Kale Chips

We have so much Kale in our garden and are having fun trying out new recipes with it.  So what do with all that Kale?  Make Kale chips, of course!

What You’ll Need:

A bunch of kale, washed and thoroughly dried

1 -2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Nutritional yeast, for sprinkling (optional but good)

What You’ll Do:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Tear the kale from the ribs in to pieces.  In a large bowl drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Toss thoroughly.  Lay kale on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. 

Serve as finger food.

Caprese Pasta

As a working mother with three active kids there are often times when we need to just throw something together for dinner.  This is a quick and simple meal for those nights when you don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.  And the best part is you can put some aside for lunch the next day. 

While the pasta is cooking, you can prep the remaining ingredients, throw together a nice salad and there you have, it dinner is ready in no time.   This recipe is also great for picnics and potlucks.

What You’ll Need:

1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved

4 cloves garlic, chopped

½ cup olive oil

2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup fresh mozzarella balls, halved

1 pound penne pasta, cooked

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine first five ingredients.  Add pasta and mozzarella, toss well.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.  Enjoy!

Greek Orzo Salad

This salad is easy to make and delicious.

 

What You’ll Need:

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup olive oil

Salad:

6 cups vegetable broth

1 pound orzo

2 cups red and yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved

1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

What You’ll Do:

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Bring broth to boil in large heavy saucepan. Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and boil until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, and green onions into orzo. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Add pine nuts; toss. Serve at room temperature.

Sweet Rice and Mangos

Recently we had some new friends over and I wanted to make something special for our Asian themed evening. My son wanted Sweet Rice with Bananas (yes, we’ll get that recipe up soon) but I wanted something a bit more refreshing. So I decided to replace the bananas with mangos. I switched the Banana Sweet Sticky Rice recipe up a bit and came up with this light and sweet delectable treat. It so simple and delicious, I just know you are going to love it as much as we did.

What You’ll Need:

1 cups uncooked sweet rice 2 cups water
1 can (13.5 oz) of coconut milk (cream and all)
¼ cup sugar
2 mangos, peeled and sliced

What You’ll Do:

Combine the rice and coconut milk in a rice cooker and cook. Should only take about 10-15 to cook.

Mix the sugar into the hot rice. Portion the rice into 4 bowls. Top with mango slices. Enjoy this sweet refreshing treat. Your guests will rave over it, mine did.

Salad Rolls

Salad Rolls are a healthy alternative to spring rolls. They make a great appetizer, snack or the perfect lunch. I made these this weekend and they turned out just great. Quick and easy with so much flavor. What more could you ask for?

The great thing about salad rolls is really you can add any veggies (or even fruit) that you like. So what are you waiting for? Get moving and make some salad rolls!

What You’ll Need:

1 package of baked tofu (I liked the teriyaki one)
1 cucumber, remove the seeds and cut into thin strips
2-3 medium carrot, shredded
1 mango, cut into thin strips
Salad greens
Large round rice paper wrappers
Dipping Sauces of choice (I like the Sweet Chili sauce and Plum sauce) or better yet stay tuned for our peanut sauce

What You’ll Do:

Soften 1 rice paper wrapper by immersing in warm water until soft (about 10-20 sec), carefully remove and place flat on a large plate or cutting board. Be careful not to let the paper fold on itself when removing the wrapper from the water.

Place veggies in the middle of the wrapper, making sure not to add too much. Roll rice paper as you would a burritos, tucking in the sides, it should stick to itself easily. Repeat for the remaining wrappers.

Cut in half and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Ever been to a potluck and noticed that many of the guests have brought identical items? Watermelon, pretzels, chips, oh and look, more watermelon, pretzels and chips. Hey, it's not that we don't like those snacks, we do. Especially the watermelon. We're just saying -that sometimes, potluck food can get a bit...redundant. Well not anymore J & J peeps. Here’s something you can bring that definitely won't be a duplicate on your next potluck table. It’s exactly what a summer salad should be: simple and delicious. So, if you’re a fellow tomato lover, and you're tired of bringing the 'same old' potluck dish, then we’re sure you’ll love this recipe.

Choose a variety of different colored heirlooms and you'll makes this dish even more vibrant and flavorful. Throw in some homemade croutons, and you’ve got yourself some perfect little sponges that will soak up all that extra yummy juice (‘cause you can’t really slurp it up at a potluck like you would at home – remember your etiquette people, come on!)

What you'll need:

Fresh Italian bread

½ cup + 2 tbs olive oil

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, chopped in various sizes (be sure to include a variety of colors to make this dish more attractive)

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

2 Tbs white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

1 bunch fresh basil, torn into small pieces

Croutons

Pre-heat oven to 400 C. Slice the bread into 8 large slices and them into large squares for your croutons. Toss in a bowl with ½ cup of olive oil, making sure to coat the bread evenly. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Once done set aside till ready to serve the salad.

Salad

Whisk mustard, lemon juice and white wine vinegar together. Slowly whisk in 2 Tbs of olive oil. Add the tomatoes and basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. Just before you are ready to serve add croutons and toss the salad again to be sure the croutons are thoroughly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately so the croutons don’t get too soggy. Remember - only slurp at home!

Tabbouleh

Recently, we were visiting some friends of ours for dinner, and they served a light meal of hummus with veggies and pita. But then - there was something new. Something I had heard of before, but never tried. Of course, being a good role model for my kids(as well as a gracious guest), I took a small portion of this new and interesting dish. As we enjoyed our meal (and conversation) I realized that I went back for not only a second serving of this new dish, but also a third!

Tabbouleh is the classic bulgur salad of the Mediterranean, and man is it good. The combination of fresh herbs and spices in this dish was so refreshingly satisfying. I couldn’t wait to make this at home!!

Enjoy it with some warm pita slices or flat bread. Delicious!

What you will need:
1 cup of dry bulgur wheat
1½ cups of boiling water
1 tsp salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed
Black pepper, to taste
4 scallions, minced (whites and greens)
1 cup of packed parsley, minced
15 fresh mint leaves, minced (if using dried mint it’s about 2 Tbs – but use fresh…it makes the dish!)
2 medium tomatoes, diced

Combine bulgur and boiling water in a medium bowl. Cover and let stand for about 25 – 30 minutes, until the bulgur is tender.

Add salt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and black pepper and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before serving. Then stir in remaining ingredients. Enjoy with warm pita slices or flat bread.

Summer Corn Salad

Ahhh Summer Corn Salad. Ok, so it's not just for the summer- but it sounded good. Anyhow, whenever you can get your hands on some fresh ears of corn, you are in luck!

I have adapted this recipe from a friend (thanks Sarah) and it truly is the most simple and flavourful dish! I ate the whole bowl for lunch this weekend. Yup, all three ears of corn by myself! Ok, I shared a tiny bit with Jessie and a bite or two with my daughter :)

Ingredients:

3 fresh ears of Corn, shaved
One Lime juiced,
Handful or two of Cherry tomatoes, cut in half or chunks
1 medium Portabello mushroom, cubed
3 Scallions, sliced thin
Sprinkle or two of Sea Salt
Sprinkle or two or fresh ground pepper

Preparation:
Shave corn into bowl. Juice lime into bowl.
Add tomatoes, mushrooms, scallions, sea salt and pepper.
Mix and taste. Add more of whatever you like.
Let sit and absorb flavors, or enjoy right away!

Come to think of it, some fresh Garlic might be nice. Maybe even some fresh cilantro! I'll have to try it next time.

What a refreshing pick for a picnic :)