Blackberry Spinach Salad

Blackberries are my favorite of all the berries - not as tart as raspberries and not as sweet as strawberries - perfect! I might also be partial because black is my favorite color, but these juicy little guys are also a great source of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and manganese!

Yields 2 large salads

• 4.5oz baby spinach
• 1/2 hot house cucumber
• 170gr blackberries
• 1 small avocado
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• balsamic vinaigrette (I used a sweet strawberry balsamic blend with blood orange organic evoo from Olive Crush, but any other kind will do!)

I bought a 9oz bag of washed baby spinach so I wouldn't have to wash and wait for the spinach to dry. Just dumped about half the bag into a large salad bowl (makes it easy if you're doubling the recipe too, just use the whole bag!). 

Wash hot house cucumber (I prefer these to the English ones as the seeds are smaller), section off the half you are using, and refrigerate the rest for another use. Cut lengthwise in half again, then into thin semi-circled slices. Toss with spinach. 

Wash blackberries and pat dry before adding to salad bowl.

Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Slice lengthwise into 8 strips and remove the peel. Give the peeled avocado a quick cold water bath to prevent them from turning brown. Remove from water and cut into bite size chunks. Add to salad bowl. 

Add sliced almonds to the salad and toss with 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette, or to taste. 

This salad goes great with grilled chicken and a large glass of white wine.

Quinoa Salad with Beets & Avocado

Think pink! And think of all the iron, fiber, folate, potassium, and cancer-fighting betalains these brightly colored beets have to offer (not to mention the rest of the nutrient-dense, pink-stained, ingredients in this salad)! The salad alone is pretty filling with walnuts and fiber and protein packed quinoa, but I'll include a spicy grilled chicken breast option for those who need meat. 

Yields 2 dinners with chicken, and 2 leftover vegetarian lunches

• 2 small, boneless, skinleses chicken breasts (I've sliced 1 large breast in half)
• Chicken marinade*:

• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne
• Quinoa*: 
• 1 medium onion
• 7 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/3 cup quinoa
• 2 1/3 cup water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 medium beets
• 1 ripe avocado
• Spring mix greens (5oz bag)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• Dressing:  
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped basil

* I marinade the chicken and cook the quinoa well in advance to allow the flavor to soak into the chicken, and the quinoa to cool.

Trim any fat off chicken breast and slice lengthwise to create 2 chicken breast halves (or use 2 small breasts). Add all marinade ingredients to chicken and set aside in fridge.

Dice onion, then peel and mince garlic. Heat olive oil over med-high in a small pot with a lid. Add diced onion and let cook for 5min, stirring. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic, chili flakes and fresh ground pepper, and continue to cook for another 5min. Add a tablespoon of water if things start to stick to the bottom. When the mixture looks slightly caramelized, remove from pot and set aside in a large salad bowl. 

Using the same pot (no need to wash/rinse so any tasty bits left on the pot will lend flavor to the quinoa), combine quinoa, water, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and set timer for 15min. When the timer goes off, remove from heat, let stand 5min before fluffing. Empty the contents of the pot into the salad bowl and toss with onion and garlic. Cover and set aside in fridge. 

Preheat a double-sided grill (ie. George Foreman). Peel beets and slice approx 1cm thick. Grill beets for 10-12min or til tender. Transfer to cutting board and cut each slice into 6-8 pieces (bite size). Add beets to salad bowl. Once the grill has cooled, clean it off so it can be used again later for the chicken breast.

honey basil vinaigrette

Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Slice lengthwise into 8 strips and remove the peel. Give the peeled avocado a quick cold water bath to prevent them from turning brown. Remove from water and dice into bite size pieces. Add to salad bowl and toss. Can be served while beets are still warm, or refrigerate until closer to serving time. 

Just before serving, preheat double-sided grill. Place marinated chicken on grill and set timer for 7min (or until cooked, depending on thickness of chicken breast). 

Meanwhile, put all dressing ingredients into a jar, then shake/stir to mix. Pour over quinoa salad, tossing well to combine. Add chopped walnuts and as much spring mix greens as you like and toss again. Serve with grilled chicken.

For the Love of Instant Noodles

Clearly I have wayyy too much time on my hands. 

Amen.

Beyond jealous. My sister recently traveled to Japan and discovered Nissin instant noodle flavored chips!! My two true loves, coming together as one <sigh>. Pretty sure she only bought them to rub it in my face. Mmm actually, literally, I would enjoy every moment of that. 

#sups #lifestaples #love

Sweet & Smoky Almonds

It's that time of year again... The scarves and mittens have come out of storage, storefronts are being decorated with snow dust, your eager neighbors have already put up their blinky Christmas lights, and one of my work-moms has brought in tins of her homemade, highly anticipated, candied almonds!  Except THIS year, I moved down south, and left behind my annual almond binge fest :(  Well, change is hard. And during these tough, work-mom-less times, I had to pull myself together and attempt my own batch of festive nuts. With a few taste adjustments, of course, to give these almonds more of a salted, smoky flavor. 

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups whole almonds
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Line a cookie sheet in advance with waxed paper. 

Measure out brown sugar, cinnamon, paprika and salt, and dump into a medium sized pot. Add water. Stir to mix over medium-high heat. 

Bring to a boil. 

Add almonds, increase heat to high, and stir continuously until most of the syrupy mixture has evaporated. Keep stirring, even when your arm gets tired. 

When there is just a little bit of liquid left in the pot, add the white sugar, reduce to low heat, and continue stirring to mix. 

Keep stirring until any liquid left has become a sticky, grainy coating, then remove from heat and pour over the prepared cookie sheet. Separate almonds with a fork. 

Let cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container for storage. 

These also make sweet gifts if you package them in festive tins or clear jars decorated with ribbons. 

Cucumber Grape Salad, Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mmm, cool, crunchy, juicy, and sweet, but not too sweet... I don't typically dream up salads that don't involve quinoa or spinach, but this quick and simple combination turned out quite nicely! 

Cukes (with peel!) are loaded with water, fiber, vitamins & minerals, grapes are rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins & minerals, and walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamins E & B-complex, various minerals, and of course, protein! 

Note: I chose hothouse cucumbers because I prefer fewer seeds and a peel that isn't so tough. 

Makes 2 large sides

• 2-1/2 cups hothouse cucumber (approx 1 medium-sized cuke)
• 1-1/2 cups seedless green grapes
• 1/2 cup (heaping) walnut halves
• Dressing: 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Wash the skin of the cucumber thoroughly to remove any pesticides. The peel contains many important nutrients, so we definitely want to make sure to include this!  Cut into approximately 1cm thick slices, then quarter. 

Wash the grapes thoroughly as well and slice in half. 

Combine the sliced cucumber and grapes in a salad bowl. Do not add the chopped walnut halves until just before serving so the walnuts stay crunchy!

Each dressing ingredient can be added directly to the salad before tossing. When measuring out the liquid ingredients, start with olive oil as the slickness that remains on your measuring spoon will ensure all of the measured honey slides right off the spoon. With the dried parsley and tarragon, I measured out what was needed, then rubbed the herbs between my fingers to sprinkle over the salad. Rubbing the dry herbs this way releases essential oils and flavor. Make sure your hands are clean and dry before doing this! 

Toss salad and dressing with walnuts. Enjoy :)

Rainbow Quinoa Salad

They say the more colorful the vegetables are on your plate, the more benefits to your health and waistline, so... I decided to go all out and let the rainbow color wheel be my inspiration at the grocery store! (Covered every color except blue because I didn't think blueberries would go great in this creation). And since October is apparently the SF bay area's warmest month (30°C today!!), a salad felt most appropriate. Hope you all enjoy this extremely nutritious concoction as much as we did!! Already can't wait to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow mmm.

Yield: 2 dinners & 2 leftover lunches

• 1 1/2 cup quinoa
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• Dressing

• Juice from 1 lime (I got about 3.75 tbsp out of mine)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 1 large carrot (I used 2 small)
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1/2 small purple onion
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 2 medium beets (I used 1 large, 1 small)

Quinoa should be cooked in advance so it has time to cool. Add quinoa, water, salt, cumin & garlic salt to a small pot over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low and cover with lid. Set timer for 15min. Remove from heat, let stand 5min. Fluff and set aside to cool to room temperature (or refrigerate if making very well in advance). 

Add all dressing ingredients to a cup/jar, stirring well to incorporate. Set aside. 

Measure out frozen corn and place in colander to thaw and drain. 

Meanwhile, shred the carrot using a grater, and dice the zucchini and the purple onion. Add to large salad bowl. 

