Organic Harvest Box for June 28, 2012

Do you know what an RFP is?  Request for Proposal or what's been going through my head - Request for Pain.  It is due on Tuesday after the long weekend and has caused me enough overtime in 1 week to ensure my summer holidays are covered!  Hence the lateness of this post.  Because of my schedule, I can't even get my box until Friday midday so I don't have any hot tips from Tasha to share with you.  However, after painfully typing away at repetitive technical documents, I am just happy to sip the last of my decaf and write some ideas for this week's box.  I want to share some ideas about kiwi, the results of my scapes recipes, and  highlight a selection of "Canada Day" recipes.   And how smart of Tasha to start a Local Only Box on the week leading up to Canada Day when our national pride is bubbling up. I love the idea of a Local Only Box because for me one of the biggest appeals of buying through Life Organics is the opportunity to get as much local produce as possible.

So here goes - should we start with garlic scapes?  I hope that I'm not the only one who is still oddly excited about them.  I brought both my scape pesto and the white bean scape dip into work last week, although both went over well, I do think people think I'm a bit odd for being so excited about them.  The dip was really nice with crackers, chips, and the beans from last week's box.  I made a whole batch of pesto (so easy in a food processor) and have frozen it in ice cube sizes for use on pasta soon.  I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do with this week's scapes - hopefully get to that great Pork recipe from the New York Times from 2 weeks ago.  Maybe use up my pesto in this Warm Pasta and Chick Pea Salad with Garlic Scapes or for a great weekend entertaining recipe Garlic Scape and Potato Salad.

Kiwis are delicious when they are nice and ripe, and not too tart.  They should be left to ripen at room temperature.  If they are already ripe then they can be stored in the refrigerator.  Kiwis have a very high amount of Vitamin C, more than the an orange of the same size.  They also contain a lot of fibre and are great for the digestive system.  You can eat the skin of a kiwi but just make sure to wash it to remove any dirt or dust, and rub some of the fuzz off prior to eating as well.  I learned that the antioxidants in kiwis actually increase the riper the kiwi gets.  We mostly eat our kiwis just cut up, but they would be equally delicious in a salad, fruit salad or with some yogurt.  Or for something different, try these Kiwifruit Muffins.  Try making a unique salad with this week's romaine, spinach, and tomatoes, tossed with some cut up kiwi and some Kiwi Dressing from the California Kiwi Commission's website.  

We will be spending Canada Day weekend at the cottage with friends and plan to use the grill most of the weekend.  We've picked up the beer and Caesar's but I may have to grab a bottle of some Canadian Whisky and try out this Peach and Whisky Cocktail with the peaches from our box.  You could also use the peaches and/or nectarines in this recipe for Grilled Plums with Yogurt and Spiced Maple Syrup.  And although we don't have a lot of red and white veggies in our box this week, you can certainly still have a lovely Canadian menu with some great recipes taken from freshjuice.ca:

• Green Salad with Toasted Mustard Seed Dressing - use the romaine, spinach, and even scapes in this salad that is inspired by the mustard and seed crops from the Prairies,
• Wild Turkey Burgers - I suppose you could try to catch your own in a local field or on the side of the road!!  Serve these burgers topped with some spinach or romaine, sauteed mushrooms, and sliced tomato (or garlic scape pesto - just had to get that in there),
• Cool Wild Rice and Mushrooms - use the Criminis in this dish that highlights the great wild rice that is harvested from our northern lakes and marshes.

I am fading quickly - one last recipe - a Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini (with good Canadian cheddar).  Have a great long weekend.

Organic Harvest Box for May 24, 2012

So we did get eaten alive by blackflies on the weekend, but we did enjoy our Japanese Coleslaw, a fantastic Quinoa salad, a tasty cantaloupe and the asparagus grilled on the BBQ was fantastic.

And we went on a field trip to Belle Terre Organics Garden at Otter Lake, QC.  Owners Joyce Angelus-Keller and Wayne Keller were fantastic hosts and showed us around, let the girls plant some pumpkin seeds, let us taste some herbs, and astounded us with their immense amount of knowledge.  It was fascinating to learn that their business is the original Belle Terre Botanical Gardens that ran from 1978 to 1994 when the Kellers ran a tea house, teaching gardens for local colleges, and their organic plant business.  Their business is much smaller now, supplying their organic plants, flowers and herbs to a small number of select stores in the Ottawa/Gatineau region.



