Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps

A few years ago I fell in love with a luxury cracker called the "Raincoast Crisp" by Lesley Stowe. Lesley (a Vancouver gal) has come up with brilliant flavours including: Cranberry Hazelnut, Fig and Olive, Salty Date and Almond... I have been known to eat a whole sleeve in one sitting. Mmm.

So, whats the problem? Well.. The problem is, that they are "luxury" - They cost 7-8 dollars for approximately two crackers (okay, per box).. Outrageous - I refuse to pay this price for even the most delicious of crackers.

This is where my mum comes in... She has perfected (with ease) a raincoast knock-off - and they are awesome!

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp mollasses
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and mollasses and stir a few strokes.

Add the raisins, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesames seeds, flax seeds and rosemary and stir until just blended.

Pour the batter into two 4 by 8 loaf pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.
** You can use four little loaf pans and decrease the baking time to 30 minutes or so.**

The cooler it is the easier it is to slice really thin. You can even leave it in the fridge or freezer briefly and then slice.

Slice the loaves as thin as possible and place the slice in a single layer on an un-greased cookie sheet.

Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake them for 15 minutes, then flip them and bake for another 10 minutes.

Voila!

Cupcake Time

My wonderful friend Lauren inspired this post. Lauren is one of those girls that walks into a room and lights it up. She is gorgeous, smart, funny, laughs at all of your (my) jokes and is just all around charming. However, this December 28th she is taking it to a whole new level. She is MAKING a WEDDING CAKE for her best friend. Can you say Nobel Prize? Order of Canada? Saint-hood? uuhh huh!

Anyways, we were chatting about this buttercream and thought it was time to do a good old frosting post.

Martha Stewart paved my way with this icing. It works everytime and is a showstopper if you are willing to use a pastry piping bag to decorate.

1 1/4 cups of sugar

5 large egg whites

2 cups of butter (4 sticks)

1 tsp vanilla extract (the real stuff)

Food colouring (if you desire)

1) Place sugar and egg in a heat-proof bowl (if you have a double-boiler - this is the time to use it). Set bowl over pan of simmering water and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch. Test mixture, by rubbing between your fingers - you shouldn't feel any sugar granules.

2) Transfer bowl off of heat and beat with mixer until it has cooled completely and it forms stiff/glossy peaks (Martha says this takes 10 miunutes - I say more like 20)

3) Add room temperature butter - one peice at a time. Have faith during this part of the frosting experience, it looks like a complete failure until the end. Keep beating and adding butter slowly. Add vanilla once all butter has been added.

4) Use a spatula and mix by hand to eliminate air pockets.

NOTE: Use ROOM TEMPERATURE butter. If you rush this and use it when it is too cool, it will ruin the consistency of your frosting.

SKOR Oatmeal Cookies

My dad is a huge fan of peanut brittle and toffee-like treats. These cookies combine a crunch and sweetness that I am sure he would appreciate - I will have to make him a batch over Christmas.

They are gluten-free but they don’t have any replacement flours or xanthan gum. Sometimes I think recipes that don’t try to substitute the “real thing” for something else are best. Meatless burgers, flourless cake, and dairy-free ice cream will never be as good as the real thing.

Adding chunks of full SKOR chocolate bar’s to desserts has never led me astray. It’s the ultimate in gluttony, but I figure if you are going to indulge in dessert then it may as well be delicious.

1/3 cup salted butter (melted and set aside)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats


½ cup of ground oats (grind in a food processor)

1/2 cup granulated sugar


1/4 cup brown sugar 


1/8 tsp sea salt


1 tsp vanilla extract


1 egg


2 SKOR bars broken into small chunks

1) Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

2) Place oats (whole and ground) in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in both sugars and the salt and blend to break up any lumps.

3) In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the melted butter, vanilla extract, and egg.

4) Stir this egg mixture into the oat mixture and add chocolate chips or raisins (if used), mixing with your hands or a large wooden spoon to work in the ingredients.

5) Chill the dough about 30 minutes.

6) Preheat oven to 350ºF.

7) Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

8) Bake for 8-12 minutes, until edges are slightly browned.

ENJOY!

Mum's Shortbread Stack

I was in BC last weekend visiting my parents and my mum made this amazing dessert. She stacked delicious gelato and chocolate shortbread cookies - it was to-die-for!

Sticky Ribs

Ribs have always been a favorite of mine. My mum used to make me my favorite dinner on my birthday and I used to alternate between ribs and chicken wings. This recipe is a little different than the one she used to make, but its pretty tasty and very easy.

2 racks of pork baby back ribs

4 shallots

3 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp dry mustard

1/2 cup red chili sauce

1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 cup ketchup

Salt

Fresh Pepper

1) Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

2) Put ribs into a large roasting pan.

3) Heat olive oil in a frying pan (low heat). Add shallots and saute them until they are soft.

4) Add garlic, ketchup, chili sauce, worcestershire, salt, brown sugar, and dry mustard - warm all of these ingredients in the frying pan.

5) Pour over the ribs.

6) Cover with foil and bake until the ribs are fork tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes.

Mmm Cookie's

Mmm is for MORGAN! It's her Birthday today. I wish she was here tonight to enjoy a cookie, a glass of wine and a chat on the sofa. I love you morgs.

Gluten free oatmeal cookies:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees

3/4 butter

3/4 vegetable shortening

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2) Cream butter and sugar together

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3) Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined

1 1/2 cups gluten free flour mix

1 1/2 gluten free oats

1/4 tsp xantham gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

4) Add dry ingredients to butter, sugar and egg mixture

1 cup chocolate chips (or raisins)

5) Stir in chocolate chips, nuts, cranberries, or raisins

6) Bake for 8-12 minutes - or until the edges are golden brown

** You can half this recipe - this will make 2- 3 dozen as is **

ENJOY!

Beef Short Ribs

My mum used to say that for as long as she could remember her mother would prepare a sit down Sunday dinner - usually meat, potatoes and apple pie for dessert. She continued the tradition on with our family because she said that it was a nice way to start the week. I agree.

Beef Short Ribs and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Short Ribs:

6 short ribs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1) Heat (dutch oven, or deep/oven proof frying pan) to med/high, add olive oil and butter.

2) Season short ribs with salt and pepper

3) Add ribs to pan and brown each short rib on all sides (about 3 minutes per side)

4) Remove ribs from pan and place on a plate (covered with paper towel)

5) Reserve oil and butter in pan (used to cook vegetable puree)

2 shallots

3 stalks of celery

2 carrots

4 medium tomatoes

5) Puree all the vegetables in food processor

6) Add vegetables to pan (med heat)

7) Let vegetables brown, stirring every 2 minutes or so (10 minutes total)

8) Scrap bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. You want the vegetables to brown nicely on the bottom as that is what gives the dish its great flavour

1 can (150mL) tomato paste

9) Add tomato paste to vegetable mixture, stir and let brown (5 minutes)

2 cups dry red wine

10) Add red wine and let the vegetables, tomato paste and wine reduce by half

11) Season with salt and pepper and throw in a bundle of thyme

12) Place browned short ribs back in the pan

3 cups beef stock

13) Fill pan with beef stock until the short ribs are covered in liquid

14) Cover with tightly fitting lid and place in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours.

Mashed Potatoes

3 Russet Potatoes

3 cloves of garlic

1) Place peeled and coarsely chopped potatoes in boiling salt water with whole garlic cloves

2) Once the potatoes are soft (about 25 minutes), drain the water

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp heavy cream

salt

3) Mash potatoes and garlic with butter, heavy cream and salt.

Sauce:

Once you pull the pan out of the oven, remove 3 tbsp of braising liquid and place it in a small sauce pan with 3/4 cup of beef stock, 2 tbsp of brown sugar and 1 tbsp of chili sauce. Whisk together and let simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Place ribs atop of the mashed potatoes and pour sauce over top. garnish with fresh thyme.

Ian's Sunday Brunch

This brunch is dedicated to Ian. He's always been supportive, but the rave reviews I got when I made this for him were unprecedented.

