Salmon with Mango Salsa

As I mentioned in this post, I'm not a huge fan of the salmon...but I know it's good for me and I do try to make fish at least once a week. Truth be told, though, I'm starting to acquire a taste for it. I certainly don't CRAVE it, don't know if I ever will, but I've found a few ways to make it that taste pretty good to me.

This is one of those recipes. It's based off of a recipe in Fast Healthy Food, a Reader's Digest cookbook.

Quinn really enjoyed it, and didn't balk at the pepper.

Salmon with Mango Salsa



4 salmon fillets
4 teaspoons mixed peppercorns (black, white, green and pink)
Baby new potatoes, scrubbed and halved

Mango Salsa
1 mango, peeled and diced
3 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, soaked in warm, salty water to soften a bit
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
Dash of hot sauce

Check the salmon for pin bones and remove them, rinse the fillets and pat dry.

Crush the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle (or you can use a pepper grinder or spice grinder...but make sure you're getting a coarse grind). Press the peppercorns onto the surface of the salmon and set aside.

Put potatoes on to boil, and cook until done.

Heat a frying pan (cast iron, preferrably, because they just rock).

While pan is heating, grab a medium bowl and toss diced mango and finely chopped green onions into it. Rinse the pink peppercorns you were soaking and coarsely chop them. Throw them, chopped cilantro, lime juice and olive oil into the bowl and give it all a stir. Taste and add a dash or two of hot sauce (or you can eliminate it, if you aren't too keen on it). Set aside.

Salmon cooking time! Lubricate the hot frying pan as necessary so the fish doesn't stick. Fry fish over medium high heat, on one side, for about 4 minutes, flip, and do it up another 4 (or until fish is cooked to your liking).

Serve it up with mango salsa and potatoes.

This recipe serves 4, so adjust as necessary.

Tomato Onion Tart

Don brought some local tomatoes home, so I figured I'd throw together a tomato tart of some sort. Coincidentally, I saw that Food Network Canada had tweeted about this recipe, so I figured I'd try it.

I realized I'd used up all my cornmeal on the anthills outside (don't ask) so I figured I'd substitute whole wheat flour. It was tasty, but a little heavy...cornmeal would have been WAY better. Next time, I'll make sure I use cornmeal.

I'd also use thinly sliced tomato, and seed them first.

Tomato Onion Tart



The Crust

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup freshly grated parmasan
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 olive oil
1/4 cup water
Salt and Pepper

Mix flour, cornmeal, paramasan, and oregano. Add in olive oil and water, mix until just combined, form to a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in fridge to rest about 30 minutes.

The Guts

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
1 large tomato (or a couple of plum tomatoes), sliced thinly
Grated parmasan

Add olive oil to a hot frying pan and caramelize the onions. Once the onions start to turn translucent, turn the heat down and let them brown and sweeten up. stirring only a couple of times as necessary to keep from burning.

In the middle of cooking the onions, preheat oven to 400 and pull out your tart pan. We all have one of those, right? I don't. I used the springform pan I use for my cheesecake.

Put it Together

Pull crust out of the fridge and roll out into an even disk that will fit into your 8" tart pan/whatever you're using with a little lip. I guess you could also roll it to a rectangle and put it on a cookie sheet. You really don't need to make this too complicated.

Spread caramelized onions onto crust, arrange tomato slices atop, and cover with freshly shredded parmasan. I also added a grind or two of pepper...the salt level was good because of the cheese - didn't need to add that. It pays to taste your food before seasoning (learned that the hard way...a few times, sad to say).

Pop into oven for about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes are softened and the exposed crust is golden.

I grabbed some basil from the garden and put that on before serving.

Chai Spiced Pancakes

On those mornings when I don't have the energy to whip up something from scratch, I simply modify a premade buttermilk pancake mix. Usually I just add a bunch of cinnamon and a handful of oats and bake per box instructions, but this morning I wanted to do something else.

I thought I'd give chai pancakes a try...I love chai, and I love pancakes...it's win-win, right?

They turned out pretty good! Maybe next time I'll try to find the black tea I have in the cupboards here from the last time my Mom visited. All the ingredients are things that I had in the cupboard, so adjust as you need to...if you have a cinnamon stick, throw that in instead of ground cinnamon. Have whole cloves? Use those instead of the ground stuff. I happened to have some cardamom pods but I could have just as easily used the ground stuff. The only thing I probably wouldn't substitute is the fresh ginger root for ground, if you can help it.

For the record, I'm sure you could make it a lot simpler and just steep a commercially made chai tea bag in the milk and call it a day, but you wouldn't have the control you do when you mix the flavours yourself...and also, it's just more fun to mix it yourself (if you have the stuff handy)...I like to cackle like a Mad Scientist when I add things to the pot.  It's true!


Chai Pancakes

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick)
8 cardamom pods, cracked open (or, maybe 1/4 tsp ground?)
1/4 tsp ground cloves (or, maybe 6 whole cloves)
1" slice of ginger, roughly chopped
1/8 tsp freshly ground (or cracked) black pepper
(and around 2 tsp black tea leaves if you wish)
Honey
Powdered pancake mix (I use PC Extra-Fluffy & Complete Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix)
Handful of oats

Place milk and water in a small saucepan and heat gently. Don't want to scald this.

