Mozzarella Panzanella

When is a celebrity going to name their kid Panzanella?  It's about time, right?  There is a human being named Reality Winner living amongst us, after all.  We could call her 'Zanella' for short.  Or him, I'm not trying to assume Panza would be a girl.    

What am I saying.  I'm so tired I don't even use question marks when I'm supposed to anymore.  I type nonsense about children being named after bread salads.  I blog once every 17 days (but don't worry, almost every day I have that moment when I'm not sure if I put on deodorant).

Let's be serious, though, and less gross, and talk about how underrated bread salads are.  A leafy green usually takes the spotlight when it comes to salads but in this case a crusty, crunchy bread is paired with sweet, juicy tomatoes, crunchy peppers and onions and a tangy, garlicky dressing.  I added loads of creamy mozzarella and some diced avocado to mine, because I win at life.  I followed Her Highness Ina's recipe, however this is a really versatile salad that's easy to throw together with a number of things in your fridge.  You can use store-boght croutons or toast up a nice sliced bread or baguette you happen to have on hand.  My favorite part of this particular recipe are the salty capers and the fresh basil - it's really the perfect summer dish or future name for your child.         

Recipe HERE.

Burnaby Self-Guided Farm Tours

With Tourism Burnaby and support from the City of Burnaby, we have developed and released a
self-guided map listing participating farms and nurseries that are
opened to the public within Burnaby�s Big Bend area.

Did you know that Burnaby has some of the most productive farm land in the region?



Did you know that there are a number of active farms, and related businesses, in South Burnaby that you can visit?



At last count, 43 farms were in operation in Burnaby, growing everything from cranberries to zucchini!



Take the whole family along on this self-guided tour of some of the agriculture sights of Burnaby�s Big Bend.



Visit Burnaby�s �country in the city� to shop for fresh local produce,
tour impressive greenhouses, meet some farm animals, and try some tasty
treats - all close to home! 

Participating Burnaby farms/nursery

• GardenWorks at Mandeville


• Sun Tsai Sang Farm


• Wing Wong�s Nursery


• Hop on Farms


• Burnaby and Region Allotment Gardens


• Leong�s Nursery


• It�s About Thyme Nursery


• Common Ground Community Farm

About Big Bend Community



It is a mixed-use community with various land uses such as parks, open
spaces, agricultural, residential and industrial. Big Bend is bounded by
Marine Drive (to the North) and located within Boundary Road to Fenwick
Street. The Fraser River runs south of the area.



Agriculture is a very important activity in the Big Bend area. It is a
significant producer of field vegetable production, in the Greater
Vancouver Regional District, following Surrey and Delta.  

Spring Produce on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

Tomorrow, I will be presenting these dishes on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Nadia Kidwai.  The produce is local and in season now, for the best flavours.  You can also enjoy fresh local produce all season with a share in a Community Shared Agriculture, or CSA, such as from Almost Urban Vegetables, also at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.


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Sorrel Chive Pesto
1 cup roughly chopped chives (Available at Almost Urban Vegetables at St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market)
1 cup roughly chopped sorrel leaves (Available at Almost Urban Vegetables at St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market)
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup grated parmesan reggiano or padano
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 + cup good olive oil
pinch salt, to taste

Grind up all ingredients to a paste.  Enjoy as a pesto, as an ingredient, as a sandwich spread, etc.  In pasta, try with chopped tomatoes to bring out the sweetness of the chives.  The lemony flavour of the sorrel makes it a great match for chicken, fish, and seafood.

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Apple Pear Chutney

4 cups chopped rhubarb (Available at Almost Urban Vegetables at St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market)
1-2 apples, cored and chopped

1-2 pears, cored and chopped

2 cups sugar (if you are looking for more diabetes friendly sweetener, try Stevia or Jaggery or Gur).

2 (+) tbs Ras el Hanout (Karenfood product at the St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market)

1-2 tbs vinegar

pinch salt

(Optional:  � cup water to get the cooking started)

Cook all ingredients in a large pot until all ingredients are soft and the liquid has started to cook off. 

Enjoy as a condiment, on a cheese board or in a grilled cheese sandwich, in tarts, etc.

S'mores Bark

In the last 10 days, we had 7 house guests, a 1st communion, a party with close to 100 people and a 3-day trip to California (complete with a redeye).  That's a lot of numbers, and if you add them together, it equals 1 brain-dead mom.  But guess what?  Even when you're incapable of barely anything, you can make this S'mores Bark.  It's the easiest thing, requiring 3 ingredients that you probably have in your pantry and the best part?  You can make your kids do it for you... 

That little blue girl was no help, however.  

Recipe here!  

Have a great weekend and Memorial Day... and thank you to the brave men and women who serve our country to keep us safe.

Outdoor St. Norbert's Farmer's Market is open! Asparagus on CBC.

