Tag: summer meals

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

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Tabbouleh is a popular traditional Middle Eastern side dish. The key ingredient for tabbouleh is finely chopped parsley, and lot’s of it adding freshness and bright flavours.

This tabbouleh is so light and refreshing, and perfect for when you want something healthy and fast. I think you’ll love it too!

Serves 4 – 6

  • 1 cup quinoa (I used tri-color)
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 bunch parsley (about 2 cups lightly packed), stems removed
  • 1 small bunch mint (about 1 cup lightly packed), stems removed
  • 1 small English cucumber diced
  • 2 stems of Green onion chopped finely
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry/grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
  • drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of 1 large lemon
  • mineral salt & cracked pepper to taste

Quinoa: In a medium size pot, bring water and quinoa to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, remove cover and let set for 10 – 15 minutes, fluff with fork.

Prep: In the meantime, finely chop your parsley and mint. Dice your cucumber, tomato and green onion.

Assemble: Once quinoa is ready, add in the parsley, mint, cucumber, green onion, tomatoes, drizzle of olive oil and the juice of your lemon, minced garlic and salt & pepper to taste, gently mix together.

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 – 6 days, in a covered container.

Enjoy!

Crispy Garlic and Chili Asparagus.

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I’m always looking for a good side dish. And there is nothing better in the summer than asparagus. This recipe has a little spice and is light and refreshing making it go with all your favourite meals, and it is also the easiest dish to make!

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
  • 5-6 small Chili peppers thinly sliced
  • A few sprigs of thyme
  • A bunch of garlic
  • 1 Tbsp of Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Add everything into a pan a fry in medium-high heat until fragrant.
  2. Once fragrant cover with a lid and turn to low heat. Cover until cooked to your desired texture.

Enjoy!

Cowboy Caviar

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A fresh, simple dip that can be thrown together in under 15 minutes!

Cowboy Caviar makes a great side dish for any picnic, potluck, or party, and is a great way to use up your summer produce!

Ingredients

  • 3 Roma tomatoes seeds removed, diced
  • ⅓ cup red onion diced
  • 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 can black eyed peas rinsed and drained
  • 1 ½ cups frozen sweet corn thawed
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed, diced into very small pieces
  • ⅓ cup Cilantro finely chopped

dressing

  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice fresh preferred
  • 2 tablespoons Chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon of cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Tortilla chips for serving
  • Combine tomatoes, onion, black beans, black eyed peas, corn, pepper, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss/stir well so that ingredients are well-combined.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, Chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  • Pour dressing over other ingredients and stir/toss very well.
  • Keep refrigerated. If not serving immediately, be sure to toss/stir well before serving.

Enjoy!!

Balsamic Tahini Vinaigrette.

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I crave salads all summer and dressing are really what bring everything in a salad together. This nice light dressing is perfect for a quick throw together salad in the summer.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp Tahini
  • 2 Tbsp of Olive oil
  • 1 Clove of Garlic Minced
  • 2 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp of Honey
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

Mix all the ingredients together well and add to your favourite salad!

Holiday Party Charcuterie Wreath.

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This is the easiest appetizer to make for any holiday part or even just to impress your guests on an evening in. This recipe you can make however many you’d like I’ll just provide the basics of what I put on the skewers.

What you need:

  1. Mini Skewers
  2. Mini Bocconcini
  3. Salami
  4. Chorizo (can be swapped for prosciutto or any meat of your choice)
  5. Stuffed Olives
  6. Cherry Tomatoes
  7. Basil
  8. Rosemary

Assemble however you would like and arrange on a plate. I specifically made a wreath for a Christmas party which was super fun and everyone loved it.

Enjoy!

