Curried Chickpea and Mango Salad Wraps

I love the free magazine that you can pick up in the natural foods section of Loblaws called "Sage".  It always has interesting articles and recipes that inspire me!  This recipe came from January's edition and it is fantastic - quick to assemble, tasty and a great source of protein!!!

CURRIED CHICKPEA AND MANGO SALAD WRAPS

Ingredients:

2 tbsp plain yogurt (I used goat yogurt)

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp rice vinegar

Juice from 1 lime

1 tsp honey

2 1/2 tsp yellow curry powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup diced red onion

2 green onions, green and white parts sliced

1 cup diced mango

1-15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 soft tortilla shells

1 cup baby spinach, washed and dried

• In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine: yogurt, mayonnaise, rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, curry powder, cayenne, and salt.
• Add red onions, green onion, mango and chickpeas; stir to combine.
• Split mixture among 4 tortillas and top each with spinach.  Fold in sides and roll up tightly; cut each in half and serve.
• ENJOY!

*If you are planning to pack this for lunch, simply keep the chickpeas in a container with the baby spinach and take along a tortilla separately.  Assemble right before eating to avoid a soggy tortilla!!

**If you don't have chickpeas, this recipe works just as well with diced cooked chicken or firm tofu.

Curried Chickpea Quinoa

Last night we had baked salmon in a soy and maple syrup glaze, as well as a leaf salad.  I needed a quick and nutritious side dish that would appeal to my kids as well as the adults.  Upon surfing www.allrecipes.com, I came upon this recipe which is excellent warm or cold!

CURRIED CHICKPEA QUINOA

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup orange juice

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 medium red onion, diced

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 cup of raisins

1 teaspoon of curry powder

Salt and black pepper to taste.

• In a large saucepan, bring the water and orange juice to a boil.  
• Add the rest of the ingredients, except the salt and pepper, and stir.   Bring back to the boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes (or until the liquid is absorbed).
• Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for another 5 minutes.  Remove the lid, fluff quinoa with a fork, season with salt and pepper, and serve
• ENJOY!

Salad Nicoise

Since we still had some frisee lettuce and red spring onions from a couple of CSA shares ago, and received new potatoes, green beans and eggs with our share last week, I decided that a salad nicoise was in order!  I love this dish even though it takes a little work because the flavour is outstanding and it is a complete meal!!!

SALAD NICOISE

Ingredients:

DRESSING

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon or 1 tsp dried (I used Herbs de Provence)

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt & freshly ground pepper

SALAD

12 mini red potatoes, cut in half

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

2 cans of tuna, drained*

1 head of leaf lettuce

Handful of green beans, trimmed and boiled until crisp tender

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

2 hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges

1/2 cup black olives

• Preheat oven to 425F
• Whisk together Dijon, tarragon and wine vinegar.  Slowly whisk in oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
• Toss potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 20 mins, or until tender and browned.  Remove from oven.
• Toss potatoes with 2 tbsp dressing.  Toss onions with 2 tbsp dressing.  Set aside.
• Line a large platter with lettuce.  Gently toss the beans and tomatoes with dressing.  Place potatoes, onions, green beans, tomatoes,hard boiled eggs and olives in sections on the platter.  
• Top with tuna.
• Drizzle the entire salad with the remaining dressing.
• ENJOY!!!

*You can also use a fresh tuna steak - simply brush it with 1 tbsp oil and coat with cracked pepper.  Grill on the BBQ for 2 minutes per side on high, or until it is still rare in the centre.  Remove from the grill and slice into thin slices!

  

Easy Carrot Salad

Lately I have had an abundance of carrots in my CSA boxes from Cooper's.  While I have been using quite a few in the slow cooker for roast suppers, there were still some hanging around in the crisper.  So I created this salad last night and it was delicious ~ it is a traditional carrot salad with the addition of tomato and cilantro!

