Zucchini Caprese

If you grow Zucchini or know someone who does you will know that they can reach gargantuan proportions and after the bizzilionth loaf of zucchini bread you will want to explore other options.
You could easily add roasted tomatoes to this as well.

2-3 medium zucchini sliced thinly as possible
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 balls buffalo mozzarella or bocconcini
1-4 cup toasted pinenuts
1/2 cup pesto

Basil Dressing

2 cloves garlic

4 cups packed fresh basil

1 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 cup good quality olive oil

Fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Servings: 4

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Slice zucchini and brush with olive oil and place on baking sheet with parchment paper. Grill 5-10 minutes or until cooked through. On the bbq works best.
Remove, and place on a large serving platter. Cut 1/8 inch slice of cheese and place on top of zucchini slices. Sprinkle with pinenuts and dressing. Serve with a loaf of crunchy french bread to wipe up the dressing. Trust me. You will want to.

Fresh Corn, Pepper & Avocado Salad

Fresh corn on the cob is so different from anything in a can or frozen that I really don't consider them in the same realm. So unless you have sweet, delicious corn on this isn't something I would make with a substitution. If you want a more substantial salad and to make it a meal you could always add black beans.

Dressing:
1 lime zest and juice
4 tomatillos cooked in boiling water until soft (3-5 minutes)
1 large bunch cilantro (4 cups)
1 garlic clove
1 chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 avocado
8 corn on the cobs, cooked and de-kerneled (that means cut the kernels off)
1/2 cup of feta or queso fresco
1 red or orange pepper diced
1 cup grape tomatoes or baby heirloom
2 green onions sliced

Servings: 4

Place all the dressing ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Place avocado through onions in a medium size salad bowl and pour dressing overtop and serve.

Peach, Arugula, Almond, Feta Salad

Use up those peaches! I have been repeatedly using the fruit/nut/cheese combo for almost all my salads. Hey, when it works why not?

Dressing:
Juice from one orange
Zest from one orange
1/2 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper
1/8 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey

2 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
8 large handfuls arugula
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/4 cup feta
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Balsamic Reduction (optional)

Servings: 4

Combine all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl and whisk. Place arugula in a large salad bowl and toss with dressing. Evenly distribute on 4 plates. Top each with 4-6 slices of peach, 1 tablespoon almonds, 1 tablespoon feta, 6 red onion slices and drizzle with Balsamic Reduction if using.

Summer Salad

I got these stunning purple carrots from the Farmers Market in Whistler. They were so pretty that I had to buy them! I put them together with some fresh summer peas, some roasted pearl onions and tossed them with some organic greens. Like a lot of what I cook this salad has no rules. Just inspiration. So grab whatever veggies look good and are in season. Throw them together and enjoy the flavour burst.

2 bunch carrots (8-15 carrots) steamed whole
8-12 pearl onions, roasted
1 cup fresh summer peas, shelled
1 head lettuce

Dressing:
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Servings: 6

Toss the lettuce with the dressing, reserving 4 tablespoons. Arrange veggies on top and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Watercress Salmon Sashimi Salad

I recommend going down to your fave or closest sushi joint and picking up some salmon sashimi from them for this salad. If that isn't an option you can easily substitute lox or a filet for a more substantial meal.

Dressing:

2 tablespoons light sour cream
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
4 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
2 cloves minced garlic

1 bunch watercress
1 cup bean sprouts
12 pieces salmon sashimi
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

Servings: 4

Combine dressing ingredients in a food processor or small bowl. Toss with watercress, bean sprouts and red onion in a medium size bowl. Plate and place sashimi on top. Drizzle dressing on top of sashimi.

Prawn, Avocado, Apple Coconut Salad

I have thought about changing the name of this blog to Salads Incorporated or maybe Salads etc?

I love salads! They are probably the meal I eat the most. I love the creativity and flavours. They are relatively fast to make and healthy.

This is one I whipped up the other night. Super fresh and zesty.

1 head sui choy cabbage, finely diced
1 granny smith apple, julienned
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/8 teaspoon green curry paste
2 cloves garlic, grated

Dressing:
Juice from 2 limes (around 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoon honey
Zest from 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

20 prawns

Servings: 4

Combine cilantro, coconut milk, fish sauce, green curry paste in a bowl and let marinate with prawns in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Combine cabbage, apple, avocado and red onion in a large bowl and toss with dressing.
Preheat broiler and place prawns and coconut sauce in oven for approximately 5 minutes or just until they turn pink.
Plate salad onto 4 plates and top with coconut prawns.

Blueberry, Pistachio and Cheese Salad

Fruit+cheese+nuts+greens=Perfect Marriage

Since blueberries are in season right now go get some and incorporate them into as many meals as you can.

