Watermelon and Feta Salad

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

Whisk the above ingredients. Toss with:

8 cups diced seedless watermelon
1 chopped sweet onion
1 chopped seeded English cucumber

Crumble 4 0z. feta cheese on top.

Serves 8 (recipe can be easily divided in half)

230 cal. per serving

Sweet Potato Salad with Raisins & Spiced Nuts

Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 35 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-in. (2.5 cm) cubes

1 Tbsp (15 mL) white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh lime juice

2 tsp (10 mL) cilantro seasoning Paste or 2 Tbsp (30 mL) fresh cilantro

1 tsp (5 mL) sugar

1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup (125 mL) diced red pepper

1/3 cup (75 mL) raisins

1/3 cup (75 mL) finely sliced green onions

3 Tbsp (45 mL) jalapeno kettle cooked peanuts (or we added some cayenne pepper and cashews)

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, simmer sweet potatoes in salted water over medium heat for approx. 10 to 12 min. or until just cooked through. Drain and cool. Note: Don't walk away from the potatoes, they can overcook fast and get mushy.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in olive oil and set aside.

3. Just before serving, gently mix the potatoes into dressing, along with red pepper. Adjust seasoning if necessary and garnish with raisins, green onion and peanuts (or walnuts).

Recipe taken from Sobeys Inspired Magazine, Summer 2010 edition, page 43 (with some additions/changes).

Enjoy!

Geraldine

Super easy lemon pepper Cod

Here is another steal from allrecipes.com. We made this last night. It was delicious and dinner was done in 10 min. We served it along steamed and buttered green beans. Very, very good. We used lemon juice instead of real lemon, since we didn't have one. It was still good, but I'm sure a real lemon would be better. (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Pepper-Cod/Detail.aspx)

-Tonya


Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds cod fillets
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Add fillets and squeeze 1/2 of the lemon's juice over the tops. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Cook for 4 minutes and turn. Squeeze with the remaining lemon's juice and sprinkle with pepper to taste. Continue to cook until fillets flake easily with a fork.

Smashed Cauliflower

This recipe is from allrecipes.com. I do not follow it very closely, but it is a good guide. I recommend using less chicken broth to start. You can always add more, but it takes a long time to let it boil off if you add too much. Also, we always use regular cheddar cheese. I will often use only half a head of cauliflower as well - that makes enough for two of us.

This is an excellent recipe for using up a cauliflower, and a good alternative to mashed potatoes.

-Tonya

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup shredded Vermont white Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring cauliflower and chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover the saucepan and increase heat to medium-high. Allow cauliflower to simmer until soft and the cooking liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove cauliflower from the heat, and add the butter, Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Mash with a potato masher until the cheeses have melted and the cauliflower is smooth, then season to taste with salt and pepper

Beef and Pepper Stir-Fry

1 lb boneless lean beef, cut in thin 2-inch strips (we have also used chicken)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced gingerroot
2 sweet peppers (yellow, green or red), cut in strips
2 cups bean sprouts (we never have bean sprouts around, so we use carrots and celery)
2 tbsp water (optional)
2 tbsp low-sodium soy or oyster sauce

Marinade:
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sherry
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

In bowl, stir together corn starch, sherry and soy sauce until smooth; add beef and stir to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.

In nonstick skillet or wok, heat oil over high heat; stir-fry beef, garlic and ginger for 3 minutes or until beef is browned (if using chicken, cook until no longer pink). Transfer to plate and set aside.

Add sweet peppers to skillet with 2 tbsp water to prevent scorching; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add bean sprouts; cook for 1 minute or until vegetables are tender-crisp. (If using vegetables other than sprouts, cook accordingly so that all veggies are tender-crisp). Stir in soy sauce.

Return beef to pan and toss to mix and reheat. Serve over rice or noodles.

Taken from "Lighthearted Everyday Cooking", Anne Lindsay

Quick Salmon Tikka with Cucumber Yogurt

This recipe is taken from Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" cook book. It's also available online with a picture here.

This recipe is dead simple, provided you get salmon without scales. Skinless is even easier. We have also taken to leaving out the naan and substituting quinoa or brown rice instead. It could even be eaten along with a side salad or something. One of our favorites.

