Watermelon Feta Salad

Watermelon Feta Salad

by | Jul 1, 2014 | Fruits, Kid-Friendly, Salads, Sides, Vegetarian

A beautiful red and white salad perfect for celebrating Canada Day.  It’s super fast – just cut up some watermelon, slice some red onions, and chop parsley.  Crumble some Greek feta cheese over top and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar.  It’s refreshing and the salty cheese, sharp onions, tangy vinegar all balance the sweetness of the watermelon perfectly.  Happy summer!

Watermelon Feta Salad | freshnessgf.com
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WATERMELON FETA SALAD

A beautiful red and white salad perfect for celebrating Canada Day.
Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Salad, Side Dish
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Keyword: cheese, egg-free, fast, fruits, kid-friendly, nut-free
Author: ness

INGREDIENTS

  • Watermelon
  • Some red onions (sliced)
  • Parsley (chopped)
  • Greek feta cheese (crumbled)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • It's super fast - just cut up some watermelon, slice some red onions, and chop parsley. Crumble some Greek feta cheese over top and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar. It's refreshing and the salty cheese, sharp onions, tangy vinegar all balance the sweetness of the watermelon perfectly.
Baked Tortilla Chips

Baked Tortilla Chips

by | May 15, 2014 | Kid-Friendly, Mexican/Tex-Mex, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegan, Vegetarian

I have a food-fession:  I am obsessed with nachos. I spent almost an hour stuck in traffic today talking about food with my carpool and I would say a good chunk of it was about our mutual adoration of nachos. We discussed different kinds of nachos, how to make the perfect nacho, where the best ones in town are etc. And you can’t talk nachos without immediately craving them real bad right?

toritillas on board

Both of us are trying hard to be healthy so we both decided against immediately pulling over to indulge in happy hour nachos. But wait, I think there’s a way to shave a few calories off nachos – bake your own tortilla chips. I know I know, you’re probably thinking ‘who does this stuff?’ and ‘gimme a break, why bake them when you can buy them already made?’ I thought the same thing. Actually it never even occurred to me that you could make your own tortillas without deep-frying them. That is until I saw an episode of Rachael Ray and there she was, baking her own tortilla chips and making it look super easy and healthy.

tortillas ready to bake

I tried it and hot damn, these things were good. Crispy, crunchy, and super easy, just like she promised. So here’s the recipe for you folks.  Happy nacho eating to all, and to all a good night.

tortilla chips on tray

Baked Tortilla Chips | Freshnessgf.com
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Baked Tortilla Chips

I think there's a way to shave a few calories off nachos - bake your own tortilla chips. I know I know, you're probably thinking 'who does this stuff?' and 'gimme a break, why bake them when you can buy them already made?' I thought the same thing. Actually it never even occurred to me that you could make your own tortillas without deep-frying them.
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: corn, dairy-free, fast, kid-friendly, nut-free, soy-free, tacos, tortilla, yeast-free
Servings: 2
Author: ness

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 Day old corn tortilla chips
  • Plain cooking oil
  • Sea salt (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray or brush each side of the tortillas with oil. Stack tortillas and cut into eighths. Place wedges in a single layer on baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Sprinkle with salt if desired.
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray
Hearty Chickpea Soup with Fried Rosemary

Hearty Chickpea Soup with Fried Rosemary

by | May 9, 2014 | Soup & Sandwiches, Vegan, Vegetarian

Let’s talk about soup baby, let’s talk about you and me.  Let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be (insert these 90s dance moves from Salt’n Peppa).

Okay, you probably know by now that I love soup but not all soups are good for you. Many of the tastiest soups out there are full of fat, cream, sodium, and hidden gluten. However, this hearty chickpea soup is easy, full of flavour and protein, and makes a huge batch so you can freeze some for later – perfect for busy folks.

spices

Also, this soup is vegan. There are no veganity-vioations in this soup, so if you are vegan, you can maintain your vegan powers. This soup is so great that regardless of your stance on eating milk, eggs, animal products, you will love it. Personally, I’m not a vegan but enjoy eating vegan meals fairly often.

roasted tomatoes

Roasting the tomatoes gives them until they are caramelized adds some depth of flavour to the soup. After they were done roasting, I just threw them in the pot with the stock and the rest of the ingredients to cook. While the soup was simmering, I fried up some rosemary sprigs in my tiny fraying pan and they shaped themselves into a little heart. So cute. I love fried rosemary leaves and they really add a little somethin’ somethin’ to this soup. What’s not to love about a tasty soup that fills you up without fattening you up?

