There were some really good contributions made by the girls. I really hope that Joanna will chime in and tell us what's in her incredible spinach dip. It was so good that I lovingly teased her about actually purchasing the dip and not making it. Honestly, she could sell this dip -- that's how good it was. I'm anxious about getting the recipe because I would love to be able to share this with my sister, who I know will love it.Another star of the meal was Jenn's oriental salad. This may have been the winner of all the sides as it was gobbled up and the leftovers were taken home. The flavour was wonderful, which included crunchy noodles, a sweet dressing, and tiny toasted sesame seeds. The recipe will be good to have on hand for those pot luck events as I know everyone will love it.
My additions included a salad made from Mâche lettuce, a ripe avocado, sliced red onion, sun dried tomatoes, and orange segments. The flavours were bright and summery -- perfect for the meal.
One of the requests I made to my mother-in-law is for her to bring her delicious caponata. We first tried this over the holidays and I had been craving it ever since. A caponata is an Italian antipasto dish made from roasted eggplants and peppers. It's served at room temperature or slightly chilled. I'm not sure what seasonings are put into this but it is a beautiful blend of flavours. Luckily, a huge batch was made especially for me so I will enjoy some this afternoon spread on a warm, crusty baguette.
Honorable mentions also go to Joanna's tangy, bright green guacamole.
And my simple chickpea salad that had fresh parmesan, lemon juice and olive oil.
Last but not least, a last minute request from my loving husband was to make some spring rolls. These turned out to be a bigger hit then I would have ever expected. The filling included ground chicken, shredded cabbage and flavourings such as garlic, ginger, soy, and oyster sauce.
8 comments:
I could taste those spring rolls in my watery mouth now.....GREAT !
I'm a HUGE fan of the chickpea salad. I could eat it for every meal of the day.
And those spring rolls...so good that I made Dina make some egg rolls with the leftover filling last night.
This skill must be in the Gandhi family bloodstream, they are spring roll geniuses.
Those were the best spring rolls in the world.... Love my chefs and I will try and get them a gig.
That chickpea salad is a perfect example of the whole being better than the sum of its parts. A perfect summer picnic dish!
It was definitely a wonderful afternoon with lots of yummy food. The dip is in no means a secret recipe. It is very siimple and only has 4 ingrdients.
- 500 ml of mayonaise (I use Hellmann's low fat)
-500 ml sour cream (I use light)
- 1 package of Knorr vegetable soup
- 1 package of frozen spinach thawed and drained
mix all of the above and chill. This dip is best when made the day before.
Glad you enjoyed it.
I had no idea that my marinated eggplant, red pepper and mushroom salad has a fancy name.....
I am proud of my salad that got such rave reviews! Here's the recipe :
Vinagrette:
1/2 cup canola or other oil (I used canola/olive mix)
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar (or substitute)
1 tbsp soy sauce
Shake together & put in fridge
Dry mix/topping:
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 pkg ramon or other noodles with spice mix (I used the vegetable flavored one)
1 crushed garlic clove
Melt margarine, stir fry garlic, sesame seeds & almonds. Add noodles, break them up with your hands &/or wooden spoon into small pieces, sprinkle in envelope of spice mix - you can store this in a tupperware container overnight & add to salad with dressing when ready to assemble salad
Salad : I used mixed greens, sliced red peppers, green onions & blanched snow peas. You can add other veggies if u like (shredded carrots, sliced mushrooms)
ooops, forgot to mention that I put bean sprouts in the oriental salad too - a neccessity for that oriental feel & flavour!
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