Cucumber Melon Salsa

Makes about 3 cups of salsa

INGREDIENTS

1 Cucumber, finely diced
2 cups of melon (cantaloupe or honeydew work equally well here), finely diced
1/4 cup of red onion or sweet onion, finely diced
1 fresh hot red or green chile, minced (omit the seeds to mellow the heat)
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Eat immediately or chill in the fridge to let flavours blend a bit more. Perfect with grilled fish or chicken, but also just right for a summer snack. Serve with tortilla chips or just a spoon.

Arugula, Potato and Green Bean Salad

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

Serves 4-8, depending on how much everyone wants to eat

INGREDIENTS
 
1/3 cup ounce walnuts or almonds
1 1/2 pounds fingerling or other new potatoes, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
6 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch segments
2 tablespoons white wine or other mild vinegar
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces baby arugula

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°. Toast nuts toast in oven until fragrant and slightly browned, about 8 minutes. Cool, chop and set aside.
 
Boil potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside to cool.
 
Boil another pot of water; add green beans, and cook until tender and bright green, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer beans to bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside. 

Whisk together vinegar, yogurt, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; season with pepper. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified.
 
Arrange arugula, potatoes, and green beans on a platter or bowl. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with toasted nuts; toss to coat. Enjoy!

Avocado Baked Egg

INGREDIENTS

2 avocados
4 eggs
Lime, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Green Onion, sliced (optional)
Cilantro, chopped (optional)
Salsa (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Who doesn't love avocado with their morning eggs? This recipe combines these two breakfast darlings to make something better than the sum of their parts - decadent deliciousness, bursting with health.

Make sure your avocados are ripe but still firm -- they're going in the oven, so they need some structural integrity. Preheat your oven 450°F (or, if it's particularly hot, 400°F).

Cut each avocado in half, remove the pit, and scrape out a space large enough to fit an egg in each halved avocado. Squeeze lime juice and sprinkle salt over the avocados to taste and place on baking sheet. Break an egg into the center of each avocado.

Bake until the egg whites are set and yolk is runny, about 10 to 12 minutes, or longer if you like your egg yolks fully cooked. Garnish with cilantro, green onions, salsa or whatever else you like -- and enjoy!

Homemade Frozen Yogurt

INGREDIENTS

1 cup fresh berries or peaches
4 cups plain yogurt
2 Tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS

Freeze the fruit in advance. This is an important step to make the froyo softer and less icy.

Strain the yogurt for at least four hours using a strainer with a cheesecloth or an ultra-fine sieve. You can also leave it to strain into a large bowl in the fridge overnight.

Blend the fruit, strained yogurt, and honey together. Try to do this quickly before the frozen fruit softens too much.

Put the mixture in the freezer and check after an hour. It should take 1-2 hours to freeze into a lovely froyo!

Apple Almond Muffins

Adapted from Grainstorm's Apple Almond Muffins.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup almond meal
2 medium apples, cored and grated (skin on)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cups plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag Grainstorm Ancient Grains Loaf and Muffin Mix

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine almond meal, grated apples, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix well.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs to incorporate some air. Add melted butter, olive oil, yogurt, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Stir in almond and apple mixture.

Add the entire bag of muffin mix and stir gently until just combined (do not overmix).

Fill the muffin cups and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes.

Fresh Fruit Popsicles

INGREDIENTS

Fresh fruit of your choice, especially grapes, nectarine, strawberries or blueberries
Your favourite juice, especially grape juice, apple juice, or whatever you like best!
A popsicle mold

DIRECTIONS

Take advantage of this June sun to get your popsicle making skills in shape for the hot summer months ahead. These can be made with any combination of fresh fruit and juice, so choose your favourite!

Cut the fruit into bite-size pieces. Fill the popsicle molds with as much or as little fruit suits you and then pour juice in to fill up the rest. Freeze and enjoy!