Garlic Herb Shrimp

No need to look any further. You found the best shrimp recipe right here!

Ingredients:
1  1/2 lbs shrimp (20/30 count)
2 tbsps minced garlic
2 tsps smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsps lemon juice
1/4 cup olive
1 tbsp brown sugar

Begin by removing the tails from the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.

Mix the remaining ingredients together, reserving 3-4 tbsps for later.

If using wooden skewers soak them in water for 15 minutes. Then skewer the shrimp and spoon on the marinade. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Discard the excess marinade and grill the shrimp 5-6 minutes brushing on the reserved marinade in the last minute.

Serve with sliced lemon and enjoy!
Serves 4 

Chicken Chop Suey

Super quick weeknight meal packed with lots of good stuff for you!  Using chicken instead of beef means less cholesterol and saturated fat, so good for your heart. And all those bean sprouts are high in fibre as well as high in choline, a B vitamin important for a healthy liver.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken
salt and pepper to taste
2 onions, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
300 g (about 2 cups) snow peas
370 g pkg bean sprouts
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soya sauce or tamari
2 tbsps cornstarch

In a large skillet or wok brown the ground chicken until no pink remains, add salt and pepper here, then add the onion, celery and carrots cut in thick slices. Cook on medium high 5 minutes.

Next add the garlic, ginger, snow peas and bean sprouts. Toss together and cook 3-4 minutes.

And finally make a well in the center of the pan. Whisk together the chicken broth, soya or tamari and cornstarch and immediately pour into the well then stir through the meat and veggies. Cook on medium a minute or two until thickened enough to coat everything.

This meal has a lot going for it so what are you waiting for?
Get cooking! Chop chop!!!

Serves 4

Italian Stuffed Tomatoes with Orzo

Such a tasty way to use the abundance of fresh garden tomatoes at the end of the summer. Traditionally stuffed with rice, but I find orzo makes it a lighter dish.

Ingredients:
6-8 tomatoes
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup orzo
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp dry oregano
2 tbsps fresh chopped basil
3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1-2 tbsps olive oil

Cut the tops off the tomatoes and set them aside. Cut around the flesh then scoop it out with a spoon. Separate the flesh from the seeds in a colander or strainer over a bowl...

then strain out the seeds and keep the juice. Chop the flesh.

Cook the orzo as directed on the package then mix in the chopped tomato, tomato juice, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

Finally add the parmesan and ground beef, breaking up the meat so it's well combined with the rest of the ingredients. Spoon the mixture into the tomato cups and top with their lids. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake at 325 F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Served here with some sautéed garden kale. A large handful of kale, coarsely chopped and tossed in a fry pan with 2 garlic cloves (minced), 2 tbsps olive oil, pinch red pepper flakes, 1 tsp lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Sheet Pan Sweet Chili Salmon and Vegetables

You don't even have to plan ahead for this one, just grab some salmon fillets and mixed veggies from the freezer and have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients:
4 salmon fillets (frozen)
3 cups mixed frozen vegetables
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup tamari
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp lemon juice
pinch red pepper flakes

Line a baking sheet with parchment, place the frozen salmon down the middle and surround it with frozen vegetables. I used a chunky Oriental mix here.

Mix the sweet chili sauce, tamari, grated ginger, lemon juice and pepper flakes together. Reserve 1/4 cup and spoon the rest over both the salmon and the veggies.

Cover loosely with foil and bake in a 375 F oven for 20 minutes then uncover and broil 5-7 minutes.

Brush the reserved sauce over the fish.

Serve with lemon slices and chopped herbs.
I had fragrant edible lemon geranium and orange thyme : )
But nice fresh parsley will work.

Serves 4
and cleanup was a breeze! 

Loaded Taco Zucchini Boats

Here's a twist on taco night. These zucchini boats are easy to make and loaded with flavour! And they are freezer-friendly.

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchinis
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup white kidney beans
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped sweet pepper
Chopped zucchini flesh
1/2 cup broth (beef, chicken or veg)
1/2 cup salsa
1 tsp taco seasoning (more if you like it spicy!)
some chopped greens (kale, spinach, arugula)
1 cup shredded mozzarella or monterey jack cheese
sour cream to serve

Begin by cutting cross marks in the halved zucchini leaving 1/4" of flesh on the boats. Spoon out the zucchini, chop and set aside.

