Happy Wednesday!  Phew… what a day!  We will get on that in a minute.  I have been working on house decisions what feels like all day yesterday as the builders had made some great progress and had lots of questions as the floor system got underway today.  House Update Below!!!!

On to the carrots!  These babies were amazing.  As part of the huge barbecue feast from yesterday we had some fresh garden carrots that were just aching to be kicked up with some Canadian Maple Syrup.  Now not that this carrot recipe is low in fat… but I really enjoyed them.

Here are the simple step by step instructions on how to spin these carrots for your next dinner.

Ingredients

• Carrots
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Thyme
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Wash carrots and cut ends off.



2. Cut into pieces and place in pot and cover with water.
3. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.
4. Drain water, turn off heat and place pot back on the burner.



5. Season immediately while hot, add butter, thyme and maple syrup.





6. Stir and serve.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I like to slightly under cook vegetables as I find they taste better than when they are mushy.  So I like to keep a close eye and try to cut them similar in size so they cook evenly.

House Update

So there you have it! Some kicked up carrots and a zesty house update. Have yourself a great Wednesday and I will see you all tomorrow for a very “Beantown” menu choice.

Take care

zesty

Hi there Zesty readers!  I’m Angie (from www.angiealltheway.com)  and I’m so pleased to be guest posting for Zesty today and sharing with you a dish that I haven’t stopped thinking about since a meal  I had at the Bier Market while in Toronto in June.   I thought I would try my hand at making my own version of it.

Being Canadian (and especially being a Maritimer), there are some things that we love to shout from the rooftops:

You haven’t tried maple anything until you’ve tried Maple Butter. *drool*
I give you:

Maple Walnut Salmon Over Beet & Goat Cheese Greens

INGREDIENTS (PER PERSON)

The Salmon:

• 1 salmon fillet (or however many people you would like to serve)
• Sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper



• 1 tbsp Maple butter (you can use maple syrup, but maple butter is where it’s at)

The Greens:

• 2-3 Cups of mixed salad greens or baby spinach
• 1 beet, peeled, cut into bite size pieces
• 3-4 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4c walnuts



• 2 tbsp maple butter (to candy the walnuts)

The Vinaigrette (Maple Balsamic) – optional:

*this makes about 1c of vinaigrette but is fantastic for salads or roasted root veggies)

• 5-6 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3 – 4 tbsp Pure maple syrup
• 1/2c Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Steam the beets until fork tender.
2. Melt a few tbsp of maple butter in a small pan (or in the microwave) and coat evenly over walnuts.  Set aside on a piece of tin foil to set (only takes about a minute).
3. Meanwhile, season the salmon with salt & pepper and baste with the maple butter.
4. Grill the salmon on a grill pan (or bake it in the oven) over medium – high heat being careful not to let the maple butter burn.
5. Plate a few handfuls of greens on your plate, top with steamed beats, candied walnuts and crumbled goat cheese.
6. Serve salmon over the salad and drizzle with the Maple Balsamic vinaigrette (optional).

I know you will enjoy this as much as I did and even more, how easy it is to make even though it looks gourmet!
Enjoy!