fried rosemary heart

Hearty Chickpea Soup with Fried Rosemary | Freshnessgf.com
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Hearty Chickpea Soup with Fried Rosemary

Okay, you probably know by now that I love soup but not all soups are good for you. Many of the tastiest soups out there are full of fat, cream, sodium, and hidden gluten. However, this hearty chickpea soup is easy, full of flavour and protein, and makes a huge batch so you can freeze some for later - perfect for busy folks.
Course: Appetizer, Soup
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, tomato
Servings: 6
Author: ness

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

  • Blender or immersion blender

INGREDIENTS

  • 5 Plum Roma tomatoes
  • 6 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 large onion (diced)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chili for powder
  • 1 cinnamon stick (about 3" piece)
  • 3 cans chickpeas (14 ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise and place cut side facing up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft caramelized.
  • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add cumin, paprika, cinnamon, chile powder, and stir for 2 minutes to toast the spices. Add the chickpeas, roasted tomatoes, and stock and stir to combine. Bring to boil, then reduce to heat to simmer. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until chickpeas are soft.
  • Meanwhile, fry rosemary. Heat a small non-stick frying pan on medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the rosemary sprigs, 2 at a time, and fry until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to paper towel lined tray to absorb excess oil. Remove leaves once they're cool enough to handle.
  • Once the soup is done simmering, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Remove about a quarter of the chickpeas and set aside. Puree the rest of the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Add the reserved chickpeas back to the soup and add fried rosemary leaves. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Recipe adapted from Soup of the Day.
Avocado Beet Carrot (ABC) Salad

Avocado Beet Carrot (ABC) Salad

by | Apr 15, 2014 | Salads, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

I like happy things. This salad is a happy salad – it’s colourful, full of unexpected flavour, nutritious, and fast. What’s not to love? It’s bright and cheerful, just like my pal Jerrica who introduced me to this salad (and yes she is named after this gal).

Beets and carrots

Beets are so pretty, especially these candy cane and golden beets from my local market. Same goes for these purple and orange carrots. You can make this salad with normal beets and carrots, but these fancy ones happened to be available and well, I’m a sucker for pretty produce.

dressing

I was a little apprehensive when I first saw this original recipe for the salad dressing. Orange, balsamic vinegar, cumin, and lime zest? Together?  Definitely out of my comfort zone. But I trusted Jerrica’s recommendation and figured she wouldn’t steer me wrong. And of course, she was right.

salad close up 2

It turned out absolutely delicious. I loved every single bite. Not only was this salad super fast to whip up, it was E.A.S.Y. and satisfying too. It’s fancy enough to entertain with and filling enough for a light lunch. The avocado was nice and creamy against the crisp of the carrots and beets. The cilantro leaves added extra freshness and complimented the nicely balanced flavours of the dressing.

Now be warned, the balsamic turned the avocado a bit brown. Don’t be scared. It really adds amazing flavour and I wouldn’t substitute for a lighter vinegar just for aesthetics. Taste trumps pretty sometimes. Overall, this salad is colourful, unexpected, and delightful, just like the gal who introduced me to it.

salad with fork

Avocado Beet Carrot Salad | Freshnessgf.com
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Avocado Beet Carrot Salad (ABC Salad)

This salad is a happy salad – it’s colourful, full of unexpected flavour, nutritious, and fast. What’s not to love? It’s bright and cheerful, just like my pal Jerrica who introduced me to this salad.
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Snack
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: corn-free, dairy-free, egg-free, fast, nut-free, soy-free, vegetables
Author: ness

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 carrots (cut into 3 inch strips)
  • 2 beets (cut into 1 inch wedges)
  • 1 hass avocado (peeled, pitted and quartered)
  • 1/4 cups fresh cilantro leaves

Dressing

  • Juice from one orange (including some pulp)
  • zest of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons canola or sunflower oil or other neutral oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (plus more for drizzling)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Bring a medium saucepan filled halfway with water to boil. Add carrots and beets and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until beets are tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside.
  • While beets and carrots are cooking, prepare dressing. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add cooked and drained carrots and beets to dressing while they are still warm. Add fresh cilantro leaves and toss together to combine. Using a tong or slotted spoon, scoop out beets, carrots and cilantro and place on serving dish(es).
  • Add quartered avocado to the remaining dressing in mixing bowl and gently spoon dressing over the avocados. Gently place avocados on top of plated beets and carrots and spoon any remaining dressing over the avocado. Drizzle with extra balsamic and serve immediately.
If you use normal beets and carrots and boil them together, the beets will turn the carrots pink.  If this isnèt your thing, you can boil the beets and carrots separately.
Recipe adapted from Kitchen Experiments.
Grilled Haloumi & Fresh Herb Salad

Grilled Haloumi & Fresh Herb Salad

by | Apr 4, 2014 | Salads, Sides, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian

So last week I entered on a self-imposed Instagram food-venture called #saladweek. I wanted to kick-start some healthier habits and with the warmer weather nearing, I figured I’d put it out there and commit to a salad a day for a week. I don’t like eating the same thing every day, especially salad, so I got creative. And I’m happy to report, a new salad habit was formed in just a week.

