putting spring into cooking - recipe: asparagus fritatta with red bell peppers & feta cheese

Finally! Spring has sprung and the snow is gone (for now, at least… I’ve heard rumours about more snow but I’m trying my best to ignore them).

As soon as the white stuff starts to disappear, I get excited about all of the beautiful spring produce that will be available in grocery stores and markets in just a few weeks. One of my favourite spring vegetables is asparagus (Californian and Mexican grown asparagus is available right now, look for local asparagus in a few weeks).

Last week I was fortunate enough to be a guest on both the local television show “daytime”, as well as “Breakfast Television” in Toronto. The idea for both appearances (credit goes to Impact Integrated Communications) was that “economies may be withering, but thanks to the warm weather, asparagus ‘stocks’ (stalks) are again soaring! In summary, I produced three very healthy, very fast, and very easy asparagus and egg based recipes meant to feed a family of four for around five bucks!

Asparagus is an extremely versatile veggie – you can blanch it, steam it, boil it, roast it, microwave it, stir fry it, or bbq it (my fav).

Just before taping our segment on Breakfast Television, a few of the BT staff confessed that although they love eating crisp-tender cooked asparagus found on many a crudité platter, they’re afraid to prepare asparagus at home for fear of overcooking!

Here’s a tip that I shared with the crew – try a technique called blanching – which means putting food (usually vegetables or fruit ) into boiling water briefly, then immediately plunging them into ice-cold water to stop the cooking process (in the culinary world, this last step is known as “shocking”). How long you blanch the asparagus will depend on the thickness of the stalk, but for stalks that are of medium thickness, it should take about three to four minutes (or forget the timer and remove the asparagus from the boiling water as soon as it turns a vibrant green colour).

Lastly, if all else fails and you overcook the asparagus, don’t fret (and definitely don’t pitch it) - puree it into asparagus “guacamole” and serve with tortilla chips! An asparagus guacamole recipe can be found on my website: www.danashortt.ca (go to ‘news’, ‘newsletters’, ‘March 2007’).

Asparagus Frittata with red bell peppers & feta cheese

serves 4 - 6

ingredients

• 1 lb. (one pound) asparagus, trimmed and blanched
• 2 tbsp (two tablespoons) olive oil
• 1 (one) red bell pepper, julienned
• 1/2 cup (one-half cup) onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp (two tablespoons) Italian parsley, chopped
• 8 (eight) large eggs, beaten
• ¾ cup (three-quarters of one cup) feta cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper, to taste
• parsley sprigs and/or lemon wedges for garnish, optional

method

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.

2. Reserve 6 whole, blanched asparagus spears and lightly coat with a bit of the olive oil. Cut remaining asparagus at an angle into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat (important note –you must use a frying pan that has an oven-safe handle and one that can go into the oven). Sauté onion and bell pepper until soft, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in asparagus pieces and sauté for 1 minute. Crumble feta cheese on top of vegetables.

4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in chopped parsley and salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture on top of the cooked vegetable-feta cheese mixture in pan.

5. Cover pan with oven-safe lid or tin foil and bake until eggs are just set, about 35-40 minutes. Remove cover, place reserved asparagus spears on top of the frittata in a star shaped pattern and bake until top is lightly browned, about 5-10 minutes. Remove frittata from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer to large platter and garnish with parsley and/or lemon wedges if desired.

favourite recipe provided by a friend who continues to inspire - recipe: marinated brie

I have been trying (hard!) to wait until “National Friendship Day” (which takes place on the first Sunday of August) to write an article about Tina Roberts.

Let me tell you about Tina. She’s an inspiring friend as well as a loyal client. She encourages me to be creative, to stay focused, to be a strong leader and to stay on top of the trends. In a nutshell, she inspires me to be the best business owner that I can be. By now, you might be wondering why I am writing about her in my column. What does Tina have to do with food, you might ask? Allow me to explain, Tina is a fabulous (with a capital ‘F’) cook AND baker. She has won numerous contests for her recipes, and like me, enjoys sharing her genuine love and passion for food.

Tina has generously shared many of her award-winning recipes with me, including the below delectable marinated brie recipe. December is always a very busy month – for everyone, really, and especially those of us who work in the food industry. Tina stopped by the shop one December afternoon with a wheel of her famous marinated brie. We popped it into the oven and about 20 minutes later, found ourselves swooning over this delectable appetizer.

Probably my favourite of the many fabulous recipes that Tina has shared with me, her blueberry drizzle salad, (another award winner) can be found on my website – www.danashortt.ca. I featured this recipe in my August 2008 newsletter and honestly, people are still talking about it. Last summer, I prepared it about three times in one week!

Choosing which of her recipes to feature this week was tough – there are so many I love, including her flaming shrimp (even my hubby David likes it and he isn’t fond of shrimp – he calls them “sea bug filter feeders”), her roasted ratatouille salad, and her summertime pasta salad (again, featuring brie – how could you go wrong?).

Thanks for your inspiration and support Tina, I’m so lucky to call you my friend.

Tina’s award winning marinated barbecued brie
This was a “Cottage Life” recipe contest winner in 1996.
It’s hard to believe that Tina entered this contest without first trying the recipe!

ingredients

• 2 (two) tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 (one) clove garlic, minced
• 1 (one) teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ (one-quarter) teaspoon pepper
• 1 (one) tablespoon minced fresh parsley
(I like flat-leaf Italian best)
• 2 (two) tablespoons olive oil
• ½ (half) red bell pepper, finely minced (brunoise cut)
• 8 oz. (eight ounce) wheel of brie (can substitute camembert)

method

• preheat oven (or bbq!) to 350 F
• combine all ingredients except the cheese
• scrape the rind off the top of the cheese and poke full of holes – a chopstick works best
• pour marinade over cheese and if you have time, marinate overnight (marinate for at least 4 hours for the best results)
• bake cheese for about 15 minutes – serve with French bread and assorted crackers and biscuits
• As Tina would say, “guten appétit!”

Lastly, speaking of friends – I want to thank all of you who supported our Bake Sale to Benefit KidsAbility on Friday, April 3rd. I’m so thrilled to announce that we raised $1,709.49 to help children right here in our community! I was delighted, but not surprised, by your generosity and support. I also want to thank Carol, Rose and Mark for their hard work during the sale as well as the baked goodies they provided – the sale could not of happened without you! Thank you also to Avery & Meredith McCorkell for your wonderful hand-made “BAKE SALE” signs! The time and effort you put in (on a PA Day no less) really showed. Lastly, a thank you to Mike Delion, of Delion’s Menswear, for donating the Lacoste shirt as a raffle item for the sale.

Dana Shortt built a business around her love of food. She is the owner-operator of a specialty food store and catering business called “Dana Shortt Gourmet” on Erb Street in Uptown Waterloo. Visit her website at www.danashortt.ca

carrot cake for first charity bake sale - recipe: carrot cake

A few years ago, I had the idea to host a charitable bake sale — with all profits going to a local charity. I loved attending bake sales as a kid (who didn’t?) and I thought a bake sale would be a fun and delicious way to generate enthusiasm for a worthy cause. Although this idea was never too far from my mind, life got busy, time flew by, and I hate to say it, the sale never happened. While I try my best to give back to the community regularly, I recently read an article in the paper that moved me into action.

The most difficult aspect of organizing this bake sale was choosing which charity to support; there are so many worthwhile causes in our region. Last May, my husband and I were blessed with the birth of our son, John, so a charity supportive of children felt right. I decided that the first bake sale (I hope we’ll have many) should benefit KidsAbility.

Last week, I spoke with Lisa Talbot, Executive Director of KidsAbility Foundation. I explained I wanted to host a bake sale and Lisa replied that their annual Radiothon was being held on April 3 and this would be the perfect day for it.

Accordingly, our bake sale to benefit KidsAbility will be held on April 3 from 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. All profits from the baking will benefit children with challenges here in our community by helping them reach their potential. After 5 p. m., I’ll head to Conestoga Mall where the Radiothon takes place and I’ll let them know how much money we raised with our sale.

Please consider dropping by our shop. We’ll be selling all sorts of delicious baked goodies including cupcakes, squares, cookies, muffins, pies and of course our signature lemon currant scones.

There’s even a staff challenge — each employee will contribute an item not normally found on our menu. The challenge — to see whose baked goods sell out first. I’m making a delicious carrot cake; Rose is making flourless, organic peanut butter cookies and cheesy buddy dog biscuits. The rest of the team? They’re keeping their contributions top secret — amazing considering how much Rose and I pester them.

Here is an outstanding recipe for carrot cake. I learned to make it while working as the “cafe chef” at Dish Cooking Studio in Toronto. I thought that the recipe was under wraps until I saw it published in the new Dish Entertains cookbook, written by Trish Magwood and published by Harper Collins Canada.

Delicious? Yes. Low calorie or low fat? Absolutely not!

ingredients for cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup drained, crushed pineapple
• 1 cup raisins

method for baking

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the vegetable oil and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
• Gently fold the flour mixture into the oil/sugar mixture.
• Fold in the grated carrots, pineapple and raisins.
• Pour into a greased or parchment-lined 10 inch by 13 inch cake pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Once cake is cool, top with icing (recipe below).

ingredients for cream cheese icing
(the best part about carrot cake, if you ask me)

• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted

method for cream cheese icing

Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the icing sugar, one-half cup at a time and beat until icing is smooth and fluffy.

chefs’ tips on grilling the perfect steak just in time for the start of barbecue season - recipe: Dead-Easy Blue Cheese Sauce for Steak - recipe: Sal

It’s my husband’s birthday this week. I welcome the opportunity to spoil him because it’s not often that he allows me to do this. Every year I offer him options on what he would like for his birthday meal — this is the one time of year that he’ll indulge himself by telling me exactly what he wants me to cook

This being said, I can almost guarantee that from a wide list of birthday-dinner options, David will choose steak, baked potatoes and Caesar salad.

Traditional, yes, perhaps a bit pedestrian, but certainly delicious (and I can always get creative with the dessert, right?).

Chefs are often asked for tips on how to prepare perfect, restaurant-quality steaks at home.

I have my faves but I thought it would be fun to ask two of the best chefs in town — Mark Saraiva, chef at Dana Shortt Gourmet and Kirstie Herbstreit, a chef at the Art Bar in Kitchener.

Mark’s tips

• Mark is a man of few words. However, when I asked him about cooking steak he spoke at length and did so very passionately.
• Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking — an absolute must, he said.
• Don’t salt the meat in advance — salt it just before searing/grilling (otherwise, the salt will bring out the moisture in the meat and it won’t form as nice a “crust.”)
• Let the meat rest for at least 5-10 minutes after cooking so that the juices have a chance to “settle” and redistribute.
• Mark was adamant about this point — he thinks that it’s such a shame that people waste hard-earned dollars on quality steak by tucking into it too soon.

Kirstie’s tips

• Buy good quality beef, from your preferred butcher.
• The cut is important. Kirstie’s favourites are top sirloin and strip loin. She finds tenderloin just doesn’t have the marbling to give it that proper “steak” flavour.
• Oil the meat and then season both sides with lots of kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
• By oiling the meat, as opposed to the grill or cast iron pan, you ensure that the seasoning sticks and that you get a nice “crust” on the steak.
• Cook it hot and fast. For the perfect medium-rare one-inch steak: lay steak on a hot grill at “10 o’clock,” wait two minutes, turn to “2 o’clock,” cook two minutes, flip and cook a further two minutes, then take it off of the heat.
• Rub with a cut side of a garlic clove, and rest a few minutes before enjoying.

My tips

• I absolutely agree with Mark and Kirstie (although my favourite cut of steak is the rib-eye).
• Purists like their steaks served straight-up but I think a little melted herb butter on top of a grilled steak is fabulous — almost as delicious as the combination of blue cheese with steak — a must try for blue cheese lovers like myself.

