Garlic Dill Sauce

1 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp mayo
4 tbsp fresh chopped dill
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp sriracha sauce
salt and pepper

1. Mix all together. Refridgerate until ready to use. (Best if made a couple hours in advance.)


Serve these babies on buns with sauce, extra feta and sliced red onion.

Homemade Larabars!

In this world of prepackaged snacks and sweets and other garbage, I'm forever searching for "from scratch" snack recipes that are quick, easy and portable. These bars are an excellent solution.

Do you know what a Larabar is? If you don't, you've been missing out. Basically a Larabar is yummy prepackaged real food bar that contains just a few simple (and real!) ingredients. Just nuts, fruits and spices. They come in yummy flavors like Pecan Pie, Cashew Cookie, and Peanut Butter Cookie (and dozens more.) Bottom line, Larabars rock. Downside? They are expensive. Fear not, for I have found the solution!

Homemade Larabars! I tried two varieties today and have a few more to try. But so far, they are delish. Even better than the originals. I got the basis for these recipes from this girls awesome blog. http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/

**Be aware people. These are delicious. But they are NOT sugar and fat free. They are healthy because they contain real ingredients including protien from the nuts and natural sugars from the fruit and no preservatives. But don't be fooled. Don't eat them all at once. **

For each recipe, put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until it all comes together. Nuts should be very tiny pieces, but don't let it go until it's totally smooth. You want some texture. Divide into bars and wrap in wax paper. Keep in the fridge.

Cashew Cookie Bars (makes 4)

60 grams unsalted raw cashews (about 1/2 cups)
160 grams dates, pitted (about 1 1/2 cups)
drop of vanilla
good pinch of salt


Elvis Bars (makes 4 or 5)

60 grams unsalted raw peanuts (about 1/2 cup)
160 grams dates, pitted (about 1 1/2 cups)
60 grams dried bananas
drop of vanilla
good pinch of salt

Meatball Subs!

I was doing some meal planning one weekend and mentioned this recipe to my husband. He got so excited! I suppose he thought I was making it for dinner that night... Alas, no, I was adding to my list of future meals. Needless to say, he was very upset with me for even mentioning it. I guess it sounded good?

This is a crazy yummy dinner and definitly a step up from those mystery meatball subs from that you get from Subway. (Not that I've ever tried one of those, cause I can promise you I never will...) Fear not, my husband does agree that these ones are much better.

I've really have never seen a meatball look prettier. And that's gotta count for something!

Chicken Meatball Sub
(adapted from bevcooks.com)

1 lb ground chicken
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped
1.5 tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, pureed in a blender
Handful of basil leaves, chopped
1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into 4 equal sizes and sliced lengthwise
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt or garlic bread seasoning
4 slices provolone cheese
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degres

1) Combine first 8 ingrediants in a large bowl.

2) Roll chicken mixture into small-medium sized meatballs. Place on parchment lined baking sheet.

3) Bake for 30 min until browned.

4) Put pureed tomoatos in a large put with a tight fitting lid. Add browned meatballs to pot. Simmer for 25 min. Remove lid and simmer another 10 min until sauce thickens slightly.

5) Remove from heat. Add chopped basil and salt & pepper.

6) Turn oven to broil. Brush ciabatta with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Place on baking sheet and broil for 3 min until starting to brown. (Watch closely!)

7) Remove ciabatta from oven, top with meatballs and sauce. Lay a slice of cheese on top. Broil another 2 min until cheese melts.

8) Serve with fresh basil leaves.

Super Simple Springtime Soup

Say that 4 times fast!

It's spring! Sorta. Well let us pretend it's spring and make a super fast, super yummy spring time soup. Before long the local asparagus should be flooding the markets and I've got the perfect recipe to use it all up.

This makes a ton of soup. Enough for a couple meals and some extra for the freezer. Done in 30 min flat. Or less if you're a quick chopper. (And don't make a fuss about the chopping, it's all getting wizzed up in the end anyways.)