Help prevent prostate cancer? Check
Help prevent ovarian cancer? Check
Help improve vision? Check
Prevent short term memory loss? Check
Better brain? Check
Better looking? Oh, for sure!
These little berries just do it all!
They are full of antioxidants and taste delish and if that if that doesn't get you on the blue bandwagon then nothing will.

3/4 cup fresh blueberries
8-10 large handfuls of mixed greens
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup feta or goat cheese

1 garlic clove minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Servings: 4

Combine dressing ingredients in a food processor. You will not use it all for the salad.

In a large bowl combine salad, cheese, nuts and blueberries and toss with 1/4 cup dressing or more to taste. Plate.

Tarragon Potatoes and Lox

Tarragon and salmon trumps dill and salmon as far as flavour combinations go. Or I think so anyway. You could easily make this a large potato salad or individual like I have done in the photo. I used lox but bbq salmon or poached would work well too. There are no rules.

Tarragon Aioli (see recipe)
8 slices of lox
12 baby nugget potatoes, steamed and sliced in half, cooled
4 teaspoons finley diced shallots
Chives for garnish

Servings: 4

Toss cooled cooked potatoes in a bowl with 1/2 to a 3/4 cup of the aioli or until the potatoes are well coated.
Using a mold or freehand assemble on 4 plates a layer of potatoes. Top with a slice of lox. Another layer of potatoes, another layer of lox and garnish with shallots and chives.

Recipe: Crab & Avocado Salad

You don't have to use the mold to make these but I love the aesthetics of it.
This is more of a little hors d'oeuvres but if you wanted it as a first course meal I would double it. It is lovely with nice salty (and good quality) tortilla chips. I think if you wanted to make these bite size appies you could easily serve them on top of a chip. Another option would be served on a bed of butter lettuce. Play around...I do!

1 ripe avocado
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 tablespoons of light mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 green onion, green part only
2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
salt and pepper to taste
Mold (optional)
1 cup fresh dungeness crab

Servings: 4 as a first course, 6 as an hors d'oeuvres

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon zest, mayonnaise and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Add minced shallot and crab and mix well.
In a separate bowl dice avocado and add to a bowl with remaining lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
To assemble take the mold and place in the middle of a plate. Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of crab mixture and press to bottom of mold. Top with 1 to 2 tablespoons of avocado and a couple of green onions.

Warm Lentil Salad with Mushrooms and Leeks

I made this for Fathers Day Brunch. It makes a great filling mid-day meal and tastes delicious with homemade bread and a cheese plate. Mmmmm….

2 16 oz cans of lentils or --- cups of cooked
1/2 cup of feta
2 small leeks, green part removed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of butter
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups mixed mushrooms (porcini, chanterelle, morels) sliced
Mixed greens (optional)
Poached eggs (optional)
2 heads roasted garlic

Dressing:
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 garlic cloves minced
2 shallots diced
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

6 teaspoons fresh chives, chopped

Servings: 6

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Wrap 2 heads of garlic in aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes

Make dressing and set aside.

Cook lentils or rinse cans. Combine dressing and lentils in a medium bowl.

Over medium heat add olive oil to a medium frying pan and sauté leeks for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked throughout and soft. Season with salt and pepper. Keep on warm.

On medium heat in a large frying pan heat butter until melted. Add chopped mushrooms. Cook 5-10 minutes or until soft. Try to refrain from stirring too much as they tend to get watery if you do. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large frying pan on medium heat add lentil salad and heat throughout (2 minutes) until lentils are just warm.

Place lentils on a bed of mixed greens (optional) and divide evenly on 6 plates. Place leeks and 4-6 cloves roasted garlic around each plate. Top lentil salad with mushrooms, feta and chives. If you like poached eggs I highly recommend cooking them and placing on top.

Recipe: Watermelon & Cucumber Salad

This salad is the best thing ever on a hot summer day. Actually it is pretty damn tasty any day. Super-refreshing. Major FLAVOUR BURST.

1 ¼ lbs field cucumbers
3 cups watermelon cubes 3/4 of an inch think
½ c loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
¼ c loosely packed shredded fresh basil leaves

Dressing
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 ½ tbsp soft brown sugar
1 large garlic clove, crushed and minced
1 tablespoon of diced jalapeno pepper (2 if you like it a bit spicier)

Servings: 4-6

Peel cucumbers, discarding the seed core. Cut the cucumber into 1/4 inch slices and then chop in half again. Mix cucumbers and watermelon in a large bowl. Add cilantro and basil.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the lime or lemon juice, sugar, garlic, and jalapeno.

Pour over watermelon and cucumber mix. Toss.

Recipe: Strawberry, Almond and Feta Salad

People love this salad. It is a crowd pleaser. I got it a few years ago from a friend who got it off some website. I have tweaked it over the years a bit so I am not sure what the exact original is.
The sweet fruit, the sharp feta, the tangy balsamic…it is almost like a dessert salad.
I make it at least a couple of times every summer when strawberries are in season.

