Taking Sides

Along with this watermelon salad, these dishes have been summer favourites for their simplicity and easy pairing with grilled meats and other barbecued meals. Both are light and healthy but have flavours that will carry well into the Fall, so I have no plans on putting a halt on making either anytime soon!

Crisp Garlic Kale Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts
(serves 2)
1/2 bunch of kale
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2-3 tablespoons of pine nuts (or slivered almonds)
2 tablespoons of dried cranberries
salt and pepper

After rinsing and drying the kale, strip leaves from each stem. Bunching the leaves together, use kitchen scissors to shred the kale into thin strips.
Place a pan over medium-high heat, and once hot, add the nuts and toast for a few minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Watch carefully to avoid burning! Remove to a small bowl.
Add oil to the pan, and once hot, add garlic slices and swirl pan around to move around the garlic and flavour the oil. Add kale leaves and use tongs to move them around quickly and coat with oil until lightly crisp, about five minutes. Add nuts and cranberries, toss together, and place pan off heat. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Shrimp Salad with Cucumber and Fennel
(serves 4)
1 lb. shell-on shrimp
1 fennel bulb, sliced crosswise 1/4″ thick, fronds reserved
1 English cucumber, sliced 1/4″ thick
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced into rings
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil or less
1/4 cup small dill sprigs

Cook the shrimp in a large pot of simmering salted water until bright pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel and devein the shrimp and place in a large bowl.
Add fennel, fennel fronds, cucumber, onion, and lemon juice and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Add dill and lemon zest and toss again; season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Top with more pepper just before serving. If making ahead, cover and chill.

Adapted from Epicurious.com.

Fennel and Honey Granola

There are a couple of store-bought granolas that I hit up on the regular–they’re sugar-free and I usually just mix them up with some chia seeds, hemp  hearts and raw pumpkin seeds for a go-to breakfast or snack. After I saw this recipe in the popular r.s.v.p. section of Bon Appétit (where they track down recipes for readers from their favourite restaurants and hotels), I decided I had to give it a go. Glad I did – it’s definitely worth the minimal effort and the flavour pay off is huge compared to my usual boxes. Plus, there’s very little sugar involved here– just half a cup of honey for the entire batch and a tablespoon of fresh orange juice. 

Picking up ingredients at a bulk supply store is key for this one, so you’re not left with a lot of random leftovers. I also skipped the dry fruit in lieu of fresh berries or peaches since they’re so easy to get a hold of right now. However, the dried stuff will definitely come in handy when you don’t have any fresh fruit on hand, especially in the cooler months.

Fennel and Honey Granola
(12 servings)

1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons smooth, natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Toast pine nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, sesame seeds and fennel seeds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until lightly golden for about 5-7 minutes at 350°F. Reduce oven temperature to 275°F.
Meanwhile, whisk honey, peanut butter, oil, orange zest and juice, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Toss nuts and seeds, oats, and salt in a large bowl. Pour honey mixture over and gently mix until oat mixture is completely coated.
Spread out on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring halfway through (edges will take colour before centre does), until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Let cool; granola will crisp as it cools. Break up into pieces and serve with milk or yoghurt and fruit of your choice. Enjoy!