EASY CARROT SALAD

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and grated

1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used goat yogurt)

1/2 cup sour cream (I just used goat yogurt)

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 tsp salt

Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

• In a small bowl combine the first seven ingredients (carrots to salt).
• Cover and refrigerate until chilled
• Remove from fridge and garnish with cilantro and pepper just before serving.
• ENJOY!         

Ensalada Grangero (Mexican Farmer's Salad)

Cinco de Mayo was this past Saturday and our friends, Michelle and Sean and their children, joined us in a veritable feast honouring our newly adopted homeland of Mexico!  We took our recipes from the Better Homes & Gardens "Mexican" magazine (on stands till July 2012) and were super impressed with the results!

This salad was made by Michelle and is delicious and beautiful in its simplicity.

ENSALADA GRANGERO

Ingredients:

3 ears of fresh sweet corn, husks and silks removed

1 1/2 lbs of fresh green beans, trimmed

3 cups grape tomatoes

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup snipped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup olive oil

3 fresh jalapeno chile peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped*

2 shallots, chopped

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp bottled minced roasted garlic

1/4 tsp salt

• In a Dutch oven, cook corn in a large amount of boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.  Remove corn from Dutch oven, and set aside to cool.  Add beans to the boiling water in Dutch oven;  cook for 3 to 4 minutes or just until crisp-tender.  Drain beans in a colander; rinse with cold water and drain well.  Cut kernels from corn cobs.
• In a large bowl combine corn kernels, beans, tomatoes and onion.  Toss to combine.
• For dressing, in a food processor or blender, combine cilantro, oil, chile peppers, shallots, vinegar, garlic and salt.  Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth.  Drizzle dressing over vegetables; toss to coat.
• ENJOY!

Thai-Style Lentil & Coconut Soup

I simply love the flavours of Thai cuisine and since I am on a total soup-kick this month, this soup satisfied my cravings to a "T" !!!  With the addition of the chili and the paprika, this soup can have a little 'kick' to it, but the coconut milk helps to reduce the burn.  This soup is so substantial that it is practically a meal in itself, but is equally as wonderful with a warm roti or naan bread on the side!!!

THAI-STYLE LENTIL & COCONUT SOUP

Ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil (or grapeseed, avocado, or EVOO)

2 red onions, finely chopped

1 red chili, seeded and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1" piece of fresh lemon grass, outer layers removed and heart thinly sliced

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

400mL of coconut milk (unsweetened)*

3 3/4 cups water

Juice of 1 lime

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onions, chili, garlic and lemon grass.  Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions have softened, but not browned.  Stir occasionally.
• Add the lentils and spices.  Pour in the coconut milk and water and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
• Pour in the lime juice and add the spring onions, cilantro salt and pepper, reserving a little of each of the spring onions and cilantro for garnish. 
• ENJOY!

*When you are using canned coconut milk, shake it well before opening as this will ensure that the layers of milk are well combined.*

Wheat Berry, Kale & Cranberry Salad

With the weather getting much cooler, I must admit that a salad sounds far less appealing than a bowl of warm soup, however this one was too good to pass up!  The chewiness of the wheat berries is nice with the crisp kale and sweet cranberries.  If you don't want to use wheat berries, substitute 2 1/2 cups of quinoa, green lentils or brown rice!

WHEAT BERRY, KALE & CRANBERRY SALAD

Ingredients:

1 cup dried wheat berries

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup EVOO

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

5 cups chopped kale

1/2 cup diced red or white onion

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

• Rinse the wheat berries.  Combine with 8 cups water in a medium pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-high.  Cook, covered, until wheat berries are tender (approx. 30 to 35 mins).  Stir in cranberries during the last 2 minutes of cooking.  Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Whisk olive oil with vinegar and salt in a large bowl.  Season with black pepper.  Stir in wheat berry mixture, kale, onion and bell peppers.  Serve immediately.  Keeps really well refrigerated for up to 1 day!
• ENJOY!!! 

