I Know It's Not Tuesday but......Tasty Tueday- Friday edition!

By Tuesday my final (YA BABY - I said FINAL!!!) chemo side effects will be in full force and I'll be in no mood for blogging much less posting recipes but I can't let this one go by - I might forget.

One of the fun things (because you have to find fun in any situation or you loose your perspective) about chemo day is the magazines and the quiet reading time. Once you've spoken with the Dr, got your IV's in place and had the juice and cookies delivered by the (outstanding) volunteers you have lots of time to just sit and read. Sean comes with me for chemo but we barely talk, we both just stick our noses in our books.

But for those who forget books, they have nicely stocked bookshelf (we've borrowed and contributed to this collection) as well as a wide array of magazines.

I love going through magazines for recipes. Often times I'll only find one, or maybe two because most of them are out of my skill level in cooking or are things that a majority of my family won't eat and can't be adapted for them to eat - in which case I become a short order cook making more than one meal for supper and I'm just not into that.

So at chemo yesterday I went through the Canadian Living magazine to see if there was anything that appealed to me. I hit the jackpot. Unfortunately I didn't have time to write the recipes all out and though I hate doing it, I actually ripped some pages out of the magazine. (I hate doing that because so often I've been reading a magazine and found a recipe I want in the recipe index only to find that someone has ripped it out - just like I did.)

I'm sorry world. But I had to have these recipes.

What I wanted to share with you today was actually a few recipes - all for the same thing. Berry Vinaigrette Dressing. I love Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing but it's not going to fit in with my new healthy lifestyle since the second ingredient in my store bought brand is sugar. This means lots of sugar. And some of the other ingredients that I can't even pronounce, much less tell you what they are.

But this....not only can I say all the ingredients, but I can buy them, add them and and best of all, they are healthy. Be forewarned though - there is some real prep in this - the balsamic vinegar must sit for a week before making the dressing. But it will be well worth it, I'm sure!

So here you are - courtesy of Canadian Living Magazine (July 2012)

Basic Berry Vinaigrette.

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
2 tbsp berry (strawberry, blueberry or raspberry) balsamic vinegar (recipes to follow)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small shallot, minced
pinch each of salt, pepper and sugar.
combine all ingredients and whisk.

Now, the recipe says to store in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. I can't see why you wouldn't be able to store it in the fridge for longer but who knows. Either way, it's a simple mix so making it the night before for your lunch or supper the next day is not really a big deal. Once the berry vinegar is made (and can be stored longer) you're good to go.

Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar

1 1/2 cups white balsamic vinegar
1 cup halved strawberries
1 tsp peppercorns
5 fresh basil leaves
pinch of salt

In saucepan, combine vinegar with strawberries, mashing slightly. Add peppercorns, basil leaves and salt,  bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Discard basil leaves.

Seal in heatproof jar (mason jar would be perfect). Refrigerate for 1 week. Strain through cheesecloth-lined sieve into clean jar. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

 

 

 

Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar

1 1/2 cups white balsamic vinegar
1 cup blueberries
1 strip of lemon rind
2 sprigs of thyme
pinch of salt

In saucepan, combine vinegar with blueberries, mashing slightly. With the back of a knife scrape off any white pith from the rind and add to pan along with thyme and salt, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Discard thyme and lemon rind.

Seal in heatproof jar (mason jar would be perfect). Refrigerate for 1 week. Strain through cheesecloth-lined sieve into clean jar. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar

1 1/2 cups white balsamic vinegar
1 cup raspberries
1 strip of orange rind
5 large mint leaves
pinch of salt

In saucepan, combine vinegar with raspberries, mashing slightly. With the back of a knife scrape off any white pith from the rind and add to pan along with mint and salt, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Discard mint and orange rind.

Seal in heatproof jar (mason jar would be perfect). Refrigerate for 1 week. Strain through cheesecloth-lined sieve into clean jar. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

So there is a little pre-prep required for the dressing - since the balsamic will take a week to be ready but once you've got that done...if you're a regular salad eater it's going to come in really handy.

I'm going to make some today - not sure which flavour, I'm hoping for strawberry but they're harder to find this time of year here so we'll see.

I'll let you know how it turns out.