The Kitchen Garden Salad

As soon as my little seedlings sprout, I am dreaming of this day- the day when we can head out to the garden with our school scissors and do our first big harvest of salad greens and make the most amazing salad of the year.

It is a true celebration of spring with all the colours and flavours that are found in my kitchen garden. This is when I get excited about food!

If you don't have one yet, one of the most amazing ways to enhance your cooking is to make some space for some fresh, home-grown food in a garden.

Your "garden" can be a simple pot filled with herbs on a patio balcony, a bag of soil thrown on the ground, a square cut open and a variety of lettuce and kale seedlings stuck in it, or a little plot of your yard devoted to the jardin potager, or the kitchen garden. Whatever it is, you can enhance your space and your plate with some green goodness.

The little herb garden

As I read about the French jardin potager, I was inspired. The goal of these food gardens is not only to provide food but to also be aestetically pleasing. They would add flowers to enhance the space. I have already added some pansies and nasturtiums to my herb garden as they are edible beauties and I lined my kale and lettuce garden with marigolds to keep pests at bay. Who says vegetable gardens can't be beautiful?

Here is what was in our celebration salad, dressed ever so simply.

The Kitchen Garden "Spring Celebration" Salad

Cutting kale and kale flowers

Use whatever you have in your edible garden. If you don't have one, think about putting some herbs and lettuce seedlings in a pot and in a few weeks you can have your own celebration salad!

Leaves cut from:
romaine lettuce
kales
leafy lettuce

Herbs:
dillweed
chives


Using all the edibles we can!

fennel fronds

parsley

Flowers:

chive flowers, separated

kale flowers

pansies

Optional:
radishes

Simple Salad Dressing


Lettuce growing in pots





In a small jar shake to combine:
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp sea salt
optional: 1/4-1/2 tsp honey or agave syrup

1. Toss washed and dried salad greens with dressing to taste. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.

Easy Lemon Cream Fruit Tarts

I learned to make friends with phyllo pastry when I worked for a catering company years ago.

It is an easy way to wrap up nearly anything- from basics like chicken and salmon to samosa filling or brie and fruit appetizers. It even makes an easy tart shell.
These tarts are an easy dessert or special treat that can be made for a large group quite easily.

This isn't really a recipe but more of a method for making fool-proof "tarts" that can sing of summer's finest fruits. The super simple lemon cream filling is so tasty that you may find it makes a rather luxurious fruit dip with any leftover fruit you may have.

Lemon Cream Fruit Tarts
I don't give amounts for this "recipe" as I feel that it is all a matter of taste and is so simple, you can adapt it to make it your own. You can make it with no additional sugar if you so desire. You can make the tart shells and pastry cream a day ahead. Just make sure to assemble them no more than 2 hours ahead of serving time. If you happen to forget how to make the pastry shells, you can often find the recipe inside the package- just make sure to make it four layers thick so they don't get soggy.

Phyllo Shells

phyllo pastry, thawed in fridge overnight
melted butter
sugar

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees or temperature suggested on package. Brush a mini or smaller-sized muffin tin with melted butter.
2. On a clean working surface or large cutting board, place one sheet of phyllo pastry. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a teaspoon or more of sugar. Repeat until you have 4 layers of pastry. Keep phyllo covered with plastic and a damp paper towel until you are ready for the next batch.
3. Cut sheets of stacked pastry into small squares- roughly twice the size of the muffin tin you are filling. For a small muffin tin, you may find 5 X 5 or 6 X 6 grid of squares works. Check one before cutting the rest to see how it fits in the tin.
4. Press it gently into the muffin cup with your fingers, pressing the edges down onto the muffin tin slightly. Repeat with remaining pastry.
5. Bake until golden, about 8-10 minutes depending on the size of tin you are using. Allow to cool on cooling rack. If you are serving the next day, place them into a sealed container.

Lemon Cream Filling

lemon curd (good quality purchased or homemade), to taste
icing sugar, to taste
cut fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, grapes, etc.)

