The sun was shining when we woke this morning.  Seth strolled over to the coffee shop for his morning cappuccino while I bustled barefoot around the kitchen making bacon and egg wraps for breakfast.  After a leisurely breakfast, we parted ways;  Seth out to pick up supplies for our upcoming camping trip. I drove into Kits for groceries.

I like to take time in the produce section, looking for inspiration among colourful peppers and leafy greens.  I found yellow wax beans today which must be in season as I don’t usually see them and this is how our dinner sides were born:

Yellow wax beans in garlic butter and Spinach Strawberry salad with poppyseed dressing. 

Yellow Wax Beans in Garlic Butter 

You will need:

2 cups trimmed yellow wax beans

3-4 garlic cloves chopped

2 Tblsp of Butter

Herbs of your choice – I used dill today

Wash and trim the yellow beans and blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water. When they are al dente, strain and heat up butter in a pan.  Add the garlic, beans and herbs to the butter and stir to coat.  The beans will be cooked already after boiling so you only need do this for a few minutes.  Serve immediately.

 

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

You will need:

Spinach chopped

Strawberries sliced

1 carrot shredded

1 small avocado sliced

Poppyseed dressing

Add all ingredients into a salad bowl and add dressing when serving. Yup!  that simple.

 

Both of these sides took just minutes to prepare and were on the table by the time Seth came in with the BBQ’d  chicken.   After our breakfast wraps we really weren’t hungry the rest of the day so aside from snacking on some cantaloupe, blueberries and yogurt in the afternoon, we were now ready to eat a real meal.

Summer cooking is all about seasonal veggies and fruit at home. Light meals, short cooking times and more time outdoors camping, hiking and enjoying the beautiful nature the Pacific Coast offers us.  I hope you’ve enjoyed these simple recipes and bon appetit!

Love,

jennifer