Ingredients:
2 naan breads (available in the bakery of your grocery store, at least in the city)
1 fresh red chilli (we use 3/4 tablespoon of chili pepper spice paste)
½ a cucumber (we double this to 1 cucumber)
1 lemon
4 tablespoons natural yogurt
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a few sprigs of fresh cilantro
2 x 200g salmon fillets, skin on,scaled and bones removed
1 heaped tablespoon Patak’s tandoori curry paste
olive oil

Directions:
• Preheat your oven to 110°C/225°F/gas ¼
• Pop your naan breads into the oven to warm through
• Halve, deseed and finely chop your chilli
• Peel and halve your cucumber lengthwise, then use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds
• Roughly chop the cucumber and put most of it into a bowl
• Halve your lemon and squeeze the juice from one half into the bowl
• Add the yoghurt, a pinch of salt and pepper and half the chopped chilli
• Pick the coriander leaves and put to one side

• Slice each salmon fillet across lengthwise into three 1.5cm wide slices
• Spoon the heaped tablespoon of tandoori paste into a small dish, then use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to smear the tandoori paste all over each piece (don’t dip your pastry brush into the jar!)
• Heat a large frying pan over a high heat
• Once hot, add a lug of olive oil, put the salmon into the pan and cook for about 1½ minutes on each side, until cooked through

• Place a warmed naan bread on each plate
• Top each one with a good dollop of cucumber yoghurt and 3 pieces of salmon
• Scatter over a little of the reserved cucumber, chilli and coriander leaves and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice

Marinated Chicken Strips

This recipe is for marinated chicken strips that you can keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. Pull them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge to thaw the night before. Use the chicken strips for stir fry, fajitas, or salads. Recipe is from Company's Coming Make-Ahead Meals book.

Chicken:
Start with 3lbs of fresh (not previously frozen) boneless skinless chicken breast. Cut chicken across the grain into 3mm (1/8 inch) strips. Divide chicken into 4 equal portions. Place each portion into a labeled (with date and contents) freezer bag. This is about 1.5 chicken breasts per portion.

Add one of the spice mixes below into each bag. squeeze out the air and seal bag. Mix contents in bag and put in freezer until ready for use.

Spice Mixes:

Spice mix #1
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp brown sugar, packed
1 .5 tsp lime (or lemon) juice

Spice mix #2
2 tsp lime (or lemon) juice
1 tbsp salsa
1/4 tsp dried crushed chilies
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Spice mix #3
1 clove of garlic, minced

Spice mix #4
1 tsp brown sugar, packed
2 tsp lime (or lemon) juice
1/4 tsp dried crushed chilies
1 tbsp finely grated gingerroot
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Pacific Rim Stir-Fry

This recipe is adapted from Better Homes and Gardens "Easy Everyday Cooking" - a great book.

We like this recipe because it's delicious, it uses up whatever vegetables we have in the fridge, and there is no added sugar in this stir fry recipe.

Ingredients:
3oz rice sticks.vermicelli (substitute with quinoa, rice or couscous)
12 oz chicken or beef strips
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons crushed dried basil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon chile oil or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or anything with some heat)
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric (good for you, but not sure how necessary for flavour)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 cups of cut up vegetables (ie carrots, broccoli, peppers)
1/4 cup cashew halves or peanuts

Directions:
Cook your noodles/rice/quinoa etc while you're making the stir fry

For sauce, in a small bowl combine chicken broth, basil, soy sauce, cornstarch, chile oil/ crushed red pepper and tumeric; set aside.

Add cooking oil to a wok or 12-inch skillet. Preheat over medium-high heat (add more oil if necessary during cooking). Stir fry firm vegetables (ie carrots) for 2-3 min. Add remaining softer vegetables and stir fry for another few minutes until veggies are crisp-tender. Remove from wok. Add chicken to wok. stir-fry for 2-3 min or until no longer pink inside. Push from center of wok.

Stir sauce. Add to center of wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return cooked vegetables to wok. Stir all ingredients together to coat. Cook and stir until everything is heated through.

