Mango, Cucumber and Radish Salad

I think all of us who try to eat locally can admit that there are times we're weak and break down and buy produce "from away". My toughest time (as I've mentioned before) is usually towards the end of winter when I just can't eat another root vegetable and all I want are greens. Thankfully there are a few great sources for early spring greens here in Halifax to quench the craving.
However this spring my pregnancy has really thrown me for a loop. I've been craving fruit like nobody's business and can't get it off my mind. Apples aren't really cutting it anymore and lately I've been trying to satisfy myself with oodles of cherry tomatoes. Strawberries and peaches are what I'm really after but I still have so long to wait! I recently felt it was time to make the executive decision to just buy some imported fruit and let my body be happy.

So I've been scarfing down navel oranges and enjoying every single sweet, sticky bite. There truthfully wasn't much else in the grocery store that appealed to me...except for mangoes. Juicy, glorious mangoes.
Funny enough it was while looking for new recipe ideas for radishes that I found this mango salad recipe. It was so fresh, bright, juicy and fantastic. I might just have to make it one more time...

Cantaloupe & Cucumber Salad

This salad is a very welcome sign that my creativity in the kitchen (that has been sorely lacking lately) has returned!
I had some cooked quinoa and pearl barley in the fridge leftover from making tabbouleh, some juicy ripe cantaloupe that was begging to be eaten and just had this feeling that they could make up a great salad somehow.
I added some chopped cucumber, cilantro, sea salt, pepper, lime juice and a little olive oil and the result was the most refreshing summer salad.

Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

Where have I been for the past week??
Sadly nowhere exciting. I've been here all along however my camera was snatched up by my husband who took it to Colombia, leaving me with very little choice but to try to blog with nothing other than my phone's camera.
Day after day I made something lovely I wanted to share with you and yet I just couldn't bring myself to use the awful photos.
I'm not quite sure what makes today (and this photo) any different...except that this salad is just TOO good to keep from you.

The recipe can be found here. It reminds me a lot of this favourite salad of mine, except this one is so much more simple and light, and the flavours of the vegetables can really speak for themselves.

Quick Pickle Potato Salad

Ok so I know I've been pretty glum what with all the cloudy days we've been having lately, and I tried my hardest to bring a piece of sun into my life (and mouth) with those cookies yesterday. But I think I'm starting to feel optimistic that the sun might actually one day return to our skies. The weather forecast still says I have to deal with another 4 days of clouds and rain, but now that I have this potato salad I think I'll be alright. This potato salad embodies summer for me, and after a long winter the crisp taste of pickled cucumber and fresh radishes just really hits the spot.

Tabbouleh

As soon as I saw fresh parsley at the farmers market this morning I knew dinner tonight would involve tabbouleh.
I had never made tabbouleh before last summer but now I think it's safe to say it's become one of my warm weather staple salads. Making this salad reminds me that in the last year I've really had some eye- opening moments about seasoning, and this salad was one of them.

Thai Cucumber Salad

As I made this salad, I thought of how I recently complained to you all about the woes of seasonal eating, and how I was craving light salads before winter had even really begun. Well clearly I gave in to temptation.

Pickles

Pickled beets, pickled radishes, pickled peppers, pickled carrots and just plain ol' pickles! I feel like I just can't stop canning.