Recipes

Salad #32 – Roasted Yellow Beet Salad with Feta

September 13, 2013 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

We got a number of beets this year from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The yellow beets are my favorite. They taste pretty much the same as the more common purple beets, but they are way less messy. This is a pretty classic salad – it’s simple, but surprisingly delicious.

Roasted Yellow Beet Salad with Feta Recipe

(Adapted from The Curvy Carrot’s Roasted Balsamic Beet Salad)

Salad #32 - Roasted Yellow Beet Salad with Feta

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients
yellow beets (red or purple will also work just fine)
romaine lettuce (or other greens)
feta cheese, crumbled
sliced almonds
Dressing Ingredients
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

Roast (or you can grill instead) the beets until they are cooked through.
Mix dressing ingredients together in a small bowl with a whisk or shake well in a container with a lid.
Layer salad green, beets, feta and dressing on each plate.

Did They Eat It?

Stephen: Traditional but good.

Richard: Very nice. I enjoyed it.

Deb: I don’t like roasted beets or goat cheese.

Gordie: Refused to try any of the salad or the beets.

Nicky: Refused to try it.

Dana: I really loved this salad. After the beets were cooked it was easy to throw together too.

Salad #30 – Watermelon Salsa over Grilled Chicken and Greens

September 12, 2013 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

When my husband asked me to make a watermelon salad, I made this watermelon salad with red peppers and strawberries. I loved it but apparently it was not the watermelon salad that my husband had in mind. It turns out what he wanted was a grilled chicken salad with watermelon salsa. The salsa turned out really well but the salad needed either a glaze on the chicken or extra dressing over the salad. Maybe a spicy thai dressing or even a balsamic vinegar dressing. Or you can always just put the salsa in a bowl and eat it with chips and call that your salad. Which I absolutely did with the leftovers.

Watermelon Salsa

(adapted from the Pioneer Woman’s Watermelon Pico De Gallo Recipe)

Salad #30 - Watermelon Salsa over Grilled Chicken and Greens

Ingredients

⅛-1/4 pf a watermelon, diced
3 peppers, diced (I used red, yellow and orange)
¼ red onion diced
bunch of cilantro chopped
juice of two limes
squirt of sriracha sauce
salt

Instructions

If you are a big cilantro fan, you can just mix the ingredients together in a big bowl.
If you are less certain about cilantro, start by mixing the watermelon, peppers and red onion in a large bowl.
In a food processor (I used a magic bullet) mix together the cilantro, limes, sriracha sauce and salt. Blend well. This will take some of the bite out of the cilantro.
Pour over the salsa and mix well.
Serve over your bed of greens with grilled chicken (and hopefully some kind of dressing).

Did They Eat It?

Stephen: Really good.

Nicky (17 months): loved the peppers and watermelon

Gordie (4 years old): loved the watermelon as long as it wasn’t part of the salad.

Dana: I found it a little bit bland because I didn’t use any additional dressing and had grilled the chicken plain. I would make this again, but would definitely use some kind of dressing. The salsa itself was great.

Salad #29 – Grilled Vegetable Salad with Greens and Mustard Dressing

September 7, 2013 by danawyyc 1 Comment

Summer is nearly over, but there is probably a few weeks of great grilling weather left. This salad is a perfect if it’s too hot to cook inside but you have some vegetables that you’d like to roast. If the weather is a bit cooler and the thought of turning on your oven doesn’t make you want to cry, the vegetables can also be roasted in the oven instead. Below, I’ve written down the vegetables that I used for my salad, but you could use any grilled vegetables you have on hand including zucchini or asparagus.

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Greens and Mustard Dressing

(Adapted from Cook With What You Have)

Salad #29 - Grilled Vegetable Salad with Greens and Mustard Dressing

Ingredients

2 medium onions
1 turnip
4 carrots
6 small beets red and yellow
2 large roasted red peppers (from a jar)
lettuce
parsley
2-3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Chop Vegetables into large pieces and coat with olive oil.
Mix the oil, lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until well mixed.
Heat your grill to about 400F. I found this to be about medium low on my grill.
Place your vegetables on your grill and cook until cooked through. Turning occassionally. If you are using more tender vegetables this may only take a few minutes, larger root vegetables may take up to 20 minutes.
Take the vegetables off the grill and chop into bite sized pieces. If you are using fresh peppers instead of jarred, place the pepper in a plastic bag for a few minutes to make it easier to take off the skin.
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, roasted chopped vegetables and dressing.
Serve and enjoy.

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Greens and Mustard Dressing

Did they Eat It?

