smoked salmon & zucchini canape

hosting a dinner party can be stress-free. true story.

as they say, sometimes keeping it simple can go a long way. this delicious canape recipe is a crowd-pleaser — and better yet, it calls for just a few ingredients and only takes minutes to pull together. beauty.

the cheese:
- if sheep cheese isn’t your cup of tea, a light cream cheese or chevre works just as well.

the smoked salmon:
- you can easily find wild sockeye smoked salmon in the frozen seafood section at the grocery store… the smoked salmon just needs to thaw and it’s ready-to-eat!

the zucchini:
- 1/3 zucchini squash (sliced into half-moons)

food styling:
- spread a layer of sheep cheese on light rye crackers
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- add a layer of zucchini half-moons on the cheese
- top w/ wild sockeye smoked salmon (thinly sliced)
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- pairs nicely w/ your fave sauvignon blanc

roasted beet & blueberry spinach salad

bring on the beets! i think i’m still in a food coma from indulging in all the rich, delish food on my culinary adventures this summer. what better way to up the ante on the post-vacation cleanse than a gluten-free beet salad.

i thought i’d take a new spin on a previous yumyumyummers recipe for roasted beet & watercress salad — with baby spinach, fresh blueberries & black japonica rice this time around.

best to start cooking the japonica rice before you start prepping the beets, as it takes about an hour to cook the japonica rice.

black japonica rice:
in a small pot, add the following ingredients:
- 1 cup black japonica rice & 2 cups of water
- bring to a boil (covered)
- once boiling, stir once & reduce heat to simmer. replace lid & simmer for 45min until water is absorbed into grains.
- remove from heat & allow to sit for approx 10min before removing lid. set aside.
- fluff with fork

pre-heat oven to 400F

roasted beets:
- 10-12 small beets (chopped into bite-sized chunks)

(tip: wash beets gently w/ cold water. best to handle raw beets in the kitchen sink, to avoid staining your countertops. i would not recommend using your fave dishcloths, as cooking with beets can be a messy endeavour!)