If I tell a friend that “I’m having company over “…. this is code for “I’m going to try some new recipes”.

Here’s three new recipes that I will be trying.

-Oriental Edamame Salad courtesy of AllRecipes

-Green Goddess Kale Salad courtesy of Daily Bites Blog 

-The Ultimate Filet O Fish Sammie courtesy of Food Network.

The meal will also include fresh salsa, tortilla cheese, a cheese platter and a rhubarb strawberry crisp!

Can you tell that I spent some time on -line researching some recipes. I love it though!!

Todays blog will feature two salads that I’m going to be serving, K?

First Salad: Oriental Edamame Salad 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 (16 ounce) packages shelled edamame (green soybeans)
• 1 (15 ounce) can baby corn, drained and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced into thin strips
• 1 bunch radishes, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 green onions, cut thinly on a diagonal
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat; cook almonds until lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Whisk sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and ginger together in a bowl for the dressing; season with salt and black pepper.
3. Combine edamame, baby corn, water chestnuts, radishes, green onions, cilantro, and toasted almonds in a large bowl; toss with dressing until coated. Serve cold or at room temperature.

 FINISHED SALAD

 

Second Salad: Green Goddess Kale Salad 

5 cups chopped kale

2 cups finely chopped broccoli florets (I steamed them slightly)

3/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 medium carrot (I used multi colour baby carrots)

Handful of sprouts

Handful of pumpkin seeds

1/2 medium ripe avocado, pitted

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or regular milk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the kale, broccoli, scallions, and carrot. Reserve the sprouts and pumpkin seeds for garnish.

Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, lemon juice, maple syrup, vinegar, and mustard. Puree until smooth. The dressing will be thick, with the consistency of mayonnaise. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat everything thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish plates of the salad with the sprouts and pumpkin seeds.

FINISHED SALAD

 Happy Cooking!

Friday night dinner is a big deal in Jewish households. Not all households have this tradition but I grew up where Friday night dinner was important, and this tradition continues.

It’s also a great way to entertain. I realize I could entertain and host a Sunday brunch or have people over on a  Saturday night, but some traditions are hard to break!!

This week, my guests will be served the following:

-Challah (frozen then baked)

-Gazpacho (courtesy of Moosewood Original Cookbook)

-Pissaladiere (courtesy of New Recipes from Moosewood)

-Pebre (courtesy of Sundays at Moosewood)

-Pita Chips (courtesy of watching my mom make them for decades!)

-Brocoli crunch salad (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)

-Yellow Bean Salad (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)

-Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (courtesy of the Toronto Star).

It’s kind of a “Spring” menu – even if it’s not officially Spring yet!

In this blog post, I’m going to share the Pebre recipe which is also known as Salsa de Ciliantro! This is what you need:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup minced onion or scallions

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

4 medium field tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons of Tobasco or another hot sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, pressed or minced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate.

Final Result:

I bought a Fabfind coupon for $20 to attend 5 boxing classes at Punch Fitness (1968 Avenue Road). I couldnt resist. It was in my neighborhood and I knew I would like it. Infact,  Im loving my workouts so much that after a few classes I tried “sparring”. The first time I watched two men spar, I said to myself “I can’t do that..how do you just go into a ring, and hit someone”. The next class I tried it and I have to admit, it was weird but I liked it. It was a great workout and fun. The following week I was actually EAGER to get into the ring.

When I get home, Im hungry  but not really hunger (do you know what I mean) ? I really want to eat something FRESH. So I whipped up a batch of fresh salsa.

All you need is: a few tomatillos, a lime, 2-3 tomatoes, cilantro, white onion. Tomatillos are not something you find in grocery stores, so when I see them I usually pick up a few with the intention of making this delicious salsa.

All you do is chop up the veggies, squeeze some lime juice over it and bingo – you have the best-est salsa EVER. Sometimes I add jalapeno – but this time I didnt have them on hand.

Oh yeah – I ate them with the most delicious tortilla chips that I bought in the States. Naturally I only bought one bag -what was I thinking?

I also made a kale smoothie:

All you need is: kale, a banana, an apple and orange juice or water.

End Product…

It felt great to have an awesome workout and to eat healthy after the workout too.

What’s your favorite post workout meal?