Icebox Cookies

Icebox cookie dough is great to have on hand if you want to bake a few fresh cookies. This recipe goes together quickly and will keep in the freezer for a few weeks.

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4-1 cup candied fruit, nuts, dried fruit of choice (chop up larger pieces)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Combine dry ingredients and add gradually to butter mixture. Add fruit and nuts if desired. 

Divide dough into three and roll into logs that are about 1-1/4 inch in diameter. Chill in the freezer for at least 1/2 hour or freeze for use later. Slice chilled dough in 1/4 inch slices and place on baking sheet. Roll edges in coarse sugar if desired.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for 6-8 minutes until set.

Corn Tortillas

I have made some pretty awful corn tortillas with masa flour in the past. Our daughter brought me a tortilla press from Mexico this summer and taught me how to use it. When I was in California I tasted delicious corn tortillas that were made with a little wheat gluten. They were very flexible and easy to handle when making tacos. I added some gluten to the masa flour when I made tortillas today and they were every bit as good as the ones we had in California.

1-3/4 cups masa flour
1/4 cup wheat gluten or white flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together in a large bowl and add

2 cups very hot water (I let boiled water cool for a couple of minutes)
Stir until combined adding a little more water if necessary to get the ingredients to stick together in a dough you can shape into balls.

Divide into 16 balls and cover with a towel to keep the dough from drying out.

Flatten each ball in a tortilla press or by pressing it with a round plate. Place each tortilla on an ungreased hot skillet and cook until brown spots form and the tortilla puffs up. Place warm tortillas in a clean tea towel or tortilla cover.

You can freeze these in an air tight bag and heat them in a moistened tea towel in the microwave.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

For years I have made scalloped potatoes by layering sliced potato and onion in a casserole dish and dumping a can of cream of mushroom soup on the top. The result can be gummy and grey depending on the type of potatoes used. I wanted to get away from a milky sauce over the potatoes and experimented with this method. It was very well received by our family!

Slice 3-4 lbs of potatoes in a food processor. (I used new red potatoes and did not peel them.)

Parboil the slices in boiling salted water for 8 minutes (this step could be omitted if you bake the potatoes a little longer)

Butter a 9x13 pan

Put 1/3 of the potatoes on the bottom and sprinkle with 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese, 2 oz of cubed cream cheese, 1 tbsp of flour, salt, pepper to taste.

Add 1/3 of the potatoes and sprinkle with 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese, 2 oz of cubed cream cheese, 1 tbsp of flour, salt, pepper as above. I added 4 oz of lightly cooked sliced mushrooms on the layer too.

Top with remaining potatoes, season with salt and pepper. Add 8-12 oz milk.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Cover lightly with foil for the first 1/2 hour and then let the top brown for the last 15 minutes.

Spicy Lentil Tacos

I saw this recipe on Phoo-d and we had it for supper tonight. We have made tacos with veggie ground round in the past but it is expensive and too salty for my liking. This lentil version tastes better. You can follow the link to the recipe I used but it is copied here as links are prone to going dead.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Diced Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Poblano Peppers, diced (or peppers of choice)
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Ancho Chili Powder (I used regular chili powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
• 4 cups Cooked Lentils (2 tins, drained and rinsed)
• 1/3 cup or more* Vegetable Stock (Low Sodium)
• 1 small tin Tomato Paste (4-6 oz)
• 1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce (optional)
• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil or cook onions in vegetable broth

Cooking Directions

Place a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onion, garlic, and peppers and saute until soft. 

When the vegetables are soft add the black pepper, salt, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and coriander in and stir for a minute. Add the lentils, vegetable stock, tomato paste, and hot sauce to the skillet. Stir until well combined, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the lentils are warmed through and most of the vegetable stock has evaporated, about 4 minutes. If the mixture begins to look dry add more vegetable stock*. 

 

Serve in a corn tortilla or tostada with traditional taco toppings. Serves 4.

Hearty Curry

I made this curry with ingredients on hand and the meat-lover in the family declared the vegetables tasted better than the meat. I didn’t really measure the ingredients and the recipe is very versatile.

Add to wok or large frying pan with lid:

1 tbsp oil
1 diced onion
2 tsp freshly ground cumin
2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric

Fry until seeds start to pop and onion is starting to soften.