Peaches, Basil & Red Onion Salad

There is nothing like peaches from the Niagara region at this time of year!  As I was flicking through Martha Stewart's "Living" magazine, I came upon this recipe.  Since Greg is allergic to the fungicides that are sprayed on fruit, he hasn't eaten a fresh peach in about 14 years.  The acids in the salad dressing were enough to break down the fungicide so he could enjoy them!

PEACHES, BASIL & RED ONION SALAD

Ingredients:

3 peaches, sliced 1/2" thick

1/4 of a red onion, sliced very thinly

1/3 cup freshly torn basil

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 tsp coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

• Toss the peaches with the onion and fresh basil.  
• Whisk together the lemon juice, salt and pepper, with the EVOO.
• Drizzle over top the peaches and toss gently to coat.
• Goes well with grilled fish or chicken! 

Toad - In - The - Hole with Onion Gravy

The kids were intrigued by the name of this traditional British dish, so I decided that since we had wild boar sausages in the freezer from "Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze", that I would recreate this dish!  It was delicious and really simple!

TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE with ONION GRAVY

Ingredients:

EVOO

 8 large good-quality sausages (mine were honey-garlic wild boar)

 2 large red onions, peeled and sliced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

2 tbsp of butter

6 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp good-quality vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock cube

Batter:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

3 eggs

•  Put just under ½ " of oil into a loaf pan, then place this on the middle shelf of your oven at 475ºF.  Place a larger tray underneath it to catch any oil that overflows from the pan while cooking. When the oil is very hot, add your sausages. Keep your eye on them and allow them to colour until lightly golden. 
• Take the pan out of the oven, being very careful, and pour your batter over the sausages.  It will bubble instantly.  Carefully place the pan back in the oven for at least 20 minutes, to allow the Yorkshire puddings to rise. Do not open the oven door!  Remove from the oven when golden and crisp.
•  Onion Gravy:  Saute the onions and garlic in the butter on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until they are translucent. Add the balsamic vinegar and allow it to reduce down by half. Add a stock cube or the stock powder.  Sprinkle this in and add 1 tbsp of water. Allow to simmer and you'll have a really tasty onion gravy! 

Cool, Refreshing Cucumber Salad!

Right now the field cucumbers are in season and available in abundance! Our CSA basket from "Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze" contained 3 field cucumbers, so I created this simple and refreshing salad to compliment a smoked Cooper's chicken that Greg made. This salad can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for approx. 3 days, and the flavour only improves as the cucumbers and onions absorb the dressing!

CUCUMBER & RED ONION SALAD

Ingredients

2 field cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 cup vinegar (white or rice)

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp dried, or 1 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

• Combine the cucumbers and onions in either a resealable plastic bag, or a container with a lid.
• Whisk together the remaining ingredients to create the dressing, and pour over the cucumbers and onions.
• Place bag in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or preferrably overnight to allow the cucumbers and onions to absorb the dressing.
• Serve and enjoy!

I also enjoy adding the marinated vegetables to sandwiches or wraps!!

My AWESOME Salad - CSA Week Two

I was so thrilled to get this week's CSA basket since I received an email from Lisa Cooper saying that we were getting spinach!!! As part of my online Booty Camp Challenge, I not only have eliminated refined sugars and dairy from my diet, but also must have one large salad each day (not too difficult with all the great seasonal produce available now!).

Today I was HUNGRY so I created this using almost all the items from my CSA box! I like to call it a deconstructed salad and everything but the balsamic, vinegar, chickpeas and red onion slivers are from Coopers!

I had frozen a chicken from last summer's CSA and recently roasted it up with fresh herbs, EVOO and salt and pepper. I decided to slice some of this delicious cold chicken and poach an egg to put on top of the baby spinach and green leaf lettuce! The cucumbers and chickpeas were topped with red onion slivers and drizzled with white vinegar ~ yummy! I just snapped a few asparagus spears into bite-sized pieces and sliced up one of my hot house tomatoes to finish it off!

I truly love this time of year for all the amazing produce that's readily available!!! I hope you take advantage of it and create your own salad this weekend!!!