Brown the beef in a large skillet with the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, sweet pepper and taco seasoning.

(If you want to go all-veggie skip the meat and add more beans.)

Cook until there is no pink  left on the meat and the veggies are tender. Add the broth, salsa, chopped zucchini and beans. You could use red kidney beans, black beans or even chickpeas. Toss in the chopped greens, bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced.

Spoon the filling into the boats and if there's any leftover you can stuff it into sweet pepper halves or hollowed tomatoes.

Bake in a covered baking dish in a 400 F oven for 25 minutes.

Then remove from oven, uncover, top with cheese and return to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.  And don't forget...eat the peel and all!

Rigatoni with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Sausage

It's that time of year when you start to wonder what else you can do with zucchini! And all those cherry tomatoes in the garden! And if you're lucky and the July heat didn't dry them up then you've got some nice fresh basil. 

Ingredients:
1 lb rigatoni
1 cup reserved pasta water
3 tbsps olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb sausage (mild or hot Italian, bacon cheddar, veggie)
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsps tomato paste
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 or 2 kale leaves, finely chopped
1 handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn
some fresh thyme
parmesan to serve

In a large skillet heat the olive oil, toss in the sliced sausages and break them up a bit as they cook. As you can see I used a mixture of different flavoured sausages, but use your fave. Add the chopped onion and red pepper flakes and cook until the onion is soft and there is no pink left on the meat. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the tomato paste, broth, balsamic vinegar and cherry tomatoes and cook about 10 minutes. You can puncture some of the tomatoes with a knife to help them release their juices.

While this is happening get the rigatoni cooking and reserve a cup of the pasta water.

Add the kale, basil and thyme along with the diced zucchini... 

and cook for 5 minutes.

When the pasta is cooked, reserve some water then drain. Toss pasta and sausage mixture together and just add a little of the water for the saucy consistency you like. You probably won't use the whole reserved cup.

Plate with some more fresh basil

Serves 6-8 (Yes it was THAT good !)

Sandwich Bread and Butter Pickles

We received these cucumbers from a neighbour who moved away to a place where she has a humongous garden! And she grew these humongous cucs! 

Because they are so big I knew they wouldn't make crispy good dills so why not bread and butter pickles to top a hamburger or stuff in a sub?!

Ingredients:
3 lbs cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup salt
2 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp pickling spice
4 allspice berries
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dill seed

I actually only used 3 of the 4 cucs pictured below for this recipe, they were just soooo BIG!

I cut the cucumbers very thinly because of their thick skin. If you use younger cucs they don't have to be cut paper-thin.

Place the cucs and onion slices in a large bowl, pour the salt in then add water enough to cover. Refrigerate 6-24 hours.

Then rinse and drain them in a colander. Place them in a large pot and add the sugar and all the spices. Pour the apple cider vinegar in, stir and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium high heat for 10 minutes.

While they are cooking sterilize some jars. Boil water then pour into jars with a piece of cutlery in each to absorb the heat. Sit lids in boiling water as well. 

Then when the pickles are ready empty the water and fill each jar with pickles and some juice. I like using a wide-mouth funnel for this job but you don't have to. Put the lids on just finger tight.

Process in a hot water bath...boil water in a stock pot and carefully place the jars in making sure the water is above the lids. Boil for 20 minutes then again carefully remove them to cool on the counter. The lids should pop down and seal within a little while. Check after 24 hours and store on the shelf for 1 year (if they last that long!!) If they don't seal then re-do the whole process or just store them in the refrigerator.

Makes 3 - 16 oz (500 ml) jars

Garlic and Thyme Grilled Chicken

This is wonderfully marinated to give you a flavourful and tender piece of chicken. And the bone-in keeps it moist. 

Ingredients:
4 chicken legs, divided and with skin removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsps olive oil
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsps dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Separate the chicken legs at the joint and if they are not already skinless then remove the skin and any fat pockets. Place in a large casserole dish or plastic bag.

Combine all of the ingredients together and coat each piece of chicken.

Marinate in the fridge for 4 to 24 hours.

Heat the barbecue to 350F, remove from marinade and grill for 40-45 minutes.

The seasonings envelop the chicken for great flavour in every bite!