We're well into National Fresh Fruit and Veggies Month and we're loving all of the bright colours that have found their way into our diets! If you want a delicious way to eat your fruits and veggies, smoothies are the way to go! No matter which flavour combos you're into, the blender can be your best friend. Here are some of our favourites:

Summer Fruit Smoothie

The Hulk Smoothie

Mango Tango Smoothie

Strawberry and Banana Smoothie

Raspberry Mint Chocolate Silk Smoothie

Related:

• National Eat Your Veggies Day
• Food Network Canada Faves: Exotic Fruits
• Top 5 Salads

ACE Bakery has brought 20 food artisans from across Canada to Toronto for artisan cooking workshops on June 21 and 22. Tickets to these intimate and interactive events are limited so book your favorites now.

You can learn about chocolate-making, distilling, foraging, fleur de sel infusion, fermenting kimchi and lots, lots more. And you’ll come home with tons of recipes and ideas. It’s all part of ACE Bakery’s 20th Anniversary celebrations.

Here’s a fabulous Prairie Panzenella Salad recipe that Chef Connie DeSousa created using artisan products from the Artisan Incubator. Chef Connie and Chef Lynn Crawford will be at selected workshops to share recipes and pass along some great cooking tips.

Prairie Panzanella with Cherry Vinaigrette
Serves 4-6

Classic Italian Panzanella finds a use for day-old bread by combining it with juicy tomatoes and vinaigrette. This surprising salad combination is full of sweet and crunchy cranberry focaccia, salty, crispy pancetta, creamy chèvre and fresh crisp asparagus, all brought together with cherry-cider vinaigrette that uses Over The Hill’s Prairie Cherry Spread.

Ingredients: 

Vinaigrette:
½ cup (120 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup (60 mL) apple cider vinegar
¼ cup (60 mL) shallots, finely chopped
¼ cup (60 mL) Over The Hill Orchard Prairie Cherry Spread or lightly sweetened cherry jam
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) freshly ground black pepper

Croutons: 

6 slices of ACE Bakery Cranberry Raisin Focaccia or Calabrese Oval, sliced ¾-inch
(1.9-cm) thick and then cut into
¾-inch (1.9-cm) cubes
¼ cup (60 mL) unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) fresh sage, chopped
2 tsp. (10 mL) fresh thyme, chopped
½ tsp. (2.5 mL) sea salt
½ tsp. (2.5 mL) freshly ground black pepper

Salad: 

1 large radicchio, halved and cored
8 oz. (225 g) pancetta, ¼ inch (6 mm) dice, sautéed until crisp
8 oz. (225 g) asparagus, bias cut into
1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
4 oz. (112 g) pumpkin seeds, toasted
6 oz. (170 g) soft chèvre, crumbled

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. For the vinaigrette, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, shallots, cherry spread and pepper together in a small bowl.

3. For the croutons, place the focaccia cubes in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat; add the garlic, sage and thyme and sauté until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Pour the butter mixture over the focaccia cubes and toss to coat evenly.

4. Spread the cubes out onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake the croutons until pale golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

5. For the salad, slice the radicchio into ½-inch (1.2-cm) ribbons and soak in a large bowl of iced water for at least 1 hour. This will crisp up the lettuce and remove any bitterness in the leaves. Drain and dry.

6. Steam or boil the asparagus until tender crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and plunge the asparagus into a large bowl of iced water to stop the cooking and to keep the bright green colour. When cool, drain and pat dry.

7. Combine the croutons, cooked pancetta, asparagus and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. Add the radicchio to the salad and enough vinaigrette to coat, tossing to combine. Transfer salad to a large, shallow bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Recipe courtesy of ACE Bakery.
 

Exciting news, Food Network Canada fans! We’ve just hit 100,000 followers on Twitter and we wanted to express our gratitude to all of our loyal readers who helped us get here! Of course, every milestone deserves a grand celebration, so we have some fun things in store for you!
 
Are you the ultimate FNC superfan? Then we want you to become our new Food Network Canada Scout! Show us how you get your daily dose of Food Network Canada. Whether you always have our shows on while you’re cooking dinner, or you’re using our recipes in a creative way, we want to know!

You can send us a Facebook message, tweet us and tag us on Instagram (using the hashtag #FNCscout), or email us at giveaways@foodnetwork.ca with your stories and photos by July 2nd for a chance to win! Whether you’re saving recipes, watching online episodes, or checking out the blog, we’re thrilled that you all show us so much love every day!

Our Food Network Canada Scout will join us in our quest to bring the best recipes to foodies all over the country. You could have the opportunity to contribute to our social media platforms, our blog, and maybe even add a recipe or two to our database! Good luck!

Make sure to also check out the congratulatory photos that some of our lovely hosts sent us. Thanks again to everyone who helped us reach 100,000!

