Spiced Pumpkin Cheese Cake

Rustic Green Salad

Rustic Green Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 cups mixed greens
• half english cucumber
• 2 green onions
• 1/2 red pepper
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 fresh lemon

To assemble add washed lettuce to salad bowl. Cut cucumber, red pepper and green onions and add to salad. For dressing use about 1/4 cup olive oil and 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Squeeze 1/2 lemon onto salad with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ultimate Grilling Guide

As we are enjoying the end of summer what better way to be outside entertaining than grilling. Throwing BBQ’s spending time with friends and family is always the best around great food. Grilling is a simple way to prepare a whole meal, while being social entertaining your guests. Everything from appetizers, grilled salads, meats, potatoes and even deserts can be prepared on the grill. It is important to read through these great grilling tips and tricks so you can conquer the barbecue.

Starting with seafood, the trick to preparing fish on the BBQ I find is by wrapping it in foil with herbs and spices and than grilling it for about 10 minutes. Now this will change depending on the thickness of fish, so a good rule to go by is about 7 to 10 minutes for each inch. Make sure your BBQ is at medium to medium low and to test if is finished, the fish should flake easily when pricked with a fork. Shrimp is also delicious to prepare on the grill and shrimp cooks very fast. The best way to prepare shrimp is by leaving the skins on. This leaves them moist and delicious. Cook shrimp on medium heat for about 5 to 6 minutes.

Chicken is another great meat to prepare on the bbq. Boneless chicken breasts take about 5 to 7 minutes per side. You know when the breast is done when it is firm and has nice grill marks on it. Burgers are a summer favourite and take no time on the grill. BBQ burgers for about 5 minutes per side on direct heat. Sausages are another favourite and take about 5 to 10 minutes per side and remember to keep flipping them. Sausages take a little longer to cook, so that is great to remember when preparing a dinner.

Meats are so simple to prepare on the grill, so are great appetizers and salads. Lettuce is actually delicious lightly grilled than served with sliced almonds, mandarins, blue cheese and a balsamic vingarette. All veggies are great on the grill and are amazing served grilled on a platter, added to salads or potatoes. It is great to prepare potato salad on the grill. Grill potatoes until soft along with garlic, onion and veggies. Add to a dish, chop all of the ingredients to bowl. Add pitted olives, capers, dill and light mayo.

Desert is becoming a favourite as well on the grill. Grilling fresh peaches or pineapple is great served over vanilla ice cream or added to liquor. Bananas are another favourite on the grill and only take 2 minutes per side. They are also great topped with ice cream to create the perfect desert.

Try out some of these great grilling tips along with recipes to host the perfect outdoor party!

Mini Cheese Cake Recipe

The benefits of Seafood!

It is simple to choose the nutritious and healthy choice and a great way to do that is by eating lots of fish and shellfish which are rich in protein, omega 3, vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Seafood is a great way to live healthy and get your needed health benefits in the process. It is recommended by the food guide to have 2 servings of seafood a week. This can consist of clams, lobster, crab,salmon and there are so many ways to serve seafood and to also make it different. Why not try a delicious lobster salad with fresh greens, dill, cucumber and tomatoes. This is great by itself presented as a salad or add to a fresh bun and it is a great healthy meal. Shrimp are also healthy and delicious and why not grill some shrimp up on a barbeque with fresh lemon, garlic, hot peppers and olive oil. Leave shell on, peel and enjoy. Shrimp are also great in pasta with red sauce, pesto sauce or served as a soup with mussels, jalapeno peppers and garlic. Salmon is also a very healthy choice as it is fairly inexpensive to buy and easy to prepare. Salmon is great wrapped in tinfoil filled with garlic, lemon, dill and a dab of butter. Or our favourite way of presenting salmon is adding fresh tomato sauce to it, with added olives and oregano cook in the oven for the most unbelievable dish. This one is great for children as the tomato sauce gets rid of the fishy taste.

Now is the time to start eating healthy and choosing healthy alternatives. Watching your intake of food is important to your growth and health and overall life style. Trying new recipes is a great way to learn new favourites while eating healthy at the same time.

Start your day off right!

Start your day right by taking the time to have a healthy meal before you rush out of the house to your daily duties. Mornings are exceptionally busy in every household, but by getting yourself into a regular routine you can learn to start your day off the right way and have much more energy throughout your day!
Waking up abit earlier, preparing breakfast meal ideas before going to sleep are all ways to get into the routine of eating a well balanced breakfast before leaving your house. We all know the fastest way to get out of your house in a hurry is by grabbing a cup of coffee and maybe an apple It is fine to start your day with a hot cup of java but make sure you are eating more with it. Try sitting down with your coffee with a bowl of mixed fruit and a piece of toast with jam with an egg on the side. Having a well balanced meal in the morning gets your body working and you will crave less during the day and also burn calories faster during the day. Eggs are a great way to start off your morning and will keep you satisfied until lunch. If you are one of those people who have no time in the morning try to hard boil eggs the night before, this is easy to grab in the morning and add some toast or a small whole wheat bagel to your meal or prepare yogurt with fruit and granola if you are on the run. Another great breakfast favourite is ham and egg wraps. These are easy and fast to prepare and you can get them on the go. Try scrambling eggs, add some green onions, ham and light cheddar cheese. Top onto a small tortilla and even add salsa to the top. This is a great healthy breakfast and a different way of eating regular eggs.
Now is the time to get into the mind frame of having enough time for you, and by getting yourself used to a healthy regular diet. Its easy, so start your day off right and enjoy a delicious healthy breakfast!

Greek Salad Recipe

Banana Bread Recipe

Full Recipe coming in 20 min

Wild about Peaches

In Season: Peaches

Now is the time to enjoy the freshness of locally grown peaches. They are my favourite and I like to use them for everything. They are inexpensive to buy, and delicious in both savoury and sweet recipes. In the morning add peaches to yogurt, add some nuts and honey and that is a great start to your day. They are also delicious in pancakes topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and mint. Try peaches grilled lightly on the BBQ and toss in salad, with mixed greens, feta or goat cheese and chopped walnuts. Top with a simple oil and apple cider dressing. That salad is made to impress!
Peaches are also great in meat dishes such as pork or ham, or glazed over any meat for great presentation. Try cinnamon dusted peaches with ice cream, or our favourite peach crumble. So simple to make we use about 3 cups of fresh peeled peaches, 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup rolled oats, 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of cold butter, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. We than add it to a baking dish, cook at 400 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. To spice up this recipe try adding locally grown blueberries or raspberries to this recipe for a nice change and a different hint of flavour.
How about adding peaches to a drink, blend peeled peaches, with pineapple juice, vodka and peach snoops, and ice than add to martini glass and finish with a splash of sprite or club soda. Garnish with a peach slice.
So peaches are great in so many dishes, go out today and try some of these great recipes and let us know how they turned out!