Category: Easy Recipes

Mango Quinoa Salad

Here’s a salad with a taste of summer.  Easy, yummy, and great picnic food!

What you need:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked in 1 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 mango, cut into chunks

1 jalapeno, deseeded and chopped finely (leave the seeds in if you love spicy food)

1/3 cup raisins

1 tomato, chopped

juice of 1 lime

a little chopped cilantro and/or parsley

What you do:

1.  To cook the quinoa, put it in a pot with 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then put a lid on it and lower the heat, cooking for 15 minutes.  Then remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.  Let the quinoa cool to use in the salad.

2.  Toss all the other ingredients together in a large bowl to let the flavours mingle, for at least half an hour.  By this time the quinoa may be cooled, and you can either serve the mango mixture on a bed of quinoa, or you can mix it all together.  Serve with a garnish of something green, like cilantro.

 

Veggie Breakfast Hash with Spinach Scrambled Eggs

For a big brunch here’s a healthy alternative full of veggies to the usual bacon and egger.  And if you’re not into a vegan/vegetarian breakfast you can add a bit of bacon or sausage.  I served it with some grilled tomatoes instead, and a big pot of tea.

What you need for the hash:

a few small potatoes

1/2 sweet or red onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, finely diced

red/yellow/orange pepper, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

a spring of fresh thyme and rosemary

butter/ olive oil

What you need for the eggs:

1 egg per person

a little water

salt and pepper

spinach, roughly chopped

butter/ olive oil for frying

What you do:

1.  Steam the potatoes for 15 or so minutes.  If they are large potatoes you can cut them up a bit so they cook faster. Or you could poke a few holes in them and microwave them until they are softened.

2.  Heat a tablespoon or so of butter/olive oil.  Throw in the onions and cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic and peppers, cooking until they are softened a bit.

3.  Chop or slice the potatoes, then remove the peppers and onions from the pan.  Add a little more butter/ olive oil, then add the potatoes.  Chop the thyme and rosemary and throw it in with the potatoes.  Let the potatoes fry until browned, then add the veggies, and salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them a little with a fork, and add a little water, a teaspoon or so per egg.  Add a little salt and pepper.

5.  Add some butter/ olive oil to the pan, then  add the egg.  Add the chopped spinach, give the eggs a stir or two, and they’re done.

Serve it up right away while it’s hot!

Kale and Scallion Fried Brown Rice

This is a delicious way to add some flavour and nutrition to your rice by adding some greens, garlic and soy sauce.  The recipe is in Gwyneth Paltrow’s My Father’s Daughter.  I just made it a little simpler by cooking it all in one pan, and upped the ratio of kale to rice, going heavier on the kale.  Can’t get enough of the greens!

What you need:

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon-ish olive oil

1 bunch kale, chopped roughly

3 scallions/ green onions

1 cup cooked brown rice (white if that’s what you’re into)

soy sauce to taste

What you do:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, then throw in the sliced garlic.  Let it cook for a minute, then add the chopped kale.

2.  Add a little water to the pan, then throw a lid on it for a few minutes until the kale is wilted.

3.  Push the kale to the sides of the pan and add a little more olive oil.  Throw in the rice and let it cook until it gets a little crispy, stirring from time to time.

4.  Add the scallions and soy sauce, to taste.

Done!  Easy, huh?

Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Longing for the taste of a summer tomato?  This is the next best thing.  The slow roasting process yields a flavour-packed punch to the taste buds.  Sounds tedious, but trust me, it’s just delightful.  And so much better than the sun-dried tomatoes you buy in a jar!  Well worth the long roasting time.

I threw them on top of a rice and lentil dish as a garnish, but they could also be used to top some ricotta on crusty bread, maybe with a little balsamic reduction.  Or on top of pasta with some Parmesan and basil.

Whatever you don’t use right away (or eat off the pan like I did) can be put in a jar, topped up with olive oil, and refrigerated for use later.  Imagine the possibilities!

What you need:

-a whole bunch of cherry or grape tomatoes

-olive oil

-salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 225F.

2.  Slice the tomatoes in half and put them on a baking sheet.

3.  Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, then salt and pepper them.

4.  Roast them for 2 – 2.5 hours, until they have lost most of their moisture but are not crispy.  You will need to watch them for the last half hour or so if the process so you don’t overdo them.

5.  Let the tomatoes cool and then place them in a jar. Add olive oil to cover the tomatoes, and store the far in the fridge. The olive oil can be used for cooking foods like tomato sauces, and making salad dressing.

Un-deepfried Zucchini #2 (avec parmesan)

Of all the recipes on my blog, I think Un-Deepfried Zucchini is the one I make the most.  I’m not nearly tired of it, but I thought I should try something new with it.  So I just added a little parmesan to the breadcrumb mixture.  I still like it with a little yogurt, to which I add some fresh/frozen dill and a little salt and pepper.

What you need:

1 medium-size zucchini, sliced into 1cm thick rounds

1 egg

about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

a few tablespoons finely grated parmesan

What you do:

1.  Mix the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and the parmesan together in a bowl.  Crack the egg into another bowl and mix it up with a fork.

2.  Preheat the oven to 400F.

3.  Dip the zucchini pieces in the egg, then press them into the breadcrumbs so they are coated.  Place on a baking sheet – I don’t grease mine and they don’t seem to stick.

4.  Pop them in the oven – I usually put them in before it’s finished preheating, and it’s not a problem.  Bake for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10.  They should be very soft when you’re done, so check them and maybe throw them back in for a few minutes.

Serve hot on their own, of with a dipping sauce of your choice.  Stay tuned for #3!