Add:

1-1/2 lbs diced potatoes (I quartered mini potatoes and left the peels on)
1/2 diced green pepper
1/2 diced red pepper
1 sliced carrot
1 tbsp curry paste
3/4 cup water

Stir vegetables so they are coated with seasonings. Cover pot and simmer until vegetables are tender.

Add:

1/2 pound spinach leaves
3/4 cup peas (canned or frozen)
1 cup coconut milk (or more to make enough sauce)
Cover and simmer until spinach is wilted

Add:

1 tsp garam masala
cayenne pepper to taste

Serve on rice or with naan bread. Serves 4 hungry people, more if it is used as a side dish.

Rice and Bean Casserole

I modified this Brown Rice and Black Bean Casserole from allrecipes.com. By doubling the ingredients, I made 2 casseroles, one with chicken and one vegetarian. They went together quickly and I set the oven on timer so we had a yummy hot meal when we came home from church.  You need 1-1/2 cups of rice and about 2 cups diced chicken (or turkey) for a single recipe. If you don't have any leftovers, start cooking the rice and chicken before you cut up the vegetables. I used 1 tin of black beans and 1 tin of white kidney beans for a double recipe and the combination was very good.

• 1/2 cup converted rice
• 1 cup vegetable broth or salted water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (add seeds if you like heat)
• 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• (1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained)- I used a fresh jalapeno instead
• 1/2 cup chopped or shredded carrots
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:

1. Mix the rice and vegetable broth in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, peppers, carrots, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned.
3. In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, beans, chiles, carrots, and 1/2 the Swiss cheese. Add chicken if not making a meatless dish. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.You can add some crushed tortilla chips if you want. I also added fresh cilantro.
4. Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Spicy Rice and Beans

I cooked a pound of black beans in the crock pot overnight and had enough to make this recipe and a double batch of Black Bean Brownies.

Heat a little oil in a wok or large pan and cook until softened:

1 tsp cumin seeds, coarsely crushed with a pestle
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded or not depending on your heat preference
1 diced red pepper
1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Add 1-1/2 cups of water and 3/4 cup converted rice and cook 20 minutes until rice is done.

Add 3 cups of cooked black beans and heat through before serving.

I served the rice and beans in green pepper shells. Serves 4 or more depending on whether you use it as a main dish or a side dish. It tastes even better the next day.

Variations: Feel free to add onions or other vegetables, a dash of cayenne pepper or seasonings of your choice. Garnish with cilantro.

Rainbow Vegetable Slaw

I have an abundance of vegetables in my fridge and made this large marinated salad that should keep for several days. It is colourful and delicious! I used my food processor to prepare the vegetables.

1 medium cabbage
3 ribs of celery
1 red onion
1 large zucchini
3 sweet peppers

Dressing:
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar or sweetener or to taste
1/3 cup water
2 tsp salt

Mix dressing until sugar is dissolved and pour over prepared vegetables.

Variations: Add any of these-
corn, chickpeas, raisins, jalapeno pepper, carrots, yellow zucchini, cucumber, celeriac, napa, etc

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

This recipe is adapted from An Appetite for Reduction. (I recommend this fast, easy, low fat vegan cookbook). The salad is topped with grilled tofu, but meat eaters could add chicken or shrimp.

Make the dressing first, marinate the tofu, and soak the rice vermicelli while you chop the vegetables.

Dressing:
1/3 cup warm water
3 tbsp sweetener or honey
3 tbsp chili-garlic sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Tofu:
Cut a 12 oz block of extra firm tofu into 8 slices. Cut each slice diagonally and put tofu in the dressing. Marinate for 15 minutes or more, then grill on BBQ or brown in frying pan. (This can be done after the salad is assembled.) Reserve the dressing to add to the salad.

Salad:
Soak 8-12 oz of rice vermicelli in a large bowl of hot tap water. It will soften up in 10 minutes or less. In the meantime thinly slice:
1/2 cucumber
1 sweet pepper
1 mango
2 green onions
1 carrot
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Add 2 or more cups fresh greens
(vegetables can be omitted/exchanged according to your preference

Drain vermicelli when softened and add vegetables to noodles. Mix together with your hands if necessary. I break the noodles in half before soaking them to make it easier to combine them with the other ingredients.