Dead-Easy Blue Cheese Sauce for Steak

ingredients

• 2 cups heavy (35 per cent) cream
• Blue cheese, to taste (Danish blue is fine, gorgonzola if you are feeling more indulgent.)
• Pepper, to taste

method

• Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then continue to boil until the cream thickens — about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add crumbled blue cheese — how much you add will depend on how thick you want your sauce and how much blue cheese flavour you like. Season to taste with pepper.

Salt-Crusted Baked Potatoes

Inspired by a dinner at the Linger Longer Steakhouse in Greensboro, Ga.

ingredients

• 4 half-pound baking potatoes, preferably russet
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup kosher salt

method

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Wash and dry potatoes.
• Prick potatoes in several places with a fork.
• Coat each potato with egg white, then crust potatoes completely in salt.
• Bake potatoes in a shallow baking pan until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 60 to 75 minutes.
• Crack off as much salt as desired from skin before serving.
• Serve with your favourite accompaniments — sour cream, butter, grated cheddar and scallions.

easy tips for entertaining at home - recipe: tangy lemon curd

Last week, I had the pleasure of giving a talk to the Kitchener Heritage PROBUS (PROfessional and BUSiness) Club. My presentation focused on easy entertaining ideas that allow one to "entertain like a caterer." As you know, although I love to entertain, I'm fully aware that it can be quite stressful and intimidating for many people. If you are less than eager to entertain, there is always the option of taking people out to a restaurant for dinner, but if you're feeling a bit more daring, here are my top 10 tips to make entertaining at home as easy as possible:

• Prepare dishes that can be made in advance. In colder months, serve dishes that taste better the day after they are made, such as coq au vin, beef bourguignon, chicken marsala, curries, pasta bakes or another one of your favourite one-dish-meals that can go from oven to table. In warmer months, serve cold or room-temperature dishes such as grilled salmon, cold sliced chicken or flank steak, potato salad and a platter of roasted vegetables.

In addition to the food, prepare whatever else you can in advance. For example, have your coffee set up so that you only have to press the start button, have your cream and milk already poured into the creamers and stored in the fridge, select and set up your music, have your matches or lighter out near the candles.

• Serve buffet-style or family-style whenever possible. Plated meals take a lot more time, more fussing about and the food can get cold easily. I love serving buffet because your guests are able to choose their own portions and avoid taking something that they aren't as fond of.

• Consider renting dishes and stemware if your budget allows. It goes without saying that renting makes for much easier clean up.

• Hire a server if your budget allows. An additional hand to help with cleaning, topping-up drinks or collecting coats can really come in handy, especially for large groups.

• Set up a self-serve bar.

• Consider serving only wine, beer and perhaps a signature drink (in addition to a non-alcoholic choice, of course). It's often the little touches that your guests will remember.

• Take something basic and make it more exotic by introducing a "twist" or using a small amount of an expensive or "luxury" ingredient. Some examples include topping traditional devilled eggs with crab or lobster and garnishing them with smoked salt.

• Don't forget the importance of presentation. Remember, people eat with their eyes first. Try making your food more interesting by presenting it in an unconventional manner. Choose a vessel, container or stemware piece (from your own kitchen cabinets, hutch or attic) that is not normally intended for that food item.

For instance, fill your old-fashioned teacup and saucer sets with fresh fruit salad and top with a dollop of lemon curd or whipped cream and a sprig of fresh mint. Teacups also work beautifully for appetizer-sized portions of hot or cold soup, and are also a great way to serve shrimp cocktail.

• Don't forget the music and candles. Have music playing throughout the duration of your gathering. Don't forget about lighting — dim the lights and light some candles.

• If you don't like to cook or are pressed for time, consider assembling good-quality store-bought food instead of creating it. For example, buy great-quality sausages and cold meats, sliced cheese, marinated or pickled vegetables and artisan breads and let your guests prepare their own antipasto.

Remember that it's your mood that sets the tone. Your guests aren't going to have a good time if they see that you're exhausted from all of the preparation or if you're running around in a frenzy trying to host the "perfect" party.

To quote Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa), "Your friends aren't going to have more fun if you spend two weeks making the hors d'oeuvres."

