Fantastic Summer Salad

My Mum was here last week helping me with our new baby and she made this salad one night as a starter. It is my new fave - so delicious. We used tinned artichokes and hearts of palm instead of the fresh artichokes because, really, who has time for artichokes when you have a 5 week old baby?

No idea where the original recipe is from....will post when my Mum tells me where she found it.

ANOTHER TIP - make triple the dressing!!! The original quantity is not enough.

COOL BEANS ARTICHOKE SALAD

Serves 4

10 baby artichokes, peeled and quartered (or use tinned artichokes, like us!)
2 cups diagonally cut asparagus
1/3 cup thinly sliced radishes
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 19-oz. can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
8 large romaine leaves

1. Steam the artichokes for 8 minutes. Add the asparagus and steam about 2 minutes more, or until crisp-tender. Drain and run vegetables under cold water. Let cool.

2. Make dressing: Whisk together garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Combine radishes, onions, and beans in salad bowl with half of dressing and toss well. Gently stir in artichokes and asparagus.

4. To serve, place 2 romaine leaves each on four plates. Divide salad equally among plates and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Swiss Chard & Creamy Pasta

I am posting this so I don't lose this recipe! I found it on the back of the tag on my organic Swiss chard. I got my first fruit and vegetable delivery of the season and it was in the delivery...very good. And really, who knows what to do with Swiss chard unless someone tells you???

Ingredients & Prep: (Recipe from the tag on my Organic Swiss Chard bunch)

1lb Swiss chard
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup of low fat sour cream
1/2 cup low fat milk
1/4 cup Parmesan
8 oz fettuccine, cooked
salt & pepper to taste

Wash the chard and cut into small pieces (compost or discard stalks). Heat oil in large sauce pan over m-h heat. Add chard, onion and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add tomatoes, sour cream, milk, Parmesan cheese and cooked fettuccine. Stir together. Add salt & pepper. Serve warm.

I served my pasta with fish last night. It was meant to be halibut but the woman at the fish counter must have picked up the wrong fish because it was actually cod. Equally as delicious!

Panzarotti meets Calzone and Artichoke Caponata

While I don't think this recipe counts as either of these (panzarotti or calzone), it's a close representation. What's more important is how good these are to eat.

The following recipe was made by my husband on April 22nd 2009. Not only was it Earth day but it was also a historic day in our kitchen.

Ingredients & Prep:
Makes about 6-7 pieces

• 1 bag fresh pizza dough from your local deli (enough to make one 12" pizza)
• Fillings of your choice: we used sliced turkey deli meat, red pepper and mozzarella
• Flour for dusting
• 1 egg (for egg wash)

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare your dough as though you were making a rectangular pizza. Dust with flour so things don't stick. Once in the rectangular shape, slice it right down the centre (the long way) to make two long rectangular halves. Now, take a knife and score the dough in triangular shapes (think of the way a Pillsbury crescent roll looks before you roll it up). once the shapes look good, cut them with a pizza knife. Fill each triangle with your fillings and roll as you would a crescent roll. Use the egg wash to seal each pocket and then brush all over (it gives them a golden colour once baked). Repeat until the rest of the dough and filling is used.

Put in the oven on a pizza pan preferably one that has holes to get more even baking. I use parchment (cut in a circle to fit your pan) underneath the pockets to avoid any mess.

Bake for approximately 18-19 minutes.


Serve with dipping sauce of your choice (basic tomato or pizza sauce, garlic cream sauce etc.) Last night, I made a very quick, cheat's version of an artichoke caponata which was really great with the pockets. I suggest trying this one if you like artichokes. The recipe below is from memory and since I do not measure when I am doing something by taste it is an approximation.

Ingredients & Prep:

• 1 can Artichokes (quarters)
• 1/3 cup or so Olive oil,
• 1/4 cup or so Parmesan cheese
• 1 ½ tsps Capers
• ½ tsp Garlic, minced
• Salt, small amount (if to taste, otherwise skip this)

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and whiz until everything is incorporated. You can make it as chunky as you like. This is a great dip for crackers or veggies as well. Enjoy!

Delicious Banana Bread with Chocolate Chunks

I was cleaning out the freezer the other day and discovered 3 sad, old bananas. Not wanting to throw them out, I made the following recipe - and it was so good there was no time for a photo opp. It is also one of the easiest recipes I've ever made!

I used chunks cut from a huge milk chocolate bar instead of the chocolate chips and it was delicious. The recipe called for 40-50 minutes but it took my loaf about 1 hour to bake. Keep checking yours towards the end of the recommended time just to be sure it is cooked all the way through. It could have been because I used a silicone loaf pan instead of a metal one.

Ingredients & Prep: (Recipe from www.bestbananabreadrecipes.com)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 bananas
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Combine and mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Place batter in a greased bread pan (bottom only) or in muffin tins.
4. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan. Complete cooling on a wire rack.

Tomato soup from a can - a recession proof recipe

Now, this doesn't sound fancy or even very good from the post title alone...but trust me, homemade soup has never tasted so good and been so easy to make! We were out for dinner the other night and paid $6.99 for a bowl of soup at a restaurant in our town. The soup tasted quite good and was homemade but I figured I could make the same thing for $6.99 and get about 10 times the quantity. The result? A perfect replica (just better)! And my costs were only $6.82 - Not bad.

Tomato and Black Bean Soup
Ingredients & Preparation:
Serves approx. 8-10 for a first course

• one 1.36L can of low sodium tomato juice ($1.49)
  
• one can of organic whole tomatoes, including juice ($2.69)
  
• one can of sliced carrots (.99)
  
• 1/2 large onion, diced (.30)
  
• 1/2 a can of black beans, rinsed ($1.00)
  
• Approx. 2 tablespoons of parsley, dried ($.05)
• Salt & pepper to taste (I used my Salish smoked salt for a little extra flavour) ($.05)
  
• olive oil (.25)

First things first - saute the onions in the olive oil until soft, add carrots and black beans just for a minute or two. Meanwhile, pour the tomato juice and whole tomatoes (including the juices and seeds) into a big pot. Smoosh the tomatoes with a potato masher or use a handheld mixer to break them up but don't puree. Add the salt, pepper and parsley. Next, add the 3 ingredients from the other pan. Mix together. Bring up to a low boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Delicious!

Super, speedy, springtime weekday meal!

No time to cook like me? Try this! Lots of fresh flavours and healthy veggies, this quick pita sandwich is healthy and delicious. Great for spring and summer when you don't need comfort food because we have sunshine instead!

Ingredients & Preparation:
(makes enough for 2 people, double the recipe for 4 people etc.)

• 2 pita bread (I get the high protein pitas)
• 1 red pepper, cut into skinny strips
• 1/4 large cucumber, thinly sliced
• 4 lettuce leaves
• a chunk of feta, crumbled
• Kraft Greek feta & oregano dressing, drizzle

For the side:

• 1 box whole wheat couscous
• vegetable broth or water
• 1 lemon
• handful of fresh parsley
  

Make a side of whole wheat couscous - it only takes 5 minutes! Cook the couscous in vegetable broth for extra flavour. Add a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice and fresh chopped parsley. Serve in the pita or on the side, your choice!

Cut each pita in half and then fill it up. I start with the lettuce, then cucumber, then feta, then the peppers and then a drizzle of dressing.

Enjoy!

Just pictures...no time to write!

Homemade Mac & Cheese with Panko topping


Clear the Fridge Vegetable Soup with Orzo

Electric Yellow Lemon Tart

Dog-bone Shortbread

Store-bought cupcakes! From a cake bakery (cakery?) in town...

I made a bunch of meals over the past few months and never had the chance to blog about them...in fact, most of the recipes I can't even find now but I just emptied my flash card and thought I would share a few of the things I found there!

Pea & Basil Soup

Things have been really busy lately but I made this soup the other night and had to share! Love the vibrant green colour...would be great to serve at an Easter brunch once Spring arrives.

(This photo is from the Food Network site but my soup was much brighter!)

Ingredients & Recipe:

Recipe and photograph courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds (about 4 1/2 cups) frozen peas
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cups chicken broth, divided (I used veggie broth)
2 cups cream
4 to 6 very thin slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup diced roasted red bell peppers (jarred is fine)

Place a soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, butter, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the peas and basil, and heat until the peas are thawed.

Place the pea mixture in a blender. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth and pulse until pureed, adding more broth, if necessary, to puree. Return the pureed mixture to the pot. Stir in the remaining chicken broth and cream. Return the pan to medium heat and cook until hot, but not boiling.

To serve, place the soup in bowls. Float a thin slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on top of each soup and sprinkle with the diced roasted red bell peppers. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with fresh bread!