by on December 7, 2020   •   9 Comments Snacks & Appetizers

The Best Roasted Beet and Walnut Dip

An easy winter recipe for a vibrant beet and walnut dip. Swirled with sour cream and topped with dill, it’s a luxurious and festive appetizer.

All winter long I’m never without a sack of beets in my cold room. I roast them up in batches about once a week and stash them in the fridge, where they keep for about 4-5 days.

A surplus of cooked beets is necessary to have around in the Simple Bites kitchen. Recipes like the kid’s favourite Chocolate Beet Snack Cake and today’s beet and walnut dip are in regular rotation all season.

I’ve been meaning to share this quick, do-ahead appetizer that I make every year around the holidays. The vibrantly coloured dip, paired with crisp winter vegetables, is exactly what I want to eat to balance out all the cookies.

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by on December 1, 2020   •   Leave a Comment Salads

7 Fantastic Salads for the Holiday Season and Beyond

Recipe ideas for easy salads that are great for the holiday season and beyond.

Happy December.

Over the weekend we ushered in the holidays by dragging a seven-foot pine tree through the front door and then sitting down to our first Tourtière of the season.

Like the tree-trimming-tourtière feast, most of our family traditions happen around the table at Christmastime. This year won’t be any different, we’ll merely be a few less people and throwing a few less parties.

Since it will be just us, I’m involving the kiddos in much of the meal planning. If someone wants a lasagne on the 24th, so be it. We’re not bound by tradition. So lists are being made of our holiday baking projects and I’m stocking the pantry.

Included in the planning is a solid round-up of fantastic salads for the holiday season. A balanced diet is so important, especially this time of year.

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by on September 22, 2020   •   8 Comments Soups/Stocks/Stews

The Best Soup Recipes for Fall

A round-up of seasonal soup recipes for fall comfort food.

A generous pot of Borscht is simmering on stove as I write this. It’s full of the first beets and cabbage of the season, as well as a handful of dill from my herb garden.

Not only is today the first day of fall, but Hurricane Teddy is raining down all around us here in Nova Scotia. We’ve done all of our storm prep (gas! groceries! gin!) and now there’s nothing else to do but hunker down and ride it out.

I’ll keep this post short and sweet. Here’s all the inspiration you need to start a pot of soup for dinner tonight.

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by on September 10, 2020   •   11 Comments Vegetarian Main Dish

Roasted Vegetable Skillet Lasagne

Roasted Vegetable Skillet Lasagne is a one-pan, weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.

And just like that we’ve transitioned into a new season after six months of home life.

Our three kiddos started school this week and we’re just holding on tight as we ride the roller coaster of emotions.

Relief. Sadness. Joy. Cautious hope. They are all mixed up together and no feeling is right or wrong.

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by on July 17, 2020   •   1 Comment Soups/Stocks/Stews

Garden Green Minestrone Soup Recipe

This vibrant garden green minestrone soup is peak summer eating. It’s full of seasonal vegetables and loved by all.

So earlier this year you found yourself at home on some level of lockdown and decided that now was the time to plant a garden. While we were cooking comfort food, experimenting with tie-dye and home schooling, we also started seeds.

Now, mid-July, many of us are reaping the benefits of that spring planting. I’m getting tons of messages from you asking how to deal with all the herbs-gone-wild (make pesto), baskets of greens (toss this salad) and cucumbers (pickles, duh).

Today’s recipe embraces midsummer produce in a vibrant soup – the garden green minestrone.

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