Summer Salad Frenzy

I have truly enjoyed finding one new ingredient to try using each month of 2014 and I am proud to say that July's ingredient was something I grew in my garden. It's pineapple mint.

Pineapple mint tastes exactly what you would expect a mint and pineapple fusion to taste like and I have no idea how anyone could have made it happen. It's fresh, bright, and delicious. And you might not believe me, but it's perfect with seafood.

The dish I made to first taste pineapple mint is a fresh summer salad and I know it's going to find it's way back onto my dinner table throughout August. It's too simple and perfect to serve on a warm day.

Spring Salad

Tomorrow is April 1 and I'm hoping that the nice weather I've been experiencing is no April Fool's Day joke. I've been loving the sunny, flower filled, gorgeous days so much that I've already started having a few summer salad dinners. And, boy, so those dinners make me happy!

I know I'm in one of the few cities in Canada that can say spring has arrived, but I think that one bite of this spring salad will begin to convince even those on the frozen east coast that spring is on it's way.

Not Just a Soup and a Sandwich

I bet you read the words "soup and sandwich" and wondered if this post would be worth reading. A soup and a sandwich is something you can get at a deli, or even some grocery stores, so why would you want to read a recipe for it?

Well, I am so glad you decided to keep reading because this is one of the easiest and tastiest soups I've ever made. And, just to make it a little more special, the sandwich I've paired it with is actually more of a crouton. It's a grilled cheese sandwich cut into tiny cubes that are floated on top of the soup. So, you see, I meant what I said when I told you that it wasn't just a soup and a sandwich; it's a little more special than that!

Read on for my recipe, inspired by a fennel soup recipe in Jamie Oliver's newest cookbook.

Soup for On-Terrible Weather

I just arrived back home after a visit to see my family in Halifax and Ontario. I had a great time seeing everyone, but I am not sure if I'm built for such a cold climate anymore. I did love seeing my family, skiing, bundling up and walking the dog on the ice, and of course the warm home cooked meals - but I couldn't get over the cold!

And since the best part of my visit, seeing my family, is something I could do anytime of the year - I think I might be making future trips home in the summer! 

If you're looking for a warm, home cooked meal to make for your family, try my version of Chatelaine's Leek and and Fennel Soup with Poached Haddock. My version is a littler healthier and easier to make, plus I've found a great use for my preserved lemon! 

The New Bolognese

I used to love a rich and hearty Bolognese sauce. I loved smelling it simmering on the stove and anticipating how comforting and delicious it would taste. And I thought that love affair was over when I stopped eating meat. Thankfully I was wrong. 

I just discovered this amazing recipe for a lentil Bolognese that is relatively quick to prepare and tastes just as good, if not better, than other beefy recipes I use to make. It was always slow cooking the veggies in the sauce that gave the best flavour, so I really shouldn't have been so surprised. 

The craziest part of this successful recipe is that I never thought I'd like lentils paired with pasta, I thought that any recipe that paired the two would be far too heavy. But I was again proven wrong, lentils and pasta are a match made in heaven. 

Don't believe me? Read on for the yummy recipe inspired by one from Clean Eating magazine.

En Croute

Anything covered in pastry sounds like a delicious dinner to me and when someone starts using fancy words to describe their food, en croute or compote, I get really excited. I am not sure exactly what it is about fancy foodie words that excites me, but I think it might be that I feel like someone has gone to a lot of work and I really appreciate that. 

Today's recipe sounds fancy, but when you use frozen puff pastry and realize that the list of ingredients isn't very long, you'll figure out that some fancy sounding foods aren't as complicated as you might have though. 

Read on for today's recipe, Saumon en Croute (or Salmon in a Puff Pastry Crust)...

Chock Full of Veggies

I know I've told you that I don't often stick with my New Year's resolutions, but with all the great vegetarian dinner ideas out there I am not having any trouble at all sticking to my resolution to eat meatless meals at least once a week. 

I actually barely even think about making sure I fit a meatless meal into my menu planning for the week. And yes, I do plan my meals every week. It's makes shopping easier and I only have to go once a week. I don't think that makes me a grandma, do you? 

Well, regardless of me being a grandma, this meatless meal is great because I bet you get close to your recommended amount of fruits and veggies in just one large piece. And you definitely get enough if you pair this pie with a fresh green salad. 

So... let's get making it!

FFood

I know what you're thinking, food has only one f....

But today food has two fs because my entire dinner consisted of food that began with the letter f or, to keep it simple, ffood.

Does it sound like Sesame Street is on? We're almost talking about food that begins with letter f too much!

I think we had better shelf this conversation for now and just talk about the actual food.