Cucumber Boats and Simply Dressed $100 value Giveaway

During warmer seasons salad leaves and fresh ingredients become more available. This makes it a perfect time to enjoy salads. Now more than ever, Canadians are reading food labels to ensure that the products they buy have recognizable ingredients. Canadians are seeking more simplicity and more vegetables in their diet and the new Marzetti®™ Simply Dressed® refrigerated salad dressings made with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and canola oil are available in six different flavours. 

Cranberry Lemon Matcha Muffins and Giveaway

Matcha green tea is a super-charged version of regular green tea that allows us to reap the rewards of green tea in a wider variety of ways. Matcha is green tea from the Camellia sinensis, but in a very fine powder version of the healthy drink. Unlike other teas derived from Camellia sinensis, matcha has not been fermented. Matcha can be harvested from anywhere in the world and is derived from tea leaves grown in the shade that allows the leaves to achieve a dark green colour giving matcha its magnificent amino acids. It’s quite a long process to produce matcha, but serious tea drinkers rely on matcha to enhance their culinary experiences by adding it to homemade pasta, brownies, breads, cakes and more.

Onion Carrot Yogurt Salad or Raita

This is an easy cold salad made with yogurt, known as raita. It is a delicious, quick to make salad, which would be wonderful to serve with spicy food. 

1 cup thick Greek yogurt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp raita salt or regular salt

1 red onion chopped

1 carrot chopped small

Take Part in the #PlantitForward Movement At Home

Taking part in initiatives like the #PlantitForward movement by growing our own food at home is good for our families and the environment. To help get our vegetable garden bloom and to keep our dinner plate interesting, here are some tips from Tara Nolan, Kashi Plant it Forward ambassador.

Kashi #PlantitForward Initiative Building Community Gardens

It is gardening season, which means it is time to get our hands dirty and get real about food. This spring, Kashi is introducing a unique program called #PlantitForward to make a positive difference in communities across Canada. Kashi and Evergreen, a not for profit organization dedicated to green cities and a healthy planet, are partnering to increase access to fresh, healthy, locally grown foods by building and supporting 18 community gardens. Community residents will take part in the planning process and help build a garden that will provide real food to nourish their family and friends.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Canned California Peaches

Now that it is spring and the days are getting longer and warmer, Canadians are looking forward to trying new, lighter recipes and increasing their fruit intake once again. However, fresh fruit is hard to find at this time of the year. Luckily, canned California cling peaches are available year-round. They are also higher in antioxidants and Vitamin A and nearly four times higher in Vitamin C than fresh peaches.

Roasted Chickpeas Recipe and Win a Copy of Vegan Beans Book

I made this crunchy roasted chickpeas with 1 container of canned chickpeas. First drain, rinse and remove the moisture of the chickpeas with a paper towel. Add chillie powder, cumin, salt and 2 tbsp olive oil to the chickpeas. Spread the coated chickpeas on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until crispy on the middle rack of the oven for about 40 minutes in a 400F oven. Check on the chickpeas to make sure it does not burn.

Food Network Star Season 10 Starts in June

Food Network’s long-running competition series Food Network Star is back for a tenth season. The season premiere will be on Sunday, June 1st at 9pm ET/PT. Culinary icons Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay are back as mentors/judges leading the charge to discover the next promising face in food television.

Flower Birthday Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing

I made this flower birthday cake with 12 cupcakes for my daughter's birthday. I used the following buttercream icing to decorate, which was easy to work with and tasted delicious. 

For the buttercream icing you will need

4 oz butter unsalted

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

pinch of salt

2 tbsp milk*

North Indian Meal: Rice, Tandoori Chicken, Dal and Raita

I tried and enjoyed using four North Indian spices blends from Jaswant's Kitchen to prepare this meal. The blends are made with 100% natural ingredients. We can make delicious Indian meals without buying a variety of spices using the spice blends from Jaswant's Kitchen and following the recipes on their site. These blends make cooking Indian meals easy for those new to Indian cuisine.