Seven Layered Salad

When company was coming, our mother would occasionally make this salad for a special dinner. This is an excellent salad for a buffet or barbecue and should be made a day ahead. My sister-in-law took my cookbook, ‘From Oma’s Kitchen’, to the Mennonite village of Waltheim in Russia. The women there made the salad from the picture displayed because they could not read English. It was a real hit.

3 cups/750 ml shredded iceberg lettuce (Washed and chilled)

3 green onions (chopped)

1 medium zucchini (thinly sliced)

2 carrots (shredded)

2 cups/500 ml sliced mushrooms

1 cup/250 ml chopped celery

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 cup/250 ml shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup/125 ml bacon bits

1 green onion (chopped)

Dressing:

1 cup/250 ml creamed cottage cheese

½ cup/125 ml sour cream

4 Tbsp/60 ml salad dressing

½ tsp/2 ml salt

1 tsp/5 ml prepared mustard

1 Tbsp/15 ml lemon juice

Prepare all ingredients. Layer the first seven ingredients in a clear, straight - sided large glass bowl, in the order that they appear in the recipe. Mix ingredients for the dressing and cover the salad ingredients. Garnish with the cheese, bacon, and one green onion. Refrigerate overnight – or at least 4 hours. Serves 8 - 10 people Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

Thank you to those of you who have sent recipes for my book--Quick Loaves. I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks and would like to pass it on to you. This is light, garden-fresh bread made of zucchini which is tender and moist, a great addition to any meal or luncheon. The recipe is simple to make and lists nutritious ingredients of which zucchini is now
available in stores all year round. 3 eggs
2 cups/500 ml zucchini, finely shredded
1 cup/250 ml vegetable oil
1 cup/250 ml applesauce or pineapple, crushed and drained
2 tsp. /10 ml vanilla
3 cups/750 ml all-purpose flour
2 cups/500 ml sugar
2 tsp./10 ml baking soda
1 tsp./5 ml cinnamon
1 tsp./5 ml salt
1 tsp./5 ml nutmeg
½ tsp./2 ml baking powder
1 cup/250 ml nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease two large or four small loaf pans with oil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, zucchini, oil, pineapple or applesauce and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine the day ingredients; stir into the egg mixture just until moistened. Fold in the chopped nuts. Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Let rest and cool completely before cutting or freezing for future use. Enjoy!

Flax Banana Bread

I am currently working on a new project—a series of small recipe books, each one focusing on a different category of recipes. For the first one, I am focusing on tea loaves and dessert breads—like date loaf and lemon bread. Other books in this series will feature recipes/categories like: soups, cookies, yeast breads, cakes & cupcakes, and so on.

This banana bread (submitted by Flora Maccarthy) does not only taste good but it also has extra nutrients which will benefit us. Flax seed is a good source of: Omega 3, 6 and 9, essential fatty acids and high in dietary fibre. You can bake this loaf in a large loaf pan or in four small pans. I added the buttermilk to moisten the batter.

1¾ cups/425 ml all-purpose flour

¾ cup/175 ml flaxseed, ground

¾ cup/175 ml sugar

1 tsp./5 ml baking powder

½ tsp./2 ml baking soda

½ tsp./2 ml salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup/75 ml vegetable oil

3/4 cup/175 ml buttermilk

1 cup/250 ml ripe banana, mashed

Topping:

½ cup/125 ml nuts, chopped

¼ cup/60 ml brown sugar

½ tsp./2 ml cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease loaf pans.

In a small bowl, combine flour, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, oil and buttermilk together. Add dry ingredients and mashed banana to egg mixture stirring just until combined. Do not over mix. Scoop the batter into prepared pans. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter. Pat down gently.

Bake for 55-60 minutes for large loaf pan and 35 minutes for four small ones. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans. These loaves freeze well. Enjoy!