Serve immediately over rice/noodles/quinoa. Top with cashews or peanuts. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 309 calories, 17g protein, 32 g carbohydrate (when made with rice noodles), 13g fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 749mg sodium

Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti

12 oz. Spaghetti
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
About 18 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh parsley

Cook pasta; drain and return to pot or place in serving bowl
Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook garlic, hot pepper flakes and salt, stirring just until golden
Add shrimp, cook until pink (about 3 mins.)
Add wine; cook over medium-high heat until almost no liquid remains, about 2 minutes
Stir in parsley; cook for 1 minute; add to pasta and toss to coat

from a friend

Harvest Vegetable Curry

Note: It's a bit of a dry curry dish - but remember it is from a "heart healthy" cookbook.

carrots, squash, broccoli, red pepper, zucchini, celery...(about 4-5 cups of whatever veggies you like)
1 cup cooked chick-peas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp ginger
1 tsp cumin
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock or water
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 cups brown rice or couscous

Steam veggies for about 3-5 minutes; add chick-peas and steam for another 3 minutes until veggies are tender-crisp;
Meanwhile, in small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook curry powder, ginger, cumin, garlic and hot pepper flakes, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
Add stock and lemon juice; simmer uncovered for 2 minutes.
Toss veggies with sauce and serve over hot rice or couscous.
(sometimes we add chicken and just cook it in olive oil before dealing with everything else)

taken from "Lighthearted Everyday Cooking"

Tasty Bean Dip

o 1 can black beans

o 1 can lentils

o 1 can chickpeas

o 5 chopped green onions

o 1 chopped red pepper

o 1 chopped green pepper

o ¾ bottle of Catalina salad dressing

o 1 small jar of salsa

· Rinse beans.

· Mix all ingredients except salsa together and stir.

· Add the jar of salsa

· Make a day ahead.

· You can mix and match beans ie) add kidney beans instead of lentils, etc.

· Serve with Scoops (Tostitos) or add to tacos or salads.

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

o 6 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes

o 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped onions

o 1 tbsp olive oil

o 1 tsp minced garlic

o 5 cups chicken broth

o 1 tbsp grated orange zest

o 1 tbsp grated ginger root

o ½ tsp ground cumin

o ½ tsp salt

o ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

o Pinch of ground cloves

o 6 tbsp light sour cream (optional- I’ve never added this)

· Spray a shallow roasting pan (or a glass 9x13” rectangle pan) with cooking spray.

· Add potatoes, onions, olive oil and garlic; stir well.

· Roast, uncovered at 425˚F for 25 minutes; stir once during cooking.

· Transfer mixture to soup pot.

· Add broth, orange zest, ginger root, cumin, salt, pepper and cloves.

· Bring to a boil.

· Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

· Puree until smooth.

· Serve with a swirl of sour cream in the centre.

Creamy Philly Pesto Chicken

o 1 tsp. oil

o 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb./450 g)

o 1/4 cup PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread

o 1/3 cup 25%-less-sodium chicken broth

o 2 Tbsp. pesto

· Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat.

· Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. on each side or until done (170ºF).

· Transfer to plate; cover to keep warm.

· Add cream cheese spread to skillet; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until melted, stirring constantly. Whisk in broth and pesto; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until sauce is thickened and well blended.

· Pour over chicken; serves 4.

-Philly website

Asian Grilled Salmon Salad

Asian Grilled Salmon Salad

Serves 4

2 Tbsp (30 mL) rice or white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp (15 mL) Soya Sauce, 30% Less Salt

1 Tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar

1 Tbsp (15 mL) grated fresh ginger (or more, to taste)

1 small clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil

4 (5 oz/150g) fresh salmon fillets

Mixed Baby Greens

1 cup (250 mL) stringless sugar snap peas

1 cup (250 mL) shredded or julienned carrots

1. Whisk together vinegar, soya sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic; slowly whisk in oil. Divide dressing, reserving half.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high and brush or rub with a little vegetable oil. Brush fillets evenly with dressing. Grill on first side for 3 to 4 min. Turn, brush with more dressing, and grill 3 to 4 min longer or until salmon flakes easily with a fork but is still coral-coloured in the centre.

3. Break fish into large chunks and toss with greens, peas and carrots. Drizzle with reserved dressing and mix to coat. Divide evenly among four plates and serve.

Notes: We didn't grill the salmon (it is too cold to start the BBQ in the winter!). We put the salmon in tinfoil, then put the dressing on it, closed it up and put it in the frying pan with the lid on. No need to flip it. And we put lots of ginger in the dressing!

From the Sobeys "Inspired" magazine, Summer 2010 edition, pg 24 (with some edits)