Joyce is wealth of information when it comes to plants, what their uses are, how to prepare or eat them, grow them, and care for them.  They have an unimaginable variety of plants from flowers to herbs to vegetables to perennials and more.  If there is something unique or unusual, they might have it.  Pretty much anything that you are looking for, Belle Terre can probably offer.  It is obvious when talking with both Wayne and Joyce that they have a love of the business and the land around them.

 

Belle Terre is certified by Pro-Cert and meets both the Canadian Organic Standards and the Quebec Organic Standards as they follow the strict criteria for organic production.  Organic production is based on principles that support healthy practices that are sustainable and harmonious with the environment.  Belle Terre uses watering and irrigation sources from natural spring headwaters.  They work with the Quebec Ministry of the Environment to maintain a healthy and sustainable forest and they compost and sterilize their own soil through strictly organic means.

Helping out with seed planting

All sorts of basil

The classic old sign that Joyce didn't want me to photograph, because "it's old and there's dirt on it."

Kale plants on their way

Young Toy Choy plants which do well in our cooler climate

I am sure that if you had any questions about any of the plants that Belle Terre is offering that Joyce and Wayne would be happy to answer them.  Our visit there made me really excited about the growing season and I'm looking forward to our harvest in our small garden.  Life Organics is still offering Belle Terre's plants for sale and a full list is available on the Life Organic website.

The newer sign that Joyce really wanted me to take a photo of, no dirt!

I won't offer you much in terms of recipes for this weeks produce. Don't forget to chop the greens off the carrots to keep them as fresh as possible, and Tasha thinks that the Pachino tomatoes are better if they have been chilled for a few minutes.  We have our daughter's birthday party this weekend and will be serving up sliders and mini hot dogs for the kiddies and parents so the romaine and spinach are going to come in handy for a nice big green salad.  And the carrots will be great cut up and dipped for the younger crowd.  I can't wait to grill the asparagus again as it is so good this time of year.  And I still have more rhubarb from my garden so another apple and rhubarb crisp is on the way.   But I am a recipe addict so I have to leave you with Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Apples which is how I will choose to use the yams and apples, served alongside some simple grilled asparagus, grilled chicken and elk sausages from the market.

Organic Harvest Box for May 17, 2012

Happy Victoria Day weekend!  The weather is looking fabulous so it should be a great weekend for bbq-ing, gardening, or just enjoying the outdoors.  We are headed to the cottage and are hoping the blackflies don't eat us alive.  And though I didn't get there last weekend, we are hoping to go see Joyce and Wayne at Belle Terre Botanic Garden in Otter Lake, QC on Sunday.  I can't wait to bring back some tips, ideas, and photos.

Guess what - haven't used my cabbage yet, but I am going to use it to make the Japanese Coleslaw (from last week's blog) this weekend when we have a large group of friends visiting at the cottage.  I call those types of salads my weekend salads, as they do well to sit for a couple of days and can be a dinner side and then part of lunch the next day.  I am also going to make a Quinoa Salad that can last as well for a couple of days in the fridge.  Here are 3 absolutely fantastic quinoa salad recipes that are versatile and can be used with the tomatoes, peppers, cucumber and/or apples in this week's box: Summer Quinoa Salad, Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas, Feta, and Apples, and Vegetable Quinoa Salad.  My other favorite "weekend" salad that I often make is a Broccoli Salad, which you probably have had in some form or another:

1 1/2 c. broccoli, cut up into florets
1 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. chopped red onion or green onion
1 1/2 c. grapes, red or green, halved
Any combination of:
handful of sunflower seeds, unsalted
handful of bacon bits
handful of raisins
handful of slivered almonds


Dressing (this is my aunt's recipe - it can be a bit sweet):
1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
OR
Dressing (a little healthier with no sugar):
1/2 c. low fat plain yogurt
1/4 c. light mayonnaise
1 tbsp. lemon juice


I went to my recipe box to grab the broccoli salad recipe, and found this one that I need to share, Broccoli Salad with Oriental Flavours.  And I found one that is a great summer salad and a good use for the romaine lettuce, Romaine Lettuce Salad with Spicy Blueberry Salsa.  Do try making the raisin bread croutons, they are so yummy.  Just a few salads later, and there's not much left in the veggie box except some fruit, asparagus and avocado.



Did you know that in some parts of Europe, people won't eat the green asparagus and will only eat the white asparagus?  White asparagus is grown the same way as green, but the plants are covered up with mounds of dirt to prevent light from getting to the plants.  The white asparagus tends to be milder and more tender and restaurants across Spain, France, Poland, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland will prepare special menus for asparagus during the season.  In Germany, asparagus season has it's own name, Spargelsaison or Spargelzeit and often regions have their own celebrations.  Our "lowly" green asparagus doesn't always get that same status, but in order to treat your asparagus best, you might want to consider:

• eating it soon after purchase,
• store it as you would a bouquet of flowers, trim the ends, and store standing up in a small amount of water to keep the stems fresh,
• small asparagus stems can have just a little bit cut off the end,
• larger stems can be more woody so should have their ends snapped off or the stalk can be laid flat on a cutting board and peeled with a vegetable peeler,
• asparagus can be prepared a number of ways, boiled, steamed, sauteed, or roasted

Our favorite way to have asparagus is to roast it with some olive oil and parmesan cheese, either in a roasting dish in the oven or wrapped in tinfoil and done on the barbecue.  

A little late for Cinco de Mayo, but our avocado is going to be used to make guacamole this weekend, served alongside some quesadillas grilled up on the BBQ.  I also came across this recipe for Kale Salad with Apricots, Avocado and Parmesan which led me to read some of the links from thekitchn.com and their posts about avocados.  What I learned was that avocados that are not ripe can be stored on the counter, but if you want to halt the ripening process, put your avocados in the fridge so that they don't get over ripe.  To keep a partial avocado from going brown put the cut avocado in a 500ml plastic container (ie. leftover yogurt or sour cream container) with a chunk of onion.  Apparently the onion acts as a preservative and keeps the avocado from going brown.  The fun part of an avocado is removing the pit, in fact if I am cutting an avocado, I usually get an insistent look from my husband that he wants to do it.  Why?  Because the easiest way to get the pit out is to slice the avocado in half lengthwise and then strike the pit firmly with the heel end of a  good chef's knife so that the knife lodges into the pit and then give it a gentle twist and it should pop out nicely.   Just be careful getting the pit off the knife, as it is a slippery little thing.  (Photo credit from www.thekitchn.com)

I am looking forward to some time at the cottage and since we are entertaining friends up there, I know that the contents of my veggie box this week will be gone by the end of the weekend.  But I may have some of those salads left for lunch on Tuesday when we're back to work.  Enjoy your long weekend.

Organic Harvest Box for April 19, 2012

I am sitting watching the hockey playoffs as I am writing this blog.  The weather for this weekend is again not sounding very promising with rainy cool days and the potential for flurries on Monday.  I still haven't transferred over all my cold weather clothes to summer clothes.  I'm feeling a bit wintry and so my veggies this week are most likely going to be roasted or put in soups.

Some tips about this week's box - Tasha had to substitute out the spinach with Bok Choy, which we haven't had in our box in a while and will be great sauteed or in a stir fry.  Some of the grapefruits may need a bit of time to fully ripen as will the Bartlett Pears.  The carrots will keep best if the greenery is chopped off and then store them in the fridge tied up in a plastic bag.  If the cucumbers are as good as last week, they were great just sliced up and eaten fresh.

An interesting tip about this week's parsnips - they are Spring Parsnips which means that they have been in the ground all winter as opposed to being stored indoors.  Being in the ground all winter apparently makes them much sweeter and quite a treat as the last parsnips of the harvest.  Store them in a plastic bag (the one they came in will work) in the vegetable crisper and they should keep for a couple of weeks.  It's a toss up whether to use the parsnips in a simple Roasted Vegetable dish to get the full effect of their spring sweetness, or to make something completely different, such as this Seared Scallops with Spring Parsnip Butter recipe.  Cajun Parsnip Fries make a nice side dish to any casual meal.  I am a big fan of savoury muffins so might even try these Savoury Parsnip Parmesan Mini Muffins and serve them alongside a Parsnip Soup.