East Coast Canadian Donair

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There is nothing better than cooking a dish from the country you live in! This East Coast classic is a must try as it has everything your tastebuds at craving. Sweet, sour, savoury and a little spicy. Once you try it you will be begging for more!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb of ground beef
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 12 oz evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar (or to taste)
  • 6 large pitas
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  1. In a bowl, mix together the ground beef, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Pack the meat into a thick loaf shape, cover, and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place the meat onto a baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour, flipping the loaf over halfway through cooking. Allow the meat loaf to cool so it holds together for slicing.
  3. Mix together the evaporated milk and white sugar in a bowl, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and then add the vinegar by teaspoons, mixing together after each addition, to taste the sauce will thicken. Refrigerate the sauce until serving.
  4. Slice the meat loaf into 1/4-inch thick slices, and brown the slices in a skillet over medium heat until both sides are brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per side.
  5. To serve, place several slices of meat into a warmed pita bread, and spoon about 2 tablespoons of sauce over the meat. Roll the pita bread into a cone shape, wrap in aluminum foil to keep the sauce from dripping out, and serve. Add me n diced tomatoes and onions for the authentic Donair experience.

Enjoy!!

Sweet and Smokey Mustard Pork Chops with Rosemary and Honey.

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One of my favourite ways to cook pork chops is with mustard as the base. And I have so much fresh rosemary in the garden I wanted to combine them!

Charred with the air fryer

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsps Kozliks Sweet and Smokey Mustard ( or any flavour you like)
  • 2 Tbsps of Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp of Honey
  • 1 clove of Garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp of thinly chopped fresh Rosemary
  • 6 pork Chops

Add all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Marinate the pork chops for an hour in the fridge covered in the sauce. Cook how every you would like. I air-fried ours at 400 for 30 mins flipping half way through.

Enjoy!

Chunky Greek Summer Salad.

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A nice light and healthy side option for your dinner or could be served as a starter on mini skewers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 red pepper chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 1.5 cucumbers chopped into 1 inch slices and then quartered
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/2 cup of sliced black olives
  • 250g of feta cubed
  • 1 shallot sliced thinly
  • 3 Tbsps of red wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbsps of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1.5 Tsp of oregano
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • Parsley to garnish

Add all of the chopped veggies into a big bowl. Add in the vinegar, oil, garlic, feta and oregano. Toss together and add in salt and pepper to taste and top off with parsley.

Enjoy!

Bahn Mi Hot Dogs

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Hotdogs are the quickest meal for a summer bbq and there are so many topping ideas so I thought I would combine two of our favourite things and make these delicious Bahn Mi hot dogs!

Quick Pickles

  • 3 carrots peeled and then grated
  • 1 cucumber thinly sliced
  • 2 jalapeños thinly sliced
  • 1 cup of vinegar
  • 1 cup of water
  • 2 tsps of sugar

In a bowl mix the water, vinegar and sugar. Add the carrots, cucumber and jalapeños to the bowl cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Sriracha Mayo

  • 1/2 cup of Mayo
  • 1-2 Tbsps of sriracha (depending on how spicy you want it)
  • 1/2 of a lime squeezed

Add all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

To dress the hot dogs

Take 6 hotdogs and place into 6 buns. Add on your quick pickled veggies and then drizzle over the sriracha mayo.

Optional: top with cilantro or sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Thai Basil Eggplant

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I can not say it enough… I LOVE Thai food! So much flavour and so many different things to eat! This is one of my favourite dishes when I get take out it’s spicy, refreshing and most importantly delicious.

Ingredients

  • 2 Chinese eggplants, cut in to 2 inch length
  • 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp chili bean paste
  • 2 tbsp of oil
  • 1 bunch Thai basil leaves
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp salt

Instructions

Slice eggplants in to 1 to 2 inch length.

Place eggplants in a bowl and fill with water. Add 1 tbsp of salt and either vinegar or lemon juice, and mix well. Allow it to soak for about 15 minutes. This helps keep the eggplants from browning and helps keep it more ‘purple’.

Remove from water, and pat dry with paper towel.

In a pan, add eggplants and soy sauce, chili bean paste, and sugar, and stir fry for about 5 minutes or until eggplants are cooked thoroughly.

At the very end, add the basil, and turn off the heat. Stir to mix well. This helps keep it green.

Add onto of rice or eat by its self!

Enjoy!