Tag Archives: light

Farewell Summer Salad with Black Kale, Peaches, Almonds & Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette

It’s officially fall and we’re excited for cozy sweaters, colourful leaves and pumpkin spice everything! But before we go there, we thought we’d savour the very last of summer with a Farewell Summer Salad. Yes, it’s sad. Summer is over. However,  you can still grab some local bites of sunshine (or peaches as they are more commonly known) at your local market and have one last taste of summertime.

While at our local farmer’s market this weekend we noticed the last of the Ontario peaches and grabbed a basket along with this gorgeous black kale.

black kale & peaches

We had never tried black kale before but were intrigued by it’s beautiful purple colour. We thought  it would not only look great (hello contrasting colours!) but also taste great and deliver a good dose of healthy vitamins and nutrients to our bodies too.  Something we all need after a summer of indulgence.

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Shrimp with Chili, Lime and Coconut Oil

We’ve recently gotten on the coconut oil train, have you? We love it for it’s versatility-  you can use it to cook or bake with but can also use it as an amazing treat for your skin and hair. In this simple dish, we combined coconut oil, green chilis and lime juice with shrimp for a delicious combination of flavours.

coco-lime-shrimp (1)

 

The marinade we’ve created gives shrimp a light coconut lime flavour with just a little kick from the chillies. It’s the perfect combination of slightly sweet, citrus and spice. Eat it on it’s own as an app, put it on top of a summery salad or feature it as a main course with your favourite summery sides. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Ingredients:

  • 1tbsp coconut oil
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 2 green chillies
  • 12-14 large raw shrimp, de-shelled

Directions:

  1. melt coconut oil and set aside to cool
  2. chop chilies and add to coconut oil
  3. add lime juice to the coconut oil
  4. toss shrimp in coconut oil and set aside for 10 min, mixing every once and a while
  5. heat skillet to medium high
  6. add shrimp mixture and cook until pink

Grilled Calamari with Lemon, Garlic and Oregano

Summer days call for simple meals that don’t require too much effort and yet still pack a flavourful punch. As we all migrate outside to enjoy the warm weather, the BBQ takes over as our main cooking tool.  Below is the recipe for one of our favourite summer dishes done on the BBQ: Grilled Calamari that’s done in a Lemon, Garlic and Oregano marinade and cooked in a grill basket on the BBQ. Enjoy them on their own (they sure are tasty enough) or make a light meal or appetizer by placing some on top of a nice green salad like we did.

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
  • ½ of the juice of one large lemon
  • ½ tbsb fresh oregano
  • ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 12 FRESH baby squid, tentacle part only heads removed and discarded. If they make you squeamish, this would also work with the body of the squid.
**NOTE: As with all seafood, the fresher the better! Spend a little extra and get fresh squid from your local seafood market. We got ours at Mike’s Fish Market at the St. Lawerence Market.

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat BBQ on medium-high heat
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and marinate squid for 5 min
  3. Cook for 5-7 min in a grilling basket until tentacles curl and crisp slightly
  4. Enjoy on their own or on top of a mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes