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roasted beet & brussel sprout salad

October 17, 2011 By Cindy 13 Comments
I need to preface by saying this is one yummy little number.  I decided to combine one of my all-time favs (beets), with something I have never EVER tried before (brussel sprouts).  This Saturday morn, we took another visit to the Evergreen Brickworks Farmer’s Market.  Something that has become an awaited weekend adventure.  I love the atmosphere.  I love the people.  I love chattin’.  Week after week, the icing on the gluten-free cake is when the vendors and farmers start to recognize your face and call you by name.  Really cool!

Amongst our market haul, were amazing organic heirloom beets, brussel sprouts and fresh perch.  To put this dish over the edge, I thought it would be ideal to cook up some bacon in the oven first and then roast the beets, onions, garlic and brussel sprouts in the fat afterwards.  Two words.  Fantastic decision.  It was so flavourful and delicious.  After slowly roasted in a big pan in the oven, everything caramelized together, to make one huge mound of goodness.  While still warm, we platted this on same mixed greens and drizzled with some really good quality olive oil.  Trust me…once you actually have a taste of what olive oil should really taste like, you will never want to go back to your other ‘cheapy’ brand.  I highly recommend paying the few extra bucks and getting something worthwhile if you are able.

roasted beet & brussel sprout salad
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Recipe type: side, appetizer
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 6-8 beets – I used heirloom beets (different varieties) – cubed
  • 1 small basket of brussel sprouts – cleaned thoroughly
  • 1 medium white onion – thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic – chopped
  • .5 – 1 lb bacon
  • 3 tsp dried thyme
  • ground pepper
  • sea salt – I used coarse rosemary & lemon
  • chopped nuts – I used a mix of pecans, walnuts, almonds and cashews (optional)
  • handful or two of mixed greens
  • a splash of olive oil
Instructions
  1. on a tin foil-lined baking sheet, lay and cook bacon in oven until desired crispiness
  2. remove and set aside, keeping the bacon fat for cooking the vegetables
  3. in a large roasting pan, add beets, brussel sprouts, onion and garlic
  4. drizzle with leftover bacon fat
  5. add in a few dashes of ground dried thyme, ground pepper and sea salt
  6. roast in the oven at 350(ish), until softened and browned
  7. in last 5-7 minutes of roasting time, crumble in the bacon and set to broil (watch carefully)
  8. on a dish, plate a couple handfuls of mixed greens
  9. while warm, scoop out several spoonfuls of the roasted mixture
  10. top with a sprinkle of chopped nuts (optional, but they were a yummy touch!)
  11. finish by adding a drizzle of good quality olive oil (optional as well, but recommended)
  12. enjoy!
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Filed Under: Appetizers, Mains, Salads, Sides, Snacks Tagged With: bacon, beets, brussel sprouts, fish, garlic, Nuts, one-pot wonders, onion, perch

zingy tuna salad

August 16, 2011 By Cindy 13 Comments

Who says you need mayonnaise??? A fan fav amongst adults and children alike. Perfect for on-the-go lunches! Yesterday I had a huge craving for some tuna salad.  I knew that I had created a yummy concoction of this awhile back and actually thought I had done up a blog post on it!  After searching my own website…I realized that I had in fact just done a quick photo/write-up on my facebook page…with good intentions of turning into a post!  It must have slipped my not-so-good memory.  Having realized this, I then thought what better time than right now!  This tuna salad recipe is just too scrumptious not to share!

I wanted to recall exactly what I had tossed into this dish, so I did a little diggin’ over on FB!  I discovered that I first made this bowl of deliciousness way back in May.  At that time, I had immediately posted a photo (sans recipe) and it prompted the following conversation…

“Does it have a dressing?”

“I’d like to know that too!”

“Looks great!  Ingredients?”

“Totally want details on ingredients . I have become bored with tuna and it sits all by itself in my pantry!!!!”

“Need ingredients! Been craving tuna salad forever! :) ”

Me: “Yes! No mayo though…basically I used freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some rosemary mustard. Then, I finely chopped up some mini cucumber, pickles, red/orange pepper, celery and white/green onion.  After that I seasoned it with loads of ground pepper, freshly chopped dill and sea salt. Finally…added in few dashes of dried pepper flakes. Basically, feel free to use whatever spices/herbs you wish. =) I am going to make tuna lettuce canoes/wraps tomorrow! Oh ya…3ish cans of tuna as well…enjoy!”

“Talk about a major salad!! Lol.”

Me: “P.S…the shredded carrot and radish were last minute additions (after the pic). I noticed them hiding in the veggie crisper afterwards! Hehe…”

“Beautiful! Thanks I’m making this tonight since I have most of these ingredients already! YUM :D .”

“Haha it is a pretty big salad!”

“Adding different veggies to make it a little crunchy is actually a great idea, I had tuna last night for the first time in years.  I had some red onions finely chopped with celery and a couple of dried raisins and it turned out good, I’m def trying this one tonight!  Thanks for the recipe!”

Me: “Hahaha…just to clarify…we didn’t eat this entire thing tonight if that’s was you were thinking.  I like to make a lot at once…then I put it in the glass container (as shown above) and an airtight lid seals it up, so it stays fresh.”

“I would of probably ate it all the same night! NOM NOM NOM!!! Lol.”

“Dammit Cin, Now I have to make one, and I was looking forward to not being in the kitchen today!!! LOL.”

“If you do like the creaminess of traditional tuna salad, I mash up some avocado and mix it in. Delicious!”

Me: “Good call on the avocado…this is what we actually did with the batch we made this week. So yum!”

“Wow what a coincidence, I just made tuna salad today, too!”

Me: “Awesome! I think I will make it again this wkend!  Haha.”

“Me too! It’s such a cheap, versatile, and delicious option.”

“Made this tonight. Love it. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!”

Big batch.  Serves lots!

zingy tuna salad
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Ingredients
  • 4 cans of tuna
  • 1 lime
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 red pepper
  • 2 dill pickles
  • 2 mini cucumbers
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 4 cloves garlic – minced
  • 2 shredded or coined carrot and radish (optional)
  • loads of fresh dill
  • generous amounts of ground pepper and sea salt
  • several spoons of mustard (I used Kozliks’ rosemary)
  • a few splashes of olive oil and balsamic vinegar
  • a dash or two of dried chili flakes or hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
  1. basically take all your cans of tuna, open them up and pour it into a large bowl
  2. next, take all the veggies and finely chopped them all and toss into the mix
  3. add in your mustard, herbs and spices
  4. then, drizzle with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and the juice from squeezed lemon/lime
  5. once you have combined all your ingredients, mix thoroughly with a fork
  6. sprinkle with dried chili flakes or a few splashes of hot sauce
  7. enjoy!
Notes

P.S. – this dish is super wicked because you can eat it on it’s own, over a bed of mixed greens, in a “lettuce canoe” or even throw it on-top of some eggs. Also, it has some serious zing and is even better the next day, after being in the fridge all night. Perfect to take in lunches as well!!!

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Breakfasts, Mains, Salads, Sides, Snacks Tagged With: chunky, fish, simple, tuna

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