1. Whip container of whipping cream until fairly stiff. Add lemon curd to taste (you want to taste the lemon!) Add a few tablespoons of icing sugar if needed to sweeten. Refigerate until needed.
2. Spoon or pipe lemon cream into tart shells. Garnish with small pieces of cut fruit.approx. 2 cups whipping creamPastry Shells

Rosemary Lemonade

As soon as there are herbs growing in the garden, I am trying to figure out different ways to use them.

One of my favourite ways to use herbs in the summer is to make elixirs. This is one of those drinks- the combination of herby, tart and sweet makes for a very refreshing beverage on a hot summer's day.

There are several restaurants that we have visited on our travels that make a rosemary lemonade. At first I was unsure about the combination of a culinary-type herb in a beverage but after sampling some, I was hooked. I am sure you will be too.


Rosemary Lemonade
Makes 4-6 tall glasses
This makes one 750 ml bottle of lemonade. If you have a larger pitcher, you may want to double or triple the recipe. Serve this in a tall glass filled with ice as this is a syrupy concentrate.

1/4 cup rosemary stem tips, washed (about 4- 3" pieces)
2/3 cup cane sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup lemon juice (from about 3 fresh lemons)

1. In a small saucepan, bring rosemary and 2 cups of water to a boil. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Using a strainer, pour water into glass container or jar. Stir in cane sugar and lemon juice. Stir or shake. Refrigerate until serving.
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Lentil and Quinoa Salad with Preserved Lemon

Seriously, how did I live without preserved lemons for so long? The salt, the tang and the zest of this fermented food is completely magical!

I followed the common method of cutting up lemons and packing them into jars with salt. I held off on the spices and herbs that are sometimes included as to make the usages very multi-functional.

This is one salad that resulted from my first bites of my now obsessive love for the preserved lemon. If you do go ahead and make preserved lemons, also try the lemon-lentil soup and garnish with some preserved lemon!

Preserved Lemons
So easy, waiting is the only difficult part! You may want to make a larger jar, but I give the measurements for a 500 ml jar, feel free to double it for a one litre jar and thank me later! In this case, organic is really the only way to go since you are actually only eating the rind.

1- 500 ml jar, washed and dried
4 organic lemons, scrubbed
1/4 cup kosher or sea salt, non-iodized

1. Cut knobby ends off 3 of the lemons. Cut into halves from the top down and then into thirds to make 6 sections.
2. Pack the lemons into the jar, sprinkling in a few tsp of salt in every layer. Press down hard to release as much juice as possible as you go. Continue until jar is full. Squeee juice from remaining lemon and pour over top and add remaining salt.
3. Press down with wooden spoon to make sure that lemons are full submerged and that you have some headspace. Cover with lid.
4. Set aside in cool dark spot for 3 weeks. After that, store in the fridge for up to 6 months. When needed, scrape the flesh out (use it if you want), and mince the lemon rind for use in soups, stews and salads.

Lentil and Quinoa Salad with Preserved Lemon
If you decide not to go to the work of preserving lemons (which I highly recommend!) then use the grated zest of a lemon in its place and add some sea salt to this simple recipe.

2 cups cooked or canned green/brown lentils
1 cup cooked quinoa (1 cup quinoa in 1 1/2 cups water, bring to a boil. Simmer 15 mins and reserve remaining quinoa)
3 tbsp minced parsley
3 tsbp minced red onion
2 tbsp minced preserved lemon + 2 tsp lemon liquid from jar
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl an serve at room temperature.

Perfect Baked Potatoes

My friend recently wrote a column called, "Should Canadians be eating rice?" After my sister wrote a blog post about rice just before this came out, I was feeling particularly guilty.

Yes, rice is one of our family's favourite carbs to have with a meal but does it really work with our diet of trying to eat organically and locally whenever we can? Well, I can say with confidence that from now on our rice will be organically grown and from North America. But her article reminded me that, for our family, the best way to eat locally and support local farmers is to eat the humble potato! We can also find organic spuds in our area which makes it that much better.

Sometimes I find potatoes a bit boring and they usually take awhile to cook. I decided that I would bake up the whole bag of Russet potatoes at once- the first meal consisted of baked potatoes and the leftovers were used for quick potato skins a couple days later. Potato skins would be great as an appetizer, part of a meal or a light lunch with a big salad!

