Tomato & Green Bean Salad April 9, 2009

Think refreshing mint meets crunchy beans – with a kick of garlic and balsamic.  There … easy!  This refreshing salad is a go-to of mine when company’s coming – wickedly easy, cheap and tastes great the next day too.  Looks gorgeous served on a big white platter.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of fresh French-style green beans, end chopped off and cut in half

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half length-wise

1 TBSP garlic, minced

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup good Balsamic vinegar

a pinch of sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1 hand-full of fresh mint, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1) Steam or boil green beans until just starting to tender.

2) Immediately after cooking, bathe green beans in cold water to stop the cooking process.

3) In a small jar or bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients (execpt for mint).

4) Place green beans, tomatoes and mint in a large bowl and combine, then add dressing and mix thoroughly, but gently.

Ready to serve!

Lentil-Quinoa Salad February 10, 2009

I eat alotta beans … alotta quinoa … alotta salad … so a tri-combo is what my tummy is used to, but it’s quite a savory treat for my tastebuds!  Plus, I’m on a bit of a lentil kick these days.  Did I mention this is so very kind on your wallet too?  Oh, and don’t bother sitting down to wait for the cooking to be complete … it’ll be done before you even set the table!

Ingredients:
1 cup lentils, uncooked (or 1 cup canned – skip step 1 if using canned)
1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
1/3 cup scallions, chopped
Fresh coriander (optional)

Lime-curry vinaigrette
1/8 cup canola oil
6 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
1 tsp ground coriander

Directions:

1) Cook the lentils until tender, about 20 minutes – drain and allow to cool.
2) Cook the quinoa until translucent and tender (2 parts boiling water
or stock, 1 part quinoa, simmered until all water has evaporated) -
allow to cool.
3) Chop scallions; and add along with lentils and quinoa to a large
serving bowl.
4) Place all ingredients for vinaigrette in a separate bowl and stir
thoroughly (you can adjust spices to suit your taste).
5) Add vinaigrette to mixture and combine thoroughly.
6) Garnish with fresh coriander if desired, and serve at room temperature.

Minty Summery Fruits August 13, 2008

Farmers markets, sunny weather and an abundance of fresh, delicious, sweet fruits! This quick dessert or snack is insanely easy to prepare and is so mouthwatering, I have to put a limit on how much I make. I grow so much fresh mint in my yard, that I always have more than enough to make fruit or veggie salads … a perfect pairing for mohitos!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint fresh strawberries
1 peach (white or regular)
1 lime
6 lychees (fresh or canned)
1-2 tbsp fresh mint, minced (plus a few sprigs for decoration)
honey or agave nectar

DIRECTIONS:

1) Chill the fruit before using, and slice strawberries, peach and lychees.
2) In a mixing bowl, juice the lime, then add the mint and a drizzle of honey or agave nectar to taste, mix well.
3) Add the fruit to the liquid and make sure everything is well coated.
4) To plate the salad, fan out peaches, pile strawberries on one side, top with lychees, and garnish with additional sprigs of mint.

QA-Sala (Quinoa Apple Salad) August 12, 2008

I’ve used quinoa in many recipes, and am always looking for new ways to serve this tasty tongue twister (it’s keen-wa). Here’s a nice fresh salad that will serve about 6 as a main-course salad, and keeps really well in the fridge for a few days. Apples are always easy to find and usually pretty tasty even when not in season. If you buy quinoa in bulk, this whole dish will generally cost you under $1 per person. Not too shabby!

INGREDIENTS:
juice from 1 lemon
1⁄3 cup apple cider
1⁄2 cup orange juice
1⁄3 cup canola or sunflower oil (olive oil is a bit too full bodied for this)
1⁄3 cup honey
5 cups cooked quinoa
2 apples, cored and chopped
1 red pepper, diced small
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or canned will do)
1⁄2 cup dried cranberries
1⁄2 cup currants (or raisins if you don’t have any currants handy)
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans
1 cup each, fresh parsley and mint, chopped
sea salt/freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1) Place lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, oil and honey in a small bowl and stir to combine.
2) In a large bowl, combine quinoa and all remaining ingredients well, then stir in dressing. Adjust seasonings and refrigerate until ready to serve!

NOTES:
To cook quinoa, bring 4 cups salted water to a boil in a pot with a lid. Stir in 2 cups quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until water is fully absorbed, about 25 min. You can cook any amount of quinoa you like as long as you keep the 2:1 ratio of liquid to grain. It is also worth your while to test out other liquids such as your fav stock or even 1/2 coconut milk, 1/2 water.

Black Bean Millet Mix July 29, 2008

I recently discovered millet – that sneaky little grain that apparently pre-dates even rice. This delicious little ball is easy to make, and hey, goes so well with just about anything, including that your favourite beer of yours too (did you know that a lot of beers are actually made with millet?). You can toast it, serve it hot or cold, or even make a sweet pudding out of it. It’s high in protein, low fat, rammed full of nutrients and wickedly cheap. It’ll even make all your gluten free pals happy too.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Millet, uncooked
3 cups Water (or stock)
1 1/2 cups Black beans, cooked (or 1 can)
2 lg Tomatoes, chopped
1 can sweet corn
1 small green onion – chopped finely
Dressing:
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp red chili flakes
2 tbsp dried cilantro (or a handful of fresh – coarsely chopped)
splash of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a fry pan and toast the millet for about 5 min – shaking the pan so it doesn’t burn (hint – it will start to pop once it’s toasted, so as soon as you hear that ‘popcorn’ like noise, take it off the burner).
2. Cook the millet in 3 cups of boiling water until all water is absorbed (simmer about 30-45 min).
3. When done, fluff with a fork and allow to cool slightly.
4. In a very large bowl, combine cooked millet and all remaining ingredients (but not dressing).
5. Mix all dressing ingredients until well-blended, then pour over the salad and toss to blend.
6. Serve warm OR cover and refrigerate until the salad is very well chilled.

