* garlic n' cilantro guacamole *

i love guacamole. so easy to make and delicious with any mexican meal or just as a dip for tortilla chips, crackers....or even veggies. i have also made guacamole dressing for salads by blending the ingredients in a blender & adding a little extra lime juice or some yogurt which would actually taste great with the cucumber fiesta salad below. if you have a little extra time to spare try making it using caramelized onions & a whole head of roasted garlic instead of raw. yummy.

3 large ripe avocados
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
juice of 1 lime
1 medium tomato, seeded & diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic

yields 2 cups

mash the avocado in a small mixing bowl 'til smooth if you like smooth guacamole or leave a few lumps. add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

manje!

* cucumber fiesta *

with enough enchiladas left over from last nights supper for another meal tonight we are going for round 2. sean's brother is coming for supper & i wanted to figure out some sort of salad to serve with them, which initially proved to be more difficult than i anticipated. in the end cucumber was the only solution i could come up with besides a plain garden salad which just wasn't doing it for me....i have made creamy cucumber salads before with yogurt and mint or dill dressing but neither of those sounded too appealing paired with a mexican main dish. after much thought i came up with this recipe which will now be my new sidekick @ any future enchilada adventures.

SALAD
1 cucumber, seeded & chopped (you don't HAVE to seed it....i'm just picky about seeds : )
1 can whole kernel corn
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, seeded & chopped (once again with the seeds : )...i'm EVEN MORE picky when it comes to tomatoes!)
1 small OR 1/2 a large red onion, diced
1/4-1/2 cup cilantro (depending on your taste...feel free to omit it completely if you're not a fan)

~combine all ingredients together in a medium-large mixing bowl.

DRESSING
1/2 cup plain regular or non-fat yogurt
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp red OR white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes (a little more, less or none @ all for whatever level of spice you prefer)
salt & pepper to taste

~whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup & pour over salad. stir to combine & chill for @ least 1/2 an hour before serving.

manje!

ricardo & friends baked apples

RICARDO & FRIENDS BAKED APPLES

i wanted to share this link for THE most incredible baked apples i have EVER tasted from my favorite food network canada show, ricardo & friends. they are easy to prepare & as tasty as any apple dessert i have had, especially when served warm with vanilla ice cream OR frozen yogurt. this recipe is from ricardo larivee's autumn menu episode. take a look @ his other recipes. any i have tried were sooooooo SO good.

* spinach salad w chickpea croutons & curried caesar dressing *

this salad is definitely in my T O P 10. the combination of flavors & textures is amazing & delicious. a great meal if you need something relatively quick. serve with naan bread for a main dish OR as a side to an indian meal. you can adapt the meal for as many people as you want by increasing the amounts of each ingredient. tonight i served it with wholewheat naan brushed with a mixture of melted butter & garam masala spice which i toasted in the oven for 10 minutes @ 425 degrees F.

*fresh spinach, approximately 1-2 cups per person (i just pile a couple of generous handfuls onto each plate)

~romaine, spring mix or other leafy greens may be substituted, it tastes great with a little cilantro thrown into the mix as well : )
*raisins 1/4 cup per person (diced apple is just as good)
*extra virgin olive oil
*chickpeas 1/2 cup per person, drained & rinsed (one 540ml can = about 3 servings)
*1-2 tsp garlic, minced
*1-2 tsp ginger, finely grated
*1-2 tsp cumin
*1-2 tsp coriander
*caesar salad dressing
*madras curry powder

1 ~heat some olive oil (2-4 tbsp depending on the amount of chickpea croutons you are making) in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chickpeas along with the garlic & ginger and saute 'til they are browned all over...they will start to pop and jump around in the pan.

2 ~while they are cooking, you can quickly assemble the rest of the salad...just pile up some spinach on each plate and sprinkle with the raisins.

3 ~once they are finished toss the croutons with the cumin & coriander & spoon over the spinach on each plate.

4 ~top with caesar salad dressing mixed with madras curry powder to taste. (if using a thicker dressing i sometimes add a little water to thin it out a little)

~if you are making one big salad just put all the ingredients in a large salad bowl instead.

manje!

* apple n' ginger spice sweet potato pancakes *

these are yuuuuummy. i adapted this from a plain sweet potato pancake recipe i found on a baby food site but sean & i enjoy them just as much as milo. they freeze well if you are using them for baby food, just put some wax paper between each pancake & double ziploc them or store in an airtight container in the freezer. if you don't like ginger you can leave it out. you can also replace the apple with other fruit, pineapple or bananas both work well. i think i may try pear next time. this recipe yields 12 small~ish pancakes. i cook 4 @ a time on a large skillet. double, triple or even quadruple the recipe if you want to make some for freezing : )

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed

2 eggs (or 4 egg yolks if feeding to a baby who is not yet eating egg whites)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup milk (soy, almond, rice or hemp milk all substitute well)

1 tsp vanilla

1 large apple, peeled & diced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled & grated

1 ~in a medium bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon & nutmeg.

2 ~in another bowl stir together the sweet potatoes, eggs, olive oil, milk & vanilla 'til just blended. mixture will be a little lumpy.

3 ~add the diced apple & grated ginger, stir in gently.

4 ~spoon the batter into a non-stick skillet (you can use a little cooking spray if you have a sticky skillet) & cook 'til bubbles rise to the surface & break. (1-2 minutes or so)

5 ~flip & cook for another 2 minutes.

* if you REEEEEALLY enjoy ginger as we do, you can make this simple lemon ginger syrup to serve over the pancakes.

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 tsp cornstarch

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

in a small saucepan, bring sugar, water & ginger to a boil, add cornstarch & whisk well. stir often 'til mixture reduces to about a cup (6-8 min). remove from heat & stir in lemon juice. cool @ room temp, then refrigerate.

mange!