Saturday, August 23, 2014

Lemony Red Lentil Hummus Spread

Having an array of sauces and spreads in your kitchen repertoire is key to elevating flavor in your dishes. Equally as important is creating those items in a healthy manner.

Sure, you could just purchase a pre-mixed, pre-packaged spread from the grocery store, but what you get with that is a whole bunch of sugar and chemicals that are going to wreak havoc on your body. Plus it's really easy to make your own, especially of you happen to have some pre-cooked lentils around.

This isn't a true hummus, which calls for chickpeas and tahini, it's a lentil spread or dip or salad topper - perfect for sandwiches and snacking. The lemon adds a brightness which is perfect on grilled chicken and veggies (I used it on a lettuce wrap filled with just such items.)

Light, super healthy and super delicious- this lemon and red lentil dip spread is a perfect addition to any meal.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Spicy Tomato Peach Jam


Tomato season- it's the time of summer we wait patiently all year for. Maybe patiently isn't exactly true. Buying those off-season tomatoes and then complaining about the lackluster flavor happens all too often, yet we rinse and repeat.

But now, now is the time to yank that fresh tomato off the vine (or off your farmers market table) and directly insert into mouth. Ah, a mouthful of heaven.

However, sometimes we are a tad overzealous in our planting (and purchasing) and find we have more tomatoes than we can chow on. This is an important time to decide what to do with your deliciously colourful bounty.

Two words: tomato jam. A lovely mixture of tomatoes and peaches with a hint of honey and spice. Earthy with just the right mix of sweet; super fantastic on grilled meats, sandwiches, crackers or on a simple piece of bread.

Save some of your next tomato haul for this delicious tomato jam, it's a happy and healthy addition to any meal!

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Turkey Salad Stuffed Pears with Mustard Vinaigrette

  Turkey and pomegranate seeds really remind me of the winter holidays, but his is a recipe that could be great year round. Yet I served these adorable stuffed pears
at a summer brunch recently and  they stole the show; fresh and delicious with no heavy winter feel.

I'm rarely interested in most turkey salads because of the use of mayo; notice there is no mayo in this one. Simply whisking together mustard with lemon juice and olive oil gives a rich and creamy dressing without all that extra fat and chemicals (assuming you are using jarred.)

Chop, whisk, toss and assemble. Pretty simple for such a WOW happy and healthy dish!