Sometimes the usual coleslaw just won’t do, especially if you are trying to stay away from anything heavy with mayonnaise. This recipe is a snap; just slice up the veggies in your food processor, give the dressing a shake in a Mason jar, and you’re good to go. The kids can help with making the salad dressing and if you do the food processor work, they can even put the salad together for you.
I love sugar snap peas and often buy them by the two pound bagful. Not only are they sweet and crunchy to just snack on with a few slices of cheese, but they are great chopped up in salads or added to a veggie wrap. The best part is you can eat the pea and the pod in one go so there's no waste or mess. Kids often love them and they pack well into lunch boxes or summer snacks on the go.
Ingredients
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp liquid honey
1/2 tsp lemon zest
salt, fresh cracked pepper
1/4 small purple cabbage, thinly sliced
8 oz sugar snap peas (I like Mann’s brand), thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint or basil
Directions
Measure out the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and a bit of fresh cracked pepper into a mason jar. Cover and give it a shake until everything is well mixed. This is a fantastic job for kids!
Using a food processor with a slice attachment (not the regular blade or you’ll have puree), run the cabbage and snap peas through. Dump everything into a medium sized bowl. Add the parsley and mint, then toss well. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is coated. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Easy to make and even easier to transport and serve at a cookout, pound cake is one of my favorites. I love slicing it up and serving with ice cream and fresh fruit. This recipe makes a delectable chocolate and vanilla swirled cake that will be hard for anyone to resist. I love baking a few and stashing one away in the freezer to take to a friend's house, work, or just to have around to pull out if I need a dessert at the last minute. Try serving this one with chocolate Guinness ice cream, strawberry buttermilk sherbet, or mango sorbet. You could also try drizzling the plate with some chocolate or raspberry sauce, but to be honest this cake is amazing as-is. Moist and full of flavor, you'll have a hard time not just eating it all yourself.
The trick with getting a good marbled effect is not to try too hard. A knife and a few good swipes through the batter should get you the effect you want without making it a mess.
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sour cream
4 oz/ 120 g bittersweet chocolate, melted
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 325F.
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the vanilla.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a different bowl. Blend into the butter mixture, alternating with the sour cream, starting and ending with the flour. Blend the mixture well after each addition. Divide the batter in half, putting each half into a separate bowl. Stir the cooled melted chocolate into one half of the batter so that you have one batter that is chocolate, one that is vanilla.
Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan, tapping the bottom of the pan over the sink to get rid of any excess flour.
Spoon the batters into the pan, alternating chocolate and vanilla so you get a marbled effect as pictured above. Using a butter knife, swirl the batters slightly. You need to be careful how much you do this or you’ll just have a big mess. One good swirl through the loaf should do.
Bake for 60-70 minutes, until a skewer stuck in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for about an hour before turning it out to cool completely.
Makes one loaf, of 12-16 slices
Note: if you aren’t sure about the size of your loaf pan since they vary a lot in size, check to see of it can hold 6 cups (or 1.5 liters). If so, this recipe will work great.
Adapted from Anna Olson’s Back to Baking
Want some more summertime desserts? Why not try blueberry crumble bars or chocolate ganache cupcakes?
I once heard the Fraser Valley described by Chef Lynn Crawford as a "chef's paradise" because of the sheer bounty of locally produced goods in the region. Located from the foot of the Fraser Mountains just outside of Hope, BC and extending to just south of Vancouver, lush farmland produces everything from berries to corn, grapes for wine, and far more. There is certainly no shortage of fresh, local food that can literally go straight from the farm to your plate. When we first moved here I was so overwhelmed by the sheer number of places you can go that I didn't even know where to start. Over time we've developed some favorites which have become our go to places where the service, selection, and products just can't be beat. If you are visiting the area, they make great stops to have a real taste of the Fraser Valley and you'll likely go home with some delicious new products to try in your kitchen!
Where: Rosedale, BC
Honeyview Farm sells honey produced from their own hives. With a large selection of either honey infused with flavours such as espresso, cinnamon, and ginger garlic or more traditionally flavoured blossom honey, you will have lots to sample and choose from. Learn about how honey is made, shop the little store and pick up honey and honey related products, have a picnic outside, and watch the extremely cool glass enclosed hive. Staff will give you a special light to hunt for the Queen! Can you find her?
Our favourite: you must try the blackberry blossom honey on your morning toast
Where: Abbotsford
Locals adore the Lepp Market! Drop in for lunch and have a freshly grilled burger, or pick up some locally produced, farm fresh goods to take with you. With it's selection of specialty groceries and hormone free meats, locals are passionate about coming to the market for real food. Lepp also offers cooking classes and special events for those who want to be more hands on. You can find good selection of in house produced gluten free products, and believe it or not the chicken and pork are raised right on the Lepp farm in Abbotsford! How's that for farm fresh?
Our favourite: The barbequed hamburgers are delicious, made from scratch, and inexpensive. Stop for lunch and sip a coffee while you tweet with the free wifi.You can also follow them on Facebook!
Where: Chilliwack
If you love to bake and have a hard time finding specialty flours or pulse products such as French lentils, you've got to make a stop at Anita's Organic Mill. Located beside Highway 1 on Lickman Road just outside of Chilliwack, the factory store is just the place to pick up any specialty flours or grains for your baking.You can find many of Anita's products throughout the Fraser Valley, but for the largest selection the factory store can't be beat. Check out their site for loads of recipes and you can even order the products online.
Our favourite: I used Anita's Oat Flour for these amazing waffles, and it was great. Also Anita's is the only place in town where I could find French Puy lentils.
Where: Chilliwack
When we first moved to Chilliwack, Hofstede's was one of the places locals insisted we try first. A family run business, when you shop there you'll quickly get to know the locals! Packed with lots of fresh local produce and specialty European groceries, it's my go-to for anything I can't find in a big box grocery store. You can follow them on Facebook to find out what's new at the market, or drop by for a fresh lunch made entirely from scratch in their coffee shop. The staff are friendly, warm, and always quick to lend a hand if you need it. With a kid who has soy allergies, it really changes my shopping but at Hofstedes they have always been amazing about helping me find what I need or helping me read lables. You can find all kinds of high quality, delicious products here that are hard to get elsewhere.
Our favourite: visiting with Richard, one of the owners and chatting with them on Facebook
Where: Chilliwack
If you like cheese, Smit's and Co.w can't be beat. With flavours ranging form plain gouda to stinging nettle or cracked black pepper, you're sure to find one that you love. We love to go and sample the cheeses before we buy! You can also pick up farm fresh eggs (at $3/dozen they really are a steal) or pork products from a local pork farm at the store. The only problem you're going to have going to Smits and Co.w is deciding what flavour of cheese you want to get.
Our favourite: It's cheese. What more could you ask for?!
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