I tried to come up with a snappy name for this post, but this salad has so many ingredients that it was difficult to decide which deserved to be front and centre. Since the dressing is made with peanut butter and ginger, these flavours are in every bite. And quinoa, well, I can’t hide the fact that we have been eating quite a bit of this grain, as you can see from previous posts.
This is another recipe from Thug Kitchen. I told you I was intrigued by the recipes that I found in this cookbook. Now don’t just assume that the entire collection of recipes from Thug Kitchen only uses quinoa. I just happen to have a lot of quinoa in our pantry, so when I see a recipe that calls for it, I know that is one thing I don’t have to go to the grocery store for.
This is my variation on the recipe that my mom always made (and still makes today). There is nothing better on a cold winter’s day to have a piping hot bowl of chili. So, you may be asking, why are you sharing this recipe now, in April. Well, as you know, we live in Ottawa, and they are calling for snow this week, so I thought that sharing my recipe for chili made perfect sense! 🙂
This is likely my favourite recipe out of the New Dieters Cookbook. My sister was actually the first person who made it. I remember it was so good I asked for seconds (and likely thirds). Then the next time I was over for a visit, I asked her to make it again. Yep, it is that good!
#GrillOn
Earlier this year I was approached by Turkey Farmers of Canada and Mushrooms Canada to create two grilling recipes to be published this summer in e-cookbooks available through Facebook. The recipes would be original and combine mushrooms and turkey. I was honoured! WOW, I never would have imagined that my small blog would have been recognized in a national capacity. Once I got over the initial shock, I started to doubt myself. Could I really create two original recipes using turkey and mushrooms? I don’t even have a BBQ! Would my creations measure up to what they are looking for? Because they were going to compensate me, I wanted to deliver a quality product, and I was worried that I would disappoint. But, Jamie told me to go for it! Jump in with both feet and accept the offer. So, I slept on it and decided to go for it 🙂
With spring finally here I want to dive into salads. There is something about the warm weather that makes us want to eat cold, crisp foods. Last year I used fennel for the first time in a fennel, apple and chicken salad. Fennel wasn’t the star of that salad; it was more of a complimentary character. So, since a year has passed, I figured it was time I gave fennel a staring role in one of our meals. Since I enjoyed the combination of fennel and apple so much before, I searched out a recipe with those two ingredients. Here is the result of that search.
Jamie and I actually went searching for fennel recipes at different times, but we both thought this one would be the perfect starting point. It is nice to think that we are in sync 🙂
This recipe is from the Epicurious site. I have used recipes from this site before. I still rave about how great the coconut cream pie turned out, and I found the recipe on Epicurious. Now that I have jumped into the world of the Smartphone, their app was one of the first that I downloaded.
This recipe appealed to me, because it is coleslaw. I am a huge fan of coleslaw. My favourite (and don’t judge me on this) is Dixie coleslaw. You know the one, it is fluorescent green and you can buy it by the gallon at the deli counter. I don’t know why, but there is something about that coleslaw that I find mildly addicting. Hmmm, I wonder if I can make that at home? I have never tried, but now I think I have found a summer project.
Another reason I wanted to make this was because it was a great excuse to bust out the mandoline that we received as a wedding gift. I haven’t used it as much as I thought I would, but with the ingredient list calling for thinly sliced fennel, celery and julienned apples, it was the perfect opportunity.
The difficult part about making this dish is the waiting. Oh, and making sure that all the thinly sliced ingredients make it into the bowl! 😉 Is there anything more appetizing that thinly sliced fruits and vegetables that provide a satisfactory crunch? If you can wait 24 hours, this coleslaw is the perfect marriage of summer flavours. Jamie and I served it with some homemade sausage patties and devilled eggs. A little taste of summer in the middle of spring. Awesome!
Do you have a favourite coleslaw recipe? Or a summer-time guilty pleasure that compares to my Dixie coleslaw addiction?
Adapted from:
Epicurious – Celery, Apple and Fennel Slaw
Ingredients:
Directions:
Brussels sprouts have to be one of our favourite vegetables. I really don’t know why I didn’t enjoy these when I was a kid, but they have become a regular staple on our grocery list. I quite often find myself cooking up way more than we need so I can eat the roasted sprouts cold the next day as a delicious snack 🙂
This past weekend Jamie and I were back in Hamilton, visiting friends and family. A pre-Easter trip so that we don’t have to travel on the long weekend. I especially enjoyed spending time with my nephew, Sam. We made chocolate covered marshmallows, candy pancakes and went to a Maple Syrup Festival. There is a reason I am an aunt 🙂
When Jamie and I got back into town earlier this week, I had a moment of panic when I wasn’t sure what I was going to share in today’s post. I didn’t have anything planned out. Thankfully I had just received the most recent copy of the Food Network’s magazine in the mail. I sat myself down on the couch and started flipping through the recipes. I figured I could find something that would inspire today’s post.
This is a tried and true recipe that I have been making for over four years! It is from the Autumn 2008 issue of the LCBO magazine. Actually, we first made this in the fall of 2008 when the magazine was released. What I love about this dish is that it is a one pot meal. Since everything is cooked in the same dish, it makes cleaning up after dinner a breeze.
I like to make this for dinner guests. Once it goes into the oven, it gives you time to visit and enjoy a glass of your favourite wine before the timer goes off 😉
With St. Patrick’s Day celebrations only a few days away (or starting today and lasting into the wee hours of Sunday night 😉 – I thought I would present you with a green soup to mark the occasion.
A lot of St. Patrick Day festivities involve heavy or fried food served with an abundance of Guinness or green beer. This recipe will offer you a healthy green alternative that you can easily work into your regular recipe rotation.
Ruby Reduction 