Category Archives: Recipes

Shrimp, Mango & Avocado Salad Cups

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I was given, by a very lovely lady at my old apartment building, a cookbook called Yum and Yummer, by Greta Podleski, a Canadian author of four very successful healthy eating cookbooks. She and her sister, Janet, created the Looneyspoons cookbooks and I must say they are the BEST cookbooks! Fun to read, exciting pictures of fabulous food and delicious, easy-to-follow recipes for a beginner cook.

I found this recipe and have tried it, but neglected to take my own picture (in reality, her picture looks a lot better than mine would have) and it was so delicious I wanted to share!

Dressing
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. liquid honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. grated lime zest
1/4 tsp. each sea salt and ground pepper
1/8 tsp. each ground cumin and chili powder

Salad
1 lb (454 grams) large cooked shrimp, chopped (about 25-30 per pound)
2 medium mangos, cubed
1 large or 2 small avocados, cubed
1 cup peeled, diced English cucumbers
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
2/3 cup green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together all dressing ingredients, refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix gently to avoid mashing the avocado. Give dressing a quick whisk and add to salad. Mix gently until salad is coated with dressing. Add more salt and pepper if desired.

Divide salad among small cups (see photo below) and serve with small spoons. May be served immediately or refrigerated until serving time.

Greta does not recommend using baby shrimp for this recipe. Also, don’t prepare this salad too far ahead of time as avocados tend to turn brown quickly. Fresher is better!

And my own tip – this is great for lunch, and to be honest, I ate it all myself and used a regular plate and a normal sized spoon! I was the only one who liked avocados back home so I had this all to myself! I halved the recipe since I knew it was just for me and it was a perfect sized meal for one !

Photo courtesy of Yum and Yummer, Greta Padleski
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Daily Thought – September 5

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Who likes Rice Krispie Squares? And chocolate? Well this recipe is for you!

Rice Krispie Roll Ups

1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows (10.5 ounce bag)
5 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

Melt butter in saucepan. Add marshmallows. Over low heat, melt the marshmallows. Add Rice Krispies and mix well. Spread evenly into a greased cookie sheet.

In a microwaveable bowl, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave for one minute, remove and stir. If chips are not melted, return for another 30 seconds. Stir until melted. Spread over the Rice Krispies.

Let set in a cool place just until the chocolate sets (if the chocolate hardens, it will be not be easy to roll!)

Loosen all around the edges with a knife or metal spatula. Starting on the long side, start to roll. If desired, decorate with sprinkles.

Tip: Roll up in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Take out and slice. It’s much easier to slice when it’s been chilled.

Slice and enjoy!

Steph’s Caprese Salad Bites

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Ciabatta bread

Garlic Butter

Roma tomatoes

Mozzarella cheese

Balsamic reduction

Garlic Aioli

Slice ciabatta bread into thin slices. Brush w garlic butter. Toast until crispy.

Cut Roma tomatoes into thin slices and put on toast.  Top with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Toast again until cheese is starting to melt then take out. If you want add a leaf of fresh basil on top.

Then drizzle balsamic reduction and garlic aioli on top.

Slow Cooker Roast Beef and Leek Sandwiches

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I got this recipe from the Clean Living magazine back in 2013 and still love it to this day! I made Parmesan Asparagus to go with it – which is a simple recipe too!. Clean asparagus, rub some olive oil on them, sprinkle salt and pepper and shaved parmesan on top. Bake for 5 minutes. Delicious with the roast beef!

Ingredients

  • 2 lb lean beef pot roast, eye of round roast or other lean beef roast, trimmed of visible fat
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 4 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed well
  • 8 whole-grain kaiser-style buns, halved through center
  • 4 cups baby arugula

PANTRY STAPLES:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

  1. In a 4- to 6-qt slow cooker, add beef, broth, 1 cup water and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, turning once, until beef is tender and pulls apart easily when tested with a fork. During final 30 minutes of cooking, add leeks, submerging in broth.
  2. Remove beef and transfer to a large bowl; let rest until slightly cooled, about 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred beef into small pieces. Return beef to slow cooker, stirring to coat in broth. Season with salt and pepper, cover and heat until warmed through.
  3. Preheat broiler to high. Place buns on a baking sheet, cut side up, and transfer to top oven rack, about 8 inches from broiler. Toast until light golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. (TIP: Do not leave buns unattended under broiler.) With a slotted spoon, divide beef and leek mixture among bun bottoms. Top with arugula, dividing evenly, and sandwich with bun tops. Serve beef broth jus on the side for dipping.

Stuffed Shells

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I love making pasta dishes and these are a couple of my favourite shells to make. One is lasagna stuffed shells, and the other is crab-spinach shells. I made these tonight for my daughter, her boyfriend and me.

