Bites of Summer

Summer is slowly fading out. While our furnace has yet to be turned on, we have spent fewer days on the beach and more days finishing our yard before frost sets in. A fresh crisp breeze is drifting in the window while hazy light filters through the clouds. It is beautiful and peaceful. Yet I'm still enjoying the last bits of summer, including the bounty from the farm fresh gardens! One way to enjoy all the fresh produce available right now is in sandwiches - no heat required meals are my favourite when the heat goes above 20*C. This sandwich is something special I learnt from my birthday lunch! My Mom arrived with the most amazing spread of delicious food! Watermelon salad, hummus and fresh vegetables, and quinoa salad sandwiches! Oh and the most incredible coconut cake, but I need to get that recipe from Mom before I can share it - she created it for my special day! We enjoyed the sandwiches so much that I recreated them that very week, and enjoyed them for a few days...for both lunch and dinner. When I like something I tend to go over board.  If you like nutritious food that leaves you drooling for more, this is a recipe you need to try! It is more of a guideline than a recipe as it is a 'what produce you have in the fridge is what you want to use' sort of recipe. And the amounts are up to you too - as this is completely customisable. So really, here's the list of what my mom and I liked in the ones we created, and you can create yours with your favourite vegetables too!

Quinoa Salad Sandwiches

an original recipe from my Mom!

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cooked qunioa -roughly 2 cups
black beans
chick peas
kidney beans
pumpkin seeds, raw and unsalted
kale
carrots
cucumber
red and yellow bell peppers
red cabbage
red onion

Strain and wash all the beans and place them in a bowl with the cooled qunioa. The chop all the vegetables into little pieces and add them to the bowl until the desired ratio has been achieved. Dress with your favourite dressing [mine was olive oil based with herbs and lemon juice] and serve in pita  bread. I enjoyed my best with spinach and hummus lining the pita before putting in the quinoa salad - but really it comes down to personal preference.


What has been your go to meal this summer? Are you favoring those recipes that neglect your oven? Or do you brave the heat in favor of a cooked meal every night? Now that fall is swinging into season my oven and i may just be rekindling our relationship, but I will keep this sandwich in play year round.
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Take it to Heart

On the website PCRM.org, there is a plethora of information on how to increase your energy and enthusiasm for life through eating to live - instead of living to eat. Today being Valentine's Day, pcrm is focusing on heart health, and the article on Dr.Barnard's Blog says it all! If you are looking for something to whip up for you sweet heart[s] today, try thinking outside of the take out box, and focus on produce. A meal based on fresh produce will not only fill you up faster due to all that yummy fibre, but it will strengthen your heart and help clean up your arteries too! For supper tonight, my little ones will be dining on one of our families favourite soups, which just so happens to be RED - perfect for Valentine's Day!

Ginger Beets Soup

An original recipe created by me!

5-6 beets

4-5 parsnips

5 carrots

1 bulb garlic

olive oil

1 " fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 onion, minced

6-8 cups water

2 reduced sodium organic vegetable broth cubes

Wash, trim, and dice the beets parsnips and carrots. Toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil, then arrange in a pan. Trim off the top of a bulb of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a 425*F oven for about 40 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the vegetables.

In a heavy bottomed stock pot, saute the ginger, celery, and onion until onion is tender. Add the roasted vegetables, water, and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once the soup boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Let simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from heat. Once the soup is cool enough to be place in your blender without melting it, blend it in batches, returning the soup to the pot after each batch, until the entire soup has been pureed. Alternatively, you can use a immersion blender right in the stock pot.

Serve this soup with a fresh green salad, and homemade rolls for the perfect supper that all ages will enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!



Carrots

Nothing

beats

fresh

garden

carrots