Long Grain & Wild Rice with Pecans and Craisins

I have had a bag of wild & long grain rice sitting in my pantry for quite a number of months, so I decided today was the day that I was going to use it up! This is a delicious and deceptively simple rice that looks and tastes like a gourmet dish.

LONG GRAIN & WILD RICE WITH PECANS AND CRAISINS

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked long grain rice

1 cup uncooked wild rice

2/3 cup craisins (or dried cherries)

1 large carrot, finely diced

1 rib of celery, finely diced

1 small red onion, diced

2 tbsp butter

5 cups chicken broth (or use vegetable broth)

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

• In a large saucepan, saute celery, carrot and onion in butter until tender, over medium-high heat. Stir in the broth and the wild rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 mins.


• Add long grain rice; cover and simmer 20 mins. longer. Stir in the craisins; cook 5 mins longer or until the liquid is absorbed. Just before serving, stir in the toasted pecans (to toast them you can either dry fry them in a skillet, or place them on a baking sheet under the broiler...just make sure you keep turning the nuts so that they don't burn!)

Chicken and Artichoke Flatbreads

I tuned in to the new Canadian Living cooking show "Best Recipes Ever", at the suggestion of my friend Michelle, and I am glad I did! I am a HUGE fan of Canadian Living and have had a subscription for a little over a decade now. Many of the dishes that I cook are either from the recipes I have pulled from my magazines, or inspired by Canadian Living recipes. This dish is no exception. It comes directly from the show and can be found on www.cbc.c/bestrecipes/2010/01/artichoke-chicken-flatbread.html

As always I made a few variations according to what I had on hand - and you can too!

ARTICHOKE CHICKEN FLATBREAD

Ingredients:

2 naan breads

1 jar of roasted bell peppers (I used yellow peppers), drained

1 small jar of pickled pimentos, drained

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

EVOO

Shredded leftover chicken

Black olives, pitted and sliced (I was out so I used my Tomato and Olive Antipasto)

Red onion, thinly sliced

Small jar of artichoke hearts, drained and cut into slices

Goat's cheese

• In a mini processor or a blender, process the roasted peppers, pimentos and garlic with a thin drizzle of EVOO until a smooth sauce.


• Spread the pepper sauce over the naan breads with a spoon.


• Spread the remaining toppings evenly over the two naan breads and place in a 500F oven until the goat's cheese and naan become golden brown.


• Remove and cut into strips and serve!

*If you want a less spicy pepper sauce for the base, just omit the pimentos! Also, if you would prefer, you could use buffalo mozzarella in place of the goat's cheese - or use both!!*

Zucchini Blini

I was the fortunate recipient of approximately 40 to 50 yellow and green tender young zucchini, which were considered 'seconds' by the grower, but perfect for me! I am embarking on canning zucchini relish and therefore, don't really mind that there are slight blemishes on the skins. After chopping for almost an hour, I have minute and uniform finely diced zucchini which I have added to onions, orange and green bell peppers. Before cooking the vegetables for relish, you have to cover with pickling salt and let them sit overnight to leech out most of the water...so more on my relish later!!!

After all this chopping, I really didn't seem to make much of a dent in the huge pile of zucchini in my sink?! So I decided to get out my trusty box grater and my bulging recipe book for this delicious dish that I haven't created since I grew zucchini in my own garden in Toronto, about 8 or 9 years ago! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!!!

ZUCCHINI BLINI

Ingredients:
2lbs trimmed and grated zucchini
1 tsp kosher salt
1 large red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp white all-purpose flour
3 large free-range eggs
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
pinch of nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Place grated zucchini in a medium-sized bowl, and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Set aside for approximately 10 minutes to leech out the liquid. Drain by pressing zucchini against the sides of the bowl, and pouring off the liquid that pools.


• Using a fork, stir in remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.


• Drop heaping tbsps of the zucchini mixture onto a hot skillet lightly oiled. Flatten each spoonful into a small pancake shape.


• Fry until golden and crispy.


• Serve with sour cream mixed with finely chopped chives, or tzatziki!!