Romaine lettuce has a surprising amount of nutrients, is extremely low in calories, and has a high water content.  A serving of Romaine contains well over 100% of the daily Vitamin K and Vitamin A, and a third of the daily requirement of Vitamin C and Folate.  It is so easy to slice up a tomato or cucumber, shred some carrot or put the zucchini through the mandolin to dress up a lettuce salad.  Chopping some apple or pear, sectioning an orange, or slicing some strawberry on top often will entice my children to have a bit of salad.  A nice fresh citrus dressing made with a lemon or orange, some fresh parmesan, and some nuts and you have a decadent salad at any meal.  But how often do you get any more creative with lettuce?  An interesting alternative to salad is to do a plain Grilled Romaine dish or dress it up with a Bacon and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette.

Bok Choy is extremely versatile and can be substituted for many greens that you would steam, saute or boil.  A simple Bok Choy Stir Fry could be made, add some sauteed chicken and rice for a great meal.  Put a couple of carrots and the zucchini through a mandolin to add to the stir fry and it will add color and variety.  This vegetarian Spicy Bok Choy Soup is exactly the type of dish that I love, easy ingredients with a comforting result.  Or try this Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Soup with a few more extras in it.  You can use your leftover veggies from last week's box to create a homemade vegetable stock for either soup.  I have used the tip in the veggie stock recipe that suggests using your vegetable trimmings for your stock.  I keep a large Ziploc in the freezer and add clean vegetable trimmings such as celery greens, carrot peelings, potato peelings, zucchini ends, and fresh herbs that are at the end of their shelf life.  It's an inexpensive way to get some great flavor into a stock.

I wasn't able to get any good fresh tuna this past week to try the tuna burgers from last week's post, but I am hoping to get some this week so that we can barbeque those up.   I plan to use the cucumbers and tomatoes on the burgers.  The potatoes will get sliced up with some onion, butter, seasonings, garlic cloves and wrapped in tin foil.  We cook them on the grill for about 20 minutes, and then set them on the top rack as we cook the burgers.  It doesn't quite feel like BBQ season just yet, but it's coming.

Organic Harvest Box for April 5, 2012

Are you cooking Easter dinner or a family dinner of some sort this weekend? I am not cooking our Easter meal, but I do have family in from out of town and will probably make use of all the veggies before the weekend is even over.  The strawberries in this week's box will be great for making desserts.  I do think that so many of the veggies that are coming in this box are great for side dishes for a large family meal so that's where I am going to focus this week's recipes.

Sugar Snap Peas are a great source of vitamins and fibre.  Because they are eaten whole, the snap peas actually have more vitamins and fibre then shelled peas and less calories. Fresh pods can be eaten whole or used in cooking. It is best to use them while the pods are fresh, and crispy. The pods have a string that needs to be removed before eating them raw or when cooking. To prepare, wash the pods in cold water, and pat dry. Trim the stem end and remove the stringy fiber on either side of the pod. My whole family loves to eat snap peas fresh as a snack so they rarely make it into any cooking. They would of course be great added to any stir-fry but to stick with the side dish idea, I would recommend sauteing them with a bit of oil, ginger and garlic. It's best to heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and ginger until a bit fragrant and then saute the peas for a few minutes until just starting to get tender. Another lovely side dish would be Sauteed Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas or use them in this Quinoa Salad with Sugar Snap Peas for a nice fresh spring salad.

I have only used up one of my Roma's from last week's box for a lunchtime toasted tomato sandwich so with the addition of the Roma's that are coming this week I think that there will be enough for a nice fresh Tomato Bruschetta to serve as an appetizer or snack.  You could also chop the tomatoes up with the green onion and zucchini for a Parmesan Zucchini Omelet or a frittata for breakfast.  I don't often use a recipe for my omelets or frittata but I follow these general steps: dice the vegetables that you want to use, saute them in an oven proof frying pan with a bit of butter or oil on medium high heat.  While the veggies are cooking, mix 4-8 eggs (approx. 1 egg per person) with a bit of milk or cream or water, and some seasonings or fresh herbs if you have them.  Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and continue to cook on medium high lifting the edges to let some of the egg mixture flow underneath.  While the frittata continues to cook, slice or grate your favorite cheese and sprinkle it over top.  Place the pan under the broiler in the oven for a few minutes, or bake until set in a 325F oven for about 10 min.  This would make a nice brunch dish served with a light Romaine salad sprinkled with sliced strawberries or apple.  Don't forget to leave your tomatoes out on the counter in a bowl to help them ripen and keep them as good as possible.

