Salad #16 – Bacon, Grape and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing

May 14, 2013 by danawyyc 4 Comments

I had been looking to make a great tasting broccoli and grape salad. This salad is actually my second run. I made one earlier but without adding a little mayo (which most broccoli and grape salads have about a cup of) it just seemed to be missing something. This one definitely isn’t. I love this salad. It is my favorite one by far. I’ve already made it again for our Mother’s Day BBQ. You will not regret trying this one out.

Grape, Bacon and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing Recipe

(adapted from Jaimie Oliver‘s Broccoli Salad from Jaime’s America Cookbook)

Salad #16 - Bacon, Grape and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing

Ingredients

Ingredients
2 heads of broccoli
8 slices of thick cut bacon cooked and cut into small pieces (I often have some in the freezer that I take out and cut up)
1 large bunch of grapes
a bunch of fresh chives
Grainy Mustard Dressing Ingredients
½ clove of garlic grated finely
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Instructions

Cut the broccoli into small bit sized pieces. Cut the larger florets into 2 or 3 pieces. Blanch broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute. You want it to have just turned bright green. Drain the broccoli and let it cool and dry between some tea towels or paper towel. Transfer the broccoli to a serving dish or large bowl when it is completely cool.
Slice the grapes in half and chop the chives into small pieces. Add the grapes, chives and bacon to the broccoli.
Mix the dressing ingredients in a small container with a lid and shake well or in a small bowl and whisk. Add the dressing to the salad ingredients and toss to make sure it is well covered. Add about half to start. You want it well covered but there's no need to soak it.

Variations

swap the grapes for cherry tomatoes
Use green onions or chopped red onions instead of the chives
try dijon mustard instead of grainy mustard

Did They Eat it?

Gordie (4 years old): tried some of the bacon out of the salad after protesting a little

Nicky (14 months): Loved it.

Stephen: Weird but good.

Anne: Really good!

Bronwen: Ooh bacon. It was really good.

Richard: Liked it.

Erik: Unexpected. I liked it. I didn’t think the ingredients would go together so well. I would have it again.

Deb: So fun. Grapes and bacon in a salad.

Grandma Mary: Different. Really good.

Papa John: Excellent.

Salad #15 Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs

May 4, 2013 by danawyyc 3 Comments

This would be another great salad to make for a big group or a pot luck. It makes quite a bit. The first time I made it I accidentally used 1 1/4 cups of cooked rice. Which does not make a whole bunch, and kind of confused me until I figured out where I went wrong. This salad tastes best at room temperature so try to let it warm up a bit if you are serving it out of the fridge.

Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs Recipe

(adapted from Jaimie Oliver‘s Rice Salad from Jaime’s Food Revolution Cookbook)

Salad #15 Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients
1¼ cups uncooked rice (I used a mix of wild rice and brown basmati rice)
2-3 springs of fresh basil, mint and italian parsley
4-6 large roasted red, orange or yellow peppers or more if they are small
a few squirts of siriacha
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
zest of 1 lemon
Lemon Dressing Ingredients
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (stick it in the microwave for a few seconds to get more juice out of it
sea salt and black pepper
Directions

Instructions

Cook the rice and let cool. It's okay for the rice to be a little bit chewy.
Finely chop the herbs and peppers
Add the herbs and peppers to the rice and mix well.
Mix the dressing ingredients in a small container and shake until well mixed.
Add about ¼ cup of the dressing to the rice salad and a squirt of siriacha sauce.
Mix everything well, add more salt and pepper if needed and top with lemon zest.

Variations

swap the roasted red peppers for sun-dried tomatoes
try out some different herbs
instead of rice try barley, farro or quinoa

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (4 years old) – refused to try it

Nicky (13 months) – thought it was interesting

Anne – really tasty!

Bronwen – it’s delicious!

Geoff: asked for more

Stephen: It’s good.

