I'm partnering with my friends at Canola Eat Well on some fresh recipes from my kitchen that use this quality Canadian ingredient. Canola oil is the ultimate goes-with-everything oil because of its neutral flavour, light golden colour and high smoke point. Plus, it's Canadian and I feel good about putting my grocery money behind food grown at home.
A few years back I had the opportunity to visit canola country to see how it's grown, meet some of the great people who grow it, and enjoy some incredible meals in incredible places under that big prairie sky. I learned a lot and I still think of those vast yellow fields every time I reach for the canola oil in my pantry.
For my first recipe in this three-part series, the focus is on plants. In the spirit of spring, this delicious sui choy salad makes the most of seeds - pumpkin, sesame and sunflower. It's about big crunch and big flavour, so grab a big bowl and try this one in your kitchen.
Seeded Sui Choy Salad
Makes 6-8 servings
1 garlic clove
1-inch piece of fresh ginger
1/2 cup (125 mL) sesame tahini
1/4 cup (60 mL) canola oil
1/4 cup (60 mL) soy sauce
Juice of one lemon
2 tbsp (30 mL) honey
1 large sui choy (napa cabbage), thinly sliced
1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 cup (250 mL) snow peas, thinly sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125 mL) pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup (75 mL) sunflower seeds
To make the dressing, add the garlic, ginger, tahini, lemon juice, canola oil, soy sauce and honey to a mini chopper or small food processor and pulse until smooth (you can also whisk this by hand in a small mixing bowl if you mince the garlic and ginger first).
In an extra large salad bowl, combine the sui choy, red pepper, snow peas, green onion, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Pour the dressing overtop. Toss to coat.
Enjoy right away or cover and refrigerate for later.