RECIPE: Green Beans with Bacon & Mushrooms

Fresh-from-the-garden green beans are hands-down, my favourite summer vegetable. I even have a favourite variety (Slenderette). Unfortunately, this year I have the worst green bean crop I've had since I started growing green beans. The critters really went to town on them and I lost a lot of my plants in the early going. Despite a replanting to try and help offset the damage, I still have a scanty supply in comparison to a typical year.

These are the types of situations where I'm glad I don't have to rely 100% (or anywhere close to it!) on the food I grow myself to feed my family. While beans from the grocery store or farmers' market aren't going to compare to the ones from my garden, it's better than having none at all!

As you might suspect, when green beans are in season, we take full advantage of it and eat a LOT of them. While they're wonderful simply boiled or steamed til tender-crisp and seasoned with a little salt, pepper and butter, if you're looking to up the ante a little and put an impressive-looking side on the table with your midsummer meal, this is a delectable combination, indeed. So good that there was *very* little left over of that generously full pan in the picture after the four of us had at it.

Ingredients:

1 lb green beans, trimmed

4-6 strips of bacon

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

½ lb mushrooms, sliced

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Instructions:

• Cook the beans in a saucepan of boiling water for about 5 minutes (they should still be crisp). Drain and set aside.

• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium frying pan until crisp; remove to a paper-towel lined plate. If there is more than 2 tbsp of bacon fat in the pan, drain some of the fat. Return the pan to medium heat and saute the onion, garlic and mushrooms in the bacon fat until tender; season with the salt and pepper.
  
  
• Add the green beans to the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes longer or until beans are tender; crumble bacon over top and serve.

Serves 4

I shared this recipe at Full Plate Thursday.

This is just one of the many simple, delicious and inexpensive new recipes featured in my August menu plans. Go HERE to find out more about them - more brand new tasty, family-friendly dishes are on the way for the September edition.

Are you a huge green bean fan, too? What is your favourite way to serve them?

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Frugal Superfoods #2: The Amazing Avocado

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

I'm long overdue for another installment in my Frugal Superfoods series. Way back in May, I kicked things off with my post about the wonders of the humble green pea.

This time I'd like to shine the spotlight on one of my favourite foods: the amazing avocado.

I came to this wonderful food rather late in life. Nary an avocado passed through the door of my parents' house when I was growing up, and I had never even tasted guacamole until well into adulthood. To be honest, I can't recall exactly when or where I had my first avocado experience, but after doing the research for writing this post, I'm really glad that I usually eat half an avocado several days per week!

In my area, 5 packs of avocados routinely go on sale for right around $3, sometimes $2.49, and occasionally even closer to $2. That means I'm generally paying about 50-60 cents per avocado. That's less than half the price of a candy bar, while packing in an amazing list of health benefits.

Avocados contain an impressive array of nutrients: Monounsaturated fats, potassium (surprisingly, more than bananas by weight!), Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, folate, copper, plus a whopping 11 grams of fibre per medium avocado.

They have also been shown to have a wide range of health benefits:

Eye health: They are a good source of lutein, a carotenoid which helps protect against eye disease.

Weight loss/maintenance: Some studies have shown that people who eat avocados weigh less than those that don't. One reason for this may be that they're high in oleic acid, a fat that activates the part of your brain that makes you feel full.

Increased nutrient absorption: Some studies have shown that adding 1 cup of avocado to a salad can boost absorption of lycopene and beta-carotene 200-400%!

Decreased risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease: There is strong support for avocado's role in helping prevent these all-too-common diseases.

Cancer prevention: Avocados contain a wide range of beneficial phytochemicals which are known to prevent cancer. In addition, some interesting research has shown that avocados can actually encourage the death of cancer cells while promoting the health of normal cells - that's pretty cool :)

Anti-inflammatory properties: A number of the nutrients found in avocados are anti-inflammatory, which means they can help prevent or minimize symptoms of diseases like arthritis.

If all that wasn't enough, they're pretty darn tasty, too! In addition to the standard guacamole dip, there are plenty of other ways to incorporate avocados into your meals:

• As a topper for soups and chilis (I love them on my Black Bean Chili)

• Add slices to sandwiches and burgers

• Toss them into almost any kind of salad (green, grain or bean-based)

• Tuck them into an omelette or add them as a garnish for scrambled eggs

If you want tons more ideas for ways to incorporate avocados into your cooking, check out the recipe page at the California Avocado site,

Do you have a favourite way to eat avocados?

 

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Frugal Superfoods #1: In Praise of Peas

 

 Photo by adamr/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It's always interesting to see what food will be deemed the next "superfood" and become heavily marketed and highly priced. Right now Goji berries seem to be all the rage and they are staggeringly expensive (over $65 a kilogram around here - crazy!!!)

While I'm sure Goji berries have their merits, there are many humble, inexpensive foods that are extremely nutritious that we seem to overlook. I thought I'd start a little series highlighting some of my favourites in the "frugal superfoods" category. If you have a particular food you'd like to nominate for inclusion in this series, let me know.

I'm kicking things off with a nod to what has to be one of the least valued foods I can think of, considering what a nutritional powerhouse they are! While everyone is busy exonerating the spring asparagus, another spring green vegetable - the pea - is quietly coming into season as well.

Peas have an awful lot going for them: They are very inexpensive year round (I can pick up a 2 kilogram bag of frozen peas for well under $5), they are super convenient (frozen peas can be tossed into soups, stews, and casseroles straight from the freezer with no peeling, chopping or slicing required), and, interestingly enough, they are one of the few vegetables that may be more palatable when purchased frozen than fresh (Bon Appétit magazine has deemed the frozen ones are usually tastier, unless you get fresh ones straight out of the garden). And to top it all off, they are packed with nutrients, too! 

Those unassuming little peas contain an array of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, iron, potassium and zinc.

As if all that weren't enough, peas also provide generous amounts of protein, fibre, and omega-3 fats, as well as an impressive assortment of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds (some of which are found almost exclusively in peas!)

Don't you think it's time we started appreciating these little green orbs just a little bit more? Now that the warmer weather has arrived, one of my favourite ways to feature peas is in this classic Layered Salad.

Do you have a favourite way to serve peas in the spring and summer?

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Getting Ready to Grow (While There's Still Snow!)

For those of us enjoying the frigid temperatures we're getting in my neck of the (figurative) woods (not to mention bracing ourselves for an impending snowstorm), it's hard to believe that we should be thinking about what we're going to grow this vegetable gardening season. Even though our "last frost" date is around the Victoria Day weekend (the Monday preceding May 25th), there is plenty to be done to get ready for the upcoming season!

Here are a few ways you can "get your grow on" while you wait for spring to arrive:

Check out a Seedy Saturday or Seedy Sunday event near you

These events are a great way to connect with other local veggie gardeners, swap seeds, purchase seeds and supplies from local vendors, learn about resources in your area (such as community gardens) and take in an educational workshop or two.  Information on the Hamilton event on February 24th is available here.

Sign up for a community garden plot

If you don't have space to grown food on your own property, now is the time to search out a community garden near you. We're very fortunate that there is a wide selection of community gardens in my city (a directory is here). You can usually track them down by Googling "community garden" and your city or town. The great thing about community gardening is that you can learn from more experienced gardeners growing in the plots around you! Many community gardens also host educational workshops to help you improve your food-growing skills.

Check out some food growing resources from your library

I've been growing some of my own food for well over a decade now, and I still consider myself a relative novice. There is always more to learn (especially if you want to maximize your yields in small spaces!) A classic book that is perfect for beginners is All New Square Foot Gardening, Second Edition: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More In Less Space by Mel Bartholomew. I'm planning to expand the herb selection in my garden this year, so I'll be poring over Tammi Hartung's Homegrown Herbs: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying More than 100 Herbs (yes, those are Amazon affiliate links).

Join (or start) a produce cooperative

If you're interested in swapping your surplus garden bounty with other local backyard vegetable gardeners, consider becoming a member of a produce cooperative if there's one in your area. If not, it's easy to start your own! You can read more about my own experience starting a produce cooperative, or check out the group that got this grassroots movement rolling!

Get those seeds started!
Once you know what you're going to plant, you can get seeds started if necessary (a lot of veggies, like greens, beans and squash can be directly sown into the soil once planting season starts). You can even reuse your toilet paper rolls as seed starters!

Have you started thinking about this year's vegetable garden yet?

