by on August 8, 2018   •   4 Comments Dinner

Grilled Peach and Chicken Kebabs

Every August when the Ontario peaches arrive in our markets, we tend to go a little stone-fruit crazy.

There’s always a large bowl of peaches ripening on our dining room table next to a stack of cloth napkins for a sticky afternoon snack. We slice peaches into our morning oatmeal and ice them for afternoon lemonade. I pair them with fresh tomatoes and soft cheese for a twist on a Caprese salad and stew them with brown sugar and spices into a sticky barbecue sauce.

And this summer, we’re skewering peaches with chicken and grilling them to perfection. It’s a fast and fun dinner that pairs perfectly with my Watermelon Greek Salad. There’s still time for plenty of patio meals before fall arrives, so read on for the recipe and start planing your next cookout.

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by on April 10, 2018   •   16 Comments Dinner

Comfort food for somber days: Red Lentil Lasagna

Canadians from coast to coast are mourning the loss of half a junior hockey team and their crew after a tragic accident last Friday in rural Saskatchewan.

Geographically, we’re the second largest country in the world but when in crisis, we’re a small, tight-knit community.  Yes, we’re around some 35 million people, yet I can imagine that the majority of us are keenly feeling this loss. I know I am. As a mother to hockey-loving boys, as a sister to a big brother, as a wife…I just can’t stop thinking about it and the tears keep coming.

I lost two friends when I was in my twenties – one to cancer and one in a freak car accident. That pain of loss is impossible to put into words, but I have experienced it. Twice.

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by on February 8, 2018   •   14 Comments Dinner

One-Pan Roast Sausages with Winter Vegetables

Hearty winter vegetables aren’t nearly as appealing as their lush summer counterparts, yet during these cold winter months, we have no choice but to embrace them day in and day out.

Fortunately, roasting brings out the best of winter vegetables, especially if they’ve been sitting in the crisper drawer for a while. I’ve always got a container of roasted vegetables in my refrigerator – onions, sweet potato, Brussels sprouts and so on – and I add them to everything from breakfast burritos to grain salads.

Today’s recipe is a simple one; a basic one-pan supper of sausages paired with an assortment of winter vegetables, roasted up together and finished off with a squeeze of (also roasted) lemon. It’s fast, it’s easy to clean up, and you probably have all of the ingredients already.

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by on January 23, 2018   •   7 Comments Dinner

January Carb-Lover’s Pasta Round-Up

We’ve been immersing ourselves in winter sports ever since we started our vacation in British Columbia and boy, do you work up an appetite while exercising out in the crisp winter air.

Downhill skiing on the incomparable Hudson Bay Mountain, cross-country skiing at the scenic BV Nordic Centre, ice skating on Lake Kathlyn and snowshoeing up around Crater Lake – if there is a snowy adventure to be had, we’re game.

A decent chunk of the remainder of our time has been cooking for the incredible appetites of the six rosy-cheeked cousins (my kids plus my brother’s). A humungous bowl of pasta always does the trick for dinner, and the little customers love it too.

Inspired by the mountain of spaghetti and meatballs I prepared for dinner tonight, I’ve decided to share a round-up of pasta recipes from the Simple Bites archives. Whether you’re looking for a simple weeknight dinner or you need to carb load after a day on the slopes, there’s a recipe here to inspire you in the kitchen.

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by on December 5, 2017   •   9 Comments Dinner

From sides to stews: a sweet potato recipe round-up

Sweet potatoes are front and centre in the Simple Bites winter kitchen, but not just as a side dish.

In addition to the recipes included in today’s round-up, I find ways to incorporate them into all sorts of meals from breakfast to dinner. I try to roast off a few spuds here and there when I have the oven on for holiday baking projects, then stash them in the fridge for convenience.

In the past I’ve smashed the roasted sweet potatoes and stirred them into a fragrant brown rice pudding. I’ve scooped a few spoonfuls into my smoothies, and together with almond milk, dates, cinnamon and ice, it makes for one delicious shake. I’ve puréed them and added them to chia pudding and even my morning muesli. Once sweet potatoes have been roasted and puréed, you can use them like pumpkin in a wide variety of cooking and baking.

Today’s recipes stay on the savoury side of things. From a delicate buttermilk biscuit to a wintery vegan stew, there’s a sweet potato recipe here for everyone.

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