Which brings me to my corollary – your guests won’t have a good time if your husband is tense – so pour him a stiff vodka tonic 30 minutes before your guests arrive – and refresh it a couple of times over the evening – you’d be surprised how much more engaging / charismatic / helpful he’ll be... It’ll remind you of why you married him in the first place. (Works like a charm for me every time!)

Tangy Lemon Curd

recipe adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine

yields about 2 cups

ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

method

• In a large bowl, beat the softened, room-temperature butter and sugar with an electric mixer for about two minutes.
• Slowly add the whole eggs and egg yolks. Beat for one-two minutes more. Mix in the lemon juice. Please note, the mixture will look "curdled" but it will smooth out as it cooks.
• In a medium heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance does disappear as the butter in the mixture melts.)
• Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15-22 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170 degrees F on a thermometer.
• Do not let the mixture boil. Remove the curd from the heat, and then stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator.
• The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for two months.

there’s no excuse not to make a special dish on st. valentine’s day with this coeur à la crème recipe - recipe: coeur à la crème

Let me start by stating that I can't believe I'm featuring a dessert recipe for Valentine's Day that doesn't involve chocolate. Although I adore, adore, adore chocolate, I find myself drawn towards vanilla, lemon or fruit-based desserts more and more often.

Lately, when I have a chocolate craving, I tend to enjoy a nice piece (or four) of solid milk chocolate.

I know, I know, true "gourmands" prefer the 70 per cent cocoa dark chocolate, but I can honestly say that I'm a milk-chocolate girl, no matter how hard my hubby tries to convince me to embrace the "dark side."

I first came across this recipe in Ina Garten's (a. k. a. the Barefoot Contessa) cookbook on Paris.

It looked fabulous and I made a mental note to try it one day. Recently, I was at Conestoga Mall and ventured into Gizmo's to take a peak at the latest and greatest kitchen gadgets — and wouldn't you know it, I found the heartshaped mold which (I thought) was required to make this dessert (and for a reasonable $10, no less). So it was a done deal — I had to buy it and knew what I'd be making my sweetheart for Valentine's Day.

I recently tested this recipe for my dad's birthday, and it received rave reviews.

I've adapted Garten's original recipe by omitting the seeds scraped from a vanilla bean (I didn't have any at home and it was a snowy day and didn't feel like going back to the store to get any).

Also, I didn't bother making the raspberry Grand Marnier sauce either, as I thought that some fresh berries would do the trick.

Garten's original recipe including the raspberry sauce can be found online at www.foodnetwork.com .

Lastly, I didn't realize until reading through the entire recipe that you can substitute a seven-inch sieve for the coeur (heartshaped) pan if you don't own one or don't want to buy one.

So, now there really are no excuses not to make this for that special someone.

Coeur à la Crème (which translated means "heart of cream")

ingredients

• 12 oz. plain cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups icing sugar
• 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2-3 cups assorted mixed berries

method

• Place the softened cream cheese and the icing sugar into the bowl of stand mixer.
• Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until well blended and soft.
• Scrape down the paddle attachment and the bowl with a rubber spatula and change the attachment to the wire balloon whisk attachment.
• Add the vanilla, lemon zest and half of the cream and beat until the mixture becomes thick like whipped cream.
• Add the remainder of the cream and beat again until the mixture looks like whipped cream.
• Line a coeur mold (heartshaped mold with holes at the bottom) or a seven-inch sieve with cheesecloth and pour in the cream mixture.
• Fold the ends of the cheesecloth over top of the mold or sieve. Suspend the mold or sieve over a bowl, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the mold/sieve and the bottom of the bowl so that any liquid can drain out.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• Discard the liquid, remove the crème from the mold and serve with fresh fruit (or fruit sauce, if desired).

quick tip

Don't have any cheesecloth to line the coeur mold or sieve? A few good quality thick paper towels will do just as good a job.

untraditional holidays help pass the winter season - recipe: crystal fold

I recently hosted an après-ski party for my family.