Assembly:
Place a serving of salad in a bowl, top with a couple of pieces of tofu. Add dressing to taste and top with chopped peanuts or spicy peanut sauce.  (Use a nut of your choice)
If you don't put dressing on the salad, it keeps well in the fridge for a day or more.

Green Smoothies

Smoothies are all the rage right now but many varieties at fast food restaurants and grocery stores are high in sugar. I added green powder to smoothies for years but I never used fresh greens. After looking at a few recipes on the web and experimenting this week, I found some good combinations. The Becka added one romaine leaf to her fruit smoothie one morning and thought she could get used to it. Daughter #2 cautiously tried a sip of my very green smoothie and was surprised that it was tasty. Here is the way I make them:

Version #1

Add to blender:

1 ripe banana
1-2 portions of fruit of choice (peach, nectarine, strawberries, apricots, mango)
1/2-1 cup soy milk (or milk/yogurt of choice)
4 ice cubes


Blend until liquefied and gradually add until thoroughly blended:

2-4 cups fresh greens of choice- I like spinach best, but kale, colards, chard or mixed baby greens work as well.

This fills 2 glasses. I drink one at breakfast and take the other to work to sip on during the day.
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Version #2

Blend 4 cups seedless watermelon until liquefied
Another fruit of choice (i.e. strawberries, banana, canteloupe)
Add 2-4 cups greens and blend
Add water if the mixture is too thick
You can add some lime juice and/or sweetener if desired

Rice and Bean Salad

I love the flavours in this salad! You can vary the vegetables according to what you have on hand.

2 cups cooked basmati rice (or rice of your choice)
1 tin black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup canned or fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup diced orange or red pepper
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4-1/2 cup diced red onion (to taste)
Finely grated rind of one lime

Dressing:
Whisk until well blended-

1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix  ingredients together and add dressing. The salad keeps well for a couple of days. Other vegetables that work include diced carrots, cucumber, zucchini, celery.

Variation: Use other grains such as quinoa, farro, barley or couscous

Recipe adapted from this one on myrecipes.com

Ice Cream Sandwiches

One of our national grocery chains is featuring ice cream sandwiches made with their store brand chocolate chip cookies. Right now it costs $4.99 for six small ice cream sandwiches. They are very tasty though. We made some today with small homemade peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies which were made with whole wheat flour and less sugar than the store cookies. I think ours would win a taste test anywhere!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups quick oats
3/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt; whisk in oats until combined.
In another bowl, cream butter and peanut butter together. Stir in sugar and then eggs and beat together until creamy. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture gradually until well combined. Add chocolate chips.

Measure a rounded tablespoon (15ml) of dough, place on cookie sheets and flatten slightly. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

We made approximately 40 cookies with this amount of dough.

I used less than half of a 2 litre carton of ice cream that came in a rectangular waxed cardboard container. Cut a 3 cm (more or less) slice of ice cream and cut it into 4 to 6 squares that are the size of your cookies. Place ice cream between two cookies and freeze immediately. You could use a cookie cutter to get perfectly matched circles of ice cream.

Rhubarb Squares (or Apple Squares)

The recreation therapist made these with our patients at the hospital. They were very popular!

2-1/4 cups flour
1/4 c white sugar
1 cup salted butter

5 cups chopped rhubarb*
3 eggs*
3 tablespoons flour*
1 cup brown sugar*

Base:
Mix 2-1/4 cups of flour with softened butter and white sugar. Press mixture into the bottom of a 11x15 pan.

Fruit topping:

Beat eggs until frothy, then add sugar, flour and rhubarb and mix well. Pour fruit over the base.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 F degrees for 45 minutes.

*Variation: Apple Squares

Substitute 6 cups of chopped apples for rhubarb and decrease eggs to one. Decrease brown sugar to 3/4 cup and flour to 1 tbsp for fruit mixture.

If you use a 9x13 pan, put 3/4 of the crumb mixture in the bottom and sprinkle the remaining amount on top of the fruit.

Wedding Day Scones

Here is our special breakfast treat for the Royal Wedding. I adapted the recipe from this one found at Allrecipes and the scones are delicious.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (1 cup whole wheat, 1 cup unbleached white flour)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup hard butter
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup sour cream ( I used 0% fat Greek Yogurt)
• 1 large egg
• Finely grated rind of one orange

Put dry ingredients and butter in a food processor and pulse until butter is finely mixed in with flour mixture. Add sour cream, egg and orange rind and process until dough comes together. Remove dough from bowl and fold in dried cranberries.

Make a circle with the dough (about 8 inches in diameter) and cut into 8 wedges. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 F for approximately 15 minutes.

Variations:

Raisin Scones
Add raisins instead of cranberries and omit orange peel

Lemon-Blueberry Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried blueberries for the raisins.

Cherry-Almond Scones 
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding 1/2 tsp. almond extract to the sour cream mixture and substituting dried cherries for the raisins.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

I made these shells for a buffet meal during the Christmas season but did not post the recipe at that time. We had them for dinner again tonight and I took note of the ingredients.

1 pound (475g) container ricotta cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cloves minced garlic
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano, basil or herbs of choice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients together and set aside

Prepare 8 ounces (250g) large pasta shells according to  package directions. You can also use manicotti or other large tube pasta.

Fill cooked pasta with filling and place in a 9x13 pan. Cover pasta with a pasta sauce of your choice. I have noticed that jars of pasta sauce are getting smaller and I used 1-1/2 jars (650 ml jars) for this recipe quantity. Bake covered at 350F for 30-40 minutes until heated through.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Someone in the household had a craving for something sweet on a Thursday afternoon when the pantry was rather bare. We were completely out of eggs, a fact I did not notice until I started making these muffins. So for an egg replacer I used 2 tablespoons of chia seeds mixed in 1/2 cup of water, which is allowed to thicken for a few minutes. The chia seeds added a nice crunch and the recipe turned out well. Here is the basic recipe. I suppose a couple of teaspoons of poppy seeds could be added for a less expensive crunch, but poppy seeds cannot be used in place of eggs.

The recipe is modified from one in Muffin Mania.

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup milk of choice (I use soy milk)
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
1 egg (or equivalent egg replacer)

Mix dry ingredients and add chocolate chips. Combine wet ingredients and stir into flour mixture until dry ingredients are moistened.

Place in prepared muffin cups and bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until tops are firm.

Greek Yogurt

I posted instructions on making Greek yogurt on Body Soul and Spirit.

Crunchy Green Salad

Lettuce is very pricey right now and this salad combines romaine and less expensive cabbage along with plenty of fruit. It has plenty of crunch and taste!

Salad:

• 6 cups chopped romaine hearts
• 4 cups sliced red or green cabbage(or coleslaw mix)
• 1 large red apple, diced
• 1 large green apple, diced
• 1 mango, peeled, diced
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup cashews

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Slow Cooker Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew

If you enter the words "squash and chickpea Moroccan stew" in Google search, a number of variations of this recipe will pop up. I made this today in the crockpot and it was warm and delicious after an afternoon spent walking on snowy trails. I could not convince The Becka to eat squash even when there were other textures and flavours in the stew. But her dad thinks it is delicious and I do too!

Crush 1 tbsp cumin seeds with mortar and pestle
Dice 2 onions

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a small frying pan and fry onion and cumin until soft.

Place the cooked onion in a crockpot and add

1 large butternut squash, diced
1 28 oz tin diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

Cook on low for 8 hours. About 1/2 an hour before cooking time is over add

2-3 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2-1 cup cut up dried apricots
2 cloves minced garlic
salt to taste ( I didn't need any with canned tomatoes and beans)

Serve with flatbread, over couscous, quinoa or rice. Garnish with cilantro, thick yogurt, sliced almonds and olives as desired.

Butter Dips

One of my Facebook friends posted a picture of her dinner this week which included homemade stew and butter dips. I had never heard of butter dips and Kathie kindly shared her recipe. I always like to make a special treat on Fridays after a week of work and this recipe hit the spot on a late winter afternoon. It is so easy and adaptable.

1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups milk

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In square pan melt butter in oven. Remove pan from oven. Measure dry ingredients into bowl. Add milk. Stir until dough forms.