Chop another 1/4 fresh parsley and add to the salad bowl. 

Pre-heat a double-sided grill (like a George Foreman). Peel the beets and cut into approx 1cm thick slices. Grill the beets for 8min. Dice, then add to salad bowl along with the corn and quinoa. Mix well. 

Drizzle dressing over the salad, and mix well again. Enjoy! 

Spicy Baked Yam Fries

Fries hold a very special place in my heart. Right next to chips and instant noodles. Mmm unhealthy, salt-laden delights... And so my mission to create healthier alternatives continues! 

Yams are an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium and manganese, and in my opinion, best eaten along with a generous assortment of spices. Spices which are high in iron (cumin) and Vitamin A (paprika), also contribute to the nutritional value of these yam fries. This recipe is quick in prep-time and only takes 35min to bake. Serve hot out of the oven with ketchup, and try a few good shakes of Frank's hot sauce on the ketchup if you're looking for extra kick! 

Makes 2 sides

• 2 medium red skinned yams
• 1 tsp ground cumin*
• 1/2 tsp chili powder*
• 1/4 tsp seasoning salt*
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper*
• 1/4 tsp paprika*
• 1/4 tsp cajun*
• pinch chili pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp olive oil

*Spice generously! I use heaping portions for the above spice measurements. 

Preheat oven at 425°. 

Peel, then slice yams into long and skinny sticks. Place sliced yams into a plastic bag or large zip-lock.

Combine spices and olive oil in a small bowl. Mix well. Add spice paste to bag and toss, massaging bag to coat yams evenly. 

Arrange onto baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. 

Bake 35min. 

Yam fries cool quickly, so serve immediately out of the oven. Try a few good shakes of Frank's hot sauce on ketchup if you're looking for extra kick in the dippin!

Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Sumac & Tarragon

Cauliflower never got much love in this home, mainly because a whole head always seemed way too big for just the two of us. But knowing how extremely high in fibre, vitamin C, and anti-oxidants, among other nutrients this bulky bland looking vegetable is, I decided to give it a whirl about a week ago (also, it was ridiculously on sale). I chopped the head up into florets and tossed it into the grill basket with some seasoning salt, paprika and chili powder, and 30min later, I was amazed by the amount of smoky flavor these perfectly crisp on the outside, yet soft in the middle, spice sponges had soaked up! I could eat these things like they were chips (me and chips go waaaaay back)!


And so, my love affair with cauliflower continues! Since my parents just bought me a new baking pan, oven-roasting  cauliflower seemed the next logical experiment! Our patio potted limequats (cross between key lime and kumquat) also bore two tiny yellow fruits that were ripe for the picking, so these were plucked for flavoring. It makes sense that most of you will not have a pot of limequats conveniently at hand, so a wedge of lemon will also do the trick!

Serves 4

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 large carrot
• 1 lemon wedge (or 2 limequats!)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp tarragon
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp sumac

Preheat oven to 385.

Wash and pat cauliflower dry. Trim leaves then slice into bite-size florets. Set aside in large bowl/pot. 

Peel carrot and chop into bite-size wedges. Place in large bowl/pot with cauliflower. 

Slice and de-seed the lemon/limequats. Squeeze juice over cauliflower and carrots. 

Measure out olive oil and drizzle over veg. Toss to coat. 

Add all seasonings and toss again to evenly distribute. 

Arrange so that everything sits in one layer directly on baking pan (tin foil and/or cooking spray are not required). Bake for 30min and serve immediately as a simple, nutritious and delicious side dish!

Slow Cooker Chicken & Spicy Sausage Chili

The thick clouds and their misty mirrored reflection on the lagoon this morning seemed to signify the beginning of autumn, and the perfect time to dig the slow cooker out from the back of the kitchen cupboards. Even through the grey, you could tell the sun was struggling to break through, and it's not quite time yet for a hearty winter beef recipe, so I decided to attempt my first ever chicken chili. 

Meet Deuce. How Brian came to name our slow cooker really isn't the kind of story that's appropriate for a recipe post, so I'll refrain.. but I'm sure you can put two and two together! (pun intended;)

Serves 4-6

• 2 Saag's 'Atomic Hot' naturally smoked extra spicy sausage (170gr total) - feel free to substitute with any other smoked sausage!
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 red jalapeño
• 1 serrano pepper
• 1 onion
• 1/2 bell pepper 
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 (14.5oz) can diced tomato
• 1 (15oz) can dark red kidney beans
• 1 (15oz) can white beans
• enough medium roasted tomato salsa to fill 3/4 of a 15oz can
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 cup coke zero
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Quarter sausage lengthwise, then slice roughly into 1cm pieces. Set aside in non-stick pan. 