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My World Is Awash in Local Produce!

August can be so bittersweet. On one hand, there's no denying that there are only a few precious weeks of summer left. On the other hand, the growing season has hit its peak, and we are surrounded by a sea of delectable, fresh local fruits and veggies.

This is what my garden cranked out for me during the week we were away:

 

Sweet million and yellow pear cherry tomatoes, yellow sweet peppers, jalapenos and a whole whack of green beans! These green beans are absolutely fantastic - really tender and flavourful, and the plants are yielding extremely well. They're a variety called "Slenderette" and the seed package description states "Slender, dark green, stringless 5" pods on vigorous plants. Slow fibre development." This is the first year I've planted this variety, and at first I was a little concerned about how long it was taking them to mature - it seemed like forever before they started to flower! They are supposed to be 57 days to maturity, which I think is a bit longer than other varieties. They are WELL worth the wait, however, and I will definitely be planting them again next year.

My produce co-op is also yielding a large bounty of locally grown goodies. At our last exchange in mid-July, these were the contributions:

 

Kale, Swiss chard, purslane, green beans, garlic chives, rhubarb, sage, basil, oregano, onions, garlic, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, Portugal hot peppers, sweet peppers, parsley and rosemary.

As if all that weren't enough, all the local markets and grocery stores are flooded with local produce as well - sweet corn, peaches, zucchini, broccoli, and more! 

This abundance of seasonal produce is also reminding me that I'm way behind on my canning schedule this year. I'm still hoping to get zucchini relish, sweet pickles and dills put up before the sea of tomatoes comes in and I need to spend a whole day making salsa! Plus I'm tucking a whole lot of grated zucchini into my freezer so I can make plenty of Chocolate Zucchini Muffins all winter long :)

Are you as inundated with fresh local goodies as I am? What are you doing with it all? 

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RECIPE: Pork with Cabbage, Apples and Onions

With all this mild weather we've been having, my thoughts have definitely been turning to asparagus. Unfortunately, despite the fact that spring is in the air, it will be a while yet before we see any local asparagus. In the interim, I have been trying to find new ways to use that trusty frugal winter vegetable staple: cabbage.

I've made this recipe several times now and it's been eaten very enthusiastically by all members of my family. The apples and onions really take away any bitter edge the cabbage may have and it doesn't have that overly "cabbagy" taste or smell that can happens with some cabbage-intensive dishes. This is also a great way to use up any apples that might have gotten a bit too soft or onions that are starting to sprout.

This a a very flexible recipe and the suggested amounts are just a rough guideline, so feel free to use a bit more or less of any of the ingredients!

Ingredients:

3/4 - 1 pound cubed pork roast
1 tbsp butter
3 medium onions, sliced
3 apples, chopped
3-4 cups sliced or chopped cabbage
1/4 cup light cream
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a large frying pan, brown the pork in butter. Add the onions, apples, and cabbage and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pork is fully cooked and cabbage is tender. Add cream and salt and pepper to taste; simmer a few minutes longer and serve.

We like this served over rice or Coconut Rice (p. 199 in my book).

Serves 4-6.

Want more tasty cabbage recipes? Try these:

African-Style Vegetable Stew (vegetarian; p. 161 in my book)
 Colourful Cabbage Salad (p. 207 in my book)

How Is Your Garden Growing?

Today it's supposed to get up to 33 degrees Celsius (it's already 25 at 10 a.m.). After the cold, rainy spring we've had, some warmer weather is more than welcome (although today will be a little on the hot side for my taste!)

I'm sure no one is looking forward to the arrival of real summer weather more than the plants in my veggie garden. They've been valiantly struggling along, surviving cool temperatures, high winds, and nearly half a dozen heavy rainstorms in the past couple of weeks. Despite all the adverse conditions Mother Nature has doled out, it looks like just about everything's going to pull through, although harvest dates may be a little later than usual this year.

My strawberries look happy in their new raised bed home. The raspberry patch was encroaching on their former garden space, and since I wanted to encourage further raspberry growth (you can never have too many raspberries, can you?) I got my hubby to build me a raised bed off our patio so the strawberries could have their own special space in the garden.

 The parsley, basil and purple basil all look to be growing well. Behind the herbs are my arugula and spinach, which have been straggling along but are finally looking like I might be able to harvest them someday!

