EatSavvy Blog

Zyliss Fresh Cut Salad Knife

May 26, 2009
Denise Smith

The most essential tool in my kitchen is a good quality, sharp knife. In fact, over the years I have spent more money than I care to admit building my collection. So when I came across the reasonably-priced ($3–4) Zyliss Fresh Cut Salad Knife in my local kitchen supply store, I was very excited to try it. Zyliss is a Swiss company that has been making quality kitchen tools for over 50 years. The Salad Knife is a brightly coloured plastic knife with serrated edges that is designed for cutting greens and, unlike some metal knives, it won’t turn the leaves brown. My oldest son is the one who uses it the most in our kitchen though, and not for preparing salads! Now that he is at the age and stage where I feel comfortable with him using knives, I feel more at ease because he’s using a plastic knife. Plus, it is one less knife to remember to sharpen. But moms be warned…even though this knife is plastic, it is still sharp and can cut little hands so don’t leave your children with one unattended!

Photo copyright Holly Sisson Photography

Rockin’ Rocket Salad

May 31, 2010
Denise Smith

Popping into my local vegetable market for a couple of items is proving to be more of a challenge as spring unfolds. Each day there seems to be more and more fresh, local produce to choose from and I find it hard to resist. Currently, my new fave green is Ontario arugula (otherwise known as rocket or rucola). Arugula is a leafy, aromatic green that comes loose and pre-washed or in bunches with stems. Be prepared to pay a little more for the pre-washed. Arugula is very low in calories and high in fibre, Vitamins A and C. Unfortunately, arugula will not stay fresh for long and it should be consumed within two days of purchasing or picking it.

Traditionally, arugula was popular in Italian and French cuisine, but more and more we see this peppery, mustard-flavoured green showing up in other types of dishes. Like spinach, arugula is good eaten raw or cooked. It can be tossed into pasta dishes, thrown on top of pizza or piled high on a sandwich, but more often than not, I use arugula as a salad green. The younger, smaller leaves are milder in taste than the larger ones, and tend to be better suited to salads.

Last night I made a simple arugula salad as a side dish to have with grilled chicken and it was delicious. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Warm Arugula and Asparagus Salad

Serves 3

You’ll Need

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 asparagus spears, cut into 2” pieces
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 3 cups arugula, torn into bite-sized pieces
• Goat cheese
• Sea salt, to taste

Prep and Cook

1. Add olive oil to a heated skillet.
2. Saute asparagus, broccoli, pine nuts and mushrooms until vegetables are bright green and pine nuts are slightly browned.
3. Arrange a pile of arugula on each plate, crumble with goat cheese and then top with warm vegetables from the skillet.

What is your favourite seasonal ingredient?

Dish It Up

August 04, 2010
Denise Smith

During the summer months, we spend a lot of time at the cottage and do a lot of entertaining. Because of the abundant supply of fresh vegetables in the summer, cooking for a crowd is sometimes easier (and less expensive) than cooking for our family of five. I love to cook, but when I am on holidays, I like to keep the time I spend in the kitchen to a minimum and the time I spend outside with my family to the max. Menus at the cottage are simple, yet delicious.

Largely because they’re my favourite dish, fresh salads are the backbone of most of our meals. The simplest, and often most delicious, are the ones that are made up of a variety of summer-inspired ingredients—tomatoes, corn, fresh herbs, peppers, beans…

Two of my current favourite salad recipes happen to come from the same cookbook, Dish Entertains by Trish Magwood. The Lemon Orzo Salad with Baby Spinach, Feta and Caramelized Onion is a big fave in our house as well as the Tomato and Bread Salad. Both are simple, can be made ahead of time and are huge crowd pleasers.

Tomato and Bread Salad

Courtesy of Trish Magwood’s Dish Entertains

Serves 6 to 8

You’ll Need

• ½ baquette or boule, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large ripe tomato, cut into wedges
• 1 English cucumber, cut into one-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into one-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
• ½ red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Vinaigrette

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup sherry or red wine vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Prep and Cook

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Toss bread cubes in olive oil. Place on a baking sheet. Toast bread, stirring occasionally, until golden brown (about 10 minutes). Let cool.
2. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl until emulsified. Season to taste.
3. In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, tomatoes, cucumber, yellow pepper, red onion and basil. Add vinaigrette and toss well. Season with lots of salt and pepper.
4. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving, so the bread can soak up all the juices.

What is your favourite summer salad recipe?

Cabbage, Anyone?

November 17, 2010
Denise Smith

There aren’t a lot of seasonal fruits and vegetables available at this time of the year, but one vegetable that is fresh and available locally is cabbage. Green, red and Savoy cabbage are available in stores year-round, but during the fall and early winter they are fresh and, therefore, have the most flavour. It’s a great source of vitamin C and riboflavin, and according to Wikipedia, its anti-inflammatory properties have all kinds of other medical benefits.

But cabbage is often a hard sell for most kids. However, eating it raw, alongside other favourite vegetables, may be the best place to start. Add cooked chicken to this salad and make it a meal or add a generous scoop to the top of fish tacos.

Cabbage & Apple Slaw

Serves 8

You’ll Need

• ½ red cabbage, shredded
• ½ green cabbage, shredded
• 2 large carrots, grated
• 2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
• 1 large apple, thinly sliced
• ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• Juice of one lime
• 1½ tsp sugar
• ¼ cup low fat mayonnaise
• ¼ cup low fat sour cream
• ½ tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Prep and Cook

1. In large bowl, toss together cabbage, carrots, celery, apple, pepper, cilantro and onions.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, lime juice and sugar.
3. Stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, salt and pepper.
4. Drizzle the dressing over the slaw and toss well to coat. This salad is best served immediately, but it can also be made ahead of time and stored for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Good to Know: Using a food processor to shred or slice the vegetables will shorten the prep time by half. Or, if you are really stuck for time, pick up a bag of pre-shredded cabbage.

How do you get your kids to eat cabbage?