seasonal-goods

Vegetables; beans-dried, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green,red and savoy cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, swiss chard, garlic-dried, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, red and yellow onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, rutabagas, salad greens, shallots, winter squash and turnips

Fruits; apples, pears, quince

Seafood; clams, pacific cod, crab, sole, lingcod, mussels, pacific oysters, jumbo prawns, sablefish, scallops and albacore tuna

Herbs; bay leaves, chervil, cilantro, dill, fennel, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme

french-onion-soup

Erik and I spent the weekend in Whistler relaxing, hot tub, dinner out with friends, some spa therapy and blueberry tea in the lounge watching football.

Whistler is always relaxing but we still both come home burnt out and needing a break. I was looking through my new Donna Hay, "Seasons", cook book, (my birthday present from Isa;) saw a recipe for French soup and instantly knew that had shaped my dinner plans. The caramelized onion smell cooking on the stove all afternoon by the fire catching up on emails and reading was just what we both needed.

4 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1 head of garlic (this may be too much for some, I love it)

1 shallot diced

3 stocks of fresh thyme

3 stocks of fresh rosemary

1/3 cup white wine

1 litre of good beef stock (I like Imagine organics)

1 cup of water

1 baguette, sliced and toasted

¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated pecorino

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot, add the sliced onion and herbs and cook over a low heat until onions have browned. Add the diced garlic and shallots and cook for an additional couple of minutes. Add the wine, beef stock and water to the pot bring to a boil then turn down to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Pour soup into oven safe bowls, top with baguette and grated cheese and place under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

whole.grain.mix

I was craving grain for breakfast, particularly steel cuts oats, however, when I went to my cupboard I discovered I was out. I decided to mix it up a little. I wanted to add kasha, so I knew I had to start with boiling water. I threw two cups of water onto the stove in a pot. I mixed a cup of dry grain together and threw it into the boiling water, let it cook for a couple of minutes and then turned down to simmer for 20 minutes.

ingredients:

1 cup mixed grains, I used oats, kasha, quinoa, amaranth and millet.

a pinch of sea salt

2 cups boiling water.

When my grains were done I added 1 tsp of tamari and a touch of shallot dressing I had made with chilli oil and apple cider vinegar, garlic and shallots. I prefer savory even for breakfast.

If I had made this for Erik he would prefer a touch of agave, some crushed almonds and some almond milk.

caper.caesar.dressing

I love this handwritten note of my friend, Erik's son. He loves my caper caesar dressing so he asked if he could write down the recipe to take home. I always have roasted garlic on hand, using roasted garlic softens the sharpness of this dressing. I also add a touch of anchovy paste when the kids aren't over for dinner.

For the dressing:

1 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

2 lemons (juice and zest)

1 TBSP grainy dijon mustard

a few dashes of worcestershire sauce

4 cloves of roasted garlic

3 TBSP capers

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

A sprinkle of white pepper and black pepper

pinch of sea salt

I process everything except the parmesan cheese which I fold in after all other ingredients are combined.

Grilled Caesar Salad (serves 4)

My favorite pairing with this dress is not the classic caesar you are used to.... grilling my vegetables and bread are of choice.

brush romaine, onion slices and baguette with olive oil

2 heads romaine, sliced in half

1 medium red onion, sliced into rings

1 mini whole grain baguette, sliced in half

4 slices of pancetta, cooked

BBQ-med-high;

Start with the red onion on the grill, keep rings together and grill both sides until onions are slightly charred and softened.

Put the baguette on the grill, after about 3 minutes put the romaine on the grill and both the bread and the lettuce will be done in 2-3 minutes.

Chop onion, bread and romaine and toss with dressing. Plate and top with a crisp piece of pancetta.

salt.and.vinegar.potatoes

I am a HUGE salt and vinegar chip fan! When I saw a recipe similar to this on Heidi Swanson's website and I just had to make them. I like my potatoes sliced very thin so as she put her version straight on the grill I wrapped mine in olive oil brushed tinfoil.

1 lb potatoes, I used garden fresh new potatoes but fingerlings are prefered for the grilled version.

2 cups white vinegar

2 TBSP EVOO

1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Bring sliced potatoes to a boil in a medium saucepan (make sure all potatoes are covered in the vinegar). Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Let the potatoes cool in the vinegar. Drain and toss with oil, salt and pepper.

Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill potatoes in a single layer until browned on both sides and cooked through.

Sprinkle with salt.

Enjoy

wild.sockeye.salmon

Wild sockeye salmon is everywhere right now thanks to the beautiful run coming in, the is the most abundant run in the Fraser is the most since 1916.
I decided to grill the beautiful fillet wrapped in tinfoil topped with a salsa veirge. I paired it with a kasha sidedish with a nutty aroma and flavor as well as tahini, citrus kale.



Kasha or buckwheat is one of my favorite grains. Unlike most grains you cannot soak or rinse kasha. Simply measure twice as much water as dry grain (sorted to remove rocks) bring the water to a boil and add the grain. Let the kasha continue to boil then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Raw Kale with Tahini Garlic
Remove the thicker part of the kale stems by folding each leaf in half and running your knife on the inside of the stem cutting it away from the leaf and dice into bite sized pieces.
1-2 cloves diced garlic
1 TBSP tahini
2 tsp nutritional yeast
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP lemon juice
lemon zest
sesame seeds


Season salmon with salt and pepper, rub tinfoil with olive oil and wrap fillets. BBQ for 3 minutes each side for medium rare.

Top with caper salsa verde
4 tablespoons capers, preferably packed in salt, or drained bottled capers
1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

cucumber.lemon.hydrator

I mentioned this in my previous post. It is an absolute favorite of mine and so quick and easy. This is a natural and refreshing alternative to sugary energy drinks or electrolyte products. Lemons are full of electrolytes and adding the sea salt will replace minerals lost.


2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
2 lemons, peeled
1 Tbsp agave nectar or liquid honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 cups filtered water

Blend in two batches until smooth, pour through a fine strainer or place cheese cloth over a container and secure with a band then pour into container.

My second version of this is to add a couple handfuls of fresh or frozen spinach to the blender before straining.