Its simple and tasty - just scrambled eggs, bocconcini/tomato salad, avocado and toast - the avocado is best spread (like butter) onto the toast.

Honey and Salmon Puffed Pastry

I created this appetizer tonight while experimenting in the kitchen and it turned out great - I will definately use it at a dinner or cocktail party. I tried to balance the salty smoked salmon with the fatty puffed pastry and sweet honey. It is very easy and would be a huge hit with salmon lovers.

It has gluten in it - the puffed pastry - but I am going to try and find a great way of adapting it to be gluten free. I suspect that you could place the goats cheese, honey, and almonds atop a rice chip (Riceworks or Lundberg are great brands) - but I think that a warm cracker, pastry type base is best. I will investigate.

1) Preheat oven to 400 degree.

2) Roll out puffed pastry and cut into 2 inch by 2 inch squares. Poke puffed pastry squares with a fork and place on a baking sheet.

3) While puffed pastry bakes, dice smoked salmon into small chunks and toast slivered almonds with salt and a little olive oil.

4) Remove puffed pastry after 10 minutes of baking and smear with about 1/2 tsp of goats cheese. Put pastry back in the oven for five more minutes.

5) Once goats cheese has melted place smoked salmon on top of the puffed pastry and goats cheese and bake for 2 minutes to warm the salmon.

6) Remove the baking sheet and drizzle the puffed pastry squares with honey.

7) Then place some slivered almonds on top of the salmon stack.

ENJOY!

Nikala's Pho

Nikala is a lovely and beautiful woman who lives in my building and has become a very good friend of mine. Lucky for her boyfriend, Oliver, she is also a great cook! Amazing!

She and I made the boys dinner tonight and decided on Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). It is a delicious and healthy treat and has a very different flavor than most of the dishes that I normally make. The authentic version is much more time consuming; our version can be whipped up with ingredients from your own fridge and the local grocery store... we are not apologizing - it was delicious!

Ingredients:

5 large chicken breasts

8 cups of chicken broth

4 cups of water

2 basil stalks

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 handful of cilantro

3 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp grated ginger

1) Place all of these ingredients in a large stock pot, bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for 1 hour. The basil, cilantro and cinnamon can be placed in a spice bag or cheesecloth - or just tossed into the pot.

2) In the mean time prepare garnish.

Garnish:

Torn basil

Torn cilantro

2 limes (cut into slices)

Sriracha hot pepper sauce

Bean sprouts

Fish sauce

3) Once the soup has simmered for (roughly) an hour. Remove basil, cinnamon sticks, cilantro. Then tear the chicken breasts with a fork into bite size pieces.

4) Cook 1/2 package of brown rice vermicelli in boiling water for approximately 2 minutes.

5) Arrange the garnish on the table and ENJOY!

The noodles are first placed in the bowl, the broth and chicken chunks are ladled atop, and then garnishes can be added. The beauty of this soup is that each person can build their dish in a way that suits their taste-buds.

Baked Apple Rings

This dessert is like apple pie minus the pastry crust. It is so simple and delicious.. It will not take you longer than 10 minutes from start to finish.

1) Turn oven on to broil (place rack in middle)

2) Peel 2 MacIntosh Apples, slice them into 1/4 inch rings - remove the pith and seeds - Place on baking sheet

3) Melt 1 tbsp butter - and brush onto apples

4) Broil for 5 minutes until slightly browned

5) Remove from oven and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon

6) Broil for another 2 minutes

7) Serve with vanilla ice-cream

Tomato and Bocconcini Salad

If you are in the mood for something fresh and easy - this dish is a great option. I often serve it as a side to lamb/beef or I throw some chicken on top and make it a full meal.

This salad is all about the ingredients. You will need fresh tomatoes, bocconcini and basil.

