The warm weather is an invitation for: Early morning miles in our favourite pair of Mizuno’s, backyard shenanigans, day trip get-a-ways and/or weekends at the cottage. Come summertime, the last place I want to be working up a sweat is in the kitchen. The following recipes are my favourite “do-nothing dishes”. These recipes will have you enjoying delicious foods without sabotaging all your hard work on foot, will allow you to celebrate summer with minimal kitchen fuss and will have you taking full advantage of seasonal produce. Cheers to warm weather eating, running and summer fun!
Tomato, Corn and Herb Garden Salad
Nothing screams summertime like homegrown tomatoes, local corn and garden fresh herbs. Serve this salad with grilled meat, chicken or fish off the grill for a do-nothing supper done right.
½ cup (125 mL) wild rice blend (*or quinoa)
½ cup (125 mL) chopped mixed fresh herbs *such as dill, parsley, mint and basil
1 cup (250 mL) halved grape tomatoes (or chopped tomatoes of choice)
2 cobs of corn, steamed and kernels removed from cob
1/3 cup (75 mL) crumbled feta cheese
Dressing
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest
2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) each; cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and liquid honey
¼ tsp (1 mL) each; salt, pepper and minced garlic
Hefty pinch paprika
Cook rice (or quinoa) according to package directions. Cool slightly. Place in serving bowl and add remaining salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and toss with salad. Makes 4 cups (1 L).
Fresh Berries with Rosemary Vanilla Cream
Fresh herbs add a ton of flavour (*bonus: no calories or fat!!) to any dish. This sweet indulgence is a summertime go-to in our home (*my boys have been known to eat it for breakfast!). The earthy flavour of rosemary combined with sweet berries is a winning combo. Best part? This “no-cook” dessert literally takes seconds to prepare!
½ cup (125 mL) chilled 35% cream
½ vanilla bean, scraped (*or 1 tbsp (15 mL) pure vanilla extract)
2 tbsp (30 mL) Canadian maple syrup (*or to taste)
1 ½ tsp (7 mL) chopped fresh rosemary
4 cups (1 L) quartered strawberries (*or berries of choice)
Place cream, vanilla, maple syrup and rosemary in a chilled mixing bowl. Beat cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Divide fruit evenly between four dessert dishes. Garnish evenly with whipped vanilla cream. Makes 4 servings.
Charmaine Broughton-Dunn is a trained chef, cooking instructor, and food writer for a number of national publications. She is an avid runner (completing dozens of marathons and triathlons) and is a very proud ambassador of Mizuno Running. Charmaine has appeared on City Line, Toronto’s Breakfast Television and is a regular guest on Rogers Daytime sharing her love of food and cooking.
Most importantly; Charmaine is the mother of two active boys, Tyler & Colgan. Charmaine understands the importance of preparing healthy wholesome dishes all while keeping budget and time in mind. Follow Charmaine on twitter @runnercharb www.charmainebroughton.com