 This bed has oregano, mint and garlic chives, which are all growing robustly. I just transplanted the oregano this spring (it was over by the old strawberry patch getting choked out by the raspberries). It's definitely thriving in its new home. If you look closely, you can see the purple leaves of a few lettuce plants just forming beside the chives.

 These are my pepper plants, which, frankly, don't seem too thrilled about life right now. I'm hoping a few days of heat will perk them up. The plants closer to the bottom of the photo are jalapenos; the ones on top are sweet red peppers, the Gypsy variety that's my favourite. I have more pepper plants in my other raised bed (behind the arugula and spinach), including a yellow sweet banana pepper.

 This is one of my Roma tomato plants in a raised bed (I have 4 Roma plants in there, plus two more seedlings that we're building planters for right now)

 This is one of my cherry tomato plants (Sweet Million variety). It's been growing like gangbusters ever since I brought it home (I swear it practically doubled in size in the 48 hrs after I planted it!) I have 3 of these plants, plus 3 yellow pear tomato plants (my husband's favourite) in various pots and planters in sunny spots on our patio and deck.

My raspberries are starting to flower! All four of us consider raspberries just about the best summer treat going, so I've been thrilled that the 3 raspberry canes I planted about 3 years ago have spread to cover an approximately 12 foot by 4 foot area of my garden. Go raspberries!

I also planted some zucchini in the same bed as the strawberries - it hasn't germinated yet, thus no photo. I haven't planted my green beans yet, either. I'm determined to get to it in the next day or two - fresh-from-the-garden green beans are my favourite summer vegetable.

What's growing in your garden?

RECIPE: Layered Salad

If you're looking for a simple-to-prepare yet elegant side dish to tote along to an Easter gathering this weekend, I highly recommend this layered salad. Everyone always "oohs" and "aahs" over it whenever I take it anywhere, and once they dig in, there's usually not much left over. Use the fanciest glass bowl you've got to assemble this, and you'll be assured "showstopper" status :) If you don't have any fresh herbs on hand, they can be omitted, but they definitely add that little something special to this salad.

Ingredients:

1 head leaf lettuce, shredded
1 cup shredded carrots
1 medium red pepper, chopped
2 cups frozen peas
6 green onions, sliced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, chives)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions:

In a large glass serving bowl, layer the lettuce, carrots, red pepper, peas and green onion (in that order). Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and herbs (if using). Spread evenly over top of salad. Cover and chill overnight. Sprinkle with bacon just before serving.

Serves 8.

I shared this recipe at Recipe Swap Thursday and Full Plate Thursday.

RECIPE: Fish Au Gratin with Honey-Orange Roasted Root Vegetables

My younger son loves fish, so I'm always looking for different ways to serve it. It's not something I grew up eating, so I have to experiment a bit more than usual. This recipe was a big winner and the roasted vegetables are a satisfying companion to this dish. I roast the vegetables first because they take much longer to cook, then lower the oven temperature and put the fish in for the last 20 minutes of cooking time.

To make the fish:

Ingredients:

1 – 1½ lbs whitefish fillets

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

½ tsp each salt and pepper

¾ cup grated cheddar cheese

½ cup breadcrumbs

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add flour and mix until well coated with fat. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper and continue to stir until sauce has thickened.

Put a few spoonfuls of sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7” baking dish. Arrange fish fillets over top. Pour remaining sauce over fish, spreading evenly to completely cover. Sprinkle cheese on top of sauce, then sprinkle breadcrumbs over top of cheese.

Bake at 400°F for 18-20 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Serves 4.

To make the roasted vegetables:

Ingredients:

6-8 cups root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, parsnips) peeled and cut into 1” chunks

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp honey

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Instructions:

In a large baking dish, arrange the vegetables in a single layer. In a small bowl, combine the oil, orange juice, honey, ginger, poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables, turning to coat evenly. Roast at 425°F for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring halfway through cooking time.

Serves 6. 

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday, the GCC Recipe Swap, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Favorites and Seasonal Sunday.

Making the Most of...Your Jack O' Lantern

Jack o' lanterns are one of my favourite things about Halloween - I enjoy them even more than the costumes. Checking out the spooky creations the neighbours come up with every year has always been a highlight of taking the kids trick-or-treating (the above photo is one of my husband's creations from a few years back when SpongeBob reigned supreme at our house).

The other thing I love about jack o' lanterns is that once you're done with them, you can eat them! While sugar pumpkins are the ideal type for eating, the large pumpkins sold at Halloween will still make an acceptable puree for use in baked goods (I've even made a respectable pumpkin pie with mine!)

Here's how to get the most eating out of your Halloween pumpkin:

1. When carving the pumpkin, scoop the soft "goop" into a clean bowl so you can save the seeds. After carving, take time to rinse the pulp away from the seeds. Once the seeds are thoroughly cleaned, they are ready for toasting.

2. Once you're done with your jack o' lantern on Halloween night, bring it inside (to protect it from pumpkin-smashing teenagers). Use it to make pumpkin puree the next day.

To make toasted pumpkin seeds:

I like to do mine on the stove top as I find it's the quickest and easiest method. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat then add the pumpkin seeds (the frying pan should be "dry" - do not add any fat or oil). Stir the seeds constantly until they are golden brown and pop open. Sprinkle the hot seeds with salt and/or other desired seasonings, then spread out on cookie sheets to cool thoroughly. Once they're cooled, transfer to an airtight container for storage.

To make pumpkin puree:

Cut your pumpkin into large chunks and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet or large baking dish. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the pumpkin is good and tender. Let cool to room temperature, then peel off the skin and puree in batches in the food processor (you can use a blender or mash by hand if you don't have a food processor, the food processor just makes the job a lot quicker). Freeze in 1 cup portions.

This puree can be used in muffins, quickbreads, pancakes, etc. If you have a favourite way to use pumpkin puree, I'd love it if you'd share it in the comments.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The Final Harvest of the Season?

We still haven't gotten a frost here yet, but I know it'll be coming soon! Unfortunately, the weather's been cool and wet for the last week or so, making it difficult for me to get out in the garden and tend to the last of my vegetables.

I managed to get out and harvest these end-of-the-season goodies:

-a few skinny stalks of rhubarb (my plant's still young; this is only its second growing season so the stalks are much smaller than that of a well-established plant)
-a basketful of Roma tomatoes, mostly green (these will be left to ripen gradually as I don't have enough to make a batch of green tomato mincemeat or relish)
-two red peppers and 11 jalapenos (that brings my jalapeno total up to 52 off one plant this year!)
-a handful of green beans
-roughly 3-4 dozen cherry tomatoes (still "on the vine" behind the baskets)

There are still a number of sweet peppers left on the plants that I'm hoping will finish ripening before the frost comes. I may get a few more jalapenos as well (there were some half-sized ones that I left on the plant). I'm hoping the cherry tomatoes will ripen for me, I'll have to wait and see what happens!

I also have some arugula and spinach (planted at the end of August) that may yield a small harvest if I'm lucky. They got nibbled on pretty heavily by our friendly urban wildlife. Currently they're nestled under a blanket of agricultural cloth to protect them from critters and potential frost. If it ever stops raining, I'll go out and see how they're doing. I still haven't brought my herbs in for drying because of the wet weather, either.

Here's hoping for a few sunny days before the frost comes so I can maximize my use of this year's garden bounty!

Wistfully Winding Down My Veggie Garden

Yesterday was a gorgeous day here in Southern Ontario: warm and sunny, a one-day burst of summery weather. Wandering around my garden yesterday afternoon, it was hard for me to believe that the dreaded first-frost date was approaching. For my area, that date is said to be October 13th, just three weeks from today! Oh, tell me it's not true...

Doesn't it look beautiful? The garlic chives are flowering, and the peppers are busy changing colour (I love the contrast between the initial pale yellow and the final deep red). That's a big clump of mint in front of the peppers. You can't see the green bean plants in the photo; they're at the back, closest to the deck.

While production has certainly slowed down, I'm still harvesting a reasonable amount:

I picked another 14 peppers off my jalapeno plant, bringing the total so far to 41 peppers from ONE plant. It never ceases to amaze me how productive one hot pepper plant can be (I've read about harvests of over 200 peppers from one plant before!) My second planting of green beans is still chugging along, and I picked another three quarters of a pound or so. I hope to get at least that much again before the frost hits (if we get another day or two like yesterday, that would certainly help).

My tomato plants have really slowed down. I'm still harvesting a handful of cherry tomatoes here and there, and leaving the rest of the romas on the vine as long as I can (when I hear a danger of frost in the weather forecast, I'll pick all the remaining tomatoes and let the green ones ripen on the windowsill).

I've also got some spinach and arugula starting to grow:

The nice green healthy looking stuff is arugula; the yellow and brown bits are leaves from the black walnut tree that's just behind our back fence. I'm constantly picking them off so they don't smother my baby plants!  While I think the greens have been nibbled on by some critters, I hope to get a harvest before the snow flies if I baby them along a bit. I've covered them with some agricultural cloth to protect them from both the snacking animals and the frost (it can be up to ten degrees warmer under the cloth than the outside air temperature).

I also have an abundance of herbs in my other garden bed and I want to get some of those cut and dried before frost hits. I got started yesterday by drying a couple cookie sheets worth of parsley in the oven. I have a lot more parsley out there, plus basil, purple basil, mint, chives and oregano. Unfortunately, it's raining right now, so I'm going to have to wait for everything to dry out before I bring it in!

What's happening in YOUR fall garden?

Make it from Scratch: Zesty Cheese Sauce

 Image by Suat Eman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm starting a new series today featuring basic recipes that all frugal cooks should have in their repertoire. This cheese sauce can be used in a variety of ways (I'll show you two of them once we get through the basic recipe).

Zesty Cheese Sauce

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
2 cups grated cheese (we use either all old cheddar or half cheddar and half mozzarella)

In a medium sized, heavy bottom saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add the flour and stir until well coated with butter mixture. Slowly add the milk, stirring as you add it to prevent lumps from forming. Add dry mustard,Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir over medium heat until sauce thickens, then add cheese and stir until completely melted into sauce.

That's it! (Wasn't that easy?)

Two great ways to use it:

1. Mac and cheese:

Cook 2 cups of macaroni noodles until al dente (you should have about twice as much once they're cooked). Stir into cheese sauce and pour into glass lasagna dish. Mix about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese together in a small bowl. Add about 2 tbsp or so of olive oil or melted butter and mix well with a fork until crumbs are all well moisted (add a bit more fat if you need to). Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over top of macaroni (I smooth the top out gently with a fork afterwards). Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

2. Cheesy Vegetable Bake:
When making the cheese sauce, saute 1 diced red pepper along with the garlic and onions. Finish the sauce as directed. Cook about 4 cups of vegetables or so (a broccoli/cauliflower combo works great, but you can use carrots, peas, green beans, corn or any leftover cooked veggies you've got hanging around in the fridge). Stir the cooked vegetables into the sauce, pour into lasagna dish and top with breadcrumb mixture as described above for mac and cheese. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

What are your favourite uses for cheese sauce?

Really Easy Stuffed Jalapenos

My jalapeno pepper plant is producing like crazy right now! This is one of the best ways I know to use up a bunch of them - and they certainly don't last long (at least not around here).

Ingredients:
jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
cream cheese, softened
cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper
1 slice of bacon (uncooked) for every 4 pepper halves

The amount of cheese you need will obviously depend on how many peppers you have to fill. Start with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup cream cheese and stir in about half as much grated cheddar (you can add a bit more if you want, you just want to end up with a bit more cream cheese than cheddar in the mix). Add salt and pepper to taste. Fill the jalapenos pretty generously with this mixture. Cut the bacon slices into 4 equal size pieces and wrap a piece around each stuffed pepper. You can secure the bacon with a toothpick if you want; I usually just tuck the ends underneath the bottom of the pepper. Place the peppers in a baking dish large enough to hold them all without crowding them too much. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until the bacon is cooked and a little crispy.

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday, the GCC Recipe Swap and Friday Favorites.

RECIPE: Broccoli, Bacon & Cheddar Salad with Old-Fashioned Boiled Dressing

 I'm one of those people who enjoys raw broccoli much more than cooked (although I'll eat it that way, too). The combo of broccoli, bacon and cheddar is one of my favourites. I've made this salad for years with a mayonnaise and sour cream based dressing. Last week we were out of sour cream and running low on mayo, and there was a broccoli in the fridge that needed using up. I really wanted to make this salad, and it occurred to me that I could give it a try with a boiled dressing.

The results were more than satisfactory - this dressing has more of a mustardy kick to it than the one I was previously using, which is a perfect match for the flavours in this salad. We all loved it!

If possible, it's better to make the dressing the day before you're going to make the salad, as the flavour improves if it has a chance to sit for a while. It will still taste fine if you need to use it the same day, just not *quite* as yummy!

Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli, chopped into medium-sized pieces
6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 recipe Old-Fashioned Boiled Dressing (recipe follows)

Combine all ingredients and mix gently until well blended.

Old-Fashioned Boiled Dressing:
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vinegar

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the flour, mustard and sugar. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and blend well. Slowly add the wet mixture to the flour mixture, whisking constantly. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Transfer to storage container and chill until serving (ideally overnight). If the dressing thickens up too much after chilling, thin it out with a little milk or water to desired consistency.

This post is linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesday,  Tasty Tuesday, and the GCC Recipe Swap.

An Early Summer Feast

This week's share of the harvest included asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, lettuce, salad mix, radishes and potatoes.

We had quite the early summer feast for dinner last night:

Turkey Burgers
Baked Potatoes
Sauteed *mushrooms and onions
Moroccan-Inspired *Carrot and *Parsnip Salad (recipe below)

*from our CSA share

Local strawberries with vanilla ice cream
(I was dismayed to see that the local strawberries were priced $1.00 higher than the U.S. imports!! Please buy them anyway!)

I will use the spinach to making more Lemony Chicken and Spinach Pasta - for which my husband will thank me profusely! I think the zucchini may become zucchini bread - or possibly chocolate zucchini cake, depending on how ambitious I feel on the weekend.

Moroccan-Inspired Carrot and Parsnip Salad
This is mildly spiced - if you like it hot, add more paprika and cumin. I used green onions in this dish because I still had plenty on hand from last week's CSA share, but you could use 1/4 of chopped fresh parsley instead.

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-6 as a side dish

5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced into coins
3 green onions (scallions), chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp orange juice
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp honey mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Cook carrots and parsnips in boiling water until carrots are tender-crisp (don't overcook the carrots - they should still have a bit of "crunch" to them; the parsnips will be a bit softer). Drain.

2. While carrots and parsnips are cooking, combine remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over cooked vegetables and mix well.

3. Chill before serving (tastes best if refrigerated overnight to allow flavours to blend).

A New CSA Season Kicks Off!

Picking up the first share of the season always feels like a momentous occasion to me! Every week is a new surprise as I'm never exactly sure what will be waiting in our bin when I arrive.

This is our vegetable booty for the week:

Boston lettuce, spinach, basil, rhubarb, cucumber, green onions, parsnips, bok choi, asparagus and arugula!

The greens and cucumber will all get used up in salads. I will make either muffins or a cake with the rhubarb. I had planned on roasting the parsnips with some other vegetables, but after being unseasonably cool for the past few days it's shot up to 30 degrees Celsius today ("feels like" 38!) Luckily the parsnips will keep just fine until this little heat wave passes by. We had the asparagus stir-fried last night to accompany baked fish and vegetable pilaf.

Garlic - Sesame Asparagus

Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4 (as a side dish)

Ingredients:

1 bundle of asparagus
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Preparation:

Trim asparagus ends and cut into 1" pieces. In a small frying pan, saute the garlic and sesame oil for 20-30 seconds, then add the asparagus, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender-crisp (5-10 minutes). Serve immediately.

RECIPE: Easy Oven Fries

I know I'll have a happy family on my hands if I make oven fries for dinner! We like them cut really chunky but you can slice them finer if you prefer.

Time: 45 minutes
Serves: flexible

Approx. 2 medium potatoes per person
Olive oil (approx 1-2 tbsp)
Sea salt (approx 1-2 tsp)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel the potatoes and cut them into desired size pieces. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, stirring until potatoes are uniformly coated. Sprinkle with sea salt (add more salt if you like them really salty) and mix well to distribute evenly amongst potatoes. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, spread potatoes out evenly onto cookie sheets in a single layer. Place on middle rack of oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip fries over and bake about 10 minutes more or until golden brown.