The day is finally here! Tonight is the season 2 premiere of World's Weirdest Restaurants and we can't wait! If there's one thing we love when it comes to food, it's creativity, and Bob Blumer is a pro at finding restaurants around the world that dish it up. Tune in to the season premiere tonight at 9pm ET/6pm PT to see some of the most eccentric restaurants on the planet.

Craving an inside look at what's to come? Check out our exclusive interview with Bob for a taste of the new season:

Related: 

• World's Weirdest Restaurants 
• Food Network Canada Faves: Exotic Fruits 

There’s a bit of a void in my online life. I mean, now that Top Chef Canada is over, what am I supposed to tweet about?

Jokes aside, now that the show is wrapped up, instead of having a poll with dishes from the finale - those were all a little too fancy for me, anyway - I got to look back through past episodes and pick out a dish myself! Looking back, there were a ton of memorable dishes this season. From Geoff’s blue sprinkle-covered wasabi doughnut to Nicole’s Beaver Balls, there was always something interesting to be found in each episode.

I decided to go with pizza as my last home challenge - Becky’s winning pizza to be exact. The mixture of creme fraiche, radicchio and bacon seemed like an unusual, but interesting combination of flavours to play with on a pizza.

Making basic pizza dough at home is actually quite easy. It’s something that I don’t do enough, so I’m going to change that from now on! I have never really mastered the whole ‘tossing pizza dough into the air’ thing, though, so I need to get on that. Although, I may have had some wine before starting to make dinner, so this didn’t seem like the appropriate time to practice.

My neighborhood grocery store was out of leeks while I was picking up my groceries, so a combination of red onion, shallot and green onion would have to suffice. I cooked the onion and shallot down in the residual bacon fat until they were nice and caramelized, then pureed them to make them into the base sauce for the pizza. If you’ve never roasted green onions before, you should put that on the top of your ‘to do’ list. They are delicious and sweet, and always a perfect topping for a flatbread!

I decided not to put any cheese on this flatbread - blasphemous, I know - but there would be some nice richness coming from the creme fraiche, so I figured it would be alright. Salty bacon, bitter radicchio, sweet onion puree and a tangy creme fraiche and mustard combo; that pretty much covered all of my bases flavour-wise.

When I first popped the flatbread into the oven, I may have been a bit too overzealous with the temperature controls and caused a little bit of smoke action. I always seem to have some sort of kitchen mishap while I’m cooking in my friend Chelsea’s house, so it is beyond me why she continues to let me cook for her. Having said that, these Top Chef Canada dish recreations have given us a reason to have a get together with friends almost every week, which is what food is all about, isn’t it?

The flatbread came out perfectly. The flavours worked really well together, although we all agreed that it needed a little something; maybe some goat cheese sprinkled on top to finish it off. Next time I’ll get it just right!

Here’s a gallery of all of the recreated dishes from this past season of Top Chef Canada. Some worked out splendidly, others were just okay. Like most people in the kitchen, or life for that matter, I’ve had my ups and downs. Whether I cooked something delicious or something just average, the best part of this season for me was being able to interact with all of the competitors and fans of the show.

I can’t wait to see what culinary talent is selected for season four! Until next year!

Caramelized Onion, Radicchio and Bacon Flatbread
Serves: 3-4
Total cook time: 35 mins

Ingredients: 

5 strips bacon (thinly sliced)
1 red onion (diced)
1 shallot (diced)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
⅓ cup creme fraiche
1 tablespoon grainy dijon mustard
½ head radicchio (thinly sliced, approximately 1 cup)
1 bunch green onions (loosely chopped)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 12” prepared pizza crust

Directions: 

1. Cook the bacon in a medium-sized pan on medium-high heat until nice and crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Set on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
2. Cook the chopped onion and shallot on medium heat until caramelized, about 10-12 minutes.
3. Remove from pan and puree in a food processor with paprika and pepper until smooth.
4. Preheat oven to 425F.
5. Spread the onion mixture evenly on top of the prepared pizza crust.
6. Whisk together the creme fraiche and mustard and drizzle on top.
7. Place the bacon, radicchio and green onions evenly on top.
8. Season generously with salt and pepper and let cook in the oven until the crust is golden and crispy, about 15 minutes.
 

 Dan Clapson is a food writer and culinary instructor based out of Calgary. He is constantly creating new recipes and striving to expand his culinary horizons. He thinks yam fries are overrated.  

Related: 

• Taking the Challenge Home; Week 6 
• Taking the Challenge Home; Week 5 
• Taking the Challenge Home; Week 9  

Today is National 'Eat Your Veggies' Day and we’re totally getting behind this movement! Occuring right in the middle of Fresh Fruit and Veggies Month, we love having another reason to load up on greens! To celebrate this healthiest of days, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite vegetable-filled recipes.

You can also see how we’ve been celebrating National Fresh Fruit and Veggies Month by checking out our Top 5 Salads and this month’s delicious Bake Off challenge. Enjoy!