Creamy Asparagus Soup
(adapted from simplerecipes.com)

1 large onion, chopped
3 tbsp butter
2 lbs asparagus (about 3 bunches, ends discarded, chopped
6 cups chicken or veg stock
2 springs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
4 tbsp fresh italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

1. In a large pot, heat butter over med high heat. Add onion. Saute 5 min until translucent.
2. Add asparagus and thyme. Add some salt and pepper. Saute 5 min.
3. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover. Simmer 15 min.
4. Remove from heat. Add parsley. Puree until smooth with a hand blender or in a blender.
5. Return to pot. Stir in cream and lemon juice. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

That's it folks. Super simple. Super delicious.

Enjoy!

Butterscotch Pecan Banana Muffins

As if life isn't already glorious enough, I got up this morning and looked at the 12 frozen bananas in the freezer and decided that breakfast was in order. (Alright so I made a triple batch. I have a feeling these will be a welcomed treat once the baby arrives.)

Simple banana muffins rock my world. Add pecans. Yep. Search the cupboard for chocolate chips and instead find butterscotch chips. Ok. A little recipe tweaking and we have a winner people.

Butterscotch Pecan Banana Muffins
(make about 12)


2 cups mashed bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butterscotch chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1) In one bowl, combine mashed bananas, melted butter, the egg and vanilla. Mix well.

2) In another bowl combine flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Toss in chopped pecans and butterscotch chips.

3) Dump banana mixture into flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until it's just mixed. Do not overmix.

4) Grease a muffin tin. Divide batter into tin. Should make about 12 muffins.

5) Bake for 15-18 min until slightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

6) Keeps in a closed container for 3 or 4 days. Or cool completely and freeze for 3 months in ziplocs.

You should probably just double this to begin with. Share them with others, you will make them love you.

Chickity China, the Chinese Chicken...

Orange Cashew Chicken

This is a fantastic recipe I first tried years ago after seeing it on Rachel Ray. I've made a few adjustments and I think it's better then ever. If you're thinking of ordering Chinese Take-Out, try this instead. It's a quick recipe, definitely comes together in less than 30 minutes. Plus, who needs all that MSG and mystery meat?

2 Chicken breast, cut into thing strips
1/2 cup Cashews (unsalted)
2 Red Pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1 Onion, diced
3 clove garlic, grated or minced
1 tsp tsp grated ginger root
1 tbsp Canola or Peanut Oil
3 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper

Sauce:
1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soya sauce,
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp corn starch

1. Heat up a medium skillet on high heat. Add oil. Add sliced chicken breast to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 min, until cooked through. Remove to a plate.

2. In the same skillet (on med heat) add in onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute for about 5 minutes until tender.

3. Add red peppers and cashews to skillet. Saute 3 more minutes.

4. Prepare the sauce by whisking together all the sauce ingredients (including the cornstarch.)

5.Return the cooked chicken to the skillet.

6. Pour over the sauce and let simmer for 3 minutes.

7. Remove from heat and toss in the green onions.

Serve with rice.

Tart (not for the faint of heart)

If you've never made a quiche or a french savory tart, you're missing out. It's one of the easiest and most delicious meals. If you've got no time, you can buy premade pie shells, they work fine. I prefer the homemade cause I'm crazy like that. But whatever floats your boat.This particular tart is a little different. Walnuts, blue cheese, onions. Come on. How good does that sound? It's not for the faint of heart and it's full of strong flavors.

IT. SERIOUSLY. ROCKS.

Blue Cheese, Walnut and Onion Tart (from Laura Calder 'Dinner Chez Moi')Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Pastry
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
pinch salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
3 tbsp cold water

1. Add the flours, salt and butter to a food processor. Pulse until it forms fine crumbs.
2. Add the water a tbsp at a time until the dough just comes together. Should still be a little crumbly.
3. Roll out to size of pie pan on a lightly floured surface. Press into pie pan and refridgerate until ready to use.

Filling
1 tbsp butter
1tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
salt and pepper
2/3 cup lightly toasted walnuts
handful of chopped parsley
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 eggs
1 cup milk

1. Melt the butter and olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the onions and slowly cook until soft about 10 minutes.
2. Spread the cooked onions in the prepared pie shell. Spread in walnuts, parsley and blue cheese.
3. Mix together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over the prepared ingredients in the pie shell.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes until set.

** If you find your shell gets to soggy, you can bake it with out the filling for about 10 minnutes before moving onto step 2.