Notes:
You can serve this on lettuce leaves or even stuff into pita breads.
You can also substitute the millet for couscous or quinoa or buckwheat.

Summer-Slaw July 16, 2008

Hmmm, saving money, making tasty food AND eating healthy … what a trio … and this slaw fits the bill. Cabbage is a cheap veggie that is often overlooked these days. I say “bring back the ‘bage!” Plus, this recipe is just a loose guide. You can add just about any fresh/crispy veggie to a slaw, and if you want it really creamy instead of ‘zingy’ just add some mayo and sour-cream instead of oil and vinegar. Keeps nicely for about 2 days, but that’s about it. A mandolin REALLY helps here – it’ll cut down your chopping time significantly.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 medium head of green cabbage, shredded

1/2 small head of red cabbage, shredded

1/2 small red onion, chapped finely

2-3 celery stalks, chopped finely

1/2 orange pepper, chopped finely

6-8 string green beans, copped finely (I cut them diagonally)

1/4 cup each of diced cashews and sesame seeds, toasted (you can use almonds too – or omit nuts completely)

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/4 cup salad oil

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1) Prepare all veggies, add to a large bowl with nuts and toss.

2) Whisk all liquid ingredients with salt and pepper, pour over salad, and toss to combine.

3) Chill for at least an hour before serving. To serve, simply toss and sprinkle with a few sesame seeds.

NOTES:

- you can turn up the heat a little bit by adding some cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot sauce to the seasoning

- great additions include shredded carrots, raisins, black sesame seeds, slices of mandarin oranges, or even dried crsipy noodles.

Dilly Potato Salad May 13, 2008

It’s nearing summer and that means BBQ and picnic season is just around the corner.  I was inspired by my day-dreaming of beer and cottages, and thought I’d honour those thoughts by making a savory potato salad.  I love fresh dill, but I think if you didn’t have any around, the dried dill would certainly suffice. 

 

INGREDIENTS:

3 large potatos, chopped

1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1/3 cup sour cream (use full fat if you can – it’s so much tastier!)

2 tbsp mayo

2 tbsp plain cream cheese  

1/2 cup chopped celery

salt and pepper to taste

 
DIRECTIONS:

1) bring a large pot of salted water to boil; add in chopped potato and boil for 15 min (don’t overboil or the salad will be mushy).

2) combine all remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

3) drain potatos once cooked, and run under cold water until cooled.

4) mix the chilled potatos with the sauce and chill in fridge for about an hour.  Serve cold.

“Couldn’t Be Easier” Avocado Salad March 13, 2008

This salad has 4 main ingredients, and makes one hellova healthy start to any meal. It is so quick and easy and tasty, and is rich in vitamins and creamy avocado goodness.

Ingredients:
1 large head romaine lettuce
1 large tomato chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cut very thinly
1/2 medium avocado, cut into chunks
2 TBSP coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Dressing:
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1) Chop romaine leaves into bite size portions, and rinse in cold water (or spin lettuce dry, if you have a salad spinner).
2) Place all salad ingredients into a bowl.
3) In a separate small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss with salad greens (sprinkle with chopped walnuts, if you wish).

Detox-tastic Salad January 25, 2008

Crunchy and colourful veggies like parsnips, cucumbers, radishes, along with sweet tomatoes and lightly steamed zucchini combine to make one hellova cleansing salad! It packs quite the anti-oxidant and phyto-nutrient punch as well.  You’ll want to have this one on a regular basis, that’s for sure.  It can really help get you back on track after any holiday excess.
 

INGREDIENTS:
3 medium zucchini, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, sliced (I like red best)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
2 parsnips, shredded (or carrots)
6 radishes, sliced thinly
1 cucumber, sliced (skin on)
4 tbsp olives (green or black are good)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta (optional)
1/2 cup cooked beans (optional – any kind will do)
Lettuce leaves (any work well here, but I really love Boston ettuce leaves for this)
 

DIRECTIONS:
1) In a steamer or microwave, lightly steam zucchini and allow to completely cool.

2) Place in large mixing bowl, along with tomatoes, onion, and garlic, mix gently, and then add olive oil, salt, and cayenne.

3) Toss and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

4) To serve, line a platter with lettuce leaves and scoop zucchini/tomato mixture on top; then arrange parsnips, radishes, cucumbers, and olives around the edges; then sprinkle cheese and/or beans on top; garnish with parsley.

Glass Noodle Salad January 24, 2008

Last year I discovered yam noodles (also known as shirataki or konnyaku) – cheap, delicious, and are virtually fat/carb/calorie free! They take on any flavour, and have a great smooth texture to them. You can find these in any Asian supermarket.

Ingredients:
2 ounces yam noodles (dried or packed in water and drained)
Water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
4 large button mushrooms, sliced (shitake mushrooms work well too)
3 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp each canola and sesame oil
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp soy sauce substitute (or regular soy sauce if you can want)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1-2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Fresh cilantro or basil

Directions:

1) Fill a large saucepan 2/3 full with water, add salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.

2) Add dried yam noodles into boiling water, and keeping the water at a gentle boil, cook for about 10 minutes (noodles should be transparent and soft). Skip this step if using water-packed yam noodles.

3) Drain noodles in a colander, cut with a knife or scissors into 2-3 inch lengths, and toss pieces into a large mixing bowl.

4) Add remaining ingredients, except sesame seeds and cilantro, and toss well to blend the flavors.

5) Transfer salad to a serving bowl and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and fresh herbs (to taste).

Note:
Try some additions/variations for this salad – bean sprouts, extra-firm stir-fried tofu, cashews.