Crunchy Cauliflower Salad
Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Dill and Cucumber Salad
Grilled Vegetable Kebabs
Cold Vegetable Pizza with Hummus and Havarti
Tabboulleh Salad
Salad 101 

Related: 

• National Garlic Day 
• National Beverage Day 
• National Eggs Benedict Day 

Summer is when I really love to use mangoes, due to their sweet and refreshing flavour. Here is an easy mango salsa that takes little time to throw together and can be served simply with tortilla chips, added to tacos, or used as a fresh topping for chicken, pork or fish.



Recipe: Mango Salsa
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients
1 cup finely diced mango (about 1 large mango)
½ cup finely chopped red onion
2-3 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp rice vinegar
Pinch salt
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon chopped chili



All you need for this quick, healthy snack is one large mango, fresh cilantro, some red onion and a lime. You don’t want your mango too soft — while the flavours will be lovely, it will be more challenging to dice.



Start by peeling the mango as you would an apple.



Slice thin slabs off the two widest sides until you get to the pit.



The slabs get julienned (cut into strips).



A few more knife strokes and you’ve got your dice!



To the diced mango (you should get about 1 cup) add ½ cup diced red onion and about 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro.



Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime — to yield the most juice, try twisting each half around a fork. Now add 2 teaspoons rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Taste the salsa and if it’s a bit tart add a teaspoon of sugar. Add some chopped chili if you want to give it some spice. You can serve the salsa right away or refrigerate it until needed. Of course, you can easily double or triple the recipe for a larger crowd — or just make a big batch for the weekend and let everyone serve themselves when they’re feeling peckish.



Recipe: Mango Salsa
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients
1 cup finely diced mango (about 1 large mango)
½ cup finely chopped red onion
2-3 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp rice vinegar
Pinch salt
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon chopped chili

Instructions 

1. In a small bowl, combine mango, red onion and cilantro. Add the lime, rice vinegar and salt, then mix together. Taste and add sugar if needed.
2. Add some chopped chili if you want to add some spice.

Sue Riedl is a Toronto-based food writer with a passion for cheese who writes a column called The Spread for The Globe and Mail. She loves to push stinky cheese on her 4-year-old. 

Related: 

• Family Fun: Watermelon Popsicles 
• Family Fun: Asparagus Spring Salad 
• Family Fun: Roasted Brussels Sprouts 

The Season 2 premiere of World's Weirdest Restaurants is just around the corner (Monday, June 17th at 9pm ET/6pm PT) and we hope you're as excited as we are! We can't wait for another season of tuning in to see Bob Blumer search for the wackiest and most eccentric restaurants. To get into the spirit, we've rounded up some of our favourite exotic fruit recipes. From guava to lychee, we can't get enough of these fresh and flavourful fruits!

Papaya Salad 

Crepe with Poached Guava 

Chocolate Fondue with Exotic Fruits 

Exotic Fruit Salad 

Cucumber Lychee Salad 

Related:

• CC's Fruit Salad
• Fruit Sticks with Chocolate Dipping Sauce
• Fruit Salad with Mint

It's National Fresh Fruit and Veggies Month, so to celebrate, this month's Bake Off recipe is a delicious Coconut Carrot Cake. Courtesy of the Spice Goddess herself, Bal Arneson, this flavourful cake is sure to be a hit among your party guests! Follow the recipe or add your own flair, and show us your baking skills!

Related: 

• Bake Off: German Chocolate Cake Results 
• Bake Off: 'Show Your Style' Granola Results 
• Bake Off: Jam-Filled Doughnut Muffins Results 

Not sure what to pack for a picnic? The answer seems simple enough: how can you go wrong with sandwiches? Believe us when we say you can! Using mayonnaise in your sandwich as a spread or ingredient in a tuna or egg salad poses the huge, not to mention unsavory, risk of going bad in the heat and turning your picnic into a sick-nic, and who wants that? Not us, that’s for sure. So instead of a fat-filled mayo time-bomb, try this fresh, fabulous and eminently packable and preservable Chicken Pesto Picnic Sandwich – and make sure all memories of that day are good ones filled with family, friends and the fabulous flavours of summer!

Chicken Pesto Picnic Sandwiches 

Serves 4

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:  

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken

¼ cup homemade or prepared pesto

3 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese

1 cup baby arugula

¼ cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and rinsed

freshly ground black pepper

4 cibatta rolls, split in half lengthwise

Directions: 

Preheat the broiler to high. Arrange the cibatta halves, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until toasted to desired doneness.

In a bowl toss together the chicken and pesto. Divide chicken and pesto between ciabatta rolls. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese, arugula, sun dried tomatoes, and freshly ground black pepper. Top with remaining bun half.

 Amanda Garbutt is the host of The Hot Plate, a free online cooking show dedicated to inspiring culinary confidence in new cooks. The Hot Plate also offers regular cooking tips and advice, how-tos, and information on seasonal ingredients.  

Related: 

• Grilled Feta Pizza with Chicken 
• Alfredo Florentine Chicken Panini 
• Apple Cheddar Chicken Sandwiches