Crazy for Creole

I am so grateful for hot summer days this year, but the hot summer nights I could use a little less of. To counteract feeling a little too warm during hot summer nights I do one of two things - I either eat cool salads or spicy hot foods.

Cool salads seem to be eaten a little more frequently in house, just because they're easy and there's no cooking involved, so today I'm sharing a spicy dish. It's not too much work, but it looks impressive. And you can as much heat as you like, depending on how hot it is outside or how hot you like you food.

Ready for a mouthful of happiness? Read on for my Creole Bay Scallops and Rice.

Homegrown Lettuce

It's August and I think this is the first year I've kept my resolution all the way to the eighth month of the year! I promised myself that I would try one new food each month for all of 2014 and I'm proud that I've actually kept it up.

This month isn't quite as adventurous as other months, but it did take a lot more work than just pursuing the isles at the Bulk Barn. This month I tried homegrown lettuce!

I have grown lettuce before but for some reason it's always been a little too bitter for me to really enjoy. But this lettuce is different; it's tender, sweet, and a real treat to eat.

I paired my homegrown lettuce with some other yummy summertime ingredients - barbecued peaches, a light lemon vinaigrette, salmon, and blue cheese. I think I came up with a winning salad, but read on for the recipe to see if you agree.

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.

Summer Salad Frenzy

I have truly enjoyed finding one new ingredient to try using each month of 2014 and I am proud to say that July's ingredient was something I grew in my garden. It's pineapple mint.

Pineapple mint tastes exactly what you would expect a mint and pineapple fusion to taste like and I have no idea how anyone could have made it happen. It's fresh, bright, and delicious. And you might not believe me, but it's perfect with seafood.

The dish I made to first taste pineapple mint is a fresh summer salad and I know it's going to find it's way back onto my dinner table throughout August. It's too simple and perfect to serve on a warm day.

The Grilled Pizza Caper #Herbamare

I love pizza, but there are a few things I am not sure should ever be eaten on one and fish (besides the weirdly popular anchovies) is one of them. All that changed when I tried a smoked salmon flatbread at a restaurant though; it was amazing and seemed so easy to recreate at home.

All I did was grill up some pizza dough, top it with some herby cream cheese, smoked salmon, dressed baby kale, and crispy capers. It might sound like a lot of steps, but trust me, they are all small steps. I know you'll love this recipe.

One of my best tips is to use Sodium Free Herbamare when dressing your baby kale. There is a ton of sodium in capers so I try to cut back on it in the other parts of this dish as best I can. And using Sodium Free Herbamare is an easy way to do that.

How Do You #Herbamare?

I am a big fan of anything that means I have an easy (but still delicious) cooking experience and Herbamare recently gave me samples of their products to prove to me that using their natural sea salt infused with organic herbs and veggies was a great way for me to achieve that experience.

I've tried all three flavours now - original, zesty, and sodium free - and it's been the Zesty Herbamare that has spoken most loudly to me. I tried Zesty Herbamare in a Healthy Caesar and that inspired me to make my own salad version of the delicious Canadian drink, a Caesar Salad with Salmon.

My Canadian Voice

Over the past year I have participated in writing monthly posts with Valerie Lugonja from A Canadian Foodie in the Canadian Food Experience Project. I've really enjoyed each post because they made me think about what it is to be a Canadian food blogger.

Canadian food bloggers are more than just foodies. We reflect on what we've eaten and created, we spend time taking photographs of our work, and we share it with the world. Our posts are full of a wide range of delicious creations - farm fresh produce, local food heroes, gardening, preserves, and food from all cultures of the world. We are a pretty great bunch and I am proud to be one of us.

The recipe I am sharing today is a really quick recipe for a week night meal or even a lunch. And I think it sums up me as a Canadian food blogger. It's a Fresh Salmon Wrap and features locally caught salmon, a homemade corn relish from last year's BC corn, cucumbers from a local farm, spinach from my garden, and a whole lot of happiness.

The New Tuna Salad

To continue my week of celebrating chia seeds, I created a really quick and tasty salad featuring my new Chia Salad Dressing. I never used to get completely full after eating only a salad for dinner, but my previous thinking changed when I dove into this salad with a salad dressing full of chia seeds and a lovely piece of seared tuna. 

Check out my recipe for Seared Tuna Salad with Chia Dressing below!

Smoking Good

If it wasn't for Luke, I think that I would completely eliminate fish from my diet and become a true vegetarian. But since he loves fish so much, I have merely cut back on how much fish we eat. We try to eat sustainable and local fish and that's easier than you might think, especially because we live on Vancouver Island. 

Since today is his birthday, I've been making a lot of special fish meals to try and figure out his perfect birthday dinner. Because he has been talking about spending the day out on a boat, I needed a recipe that would quick to make and still special and delicious. 

I think I came up with the perfect dish, a Smoked Tuna Pasta with Preserved Lemon and Mint. 

Spring Salad

Tomorrow is April 1 and I'm hoping that the nice weather I've been experiencing is no April Fool's Day joke. I've been loving the sunny, flower filled, gorgeous days so much that I've already started having a few summer salad dinners. And, boy, so those dinners make me happy!

