Summer Bean Salad

Having recently returned from cooking at a bed & breakfast in Vancouver, this was one of the recipes that I promised to post when I returned home. I have been making this salad, or a variation of it, at least a few times a week this summer. It's perfect for using up veggies and herbs that are kicking around this time of year. A handful of corn, fresh off the cob. New potatoes, boiled until just cooked. Green herbs from the garden... tarragon, basil or even mint. Here is the basic recipe - now run with it!

Alison & David Bentall are the wonderful owners of the Cherry Blossom Bed & Breakfast. Located near Southwest Marine Drive and 50th, their home and gardens are impeccable and the breakfasts match the beautiful surroundings. Check out their website and make sure to say hello for me! www.cherryblossombb.com

Summer Bean Salad

1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup finely chopped green onion

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)

Vinaigrette:

1 minced clove garlic

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

For the vinaigrette, combine the garlic, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk the oil into the other ingredients and whisk until everything comes together in a creamy consistency (this is an emulsion).

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad before serving.

Strawberry Pops

Back in early spring, I found a set of star-shaped popsicle molds. They make such dramatic looking popsicles, everyone loves to eat them. With the weather being so hot here, I thought, if not this week, then when?

These are so easy to make but they do take a little planning. This recipe will make about 6 popsicles, but it all depends on the size of the molds. When you want to serve the strawberry pops, simply run the molds under warm water until the popsicles loosen up and come away from the mold.

Strawberry Pops

3 cups fresh strawberries

1/2 cup berry sugar (instant dissolving sugar)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine all of the ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor or a blender. Puree the mixture until smooth. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Pour the mixture into individual popsicle molds. Freeze until firm.

Long Weekend Jello

There is something about a jello salad that screams summer. This is an old favourite given to me by my friend Kristin who, being American, makes this with the appropriate patriotic colours for the most American of all holidays, July 4th. Every time I make this jello it is incredibly popular with crowds of all ages. I think it has something to do with the creamy middle.

When I made the jello in the picture above, I started getting creative and tried a variety of different shaped jello servings. The feet were really cute, as were the hearts. If you are going to get creative with this jello, make sure it is well chilled beforehand, and don't even think about wasting the scraps. You will no doubt have family members who are willing to help you out with that!

Long Weekend Jello

Serves 8-10.

2 - 3 ounce packages flavoured jello* (choose your preferred colours and flavours)

2 cups half & half cream

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup sour cream

2 packages Knox unflavoured gelatin

1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons vanilla

Prepare the first layer: Make the first box of jello, according to the directions on the box, in the bottom of a glass 13x9 inch dish. Chill until firm.

Prepare the second layer: Heat the cream and sugar until warmed through, but not boiling. Dissolve the gelatin in a small dish with the water. Add the gelatin mixture to the hot cream and stir well. Remove from the heat and blend in the sour cream and vanilla. Allow to cool completely. Gently spoon the cooled cream mixture over the first layer of jello and return to the refrigerator until firm.

Prepare the third layer: Make the second box of jello, according to the directions on the box, and gently pour over the cream layer. Return to the fridge and chill until firm.

To serve, cut into 1 or 2 inch squares, or use a small, straight-sided cookie cutter to cut out your favourite shapes.

*For the jello in the picture, I used lime on the bottom and raspberry on the top.

Buckwheat, Banana & Blueberry Muffins at the Mount Albert Fair

This past weekend was the official start of the summer for me. The Mount Albert Sports Day Fair was on and I was in my element - at the baking contest!

After spending most of Friday and the early hours of Saturday morning preparing entries, I was well rewarded for my efforts. Here is what I had up my sleeve this year.

1st place - rustic bread loaf, bread & butter pickles

2nd place - buckwheat, banana and blueberry muffins, pumpkin pie, rhubarb custard pie, grape jelly

3rd place - apple pie squares, blueberry layer cake with banana mousseline buttercream

Besides being awarded with ribbons, there are cash prizes and a trophy which goes to the participant who has won the most prize money. Once again, I was beat out by one of Mount Albert's finest bakers, Evelyn M. One of the secrets to Evelyn's success, besides the quality of her entries, is the fact that she enters something in EVERY category. This can really boost your cash winnings, thus putting you in line for the coveted trophy. I know what I need to do next year to win that trophy. Look out, Evelyn! (Did I mention that she is in her mid-eighties?! It's the one's with all the experience that you have to look out for...)

These muffins were delicious and I loved the addition of the buckwheat flour instead of regular whole wheat flour (which can be substituted if you don't have buckwheat on hand). I seemed to have a banana/blueberry theme going this weekend. A great combination and with frozen blueberries, easily done any time of the year.