Who says that potato skins need cheese, green onions and bacon bits? I raided the fridge to use leftovers on the skins and they were amazing!  The lentils and preserved lemon were a particularly interesting offering. Use your imagination and use up your leftovers too!

Perfect Baked Russet Potatoes (or Jacket Potatoes)
These can be baked, as is, on the oven racks. Or, for a particularly tasty rendition, after you've washed the potatoes, sprinkle them with a touch of kosher salt and bake on a tray. No piercing, no foil, no fuss.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Scrub potatoes.
3. Stick in oven. Around 30 minutes in, turn the potatoes over.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it is tender when pierced with a fork. Put leftovers into fridge to make skins another day!

Potato Skins
Really use whatever is in your fridge (feta cheese? herbs? tuna? chicken? corn?), the following are some of the things I had kicking around. Cheese is usually a good component to keep the fillings on but it is not required. Most of these are enhanced with a dallop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Halve russet baked potatoes and scoop out just a tiny bit of potato out of the middle.
3. Brush top with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes until hot and beginning to crisp on edges.
4. Turn on broiler. Add fillings and broil for about 3-5 minutes.

The Kids fave: Cheddar cheese, some grated carrot and parsley
The Multi-cheese: Cheddar, gruyere and parsley
The Swiss Treat: Gruyere with fried onions and parsley
The Veg Head: cooked lentils, preserved lemon, olive oil, gruyere cheese and parsley

Blueberry-Apple Bran Muffins (with Flax)

I am teased for how much tinkering I do to recipes. I usually like to cram as much goodness into every bite my family takes, so my original recipes often become unrecognizable.

This is one case of a super nutritious muffin that actually tastes good! Honey and fruit are the only sweeteners needed for this recipe and they are also full of wholesome whole wheat flour and flaxmeal. They are also naturally low fat without any added butter or oil.

They are best straight from the oven so you may even want to consider making them for a brunch. I made a big batch to freeze for snacks and lunches.

Blueberry-Apple Bran Muffins with Flax
Makes 24-26  muffins
Yes, this recipe uses a few bowls, but it is easy to put together and is worth the few extra steps. This is a big recipe, for a smaller batch just halve the recipe.

Mix together in a large bowl:
3 cups wheat bran
2 cups buttermilk (or soured milk, made with a few tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar mixed with milk)

In large mixing bowl or bowl of stand mixer, whisk together the following and then add to wheat bran mixture:
3/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In another medium bowl, combine the following and then add to above mixture :
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flaxmeal
2 tsp soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Toss together in a small bowl and add to above mixture:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tbsp flour

Add:
1 cup grated apple

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix together as noted above and scoop into lined or greased muffin tins.
3. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

The Superfood Salad Bar

When we have guests visiting I usually run out of meal ideas pretty quick. I usually want something fun and tasty but also affordable when I am feeding a group. This meal idea really came out of necessity- we needed food fast!

I started pulling veggies and herbs out of the fridge wondering what I could do with them- a head of romaine lettuce, half a red cabbage, some carrots, green onions, parsley, red onions- and then inspiration hit- why not have a salad bar? Everyone has things they don't like or need to avoid, so this makes it super easy to deal with multiple food restrictions- be it dairy-free, nut-free, or gluten-free. The kids also love it because they get to participate in making their own meal.

I quickly cooked up some quinoa on the stove and in the 15 minutes until it was ready, we chopped, diced and grated our way to one of the most amazing salad bars we've ever had!

It is definitely a superfood salad! You can use a variety bright and vibrant-coloured veggies, full of vitamins and nutrients. Add in some good quality protein sources, including quinoa, nuts and cheese and you are good to go with your own superfood salad bar!

Superfood Salad Bar Ideas
Quinoa was a fabulous basis for this salad bar but any grain would be nice as well. You can serve a variety of salad dressings but my favourite with this combo is lemon juice and olive oil in equal amounts with just a touch of dijon mustard and some sea salt. Any leftovers can be throw into one container and served as a great leftover salad! You can serve with some grilled crostini if desired.