Dana: It was good and makes a lot for little effort

Salad #14 Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing

May 2, 2013 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

My plan for this salad was to make a side dish type salad that used edamame and miso paste in the dressing. I came up with this salad:

But it was missing something. It was okay. But just okay. So I tried again and added some red pepper and swapped out the apple for golden raisins. (I also tried a different miso dressing but I thought it was kind of awful.) And it was better. But still not awesome. I had some left over chicken in the fridge from the Cafe Rio that I had made the day before, and some lettuce and thought that making it into a main dish instead of a side dish would be awesome. And it was.

Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing

Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing Recipe

(inspired by La Fuji Mama’s Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing on Endive Leaves)

Salad #14 Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients
2 cups edamame
2-3 carrots grated
handful of golden raisins
enough lettuce to made a salad bed (either ripped or shredded)
half to a whole red pepper sliced
handful of cashews
some left over shredded, diced or grilled chicken
Miso Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup miso paste (I used the kind based on brown rice)
¼ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
dash of siriacha

Instructions

Mix dressing ingredients together well. The miso paste might be a bit thick so you may want to use a whisk or food processor instead of just shaking them together.
Mix together the edamame, red pepper, carrots and golden raisin and toss with the dressing.
Layer the lettuce, then the edamame mixture, then the chicken and top with the cashews. Add more dressing if needed.

Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing

Have you ever had a blah recipe that you’ve managed to turn into a winner?

Books and Bites: Cafe Rio and 419

April 30, 2013 by danawyyc 8 Comments

This post is a little about books and a lot about a really fantastic dish called Cafe Rio.

I’ve always been a voracious reader. I’ve always considered myself to be a bookworm but it turns out I’m not as a big of a book geek as I thought. Until recently, I’d never met an author of a novel I’ve read. I’ve now met two, but failed to prove myself as a proper book geek both times. The first time I should have been prepared. I knew that Bradley Somer, author of Imperfections (a weird, thought provoking satire of the beauty industry that I both loved and hated – and yes I did tell him) was coming to our book club that month. But I forgot to bring my book and obviously didn’t get him to sign my copy of the book.

You might think that this would begin my learning process but you would be wrong. Even though one of the women in our book club mentioned that she knew the author of the book that was chosen (419 by Will Ferguson) and was going to see if he would be able to come, I still didn’t bring the book to our book club. Now, in my defence, I didn’t think he was actually coming but this is my only picture:

And no, I am not in that picture (Will Ferguson, is the guy in the centre of the photo). The book itself is not one that I would normally pick up I’ve been reading a lot of YA fiction lately but it is definitely a book worth reading. It centers around a Nigerian Scam nick named 419 from the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code and relates both the perspective of the Nigerians involved as well as the Canadians (the Canadian sections are set in Calgary). I found it really helped me to better understand how people get taken in by the scams as well as how heartbreaking it can be on both sides.

If you want to read more about Will Ferguson crashing my book club you can read my friend Heather’s post “The Time I Met a Giller Award Winner in my Pajamas”

Since I was unable to prove myself as book geek, I thought I’d centre my post on the amazing food that was served at our book club that night. (Which had absolutely nothing to do with 419 in any way. At all.) And I did not think to take a picture of it. So I ended up making it all again myself. It is definitely worth making, but it is a great meal to make for a crowd because then you can split up the work. It is not a trivial amount. The origins of this recipe are unknown to me. I got it from my friend Catherine who writes the blog The Dabels Divulge (which you should all go check out because she is hilarious) and she got it from her friend Angi.

I’m going to keep most of the recipe as it was given out for the book club and annotate it with any thoughts or changes that I made when I cooked it up myself.

Café Rio Recipe

tortilla shells
crispy tortilla strips
Romaine or other dark leafy greens chopped or shredded
Tomatoes, chopped
Cheese shredded
fresh limes to squeeze on top

Seasoned Chicken

Ingredients

5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 5 or 6 breasts and it made a ton of chicken)
1 large bottle Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 cloves minced garlic
Fresh lime juice

Instructions

Put everything but the limes in a crock pot and stir to coat. Cook on low 4-6 hours, or high 2-3 hours. ½ hour before serving, shred the chicken with two forks and add the juice from 2 limes. (I accidentally bought bone-in, skinless chicken breasts. Sometimes shopping with kids is not all it's cracked up to be. I do not recommend that. You will be picking out little pieces of bone for ages. I also missed that I was supposed to put the lime in last, but it still tasted great).

