BAKED HALIBUT

Some people might say you don't need to dress up a piece of halibut and it doesn't require much in the way of preparation and cooking.  I agree but I also like to have some variety and this recipe provides another way to cook halibut.  You could use other fish besides halibut.  Other than the halibut, the ingredients are standard staples that many would have in their fridge or cupboards.  Both the DH and I enjoyed this meal.

Fillet on parchment paper.

Topping is applied to the fish.

Just out of the oven and ready to serve.

Baked Halibut              

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp diced onion

dash of ground cayenne pepper

1 pound halibut steaks

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

In a bowl, mix the cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, flour, lemon juice, onion, and cayenne pepper.

Arrange the halibut steaks in the prepared baking dish, and cover with the cheese mixture.

Bake 10 minutes at 425 and then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Modified from allrecipes.com

PASTA e FAGIOLI

There are many recipes for pasta e fagioli which is a classic soup of beans, pasta, tomatoes and vegetables. The vegetables in this recipe can be interchanged with others depending on your preference.  For example you can add carrots and or fresh green beans.  I used frozen grape tomatoes instead of fresh or canned tomatoes.  The traditional pasta that is used in this recipe is ditalini but I used another dried short pasta.  I cooked the pasta separately from the soup as I didn't want to overcook the pasta.  Cooking them separately worked well.  With a slice of fresh bread this was supper for me.  I also sprinkled Parmesan cheese on the soup after it was ladled into a bowl.  Both the DH and I enjoyed this bowl of soup.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 small zucchinis, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
6 to 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 to 1 1/2 cups of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp spaghetti sauce
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
6 oz uncooked short pasta
3 cups of cooked beans - cannellini, kidney, or other beans
2 handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a large soup pot to medium high heat.  Saute the onion, garlic, celery and zucchini for 3 to 4 minutes.  If the vegetables are sticking to the pot, add a little bit of water.  Add the chicken stock and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes.

While the soup is on simmer, the pasta can be cooked.  In a separate pot, heat water for pasta to a boil.  Once the water boils, add the pasta.   Cook pasta to al dente.  Drain in a colander.

Add the beans, chopped spinach and Italian seasoning to the soup.  Turn the heat up to medium high.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the pasta and chopped parsley to the soup.    Cook for 2 more minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 8.

LIMA BEAN, GREEN BEAN AND ZUCCHINI SALAD

Using my electric pressure cooker, I cooked up a batch of baby lima beans.  I did presoak them for about four hours before cooking them.  I made about four cups of cooked beans and decided to use some of them to make a bean vegetable salad.  You could include or substitute other vegetables than the ones I used.  Friends and the DH enjoyed this salad as did I.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups cooked baby lima beans
2 cups cooked green beans, chopped
1 fresh zucchini, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 tbsp basil pesto
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium size bowl mix all of the ingredients.  Serves 4.

FISH, BABY POTATOES AND ONIONS

I like to make one pan or one pot meals for supper sometimes.  It provides variety and can be less complicated.  You can make this meal in 30 minutes and you don't have to clean many pots, mixing bowls or utensils.  I used tilapia fish in this recipe but salmon, halibut or cod would also be a good choice.  The photo doesn't do the recipe any justice and it does taste good.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4-5 baby potatoes, thinly sliced
1 coloured pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
4 small tomatoes
2 filets, tilapia or other fish, cut into small chunks
1/2 tsp dried dill

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a large frying pan with olive oil.  Add the onions, garlic, carrots and potatoes.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cook for 10 minutes and stir a few times.  If the vegetables are sticking to the pan, add a little bit of water.  Add the pepper, tomatoes, fish and dill.  Combine with the other vegetables.  Cook for another 5 to 8 minutes.   Serves 2 to 3.

GLAZED BRUSSEL SROUTS

These hoisin glazed brussel sprouts make a great side dish to any meal.  I made them as a side dish along with other vegetables for a recent supper.  We had several friends over for supper and even though I hadn't made this dish before, looking at the ingredients did not make me question whether this dish would be tasty or a bad experiment being tested on friends.  Everyone enjoyed the brussel sprouts and the sauce mixture with the onions, garlic and ginger was a great combination.   This recipe is a keeper.

Brussel sprouts cooking in the fry pan.

All of the sauce has been added and just about ready to serve.

Finished product.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound brussel sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmed and sliced in half length wise
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp rice vinegar, seasoned or regular
2 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:

Using a steam rack in a pot or other kitchen appliances you may have to steam vegetables, steam the brussel sprouts for five minutes on medium heat.  Remove and let cool while you start the next steps.

Whisk the rice vinegar, soy sauce and hoisin sauce in a small bowl, set aside.  Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan.  Add the onions and saute for 4 to 5 minutes on medium high heat to brown them.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the ginger, garlic and brussel sprouts to the pan.  Toss the ingredients to combine them and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  The brussel sprouts should start to brown.

Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce and hoisin sauce mixture to the brussel sprouts and combine.  Cook for 1 to 2 minutes and watch that the sauce doesn't start to stick to the pan.  Drizzle with the sesame oil, turn off the heat and serve.  Serves 4.

Modified from simplyrecipes.com

KASHA SALAD

I hadn't cooked kasha in a long time and decided to make it as a way to expand my repertoire of grains.  I grew up eating kasha and bowtie noodles so I have fond memories of kasha.   This salad reminds me of a tabbouleh salad.  You can make a number of variations with it including adding chickpeas which some tabbouleh salads include.  I didn't have fresh mint so I used cilantro.  I also used zucchini instead of cucumber.