Back on track to side dishes - there are so many things you can do with broccoli.  You can steam it, stir fry it or,  I would not hear the end of it from my husband if I didn't recommend roasting your broccoli.  It is his favorite.   Cut the broccoli into small to medium florets, toss with a bit of olive oil, diced onions and/or mushrooms, sprinkle with some sea salt and pepper and roast in a 400F oven for 25-35 minutes.  The broccoli comes out with tasty crispy tips and makes a great accompaniment to any meal.  I also found some enticing recipes for Roasted Broccoli with Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette and Marcona Almonds or a Broccoli Gratin with Mustard Cheese Streusel.

I couldn't do side dishes justice without including some recipes for the potatoes.  This article from the University of Idaho (of course) recommends storing potatoes in a well ventilated, humid, dark and cool place to keep them at their best.  They are more likely to grow sprouts if the temperature is too warm.  My kitchen cabinet is probably just a little too warm, so I am going to try them in the storage room in the basement.   When I get small red potatoes, I love them cut in halves or quarters, boiled until just tender, and tossed with a little bit of butter, salt or seasoning or fresh herbs, especially dill or fresh chives.  Potatoes are also great roasted in a similar manner to the broccoli but depending on the size, may take a bit longer.   This Jamie Oliver recipe for Evolution Potato Salad is great as an easy recipe that even a beginner cook can tackle and you can "evolve" the salad through each step to make it as complex as you want it to be.  But I think the hit of the family meal would be this Pommes Dauphinoise, a simpler version of scalloped potatoes but equally as flavorful and rich.  Just a look at the photo makes me hungry!

What better way to end a lovely spring meal then with a Strawberry Shortcake.  That was the first thing that came to mind when I saw strawberries on the list and I've been perusing recipes ever since. Both of the following recipes caught my eye and at least one will grace our table this weekend.  It's probably even worth making both at some point as a good excuse to be prepared for when the Ontario strawberries are in season in a couple of months.  The first recipe comes from the website Joy of Baking.  A co-worker of mine highly recommends this website for consistently good baking recipes.  I was drawn to their Strawberry Shortcake recipe as it uses a scone as opposed to a cake for the base of the shortcake.  But I also couldn't pass up highlighting this recipe for Ricardo's Strawberry Shortcake for the homemade white cake and strawberries macerated with Grand Marnier.    

I hope that the blog is inspiring some new cooking opportunities and ways to use the produce.  There are so many side dish options for the items this week, but if you aren't having a large Sunday dinner, you couldn't go wrong using the lettuce, tomatoes, and green onions on some BBQed burgers with some fresh cut up zucchini, carrots, and snap peas on the side.  Enjoy the long weekend, and Happy Easter.

Weekly recipe ideas for Thursday, June 16th

by Brie

Fruit, like plums and pears, do make great snacks but they make even better additions to dinner. On a hot night try making a plum chicken salad or roasted plum and spinach salad. And as a side dish caramelized carrots and pears sounds delicious!

 



Green beans are a great side dish to serve with dinner. From the simple, serving them either steamed or roasted, to the more creative, honey cashew green beans or sweet and spicy green beans, they make a great accompaniment to most meals. Green beans can also be served in the main meal, like this green bean masala or this green bean mushroom casserole.

Green onions (also known as scallions) are milder then most other onions. They can be cooked or used raw as a garnish. Add them to sesame orzo with charred scallions or stir-fried tofu. For a lovely dinner make honey glazed pork with scallions and carrots or chicken with rice, broccoli and scallions.   

Spinach is a favorite salad ingredient. If you are wanting to try out some new salad recipes consider cranberry spinach salad or honey curry spinach salad. Our spinach will be chopped up and added to some phylo to make a spinach pie.  

These are some of the ideas on my menu plan this week. What are you cooking?

Brie loves eating food and is learning to love cooking food. She also blogs about motherhood at Capital Mom and about Ottawa with kids at Kids in the Capital.

Thursday, June 2nd

by Brie

This week's box had some great fruit, including a pineapple, bananas and seedless grapes. Pineapples, named for their similar appearance to pine cones, are a great source of manganese and vitamin C. Two great ways to tell if a pineapple is ripe is to smell it (you want a sweet not fermented smell) and to press down on it (you want it to be firm but still give a little).

