Naples Nugget Salad

I was awoken this morning to the sound of hail on our roof, which put a real damper on my mood as I had big ambitions to go for a run.  I have a half marathon in a little over a week and want to get one big run in before the race.  Colin too was a bit out of sorts as he was studying for his last and final exam of the semester.

To get out of our funk Colin blared some 80’s hits and I puttered around the kitchen to make us a lunch to cheer us up.  I chose to try a recipe out of the spring issue of Taste, BC Liquor Stores promotional magazine.  There are 4 free magazines a year and I'm always impressed with the quality of recipes they have.  Each recipe, of course, comes with a suggested pairing of some sort of boozy beverage.   I decided on the Naples Nugget Salad recipe, because it used rainbow new potatoes and prosciutto.  The prosciutto is roasted in the oven with the potatoes which makes it a nice crispy addition to the salad. It turned out to be the perfect lunch to pick up our grey day.

Naples Nugget Salad

Salad:

1.5 lbs rainbow baby potatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

6 slices prosciutto, torn into bite size pieces

½ mixed pitted olives

1 cup red and yellow cherry tomatoes

¼ fresh basil, chopped

2 cups baby arugula

Dressing:

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1tsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp sea salt

Pinch red pepper flakes

Pinch fennel seeds, crushed

¼ tsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400F.  Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread in an even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and add prosciutto and olives, return to oven for another 5-8 minutes, the potatoes should be tender.

In the meantime combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar and mix to combine.  Set aside.

When potatoes are done remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes.  In a serving dish combine the tomatoes, basil and potato mixture.  Add enough dressing to coat well.  Fold in half of the arugula and sprinkle the rest of the arugula over salad once plated.

Bon Appetit!

            

Spring Time Brunch

There are several reasons I feel grateful living where I do but for the last week my main joy has been the arrival of spring.  The streets are lined with cherry blossom trees in full bloom; tulips are open; I hear birds outside my window and I can walk around my neighbourhood in flip flops!

In the spirit of Easter and spring a few friends and I got together for brunch on Easter Monday.  It was casual and relaxed, everyone contributed to the meal and we ended it off with some post brunch “meditating” on the living room floor.  Our brunch menu included roasted garlic, kale and goat cheese frittata; a big fruit salad with Greek yoghurt; hash browns, bacon, fresh baked bread and a hearty sized pitcher of mimosas.    

The weather has been amazing since and I have spent as much time as possible outside.  To take in all the city’s beauty I spent a lot of time on foot walking down the cherry blossom treed streets.  Those streets often led me to the water where I spent the rest of my time lingering on beaches.  Last night Colin and I planted our tiny garden plot we have at a friend’s house which ended with wine on their porch.

The icing on the cake to top off the week was an amazing spring ski day.  With not much expectation, Colin and I headed to Whistler to use our last prepaid passes and were greeted with a foot of soft and fluffy powder.  Carving through the thick stuff, we built up quite an appetite and we refuelled in Squamish on our way home at Locavore with one of their amazing Banh Mi sandwiches.

All these activities and fresh air have me totally exhausted in the most satisfying of ways.  A cheers to spring and all it will bring!

Whole Orange Muffins

During my days off, before beginning my next set of shifts, I often bake something for Colin and me to take in our lunches.  This week Colin requested muffins and asked if I could get my mother’s recipe for fibre rich, orange muffins.  The recipe includes a whole orange, peel and all, that is blended with the other wet ingredients.  The blending incorporates air which makes for a great texture.  The recipe also offers versatility as any fruit or nuts of your liking can be added. For the dry ingredients any combination of flours/grains will work, I added wheat bran and ground flax to this specific recipe.  Colin likes raisins so I used them in both the wet ingredients and folded a handful into the completed batter.   Because every orange you use will be different in size and sweetness these muffins will be slightly different each time you make them.  This batch for instance, only made 10 muffins, when only last week I made the same recipe and got a full 12.

Orange Muffins:

1 whole orange, washed and cut into chunks

½ cup orange juice

½ cup oil

½ cup raisins or chopped dates

2 eggs

1 ¾ combination of any flour/grains (I used ¼ ground flax; ½ wheat bran; ½ whole wheat flour; and ½ all purpose flour)

¾ cup sugar (I used coconut)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

½ cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400.

Place the whole orange pieces and orange juice in a blender and purée. 

Add the oil, raisins, and eggs and blend to combine.

In a separate bowl combine your chosen flours and grains.Add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk to combine. 

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry.

Fold in the raisins or other desired fruit.

Spoon about ½ cup batter in to lined or greased muffin tin.

Bake 20 minutes at 400. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool in muffin tin for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.