Dressing:

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt

** Press garlic and mash with salt in a bowl **

1/2 tsp sugar

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp mayo

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

** Add remaining ingredients to the garlic and salt **

1/2 cup olive oil

** Whisk in olive oil slowly until dressing has emulsified **

Salad:

Grape tomatoes

Bocconcini

Avocado

Basil

Mushroom Risotto

Risotto has a reputation of being really challenging to make, its not, its very easy - it just takes a little TLC. Plan on spending about 45 minutes making it and being near the stove the whole time, as it needs to be constantly stirred.

1 1/2 cups hot water

3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon soya sauce (some soya sauce contains gluten - Kikkoman does not)

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 shallots finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup mushrooms

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

**This will make enough for about 4 people.**

1) Add broth, soy sauce, and water to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer.

2) Meanwhile in a large frying pan, heat oil with 1 tablespoon butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté onion, stirring, until just softened, about 5 minutes.

3) Add garlic and fresh mushrooms and sauté, stirring, until mushrooms are browned and any liquid they give off is evaporated, about 8 minutes. You can add a little more butter or oil at this stage if you find the pan to be too dry.

4) Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute.

5) Stir ½ cup simmering broth into rice and cook, stirring constantly and keeping at a strong simmer, until absorbed. Continue cooking and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is tender and creamy looking but still al dente, 18 to 20 minutes.

6) Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, salt, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter until butter is melted.

Health Muffins

It snowed today in Toronto - I almost cried. Bill and I were at a coffee shop near our place and I was wearing a short sleeved sweater, three-quarter length pants and no socks. Needless to say, I am unwilling to accept that winter is coming. Anyways, to make myself feel better I made muffins. They are pretty healthy as muffins go - no butter, tiny bit of oil and just a little honey as a sweetener and they are gluten-free (of course)!


These muffins are a bit more "bouncy" (the descriptive word chosen by Bill - he's amazing) than the banana muffins posted a few weeks ago! The cinnamon and apple combo makes them delicious and autumny.


1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees


2) Mix together
1 cup rice flour
1 cup gluten free flour mix
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3 cups oats
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon


3) In a separate bowl combine
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
2 tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1 cup yoghurt
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup grated apples
1/4 cup grated carrots


4) Combine wet and dry ingredients and add 1/2 cup of raisins or chocolate chips or nuts or all three!


5) Pour into (greased/parchment lined) muffin tins or a loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until tooth-pick comes out clean!


6) If you are in the mood to be a little less health conscious - spice it up. In a small sauce pan combine 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup honey and 1 tsp of cinnamon - heat on low until melted and combined. When muffins/loaf come out of the oven drizzle with honey butter. mmmm!!

Smoked Salmon Stacks

The gas in our condo was out today - so instead of cooking I used the smoked salmon in our freezer to make a little lunch time snack. I figure that it could also be a good appetizer at a cocktail party.

All you need is:

1) Smoked salmon

2) Rice crackers (deep fried wonton wrappers would be great also - though they contain wheat flour and would be more labour intensive)

3) Goats cheese (or cream cheese)

4) Avocado

5) Fresh dill

Spread the goats cheese onto the cracker as the base, then the avocado, then the salmon. Top with dill for presentation purposes and a little extra flavour.

Enjoy!

This smoked salmon is courtesy of "Fisherman Bill - 2010 biggest fish champion (sorry Frank)".. Haiki salmon always makes me feel proud to be a British Columbian!

Organic Foods

Recently I have been reading a bit about organic produce and meat. I found this article and thought that I might post it for those of you who are interested. There have been thousands of studies conducted on various topics surrounding organic foods including: nutrient value/pesticide levels in organics, health and longevity of organic food consumers, attitudes and behaviours of consumers, etc. This article reviews and summarizes the findings of these studies.

I feel very privileged to have access to all of my wonderful and fresh cooking ingredients - both organic and conventional. Organic food is very expensive and inaccessible to many Canadians, so when contemplating this type of debate I feel very thankful that I never go to bed hungry or worry about the expense of the food that I eat.

Autumn Sweet Potato Salad

I LOVE sweet potatoes, so anytime I can incorporate them into a meal I do. This salad was a spur of the moment creation, as I didn't have much else in the kitchen to cook. Some lettuce, nuts, cheese and sweet potato. Voila!

1) Bake, peeled/sliced (slice potatoes into any shape/size you wish - but keep them consistent with each other so they cook evenly) sweet potatoes @ 400 degrees for 30 minutes (15 minutes per side - flip after 15 minutes). They should be brown on the outside and soft on the inside.

Let the sweet potatoes cool and harden a little while you make the rest of the salad.

Salad Dressing:

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt

** mash salt and pressed garlic together **

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp champagne vinegar

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp mayo

** add these four ingredients to the garlic salt mixture and mix**

1/3 cup olive oil

** add olive oil slowly, while whisking dressing, until emulsified.

Salad:

Arugula or spinach

Grated parmesan cheese

Fresh bocconcini

Roasted sunflower seeds

Roasted walnuts

Baked sweet potatoes

Pour dressing over greens and add cheeses, nuts and sunflower seeds. Place sweet potatoes on-top.

Enjoy!

Summer Guacamole

Bill says the guacamole in this photo looks slimy.. which it does.. but this recipe is too good to leave off my blog. So here we go:

I have been holding on to summer with all my might - even though its almost Halloween. This appetizer is an amazing treat summer, fall, winter, or spring - but it is the BEST in the summer served with Coronas.

Guacamole:

2 ripe avocados (you can detect whether an avocado is ripe by a) its dark colour and b) by pressing its "stem nub" (this is a technical term) and if it depresses inwards - you are ripe!!)

1/2 of a shallot (chopped very finely)

1 clove of garlic (smashed)

1/2 fresh lemon or lime juice (squeezed)

1 tsp salt

1/2 jalapeno - just the exterior shell - no seeds!

1 tomato - just the exterior shell - no seeds or juice - chopped finely

1 tbsp olive oil

Mix all these ingredients together and enjoy with gluten free chips or tortilla chips!!

PS. You can also add some fresh ground black pepper and top with a lemon/lime wedge.

** My cousin Darin uses red onion in his guacamole - I think this is a great idea! I HATE onions so I use shallots (onions for weaklings) **

Sunday Bread

This is my proudest baking accomplishment so far - An easy gluten-free loaf of bread! It's moist, dense, and has great flavor! Im so pleased. The only annoying ingredients are the gluten-free flour blend which you can find at Loblaws or other large supermarkets, and xanthan gum which you have to buy at a health food store or specialty food store. It is pretty much impossible to make a proper bread loaf without xanthan gum or guar gum as they allow for proper texture and rising.

Here we go:

3 cups all purpose gluten-free blend

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon instant yeast

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

2 teaspoons salt

6 egg yolks

1/3 cup light olive oil

1 3/4 cups sparkling mineral water

1) Grease a bread loaf pan with butter.

2) Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use a large whisk to thoroughly blend.

3) Lightly whisk egg yokes. Add olive oil to yolks and add to dry ingredients. Stir until coarsely combined.

4) Slowly add carbonated water to the bowl and mix until blended.

5) Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat bread batter on high for 3 minutes. Scrape batter down with a spatula and cover bowl with plastic wrap.

6) Place in a warm location to rise (my bread took 2.5 hours to rise – I don’t thinks that this is normal – but it turned out amazing.

7) Pour into prepared loaf pan and even top with a spatula (dip spatula in water so it wont stick.

8) Set the loaf pan, uncovered in a warm, draft-free location to rise.

9) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

10) When batter is about 1 inch above the top rim of the bread pan place it in preheated oven.

11) Bake bread for 50 minutes or until light brown on-top.

12) Remove bread from loaf pan and cool on a rack before slicing.

It is a great day - I can throw away the frozen Ezekiel bread!

Four-Cheese Margherita Pizza

Pizza is a treat that Bill and I have really missed since trying to stay away from gluten. This recipe is a bit of a cheat because I didn't actually make the crust - I bought it at THE BEST gluten free bakery in Toronto, called Haymishe. This place not only carries the most wonderful breads, baked treats and dumplings, but the women who run it are top-notch, vibrant characters. If you live downtown, it is worth the trek to Bathurst and Lawerence.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pizza Sauce

1 cup fresh tomatoes

1 clove garlic

1 tsp salt

handful of fresh basil

1) Blend four ingredients until smooth (in a blender/magic bullet).

2) Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan then (once the pan has heated to low/med) add the blended sauce.

3) Simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Add 1/3 cup red wine and continue to stir until sauce has reduced in half.

5) Remove from heat and set aside.

Top Haymishe pizza crust with sauce and "four cheeses" - mozzerella, goats cheese, feta cheese and parmesan.

Cook for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh basil once out of the oven (the basil looses its nice green colour if you cook it on the pizza).

Enjoy!

Birthday Treat

This dessert is for my dear friend Kendal - It was her 24th birthday yesterday. I wish I had been there to celebrate.

xo

Coconut Shrimp Tower

If you are in the mood for a decadent appetizer - this is it. It is certainly not healthy, but it is really delicious.

Coconut Shrimp

1) Fill three dishes with

a) Corn starch

b) 2 eggs (whisked til frothy)

3) 1/2 Panko, 1/2 Shredded Coconut

2) Coat (raw, de-veined, no shell) shrimp in each of the three dishes - corn starch, then egg wash, then panko/coconut.

3) Heat a sauce pan filled with oil (I use corn oil) to 375 degrees (you can use a candy thermometer for this)

4) Drop the shrimp into the sauce pan - three at a time - and cook until they are nice and brown on the outside... Shrimp cook quite quickly, so you don't have to worry too much about under-cooking them. You can do a tester and cut it open if you are worried.

5) Have a plate with paper towel ready and scoop the shrimp onto the paper towel once they have finished cooking.. Coat immediately with a pinch of salt.

Dill Aioli

1/3 cup mayo

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp finely grated lemon rind

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

1 clove of garlic - (through a garlic press)

pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together and serve along side the coconut shrimp!

I like to stack the shrimp into a tower like structure.. My mum always said "presentation is nine-tenths of the meal"

Strawberry Summer Salad

This recipe is courtesy of my Aunt Alison - she is a fantastic cook. I used to stay at her house when I was little, competing in gymnastics competitions, and she would make the most satisfying meals. I remember wishing that the medal ceremonies would end already, so I could get back to her house for dinner.

This is a slight adaptation on her poppy seed, strawberry salad! Delicious.

Dressing:

1/2 clove of garlic

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp honey

3 tbsp champagne vinegar (or white vinegar)

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1/2 cup oil

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1) Mash pressed garlic and salt together with a fork or whisk

2) Add honey, vinegar and mayo

3) Whisk in oil until emulsified

4) Add poppy seeds

Salad:

I used mixed greens, fresh strawberries, goats cheese, walnuts and avocado. Then I pan fried a chicken breast and threw it on top!

This salad is phenomenal with dried blueberries/cherries/cranberries too!

Asian Slaw Salad

This salad is very easy to make and can be adapted in lots of healthy, creative and delicious ways.

Dressing:

1/2 clove garlic

1/3 cup soya sauce

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2/3 cup canola oil

1) Mash garlic with a garlic press or chop finely.

2) Add soya sauce, apple cider vinegar, tahini, water and sesame seeds.

3) Whisk canola oil into mixture until dressing emulsifies.

Salad:

This salad can be made with all sorts of ingredients -this is my favorite combo:

-finely chopped red cabbage

-grated carrots

-chopped cucumbers

-chick peas

-snow peas

-avocado

-goats cheese

-slivered almonds

-mixed greens

Other possible additions are:

-spinach

-peas

-red/yellow/green peppers

-fried wontons

-feta cheese

**Any vegetables that you enjoy can be added!**

Tonight I had some wonderful smoked salmon (my fiance caught it himself in BC) that I threw on-top, but this salad is so delicious with chicken, or steak or tofu also.!

When I was growing up there was a restaurant down the street, The Laughing Moon, that served asian salads with warm rice on the side. This has become one of my favorite things to do. It makes the salad a satisfying meal!