Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Hearts of Palm and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta

As spring - and all the gorgeous produce that starts to emerge with it - begins to unfurl, I'm starting to find some of my favorite ingredients at my local mega mart again. I had two joyous discoveries last year; the first was the amazing heirloom tomatoes at the Granville Island Farmer's Market in Vancouver and the other was a product I had heard of, but never sampled myself - hearts of palm; which are derived from the inner core of the growing bud from some palm trees and has a vaguely asparagus or artichoke heart-like taste to it.

Hearts of Palm and Heirloom Tomato Salad

1/2 - 1 can hearts of palm sliced into rounds

2-3 cups sliced heirloom tomatoes (or the freshest tomatoes you can find)
1/3 cup Light Feta Cheese, crumbled (I used shredded store-bought)
1/4 - 1/3 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
salt to taste

Put hearts of palm and tomatoes on your serving platter. Drizzle over the oil and vinegar and sprinkle with feta and salt.

Yields 4-6 servings

I had a version of this wonderful salad at a family dinner once, so I was inspired by some beautiful heirloom tomatoes I found at the market and the can of hearts of palm I was saving for just such an experiment. I left the proportions fairly loose in case you like more of one thing and not the other or if you are not as big on vinegar as I am!

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Hearts of Palm and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto: Zucchini Patties

This recipe was a total fluke one day last summer when I was still in Vancouver. I had been shopping at the Granville Island Market. In the summertime, they have the most amazing local organic farmers who come and set up in front of the market proper on certain days. Anyway, one of them had the most delicious-looking zucchinis, and I bought way too many for just myself to eat. That week, everything I cooked had zucchini in it, and this was one of the superstars that emerged!

Michelle's Easy Zucchini Patties

1/3 c flour
1 egg
1/2 - 1 c milk (depending on how liquid you like your batter; pancake, or crepe)
2-3 tbsp parmesan cheese (I used fresh shredded, but as you like)
1 1/2 - 2 c zucchini, grated
salt to taste
olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan

chutney for dipping (My favorite is Mrs. Ball's Chutney, either Original or Peach)

Mix salt, eggs and flour together in a bowl. Add milk until the batter is the consistency you want it; I like mine like slightly loose pancake batter. Add the parmesan and zucchini. Heat the oil in the pan at medium heat. Add batter by the tablespoon or two, as you like the size. Fry each side until golden brown on the outside and cooked through. You may need to add more oil as the cooking progresses. Makes about 12 patties, depending on size.

Serve with chutney for dipping.

This is one of the most versatile, fridge-cleaning recipes I make. You can add almost anything to it, as per your tastes. I like to add onions, garlic or chopped spinach as well. I also it mix up with spices like cumin or coriander.

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto: Zucchini Patties