Oatcakes, Oat Biscuits, Oat My

I was recently given products from Nairn's Oatcakes to try and enjoy. And, after just one bite, I was hooked. Nairn's Oatcakes are simple, healthy, wholesome, and a perfect pairing for a decadent topper.

Who am I kidding, though? Half of my family is from Scotland, so I am pretty much born to eat oats. Oatcakes, oat biscuits, oat anything is truly yummy to me. The only problem for me when eating Nairn's Oatcakes was when I tried to pick a favourite flavour. I liked them all!

So instead of choosing a favourite flavour, I worked on the perfect topper. What I came up with was something that was incredibly easy and incredible tasting. It's a Salmon Pâté that bursts with flavour and goes perfectly with Nairn's Oatcakes. Visit Nairn's Oatcakes on Facebook to learn more.

Once You Pop, You Can't Stop

It can be hard to find yummy vegetarian game day snacks, but yummy vegan game day snacks you can pretty much forget about. Unless you count raw veggies with hummus, but I don't that as a yummy game day snack. 

Veganricha made an awesome vegan Jalepeno Popper dip that I definitely count though. It is rich and cheesy but contains no cheese whatsoever. I made a few changes to Veganricha's recipe to quicken up the process but the original pretty delicious. It just takes a little more time than my version. 

The Canadian Garden

When I heard that this month's Canadian Food Experience Project was to write about the Canadian garden, I looked outside in my own garden and saw wee little plants just starting to rear their heads. I don't have much of a garden to write about yet this year. And, since I don't have much of a green thumb, I'm not really able to coax much out of my garden on a good year.

So I decided to get a little cheeky and write about my version of a Canadian garden. My version is more about heading to my Farmer's Market, buying some lovely fresh veggies, and making a dip platter that makes you think you're heading into the garden.

Ready for a little fun? Read on for my Canadian Veggie Garden Dip recipe featuring fresh veggies on top of a hummus and olive tapenade dip.

New Year's Eve Appy Night

It's New Year's Eve and at my house that means a night filled with sparkling drinks and appys. I like to think that I eat less when I'm eating finger food, but I know that I'm kidding myself. I know I fill my little plate up with way more food than I would with just a main course. But it's the holidays right?

Today I'm sharing my New Year's Eve menu with you instead of some new dishes. I love making new  recipes, but I love some of my tried and true favourites a little but more.

First up, I'm going to make my Curried Peanut Butter Sauce. It's great with meatballs like I first showed you, but this time I'm going to serve it with some Grilled Bay Scallop Skewers and also with some Summer Rolls. Tonight's Summer Rolls will be a little different than last time, so look for them in a new post coming up next month!

I'm also going to make one of my favourite dishes, Stuffed Mushrooms! I'll be skipping the bacon in my original recipe, so I might need a little extra cheese to make them sing. But the crescent roll wrapper will stay. I'll never say no to them!

Finally I have one new recipe to try, something I'm going to call Fingerling Potato Jackets. My sweetie wants some guacamole and I know that it would be perfect to serve with baby potato skins stuffed with cheese and salsa. Come back for this recipe too!

Have fun tonight and stay safe! And don't forget to enter my giveaway for some great Team Canada Olympic gear!

An Olympic Sized Giveaway

I love Christmas but now that it's over I'm ready to start thinking about the 2014 Olympic Games. I cannot wait to wear our Canadian colours proudly, watch the opening ceremony, and start cheering on our amazingly talented athletes.

Every year I like to celebrate the Olympics with themed snacks. I just love making things that will make my friends and family smile and get into the Olympic mood. The food must taste good, be easy to make (so that I don't miss a minute of the excitement), and of course resemble an Olympic sport. 

This year I decided to make a fun layered dip topped with a curling end zone. I like to think that it might help the Canadian teams become victorious, but if not, I know it made my family smile. And since Yoplait is a proud supporter of Team Canada at this year's Olympics, I incorporated Yoplait into my recipe. 

Read on for my recipe and also for a great giveaway to help you get decked out in style for this year's Olympic Games!

Double the Fun

When I have friends over for a wine and appy party, I know I'd like to create a menu of entirely handmade little delicacies - but I also know that would only make me frazzled. I know I need to use my time wisely and make a few homemade appetizers and a few from the frozen or deli sections of my grocery store. 

The two appys I am sharing today start might come in handy for those of you that want to make things even easier. These appys start out as the same basic recipe and then ever off into two different directions so you can have even more choices besides the wheel of Brie. 

Get ready to run out to grocery store for wonton wrappers because these recipes need them. :) 

Christmas Sliders

'Tis the season to be jolly and also to look for time saving ideas! December seems to fly by in my house every year and while I wish for an extra hour every day in December, Santa never gets me the gift I really need so I have to find the extra time I wish for another way.

One of the ways I save time is by visiting the Pillsbury area of my grocery store. I like to say I'll be serving homemade cinnamon buns in Christmas morning, but it hasn't happened yet so I always buy a big roll of Grands Cinnamon buns. And I like to think I'll be making my own buns to serve with Christmas dinner, but I always buy a package or two of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, "just incase".

This year I am little more organized than other years because I'm not pretending that I'm going to be making everything from scratch. I know what's going to end up happening. This year I'm stocking up on Pillsbury goodies, but planning on making them a little extra special by adding a few little twists. 

On Christmas morning, I am planning on making Life Made Delicious' Easy Crescent Danish Rolls and I think I might make Life Made Delicious' crescent rolled covered Raspberry Baked Brie at least once between now and the big day - because when I have I ever turned down Brie?

But first I made some incredibly yummy and surprising simple Shrimp Sliders on Pillsbury Crescents for a happy appy at a potluck I recently went to. I know you're going to want to make a batch up yourself. Read on for the recipe!

Crazy Ingredient Challenge - Onions and Gingerbread Spice

This month's Crazy Ingredient Challenge was the craziest yet. I love the holidays and I love gingerbread cookies, but when we were asked to pair gingerbread spice with onions, I almost didn't take part in the challenge. I couldn't come up with anything besides cookies to make with gingerbread spice and I knew that I did not want to try adding onions to cookies!

But then a month-before-Christmas holiday miracle happened and I came up with something delicious that I'll be making again before the holidays are upon us. And the gingerbread spice mix works surprisingly well in the recipe too.

My new Samosa Wonton Cups are perfect finger food for a holiday party and they're just as tasty as their more time consuming cousins too! Read on for the recipe!

The Canadian Harvest on Vancouver Island

There's something about the crispness in the air that makes me think of root veggies. And although root veggies go perfectly with a roast chicken, my favourite way to serve them is Asian tempura style.

Maybe it's because tempura done right is just as crisp as the autumn air or maybe it's because of the amazing China Town in my home of Victoria, BC, but I think that root veggies and tempura are a perfect pairing. So when I found out that our November Canadian Food Experience Project challenge was to write about a Canadian harvest experience, I knew I had to share my delicious tempura recipe.

My only secrets to perfect tempura are to use only drier veggies like squash, beans, and broccoli and to make sure that your batter is really cold. Now that you know those two tricks, you'll be making tempura like pro. So read on for my recipe and get started!

Guilty Pleasure

One of the things I miss about eating meat is smearing a big chunk of pâté on a slice of baguette. I love the creamy texture and the rich flavour. Everything about pâté makes me feel guilty and in love, all at the same time. 

Luckily I found a way to relive all my guilty pleasures of eating pâté because I have made a truly decadent vegetarian version of my old favourite. I'm going to make it for my family at Christmas and I really don't think that they'll be able to tell the difference from the original version. Or maybe they will, because my Mushroom Pâté is a little bit better than the original.  

Chips and Dip

When I hear the words "chips and dip" I automatically think of thick cut potato chips, a huge bowl of French onion dip, and football. I also think of a couple hundred calories. I love chips and dip as much as the next girl, but I also want to be able to enjoy a crunchy chip and a silky dip without the crazy calories.

Thus my Cinnamon Apple Chips and Caramel Yogurt Dip were born. These chips are low fat, crunchy, incredibly yummy, and would make a great back to school gift for a teacher too. Plus, when they're served with this dip, oh boy, you had better make a double batch. Mine disappeared right   before my eyes. And I was the only one home too!

Crispy Edamame

Awhile back I showed you one of my favourite dishes, Crispy Spiced Chick Peas, and you made them one of my most viewed posts! Today I was craving some of those snackable treats and couldn't find a can of chick peas in my pantry. But I did have some frozen edamame and I made something equally delicious with them. 

It was a pretty simple switch from chick peas to edamame, because they're both in the legume family. But I decided that the spices I use with my Crispy Spiced Chick Peas wouldn't be as delicious on today's dish. So I got out my favourite Parmesan cheese and made something awesome. Read on for my simple and yummy recipe! 

Summery Grilled Cheese

When you think of grilled cheese, I bet most of you think of two pieces of crispy bread sandwiching together soft melted cheese with maybe a little ketchup on the side. Maybe a few of you think of something a little more gourmet like an aioli on the side or a spread in the middle, but I don't think any of you think of what I'm about to share with you. 

Today I made Life Made Delicious'  Cedar-Planked Brie and Berries and it was awesome. The cedar plank added a smokey delicious flavour, the honey drizzle added a sweetness, and the fruit added a little extra tang. I can't say that I've ever thought to grill a wheel of Brie before, but now I can't imagine not doing it again! 

Open your eyes to a new world of summery grilled cheese with this delicious recipe! 

The Thrill of the Grill

I've told before that I love grilling, but I know I've never told you about grilling scallops. Because scallops are so small, especially bay scallops, I've never wanted to run the risk of trying to grill them and losing some of the sweet little treasures through the grates into the coals below.

But that's all changed now because I came up with an awesome and truly simple idea. I threaded bay scallops into skewers and grilled them like kabobs. It was so simple and, since I've never had a better scallop before, I know I'll be grilling scallop kabobs for appys all through the summer! 

Canadian Love

Every Canada Day I like to make a new Canada Day themed dish. Once day I'll get away from my thoughts of red and white food parties, but not this year. The dish I've sharing today is at least slightly more elegant than some I've created in past years, but it's still a red and white dish.

I ended up making a salad this year that could complement any grilled main, or could even be dinner on its own. It's made with beautiful roasted red beets, toasted white hazelnuts, orange segments for a burst of extra colour, tart fresh raspberries, maple syrup, and a little torn purple basil. I was going to add in some crumbled goat cheese for little extra white, but I stopped myself. I knew the salad didn't need cheese especially with the maple syrup, and I was only going to add it for the colour. That's a first step to no more colour themed dishes, right?

Moroccan Flavours

I have a love of appetizers that just won't go away. I love small bites from a communal plate of delicious treats because they're usually shared with friends or family, there's usually a ton of different choices of food, and also because no one knows how much you've had to eat!

Ok, I'm kidding on the last bit. Sort of. But back to business, I do love appetizers. 

Today's post is a delicious version of Baba Ganoush, it's more involved than the previous version I shared but I think the added flavour makes it worth the extra ingredients!

Cheese Please!

I love food, but some combinations of food don't make my stomach rumble with excitement. 

Pears and Brie - I love that combination and I think many people would agree, but Halloumi and mango? I'm not even really sure what Halloumi is other than a weird cheese that can be grilled or fried, but I didn't think it sounded delicious until I tried it. Now I don't know how I lived without it and I cannot wait for the next time I get to have a taste them together. 

This recipe comes from the complimentary All You Need is Cheese magazine and I am so happy I read this edition. 

Rainbow of Delights

I love noshing on colourful food because it looks so beautiful. And I love serving colourful food to my friends because it makes everyone smile and smiling is important when you want to enjoy what you're eating. 

Today's post might be simple to make, but it's also simply beautiful if you ask me. And I love to spoon up some of this puréed carrot sauce, inspired by a recipe from Martha Stewart's Meatless, and pour it into my summer rolls. Delish!

Source of Happiness and a Giveaway!

I bike to work everyday and this month marks the weather where I am finally happy to strap on my helmet and pedal. The cherry trees are in full bloom, it's warmer, and I feel great having gotten a little exercise before sitting at a desk all day. 

I like to think I deserve a treat for a pick me up in the afternoon after all that pedalling, but I try to choose something healthy (most days) because staying in shape is why I've taken up biking. Yoplait Source Greek yogurt is one of the best options I have found in a long time for a healthy treat. It's only 50 calories for a serving, it tastes like I am eating something decadent and creamy, and it comes in a great number of flavour options. 

If knowing about this delicious new yogurt isn't enough, I am able to gift one lucky reader with a Yoplait Source Greek yogurt kit that includes free coupons to try this new product as well as a $100 Lululemon gift card that could be used to buy new active wear clothes to help you find your Source of happiness! 

To earn an entry into this giveaway, all you have to do is tell me what flavour of Yoplait Source Greek yogurt you'd be most interested in trying and for a second entry, just like my Facebook page. 

This giveaway will run from now until April 29 and is open to all Canadian residents. You can enter across multiple blogs, but may only win one prize. 

And if you're looking for more ways to incorporate Yoplait yogurt into your diet, try this amazing guilt free Healthified Greek Layered Dip recipe from Life Made Delicious. I made my slightly simpler version twice in one weekend and would have made it a third time, but I ran out of hummus!

Dip a Dee Do Dah

I love a good spinach dip, especially one that's served hot and covered in cheese. But while they're as tasty as can be, they're not very good for you. 

Spinach dips clearly have spinach in them and spinach is of course good for you, but most dips are also chock full of mayonnaise and full fat sour cream. My Spinach Dip doesn't have mayonnaise or sour cream in it and it also doesn't have a lot of cheese, but this doesn't mean it's not tasty. 

My dip has yogurt to make it creamy, artichokes to add extra flavour, and enough cheese so you can taste it. It goes great with veggies, but it would also be wonderful served in a bread bowl!