The Ultimate Summer Recipes - cookingwithcassandra.com

Healthy Turkey Burgers With Spinach, Feta & Tzatziki

Spinach Feta Turkey Burger Patty | cookingwithcassandra.com

These spinach feta turkey burgers will transport you straight to Greece! They’re a classic family favorite at our birthday dinners, with juicy patties and buttery burger buns. Slather the burgers generously with a refreshing, creamy tzatziki sauce made of yogurt, lemon and herbs and voila! This recipe is a tribute to Greek cuisine which is rich with cheeses, meat, olive oil, herbs, yogurt and citrus flavors. Still, Greek recipes are quite balanced, providing the nutrients our bodies need! These burgers are far from those at any fast food joints. I try to avoid highly processed...

Warm Potato Salad (Earls Restaurant Copycat)

Earls Copycat Warm Potato Salad | cookingwithcassandra.com

This potato salad is the MOST delicious potato salad from Earls Kitchen + Bar, a Canadian casual dining restaurant. I managed to recreate a version of it here! Every time I go with Walt or my girlfriends, I always make sure I get the Blackened Chicken, as the potato salad comes as a side with it. I took the opportunity to go to Earls for a few dinners and extra wine nights with the girls so that I could do some very important research on recreating this potato salad recipe at home. Fun was had! Walt now only wants this version. The secret? The bacon grease. SO GOOD!...

Asparagus Puff Pastry Bundles

So, here is my recipe for fresh asparagus with puff pastry, a lovely side dish for any dinner party. I’ll be honest: it doesn’t look like much at first, and it’s definitely not as tantalizing as a colorful berry salad. But don’t be fooled, one bite into this asparagus with puff pastry and you’ll be amazed: glazed with honey, oozing with the best cheese mixture, and simply robust asparagus, this is definitely going to be one of the most memorable dishes you’ll ever have. It is very similar to cheesy asparagus tarts, except this one has already been apportioned and is shaped...

Strawberry Baked Brie

Strawberry Baked Brie This strawberry baked brie is a delicious twist on an old favorite. Instead of sugar laden store bought jellies to top your brie, whip up this fresh strawberry topping for the perfect sweet and savory combination. 1 Large brie round (approx 600 gram / 21 oz )1 ½ cups Strawberries (hulled and quartered)3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar3 tbsp Liquid honey2 tbsp Sliced almonds for topping6 Basil leaves (chiffonade / torn) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with rack in the center of the oven.In a medium bowl, mix the balsamic vinegar and honey until well combined. Add in...

Dirty Banana Cocktail

Dirty Banana Cocktail This Dirty Banana Cocktail recipe makes for the best boozy dessert and is ready in less than 5 minutes. Chocolate syrup and a maraschino cherry make it almost too cute to drink! 2 oz Appleton Special 2 oz RumChata 1 oz Crème De Cacao Liqueur4 oz Milk2 Bananas2 ½ cups IceChocolate syrupWhipped cream (for topping)maraschino cherries (for topping) Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend it all together until smooth and creamy.Prepare your glasses - In two tall glasses, drizzle chocolate syrup around the inside of the glasses before pouring in your drink....

Paloma Cocktail

One of my favorite cocktails in the summer? A boozy Paloma cocktail. The Paloma is a highball style cocktail with its origins in Mexico. Tequila, grapefruit soda, and lime juice are the essentials of this thirst quencher and it always gets me in a celebratory mood. Though it is traditionally served with only these three ingredients, I thought I’d put my own spin on it. I stepped it up with the addition of an orange liqueur (Cointreau, sometimes Triple Sec) and sweetened the cocktail with homemade simple syrup. All the liquid ingredients go into a cocktail shaker, and...

Copycat Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake

Copycat Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake Make the famous Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake at home. Layered with creamy vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream and a hot fudge-filled cookie crumble center, this frozen treat is a perfect replica of the beloved DQ classic! Ice Cream Cake Layers1 tub Good quality chocolate ice cream (1.5 quarts )1 tub Good quality vanilla ice cream (1.5 quarts)Cookie Crunch Layer20 Crushed Oreos (with cream center)4 tbsp Salted butter (melted)1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips1 tablespoon of refined coconut oilHot Fudge Layer (pro tip: alternatevely you can use a 11.75...

Easy Bruschetta Recipe

Toasted Bread with Bruschetta Toppings | cookingwithcassandra.com

One of the reasons why I enjoy summer (besides barbecues and sunshine) is because of all the produce that is in-season. Melon and berries often get the spotlight as summer fruits, but think about all the fresh tomatoes! This fruit (we aren’t going to debate on whether tomatoes are fruits or vegetables!) is perfect for one of my favorite appetizers: bruschetta. Bruschetta — a traditional Italian antipasto — is essentially a tomato mixture on grilled bread slices and is great as an appetizer, snack, side dish or even on its own. They look fancy, but are so easy to make! With...

Delicious Steak Salad With Yogurt Dressing

Here’s the thing about barbecues: they’re fun and delicious, but can sometimes get pretty unhealthy. All that meat, burger and hot dog buns, potato dishes, beer… not exactly the most heart-friendly! But Cassandra, I have salad on the side at my barbecue parties! 😉 Sure, but are you really filling up on boring salad greens when the grill’s going? My tip to make that salad more interesting? Make it an appetizing Delicious Steak Salad With Yogurt Dressing! This steak salad features scrumptiously marinated, thinly sliced steak atop a bed of fresh vegetables complete with cheese...

Easy Pulled Pork Burgers

Pulled Pork With Coleslaw | cookingwithcassandra.com

This recipe is a true labor of love. There are quite a number of ingredients to prepare and it takes time to cook the different parts of it. Each time I’ve served this, though, it never fails to put a smile on people’s faces. So, so worth it! It consists of tender, juicy shredded pork cooked for nearly 4 hours and marinated in a spiced dry rub. Sandwiched between toasted brioche buns, the burger is finished with homemade barbecue sauce and fresh coleslaw. Every bite packs a punch and is bursting with flavor – savory, sweet, spicy, buttery, smoky, tangy. Just writing this now...

Creamy Zucchini Pasta With Avocado Spinach Sauce

Creamed spinach Tagliolini | cookingwithcassandra.com

Toss out that packet of spaghetti and swap it for zoodles. These zucchini noodles are ten times healthier than store-bought spaghetti: they are low-carb, nutrient-packed, and are better for the gut, too. If you’re someone who doesn’t hesitate before digging into regular pasta, I’m sure your body will thank you for changing things up a bit. With a bit of spiralizing and sauce-making, you’ll have a hearty bowl of soft zucchini pasta with the creamiest avocado spinach sauce that’s just as healthy. We get the cream entirely from the avocado, and the blended spinach turns into a...

Persian Chicken Joojeh Kebabs

This recipe has a special place in my heart. I called my Dad in for this joojeh kabob recipe because he knows it like the back of his hand. To give you some context, my maiden name is Shahinfar. My Dad moved from Iran to Canada with my Shahinfar family when he was 16 years old. Even though we were born in Canada, my Dad made it a point to keep our heritage and our traditions. I have memories of growing up eating the most delicious Persian cuisine and my Dad’s flavor-packed joojeh kabob recipe was always one of my favorites. My cousins and I would drop whatever we were playing...

Summer

Cassandra Morris