Instead of kasha, you can substitute 1 cup of quinoa, bulgur wheat, or any whole grain and cook it in the amount of water appropriate to the grain.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup buckwheat kasha, medium coarseness

2 cups vegetable broth


2 medium tomatoes, chopped


2 green onions, thinly sliced


1/2 cup parsley, chopped


1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped


1/2 coloured bell pepper, chopped


1/2 large cucumber peeled, seeded and cubed OR 1 small zucchini, finely chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp agave nectar

1tbsp sweet chili sauce 

DIRECTIONS:

Heat 2 cups of vegetable broth (or heat water and add vegetable bouillon).  While you're waiting for it to come to a boil, toast the kasha in a large, dry saucepan for about 3 minutes, or until it releases a nutty aroma.  When the broth reaches a boil, add it carefully to the kasha. Cover and turn the heat very low.  Cook until kasha is tender and all liquid is absorbed, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff, and allow to cool.  Kasha can be refrigerated and stored overnight, if necessary.



Add all chopped vegetables to the kasha.  Mix the lemon juice and remaining ingredients well and add them to the kasha, stirring so that the dressing is distributed evenly.  Serves 8


Adapted and modified from blog.fatfreevegan.com


SALMON GINGER GARLIC MARINADE

There are many variations of marinades for salmon.  I like this one as it includes fresh garlic and ginger.   You have to be careful to not over marinate fish as the acid or salt in the marinade ingredients will start to cook the fish.  I used over 2 pounds of salmon but I didn't increase the quantity of ingredients other than adding more garlic.

Salmon baked with the marinade.

INGREDIENTS:

4 to 6 salmon fillets or steaks (2 pounds)

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 scallions/green onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Mix oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, and ginger to make a marinade, pour over salmon and marinate for one hour in the refrigerator.  I used a zip lock bag for marinating the salmon.  You can pour the marinade over the salmon and then bake the fish in a baking dish.

Grill, bake or grill salmon for about 15 to 20 minutes or until done.  The time depends on how you are cooking the salmon and the temperature.  I baked the salmon at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes as I put all of the fish into one baking dish and it was densely packed.

Modified from http://www.food.com/

FENNEL SALAD WITH ORANGE

During this time of year we usually consume a fair number of naval oranges from California.  The combination of fennel and oranges is wonderful and adding fresh parsley and cilantro helps add more flavour to the dish.  This is a wonderful salad and will keep for two days in the fridge.  I have kept it in the fridge for three days when I have made a big batch.

INGREDIENTS:

1 fennel bulb, sliced very thinly
grated rind from half an orange
orange segments and juice from half a large orange
2 tbsp olive oil
handful of parsley, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp marmelade

DIRECTIONS:

Into a medium size bowl combine all of the ingredients.  Chill or serve right away.  Serves 4.

THREE BEAN CHILI

This chili is a bit different than most as it contains both cocoa and cinnamon.  I have used cocoa in the past when making chili but this was the first for adding cinnamon.   This recipe calls for kidney and black beans and chickpeas.  I am sure you can improvise with other beans based on what you have in your pantry.  I didn't add corn to the chili as I didn't have any in the house.  I also did not add cayenne pepper but added medium hot salsa instead of tomato paste and the heat from the salsa was enough.  You could add more chili powder but I found one tablespoon to be enough.  I did like the taste of cinnamon in the chill and both the DH and I enjoyed having a bowl of chili for a weekend lunch.  The recipe makes a big pot so I will have chili for lunches this week.

Starting to saute onion, garlic and pepper.

All ingredients have been added and now ready to simmer for the next 45 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp oil
2 medium size onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large or 3 small celery stalks, chopped
1 1/2 coloured peppers, chopped
1 can (19 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (19 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes or 8 frozen tomatoes
2 large carrots, chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen (optional)
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste or 1/3 cup salsa
ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, celery and peppers and saute for 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes.  Serves 8.

Adapted/modified from The Plant-Based Power Diet by Leslie Beck

LENTIL RICE CASSEROLE

I made this casserole for supper one evening.  My intentions were to also have leftovers for work lunches.  I didn't double the ingredients but used 1.5 times what was called for in order to have enough leftovers for several lunches.  For the ingredient of white wine/lemon juice, I used a combination of cooking wine and lemon juice.  I quite enjoyed this casserole and so did the DH.  I also like it as an alternative to having soup for lunches.

Mixing all of the ingredients together prior to baking.

Out of the oven with melted cheese on top.

A serving of the casserole in a bowl ready to eat.

LENTIL RICE CASSSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups vegetable or chicken stock

½ cup green lentils

½ cup uncooked brown rice

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut up tomatoes or stewed tomatoes

½ cup white wine or lemon juice

1 medium sized onion, chopped

6 mushrooms, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp dried basil

1/2 cup cheese, shredded (optional)

ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.   Into a 6 cup casserole dish combine all of the ingredients except the cheese.   Bake covered for 90 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times.  If your casserole dish does not have a lid, you can use tin foil.   Serves 4.

An option at the end of baking is to remove the lid/cover and sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese and bake for 5 minutes.

Adapted from “The Plant Based Power Diet” by Leslie Beck