Green Chili Rice

Ingredients

3 cups of water
4 tsp. chicken bouillon (I used 2 large cubes- that make 2 cups of broth per cube)
1 clove minced garlic
1 can mild diced green chilis with the water
½ bunch chopped cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. salt
½ onion chopped
3 cups rice (not instant)
1 Tbsp. butter

Instructions

(I switched out the chicken bouillon and water for chicken stock. I'm pretty sure this should totally work, but I was using a different kind of rice than I normally do and ended up having to add a bunch more stock. You should be able to just swap it out 1 for 1 with however much water your rice needs).

Black Beans and corn

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1⅓ c tomato juice
1½ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
1 can of corn, drained

Instructions

In a nonstick skillet, cook cumin and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continue to stir until it is heated through. Add corn- if you choose. Stir in cilantro just before serving.
(I had somehow thought this didn't need to be cooked when I started putting it together. So I ended up just mixing everything together and then cooking it a bit. It was good but I found that there was a lot of tomato juice. I don't know if that would still be the case if you did it according to the actual directions.)

Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 can of diced green chilis
1⅓ cup sour cream
¾ cup mayo
½ bunch fresh cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
juice from 1-2 limes
⅛ tsp. Tabasco sauce (I added a bit more because we like it a bit spicy)

Instructions

Mix everything is a blender or food processor. Best if made the night before.

Putting It All Together

Layer everything on top of the tortilla. Or you could wrap it up like a burrito. Squeeze some extra lime on top.

I totally underestimated how much work this would be. If you are going to do it all yourself, I’d recommend doing some of it (like the dressing) a head of time.

Have you read Imperfections or 419? What’s your favorite dish to serve for a crowd?

Salad #13 Salmon Salad with Asparagus and Baby Potatoes

April 17, 2013 by danawyyc 1 Comment

When I told my son that I was going to make this salad, he was pumped. He started asking me a million questions – where are we going to get the fish? Are we going to catch it? Do we have a fishing pole? The reality was not quite as exciting, we were just using frozen fillets that were in our freezer, but he was still excited that we were going to eat fish.

He’s always quite liked fish, but I don’t make it that often. When the fish came out of the oven, he couldn’t wait to dig in and grab a piece. He was way less excited about the salad itself, but I loved it. It’s perfect for a starter salad, or a heart healthy light meal. I love to make it when entertaining guests because it looks fancy and impressive but is easy to put together.

Salmon Salad with Asparagus and Baby Potatoes

(Adapted from Williams Sonoma’s Salmon, Red Potato and Asparagus Salad)

Salad #13 Salmon Salad with Asparagus and Baby Potatoes

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients
1 lb. salmon fillet baked in the oven with lemons, salt and pepper
1 lb baby potatoes (waxy variety) boiled and sliced into rounds
1 bunch asparagus, touch ends snapped off, lightly steamed, and cut into thirds or quarters
Sun-dried Tomato Dressing Ingredients
2 TBSP sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
juice from 1 lemon (put the lemon in the microwave for a few seconds to get more juice out of it)
1 TBSP flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 TBSP fresh dill, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
½ tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
8 cups of mixed greens

Instructions

Blend or whisk the dressing ingredients together. The mixture will be pretty thick.
Toss the greens with a some of the dressing. Add a bit at a time, you shouldn't need a ton.
Gently toss the potatoes, asparagus and salmon with the remaining dressing.
Top the greens with the potatoes, asparagus and salmon.
Serve at room temperature.

Variations

Use dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes instead of oil packed
Use spinach instead of mixed greens
Add orange zest and/or chopped green onions on top of the salad

Did They Eat It?

Nicole (13 months): Loved the salmon and potatoes.

