1. Preheat oven to broil. Broil peppers in oven or grill for 15 minutes or until charred, turning often. Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove tops of peppers and save. Peel skin and de-seed, leaving whole pepper intact. This can be done under cool running water.

2. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package instructions or until firm to the bite. Drain and place in large bowl.

3. Make the sauce: In large nonstick skillet, heat oil; sauté garlic and onions until soft, approximately 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.

4. Meanwhile, combine stock and flour in small bowl; add to tomato mixture and simmer just until sauce thickens slightly, approximately 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over pasta; add basil, margarine, prosciutto and cheese. Mix well. Stuff peppers until full, saving remainder as a side dish. Place pepper top over pasta, to act as lid.

Ingredients

• 6 medium sweet bell peppers  (green, red and/or yellow)
• 12 oz spaghettini

Sauce
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 3/4 cup diced onions
• 1 3/4 cups diced tomatoes
• 1 1/4 cups cold chicken stock
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 tbsp margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup chopped prosciutto or ham
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

2. To prepare rolls, in a small bowl combine the rice vinegar, sugar and a hefty pinch of salt. Whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the carrots and cabbage and toss well. Set aside.

3. Fill a large bowl with hot water. Add 1 rice paper wrapper to the water and let soak for 10 to 15 seconds, or until just barely soft and pliable. Lay the wrapper flat on the counter. In the centre of the wrapper, place a small, oblong mound of the carrot-cabbage mixture, then top with a bit each of jicama, bell pepper and snow peas. Top with 2 mint leaves.

4. To fold the roll, start by folding the right and left sides of the wrapper over the fillings. Next, fold the end closest to you up over the fillings and sides. Holding the roll firmly, roll it away from you until the remaining wrapper is completely rolled up. Transfer the roll, seam side down, to a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and fillings.

5. The vegetable rolls can be made up to 4 hours ahead, covered with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap and chilled. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Ingredients

For the dipping sauce:
• 3/4 cup smooth unsalted natural peanut butter
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 to 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 scallions, white and green
parts, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• Hot sauce, to taste
• 2 tbsp water

For the rolls:
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup shredded Napa cab-bage
• Sixteen 8-inch rice paper wrappers
• 1/2 medium jicama, cut into julienne strips (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper strips
• 1 cup blanched and thinly sliced snow peas
• 32 large fresh mint leaves

The Associated Press/ Sara Moulton author of Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners

• 4 thinly sliced cucumber slices
• 1.5 oz Grey Goose La Poire
• .25 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• .5 oz simple syrup
• 3/4 oz Prosecco

Add 3 cucumber slices to a shaker and muddle.  Add ice, La Poire, lime juice and simple syrup.  Shake well. Add Prosecco into a champagne flute then pour cocktail over top.  Garnish with a cucumber slice.

Recipes & photos courtesy of the Grey Goose Lounge at Muzik in Toronto

1. Lightly oil pizza crust on both sides using olive oil.

2. Place chicken, and vegetables  on pizza dough as desired. Sprinkle generously with crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and sprinkle chopped fresh basil over pizza to taste.

3. Specially designed for pizza, Broil King recommends its Stone Grill Set. Place it in the centre of your barbecue’s cooking grids. Turn all burners to high and preheat grill to 400 – 600 F.

Reduce temperature to medium/ medium-high to maintain a temperature around 450 F.

4. Using a well-floured pizza peel, slide the uncooked pizza onto the pizza stone.

5. Check the pizza frequently — depending on thickness of crust, this will take between 8 and 20 minutes.

6. Pizza is ready when cheese has melted and bottom is browned. Remove from pizza stone with the wooden pizza peel.

7. Allow the stone to cool completely before attempting to remove from grill.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pizza crust (thin home-made or thin pre-made)
• 1 boneless chicken breast (pre-grilled)
• Kalamata olives – remove pits
• Sun dried tomato
• Red onion
• Crushed chopped garlic to  taste
• 200 g feta cheese
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Fresh basil

A warm summer day, the people you love, and delicious food is a recipe for a good time.

For your next picnic or barbecue, do the same: Bring some nutritious ingredients together to make this tasty crowd pleasing Spinach Dip with Greek Yogurt.