Quinoa, cooked: rinse and bring 2 cups quinoa and 3 1/2 cups water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with work.
Romaine lettuce, chopped
Carrots, grated
Red cabbage, chopped
Green onions, sliced
Parsley, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Sweet peppers, chopped
Cheeses: crumbled feta & grated cheddar
Seeds or nuts: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
Sprouts: mung bean (see my recipe!) or sunflower sprouts

Lentil Tacos with Homemade Tortillas

I have friends who constantly inspire me- making amazing food, passing along recipes and making me try things I wouldn't usually try.

This post is thanks to Jenn and Bri for their inspiration to try making homemade tortillas and lentil tacos. It is also thanks to my sister for buying me a tortilla press and some masa harina to get me started on this exciting food adventure!

For less than $15 you can get a tortilla press ($13) and a bag of masa harina ($1.50) to get you started too. Masa harina is a dried and powdered cornmeal that looks like white flour. We got both items from Que Pasa Foods in Richmond- http://www.quepasafoods.com/ . This is a super fun project for the kids, family or roommates to get involved with making dinner. You mix the flour and water together to make a soft playdough-like dough. Then the kids (or your hunky roommate?) will love to get involved by using all their strength to flatten the tortillas.

As soon as we tried our first tortilla hot off the pan, we were hooked. It took me back to a few years ago, when our neighbour often travelled to his other home in Mexico and would bring back fresh tortillas as a treat for our family. He said that they wouldn't usually make their own tortillas in his hometown because they had people making tortillas on every block. This is so easy I am not sure I would walk a block to buy tortillas now...

These tender corn tortillas can be filled with anything your heart desires...beans, chicken or beef. Or, you can try the lentil tacos that were adapted from my friend Bri's recipe.

These tortillas are also great as a snack, straight off the pan, sprinkled with a few grains of salt and rolled up!

If you want a super quick tutorial on just how easy it is, check out this short video my sister recorded: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JIZLOI7yqg

I am on the search for organic or non-GMO masa harina and will update when I find out where to get it.

Homemade Corn Tortillas
Makes approx 20 small tortillas
The recipe that the ladies at Que Pasa told us was 2 cups masa harina to 1 1/4 cups warm water. I made a 1 1/2 times recipe. You will need a tortilla press or a large flat surface to press with...a flat underside of a frying pan might work. Our tortilla press came with non-stick paper that is similar to waxed paper or parchment paper that is folded in half to cover the top and bottom of the press. My neighbour would often bring flaxmeal tortillas from Mexico, so I tried substituting a few tablespoons of golden flaxmeal for the flour and it worked quite well. The thinner you can get these babies, the better!

3 cups masa harina flour
1 3/4 -2 cups warm water
cooking oil
non-stick paper

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour and 1 3/4 cup warm water together with a fork until it comes together.
2. Form into a soft dough by kneading it a bit in the bowl. Add more water (up to 1/4 cup) only if needed to form a soft dough with no cracks.
3. Heat cast iron pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Rub the pan with a paper towel that has a drop of oil on it.
4. Take a small, ping-pong ball sized amount of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten slightly and place just off centre (closer to clamp end) of tortilla press. Press down hard. Open and peel from paper.
5. Place on hot cast iron pan and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn over and cook for about the same amount of time. It should be cooked but not browned. If it sticks, add a bit more flour to your dough. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
6. Keep warm in tea towel or make a bunch and heat up again in pan or place a bunch under broiler in oven for a few seconds.

Lentil Tacos
I adapted my friend Bri's recipe based on what I had and what spices I like. Bri uses red lentils and chicken broth in her recipe but I had green (ahem, brown) lentils and thought they made it look "meaty", which is weird for this vegetarian to say, but something I sometimes desire texture-wise. I cooked them in lots of water with bay leaf, a couple cloves of garlic and 1/4 of an onion for 30 minutes and then drained them before proceeding. Canned lentils would work fine as well but you may not need to add any salt to this recipe.