Gordie (4 years): Could not get enough of the salmon and liked the potatoes, but didn’t want anything to do with it as a salad.

Stephen: Good. I liked it. Looks impressive.

Dana: This salad is perfect for early spring when the asparagus and fresh spring greens are plentiful. It’s flavorful and filling. Sometimes fish can be bland, but this combination is definitely not.

Visiting the Smithsonian with Young Kids – Washington, DC

April 15, 2013 by danawyyc 15 Comments

The Smithsonian has always been kind of mythic for me. Something that I had always wanted to see, but never really thought that I would. Even thought I’ve been getting The Smithsonian Magazine (which I totally recommend) for a few years now, I hadn’t really realized that it wasn’t a museum. The Smithsonian Institution consists of 19 museums/galleries, 9 research centres AND a zoo in Washington, DC, as well as some additional facilities elsewhere, and has 168 Smithsonian affiliate museums.

It was established in 1846, with funds from British Scientist James Smithson, who had never actually been to the United States. He had left his estate to the United Sates to found, “at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” The Smithsonian Institution is now the largest museum and research complex in the world.

The institution was originally housed in what is now the Smithsonian Castle located along the National Mall. The Castle now contains the Smithsonian Visitor Centre with information about all of the different Smithsonian Museums. It would be a great place to start when you get to Washington and is one of the things that I left wishing we had managed to make time for. We only visited a fraction of the Smithsonian Museums on our trip – 5 to be exact. I’ve already reviewed 3 of them, so I’ll just mention them briefly before moving on to the 2 I haven’t mentioned before.

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

This was the museum that I had always wanted to go to. It’s perfect for kids – with exhibits featuring dinosaurs, insects, butterflies, mamamals, giant squid, rocks and minerals and much much more, you’d be hard pressed to find a kid who didn’t love something at this museum. You may also be interested in seeing my full review of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History)

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums

The Air and Space Museums were two of the most impressive places we visited while we were in Washington. The Air and Space Museum along the National Mall is full aviation history that you aren’t going to find any where else. They have the original Wright Flyer, the Mercury spacecraft in which astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, a real lunar module (that didn’t go to the moon), the Apollo 11 capsule that brought the first astronaughts back from the moon and so much more! The exhibits are well displayed with lots of interactive features and things you can touch. And you can even touch a piece of the moon!

The Steven. F. Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum is located near the Dulles Airport (one of the three airports that serve Washington, DC – 45 minutes from downtown Washington). It’s definitely worth the trip if you have a big aviation fan in your family or if you are flying in or out of Dulles. The museum is less polished, than it’s downtown counterpart, but it’s inventory is stunning. The main attractions are SR-71 Blackbird and the Space Shuttle Discovery. You may also be interested in seeing my full review of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museums).

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Location http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/
Address: National Mall – Washington, DC

Gordie’s Review (3.5 years): “The art is made of funny things”

Day Pass Cost: Free!
Food Services: None.
Age Range: 5+.
Stay Length: Probably only an hour or two if you’re going with kids.
Worth the Trip?: This would be a great pick if you were looking to introduce your kids to art.

Overall: The Hirshhorn is features contemporary art – you may not like the art that is displayed, but it’s hard to accuse it of being boring. We had a little extra time one afternoon so we stopped by. The museum itself is a work of art, it’s shaped like a doughnut and raised off the ground. Outside the Museum is a sunken Sculpture Garden.

We didn’t see much of the garden, but I really liked this sculpture. There is something perfect about a rubber stamp sculpture in Washington, DC.

The feature exhibit while we were there was ‘Ai Weiwei: According to What?’. Ai Weiwei is a contemporary Chinese artist whose work at this exhibit included sculpture, photography, installation, video and audio work. Not all of it made a lot of sense to me (and I didn’t have a lot of time to figure it out going through with two little kids) but some of it was really beautiful and other works were really interesting.

This installation work featuring the animals of the zodiac was outside the museum in the centre court yard.

