Festive holiday recipes that can be enjoyed throughout the year

Looking for some new, holiday-appropriate recipes to add to your repertoire?

These delicious options—a beautiful beet salad from Farmer’s Daughter, a cheer-worthy chili from Alycia and Darcy Bullock, and mouthwatering moose cookies from Windmill Bakery—are simple to prepare and can be enjoyed at any time of year.

Farmer’s Daughter Beet Salad

This recipe is everything. Fresh, nutritious, textured, colourful and beyond easy. This is the kind of salad that is exactly the type of dish to serve at a dinner party or holiday meal. It adds some needed freshness to any spread, and it looks so striking, but it’s delightfully simple to make.

For a sophisticated presentation we recommend serving this salad on a platter. We chose the Paillot De Chevre Goat Cheese for its firm yet creamy texture and tangy flavor.

Ingredients

6 Pickled Ontario Beets
3 Tbsp Honey, optional
6 cups baby spinach (or mixed greens), rinsed and dried
1 package (125g) Paillot De Chevre Goat Cheese
1/2 cup candied pecans or walnuts
Farmer’s Daughter Fresh Avocado Vinaigrette

How to make it

1. Roast the beets (optional)
2. Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
3. Line the bottom of a medium-rimmed baking sheet with foil. 
4. Cut the pickled beets into bite-size chunks and toss in 3 tablespoons of honey. 
5. Roast for 15-20 minutes until the beets are slightly caramelized. 

To assemble the salad, spread the spinach over a large platter then scatter over the remaining salad ingredients: beets, goat cheese, and candied nuts. Drizzle liberally with avocado vinaigrette. Serve and enjoy.

The Bullocks’ Beef and Bacon Chili

Darcy and Alycia Bullock of Bullock’s Your Independent Grocer make this Beef and Bacon Chili as a go-to Sunday football meal. “We have been working on it for a number of years and we like it so much we are having it for one of our Christmas meals!” says Darcy. “We aren’t professional chefs, but we think it’s pretty good!”

Ingredients

3 lbs of lean ground beef
4 cans of Alymer chili tomatoes
1 can No Name tomato paste
1 can PC BM kidney beans 
1 yellow pepper, diced 
1 orange pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil 
2 tbsp of corn starch
1 lb of PC low sodium bacon
Spices to taste: chili powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle pepper, salt, pepper, oregano 

How to make it

1. Heat oil on medium in a large stock pot and sauté diced onion. 
2. Chop garlic and throw in for one minute once onion is soft. 
3. Add beef and season with chili powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle pepper, salt, pepper, oregano. (We will be adding more seasonings later, I just like to get some on the beef. Use the pepper varieties to your spice level; the chipotle gives it a dark smokiness, cayenne brings the heat. ~Darcy) 
4. You can cook the bacon in a separate pan, slowly on low to medium heat. You want to really cook the fat out and crisp it up. 
5. Once beef is browned, add tomatoes, tomato paste, kidney beans, and peppers to the pot and give it a good stir. You can always add more peppers or beans if you prefer. 
6. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer. (I add more chili powder, cayenne pepper, and chipotle pepper at this stage. I’m a fan of spice, my wife Alycia is not, so we meet in the middle, but it has taken me many batches to find that sweet spot! I would still suggest being modest at this stage, then after it has simmered for a bit, taste and add more of whatever spice you feel it needs. You can always add more but you can’t take it away once it’s in the pot! ~ Darcy)
7. This can now simmer for 2-3 hours and it will continue to develop more rich flavor. 
8. With about an hour left to simmer, throw in the chopped-up bacon. Try to soak up as much grease with paper towel and then use scissors to it cut up into smaller chunks.
9. If you feel the chili is a little runny, this is where the cornstarch comes in. Mix two tbsp of cornstarch with a little water, stir and add to the dish to thicken it up. This is only if you want it thicker; purely preference.  
10. Serve with anything you would like. (Our house favourite is sour cream, cheese, and some tortilla chips! ~ Darcy)

Windmill Bakery’s Gingerbread Moose

Gingerbread men or moose are a favourite at Windmill Bakery at this festive time in Muskoka! 

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of ground cloves

1/2 cup room-temperature unsalted butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 Tbsp vanilla
½ cup sweetened condensed milk 

How to make it

1. Sift together dry ingredients.
2. Beat wet ingredients together.
3. Add dry to wet mixture and combine well.
4. Chill dough for a while.
5. Roll out the dough about ¼-inch thick and cut out gingerbread men or moose with cookie cutter.
6. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. 

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