That week was off to an enthusiastic start with a fridge loaded up with a ton of veggies and lots of recipes in my head. But, by day two, about 3 p.m. in the afternoon, I got ‘hangry’. That’s Hungry + Angry. A deadly combo. That arugula salad with strawberries was just not doing the trick. Actually, I’m not going to lie, I was hangry after that Greek salad on day one too. I ended up supplementing my light and healthy lunches with late afternoon chips. My bad. I didn’t realize I had to also pack a zillion healthy snacks during #saladweek. Lesson learned. Day 3 I loaded up with some potatoes and tuna in the no-egg Nicoise and the afternoon ‘hanger’ didn’t really happen. Day 4 got some wakame seaweed salad with my sushi takeout. Let’s call it a #humpday hiccup.

saladweek

Left: Grilled Haloumi and Fresh Herb Salad
Top Row L to R: Greek Salad; Arugula, strawberry, goat cheese, quinoa, and walnuts
Middle Row L to R: No-egg Nicoise, Roasted Brussels, charred cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and quinoa
Bottom Row L to R: Tuscan kale salad with currants and Parmesan, Mixed berries with coconut yogurt and cereal

By Day 5, something weird happened. I started craving salad. That’s when the two-a-day salad situation started. A salad at two meals was actually delicious and satisfying. I ended up doing 9 salads in 8 days, and there was only one day I didn’t have any salad. Not too shabby.

Haloumi is a semi-hard cheese, usually made from sheep’s milk (sometimes with goat and/or cow’s milk too) that can be grilled. Warm cheese in a salad is amazing. You must try. This was probably my favourite salad from #saladweek.

What have I learned from #saladweek?  Let me share:

  • Have a game plan before you go grocery shopping (a general idea of recipes, ingredients will keep you from running to the store every night)
  • Pack snacks… LOTS of snacks
  • Make sure to include some protein
  • A mix of textures, colours, and flavours keeps it interesting (and probably more nutritious)
  • Make enough for dinner and lunch for the next day if possible
  • Be creative and have fun

So now that #saladweek is over, I’m no longer doing salad every day. But I am eating a lot better and healthier than I was before #saladweek. I have so many more new salad recipes to share with you, and hopefully, it’s inspired you to try eating more salads too.  Salad-spiration.  And just to clarify, that sounds like Salad + Inspiration NOT Salad + Perspiration.

PS – For pictures of what I’m eating/cooking, follow me on Instagram here.

haloumi salad

 

Grilled Haloumi and Fresh Herb Salad | Freshnessgf.com
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Grilled Haloumi and Fresh Herb Salad

Haloumi is a semi-hard cheese, usually made from sheep’s milk (sometimes with goat and/or cow’s milk too) that can be grilled. Warm cheese in a salad is amazing. You must try. This was probably my favourite salad from #saladweek. Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a light starter salad.
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Keyword: cheese, corn-free, egg-free, fast, mint, nut-free, soy-free, vegetables
Servings: 2 starter salads
Author: ness

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 ounces haloumi cheese (sliced 1/4" thick)
  • 1 medium zucchini (cut in 1/4" thick slices)
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley (roughly chopped)
  • 2 sprigs fresh mint (leaves rough chopped)
  • Canola oil
  • Flaked sea salt and pepper to taste
  • Sumac and sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 garlic clove minced
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat grill pan to medium high heat. Lightly brush zucchini with oil and grill on each side for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly browned grill marks appear. Set aside. Lightly brush haloumi slices with oil and grill on each side for 1 to 2 minutes, until lightly browned grill marks appear.
  • Meanwhile, combine dressing ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add a small pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Add arugula and fresh herbs and toss to combine. Add grilled zucchini and haloumi and gently mix to combine. Divide the salad between plates, making sure to evenly distribute the cheese. Garnish with sesame seeds, and sumac if desired. Serve immediately.
Sumac is a middle Eastern spice that tastes like lemon. Optional of course, but totally delicious if you can get it.

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