GRAPEFRUIT CUCUMBER SMOOTHIE

This is a very refreshing and light pastel-coloured smoothie. If you love citrus as much as I do, you have to try it! This is terrific even if you don't like grapefruit because all you're having is the juice of grapefruits without risking any bitter pith getting into your smoothie.

Here are some smoothie basics. As always, I'd advise not eating or drinking anything for at least 1-2 hours before and after you have any smoothie. That gives the smoothie a chance to assimilate into your system, and won't overload your digestive system with fibre. 

Grapefruit Cucumber Smoothie

Makes: approximately 24 oz.

- 3 medium grapefruits, juiced

- 4 seedless mandarins, juiced

- 2 seedless mandarins, peeled

- 1 Persian cucumber, cut into chunks

- 1-1/2 cups romaine lettuce

- 10 mint leaves (optional)

1. Put everything in a blender jar and blend until very smooth.
2. Pour into a glass and enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for up to 8 hours.

HERBED HONEY LIME SALAD DRESSING, GRILLED CORN CHOPPED SALAD

This is easily the best salad dressing I have ever made! And I've always made salad dressing myself, I never buy it. This dressing truly dresses up a salad, with clean ingredients and bright flavours! Best of all, it's quite a forgiving recipe so you can vary the quantities of ingredients however you prefer.

Although, I wouldn't do anything insane like adding parsley instead of mint or - heaven forbid - herbs like rosemary, sage, tarragon and all that. That would be nothing short of a travesty of this dressing!

If you're making the salad too: roasted corn is important in the salad. It rounds everything out with its smokiness. In corn season I buy a bunch of corn, roast it on my gas burner stove top, shave off the kernels, and freeze for use later. That is of course better than frozen store-bought roasted corn, but really, Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn is quite up to par. So definitely use that if you want or have to.

Herbed Honey-Lime Salad Dressing

Makes: approximately 12 oz.

- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/8 cup fresh juice from navel, tangerine, or mandarin oranges

- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly torn and including tender stems
- 1 cup fresh mint, roughly torn and including tender stems
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper

- 1 garlic clove, peeled

- 1 tsp good quality salt

- 1/4 cup or more water as needed to blend to a smooth, easily pourable, liquid consistency

1. Put everything in a blender or smoothie mixer and blend to a smooth consistency.

2. While still in the blender, taste the dressing and adjust flavours to your taste. Blend again to make sure it's all smooth.

3. Enjoy over salad leaves, roasted vegetables, raw vegetables, rice and raw vegetable salad, or a mixed chopped salad like below...

Grilled Corn Chopped Salad

Makes: a lot, or approximately 10 cups

1. Mix in a bowl small-medium sized dice of:

- 1 cup yellow or red onion

- 1 cup jicama

- 3 Persian cucumbers

- 1 cup capsicum of any colour

- 1 cup carrots

2. Add

- 1 cup celery, sliced not diced

- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

- 1 cup kernels from grilled corn (or use Trader Joe's frozen grilled corn)

3. Toss with three quarters of the salad dressing, adding more if required.

4. Enjoy on its own or as a salsa with tortilla chips! Or stuffed in a pita, as a soft taco with corn tortillas, with a bit of rice on the side, or filled in endive spears.

CHICKPEA, MINT, AND CITRUS DIP (WITH TOASTED PEPPERCORNS)

I seldom write effusive blog posts, but sometimes things just fall into place. Sometimes you have exactly the amount of things you need to fall into place. Or into your blender! Like this delicious dip that will take an unexpected turn in your mouth thanks to the smoky toasted peppercorns and fresh grapefruit.

I pulled a shoulder muscle and was in pain all day at work but I reeeeally wanted to workout like I normally do in the evening. It's the thing I look forward to every single day, because it's fun! And lively. Well anyway a workout was just a preposterous idea because my "trial" moves in the work bathroom left me unable to move much for a good 15 minutes. So I took the hint and came home, certainly not up to cooking or eating.

But - I had cooked chickpeas, a beautiful bunch of fresh mint, which is one of my favourite herbs, and over half a bunch of equally beautiful fresh parsley. And an aging grapefruit.

And - I absolutely hate wasting food and always feel dreadful about having to throw away food, especially if it's because of my own neglectfulness. 

So - I decided that the chickpeas would have to become my usual hummus that I could take to work as a snack, and the herbs would become a persillade but with mint and parsley. And the grapefruit - especially great with toasted pepper and a light sprinkle of salt - would be a snack. That, I reckoned, was the way to dispense with things expeditiously so I could mope about having to stay in all evening.

But as I was laying everything out, the smell of the torn mint and parsley leaves, the lemon, peppercorns, and grapefruit halves was just so heady together that I figured I'd have a go at putting it all together in a dip. And it turned out to be phenomenal - gorgeous light green, with a garlic-ey, herbal scent and the smokiness of toasted peppercorns. Love it!

Chickpea, Mint, and Citrus Dip (with Toasted Peppercorns)

Makes: approximately 1-3/4 cups

- 1-1/2 cups chickpeas, cooked

- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

- 1/8 cup parsley

- 1/2 cup grapefruit juice (from 1 medium grapefruit)

- 1 Meyer lemon or a regular lemon, juiced

- 2 large cloves garlic

- 1 tsp minced ginger

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tsp freshly ground toasted black pepper, or regular black pepper

- 1 tsp salt, or to taste

1. Blend everything until it is smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste - add more lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste.

2. Garnish with minced parsley or a drizzle of olive oil, or both.

3. Let it sit for a few hours/overnight to let the flavours meld and let the dip thicken a bit as the chickpeas absorb some of the liquid before serving. Or, serve immediately as an appetizer with bread/pita, pita chips, crostini, lavash, roasted vegetables, crudites, or as a main with roasted salmon.

GRAPEFRUIT AND RAW KALE SALAD WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS

Grapefruit and Raw Kale Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

makes: 2 servings

- 1 head of kale, torn or cut into strips/pieces, thick parts of stems discarded

- 1 large (2 medium) grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

- juice and zest of 1 lemon

- 1 tbsp. honey 

- 1 tbsp. olive oil

- freshly ground black pepper, to taste

- salt, to taste

- 2 tbsp. toasted pumpkin seeds (or sesame/sunflower seeds)

1. In a large bowl make the salad dressing: mix/whisk lemon juice and zest, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

2. Adjust seasonings to taste.

3. Add kale. 

4. Massage/rub the dressing into the kale for 2 minutes or until the kale feels softer. (It will.)

5. Let the massaged kale stand for 10 minutes at room temperature.

6. Add the grapefruit sections and mix in/toss lightly.

7. Top with pumpkin seeds and fresh pepper.

NOTES:

1. I use curly green or red/purple kale, not lacinato/dinosaur kale.

2. I peel and section grapefruit by hand because I really enjoy doing it but you could peel the grapefruit and cut sections out with a knife.

3. Use oranges instead of grapefruit, or a mix of orange and grapefruit sections.

4. I use raw honey for everything, never processed "liquid" honey.