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Cook large shells until just al dente, drain and rinse with cold water.

Cheese filling

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, mashed
mushrooms (as many as you like), chopped into chunks
Butter and olive oil
Ricotta cheese (1 500-ml container)
Cheese (I use mozzarella and cheddar mix), 1 cup shredded

Saute the onion with the butter and olive oil, once nicely browned, add garlic and mushrooms. Cook just until the mushrooms are browned. Put in a big bowl. Add the ricotta cheese and shredded and cheese and mix together until the cheese has melted. Set aside.

For the lasagna shells, brown 1/2 pound ground beef in frying pan after you have cooked the onion mix. Put half the cheese mixure in a bowl and stir in the ground beef.

For the crab meat and spinach mix, take one package of frozen imitation crab meat (run under warm water to loosen it up) and shred the crab meat into a bowl. Add the remaining cheese mixture and stir together. Saute the spinach for about 2 minutes in the frying pan, then stir in with the crab and cheese.

Have two pans ready for the shells. Layer the bottom of each pan with some spaghettie sauce (I use a marina or a can of spaghetti sauce- the choice is yours). Stuff the shells with the two mixtures and place in the pans, using your hands or a spoon. Once all are stuffed, drizzle more sauce over them all, just enough to keep them moist. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with a caesar salad and you have a delicious meal!

Cinnamon Rolls – no yeast

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2 cups flour                                      1 cup cold milk

2 tbsp. sugar                                    1/3 cup butter

4 tsp. baking powder                       1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt                                          3 tsp. cinnamon

1/cup cold butter

Glaze

½ cup icing sugar                                     Milk

In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut cold butter in until crumbly. Make a well in centre.  Pour milk into well. Stir to form soft dough, adding a bit more milk if needed. Turn out on lightly floured board. Knead 8-10 times. Roll into rectangle about 1/3″ thick and 12 inches long.

Cream butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together.  Drop 1 tsp. into each of 12 greased muffin tins.  Spread remaining cinnamon mixture over dough rectangle.  Roll up lengthwise (as a jelly roll).  Cut into 12 slices. Place cut side down in muffin tin.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Turn out on cookie sheet (or tray).

Add enough milk to icing sugar to make a thin glaze. Drizzle over warm rolls.

Daily Thought – August 19

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Wake up every day and have a healthy breakfast – it gets you going for the day and gives you energy! What’s better than french toast and orange juice?

French Toast

Day old French bread, sliced
3 eggs
2 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. white sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
Butter
Maple Syrup
Icing sugar

In a bowl, mix 3 eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon. Heat your frying pan, add a bit of oil and butter. Dip one slice of bread at a time, both sides, with the egg mixture and put in frying pan. When one side is golden brown, flip and cook until done.

Top with a dusting of icing sugar and maple syrup.

This recipe will make 6 to 8 slices of french toast, if you have more bread and not enough egg mixture, just add a bit more milk.

Overnight buns

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1 pkg. quick-rising yeast

½ cup lukewarm water

1 tsp. granulated sugar

½ cup oil

¾ cup granulated sugar

4 eggs, well beaten

2 tsp. salt

2 ½ cups warm water

10 cups flour

At 6pm, dissolve yeast in ½ cup water with 1 tsp. sugar.  Let stand about 12 minutes.  Beat eggs, sugar and salt with oil.  Add warm water and stir in yeast mixture. Work about 10 cups of flour into the mixture, mixing until medium stiff.

Let rise in a greased bowl for 1 hour.  Punch down at 1 hour intervals four times.  Make into rolls and put into greased pans (muffin tins, cake pans –whatever you have!). Cover with a clean dish towel. Bake in the morning at 375◦ for 12 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen rolls.

Cheese Casserole

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When I was married, my ex loved this dish, and as my kids grew older, they loved it 3 . It’s simple, and cheesy, and simply delicious!

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion
6 mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
Pasta (I prefer macaroni, but fusili or penne works too, small noodles are preferable)
1 can tomato soup
3 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup cheddar*
1 cup mozzarella*

Cook your pasta until al dente, strain and put in a 9 x 13 pan (I like to use a glass lasagna pan).

While the pasta is cooking, in a frying pan, saute the onion in oil for 3 minutes, add garlic, saute for another minute and then add mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are soft. Put aside in a bowl. Add ground beef and fry until cooked, add the mushroom mixture back in, and add salt and pepper. Add the can of soup, ketchup and worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the parmesan cheese, and half a cup each of the cheddar and mozzarella. Add the sauce to the pan and mix together. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

**You can alternate with any kind of cheese if you want. I have used gouda, provolone – any mix is great with it. My traditional way is with the cheddar and mozzarella.