I know I'm in one of the few cities in Canada that can say spring has arrived, but I think that one bite of this spring salad will begin to convince even those on the frozen east coast that spring is on it's way.

BC Salmon Rocks

When I think of the best food from British Columbia, I think of big bright pink wild salmon. It's not that I don't love all salmon, it's just that salmon caught off the coast of BC or Alaska is quite frankly the best. 

So when Valerie from A Canadian Foodie challenged everyone who volunteered in The Canadian Food Experience Project to write about a Canadian regional food this month, I had no other choice than to choose salmon. I decided to pair my salmon with a fun cauliflower cous cous recipe because while cauliflower is sold and eaten year round, it's best in the winter. 

So if you have a food processor and are eager to pulse a head of cauliflower into couscous, read on for my easy recipe - inspired by cold Canadian winter dreams of heading to Morocco. 

February's Crazy Ingredient Challenge - Strawberries and Mustard!

Things have been busy for me recently, so I took a few months off from the Crazy Ingredient Challenge. But this month, I'm back. When I first heard that this month's challenge was to create a delicious dish using strawberries and mustard, I wondered if I should take just one more month's break. It's sounds hard to make anything yummy out of strawberries and mustard...

Than I had an idea. I would share one of my favourite salad recipes. It hasn't gone up on my blog yet and it's delicious. It's a spinach salad filled with goodies - pumpkin seeds, strawberries, feta, and avocado. And it's covered in a honey mustard vinaigrette. But the idea wasn't crazy enough for this challenge so I decided to try something new.

Here's my new recipe for Honey Mustard Salmon with Strawberry Salsa. I know you're going to love it!

A "Heart"y Valentine Dinner Made Delicious

Today's post is dedicated to anyone who is planning on making their partner a home cooked meal this Valentine's Day and also to anyone who loves puns because those are two things I cannot live without on February 14. If you're still looking for some foodie puns for your card this year, I've got a few up my sleeve that I'm willing to share with you.

You're my "butter" half, Valentine

Take another "pizza" my heart now, baby

I'm "nuts" about you!

You make my heart "beet" like crazy, Valentine

And here's one more special punny Valentine I've created just for someone who wants to make my Crab Stuffed Portobellos with Shrimp Hearts....

I'd never "shrimp" on my love for you, Valentine. You're the best.

Ok, so maybe I'm not going to be employed by Hallmark anytime in the future, but I know that my recipe is perfect for you to serve to your loved ones tomorrow!

Soup for On-Terrible Weather

I just arrived back home after a visit to see my family in Halifax and Ontario. I had a great time seeing everyone, but I am not sure if I'm built for such a cold climate anymore. I did love seeing my family, skiing, bundling up and walking the dog on the ice, and of course the warm home cooked meals - but I couldn't get over the cold!

And since the best part of my visit, seeing my family, is something I could do anytime of the year - I think I might be making future trips home in the summer! 

If you're looking for a warm, home cooked meal to make for your family, try my version of Chatelaine's Leek and and Fennel Soup with Poached Haddock. My version is a littler healthier and easier to make, plus I've found a great use for my preserved lemon! 

Delish Fish

If I was told I could choose one food to live on for the rest of my life, I think it might be potatoes. Potatoes are not my favourite food - that might be chocolate, cheese, or fresh berries - but potatoes are versatile, delicious, and healthy. I could never get bored of potatoes or feel sick from eating them.

One of my favourite ways to cook potatoes is to mash them and because I love them, I usually make way too much. If you're anything like me, you need new ways to use up leftover mashed potatoes and I have a perfect idea of what to create - my Potato Fish Cakes!

And, besides using up leftover mashed potatoes, one of the best parts of this dish is how easy it is to change up the ingredients and make something new. Just change the fish or the herb and you've got a whole new dish!

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!

Super Quick Pad Thai

Quick dinner recipes have been calling out my name recently and I think it's because of the recent time change. I know that we gained an hour on Sunday, but now we are stuck with extra early dark nights. And those dark night trick me into thinking I need to serve dinner as quick as possible because it must be late! 

Today dish is a perfect dish for nights when I feel like dinner should already be on the table. It's a really quick Pad Thai that might make your family do a double take on how quickly you whipped it up. 

A Great Fish Dish

I know everyone doesn't love fish, or green beans for that matter, but this dish is worth trying. It's easy, quick, and best of all - all the flavours work together so well that it tastes awesome.

I've told Luke that I want real honest feedback from him on my cooking and sometimes it hurts, but sometimes it's wonderful. And the feedback from the dish was one of those wonderful times. The tartness, spiciness, and sweetness were just the right amount and everything was cooked nicely.

Sometimes I wonder why I asked for honest feedback on my cooking, but I know why when I get this kind of feedback. The dish is really as yummy as he says it is and I want all my dishes to improve to get to this same level of yumminess.

President Obama's Favourite Salmon

This recipe is adapted from Art Smith's Healthy Comfort and as Art and the President are neighbours in Chicago, he should know what President Obama's favourite salmon dish is. 

I don't know why I thought I should make this dish my own, but I did. I decided that despite the original version being President Obama's favourite, I wanted my version to have a little more honey, a little more ginger, and a lot more sesame seeds. I am sure the original version tastes great, but I wonder what President Obama would say if he tried my sauce?