The exhibit was fun to take Gordie to because the art was made up of so many different kind of materials. He enjoyed figuring out what the art was made of. He was a little younger than I would probably recommend the museum for, especially if your kid may be a little impulsive – there were a lot of things that kids may want to touch that they are not allowed to.

The hole in the log, made of wood reclaimed from destroyed temples, is in the shape of China.

This artwork was composed of a number of rectangular boxes. It wasn’t really much to look at, from a distance, but if you look through the holes you can see all the phases of the moon. Really cool.

The art in the front is a pile of crabs, the one in the back is a pile of rebar.

This was one of Gordie’s favorite sculptures.

Smithsonian National American History Museum

Location http://americanhistory.si.edu/
Address: National Mall – Washington, DC

Gordie’s Review (3.5 years): “I liked the train”

Day Pass Cost: Free!
Food Services: There is a Cafe and a Cafeteria serving sandwiches, American barbeques, soups, salad bar, burgers, pizza and desserts.
Age Range: 5+.
Stay Length: A couple hours to half a day depending on how many exhibits you want to see.
Worth the Trip?: Maybe. It has some cool pieces and some exhibits you’re not going to see any where else. It’s also undergoing significant construction at the moment.

Overall: The American History Museum wasn’t on our must see list either, but after our failed walk to the Lincoln Memorial (it was so windy and cold!) we decided to pick a few exhibits to see there instead. As compared to the other Smithsonian museums that we visited, this one felt more set up for school groups than the general public. The museum was undergoing renovations and we only had a couple of hours so we only saw a handful of the museum’s exhibits. Many of the exhibits pose questions to try to get you to think about a topic and consider the societal and cultural impacts of what’s being displayed.

The most impressive was seeing the Star-Spangled Banner Flag. This is the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812 inspiring Francis Scott Key to write what later became the US national anthem. It’s very fragile and no photos are permitted.

The next exhibit we went to see was FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000, I thought it was a really interesting topic but it was primarily presented with text and graphics so it didn’t hold my son’s attention for very long.

I thought it was really cool to see Julia Child’s kitchen though.

If you are going to the museum with younger kids, the America on the Move exhibit is probably a good pick because there’s lots to look at that would be of interest to them. Gordie and my husband really liked the section on ships.

The Dolls’ House is also usually a hit with kids.

The last exhibit we saw was American Stories exhibit uses different artifacts to examine the interplay between objects and stories, culture, politics, and economics, science and technology have shaped the United States. This exhibit poses many questions and asks you to reflect more than presenting information like in a more typical history exhibit. They have some really interesting pieces in this exhibit like Kermit the Frog and the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz.

Do you have a favorite Smithsonian Museum? Which one would you like to take your kids to?

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – Washington, DC

April 5, 2013 by danawyyc 10 Comments

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Location http://www.mnh.si.edu/

Address: National Mall – Washington, DC

Gordie’s Review (3.5 years): “I liked the dinosaurs”
Nicky’s Review (11 months): (signing) “Fish!”

Day Pass Cost: Free!

Food Services: Cafeteria/Cafes that focus on focus on local, all-natural, organic, sustainable, made from scratch food.
Age Range: All ages.
Stay Length: Expect to spend at least 2 hours, depending on your level of interest you could easily spend all day.
Worth the Trip?: No question.

Overall: There are going to be few kids who aren’t going to find something they’d love to learn about at this museum. This was the museum I was really looking forward to seeing. This was the museum that to me was the Smithsonian. So my expectations were unrealistically high. This is a great museum, but it is not all the best museums ever of all time rolled into one. Ifi you are looking for a great museum to learn about dinosaurs, bones, early humans, animals and much much more, this is a great place to go.

Gordie was most excited to see the dinosaur bones. If you’ve been to the Tyrrell Museum or the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, you may find it a little underwhelming. There is absolutely no shortage of bones at the Natural History Museum but only one room features dinosaur bones.

There is a nice variety and Gordie was suitably impressed. We went through the entire museum and this was hands down Gordie’s favorite thing.

Gordie (below) signing dinosaur.

There is a number of other rooms featuring prehistoric animals though and even one featuring prehistoric plants.

