farm fresh dinner: new potatoes, braised greens and a beet salad

This weekend we got out into the country. On Saturday there was a hike to Lindeman Lake (don't listen to your guidebook, it's definitely not "easy") and afterward, there was time to check out a few local farm markets. I was hoping we could find a flat or two of local strawberries, but since we were nearing the end of the afternoon, everywhere seemed to be sold out. Our first stop was Wisbey Veggies in Chilliwack where I walked out with 2 very full bags full of local farm fresh produce for $20. Beets, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, snow peas, new potatoes, carrots, raspberries, zucchinis and mushrooms...all locally grown, all so delicious. A few minutes away, we discovered a goat cheese dairy selling all kinds of goat cheese products from ice cream to yogurt to gouda! I walked away with cheese curds (not goat) and some goat cheese feta. I was already imagining all the menu possiblities.

On Sunday, after a big breakfast and a little garage sale snooping, we decided to head out to visit our CSA farm in Langley for their open house weekend. It's a beautiful farm and we got a great tour from the very enthusiastic farmer, Stephen. We also got to pick out some seedlings to take home and harvest some of our own rhubarb and greens (kale, mustard, chard and arugula)! We even dug into the farm's cooler and into a tub containing mouldy leeks. Stripping off the gooey outter layers revealed a perfectly good leek, so we took a few of those home too. I think it's safe to say that when you harvest your own food, it tastes so much better and you get bragging rights which is always a good thing.

After looking through my haul on Sunday evening, I got to work. First I tackled the beets. I knew I wanted a beet and arugula salad topped with feta. Recalling a similar salad I made last summer, I decided to stick with a good thing but still make a few tweeks here and there. The beets were incredibly sweet and worked so well with the feta and the tangy dressing. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing. For the new potatoes, I took the simple road. Boiled, buttered and sprinkled with fresh herbs from my garden. The mint made this dish and made the potatoes sing. I couldn't leave well enough alone, and as i gathered the beet greens, I decided to make use of the kale and chard as well, braising them simply with the leeks and a lemon. It was a farm fresh dinner from start to finish.

buttered new potatoes with mint & parsley
8 new potatoes
1 T fresh mint, chopped
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 T unsalted butter
kosher salt & black pepper

Boil potatoes in water until tender. Drain. Coat with butter, fresh herbs and salt & pepper. Serve.

beet & arugula salad with goat cheese & pecans
8 baby beets, quartered or cut in half
arugula, torn
1/4 c goat cheese feta
2 T pecans, chopped
1 T sour cherry jam
1/4 c olive oil
1 t dijon mustard
2 T cider vinegar
salt & pepper

Boil the beets until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly so that removing the skin from the beets isn't too painful. Further chop the larger pieces of beets, if necessary. Set aside. Mix the dressing by combining the jam, olive oil, mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper until thick. Adjust seasonings to taste. Scatter arugula on plate, then the beets, feta and pecans. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

braised greens with leeks & lemon
2 lbs of assorted greens (chard, kale, beet greens is what I used)
1 T olive oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes
3 leeks, sliced thinly
zest & juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper

Rinse the greens very well to get rid of any dirt hidden within the leaves. Remove the tough ribs from the kale and discard. Chop the greens and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute the leeks and red chilies until fragrant. Add in the toughest leaves first (kale) and then the chard and then the beet greens. Reduce heat. What looks like a massive amount of greens will soon wilt into a very manageable amount. Add in the lemon juice and zest and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and stir about until all the leaves become wilted and tender, about 10 minutes. Serve.

let's get down tonight with a millet vegetable bowl

I can't explain just how happy this meal made me. I loved every single bite. I kicked myself that I didn't make more because while it was filling, I would have loved leftovers to enjoy all over again. And, if that wasn't enough, the dinner was healthy and helped to rid the bits inside my refrigerator, including the remaining amazing tahini-ginger dressing that I made the night before.

Somehow the cumin-scented vegetables (crush your own cumin seeds, so worth it!) and the ginger, lemon and tahini of the dressing mingle to make sweet, sweet love to your mouth. It's plain delicious.

millet vegetable bowl
(inspired by 101 cookbooks)
3 potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 small rutabaga (swede), diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 T olive oil
1 T cumin seeds, crushed
salt & pepper
1 c millet
2 c vegetable stock
1 small head broccoli, broken into florets
1/4 c toasted pecans, broken
tahini ginger dressing + extra olive oil and lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl, combine the diced vegetables (potatoes to carrots) with the olive oil and cumin and mix until everything is coated. Dump into a large baking tray and bake until vegetables are that perfect mixture of soft and crispy, about 35 minutes.

