farro & arugula summer salad

 

one of my favourite things about summer is all the colourful fresh produce readily available. i just love the vibrancy it adds to my dishes! today i am partnering with Taylor Farm's to bring you a recipe for the ultimate summer side.

the warm weather makes for a lot of outdoor parties & barebecues. so whether you are hosting or attending a summer gathering, make this farro & arugula summer salad! this isn't your average salad. it features a variety of healthy summer ingredients such as starwberries, cucumber, corn & taylor farm's arugula. plus, the farro makes things extra hearty. for those of you not familiar with farro, it is a whole grain similar to quinoa & barley. the texture is very similar to barley, but the grain is shaped like rice. it certainly adds a unique bite to this colourful salad!

ingredients

  • 2 cups farro, cooked (see note)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups taylor farms arugula
  • 1 cup cucumber, quatered & thinly sliced
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup taylor farm's crispy corn
  • 2 tablespoons taylor farms pepitas

directions

  • in a large mixing bowl add the farro, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt & pepper. stir until evenly coated.
  • add the arugula, cucumber, strawberries, red onion, feta cheese, corn & pepitas. toss until evenly combined.
  • transfer to desired serving bowl & sprinkle with additional feta cheese if desired.

note: to cook the farro i used 6 cups low sodium chicken stock. simply bring stock & farro to a boil & then a gentle simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes. strain & rinse with water to cool.

rhubarb, apple + coconut crisp

 

rhubarb is one of my all time favourite ingredients to bake with. i love all things sour, so it only makes sense that i love rhubarb in my desserts. this recipe is a pleasent change from a strawberry & rhubarb based recipe. it combines fresh rhubarb & apple, with a coconut topped crisp. as always, the topping portion of this recipe yields a very generous amount, because i don't like to be skimpy on my fruit to crumble ratio. i want each bite of fruit to have an equal amount of sweet, buttery oats!

for this crisp i used bob's redmill unsweetened coconut flakes. i always stick to unsweetened coconut in my recipes, so i can control the amount of sweetness being added to a dish. i absolutely love working with the coconut flakes, as the texture of them is so light & (well) flaky! i like to snack on them too & use the large flakes in my granola or cereal. so good.

ingredients

for the fruit filling

  • 4 cups fresh rhubarb, diced
  • 3 cups apples, peeled & diced
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

for the topping

directions

for the fruit filling

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl toss together the rhubarb, apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla & lemon juice.
  • transfer mixture to a 9 by 12 inch baking dish & set aside while you prepare your topping.

for the topping

  • in a large mixing bowl whisk the oats, flour, flaked coconut, pecans, brown sugar & salt.
  • add the cubed butter. using your hands workthe butter into the mixture until it resembles a pea sized crumb consistency.
  • evenly disperse over the filling & bake for 50 to 50 minutes, until the fruit filling is bubbly.
  • remove from oven & let cool slighty.
  • serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

this post was created in partnership with bob's red mill! 

like what you see? get it here. baking dish | mixing bowl | tea towel | flatware

green tea caramel milkshakes

 

want an indulgent way to drink your green tea this summer? try my green tea caramel milkshake. it is so good & is super simple to whip up on a hot summer day. i used a homemade caramel sauce because i love making all sorts of caramel sauces, but if you wanted to skip that step feel free to use a storebought caramel! honey would also be amazing too.

to turn this from a regular milkshake to a green tea flavoured milkshake, i used [aiya matcha's cooking grade matcha]1. this blend is specially created for food & beverage products to ensure the matcha remains strong when mixed with other ingredients. a little goes a long way in this recipe. plus, matcha is good for you so you can feel a little healthy while drinking back this decadent shake!

ingredients

for the green tea caramel milkshake

  • 2 cups quality vanilla ice cream
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons matcha powder (i use aiya matcha's cooking grade)
  • 1 tablespoon caramel sauce, plus more for topping (see recipe below)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • whipped cream, for topping

for the caramel sauce

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 pinch salt

directions

  • for the green tea caramel milk shake: in a blender add the ice cream, milk, matcha powder, caramel & vanilla. blend until smooth. drizzle desired serving glass with caramel sauce & pour in matcha mixture. top with fresh whipped cream, a pinch of matcha & additional caramel sauce if desired.
  • for the caramel sauce: in a saucepot add the sugar and water over medium heat. do NOT stir while bringing mixture to a boil. continue to boil until the sugar turns a deep amber colour (approximately 5 minutes). be sure not to burn the caramel, it will go from a amber to burnt VERY quickly. remove from heat and immediately whisk in the heavy cream, butter, vanilla & sea salt. cool to room temperature before serving. store in the fridge for up to two weeks.