1. Combine mayonnaise dressing, soup mix and all ingredients in medium bowl. Chill, if desired. Serve with your favourite dippers.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Hellmann’s 1/2 the Fat mayonnaise-type dressing
• 1 package Knorr Vegetable Dry Soup Mix
• 1 package (300 g) frozen chopped spinach, cooked, cooled and squeezed dry
• 1 container (500 g) non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 can (227 ml) water chest-nuts, drained and chopped (optional)
• 3 green onions, chopped

1. Put potatoes in saucepan with cold water to cover; bring to a boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until easily pierced with a sharp knife. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, put basil, olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and salt in food processor; process until finely chopped. With the processor running, gradually add stock through the feed tube; process until smooth.

3. In saucepan of boiling water or microwave, blanch snow peas for 1 or 2 minutes, or until tender-crisp; refresh in cold water and drain. Place in large serving bowl, along with pesto, red onions, red and green peppers, corn, green onions, pine nuts and lemon juice. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into wedges and add to serving bowl; toss well to combine.

Ingredients

• 2 lb scrubbed whole red potatoes with skins on

Pesto

• 1 1/4 cups fresh basil leaves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup halved snow peas
• 3/4 cup chopped red onions
• 3/4 cup each  chopped red and green peppers
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Rose Reisman’s Enlightened Home Cooking (Robert Rose) By Rose Reisman

The famed frank is going hardwood-smoked for the barbecue season with the introduction of the Bacon Dog.

It’s exactly what it sounds — an Oscar Mayer wiener that tastes like bacon. It’s one of three new products for frank fanatics, including the return of Smokies, the introduction of a chicken breast dog, and reduced fat and lean cut franks.

“No one knows bacon like Oscar Mayer,” said Jared Baker, director of Oscar Mayer hot dogs, in a press release. “It seemed like the perfect time for us to introduce our first hot dog made with bacon.”

The Bacon Dog is a combination of turkey, chicken, pork and —well, smoked pork. Oscar Mayer, a subsidiary of Kraft Foods Group, says it’s the first ever bacon dog on the market. Nutritional facts on Kraft’s website list the dog at 130 calories, 11 grams of fat and 370 milligrams of sodium, each.

At the opposite end of gluttony, the company also released a gluten-free chicken breast dog and reintroduced Smokies smoked sausages, made with a combination of beef and pork.

All the new hot dogs are expected to be available at the beginning of June.

Small is big these days and even the trendiest food is tiny.

Junk foods, such as Reese’s signature peanut butter cups, are going shrink-a-dink, a new Toronto confectionary has given the cupcake a mini makeover and, for a limited time, one of the city’s most notable Asian chefs is offering bite-sized morsels of the best dishes on his menu.

“Everything’s been getting smaller lately,” says Nisha Amin, 35, owner of the two-month-old BiteBar in downtown Toronto that specializes in miniature desserts.

“It’s about having just enough.”

Amin’s tiny cupcakes are exactly that. They’ve been flying off her custom-designed mini cupcake racks since the recent opening of her Elm and Bay Sts. dessert and cocktail bar.

About the size of an unwrapped Ferrero Rocher bite-size chocolate, BiteBar cupcakes weigh in at 7 grams, stand as tall as a matchbox, cost $1 apiece and yield about 100 calories of energy.

Amin’s baked goods are a one-bite burst of sweet. It’s because they’re made with real ingredients — cream, peanut butter, jam, sugar, she says.

Her tiny business grew from a desire to satisfy her sweet craving but with less . About two years ago, before her wedding, Amin made smaller portions of her famous cupcakes for a dinner party.

The delight of her guests kicked started her business. The first-time entrepreneur says her sweets are a big hit with dieters looking for a guilt-free sugar fix.

“It’s a little bit of a treat,” she says. “People do need that.”

The small craze isn’t all about sinless eating.

It’s also about variety. Until the end of May, Susur Lee, the ponytailed chef and co-owner of Bent restaurant on Dundas St. W., has downsized several of his dishes to fit, like puzzle pieces, on a Japanese-inspired sampling platter.

It’s to reduce food envy, says Lee, and enable big-eyed customers to pick, taste and try more of his house specialties.

“You don’t have to scratch your head and think ‘what should I order. It saves them the headache,” Lee says.

The Bent-O — Lee couldn’t resist naming it that — is a balanced mix of flavours, including a smoky oyster shot, spicy and tangy tuna tartar, crisp taro lobster taco and a salty salad of pickled braised daikon and red radish. It starts at $35.

Small plates inspire Lee to think outside the box, he says — no pun intended — but they are very much an ingrained part of Asian eating, such as sushi and dim sum. The cobble of various tastes and textures tells a story, Lee says, and gives the eater a sense of the chef and his or her message.

Lee, who has a big presence despite his small, artistic food, says small plates are a great foil to big, boring dishes.

“When it’s so small it should taste like a jewel,” he says. “If you eat something really tasty it doesn’t have to be a lot.”

4. Grill the patties over direct medium-high heat, with the lid closed, until cooked to medium doneness, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once when the patties release easily from the grate without sticking. During the last minute of grilling time, place a slice of cheese on each patty to melt, and toast the buns, cut side down, over direct heat.

5. Spread the bottom half of each bun with Dijon mustard, and serve the patties warm on the buns topped with mango salsa.

Ingredients

Patties

• 1 1/2  lbs ground chuck (80% lean)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2  tsp ground black pepper

Salsa

• 1  large mango, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 cup)
• 2  tbsp roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp  fresh lime juice
• 1  medium serrano chile pep-per, seeded and minced
• 1/4 tsp  kosher salt

Burgers

• 4  thin slices pepper jack cheese
• 4  hamburger buns, split
• Dijon mustard

Recipe from Weber’s New Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance. Used with permission

It’s called Vulcan Ale, concocted by a trio of Albertans — Star Trek-crazy Canucks — and should land in most Canadian beer/alcohol outlets by early next year.

Its official lift-off is slated for Alberta this week.

“I’ve lived and breathed Star Trek my entire life, it’s a wonderful show and I guess this is just a way of contributing to the story,” says veterinarian Dr. Richard Weger of Calgary, one of the creators of the ale. “And yes, yes . . . I have a costume, Mr. Spock, my favourite character,” he says.

He says it all came about with a deal struck under license with CBS/Paramount Consumer Products — the owners of the Star Trek trademarks — where Vulcan Ale pays to use the well-known brand.

While it may not be called the “official” beer of Star Trek, Weger says the proper legal term is: the first “officially licensed alcoholic beverage” of Star Trek. He believes the only other alcoholic beverage officially linked to the show is a wine that’s in development.

“I can’t get into numbers, but it’s an agreement we’re both pleased with,” says Weger.

“It took a bit of discussion, a bit of back and forth, but it worked.”

Star Trek made the announcement on its website, despite some rejigging of a launch date.

Weger says consumers — and he hopes there will be many — will be able to enjoy a high quality hand-crafted Irish Red Ale (5.4 per cent alcohol) that promises to “explore a new universe” of taste.

The product will start selling as single, regular sized bottles and eventually move to packaged cans. That’s when the bottle will likely be phased out for “green” reasons. Due to the many locales, Weger would not say how much the product would sell for, but that it would be competitive.

Although it’s already available in limited quantities in some areas of Alberta and British Columbia, the hard launch is May 17 (Alberta only), the release date of the new Star Trek movie Star Trek Into Darkness. The film, which is getting good reviews, is described as a prequel/reboot of the original TV series and the subsequent films.

The introduction of actor Benedict Cumberbatch into the movie — a mysterious new villain — has been critically acclaimed.

“That should be a great, great day,” says Weger with a bit of a laugh. “A great beer and a great movie.” And although the product will be brewed at the Harvest Moon Brewing Co in Belt, Montana, Weger says it will sold Canada, coast to coast.

“Hey . . . William Shatner is a Canadian,” he says with a chuckle. “This will be a really Canadian beer.”

He says marketing an alcoholic product across all provinces is time consuming, due to rules and regulations. That makes it hard to predict when the product will arrive. But other Star Trek-themed beers will follow, according to Weger.

The story began in the small town of Vulcan, Alta., pop. 1,836, on Highway 23, midway between Calgary and Lethbridge.

It holds an annual Star Trek convention — Spock Days (this year June 7 to 9) — celebrating the fact the character (played by actor Leonard Nimoy) was born on the far off planet of Vulcan (god of fire on Roman myth).

At the event in 2012, Weger ran into his now-partners, Calgarians Paul Carreau, a retired Canadian military veteran, and Vern Raincock, a beer marketer for Delancey Direct Incorporated (it imports craft beer into Western Canada).

All three were drinking beer, talking about Star Trek and thought the program deserved a good ale.

Although Raincock was familiar with brewing, he had never made a commercial batch himself and so the trio started sampling products they could market under their own name but produced by Harvest Moon. Delancey Direct Incorporated is involved with the distribution of the product.

“We chose one we thought held the spirit of the show,” said Weger. “We were all happy with it.”

Weger says he doesn’t know if we’ll ever see anyone drinking Vulcan Ale on future Star Trek movies, but there has been a fair share of quaffing already on the TV show and films.

He says just a few of the drinks that have appeared on screen are Romulan Ale, Vulcan Brandy, a Klingon ale named Warnog and something called Saurian Brandy.