Jun. 28, 2021
Cooking In Season
Salad Meals to Beat the Heat
In this recipe round up, I have gathered my best and most delicious summer salad meal recipes in one post, for days when it’s too hot to cook!
When the folks at Rancho Vignola approached me to sponsor another cooking class giveaway for my loyal fans and followers, I immediately knew two things: that I was feeling a wholehearted YES about the idea, and that I was going to launch the giveaway with my dearly-loved pumpkin seed salsa recipe.
Pumpkin seeds don’t often elicit the kind of fanatic devotion that, say, pine nuts or hazelnuts do. However, if you have access to really fresh ones, pumpkin seeds are amazing. They have a full, rich, nutty sweetness, with a complexity of flavour that suits all kinds of recipes. They have off-the-charts health benefits. They last a long time without going rancid. And did I mention they are delicious?
We tend to snack on pumpkin seeds in nut mixes and granola, but they can be used in any sweet or savoury dish where you might use nuts (pesto, I’m talking to you). Mexicans are way ahead of us in this respect; pepitas (as they are called in Spanish) are used to enhance and garnish all kinds of foods.
My pumpkin seed salsa is a basic fresh tomato salsa with finely chopped toasted pumpkin seeds mixed in, adding a rich, nutty flavour, and soaking up some of the liquid produced by the fresh tomato and lime, helping to make the salsa more chip-scoop-friendly. It’s a great recipe to crack out in the wintertime, when the tomatoes might not be at their best – the toasted pumpkin seeds (with friends fresh lime and cilantro) cover for a slightly sad tomato.
Of course, I wholeheartedly recommend using Rancho Vignola organic pumpkin seeds. As you know, I am a huge fan of their products – the absolute freshness and quality of everything they sell, from nuts, to seeds, to dried fruit, to confections, is bar none. As such, their pumpkin seeds are always fresh, always full of flavour, and always come in an unusual very dark green (almost black) colour that I have come to adore.
Which brings me to this month’s cooking class giveaway… This is not a true give-away in the strict sense of the term. Rancho Vignola has sponsored half of the cost of running an entire cooking class (as well as provided all the new-crop nuts and dried fruit that we’ll need for our menu), so there will be 14 spots to sell at a 50% discount. That’s $50 per person for a Chef Heidi cooking class! Three hours of instruction and hands-on learning, a recipe booklet, and a full multi-course meal for $50. In other words, A Great Deal!
This hand-on class will run on Sunday, February 24th, 2019, at from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the beautiful London Chef teaching kitchen in downtown Victoria. The menu will be a hybrid Indian-Moroccan explosion of flavour, and the entire menu with be GLUTEN FREE. There will be both vegetarian and meat-lover’s options to enjoy, and, as always in one of my classes, many tips on how to get the most out of the spices and cooking techniques and pantry items.
Pumpkin Seed Salsa is made with nutty toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped and mixed with fresh red salsa ingredients. It’s a perfect wintertime snack — a delicious taste of sunshine. This nutty, flavourful salsa is a delight in the winter months.
Jun. 28, 2021
In this recipe round up, I have gathered my best and most delicious summer salad meal recipes in one post, for days when it’s too hot to cook!
Oct. 25, 2020
Quince have a wonderful flavour, but an almost impossibly hard texture. Read on for a quick kitchen tip that makes quince easy to peel and cut!
Sep. 27, 2020
Pumpkin spices scones are a perfect fall treat; not-too-sweet, fragrant with spices, with a full complement of rich pumpkin flavour.
Looks good as always
Thanks Heidi. This is my chance of a discount class!
Yes please!! Always yum!
Cannot wait to try this recipe. Looks great.
It’s been awhile but it’s time for another class Chef Heidi!
Llidford
Looks yummy
wow Indian , Moroccan fusion class… ! my mouth is watering and my brain is ready to take it in!
love the food and the photos !
love the food , the photos, and recipes!
Hi Heidi. Thanx for the great info. It wouldn’t be the 1st or last time I’ m wrong, but I don’t believe you mention if or where these products can be purchased locally. Cheers!!
Hi Ken,
they are offered mail-order, or you can buy locally once a year at their Harvest Sale weekend (which in 2018 was the first weekend of December)
You are a terrific teacher! It’s always a treat when you are supervising chef at Soup Sisters and I would love to take one of your classes. Thanks for the recipe!