Basic Citrus Salad Dressing

It's always handy to have a couple of salad dressings in the fridge to toss on your favourite veggies...you don't even need lettuce. This basic citrus dressing is fresh and light and goes with so many different cuisines. The biggest mistake people make with salads is over-dressing and then the veggies lose their flavour and turn into a sloppy mess. So start with an over-sized bowl to toss the salad and add a tbsp. of dressing at a time until you get familiar with how much dressing you like on your salad.

Basic Citrus Salad Dressing

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon/lime or orange juice (freshly squeezed)
1 tsp. mild honey or maple syrup
1 tsp. dijon mustard

Whisk all of these ingredients together or use your hand/immersion blender. Double or triple the recipe to keep some for later. Store in the refrigerator.

For a large salad that serves 4 as a side or 2 as a meal choose 8 cups from the following options:

2 heads of lettuce (romaine, butter or red-leaf)
sliced cucumber
sliced celery
diced red pepper
dried cranberries
nuts & seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sliced/slivered almonds etc.)
cheese (goat's feta or feta)

Toss it all together and you're done....

Basic Quinoa Recipe

Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain...on average 16% protein. And, it's nutty and delicious.

Basic Quinoa Recipe

1 cup Quinoa
1 1/2 tbsp. corn or peanut oil
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp. grated ginger (or 1/2 tsp. dried ginger)
2 cloves garlic, diced
optional 1 cup small cauliflower florets
1 tbsp. curry powder (or combination of cumin, coriander, turmeric)
1 3/4 cups of water or vegetable stock
optional 1 cup frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Saute the onions on medium high heat for four to five minutes.
Add the ginger root, garlic, spices and cauliflower if using. Cook for one minute stirring constantly.
A fine, white spiral appears around the grain as it cooks.
Stir in the curry and/or spices. Cook for one minute stirring constantly.
Add the water and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in peas. Cover and cook for four or five minutes or until peas are tender and all the water has been absorbed.
Fluff with a fork before serving.

Serve Hot or Cold.

Variations:
1) Cajun - instead of curry spice use cajun spice and use 1 cup of diced red pepper instead of cauliflower and/or add frozen corn instead of frozen peas.
2) Asian - instead of curry spice use Chinese 5-spice and use 1 cup of snow peas instead of cauliflower and/or the frozen peas and or 1 cup of brocolli florets.

Basic Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Chili is so versatile and there's a bunch of "secret ingredients" to make it your own. The only essential spice is chili powder.

You can also jazz it up with some grated cheese and/or sour cream on top to serve.

 Basic Chili Recipe

3 tablespoons corn oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
optional 1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
3 tablespoons chili powder
choose a total of 2 tbsp. (mix and match) oregano, cumin, coriander, thyme, or Astraya Cajun Dry Dip
optional 1 tsp. of crushed red pepper or 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper
2 15- to 16-ounce cans (mix and match) rinsed black beans, rinsed kidney beans, rinsed pinto beans
optional 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
optional 3 cups frozen corn kernels
optional 2 cups sliced zuchini (about 1/2 inch slices)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic (and celery if using); sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, chili powder, and spices of choice. Cook 10 minutes to blend flavors. Add beans, bell peppers (if using), corn (if using), zuchini (if using). Add water as needed to immerse ingredients. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chili is thick, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. As the chili cooks, check back to see if you need to add more water especially if you are using a lot of additional vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Secret Ingredients

To add at spice stage of recipe: 1 tbsp. cocoa or 1 tbsp. instant coffee or 1 tbsp. turmeric or 1/4 tsp. allspice
To add with beans: 2 tbsp. maple syrup or 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar or 1 sliced jalapeno pepper or 1 tbsp. molasses
To add with water or in addition to water: brewed coffee or vegetable stock or beer