The Grower's Basket

Let's face it, I have probably had every type of salad on the planet. I am also guilty of simply dicing up every veggie in the fridge, throwing some classic ranch in the mix and calling it a meal. Salads can sometimes be repetitive and boring and I often forget that 'less is more'.  Enter the Toasted Sunflower Salad , a simple and easy creation to satisfy your salad blues.  Whats in it? green leaf lettuce sliced red pepper dried cranberries sunflower seeds dressing Sunflower seeds are ridiculously inexpensive in bulk. I like to toast them plain or in a bit of Shoyu (Japanese Soy Sauce) and bake them for around 10 min @375 . Whats great is that you can store them in a little baggy or container and put them on EVERYTHING.  Dressings are a never ending experiment for me, however when I'm in a hurry there is nothing better then a mix of balsamic vinegar(ette) and ranch dressing. Refreshing and creamy! Another quick and healthy alternative is grape seed oil an...

My resolution this year is to try and be more self sufficient, go to the gym more, and loose weight, blah blah blah....but I really do want to be more self sufficient! There are so many efficient ways we can devote our time to besides watching TV, facebooking, etc. There is a great blog that Court showed me over the holidays where the focus is on self sufficiency.  Crackers  is what inspired my resolution and though Aaron and I don't have a garden, or even a pantry, we can make small changes to decrease our reliance on supermarkets. While saving money at the same time .  THE SNACK Japanese Roasted Chickpeas Chickpeas are so high in protein and fibre, making them a great mid day snack for lunches, or to have ready and available in a bowl at home. Now of course I don't mean set out a can of chickpeas! In fact I buy mine bagged dry, for a much cheaper price than the can, and there is less preservatives. I soak 2 cups of the dried chickpeas overnight, then rinse and drain t...

Hello 2012, hello good life. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, mine was no short of greatness with many laughs, bottles of wine, and good home cooking.  It all began on Christmas Eve, Aaron and I drove to London to see my Mom, Dad, and brother Dean. Last year Dad made for the first time, BBQ'd rack of lamb and we decided the lamb was so delish we had to do it again this year. I opened a Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Blend from Spain, Dean joined for a couple glasses and then there was the end of the bottle. I decided to open another because Aaron was now on the wine train also. Thankfully we had been thirsty because the second bottle was a Pino Noir from France by Chanson Pere & Fils Le Bourgogne  that hands down is one of the best pino's I have ever had. Unfortunately I didn't actually get a picture of the bottle, but I grabbed one off the web. The bottle was around $18 @ the LCBO so grab it and enjoy.  Ahhh Christmas Day! Always a great time at ...