2 tbsp cooking oil (sunflower, grapeseed, etc.)
1 onion, minced, grated or chopped in food processor
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4- 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
3 cups pre-cooked or canned lentils (I used brown)
3/4 cup water or chicken broth
optional: 1 tbsp tomato paste

1. Heat oil in large saute pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for a few minutes until softened by not overly browned. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add spices and cook for a minute to bring out the flavour. Add salt and lentils. Cook for a minute or two and then add liquid to make a nice mix that is neither too dry or saucy. Cook for a few more minutes until ready to serve.

Taco Accompaniments

Fresh Salsa: Chop and throw in together: 3 tomatoes, 1/4 of a red onion, 2 garlic cloves, a handful of cilantro, the juice of 1 lime and a touch of salt.
Salted Cabbage: thinly slice green cabbage and sprinkle with a touch of salt before serving.
Lime Cream: Mix together 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup plain yogurt and the juice of 1 lime.

No-bake Asteroid Granola Bars

I was trying to come up with a recipe for granola bars that my kids will eat. I often get lunch bags back at the end of the day with a rabbit-sized nibble off of the snack I sent along. I fully intended for them to consume my homemade treat in haste. Often this is not the case.

My kids just aren't fans of homemade granola bars thus far. I'm not sure what the problem is exactly- too chewy, too crunchy or too sweet? They refuse to even try new ones that I create because of past failures. Sadly this means that mommy eats too many granola bars than are actually good for her.

When I got the idea to incorporate the wildly popular asteroid cookies (see past posts) into the granola bar, they were finally ready to turn over a new leaf. Yes, it contains sugar. But it also contains nut-free protein in the form of sunflower seed butter, some oats and some rice cereal and it is a great portable snack for school to go along with that apple (and it looks like the granola bars that the cool kids get from the store- maybe even better!)

No-bake Asteroid Granola Bars
This bar uses crisped rice, not puffed rice (i.e. similar Rice Krispies but I buy a whole grain organic one). This recipe might work without the brown rice syrup but I like how it binds it really nicely the way store-bought granola bars do because of the syrup. You could make this into a true "power bar" by replacing some of the oats with some seeds, flaxmeal or nuts.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter (or another seed or nut butter)
1/4 cup organic brown rice syrup

1/3 cup organic cocoa (Camino, of course!)
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups crisped whole grain rice cereal
2 1/2 cups oats (I used quick cooking)

1. In a large saucepan, combine butter, sunflower seed butter, sugar, brown rice syrup, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Bring to a low boil and stir until combined and smooth, cooking for about 3-5 minutes.
2. Pour in cereals and mix until combined throughly.
3. Spoon cereal mixture into a buttered or wax paper-lined 8 X 8" pan. Press down firmly with oiled or butted hands or place another wax paper sheet on top and press down firmly with bottom of cup or hands.
4. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Cut into thin strips and cut into 2-3 pieces so they resemble "granola bars". I wrap them in compostable wax paper for a little treat that looks extra special!

Five Spice Tofu Stir-fry

This is a super quick tofu dish that has an amazing flavour with just a touch of Chinese five spice powder in it to give it some character.

It is both simple and delicious served with brown rice and some steamed broccoli. I am also imagining this nestled in some romaine lettuce cups with a squeeze of lime juice, a sprinkling of chopped cashews and cilantro as a lighter summer meal.

If you aren't a fan of tofu, try it with this sauce and you might change your mind. Or, go ahead and try it in a quick chicken stir-fry if that is the way you wok and roll.


Five (5) Spice Tofu Stir-fry
Use as much sauce as you'd like but this sauce could make enough for two stir-fries if you use it sparingly.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp 5 spice powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper

1 350 g package extra firm or firm organic tofu
1 tsp cooking oil (sesame or grapeseed)

1. Mix soy sauce, water, brown sugar, cornstarch and 5 spice powder together in a shaker cup or jam jar.
2. Heat stir fry pan over medium-high heat.
3. Cut tofu width-wise into 2 slices and cut into small cubes. Toss tofu with salt and pepper.
4. Add oil to hot pan and then add tofu, stirring often until it is cooked through and golden on edges, about 3- 5 minutes.
5. Add as much cooking sauce as you'd like and stir fry for a minute or two until it turns glossy in appearance.
6. Serve immediately.