Turn dough onto flour covered surface. Knead lightly, about 10 times. Roll into 8" square. With large knife cut dough in half then cut each half into nine 4" strips. Dip each strip in melted butter, coating both sides. Arrange in 2 rows in pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe can also be doubled and baked in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Serves as many people as are at your table- anywhere between 2 and 6.

Hey, who ate 1/2 the pan of butter dips?!

 Variation: I used 1/2 c all purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds. I used almond milk and added 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese to the dough. With the addition of a little minced garlic, they would have tasted like Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits.

Sugar Cookies

I made this cookie dough in the food processor and it turned out very well.

Blend in food processor or by hand until light and creamy:

3/4 cup butter, (or 1/2 butter, 1/2 shortening)
3/4 cup sugar

Add:

2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract and process until smooth

Gradually add :

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Dough will form into a ball.

Wrap and chill for a couple of hours or overnight.

Roll to 1/4 inch thickness between parchment paper or on a well floured board and cut into shapes.
Bake at 400F for 6-7 minutes until lightly browned (watch closely)
I made about 4 dozen heart shaped cookies with this recipe.

Potato Pancakes

 

I got my first food processor this Christmas (after 35 years of marriage) and wonder how I did without it for so long. Tonight I grated potatoes and onion for this recipe in just a minute or so. I did not peel the potatoes. The pancakes were delicious and were served with baked fish and steamed vegetables.

Grate: 8 medium potatoes, (leave peel on)

           1 medium onion

Beat : 2 eggs with a whisk until they are frothy and add 

          4 tablespoons of flour

          1 teaspoon salt

Add grated potato and onion to egg and mix well.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and when the pan is hot, fry potatoes until well browned on each side. Flatten the potatoes so the pancakes are quite thin. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked, adding more oil to the pan as necessary.

Makes 12 pancakes.

Serve plain, with applesauce, sour cream, ketchup or other topping of your choice.

Here is an alternate (very easy) version from Mennonite Girls Can Cook

• 3 cups peeled chopped raw potatoes
• 1/2 onion coarsely chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 -1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 green onions (scallions) chopped

1. Put all ingredients but the green onions into blender container. 
2. Cover and blend, stopping to make sure all ingredients are getting chopped. 
3. Push down onions or potatoes with a spatula if necessary. 
4. Continue till blended well. Some coarseness of the potatoes and onions is O.K.
5. Stir in green onions.
6. Pour batter onto hot greased griddle. Brown then flip once to brown the other side.
7. Serve with sour cream and applesauce.

Tortilla Soup

This recipe is adapted from one published in the 2009 Milk Calendar from the Dairy Farmers of Canada. The original recipe calls for chicken and this version is meat-free.

Finely dice:
1 cooking onion
1 red pepper
1 jalapeno pepper

Cook until soft in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil or butter

Sprinkle 2-1/2 tbsp flour on cooked vegetables and stir it in thoroughly. Add

2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tin rinsed black beans
1 cup canned or frozen corn*
Handful of baby or chopped spinach

Cook over medium heat stirring until soup thickens

Add
2-1/2 cups milk of choice and heat through.

Top soup with broken tortilla chips, cilantro, diced tomato, grated cheese, lime juice as desired.

*I did not have corn on hand and added 1 cup of frozen edamame instead. The recipe is very versatile.

Baked whole salmon

We bought a fresh 9 pound salmon for Christmas Eve and wanted to prepare it whole for a buffet supper. I checked a number of websites and found a variety of methods for baking a big fish. The biggest variation was in cooking temperature, with some recommending a very slow oven and others a hot oven for a short period of time. In the end, the salmon was absolutely delicious, moist and tender. This is how we did it:

Cut a large peice of foil to completely wrap the fish. Lay it flat and grease it with butter. Place the fish in the foil and fill the cavity with chopped onion, thinly sliced lemon, chopped parsley or cilantro, a few peppercorns and any other herb or vegetable to want for flavouring the fish. Sprinkle the cavity with salt. Stand the fish on its bottom and curve the tail end so it fits in the pan. Sprinkle a little salt on the outside and place sliced onions, lemons, etc on the outside of the fish. Tightly seal the foil so no steam will escape during cooking.

Place in an oven at 325F and bake for approximately 15 minutes per pound. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be around 145F. When salmon is still hot, remove the skin. Place on a platter when ready to serve and garnish as desired.