Bronwen – Neat touch with the roasted greens

Anne – really liked it. Surprise to have roasted vegetables in a salad

Grandma Mary – I really liked the one with the beets. Those beets were so good.

Richard – very good. It seemed like there was something with a bit of kick in it too.

John – I filled up on the roasted vegetable salad. Very good. Never had it before.

Dana – This salad was delicious. I would absolutely make this again. One of my favorites so far.

Salad #28 – Orzo Salad

September 6, 2013 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

My friend Erin recommended this salad to me, in her words she blogs about “recipes (that don’t kill my husband) and crocheting!” over at Mrs Brits. She raved about how good it was and after making it myself I would have to agree. I used frozen peas and frozen corn, but it would be great with garden peas, snow peas, snap peas or corn kernels cut from the cob. The flavors are simple and will complement almost any meal. I love how it is so much lighter than your typical pasta salad.

Orzo Summer Vegetable Salad Recipe

(adapted from Healthy Alberta’s Orzo Summer Vegetable Recipe)

Salad #28 - Orzo Salad

Ingredients

2 cups orzo
1 red pepper chopped
½ cucumber or two mini cucumbers
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen peas
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
½ cup red or spanish onion (finely chopped)
1 lemon (zest and juice)
handful of parsley chopped (or mint or cilantro - I used parsley with a bit of mint which was quite nice)
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions

Cook the orzo according to the package instructions.
Drain, mix with a little olive oil and let cool in a large bowl. If you are using frozen corn and peas, it doesn't have to get right down to room temperature.
Mix the remaining ingredients with the orzo.
Serve cold or at room temperature. Keeps well for a couple days.

Did They Eat It?

Deb – nice and light compared to a lot of pasta salads

Grandma Mary – I liked it, but not as well as the one with the beets. [review to come]

Richard – very good.

Bronwen – Delicious. Perfect starch complement to the steak.

Nicky (17 months) – Liked the veggies from the salad but left the orzo alone.

Geoff (my special needs brother) – Loved it. Asked for more. Yay!

Anne – Really nice change for the starch.

Dana – This is a nice simple salad, but don’t underestimate it. It’s easy to put together and switch out the ingredients to whatever you have on hand. The orzo works really well – it didn’t get mushy even with a couple of days in the fridge. Perfect to make for a crowd.

Salad #27 – Potato Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

August 15, 2013 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I’m going to be honest. I am not a fan of cilantro. I don’t hate it as much as I used to, but I still generally substitute parsley or something whenever a recipe calls for cilantro. I had heard that when cilantro is all minced up, it is more palatable (for people who don’t already like it) so I thought I would give it a try. Surprisingly, the dressing was really good. I even had a couple other cilantro skeptics try it and they liked it too.

Potato Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Potatoes cut into bite sized cubes.

Directions

Boil potatoes until cooked through.
Drain the potato water and lay the cooked potatoes out on a tea towel to dry. If you rinse the potatoes or put the dressing on before the potatoes dry it makes it hard for the dressing to stick. It will be less of an issue if you are serving it immediately.
Put the potatoes in a large bowl and pour the dressing over the potatoes. Mix well.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

(adapted from Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette)

Salad #27 - Potato Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lime
3 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Cilantro
2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 garlic scape, or ½ Clove minced
Pinch of Sea Salt

Instructions

All ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Salad #26 – Kale Salad with a Bacon Vinaigrette

August 15, 2013 by danawyyc 1 Comment

I was looking for some ideas for out of the ordinary dressings and my friend Heather (who writes a funny parenting and design blog over at Home to Heather) suggested a warm bacon dressing. This sounded like it would be perfect for my kale, one of the few things that I actually managed to grow in my garden this year. I’m not sure whether this is what she had in mind, but it was delicious nonetheless. I ate this entire salad almost all by myself. It was even really good the next day.

Kale Salad with a Bacon Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

(adapted from Just a Taste’s Raw Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette Dressing)

Salad #26 - Kale Salad with a Bacon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 bunch kale
⅓ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
6 slices bacon (3 TBSP bacon fat reserved)
2 garlic scapes (or 1 clove garlic)
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
salt and pepper

Instructions

Chop bacon into small pieces and cook in a frying pan. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan and dispose of any remainder. Add a little olive oil if you are short on bacon fat. Let the bacon dry and cool.
Saute the garlic in the bacon fat for 1 minute over medium heat. Whisk in the vinegar, mustard and brown sugar and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant and just starting to brown. Stir constantly.
Wash, dry and stem kale. Then slice thinly.
Toss the kale with the dressing and add the seeds and bacon to the salad.

Did They Eat It?

Deb – lovely. one of the nicest ones I’ve had.

Nicky (17 months) – Loved munching on the kale leaves from the salad

Gordie (4.5 years) – Thought the bacon from the salad was okay but would be better without the dressing.

Dana – I thought this salad was great. I’m wasn’t sure if it would hold up the next day when I had pre-dressed it but it was still great though less crunchy.

Salad #25 – Chopped Garden Salad with Herb Dressing

July 20, 2013 by danawyyc 1 Comment

This year we’re getting a Summer CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from Eagle Creek Farms. In a CSA local producers sell shares of their produce with their community at the beginning of the season. This makes it easier for small farmers to continue to farm because the risk of bad crops is shared. Alberta can be a difficult climate to grow crops in so it’s particularly helpful where we live. In our first delivery, we received spinach, pea shoots, arugula, garlic scapes, radishes and a potted herb.

I’m also trying my hand at my own vegetable garden again this year. My results so far are a bit mixed but the herbs are growing really well so I decided to use them in a dressing. You could also put some of the herbs straight into the salad itself if you wanted to.

Chopped Garden Salad with Herb Dressing

(adapted from Katie’s Cucina’s Lemon Herb Dressing)

Salad #25 - Chopped Garden Salad with Herb Dressing

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients
6 cups fresh greens (I used pea shoots and spinach)
2-3 radishes
Herb Dressing Ingredients
Juice of 1 lemon (if you put it in the microwave for a few seconds it will release more juice)
lemon zest from 1 lemon
2 tsp honey
squirt of hot sauce like sriracha
⅓ cup olive oil
6 TBSP chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley, basil, oregano and thyme)
1-2 garlic scapes chopped (or 1 garlic clove or 1-2 green onions)
salt and pepper

Instructions

Wash and dry your greens and radishes. Chop all the greens and the radishes into small pieces. Mix together well.
Blend the dressing ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Alternatively you can chop everything finely and shake or whisk until blended.
Drizzle dressing over the vegetables and mix well. The dressing is bold so you probably won't need a ton - add a little at a time.

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (4 years old): Refused to try it.

Stephen: It was good.

Anne: Strong taste but in a good way. The salad really had bite.

Deb: Tastes like spring.

Bronwen: Liked it.

Dana: This would make a great side for dinner but I really enjoyed it as a snack.

Salad #24 – Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad

July 18, 2013 by danawyyc 1 Comment

Typical store bought pasta salads are loaded with mayonnaise or some other kind of creamy dressing and not much else. This one, on the other hand, is loaded with vegetables. Perfect for for a pot luck salad or as a main dish, you’ll feel great feeding this to your family.

My cousin made a salad similar to this one when I was at her house one day and I’ve been making it with a few variations ever since. Salsa is a perfect dressing for pasta salad and it couldn’t be easier. If you want it more gourmet, you can always make your own salsa but I prefer the ease of using pre-made salsa.

Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad

Salad #24 - Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 box whole wheat pasta (macaroni, corkscrew or penne all work well)
1 cup frozen peas
1 red pepper chopped
1 orange pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
½ cucumber chopped
1 jar prepared salsa (I like Tostitos Medium)
package of Canadian bacon, chopped

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Run under cold water to cool.
Transfer pasta to a large bowl and add chopped veggies (peas can go in frozen) and the Canadian bacon.
Pour salsa over the pasta mixture and mix well.
I find leftovers benefit from some extra salsa before serving.

Variations

swap out the vegetables for whatever you have on hand
swap out the Canadian bacon for another kind of protein – ham, imitation crab, chicken feta cheese or monterey jack cheese are all good options

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (4 years old): Loved everything about it. (this is one of the only salads Gordie has liked)

Nicky (15 months): Devoured the pasta and peas but left the peppers.

Stephen: Good.

Dana: This is one of my favorite easy supper meals. It makes quite a lot and so we usually even have leftovers for the next day.

Salad #23 – Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

July 16, 2013 by danawyyc 1 Comment

Since I started the 52 salad challenge. I have tried a number of vegetables prepared in ways I’m not used to – primarily raw vegetables that I have always had cooked before. This list includes beets, kale, and Brussels sprouts. So far, not one has been a disappointment. This salad is another example of that. Recommended by my friend Misty from Life Where We Are – this salad features raw zucchini.

Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

(adapted from Williams Sonoma’s Shaved Zucchini Salad with Almonds & Asiago)

Salad #23 - Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

Ingredients

Ingredients
1-2 small zucchinis
3 cups spinach
2-4 slices of prosciutto chopped or sliced
handful of almonds, chopped
few sprigs of parsley chopped
Dressing Ingredients
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 clove garlic minced
salt and pepper

Instructions

Whisk salad ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until well combined.
Peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler. Start on one side an then switch to the other. You can discard the middle portion if it becomes to difficult to peel.
Add zucchini and parsley to the dressing and mix well.
Put spinach on salad plates and layer with zucchini mixture. Top with almonds and prosciutto.

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (4 years old): Refused to try it.

Nicky (15 months): Liked the zucchini.

Stephen: It was good.

Dana: I really liked this salad. It was nice and fresh. It would be a good light lunch or a dinner starter.

Summertime Alberta Barbecue Beef on a Bun – The Canadian Food Experience Project

July 13, 2013 by danawyyc 6 Comments

It’s Stampede in Calgary this week so for this month’s The Canadian Food Experience Project challenge I decided to do BBQ Beef on a Bun. The Canadian Food Experience Project started last month on June 7, 2013, it aims to gain global clarity to what Canadian food really is through the participants‘ collective stories and experiences.

This month, the challenge was a regional Canadian food. In Alberta, beef is a natural choice – if there is one thing Alberta is known for, it’s beef. Barbecue beef on a bun is a Stampede staple – you can get all kinds of wild food at the Stampede from deep fried butter to deep fried oreos to deep fried… Well, basically if there is anything you have ever thought about deep frying, you can probably find it at the Stampede and a few more you hadn’t even considered. There are a lot non-deep fried options too but none of them feel like Alberta for me more than beef on a bun. (My friend Merry has also written up her take on Stampede food with her baked mini-donut muffins)

Despite the devastating flood in Calgary this year, only two weeks before, the Stampede went on as planned with a lot of hard work and a few modifications. This is especially remarkable because the Stampede grounds had been covered in water during the flood. I took this kids down one morning and there were only a few places where you could see evidence that there had been a flood at all. There is still a lot of work to be done to rebuild Calgary and the Saddledome is not currently operational, but it was great to see how well the City had pulled together.

Heading home after a fun morning at the Calgary Stampede

We didn’t have beef on a bun while we were there, (we might have had a corn dog), but I picked up a roast when we got home and started cooking. Cooking a roast might seem insufferable in the summer, but you can actually cook a roast on most barbecues even if you don’t have a rotisserie or smoker (although those are great too!)

Summertime Barbecue Beef on a Bun

(adapted from Best BBQ Beef Oven Roast in the I Love Alberta Beef Cookbook)

Summertime Alberta Barbecue Beef on a Bun - The Canadian Food Experience Project

Ingredients

Ingredients
4-13 lb oven or rotisserie style roast (inside round, eye of round or sirloin tip) The max size will depend on your barbecue size - you'll want it to easily fit on one side of your grill).
1-2 cups of salad vinaigrette - you can use bottled or home made. I used a home made sun-dried tomato dressing.
Buns
Barbecue sauce
Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove chopped
2 sprigs oregano
1 tsp honey
⅓ cup canola oil
½ cup water
salt and pepper

Instructions

Add vinaigrette ingredients to a blender or food processor until well mixed.
Pierce the roast all over with a fork. Stick in a large zip lock bag and cover with dressing. If your roast is too big for a large zip lock bag, you can use any kind of dish, but you'll need more dressing and may want to turn the roast a few times as it marinates. Let it sit in the fridge for around 12-24 hours.
Take out your roast and discard the marinade.
Place a drip pan underneath one side of the barbecue and turn the heat on the other side of the barbecue.
When the grill is hot, place the roast over the drip tray and close the lid.
Cook at 400 F or about medium high heat until a meat thermometer reaches 135-145F. Rotate roast occasionally for more even cooking.
Allow about 20 minutes per pound - check with a meat thermometer.
Remove roast to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Slice roast thinly.
Add roast slices to cut buns and top with barbecue sauce (we used Bull's-Eye which is the official BBQ sauce of the Calgary Stampede).

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Recipes

Roasted Yellow Beet Salad with Feta Recipe

Did They Eat It?

Watermelon Salsa

Did They Eat It?

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Greens and Mustard Dressing

Did they Eat It?

Orzo Summer Vegetable Salad Recipe

Did They Eat It?

Potato Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Directions

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Kale Salad with a Bacon Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

Did They Eat It?

Chopped Garden Salad with Herb Dressing

Did They Eat It?

Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad

Variations

Did They Eat It?

Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

Did They Eat It?

Summertime Barbecue Beef on a Bun

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