Love Your Lentils Campaign - GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Canadiana Baked Beans for the win! 
This just in: I WON THE 2013 Canadian Lentils CONTEST!!!

I undoubtedly have the best friends & family in the world. THANK YOU for voting and for putting up with "a couple" bean related messages/texts/emails. On Friday June 21st, I'll be flying to Saskatchewan to tour lentil farms, pick berries and dine with my kitchen idol, 
Chef Michael Smith. 

Someone pinch me, please. This is simply remarkable. Thank you all so much!!

Many of you have asked  - so I'm happy to share the award winning recipe.

Here's what you need:

2 cups lentils (pre-cooked measurement)

1 bayleaf

8 slices bacon (cook slightly)

2 medium onions

1 large green pepper

Sauce: 

1 can tomato paste 

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of maple syrup

2 cups of water 

1tsp Worcester sauce, maggi, 

.5 tsp cayenne pepper, dry mustard

Steps: Cover lentils with sufficient water, add bay leaf and bring to gentle boil. Once water reaches this point, reduce to simmer for 13 minutes. Drain and add a tsp of salt

In a saucepan, gently cook onions and peppers in a tsp of oil, or bacon grease as I used. 
Cook on medium for three minutes. Once soft, combine onions, peppers and lentils

In a casserole dish, add chopped, cooked bacon and layer in three parts: lentils, bacon, sauce. Do this three times adding all extra sauce to the top. 

Bake on 325 for 60 mins then remove lid for final 20 minutes. (bakes 80 mins total)
Let cool for 10 mins, enjoy! 

Veggie Kabobs w EASY steps

In my best 'Mom voice', I ask: Are you getting your 8-10 servings of fruits and veggies each day? 

Well I'm certainly trying! In doing so, I try to keep grilled veggies in the fridge all summer long.
They are a delightful snack with crackers, they top your burgers or steak beautifully, and my favourite.... keep a few aside for some epic sandwich creations!

These are also a perfect option to make all the vegetarians happy at your Summer BBQ! 

(...and they taste a heck of a lot better than most 'veggie burgs')

I'm pretty sure anyone can make these (yes, even you Caro), but here are the 5 easy step to help:

1 - Soak your wooden skewers in cold water.
~20 mins

2 - Wash and cube your veggies. I used cherry tomatoes, onion, mushroom, peppers and zucchini.

3 - Add 2.5 tbp of olive oil and toss together in a bowl. Salt and Pepper as desired.

4 - Design your own skewers, (for my sister, I make some without mushrooms)


5 - Grill on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or a bit longer if you like them more caramelized.

Nothing tastes better than food less travelled so why not refer to the Foodland Ontario availability guide when deciding what to buy. Have a look for yourself and see what's coming soon to a grocery store or fresh market near you!

What vegetable combinations should I try next time? Would love to hear from you!