This YouTube video was very helpful although I did not cook our fish at such a high temperature.

Black Bean Brownies

These brownies are lower fat, high fiber and gluten-free. And they taste good too!

Combine in food processor bowl:

• 2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained (one tin)
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp butter or oil
• 1 tsp instant coffee (optional- we do not prefer this)
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup brown sugar or sweetener of choice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda (optional if you want a cake-like brownie)

Process for 2 minutes until smooth. Put into a greased 8 inch square pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350 F. Sprinkle with chocolate chips before baking if desired.

Serving Size: 1 (42 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 16

Amount Per Serving

 

Calories 102.6

Total Fat 3.7 g

Sodium 23.3 mg (without baking powder and baking soda)

Potassium 104.1 mg

Magnesium 21.7 mg

Total Carbohydrate 14.9 g (with sugar)

Dietary Fiber 2.1 g

Protein 3.2 g

Barley Pilaf

We went out for dinner last night and I had a delicious vegetarian meal at a restaurant best known for its schnitzel and German cuisine. The chef made me a phyllo-wrapped mushroom pastry that was out of this world (must figure out how to make it) and served it on a bed of creamy barley. Our newspaper featured a barley stew this week and I modified it slightly as follows:-

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium yellow onions, diced
28-ounce can chopped tomatoes ( I would use no-salt tomatoes next time)
5 ml dried thyme and basil
1 litre (4 cups) vegetable broth
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) pearl barley
341-ml (12-oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
140 g (5 oz) fresh baby spinach
2 diced portabella mushrooms
250 ml (1 cup) water
Ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large saucepan over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, broth, and barley, then bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to cook until the barley is tender, about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the mushrooms about half way through the cooking time. Stir in the roasted red peppers, baby spinach and water. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Serves 6.

Garnish with sliced olives if desired.

Energy Bars

I enjoy a variety of LÄRABAR products, especially their peanut butter and chocolate varieties. At $2.00 a bar, they are pricey and I usually get them in larger boxes where the price works out to about  $1.00 a piece. I got a food processor for Christmas, the first one I have ever owned. I have made a couple of LÄRABAR type squares and they turned out well. The measurements are approximate and can be adjusted until the right consistency is obtained.

Chocolate Bars:

Combine in a food processor and process until a paste:

1 cup dates ( I covered them with boiling water for 5 minutes because they were very hard)
1/2 cup whole raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnut pieces
2-3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a few dark chocolate chocolate chips

Press into a 8 inch square pan. Cut into squares or bars. I put the pan in the freezer for 1/2 hour before cutting them.

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

3/4 cup dates
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Process until you reach a paste consistency. You may need to add a little water during the processing if it is too dry.

For other ideas, check out this website.

Black Forest Trifle

This light trifle has only 1/2 cup of sugar in the entire recipe and except for the whipped cream is very low fat.

Cake: Make a hot milk sponge cake following the variation with the cocoa. Use 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of Splenda in the cake. ( I used whole wheat flour for the cake but would not recommend that unless you are make trifle as pudding moistens the cake)

Fruit: I used 2 cups of sour pitted cherries which I froze in the summer. Thaw the cherries, add 1-1/2 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/2 c Splenda to the juice and cook in the microwave stirring frequently until thickened. You could use sliced fresh fruit like strawberries or canned fruit instead.

Pudding: Make a single recipe of chocolate pudding following the variation of blanc mange with the cocoa. I used Splenda to sweeten the pudding. You could also make an instant no-sugar chocolate pudding.

Whipped Cream: Whip 250-500 ml (1-2 cups) of heavy cream with 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/4 c Spenda until soft peaks form. I don't use Cool Whip or other fake creams but feel free to do so if you like them.

Assemble Trifle: Place 1/2 the cake on the bottom of the trifle bowl. Add half the pudding and fruit. Top with half the whipped cream if using the larger amount. Repeat layers ending with whipped cream. I grated one small square of 70% cocoa dark chocolate on top and added 2 fresh cherries for garnish. Let it sit a few hours before serving.

Trifle is very easy to make and the type of cake, pudding, and fruit used can be changed easily. You can make all parts of the recipe with sugar and higher fat ingredients if you wish.