balsamic roasted chickpea salad

 

because it is almost everyones favourite swimsuit season, today i am trading in my slice of cake for a delicious spring salad! radishes are one of my favourite vegetables to include in a salad because of the crunch factor. i eat them like apples to be honest, is that weird? idk. the dressing of this salad features various maison orphee oils & vinegars. a company who i feel in love with after i was on the hunt for the perfect dijon & whole grain mustard. bonus points because maison orphee is canadian & the sunflower oil + mustard are both produced in quebec city! the recipe for the dressing came from the maison orphee app where you can find various salad dressings & marinades. i decided to keep this salad vegetarian & use chickpeas as the protein. a cost friendly & vegetarian alternative to meat, but feel free to add some grilled chicken breast to the salad. lastly, because plain chickpeas are bland & boring, i marinated them in balsamic vinegar before roasting them. the leftover chickpeas make for a tasty healthy snack, enjoy!

ingredients

for the roasted chickpeas

for the salad

  • 5 ounces baby arugula
  • 1 seedless cucumber, sliced thinly
  • 1 bunch of radishes, sliced thinly
  • 1 cup roasted balsamic chickpeas
  • 4.5 ounces soft goat cheese

for the balsamic dressing

directions

for the roasted chickpeas

  • in a mixing bowl add the chickpeas & balsamic vinegar. let sit for 30 minutes.
  • strain the vinegar & add the olive oil, salt + pepper.
  • on a lined baking sheet roast at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. stir once in between.

for the balsamic dressing

  • in a mixing bowl or salad dressing jar add the olive oil, sunflower oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, brown sugar, salt & pepper. whisk/shake until well combined.

for the salad

  • in a large serving bowl add the arugula, cucumber, radishes, chickpeas & goat cheese.
  • toss in the fresh balsamic dressing & serve immediately.

this post was created in partnership with maison orphee. i used the following maison orphee products to create this recipe: sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, grey sea salt & dijon mustard. download the app here to get 100+ bbq marinades & vinaigrette recipes! 

mint + ginger green tea lemonade

 

the weather is finally warm enough to enjoy drinking iced tea & beer outdoors! this past weekend in toronto, everyone was out riding bikes & every restaurant with a patio was jam packed. winter hibernation is over! each morning i start off by drinking a hot cup of green tea, half because i love tea & half because of how healthy green tea is for you. with the weather changing, i wanted to come up with the ultimate refreshing way to drink my green tea! using stash tea's loose leaf organic lung ching green tea i created an iced green tea lemonade that is flavoured with fresh ginger + fresh mint & sweetened with raw honey + panela raw sugar. this drink would be perfect for an outdoor bbq in one of those massive mason jar jug drink dispensers that i got my mom last year for mother's day. hint hint: mom;)

ingredients

  • 4 cups water, boiled
  • 3 tablespoons loose leaf green tea (i used organic lung ching green tea)
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled & sliced
  • 3 sprigs fresh mint, plus more for garnishing
  • 3 tablespoons raw honey
  • 1-2 tablespoons raw or turbinado sugar (i used obelo's panela sugar)
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • sliced lemons, for garnishing

directions

  • in a large teapot or kettle steep loose leaf green tea & sliced ginger in boiling water. once desired strength is reached strain out tea & ginger.
  • add honey & sugar, stir until sugar is fully dissolved. place in fridge & let cool completly.
  • in a punch bowl or ice tea pitcher add green tea base mix, fresh mint leaves, lemon juice, sliced lemons. allow time for flavours to mend.
  • serve in an iced raw sugar rimmed glass with fresh mint & a slice of lemon.

this post was created in partnership with stash tea. you can find the organic loose leaf green tea i used here & the loose leaf glass teapot here. 

london fog cake

 

today we are celebrating the release of tessa huff's new book layered & because monday's always deserve some form of cake! she is the baking genius behind the blog style sweet CA where you will find some of the prettiest cakes on the internet. her new book is full of unique cake recipes as well as step by step instructions on frosting & decorating cakes. it even has a bonus three tier cake chapter which couldn't be more helpful for me because i am making my first ever wedding cake in may! anyways, this london fog cake recipe comes straight from tessa's book & it was perfect. i love london fogs so when i saw a cake version that infused earl grey tea, how could i not make it? check out layered here which gets released tomorrow!!!!

ingredients

for the chocolate cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup hot strong-brewed coffee (i substituted strong-brewed earl grey tea)

for the earl grey buttercream

  • 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup loose earl grey tea
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons large egg whites
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce, for drizzling

directions

for the chocolate cake

  • preheat the oven to 350 degrees. grease & flour three 8-inch cake pans, set aside.
  • sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
  • in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the oil & sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. add the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla extract & almond extract.
  • turn the mixer to low & slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk.
  • scrape down the bowl then add the hot coffee while mixing on low speed. mix until just combined.
  • evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans. bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. let cool before removing the cake from the pans.

for the earl grey buttercream

  • place 1 cup of the butter in a saucepan with the loose tea. heat over medium heat until the butter melts, then reduce to low heat & simmer for 5 minutes. remove from heat & let steep for 5 minutes. strain the butter & refrigerate until it reaches the consistency of room temperature butter.
  • place the egg whites & sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. whisk them together by hand to combine. fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water & place it over medium-high heat. place the mixer bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler. the bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water. whisking intermittently, heat the egg mixture until it reaches 160 degrees f. place the mixer bowl back on the stand mixer.
  • with the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until it holds medium stiff peaks. when done, the outside of the mixer bowl should return to room temperature. stop the mixer & swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment.
  • with the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, tea infused butter & regular butter one tablespoon at a time. once fully incorporated, turn the mixer to medium-high & beat until the buttercream is silky smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.

for assembly

  • once the cakes have completely cooled, level them & choose which layer will be at the bottom. place it on a cake plate or serving dish & spread on 1/2 cup of the buttercream with an offset spatula. top with the next layer & repeat.
  • frost the outside of the cake as desired & refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes before drizzling with the salted caramel sauce.