Panzanella Salad

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

When tomatoes and basil are this fresh you can’t go wrong with a Panzanella salad, so simple, few ingredients and yet the flavours are just bursting with freshness.

Juicy tomatoes, bursting with flavour, basil out of the garden and naturally, a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio while preparing it all.

These amounts are rough, use whatever you have on hand that is fresh:

Grilled bread, cut into bite size pieces (or use home made croutons – well seasoned)
fresh tomatoes, cut into about the same size piece as the bread
1/3 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
1/4 cup roasted red pepper slices, diced
fresh basil, torn

Dressing:
1 tbsp capers
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup really good quality extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In serving bowl mix dressing ingredients together, taste and adjust seasonings ….

Stir in all the other ingredients, mix well and allow to sit for 30-45 minutes to allow flavours to blend.

The combination of olives, capers, and fresh tomatoes along with the texture of crispy crunchy bread is absolute summer perfection.

Warm Kale Salad

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

I wanted to credit Joni for this delicious salad – served warm or at room temperature, but she insisted I give the credit to her sister Brita, who originally came up with this – regardless of who gets credit, I will happily take it now as I post it and recreate it in my own kitchen! So delicious, and like lots of salads it is easy to adapt with whatever you have on hand or in your fridge.

This delicious salad is equally great served warm or at room temperature.

Kale (chopped and massaged)
spinach
pears (bite size pieces)
dates (diced)
almonds (roasted and roughly chopped)
feta

onion, garlic, asparagus & cherry tomatoes

Saute onion until translucent, then add garlic and asparagus and cook only until asparagus is tender crisp, add cherry tomatoes, stir and remove from heat.

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup Bragg’s
salt and pepper to taste – be cautious with the salt tho as both feta and Bragg’s will be a bit salty

Combine all ingredients – tossing in a large bowl with warm onion/garlic mixture and dressing.

This salad is so delicious and packed with nutritious bites that it can easily be a full meal – if you like add shrimp or cooked chicken, maybe a little quinoa??

Jewelled Salad

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

The key to this salad is colour and texture. Make sure you use some fruit (pomegranate seeds are awesome), and lot of different textures. Try a variety of techniques in your vegetables also – some grated, some julienned, some sliced – you get the idea.

Beautiful, right??

Add a cooked protein and you have a simple, whole meal.

We’ve been lucky enough to have Lorellei bring this to a few family dinners now, and it has definitely become one of our requested salads. If you can’t get sumac in your area, grate in a little extra lemon zest.

DRESSING

1/3 cup very good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon (juice of)
3 tsp soy sauce
3 tsp honey
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp sumac
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Blend all ingredients well and taste – adjust seasoning if needed.

SALAD

Just suggestions really, come up with your own ideas ..

spinach
kale
red lettuce
colorful peppers
cucumbers
beets
carrots
radishes
red onion
toasted slivered almonds

Summer Ratatouille

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

I always think of a ratatouille as a long stewed vegetable dish. When the summer vegetables are at their peak, or even just starting to wane -that flavour is fresh and delicious.

Summer Ratatouille

Tonight’s version included;

olive oil
1/2 cup sliced onion
2 garlic cloves
1 cup each chopped zucchini, cauliflower, eggplant and tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in olive oil until well softened and starting to turn a golden colour. Add zucchini, cauliflower, and eggplant. Saute until vegetables are starting to soften – move vegetables over to the side and in a little hot spot add a wee bit more oil, along with the garlic and tomato paste. Allow tomato paste and garlic to cook a bit, then stir into the vegetables. Add basil, salt and pepper.

Mexican Chicken Salad

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

Last night I made a couple of beer can chickens with a smoky rub …. enough left over that I thought it would make a perfect Mexican Chicken Salad tonight! This would be a great vegetarian dinner, just leave out the chicken….

Dressing:
1/2 tsp Mexican Chile powder
1/2 tsp Chipotle Chile powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried mustard powder
1/4 tsp dried chile flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 minced garlic cloves
Blend well and slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup grapeseed oil.

Taste it (with a sliver of lettuce) and adjust your seasonings to your preference.

Make a green salad packed with all your favorite ingredients, ours tonight included:

red leaf lettuce
roasted corn
garden peas (uncooked, and shelled)
roasted baby spring onions
cucumber
red and yellow peppers
toasted pumpkin seeds
toasted slivered almonds
(I wish we had avocado but there weren’t any available that were perfect..)

Garnish with:

shredded white cheese
cooked and shredded chicken
crushed tortilla chips
croutons
cooked and cooked Mexican rice
(Mexican rice is easily made substituting the liquid in your rice recipe with chicken stock, a bit of tomato paste, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.

We love salads like this – arrange the toppings around the salad and everybody gets to build their own at the table.

Cold Peanut Noodle Salad

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

Cook 1 pound Chinese noodles (chow mein style) – drain and rinse.

Whisk together:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Sriracha sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp fish sauce

juice of 1/2 lime

2 tbsp grated ginger

1 clove garlic – minced

Blend well, and set aside.

Chop up an assortment of your favorite vegetables – about 3-4 cups worth for 1 pound noodles.

Tonight’s included: red & orange peppers, snow peas, thinly sliced baby bok choy, slivered radishes, minced chives, and bean sprouts,

Toss everything together with the dressing.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, cilantro and fresh basil.

Backstrap Venison ….. Thai style!

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

We had the good fortune to have backstrap venison grilled at our good friend Rob and Mandy’s ….Rob being the hunter … and further good fortune as they sent us home with the leftover, rare grilled venison. It was amazing the first time, and just as fabulous as a “leftover” … repurposed as a Thai style salad.

The instructions for this are VERY loose. It involved what I call creative cooking, or clean out the fridge.

Pan roast some peanuts, and if you are fortunate enough to have a mortar and pestle, grind them up a bit with about 1 tsp chili flakes (obviously to your taste). Add tamarind, palm sugar (2 tsp?) freshly squeezed lime juice, light soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, roasted sesame seeds and even a bit of peanut oil. A little of this, a little of that. Keep doing that until your taste buds sing and you can hardly wait to dress your salad.

Thinly slice red onion, and pour boiling water over. 10 seconds later, yes, TEN SECONDS, pour the water off – add a bit of kosher salt, a few chili flakes, and cover with freshly squeezed lime juice …. (if you run short top it up with regular vinegar)

Cook up a few ramen noodles, or rice noodles, or whatever you have on hand.

Lay the cooled noodles over a serving platter, and build your salad on top of that with whatever strikes your fancy. (and is in your fridge) Add some thinly slivered protein – i.e. the venison, or you could use cooked chicken, steak, and prawns. Again – totally up to you! (and if you are looking for a vegetarian option – do some tofu!)

Top with the quick pickled red onion, some of your roasted peanuts, sesame seeds – and although I didn’t have any today – I would have loved some bean sprouts and fresh cilantro over it all …..

Roasted Butternut Squash & Onions

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

Peel butternut squash and cut into 1″ cubes

Slice sweet onion thickly (or try red onion!)

Turn squash onto baking sheet (I like a clay sheet) drizzle lightly with olive oil, dust with salt and pepper.

Roast at 425 until just fork tender – 30-45 minutes.

Remove from roasting pan, drizzle a very little bit of extra good quality olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Horseradish Beets

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

This beet dish is great as a side dish for so many different meals – one of our favorites!

Pretty simple:

cooked beets (I prefer roasted but steamed or boiled work well too)

equal portions horseradish and dijon mustard

squeeze of lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

garnish with thinly sliced green onions and parsley

I don’t usually peel the beets unless the skins are really tough – just give them a good wash and either roast or boil.

Once cooked, combine all ingredients – this can be quite spicy if you use a lot of horseradish and dijon – try it out and see how much you like it!

Grill Roasted Pasta Sauce

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

I love the flavour that comes out of the vegetables right out of the garden – give them a grill before simmering this pasta sauce and you will be treated to that flavour all winter long.

30 roma tomatoes, halved

12 cloves garlic, peeled

5 small onions, unpeeled and sliced very thick

3 sweet red peppers, whole

Grill all vegetables until you get nice grill marks and the garlic and onions are soft, lightly browned. As soon as the sweet peppers are charred, put them in a ziplock bag or a tightly covered bowl and allow to steam for 15 minutes – remove the skin and seeds.

Put all tomatoes with the vegetables in a large pot and simmer until tender.

Add:

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp chopped fresh or dried oregano

3 tsp white sugar

3 tsp salt

Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer just until all flavours have had a chance to blend well. Make sure to taste it and adjust seasonings if you need a little more.

Either freeze in freezer safe containers, or process in hot water bath.

To preserve in hot water, canning bath – fill jars to within 1 inch, cover with hot seals and rings. Process in hot water bath 35 minutes for pints.

This recipe makes about 7 pints.

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Tag Archives: vegetables

Panzanella Salad

Warm Kale Salad

Jewelled Salad

Summer Ratatouille

Mexican Chicken Salad

Cold Peanut Noodle Salad

Backstrap Venison ….. Thai style!

Roasted Butternut Squash & Onions

Horseradish Beets

Grill Roasted Pasta Sauce