The best part of the party (for me at least) was that we didn't do the "avant" part — i. e. we didn't go skiing, we just enjoyed the food and company afterwards.

Allow me to explain — I grew up enjoying skiing with my family, but I'm more of a "spring skier" than anything else.

My dream as a child was to one day be the mom who managed to forgo skiing in the cold by staying warm back at the chalet, preparing appetizers and/or dinner for the evening.

An "après-ski-sans-ski" party came to mind one day and I thought, who cares if they think I'm crazy, I'm going to do it!

As you can see, I love any excuse to entertain family and/or friends. I'm even more drawn to finding reasons to bring loved ones together when the weather is cold and few can muster up the energy to do much or go anywhere (except for all of you skiers and snowbirds out there).

Accordingly, I like to always have a social event "in the works" to keep me inspired and to give me something to look forward to. I recently googled the word "celebration" and found a website ( www.brownielocks.com ) that lists thousands of "bizarre, crazy, silly, unknown holidays and observances" — i. e. reasons for us to celebrate!

Here are a few of my favourites to get you through the next few dreary weeks, along with some easy food ideas:

• Jan. 26 is the start of the Chinese New Year. I've never celebrated this before but there is a first time for everything, right?

Sometime this week, I'm going to make crystal fold — a mixture of ground pork and shredded vegetables in a hoisin-style sauce.

You wrap the pork mixture in iceberg lettuce leaves and then eat them like tacos. It's super easy, super tasty and I'm sure that the kids would love it too. See the recipe below.

• Feb. 1 is Super bowl Sunday.

I don't know anything about football — I've never even watched a full game — but I know what I'll be making that night for dinner: Greta and Janet Podleski's "lord of the wings" (a much healthier version of chicken wings — boneless, skinless chicken thighs, marinated in a honey garlic sauce and shaped to look like chicken wings — all served up with a reduced fat blue cheese dip).

Visit www.foodtv.ca for the recipe.

• Feb. 19 is national Chocolate Mint Day. I'm going to celebrate by eating one of Rheo Thompson Candies famous mint smoothie bars. Yum!

• Feb. 22 is Academy Awards night. (I'm already excited.) I've never been able to convince my hubby to watch with me, so it will likely be a party for one — I'm going to enjoy a glass or two of Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) and some appetizers from the shop — possibly some cheese and a few ready-to-bake hors d'oeuvres.

My dear friend Nichole used to have an annual Oscars party for the girls (complete with costumes) but this party has fallen by the wayside now that we all have little ones. Maybe next year we'll co-host and bring it back?

• Feb. 26 is National Chili Day. To celebrate, I'm going to make white chicken chili, my brother's famous corn-bread (refer to my Nov. 19 article for the recipe) and a crisp green salad.

• Feb. 28 is Open That Bottle Night. Note to self — be sure to invite mom and dad over on this night as dad can always be counted on to bring over a great bottle of wine, no matter what the occasion.

• Lastly, Jan. 25 was my dad's birthday and I made the desserts.

Dad loves dessert so I spoiled him with two varieties: dark chocolate raspberry bomb and coeur a la creme, which translated means "heart of cream." Look for this recipe in my Feb. 11 article.

Happy birthday dad — I can think of no better reason to celebrate than by honouring you and your life.

Crystal Fold

makes 8 large wraps

ingredients

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup-1 cup hoisin sauce (use more if you like the mixture quite saucy)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soya sauce
• 1 1/2 cups grated carrot
• 1 can (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts
• 1 cup grated daikon (Japanese radish which looks like a large white carrot — optional)
• 8 large lettuce leaves, washed and dried Cook pork (breaking up with spoon) over medium heat in a non-stick skillet until no longer pink.

method

• Add diced onion and cook for three-four minutes or until onion is soft and translucent. Drain off any fat.
• Add minced garlic and cook for one-two minutes until fragrant.
• Add hoisin sauce, soya sauce, grated carrot, water chestnuts and daikon (if using) and mix well to incorporate.
• Cook for another two minutes or until the mixture is hot.
• Divide pork mixture among lettuce leaves. Fold lettuce over filling and then roll up.

