happy father's day

all of a sudden it's mid-june, jeepers that was quick. 

it also means it's father's day this weekend. just checked the forecast & it's looking like a fine weekend for bbq. yesterday i packed up a new batch of chipotle lime bbq sauce. this one is pretty spicy & is great for adding a little southwestern flair to your grilling. for the spice averse papa, the maple bourbon & honey mustard flavours always go over pretty well. 500ml jars are $7.5 & 250ml jars are $5 each.

to round out that bbq, i have 4 fresh salads on the menu this week:

the quinoa will be the same as last week, with peanuts, carrots, peas, jicama, cilantro & lime. i think i'll add some peppers & cucumbers this week and a touch more heat - we'll see.

the sweet potato salad has become the new favourite, so i'm leaving that one unchanged with lots of bell peppers, green onions, lime, cumin, chipotle & cilantro.

i'll also have the 4-bean salad with lots of celery, red onion, red bell pepper, dill & dijon - this one is super hearty & great bang for your buck.

and after a two-week hiatus, this week sees the return of broccoli salad. i have a few die-hards who have been none-too-pleased by its absence so this week i'm making amends :)

baked beans are another one of my fave bbq sides. i made a fresh batch this week.

ribs and beans and cheddar cornbread, delish. oh dear, i'm getting hungry.

as far as main courses go, i made two new mains this week. the first is the crowd pleasing chicken/leek/broccoli/bacon pie. it's made with fresh spring chicken from shani's farm, rich gravy with homemade chicken stock, loads of veggies & topped with a puff pastry lid. the shape has changed this week, so they are now rectangular 'pies' but i was able to cram more filling in each, so you get better value.

smalls $10 larges $20

the second main is a new vegan lasagna. 

this version has a robust tomato ragout. it's loaded up with onions, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, roasted eggplant, zucchini, olives, capers, balsamic & fresh herbs. it's layered with a crumbled tofu, kale, basil, garlic & nutritional yeast layer to replicate the spinach-ricotta layer. and then topped with a cauliflower 'bechamel' (super velvety pureed cauliflower), den haan tomatoes and a final sprinkling of nutritional yeast to create the parmesan cheese effect.

smalls $9 larges $18

today is baking day and i also have a couple special orders thrown in to the mix...eeek. i'm pretty happy with the spread i've been rocking the past couple of weeks so things on the dessert front will remain unchanged this weekend.

i also wanted to mention, next friday, june 22, cbc information morning with be holding its birthday party at the market from 6am to 8:45am. i've opted to attend & then stay for regular friday market hours as well. that means i'll be doing the friday, saturday market next week & skipping the sunday market since the health department dictates that i can only be there two days a week. so make sure you stop by on either friday or saturday to stock up.

thanks, see ya tomorrow.