Peel and mince garlic, then add to non-stick pan. 

Mince jalapeño and serrano peppers together (remove seeds if you're not a fan of heat - I kept the seeds for extra kick). Add to non-stick pan.

Roughly chop onion and add to non-stick pan. Stir to combine, and without adding any oil, cook for 5min over med-high heat. 

In the meantime, clean and seed bell pepper. Chop about half (or more if you like), then place in slow cooker. 

Add frozen corn and canned tomatoes (liquid included) to slow cooker.  

Drain and rinse both cans of beans, then add to slow cooker. 

Fill one of the emptied cans 3/4 full with medium roasted tomato salsa. Add to slow cooker. 

After cooking sausage mixture and softening the onion for 5min, remove from heat and add to slow cooker. 

Add all seasonings to slow-cooker, along with 1/2 cup of coke zero. Stir to combine chili ingredients. 

shredded chicken breast

Trim any fat off chicken breast, then place on top of chili mixture. 

Cover and set on low for for 8hrs. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the warm, spicy smells wafting in from the kitchen til the 7-1/2hr mark, then shred the chicken breast with 2 forks and stir into chili before covering with lid again for the remaining half hour. 

Serve all on its own or with some crusty bread.

Asian Quinoa Salad (2) with Savoury Grilled Chicken

My second attempt at quinoa salad with an Asian vibe! First recipe included mango so it tasted a bit sweeter than I normally prefer. This time around, the salad is mango-less, but has the added crunch of water chestnuts and the more subtle sweetness of corn! 

Yield:  2 dinners with chicken and 2 meatless lunches

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Chicken marinade: 



• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp bombay curry powder
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper 
• 1/4 tsp garlic parsley salt
• 1.5 cups quinoa (3 cups, less 2 tbsp, water)

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 inch section fresh ginger
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup frozen corn 
• 25 snow peas
• top half of a bunch of green onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 can whole water chestnuts (net wt 8oz, dr wt 5oz)
• 1/3 cup Litehouse toasted sesame ginger dressing (fat-free)

((I prefer to marinade the chicken and cook the quinoa well in advance to allow the flavor to soak into the chicken, and the quinoa to cool))

Trim any fat off chicken breast and slice lengthwise to create 2 chicken breast halves. Marinade with seasoning, and set aside in fridge. 

Bring water, quinoa, soy sauce, ground coriander, salt and bay leaf to a boil in a medium pot over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low and cover for 15min. Remove from heat, let stand 5 min, fluff, and let cool to room temp. Place quinoa in large salad bowl with plastic wrap to keep fresh. 

stripped snow peas

Closer to mealtime, wash and prepare the remaining ingredients. Start by mincing the garlic and fresh ginger. Add to salad bowl. 

Heat a small non-stick pan at high. Add sesame seeds (no oil) and let toast, tossing or stirring occasionally, for 1-2min or until they start to pop. Add to salad bowl. 

Squeeze 1/2-1 lime (need 2 tbsp). Add to salad bowl and toss with quinoa, garlic, ginger and toasted sesame.

Measure out 1 cup of frozen corn and set aside to thaw. 

With the snow peas, this next step has been firmly ingrained in me thanks to years of helping my mom out in the kitchen... (feel free to skip this step if you don't mind a bit of chewy toughness in your snow peas). Instead of just trimming the ends, she taught me to take each of the ends and strip them down so the tough stringy parts on each side of the peas are removed. Slice each snow pea into 4 pieces and add to salad bowl.

Dice the green half of a bunch of green onion and add to salad bowl. 

Peel then shred carrot, using a medium grater slot. Add to salad bowl. 

Drain liquid from the can of whole water chestnuts. Dice each whole water chestnut into 4-6 pieces (about the size of the frozen corn kernels). Add to salad bowl. 

Add corn to salad bowl. Toss everything with salad dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving. 

To cook the chicken, I use a 2-sided grill (like a George Foreman). Once the grill is warmed up, place chicken breast in the centre and set timer for 8min. Slice and arrange over salad.