Cauliflower and Tahini Sauce

Yum!   This is so easy – just bake some cauliflower and drizzle a little sauce on top.  So easy, so delicious, so good for you.  What more can you ask for?  There was some leftover sauce, so I used it as a dip for raw broccoli – I think it’s quite a versatile sauce that could be used for a dip or topping for most raw or roasted veggies, and maybe even meats.  Please leave me a comment if you try the sauce out for other uses.

I love roasted cauliflower, and I often roast it without any oil.  Feel free to toss it in a little olive oil if you wish, but it’s amazing without as well.  I’ve roasted cauliflower many times before, but I like this new addition of the sauce from Bonnie Stern’s Friday Night Dinners.  I’ve served it as an appetizer and as a side dish.

What you need:

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

a little olive oil (optional)

For the sauce:

1/4 cup tahini

1/2 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of hot sauce

1/4 cup of warm water, or as needed

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F, then throw the cauliflower florets onto a large baking sheet. (toss them in a little olive oil beforehand, if you wish)

2.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until browned and soft inside.

3.  Combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt and hot sauce.  Add the warm water gradually until the sauce is a consistency you like.

Serve the cauliflower with the sauce drizzled on top, or the sauce on the side for dipping.

Korean Soba Noodle Salad

The public library is one of my favourite places to look for new recipes.  I recently signed out Robin Asbell’s Bio Vegan cookbook, and found this recipe.  It’s easy, healthy, filling and tasty.  I love most fruits, but I’m not a big fan of pears.  Asian pears, however, don’t have the same graininess that regular pears have, and when julienned they almost seem like pieces of apple.

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, which is gluten-free and high in fibre, among many other health benefits that you can read about here.

The salad is served cold, so it made a great leftovers lunch at work the next day.  The pears can turn brown, so if you think you’re not going to eat it all the day you make it, you might want to leave some of the Asian pears out until serving.

What you need:

1/4 cup agave syrup

1 tablespoon sriracha or other hot sauce (or start with a little less and add more to your taste)

1 tablespoon dark miso paste

1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons toasted and ground sesame seeds

200 grams soba noodles, before cooking

1 medium cucumber, seeded and julienned

1 Asian pear, julienned

170 grams extra-firm silken tofu, cut into small cubes

What you do:

1.  Cook the soba noodles according to the directions on the package, drain and rinse with cold water.

2.  Whisk together the agave syrup, hot sauce, tamari, sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons on the sesame seeds.

3.  Combine the sauce with the cooled, well-drained noodles.

4.  Top it off with the cucumber, pear, tofu, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Mom’s Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Truffles

For Christmas I received a huge bag of chocolate truffles – so yummy, but even after sharing, way too many to eat.  So I pulled out Mom’s old faithful chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe.  Growing up we didn’t have many sweets, but often we were lucky enough to get some of these.  Mom’s original recipe called for margarine, but I’ve used butter, which I’m sure she would also do nowadays.  These turn out crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside – the perfect oatmeal cookie, if you ask me. . . and my siblings, and all the neighbourhood kids from way back when.  Back then I thought it was unfair that the other kids always had Ding-dongs and Twinkies, but of course I now realize that I was the lucky one, to get home-baked cookies!

What you need:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 & 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 & 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup chopped chocolate truffles (or the old-school traditional, chocolate chips)

What you do:

1.  Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg until fluffy, then beat in the vanilla.

2.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt and mix into the batter.

3.  Stir in the oats and nuts. (add chocolate chips now if you are using them)

4.  Drop be teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet.  Place a few pieces of truffle on top of each cookie.

5.  Bake at 350F for 12 minutes.

These keep well in an airtight container for a few days, or you can freeze them.  The recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies, and doubles easily if you need a bigger batch.

Eggnog Snickerdoodles

Having never tried snickerdoodles before, I was drawn to this particular recipe by the idea that they might taste eggnoggy.  It’s the nutmeg in the sugar coating and the addition of rum that gives them the eggnog flavour – there’s actually no eggnog in them.  They are easy to make, and you can vary the baking time depending on if you like them crispy or tender.  These aren’t a fancy cookie, but if you want something sweet and simple, then this one might be for you.

I got the recipe from A Whisk and a Spoon.  The original recipe called for extracts of rum and brandy, but I just used a little more of the real thing in my recipe.

What you need:

2 & 1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons rum

2 large eggs

For the sugar coating:

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 cup sugar

What you do:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and beat well, then add the rum.

3.  Whisk the dry ingredients together in another bowl, then add them gradually to the butter mixture.

4.  Stir the nutmeg into the sugar in a small bowl.

5.  Scoop the dough with a teaspoon, then form into a ball by rolling between the palms of your hands.  Roll each ball in the sugar and place them on the pan, leaving a good amount of space between them so they don’t melt into each other as they bake.

6.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you like them.  I did 8 minutes, and they were fabulous the first day.  After that they got a little crunchy, so I would try 7 minutes next time.  Place the baked cookies on a wire rack to cool.  But definitely try one while they are still warm!

Mom’s Creamy Chocolate Fudge

This creamy fudge is one of the recipes my mom made at Christmas every year when we were growing up.  It’s a crowd pleaser and it’s really easy to whip up a big pan of it.   And to me it tastes like Christmas!

What you need:

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

350 grams (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1 7 0z jar marshmallow cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

(you could also add a cup of chopped nuts)

What you do:

1.  Coat a 9×13 inch pan with butter.

2.  Place the sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a large saucepan.  Bring to a rolling boil, then cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring.

3.  Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the chocolate chips, marshmallow and vanilla.  Pour it into the pan and let it cool.

The fudge will not be too hard to cut, but it cuts more neatly if you heat up your knife in hot water between each cut.