This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Nadia Kidwai, I presented some wonderful local asparagus on Avocado Toast.  The Manitoba asparagus is available today at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market for their season opening at River's Edge Farm.  It is a pesticide and spray-free farm that specializes in asparagus and raspberries.

I've also featured some lovely Halibut Steaks in a Kerala recipe.  For a grilling option on this long weekend, treat yourself to a halibut steak.  The marinade is quite easy to prepare.  The wild caught Halibut steaks are available at Gimli Fish.

Green Toast
Nice bread slices.  I made this bread but there are great breads available at the St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.
1 avocado (one or two Haas, or a huge variety available at Dino's Grocery Market on Notre Dame)
Asparagus (In Season Now!  River's Edge Farm has them available today at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.)  I grilled the asparagus spears that I had drizzled with sesame oil and when done, I grated lemon zest on the spears and a pinch of salt

Easy Bernaise Sauce 

2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 sprig fresh tarragon
1 minced shallot
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Combine wine, vinegar, tarragon, onion, and black pepper in a skillet; bring to a boil and cook until almost all the liquid is evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in microwave until fully melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Place tarragon mixture, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper in a blender; pulse until combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Remove the small hole cover from lid; stream butter into egg mixture while blender is running until sauce is completely blended and smooth.

Assembly
Toast the bread and smooth avocado on top.  Place grilled asparagus on top of avocado and drizzle Bernaise sauce on top.  Garnish with fresh chives or tarragon.  

 Grilled Halibut Steaks, (Fish masala fry)

2 steaks Halibut (Now in season and available at Gimli Fish)
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/4 teaspoon ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon crushed pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed make paste with water (always
make paste with a little water)

Put all the ingredients onto a plate in a little pile.
Sprinkle over the vinegar and mix to a paste with the fingers.
Pat the masala evenly over the sides of the fish and marinate for minimum 1/2 an hour and better still for 4-5 hours.

When ready to grill, drizzle oil tablespoons oil on the fish and set the grill to high heat. Sprinkle the fish with a little(pinch) salt more on both the sides of fish , reduce the heat and add the fish. Increase the heat medium flame and cook for about 2 minutes on one side, then about 2 minutes on the other.


Enjoy!

Tater Tot Breakfast Burrito

I recently had a breakfast burrito in Los Angeles at an INCREDIBLE coffee shop called Alfred Coffee + Kitchen, but the burrito itself came from The Rooster Food Truck.   I ordered something named the 'Rico Suave' which had eggs, bacon, tater tots, avocado and a cheddar & cotija cheese blend.  Yes, tater tots.  TATER TOTS IN A BURRITO.  If you've never experienced the splendor of tater tots in a burrito, you should really (bonus points if you can name what children's book that line comes from).  Now that I'm back in the land of bagels and deli egg sandwiches (which there is NOTHING wrong with), I know I need to make my own Rico Suaves at home.  And I do.

I really do.

Here's how I do it:

Fry up a few pieces of bacon in a pan until crispy.  Remove and wipe out most of the grease.  In the same pan, add some tater tots (you don't even have to thaw them out) and fry until golden.  I like to smash them once they're soft enough which will help them crisp up.  Remove from pan.  Add your scrambled eggs (I always add cream to my eggs) and softly scramble.  Remove.  Layer your burrito with shredded cheddar, crumbled cotija, eggs, bacon, tots, and avocado.  Fold and then lightly grill in the same pan until the tortilla becomes lightly golden.  Serve with your favorite hot sauce!

Rosemary Greyhound Cocktail

Happy Day After Mother's Day!  I hope your Sunday was full of happy children, thoughtful partners and a few minutes of alone time.  Don't y'all think that particular holiday should be a week long?  Cause I do.  I also think I should probably not use "y'all" like I'm from the South, because I'm from Minnesota, and we say things like, "yah, suuuure, ya betchya."  I'm finishing off my Mother's Day as I type this, eating stove-popped popcorn and watching Guardians of the Galaxy with my kids who are snuggled up on the pull-out couch (and it's driving my son crazy that I have no idea what's happening in the movie).  I had a magical day that began with Carson letting me sleep in (until 7:30, my body is incapable of anything past that) and then walking downstairs to freshly delivered bagels and homemade cards and art projects from my kids.  What more could a mom want?  Other than a week-long all-expenses paid trip to Mexico with her friends.

Kidding (sort of) aside, it was a truly great weekend.  The kind that makes your heart feel full.  We had Flag Football Friday followed by a sushi dinner and a mother-son karate class on Saturday that I'm STILL sore from, followed by a lot of recipe testing at home.  In the middle of all the cooking, I tried out a new cocktail that will surely become a staple this summer.  Freshly squeezed grapefruit, earthy rosemary and a hint of homemade simple syrup made this beverage more than delightful!  

Y'all should try it out.  Ya betchya.           

Recipe here.