Supper From the Garden Part 2: Corn & Pea Salad

I am not a fan of the soggy 'garden salad' that you get served at restaurants with iceberg lettuce, carrot shavings and transparent tomatoes... But I love fresh homemade garden salads! One of my favourite salad ingredients is fresh corn because it lends a sweet and crunchy feel to the salad.

Ingredients: 

3 ~ Fresh Corn on the Cobs

3 ~ Cups Fresh Garden Peas (shelled they make around 1 1/2 cups)

1 ~ Handful of Basil, Minced Finely

4 ~ Leaves Romain Lettuce

1 ~ Tbsp Olive Oil

2 ~ Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar 

1 ~ Pinche Herbamare or Salt

Salad:

Wash the lettuce, shake dry, 2 pieces in each bowl to line the bowls. Shell the peas and cut the corn off the cob. In medium bowl, combine corn, peas, basil, olive oil, vinegar, and seasoning. Toss all the ingredients to mix together. Scoop the salad in the 2 small bowls. Can be saved in the fridge while you make the main course of the meal.

Serves 2

Supper From the Garden Part 1: Grilled Avocado Sandwich

Marli's Rows of Tomato & Basil

Marli planted 4 lines of basil in our garden and we keep taking the basil and it keeps growing back. We house the never ending basil plants.... Which gives us an excuse to eat basil all the time. If you have the same basil problem these this recipe might come in handy.

Ingredients:

2 ~ Pieces Whole Wheat Bread

1/2 ~ Avocado, Sliced Thinly 

1/2 ~ Tomato, Sliced Thinly 

1 ~ Small Handful of Basil, Minced Finely

The Sandwich: 

Place the avocado, tomatoes, and basil in between the 2 slices of bread. Grill in a George Foreman grill or in a frying pan for around 5 minutes when the avocado is warm. I make a lot of grilled avocado sandwiches in place of grilled cheese. I find that the melted avocado satisfies my 'grilled cheese' craving and tastes amazing!

Radish & Carrot Salad: Something Different

My Partner, Marli, built a garden for us this year and it is proving to be a flourishing and great success. The radish patch that she planted exploded and we had a ton of radishes all at once. We ended up making radish salad many different ways. This one is my favourite.

Ingredients:

2 ~ Bunches or Handfuls of Radishes sliced into rounds
4 ~ Carrots, Shredded
1 ~ Handful Fresh Basil, chopped
1 ~ Granny Smith Apple cut into Chunks
1/2 ~ Cup Walnuts Cut into Pieces
1 ~ Grape Fruit
1 ~ Tbs Walnut, Avocado, or Olive Oil
1 ~ Pinch Sea Salt

Salad:

In a medium to large salad bowl combine the radishes, carrots, basil, apples, and walnuts and toss to mix. In a smaller bowl squeeze in the grapefruit juice, add the olive oil, sprinkle in the salt, and mix together. Pour the dressing on top of salad and toss to mix. This salad can be made before hand and set in the fridge for an hour or two. If you want to be fancy you can save a few stems of basil and use them for garnish.

Serves 4 small salad bowls

French Toast: Sunday Morning Style

While My Mother and her Partner Saul were visiting, we made them a lot of food because they are the most active people I have ever met! We have used this recipe before for Sunday breakfast and used it while they were up and they really enjoyed it. If you are looking for an easy delicious weekend morning recipe try this one out... I doubt you will be disappointed.

Ingredients:

6 to 8 ~ Pieces of Bread (I prefer whole wheat bread)
2 ~ Cups Raw Unsalted Cashews
1 ~ Cup Almond, Hemp, or Soy Milk
2 ~ Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 ~ Tsp Cinnamon

Cashew Sauce:

Place cashews, almond milk, or milk of choice, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and the consistency of pancake batter.

 French Toast:

Drizzle oil in a medium skillet and put burner on to medium. Place the pieces of toast in batter and let the batter soak in. Scrape off excess batter and place toast in skillet. Cook on the one side until golden brown then flip and cook the other side. If you would like to keep them warm you can place the toast in the oven on a plate at 200 Fahrenheit. Serve Immediately with maple syrup, freshly cut fruit, or fruit syrup.

Saskatoon Berry Syrup

Saskatoon berries are everywhere in Prince George, along the paths and in the parks, and are in season right now. I use this sauce to put on my cashew French toast! You can use other berries such as blueberries if you cannot find goose berries.

Ingredients:

3 ~ Cups Saskatoon Berries
1 ~ Tbs Lemon Juice
1/2 ~ Sugar (I use organic Sugar Cane)
2 ~ Tbs Flour (I use whole wheat and it turns out fine)
1/4 ~ Cup Water

Syrup:

Put the berries, water, and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly for around 10 minutes, until the berries are broken down. Add sugar and flour into the pot and stir until thickened. Serve immediately onto French toast, pancakes, or ice cream. If you want to make goose berry pie you can double the recipe and use it as the filling.

The Colour Green: Avocado & Kale Smoothie

Whenever I feel like I need a pick-me-up I make a smoothie and my day usually gets better. This smoothie is particularly great when you want something green, tangy, and refreshing!

Ingredients:

1/2 ~ Avocado

3 ~ Cups Dark Green or Red Kale

1/2 ~ Lemon Squeezed for Juice

1/2 ~ Cup water

1 ~ Banana

Smoothie:

Wash and break Kale into pieces. Place all the ingredients in blender and blend until the mixture is as smooth as possible. This particular smoothie is not very sweet, it is tangier and packed full of good things.



Pizza A Little Different: Sun Dried Tomatoes & Herbs

While my Mother and her partner, Saul, came to visit it was like feeding two teenagers with their appetites! None the less, Marli and I were able to impress them with this pizza. It is a great excuse to use summer squash and basil from your garden!

Pizza Toppings:

1 ~ Small Summer Squash (I used zucchini) 
1 ~ Small Eggplant
1 ~ Green Onion
1/3 ~ cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
1 ~ Small Bag of Mozzarella Flavored Dia Cheese
2 ~ Small Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Dice summer squash and eggplant into large pieces. Place the pieces on a non- stick cookie tray, spray lightly with olive oil, and roast in oven for 30 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, cut sun-dried tomatoes and green onions into small pieces. This is also a good time to make the sauce. Smooth the sauce onto the pizza crust and place all the veggies on top. Finish with as much Dia cheese as you want. Place in oven for around 18 minutes or until the edges are golden. 


Sauce:

2 ~ Cups Fresh Basil
1/2 ~ Cup Cashews
1/3 ~ Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil
4 ~ Cloves Garlic
2 ~ Tsp Herbamare Seasoning (opt.) 
1 or 2 ~ Tbs Olive Oil

Put all ingredients in a blender until the sauce is a paste. Start with 1 tbsp of olive oil and add more if needed. Consistency should be a smooth smear-able paste without any bumps.