1 cup whole milk

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2  teaspoons pepper

1.5 teaspoons salt (plus more for pasta)

1 pound elbow macaroni

1/2 cup of cider vinegar (see note)

4 scallions (thinly sliced)

1 large carrot (peeled and grated)

1 celery rib (finely chopped)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine milk, mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of table salt. Whisk them together until well combined.

2. In a large pot, bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 tablespoon of salt and elbow macaroni and cook until very soft for 15 minutes. Drain the pasta and shake to remove excess water and return the pasta to the pot. Slowly add 1/2 cup of cider vinegar, and toss until absorbed. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

3. Add the remaining dressing to the pasta and stir until combined. Next, stir in thinly sliced scallions, grated carrots, and finely chopped celery until well combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about an hour until fully chilled. 

Note:  Use filtered apple cider vinegar for this recipe.  If you use Bragg’s unfiltered apple cider vinegar (the one with the mother at the bottom), use only the vinegar that has none of the mother.

1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 anchovies, chopped (optional)
Basil
Flaky sea salt and ground pepper

Place the shallot , salt and crushed garlic in a small bowl, and add vinegar. Stir and let sit for at least a half hour. Add olive oil, and let sit another half hour.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white onion, grated
3 small bay leaves
2 teaspoon mild curry powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup water
¼ teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dried apricots, finely chopped
2 large skinless chicken breasts, (600 g or 6 cups) cooked and shredded or cut into chunks
salt & pepper to taste

Method

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.
Add in the onion, bay leaf and curry powder and gently cook for 2 minutes.
Add in the tomato paste and cook gently for 2 minutes.
Add the red wine vinegar and water and bring to a gentle boil. Stir often to avoid burning.
Add a pinch of sugar, then season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Simmer for 2 minutes, until the sauce is slightly reduced, then remove from the heat.
In a large bowl mix together the prepared sauce with the mayonnaise, yogurt and finely chopped apricots.
Add in the cooked chicken breast, and mix gently all the ingredients together.
Cover and chill for at least two hours to allow the flavors to meld. Better if allowed to chill overnight!

Ingredients

• 1 generous teaspoon anchovy paste*
• 1 generous teaspoon crushed garlic (from the produce section of your grocery)*
• 1 large egg, coddled
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (do not use regular yellow)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (one large lemon)
• ⅓ to ½ cup olive oil (or a mix of equal parts of olive and canola oil)
• 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• black pepper to taste

Method

1.  In a small bowl, mix the anchovy paste and mustard with a small whisk..
2.  Coddle the egg.  Put the egg into a measuring cup and cover with boiling water for 1 minute but not more!  After a minute, empty the hot water and cover the egg with cold water for about a minute.  Immediately break the egg into the bowl with the anchovy/mustard mix.  Stir to combine.
3. Add the lemon juice slowly, stirring while you do so to prevent the egg from curdling.
4. Add the oil slowly, whisking to emulsify the oil and egg mix.  You may add more or less oil depending on how liquid you want the dressing to be.
5. Once you are satisfied with the dressing, add the Parmesan cheese and the Worcestershire sauce and stir quickly to blend.

The dressing will hold in the fridge for about 10 days.  It will solidify in the fridge so remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before use.

* Note:  some prefer to use whole anchovies and garlic cloves for the dressing.  I use the paste and crushed garlic as a matter of convenience.  If you prefer whole anchovies and cloves of garlic, use 3 anchovy fillets and 2 large cloves of garlic.  Dice both with your chef’s knife until they are well-minced, then mix the two together by rubbing the blade of the knife across the dice until you achieve a pasty consistency.  Adding a little salt to this mix will make for quicker work.

Ingredients

• 3 cup chicken (or turkey) breast
• 1½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella pearls, or one large ball cut into ½ inch cubes
• ½ cup red onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix the mayo, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until combined.
2. Cut the chicken breast into small ⅓ inch cubes.  Alternatively, shred the chicken with two forks then chop it coarsely.
3. Dice the onion.
4. Place chicken, tomatoes, onion, and mozzarella in a large bowl and fold in the mayo mixture until combined. Gently stir in the basil to finish.
5. Serve on toast, lettuce wraps, in a hollowed out roll, a tomato, or on sliced cucumber.

Makes approximately 8 servings.

Peel, seed and dice the butternut squash. (Some grocery stores have pre-peeled and diced butternut squash in the produce section of the store. I generally buy the prepared squash since it saves time.) Spray a cookie sheet with a light coating of cooking spray. Place the diced squash and the red onion slices on the pan and sprinkle with about 2 tbsp olive oil. Toss gently to coat the squash and onions. Bake in a 350 oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the squash and onion are tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the spices and vinegar or orange vinegar (If using white wine vinegar, add the orange juice here). Using a whisk, slowly mix the oil with the vinegar/spice mix until emulsified. Add the chipotle adobe and mix.

Put the cool squash/onion, diced red peppers, corn, and dried cranberries into the dressing and toss. Set aside for at least an hour (overnight if possible) so the flavors blend.

1 spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs) , baked, seeded and shredded
1/2 lb good ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
4 oz goat’s milk feta, crumbled
Good quality extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the squash in half and seed it. Place the squash cut side down and bake for about 40 minutes or until tender. You can back the squash in a pyrex pan cut side down in about 1/2 cups of water. Alternatively, you can bake the squash cut side down on a dry pan. The latter method will result in a slightly caramelized taste.

In a large bowl, toss the warm spaghetti squash and tomatoes. In a separate bowl, combine the juice of 1/2 a lemon and about 1/4 up of rice wine vinegar. Add 1 tsp dijon mustard and mix. Add olive oil, about 1/2 cup. in a steady stream while whisking to emulsify the dressing. Mix the dressing with the squash and tomatoes, tossing to combine.

At this point, you can add your favourite space: basil, cilantro, thyme, or any mix you prefer. Fresh basil and flat leaf parsley roughly chopped add both flavor and color.

Refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Before serving, adjust seasoning and toss to combine. Crumble the goat cheese on top of the salad. Serve cold.

Purée and refrigerate

3-4 pounds spaghetti squash baked, seeded and shredded (about 4-5 packed cups of cooked squash shreds)
1/2 lb good ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

The dressing

juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Good quality extra-virgin olive oil

Additions

fresh basil, about 1/2 cup, chiffonade or 2 tablespoons dry basil

4 oz feta or chèvre, crumbled 

In a large bowl, toss the warm spaghetti squash, tomatoes, basil with a fork until evenly combined. In a separate bowl, mix the juice of the lemons and enough olive oil, starting with 1/4 cup, until the dressing emulsifies. Toss the vegetable mix with the dressing gently.  Add the basil and cheese and toss until mixed through.  Refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Before serving, toss thoroughly and adjust with salt and pepper.

Ingredients

• Leftover turkey, both white and dark meat (I prefer half-and-half), cut into oblong pieces about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long or wide
• Celery, cut into 1/2″ wide and 1/4″ thin pieces (about 1/2 the volume, or less, of the turkey pieces)
• Scallions (green onions), cut into 1/4″ thin pieces (about 1/4 the volume, or less, of the turkey pieces)
• Mayonnaise

Directions

1. Combine turkey, celery, and scallion pieces
2. Mix in only enough mayonnaise to lightly coat all of the pieces, and then a tad more
3. Pepper and salt to taste