I came up with this to use the leftover cooked brown rice I had in the fridge.
1 can salmon, drained, bones and yucky skin picked out
1 cup cooked brown rice
handful or two of fresh spinach, roughly torn
Combine in a bowl or plate. Add a splash or two each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Microwave for two to three minutes, until spinach is wilted and everything is heated through. Add a little bit more oil and vinegar or a splash of salad dressing if it is still a bit dry. Serves one.
Fast and easy and wonderful if it is too hot too cook.
Divide among two individual containers a bunch of mixed greens, romaine lettuce (torn) or baby spinach.
Add 1/4 c. each of crumbled blueberry goat cheese (such as Pampered Goat), toasted sliced almonds, and fresh blueberries.
Serve with your favorite salad dressing (I used a Raspberry Vinaigrette.) Makes two and is really, really yummy. This would also be awesome topped with cooked, chopped chicken breasts.
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large egg
1 c. crushed saltine crackers (I used the ones with unsalted tops)
1 package onion soup mix
Mix together, form into small, thin patties. BBQ on medium for 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Makes 12 patties. The onion soup mix adds so much flavor. I just wish there was a low-sodium onion soup mix as I am sodium sensitive. Serve with baked oven fries and the usual accoutrements for burgers.
Red Pepper Jelly or Chutney
4 slices whole grain bread
3 oz. gouda, sliced thin
1 apple, cored & sliced thin
A little margarine or butter
Lightly butter both sides of each sandwich. Then, spread the condiment (jelly or chutney) on the opposite side of two of the slices of bread. Arrange cheese and apple on top of bread with the chutney or pepper spread. Cover with remaining slice of bread. [Butter side up] Press firmly down. Repeat with remaining bread, cheese and apples such that you have two sandwiches. Heat a non stick pan over medium heat. Cook 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Slice and serve. Makes two sandwiches.
I needed to clean out my freezer of frozen bits of this and that. Voila, “Hodge Podge” was born! This was fast to prepare but took a while to fully cook.
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 uncooked orzo pasta
4 cups beef broth
1/2 c. pizza sauce
1 small can green chilies
1 tsp each rosemary, basil, Italian Herb blend, powdered garlic
1 Bay leaf
salt and pepper
1/2 c. each frozen peas and corn
1 c. each cooked and chopped ham and roast beef
Brown celery and onion in a bit of oil in a large pot. Add the next 8 ingredients (carrot through to salt and pepper) and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook until vegetables and pasta are tender. Stir in frozen peas, corn, and meat. Cook until everything is heated through. Oops I forgot to time the cooking! My bad – and why I’ll never get a cook book deal – I’m too fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants when I cook. I’d say about 30 minutes cooking time, all together.
2 Italian sausages or one “Mennonite” sausage (Spolombo’s sausages are gluten free)
2 – 3 tsps. minced garlic
2 onions, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 19 oz. can lentils, rinsed and drained
2 19 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
8 T. uncooked rice
Remove casing from sausages if necessary and cook in skillet over medium heat. Drain fat. Add the rest of ingredients to the skillet (if it’s big enough, otherwise transfer sausages to a soup pot and add rest of ingredients to that container.) Simmer 10 – 15 minutes until vegetables are tender and the rice is cooked. Serves 8.
We needed to clean out our fridge so I decided to make chili. Some of these measurements are approximate. I didn’t have any yellow onions, but you could add 1 onion, chopped and brown it with the pepper, celery and mushrooms.
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
approximately 6 – 7 mushrooms, sliced
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1 cooked spicy chicken sausage, chopped
1/2 lb. cooked ground beef
1 19 oz. can tomatoes
1 19 oz. can lentils, rinsed and drained
1 – 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 c. each salsa and ketchup
a lot of chili powder went in by accident – I’m guessing about 3 T.
1 tsp. each (approximately) cumin, garlic powder, dried onion bits, italian seasoning blend and ground pepper
shake of cinnamon
1 tsp. cocoa powder
Brown the pepper, celery and mushrooms. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serves 4 – 6.
Chicken breasts and salmon filets or salmon burgers are my go-to items when I am not up to cooking. Each of these items take about 20-25 minutes to cook.
Frozen boneless skinless breasts take approximately 25 minutes to fry from frozen. Add a bit of oil to a frying pan, place breasts in a single layer, cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Then turn over and cook an additional 10 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve with buns and frozen vegetables that have been cooked in the microwave, or raw baby carrots.
Alternatively, purchase a box of frozen pre-cooked, breaded chicken breasts. These re-heat in about 20 minutes in the oven at 425 F. Turn over after 10 minutes.
A favorite easy meal for us is salmon burgers and fries. Use low-fat fries. Preheat oven to 400. Place salmon burgers and fries on a cookie sheet. Cook in oven 10 minutes, then turn fries and burgers over, return to oven and cook another 10 minutes. Remove salmon burgers and keep warm. Return fries to oven and cook another 10 minutes or until crisp. Serve with buns, raw vegetables and dip or cooked frozen vegetables. *Salmon Burgers are good with plum sauce!
Outside our front door
The weather outside is truly frightful. -30C with the windchill. Goody. Cold can make my chronic pain flare, in part from the “shoulder hunch” – you know the look, shoulders hanging off the ears to ward off the chill. A drafty house doesn’t help. I’ve moved my laptop in front of the fireplace.
Here’s a go-to soup we make often. We’ve taken it on winter car picnics like the time we went to visit the ice sculptures at Lake Louise, Alberta. A thermos of soup, a thermos of hot chocolate and some buns were our repast that day. We also take it in our RV in the summer (made ahead) for our first night when we’re busy getting set up at our campsite. It makes a fast, filling supper or lunch, requiring only buns to complete the meal. Great for potlucks too.
1 lb. lean or extra lean ground beef, browned
2 large cans Habitat vegetable or minestrone soup
Combine in a large pot and heat until steamy. Serves about 4.
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