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)