2. Meanwhile bring the veggie stock to a boil and add in the millet. Turn heat to low and cover until all the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

3. Steam broccoli for just a few minutes until bright green and crisp-tender. Remove immediately from the heat.

4. Mix up the ginger-tahini dressing. If you don't have enough leftover dressing, add in the juice of half a lemon and more olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings.

5. Get out your 2 most favorite large bowls and section out the millet, the roasted vegetables, the broccoli and the pecans into said bowls. Drizzle dressing over top and dig in. Kick yourself because you didn't make a double batch.

the big bad banana: jacked-up banana bread

You should know by now that I do not like bananas. However, my one banana exception is for banana bread and it's funny that my most popular recipe is for banana bread. But I think I've found a match for the ever-delicious chocolate-chip laden and cinnamon-sugared crunch of the UBC cake. This one doesn't have chocolate or a heavy hand when it comes to spices, but that's not to say it is without kick. A nice glug of rum makes this bread even tempered but with a little bit of the crazy-eye. And every good cake needs a bit of crazy.


I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen particularly appealing since I had 3 very brown bananas tucked into the freezer. She adapted her recipe from another food blogger and I have adapted hers based on what I had around the kitchen. I didn't have a bottle of Wild Turkey laying about, so I subbed in some Jamaican amber rum and pecans for crunch. It's easy, delicious and I can't wait until I have a few more big bad bananas around so that I can mash them into submission for this cake. Scrumptious with fresh berries sprinkled about, or as my husband prefers, smeared with unsalted butter. It's good for an evening snack and even better for breakfast.

You better believe me that I was very sad to see this last slice go. One more thing...head over to the Food Network Canada blog to read my post on the Alibi Room. Finally, beer lovers in Vancouver have a place to revel that is not my living room. Hooray!


jacked-up banana bread
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 c melted Earth Balance margarine (but any light flavored oil or butter should do)
3/4 c lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 t vanilla
1 T rum
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 t baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 c of flour
1/2 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Mash up your bananas and then add in the melted margarine and brown sugar. Mix about with a wooden spoon until well combined and then toss in the egg, rum and the rest of the spices. Add the baking powder and a pinch of salt and combine. Add the flour and then finally the pecans and pour batter into a lightly oiled loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven. When cooled slightly, remove from pan and put on rack to cool completely. Or just dive in when ready.

it's a critical beetdown: my hedge house salad

The last few times I've been to Portland, OR I always make sure to visit the Hedge House and eat their house salad. It's amazing and I just can't seem to shut up about it. I tried in the past to recreate it and wasn't wildly successful. I mean it should be easy enough: beets, hazelnuts, blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. But when I returned last week after another taste of the infamous Hedge House Salad, I decided that this baby would be mine to recreate in my Vancouver kitchen whenever the hell I wanted. And as you can tell by my smile, I reached salad nirvana.

I didn't have blue cheese or hazelnuts so I figured right there that my attempts at remaking would be thwarted. I used toasted pecans and feta instead and, oh my, the salad gods did not let me down. I like my dressing to be the perfect mix of sweet and sour so I've added an extra blob of honey in the directions, but you can choose to use either jam or honey or be brave and use both like I did. I also used a balsamic vinegar Dijon mustard, but you could sub in any old Dijon and I'm sure it would be great. Just taste before you pour so you don't get any surprises.


beets, feta & pecan green salad with balsamic dressing
salad greens, torn, rinsed & dried
2 young cooked beets, roasted or boiled, sliced
1/3 c feta, crumbled
2 T chopped toasted pecans
1/3 c good olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t cherry jam
1 t honey (optional)
1 t balsamic Dijon mustard
salt & pepper

In a small jar combine dressing ingredients (olive oil through salt & pepper) and shake well to combine. Taste and add more sweet or more tang, if needed. Add the sliced beets to a small bowl and cover with some of the dressing to marinate for a little bit. Add the prepared greens to a serving bowl and toss with remaining dressing. Scatter marinated beets over top and then top with feta and pecans. Serve with a smile.