My favorite exhibit was the Ocean Hall. It was really well done with lots to look at, tons of information if you had time to stop and read, but even if you are going through with small kids, you feel like you’re getting something out of seeing the displays. It was also beautiful to look at and had some interactive features that Gordie really liked.

This exhibit also had the wow factor for me – they have a giant squid on display! There is not many places that you are going to see one of those.

More giant squid!

I love the lighthearted approach to some of their information signs too – “Why Do So Many Larvae Look So Weird?”

Seeing the deep sea explorer robot was pretty cool too.

They have an aquarium that looks like it is right out of Finding Nemo with clown fish and… dory fish and sea anemones. The kids were both so captivated that we ended up taking them to the Baltimore Aquarium just before we went home.

Look it’s Dory!

The Human Origins section was well done too. Gordie realized that the displays had things on them that we could learn, and he loved that he could lift, roll or slide something at each display and then make me read what it said. It did make him worry about death and dying which I wasn’t really prepared for though.

Gordie wearing his new explorer hat and learning.

The Hall of Mammals is pretty but I could have skipped it. There animals are grouped by region and well displayed if you are interested in looking at that though. It kind of felt like going to a zoo where the animals don’t move.

Upstairs they have a whole hall of bones which we basically ran through. The displays are pretty minimal -it might have been interesting to look at if we didn’t have kids with us.

The Insect Zoo was really cool. They had lots of different insects that you could see and even a few that you could touch managed by volunteers. Nicole was enthralled by seeing the grasshopper on the man’s hand (shown in the picture above). Gordie was nervous about going into the exhibit but in the end he let a caterpillar crawl across his hand.

Although most of the museum is free, a tour through the Butterfly Pavilion is not. Timed tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for children. On Tuesdays (when we happened to be there), it’s free of charge but you still require a timed ticket. Nicole LOVED the butterflies. Gordie was a little nervous so I was carrying him, and a butterfly kept flying around and landing on my shirt. He thought that was pretty funny but a little scary too.

We didn’t see much of the Gems and Minerals halls but we did see the Hope Diamond.

The Discovery Room had a lot of hands on things for kids that is open for them to explore. There are boxes with shells and bones you can touch, costumes, books and more. This is one area I wish we had been able to spend more time in. If you have kids with you I definitely wouldn’t miss it.

Salad #12 Avocado, Grapefruit and Mango Spring Salad

April 4, 2013 by danawyyc 1 Comment

With the beginning of Spring I wanted to come up with a salad that matched that feeling of freshness and renewal. (Alright, so I can still see snow in some places and the grass is still solidly brown, but I’m sure Spring will be here any day now.) This salad definitely fits the bill.

Avocado, Grapefruit and Mango Spring Salad with grapefruit balsamic dressing

Salad #12 Avocado, Grapefruit and Mango Spring Salad

Ingredients

bag of spring mix lettuce
1 avocado
1 grapefruit
1-2 alphonso mangoes (other varieties are fine, the small yellow alphonos are just my favorite and are in season right now)
sliced almonds
Dressing Ingredients
2 tbsp grapefruit juice (or you can use extra vinegar)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Instructions

Put all the dressing ingredients in a small container with a lid and shake until blended. (or you can use a bowl and whisk).
Put the lettuce in a large bowl (or multiple smaller bowls) and drizzle with a bit of dressing. You won't need a lot because the other salad ingredients are moist and flavorful.
Cut the mangoes, grapefruit and avocado into chunks. If you haven't cut a mango before it is worth looking up how.
Put the chunks of mangoes, grapefruit and avocado on top of the lettuce and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Variation

swap the lettuce for spinach

Did They Eat It?

Nicole (12 months): Loved the avocado and mangoes.

Gordie (4 years old): Ate the avocado and mango while we were making the salad but not as part of the salad. Found the grapefruit too sour.

Bronwen: Very springlike salad – nice mixture of flavors and texture

Stephen: Sweet and Tangy

Dana: This salad looks fancy but it simple to put together. It would be great for an Easter salad. Also, it’s delicious.