quick tip

President’s Choice now sells 227-gram packages of crispy lettuce wraps in the produce department that make this meal even easier to prepare. You could also top washed mixed greens or torn iceberg lettuce with the pork filling if you don’t want to roll the mixture into wraps.

clean eating for the new year with salmon & salad - recipe: Julie Garner's Brown Sugar Salmon recipe: Lynn Johnston's Maple Blue Cheese Salad

It's the beginning of a new year, so many of us are trying to eat "lighter" after the holidays. I'm not exactly known for my low-fat cooking (I prefer to take smaller portions of great tasting foods so that I don't have to deprive myself), but I must admit that I'm craving vegetables, salads and healthy proteins after indulging in my fair share of chocolate (and cookies and scones and potatoes and gravy, among other things).

My lovely "in-law-mother" Lynn (my brother's wife's mother) prepared an absolutely delicious salad for our annual Christmas Eve family get-together and I am so pleased that she passed along the recipe to me. This salad was one of the best I've ever tasted, and when paired with salmon, it makes a delicious, complete meal.

My dear friend, Julie Garner, makes a fabulous brown sugar salmon and she also agreed to share her recipe with me. Julie is one busy lady — she commutes daily to Toronto for work, is expecting her first baby next month, is married to a small-business owner — and yet still finds the time to cook and entertain often.

She has mastered creating delicious yet easy recipes, thus allowing herself more time with her guests.

When I called Julie to ask her for her recipe and for permission to mention her in the article, we got to chatting. She asked me what the theme of the article was and I replied, "healthy eating."

She chuckled (OK, she howled) and said, "Danes, Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, blue cheese, nuts and maple syrup — do you seriously consider this healthy?"

To which I replied (albeit defensively), "Yes — the main ingredients are mixed greens and salmon after all, and don't the leafy greens and vegetables cancel out the blue cheese, nuts and syrup?" Julie thought about it and then agreed — she classified this dish as "clean eating."

Julie Garner's Brown Sugar Salmon

ingredients

• four, five to six ounce skinless and boneless filets of salmon
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (for the best results, grate the Parmesan yourself, but if you're in a pinch, you can also used the pre-grated or jarred variety)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

method

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine the Parmesan cheese and brown sugar together in a shallow bowl. Add freshly-cracked black pepper to taste (I like a lot).
• Coat all sides of salmon in the parmesan-sugar mixture and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (pat any extra parmesan-sugar mixture on the tops of the salmon filets).
• Bake salmon for 12 to 15 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
• Serve on top of a mixed green salad (see below).

Lynn Johnston's Maple Blue Cheese Salad

When I make the dressing for this salad, I double the below (original) recipe because I love to have homemade salad dressing on hand in the fridge — then there is never an excuse not to eat your greens.

The recipe below makes a generous half cup of dressing (the doubled recipe makes a little over one cup).

This recipe was adapted from Cottage Life magazine — it was a contest winner in 2004.

ingredients

• 1/4 cup good quality olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano)

method

• Place all of the dressing ingredients into a 500-millilitre mason jar (see tip below) and shake until well blended.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.
• To finish, toss mixed salad greens with desired amount of dressing and fresh vegetables and/or fruit.
• Top each portion of salad with a filet of brown sugar salmon.

Note: The original salad recipe calls for green onions, cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, pecans and crumbled blue cheese.

When I made it, I added some sliced blood oranges and substituted walnuts for the pecans (walnuts are an amazing source of omega 3 fats and I recently read that eating plenty of these can increase your baby's IQ by as much as 10 points).

Lynn serves the blue cheese on the side, as not everyone likes it (more for me, I say). If you want, you can also substitute a tangy chévre or feta for the blue cheese.

quick tip

Lynn brought the salad dressing in a small mason jar, which is such a fantastic idea. If it separates, all you need to do is give it a quick shake. No risk of leakage either, so it's perfect for potlucks. I also discovered that this is the easiest way to make dressing with a fussy eight-month-old on your hip. Especially if he is teething and wants to put everything in his mouth, including a whisk.