Fruit, while great for snacking, is also a great addition to any recipe. Try pineapple in a spicy salad, asparagus chicken or even  quinoa broccoli salad. Grapes can be added to roasted carrots or broccoli salad. And for the baker, try caramelized fresh pineapple tiramisu or a creamy grape dessert.  

Sweet corn is a sure sign to me that summer is on the way. A great source of fibre and Vitamin C and low in calories, corn is perfect steamed or BBQed. For a tasty dinner side dish you could try creamy sweet corn.

The box this week also had a container of cherry tomatoes on the vine. Cherry tomatoes are small tomatoes perfect for salads but can just as easily be substituted for tomatoes in any dish. Cherry tomatoes are also great roasted with asparagus. Or try making creamy carrot soup with cherry tomato and corn salsa. For a recipe sure to impress dinner guests, I loved this vodka-spiked cherry tomato recipe.
These are some of the ideas on my menu plan this week. What are you cooking?

Brie loves eating food and is learning to love cooking food. She also blogs about motherhood at Capital Mom and about Ottawa with kids at Kids in the Capital.

Thursday, February 10th: soup and other food

by Brie

It is the middle of February and that seems like the perfect time for soup. Lots of soup. When I opened my food box this week all I could see was soup. Beets are perfect for borscht. Cabbage mixed with garlic is a great soup for a cold day. I love the bright green of cream of broccoli soup. Curried carrot soup would go perfect with the lettuce wraps I am going to make with the romaine lettuce in the box. And cream of mushroom soup is one of my favorites. 

(If you are planning a week of soup like I am, try making my favorite homemade whole wheat bread recipe. I have yet to make a bad loaf!) 

For anyone who wants to make some food that doesn't get pureed, how about using the shredded cabbage for some fresh coleslaw, fried cabbage or cabbage noodles (I think I will try the last one and see if I can get my kids to eat it!). The beets would be great roasted with ginger or in a marinated salad. Mushrooms are always good in risotto (this recipe uses a slow cooker), gravy or dressed up in a mushroom tart.

I'll also be making a few non-soup dishes this week. Like our now favorite zucchini phyllo pie (did I mention my four year old ate three servings last time) and my favorite chili recipe with some yams thrown in.

A big bag of beautiful looking apples arrived in our box. The kids have already started eating their way through the apples, but I am tempted to set some aside for an apple pie or apple tart. If you have some time try making a batch of apple butter. We cooked some up in the fall and it was great served on toast, yogurt or pancakes.

This is what's on my menu plan this week. What are you cooking?

Brie loves eating food and is learning to love cooking food. She also blogs about motherhood at Capital Mom and about Ottawa with kids at Kids in the Capital.

Organic Harvest Box for June 25, 2010

Check out this week's luscious Harvest Box! It looks delicious . . .

Did you know that you can use your broccolette almost anywhere you would normally use broccoli? Yes, it's true! Broccolette is as versatile as its cruciferous sister, broccoli. Try it stir-fried in this easy Stir-fried Broccolette and Cashews, or sauteed in a Broccolette Saute. It's easy to add to any pasta dish, and I especially like this Bowties and Spicy Broccolette. And nothing says summer like a Warm Broccolette Salad on a mid-summer night's eve. For something a little bit out of the ordinary, check out this interesting Hunanese Smoky Bacon with Bean Curd and Broccolette.

Acorn squash in summer, you ask? Why of course! Fire up your barbecue and try your hand at Grilled Acorn Squash, you may never want to eat it any other way. This Grilled Acorn Squash with Balsamic Drizzle is similar, and also looks fantastic. And I have a feeling this BBQ Acorn Squash with a Brown Sugar Glaze will not disappoint. Like to stick to the more traditional method of baking acorn squash? Check out this very helpful video for Maple Glazed Baked Acorn Squash for step-by-step instructions and a fabulous recipe.

Fresh lettuce simply can't be beat this time of year. We love all types of lettuce, especially romaine. On hot summer nights I often serve a light grilled meat with just a salad, or even a large salad as a meal. I put together a nice list of some favourite romaine-based summer salads for you. If you have a special one you'd like to add, be sure to leave us a comment!

Chicken-Romaine Salad

BLT Salad with Basil Mayo Dressing

Gorgonzola Walnut Salad

Southwest Steak and Salsa Salad

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Romaine Salad with Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette