Food Photo of the Day ~ Fried Egg Sandwich

When I want something that has substance however modest; I keep it simple with an easy no frills fried egg sandwich. A handful of mixed greens and sprouts nestle the egg and a heavy scattering of back pepper with a light touch of no salt margarine keeps this sandwich focused. I know I made a compromise with the white bread, sometimes it is a must, although brown or seeded breads are my preference. Regardless, this sandwich hits the spot and keeps me going until dinner. 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! - JD       

Eat Your Greens

Now more than ever there are plenty of green options at the grocery store. Which has an increasing imaginative way of incorporating these versatile veggies into our everyday cooking and baking. Nutritious and tasty, greens are considerable ingredients to boost your recipes and your health. 

Eat Your Greens, is informative with helpful hints and tips. An introduction is included with 4 other chapters titled, Light Bites, Dynamic Dinners, A Little on the Side, and Green Juices. If you would like a compact guide on the important nutrients in green vegetables, how to choose produce, growing your own greens, how to prepare and cook green vegetables, and green juices this is a good book for you. There are many recipes to inspire and ponder, like... Pork Coconut Lettuce Wraps, Spicy Eggplant & Chickpea Casserole, Greens, Pea & Bean Burgers, Stir-fried Brussels Sprouts with Almonds, Kale & Mango Juice and Lettuce & Kiwi Quencher. These sound all perfectly delicious and tantalizing and hopefully inspiring; like this recipe from the book... 

Kale, Lemon & Chive Linguine

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Serves: 2-3   Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins 

Ingredients:

9 ounces kale, thick stems removed, leaves sliced widthwise into thin ribbons 

(about 3 3/4cups prepared)

8 ounces dried linguine

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

grated zest of 1 large lemon

large pinch of dried red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the kale and blanch for 2 minutes, until just wilted. Drain, reserve the water, and set aside.

2. Bring the reserved water to a boil in the large pan. Add linguine and cook according to package directions until tender but still firm to the bite.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil n a large skillet over medium - high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute. 

4. Stir in the kale, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but still bright green. Add a little of the cooking water if the mixture becomes dry.

5. Drain the pasta and transfer to a warm serving dish. Add the kale mixture, tossing with the pasta to mix. Stir in the chives and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Toss again and serve immediately.

Hero Tip: Using the kale cooking water to cook the pasta not only saves time and fuel, but also gives the pasta more flavour.

Who doesn't remember pushing greens around the dinner plate, when younger, in hopes they would magically disappear on their own. - JD  

Broccoli Salad

The ingredients are few, which lends to bending the recipe rules with this one. Adding a few other ingredients to compliment this simple yet delicious salad may be considered. However the crisp broccoli, smoky bacon, and cheese do not go a miss and would certainly be lovely served over a jacket potato. Nonetheless this makes for a very satisfying side salad. 

Broccoli Salad 

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Serves 4 - 6

2 bunches broccoli, washed and chopped into smaller florets

1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

10-12 strips bacon, cut into pieces and fried

For the Dressing:

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3/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/3 cup white sugar

4 tablespoons white vinegar

In a large bowl combine the broccoli florets, cheese, shallot and cooked bacon.

In another bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Pour over the broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Chill for a few hours then serve. 

Notes: Try using different cheese, and or a different vinegar. Add dried cranberries or chunks of grilled chicken, a handful of spinach. Diced red pepper. Add a teaspoon of curry powder to the dressing or a squirt of Sriracha for some heat.

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. - JD 

Three Great Salads

Salads are something I crave regardless if the temperature is warm or not. It can be the dead of winter minus 25... 30 and I am happily munching on a salad. These three salads are easy and offer plenty of nutrients. 

Spinach, arugula, and crisp vegetables topped with roasted seasoned chickpeas, feta cheese, and unsalted sunflower seeds give plenty of substance. A lovely homemade dressing add a light herbal flavour to this main meal salad.   

Mixed greens... various romaine, spinach and arugula tossed in a homemade dressing with lima beans, green peppers, red onion, and sunflower seeds. Light, crisp and very green. A perfect side dish to any meal. 

Pasta perfect... a homemade vegetable pasta salad tossed with a simple homemade dressing served on top of a leafy green mixture, spinach and arugula, sprinkled with sunflower seeds and served with a side of grilled halloumi cheese, becoming a scrumptious main meal. 

 

My Big Greek Salad

I know it is Thursday and I can hardly say this is a throwback Thursday because I always eat salads. This was my dinner last night, my version of a greek salad. Mixed herbed greens with chunks of cucumber, red onion, crisp green peppers, slices of radishes and quartered juicy hothouse tomatoes. Topped with fried Halloumi cheese and a homemade herb dressing. I chopped a reasonable amount of veggies which means there are leftovers for lunch today.  I do have some avocados kicking around so I will have my salad with additional slices of buttery avocados.  Hope your Thursday isn't too much of a throwback! - JW   

Watercress Soup

When I swung by my local grocery store and saw a bunch of watercress I could not believe my eyes. Watercress is very hard to come by in E-town and probably Canada. Watercress is packed with vitamins and minerals. I checked through the majority of my cookbooks and watercress recipes are few and far between. Why isn't there a watercress cookbook? Perhaps recipes are not as abundant for this mighty green. Until I searched on internet and found a glorious site dedicated to watercress. I instantly fell in luv. It has loads of recipes and information regarding watercress and that is where I got the inspiration to make a watercress soup. 

Pictured here is the Classic Watercress Soup recipe I made. It was very tasty! The fresh lemon juice made this soup uplifting. I urge you to visit their site by clicking *here* or visit them at watercress.co.uk   - JW 

* All pictures on this website taken by Jacqueline Williams.*  

Kale

This is what I have been eating a lot of these days... kale. My salad just isn't the same without it. Kale is packed with vitamins and is very rich in calcium. Just like broccoli it contains sulforaphane which has potent anti cancer properties. You can steam, boil, sauté and bake this mighty green. I prefer it as is to absorb all it benefits. 

How do you go green? - JW