Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

From Readers Digest….this is a combination I love.  Funny how I wouldn’t eat these when I was young but I just love them now.

Ready in: 40 min
Servings 4

3 slices bacon
5 cups Brussels Sprouts trimmed and halved
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
3 tbsp pure maple syrup

• Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes
• Transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate.  Let cool, then crumble or chop bacon, set aside reserving 1 tbsp of the fat
• In a bowl, toss brussels sprouts with bacon fat, salt and pepper
• Roast in oven proof pan at 425F for 25 minutes or until tender and golden
• Stir bacon and maple syrup into mixture and roast for 5 minutes longer

Smoothies

This is a great way to start your day!  Use just the base or add some of the suggestions…or even better just create your own!  From Fresh Juice magazine.

Yogurt Banana

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
Half frozen banana, halved

1. Place yogurt, milk and banana in a blender; puree until smooth.  Thin with more milk if desired.

Sweet Almond

Yogurt base + 4 pitted dates + 2 tbsp large flake oats + 2 tbsp almond butter + 1/2 cup ice cubes

Super Blueberry

Yogurt base + 1/2 cup frozen blueberries + 1/2 cup packed spinach leaves + 1 tsp liquid honey

Mango Dream

Yogurt base + 3/4 cup frozen mango chunks + 2 tbsp shelled unsalted pistachios + 1/8 tsp ground cardamom + 1/3 tsp vanilla + 1 tsp liquid honey

Soba Noodle Salad with Broccoli Slaw

I substituted some fettucini noodles for the Soba as they were unavailable on my shopping day, but the salad turned out great anyway.  From Fresh Juice Magazine 2014.

340 g Soba noodles
1 pkg 340 g Mann’s Broccoli Cole Slaw
2 cups frozen shelled edamame, cooked and cooled
1 sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup toasted chopped whole almonds

DRESSING
1/3 cup tahini paste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp sriracha chili sauce
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. In medium bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar and sriracha.  Add water 2 tbsp at a time, up to 1/3 cup, until dressing is pourable but still thick.  Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
2. Prepare noodles according to package instructions; drain well, cool and transfer to large bowl.  Add broccoli slaw, edamame, red pepper, onions and cilantro; toss to combine.  Gently toss with dressing; sprinkle with almonds.

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

These were an excellent dinner.  The dumplings had lots of flavour inside and we just drizzled a little soy sauce on them.  From Fresh Juice Magazine March 2014.

150 g Bok Choy halved crosswise
225 g Lean ground pork
8 medium shrimp peeled, deveined and chopped
1 green onion, minced
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp each cornstarch and soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten, divided
1 pkg (450g) round rice flour dumpling wrappers (I couldn’t find these so I just used wonton wrappers)

1. In small pot of boiling lightly salted water, cook bok choy until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.  Drain and cool in cold water; squeeze out excess liquid.  Thinly slice; place in large bowl.  Add pork, shrimp, onion, ginger, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and half of the egg; mix to combine.
2. In small bowl, mix 1 tsp water into remaining egg (this wash will be used to seal dumplings).  Take 1 dumpling wrapper and moisten around edges with egg wash.  Place heaping teaspoonful pork mixture in centre of wrapper.  Fold over to match edges making a semicircle.  Gently pinch and pleat edges to seal; press lightly to flatten bottom.  Place seam side up on parchment lined baking sheet; cover with damp towel.  Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.  
3. Place large bamboo steamer (mine isn’t bamboo and it worked fine) fitted with parchment in shallow skillet or wok filled with water until just below steamer bottom.  Place half of dumplings in steamer, cover and bring to a boil over medium high; cook for 10 minutes.  Repeat with remaining dumplings.

Jewelled Wild Rice Salad

The dried fruit and nuts pair beautifully with the fresh green grapes and wild rice in this salad.  This recipe is easy to change up with the fruit and nuts, if you have a favourite that you wish to substitute - go ahead.  From Fresh Juice Magazine.

1 cup long grain and wild rice blend
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1/2 cup green grapes, quartered
1 green onion minced
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp kosher salt

1. In medium saucepan, cook rice blend according to package instructions until tender.  Transfer to fine mesh sieve and rinse with cold water until cool; allow to drain completely in sieve for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in dry skillet over medium, toast pecans until fragrant and a shade darker, about 5 minutes.
3. In large bowl, add rice, pecans, apricots, cranberries, grapes and onion.
4. In small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, turmeric and salt.  Drizzle over salad; toss well to combine.

Per serving about 282 cal, 5 g protein, 14 g total fat (2 g sat. fat) 37 g carb (4 g dietary fibre, 10 g sugar), 0 mg chol, 245 mg sodium

Pink Lemonade Sangria

A perfect summer drink - from Food and Drink Summer 2011

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 chopped wedge each of lemon and orange, 5 raspberries, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 1/2 oz simple syrup.  Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice, top with dry rose wine and garnish with additional raspberries and a slice of lemon or orange.
Serves 1

Pitcher Size
To a large pitcher, add 1 lemon and 1 small orange, both thinly sliced, and a cup of raspberries.  Stir to bruise the raspberries slightly and top with 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 3/4 cup simple syrup 1 cup water and bottle (750ml) of dry rose wine.  Chill thoroughly for at least 4 hours to allow the flavours to steep, and serve in a tall glass or large wine goblet over ice.

Serves 6

Simple Syrup Combine equal parts sugar and boiling water and stir until sugar has dissolved.  Once cooled, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Pumpkin Ale Sweet Bread

Pumpkin ale is sold in the fall…it was not available when I made this so I used a Ginger Beer which worked really well. From October 2013 Chatelaine

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/3 cup pumpkin ale
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

Glaze
2/3 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp pumpkin ale
1/4 cup pepitas

• Preheat oven to 350 F.  Lightly spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with oil.
• Stir flour with baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk eggs with brown sugar in a large bowl.  Whisk in pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup ale, oil and vanilla.  Whisk flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until combined.  Scrape into prepared pan (batter will be thick).  Smooth Top.
• Bake in centre of oven until loaf is dark golden and a skewer inserted in centre of loaf comes out clean 60 to 65 minutes.  Transfer to a rack.  Let stand 15 min.  Run a knife along edges of loaf pan and transfer loaf to rack.
• Whisk icing sugar and pumpkin ale in a small bowl.  Spoon over top of loaf and sprinkle with pepitas.