Buckwheat, Banana & Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12 large muffins.

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup butter, melted & cooled
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-spot muffin pan with paper liners.
Combine the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, honey, melted butter, and mashed bananas in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Quickly fold in the blueberries.
Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Sprinkle the demerara sugar on the top of each muffin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the muffins are light golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Spicy Lamb Burgers

These burgers have been on my family’s dinner menu all spring. Easy to make but special enough for company, I love serving them with a simple Greek salad and lots of yummy condiments (see list below). I don't always have all of the condiments ready to go in the fridge and there have been times that I have resorted to just plain ketchup & mustard. I can confidently say that whatever you top these burgers with, they will be delicious.

My secret for great flavour on the barbecue is charcoal. Not briquettes, but real wood charcoal. It can be a little harder to find, but it's worth the effort. Many people consider it a crazy waste of time to start a charcoal barbecue every time you want to grill something, but I completely disagree. With the chimneys that are available for starting the charcoal, the grill can be hot and ready in about 30 minutes. If you were presented with the choice of eating something grilled over charcoal or over propane gas, what would you honestly choose?

Grilled Lamb Burgers

Serves 4.

1 pound ground lamb

½ cup cooked rice (basmati or brown basmati are my favourites)

1/3 cup finely diced red onion
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 pitas or burger buns

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Form into four even-sized patties and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Heat the barbecue to at least 300F. Grill the burgers until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Toast the pitas or buns until golden.
Serve with a selection of condiments.

Ideas for topping Lamb Burgers

red onions

green or red leaf lettuce

tomatoes

tzatziki

hummus

feta cheese

goat cheese

pickled beets

tahini sauce

Rhubarb Sauce

The rhubarb in my garden has really taken off this year. I have been making all sorts of rhubarb-y desserts... cakes, pies, muffins, etc. I have even experimented with a rhubarb custard ice cream, but I think one more batch will be necessary in order to perfect this frozen delight!

With extra rhubarb leftover, I remembered the stewed rhubarb that my Mom used to make every spring. We used to love it and I wondered if my kids would feel the same way. I whipped up this sauce in just over 10 minutes and it was so good. Ellen, who is now 5, loved it. Gavin, at an argumentative 7 1/2 years of age, wouldn't touch it.

It crossed my mind that using orange juice or zest in this recipe would probably be a creative way to go. But I just don't agree that orange would make this any better than it is. The rhubarb is so full of it's own flavour, why mess with perfection?

Rhubarb Sauce

4 cups rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp water

Slice the rhubarb into 1/2-inch (1 cm) pieces. Place all of the ingredients into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Grilled Chicken & Applewood Smoked Bacon Salad

This is a real dinner salad and my take on the famous Cobb salad. Using the tastiest, freshest ingredients available delivers a salad full of flavour and goodness.

I recently overheard my local butcher telling another customer that they had applewood smoked hams for Easter. My thoughts ran to the unbelievably delicious applewood smoked bacon that Zingerman's sells in their famous Ann Arbor deli. Could it be the same bacon I remembered so well? I hopefully asked my butcher and he proudly informed me that they smoke their own hams and bacon with applewood, gesturing somewhere behind him, presumably to the smoker. Turns out, that local bacon was almost as good as my memory of the Zingerman's bacon (and that is a high compliment, to be sure).

For the chicken, it might be simpler to poach or bake the chicken breasts, especially if you have a charcoal barbecue. However, juicy, grilled chicken adds another taste to this uber-salad that you won't want to miss. Keep in mind, grilling an extra couple of chicken breasts the next time you are barbecuing is an easy way to have the chicken ready for dinner the following day.

Grilled Chicken & Applewood Smoked Bacon Salad

Serves 6.

2 chicken breasts, on the bone with skin

6 slices applewood smoked bacon

8 cups salad greens (a combination of green & red leaf, romaine, or bibb lettuce)

1 bunch watercress

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

3 tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 ripe avocado, sliced

1 cup feta cheese

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Heat the barbecue. Generously sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Slowly cook the chicken over indirect heat to avoid burning. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the grill and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the bone and skin; discard. Slice the breast meat into bite-sized pieces.

Cook the bacon until crisp (a 375 degree oven cooks bacon evenly and without all the greasy spatters).

Wash and dry the lettuces and watercress and place on a large platter. Artfully arrange the chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and avocado on the lettuces. Crumble the feta cheese over everything.

For the vinaigrette, whisk the lemon juice, mustard and garlic together. Slowly pour the olive oil into the lemon juice mixture until incorporated. Add the salt and pepper. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

Just before serving, drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss.