Guatemalan Guacamole

RECIPE: Guatemalan Guacamole

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

- 4 ripe but not mushy avocados, diced in large cubes

- 2 small tomatoes, diced

- 0.5 (1/2) cup finely chopped red onions

- 1 fresh green chilli, chopped

- 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

- 1 lime, juiced

Method:

> put avocados into bowl and mix with lime juice

> mix in other ingredients gently; serve as soon as possible

If you plan to prepare this ahead for a party or gathering later, put diced veggies into the bowl in the order they are listed. Make sure the tomatoes cover the top of the avocado and drizzle the lime juice over top of the works; this prevents the avocado from browning. Do not stir until ready to serve. 

To see the rest of what we did for the Guatemalan lunch, check here. 

Red & Green Salad

It has happened. It is December. Bring on the large gatherings with family and friends. But how do you feed that many people?!

Be not afraid of feeding the crowd of 23, with kids of varying ages, the cousin you see twice a year, and your aunt who has an extra glass of wine or two.

RECIPE: Red & Green Salad

Ingredients:
broccoli (one bunch of 3-4 florets)
cauliflower (1/2 head)
2-4 bell peppers
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup wine (or wine vinegar + 2 tbsp sugar)
3 cloves garlic
nuts
seeds
craisins or raisins

This is a salad of 3's. What do I mean? There are 3 components: veg, sauce, and nuts. In each component there are 3 ingredients. Here's how it breaks down:

Method:
> for the veg; chop the broccoli (including stems), cauliflower, and bell peppers into bite sized pieces, keeping your audience in mind (I always chop smaller for little kids and the elderly) and pop that into a large bowl

> for the sauce; mix together the mayo, wine (or wine vinegar and sugar), and garlic - I usually use about 3 cloves or a tsp of ground garlic

> for the nuts; this is FULLY open to your discretion and ingredients at hand. I love this salad with chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, and craisins. My latest iteration contained sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried chickpeas, sunflower seeds, and craisins.

> MIX AND SERVE!!

And that is it. This is essentially the template for a firm veggie salad at my house. This salad has also contained the following ingredients:
- radish
- onion
- green peas (frozen or fresh)
- snow peas
- snap peas
- kohlrabi
- carrot
- beet
- cilantro
- parsley
- basil
- mint
- parsnips
- apple
- and BACON

Honestly, this salad is a meal in itself. Just add a little meat or a few extra nuts and voila! Dinner is served.

Easy, filling, delicious, AND festive to boot!!

Tapas for Dinner

It was one of those nights where we just did not feel like making or eating a "real" dinner. So instead, I made this:

Ranch Dip

There is something about it... creamy and delicious, a good ranch dip or dressing makes everything better. 


After looking in stores for the perfect iteration, I am usually appalled either by the price or the ingredient list. Is it really that hard? Is a good ranch dip out of reach?

Fear not, amazing home-made ranch dip awaits!!

Mexican Night

I get fully inspired by various cultures... and then I make it my own, usually blending cultures along the way.

Take last night, for example. We had corn tortillas and I was not sure where we would end up, but Mexico was my inspiration and I managed to convince the ingredients to join our culinary adventure.

Simple Salad Dressing

I love salad. I love salad dressing. I love home made salad dressing. And my favourite dressing could not be simpler to make.

Are you ready?

Harley's Salad Dressing

Well, the kids kitchen is not yet gone, but Harley has entered the kitchen.

The other day, he asked if he could make (and eat) a salad for a snack. Could he make both the salad AND the dressing?

His creation was quite good with interesting flavour combinations I would never have chosen, but they all work really nicely together.

Saturday Night Wings

I love chicken wings. But I do not like going out for wings, paying at least $12 for a plate of them, and finding only 12 wings (or fewer) on the plate with two dry sticks each of celery and carrot, likely chopped sometime yesterday. Sometimes the proportion of sauce to wing is not right, the wings are not crisp, or something else taints the experience.

My solution? Wings at home. Crisp, excellent wings are totally attainable, with only the basic kitchen tools you already have.

The Nemesis: Ideas for Defeat

For some reason, knowing that we bought it AND it is good for us is not enough. 

The Nemesis: Kale & Swiss Chard

Ideas:

• use in quiche

• thinly slice into soups

• add to curries

• borscht

Dill Pickle Dip

WARNING: This dip is highly addictive and should be used with great caution and self control. When combined with chips, proves incredibly delicious. 



Make it if you dare.