1 head romaine lettuce
1 pint of strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup slivered toasted almonds
3/4 cup feta
1 garlic clove minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons raspberry balsamic (regular will do)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Optional: Balsamic Reduction

Serves: 8

In a medium bowl whisk the ingredients garlic through pepper.
In a large salad bowl, rip romaine lettuce into bite size pieces. Add sliced strawberries. Pour dressing over top and toss with hands. Add feta and almonds. Plate. If you are using the balsamic reduction pour about a tablespoon on each salad before serving.

Recipe: Asparagus & Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa
1 pound grilled asparagus
3/4 cup feta
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
2 lemons cut in halves
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves
1 shallot

Servings: 4

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Snap off asparagus ends where they naturally break. Toss with juice from half a lemon and 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Grill on a baking sheet for approximately 12 minutes.
Let cool. Once cooled slice into 2 inch pieces.

Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in cold water. Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. Add rinsed quinoa and bring back to a boil. Reduce temperature to medium-low and simmer. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until almost all of the water has evaporated and quinoa is tender. Let rest for 5 minutes, then fluff.

Place garlic, parsley, shallot and juice from 3 lemon halves in a food processor. Add Dijon. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Puree.

In a large salad bowl add quinoa, asparagus, and feta. Toss with salad dressing. Plate and sprinkle almonds on top.

Recipe: Dandelion Salad with Poached Egg & Lox

Dandelion Salad. If you are not familiar with this foliage of nummyness let me tell you...get acquainted. Kinda like a frisée. Has a bit of bitterness to it but in the good endive-way. And if you don't like endives...well then...moving on.
If you cannot find dandelion leaves then frisée would be your best substitute. Or even arugula. My wonderful father scoured our property in Whistler and gave me a big bag of the stuff. If you are planning to get them in the wild, two words of advice:

1) Make sure you wash the greens WELL. Dogs rule in Whistler.
2) Pick them early. Like right now. May is when they are in season and first sprouting. As when they get larger and older, they turn REALLY bitter. Kinda like me in 20 years.

Traditionally the salad is made with a poached egg, which I did, but I also added lox, feta and a touch of pesto. Consume with a big ol' glass of red vino. Best of all this took around 15 minutes to assemble. No, actually best of all, it took me somewhere in France without having to get on a plane.


8 large handfuls of dandelion leaves, chopped
HINT: Chopping the leaves cuts the bitterness and also makes it easier to put in your mouth
8 pieces of salmon lox
1/4 to 1/2 cup feta
4 tablespoons pesto
1 lemon cut in quarters
Salt & pepper to taste
4 poached eggs (see poached eggs recipe)

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon shallot minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Servings: 4

Toss greens and dressing in a large bowl. Evenly divide among 4 plates. Place poached egg in the middle of the salad. Top egg with a tablespoon of pesto. Assemble pieces of lox around edge of salad. Sprinkle approx. 1 to 2 tablespoons of feta around and on top of salad. Take quarter of lemon and squeeze over lox. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe: Hearts of palm, avocado, celery & blue cheese salad

Hearts of palm are huge in Argentina. And I ate bucketloads of them when I was there. According to Wikipedia they used to be a delicacy back when they were harvested from wild palms. This has now changed with cultivation and now their namesake salad "Millionaire Salad" seems more like "Middle Class Salad" with fois gras, caviar and truffles bringing their posh asses to restaurant menus everywhere. A can at your local grocer should cost around 3 bucks. Their texture and taste is like artichoke meets asparagus. In Argentina they are often served with their version of Thousand Island dressing (ie: ketchup and mayo)
However I had one that made Thousand Island stay on the island. It was olive oil, walnuts, blue cheese, and celery. Drizzled with olive oil. Yeah baby. This is my version.

1 can hearts of palm (14oz, approx. 4 hearts)
1 1/2 cup diced celery (approx. 2 to 3 stalks)
1 diced avocado
3/4 cup blue cheese
1/2 cup toasted or caramelized walnuts
1 head butter lettuce

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon shallot minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Serves 8

Whisk vinegar, mustard, honey and oil in a bowl. Add shallots to dressing.
In a large bowl take the butter lettuce leaves and add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dressing to the salad. Using your hands (clean of course!) lightly massage the leaves with the dressing.
In a medium bowl combine celery and diced hearts of palm and avocado with 1/3 cup dressing and toss. You can either combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and add the blue cheese and walnuts to the top or I prefer to plate individually. So take one to two leaves and place on a plate and top with approx. 1 cup of the celery mixture inside the butter lettuce cup. Top with blue cheese and walnuts. Salt and pepper to taste. This is a serious FLAVOUR BURST.