Salad #11 Southwestern Bean Salad

April 3, 2013 by danawyyc 3 Comments

I’ve been planning on doing a bean salad for a while. It’s hard to beat the healthiness of a bean salad, but some can make you really really notice that you are eating something healthy. This salad on the other hand is really fantastic. I’ve used parsley in place of cilantro, because I’m not a big fan of cilantro, but it would be great in this salad if you are.

Southwestern Bean Salad with a Slightly Spicy Dressing

(Adapted from Southwestern Bean Salad with Black Beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Peppers, and Cilantro by Kalyn’s Kitchen)

Salad #11 Southwestern Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 can black beans
1 can white beans (navy beans or white kidney beans)
1 red bell pepper, chopped small
1 green bell pepper, chopped small
1 cup frozen corn
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped (about 1 cup)
Dressing Ingredients
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground chipotle chile powder
Juice of 1 lime (stick it in the microwave for a few seconds to get more juice of it)
2 T white wine vinegar
6 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse and drain beans and pour into a large bowl. Add parsley and peppers and mix.
Pour dressing ingredients into a small container with a lid and shake until well mixed.
Add the dressing slowly to the salad - you probably won't need it all. (I did find adding a bit of extra dressing the next day to be helpful)

Variations

Use black eyed peas instead of the white beans
swap the chipotle chili powder for regular chili powder or ancho chili powder
swap the white wine vinegar for white or regular balsamic vinegar
Use cilantro instead of parsley for a more authentic flavor

Did They Eat it?

Gordie (4 years): Refused to eat it.

Nicole (12 months): Thought it was good. But not as good as blueberries.

Anne: Tasty even for people who don’t like spicy foods. It was just the right amount of tang.

Stephen: Way better when Dana put the extra dressing on. A little bland before. (Stephen had it the next day). Made bean salad like something you want to eat, rather than something your Grandma is making you eat.

Richard: Liked it.

Erik: I didn’t like it. But I don’t like bean salads as a rule.

Deb: I love a bean and corn salad.

Grandma Mary: I liked it. But I like beans anyway.

Dana: I love this salad. The dressing really makes it. It’s flavorful but not overwhelming.

Salad #10 Bacon Roasted Potato Salad with Kale and Tahini Dressing

March 28, 2013 by danawyyc 2 Comments

This is my absolute favorite potato salad of all time. It’s very unlike traditional potato salad. I tried it when I had some kale in the fridge and have made it again and again ever since.

Bacon Roasted Potato Salad with Kale and Tahini Dressing

(adapted from Dinner with Julie’s Garlicky Roasted Potato Salad with Wilted Kale and Tahini Dressing)

Salad #10 Bacon Roasted Potato Salad with Kale and Tahini Dressing

Ingredients

4-6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (save a little bacon grease)
2 lbs of baby potatoes cut into quarters
1 bunch of kale (remove the stems and cut the leaves into small pieces)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
¼ cup tahini
2-4 tbsp of water (if needed)
3 tbsp lemon juice
couple pinches of salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450F
Toss the potatoes in the bacon fat. (You can use olive oil if you'd rather)
Lay the potatoes out on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, add half the garlic and cook for 15 more minutes, until potatoes are starting to get crispy and golden. Stir occasionally.
While the potatoes cook, mix the water, lemon juice, tahini, half the garlic and the salt in a blender or small food processor until smooth.
Put the potatoes into a large bowl, and add kale while the potatoes are still hot, tahini dressing and bacon.

Variations

Skip the bacon and the bacon fat and use olive oil instead for a lighter salad.
Add grated parmesan to the potatoes half way through cooking
Use spinach or swiss chard in place of the kale

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (4 years) – enjoyed the potatoes and bacon before I put any dressing on it

Nicole (12 months) -loved it.

Stephen – Good. Tangy. Feels like I’m eating the top of a baked potato.

Dana – I cannot get enough of this salad. The leftovers are good right out of the fridge but it’s best served right away.

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