Add all the spices (and tea if you're using it) and simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Smells good, right? Taste (trying to avoid the whole hunks of stuff in there) and adjust spices to your taste. I added a squirt of honey to sweeten it up a bit.


Strain mixture.

Place required amount of pancake mix in a medium sized bowl (I just eyeball the amount I need), add oats, and pour warm spiced milk mixture over. Stir and add water as necessary to make batter the right consistency.

Fry those puppies up and enjoy!

Hamburger Hash

As I mentioned in yesterday's Tuna Noodle Casserole post, Hamburger Hash was one of the staples in our home. This dish was also the first thing I ever made for Don and he loved it. It was also the first time I realized that he is of the school that ketchup is a side dish, and I was all offended that he was smothering my food with Leamington's Finest, but that's another story. I'm over it. Really.

Here's the thing...I would imagine something like this would be a pretty universal dish, it's just meat and potatoes,  but I've made it before in other parts of North America and was informed that "We don't eat that here". Is it possible this is just a regional thing? My friend in college used to eat this (she's local). Her family called it "Hamburger Gravy".

Truth be told, it's just lazy-ass shepherds pie, right?

It's easy to make, doesn't take a lot of stuff, and it's relatively cheap. That's All Win in my book.



Hamburger Hash

1 lb ground beef (I prefer extra lean)
Handful frozen corn (or peas, carrots, green beans, whatever)
Beef or mushroom gravy (Bisto or other powdered mix, canned, whatever you can scrounge up)
Potatoes, peeled and chopped
Butter and milk for your mash
Salt and pepper

Put your potatoes on to boil. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the smaller you cut your potatoes, the quicker they are going to cook...and if you cut them evenly, they will cook evenly. Amazing, right?

In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef, drain if necessary, and add the frozen (or fresh) veg. Add gravy and warm everything. Taste and season as needed.

Mash or whip your potatoes with butter, milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, whatever you do. I used butter and a little heavy cream that I had leftover in the fridge. I finished them off with some chives from our garden and some salt and pepper.

Plop your potatoes on the plate and make a well in the centre. Slop some meat and gravy in the well.

Eat, and enjoy :)

What's on the Plate for Next Week?

Every Friday (at least that's the plan), I look at the flyers for inspiration -  and to see what's going on sale - and I plan what we're going to eat. Doing it on Friday makes it less tempting to eat out all weekend which is appealing (who likes to cook and clean up on their days off?) but it adds up. Fast. We do try to go out once a week or so for dinner because we work hard, man...we deserve it!

This isn't set in stone...who knows? The grocery store might not have what I need, or something may come up during the week, but it's nice to have everything I need to make a dish, and planning ahead saves money.

So, here's the plan:

- Salmon with mango salsa and new potatoes
- Steak with mushroom "stew" and mango salad
- Pizza pasta
- Chicken benedict
- Mexican pizza with leek and avocado soup
- Tacos (Don's fave...a weekly requirement)

I have a few things in my fridge left over from last week (leeks, mushrooms, pepperoni...) that I kept in mind while planning. Also, I love mango but never use a whole fruit for any given recipe, so spreading it out over 2 different dishes allows me to eat it and not have to waste the rest!

We try to eat fish at least once a week, and I'm not a huge fan of the fish...unless it's battered and deep fried (which sort of defeats the purpose of eating it for health reasons). I have tried a bunch of different recipes using salmon and tilapia and find that, prepared the right way, I actually enjoy it. I'm excited to try this new concoction!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I don't know anyone whose Mom or Grandma didn't make tuna noodle casserole. It's the ultimate in "dollar stretching meals"...I am pretty sure that this dish, creamed peas on toast, bucketloads of spaghetti, chili, stew, hamburger hash (which we're making tonight) and "garbage soup", completely made up my childhood dinner menu...

..and I swore I would never eat this stuff once I left home, nor would I ever use frozen peas in anything ever again. Aside from the creamed peas on toast, I've changed my mind.

This is a super versatile meal that can include most anything you have on hand, and is quite satisfying.



Tuna Noodle Casserole

1/3 bag eggless whole wheat egg noodles
1 can cream of whatever soup (I think this one is cream of chicken, but cream of mushroom is really good too)
1 can tuna (chunk light packed in water this time...sometimes I'll add 2 cans)
1 yellow pepper, diced
Handful frozen peas
Salt and pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions.

In large microwaveable bowl, mix soup (undiluted), peas and tuna. Pop in microwave until peas are defrosted and mixture is hot. Taste and season accordingly.

Once noodles are done to the desired texture, drain well and mix into soup mixture, adding yellow peppers.

I add the yellow peppers last because I like them crispy in this dish. Do what you want.

You can also (more traditionally), throw the whole mess into a casserole, top with breadcrumbs and cheese or whatever and put it in the oven...but it's summer, and the thought of putting the oven on for 30 minutes is not a welcome one. This is one of those times where I like using the microwave.

If you DO throw the lot in the oven, make sure the noodles are just underdone, so that they finish cooking in the casserole rather than overcooking.

What do you like in your tuna noodle casserole?

Curried Chicken Salad

I've been making this for a while. It's a comforting recipe to me, and I find it's great all year round, for lunch or for dinner. If you're not one for curry, this is a great dish to try. It has a lightly curried flavour...aromatic, warm, I love this...and it's one of Don and Quinn's favourites as well.

It's not the pretties thing to look at, but I urge you to give it a try and let me know how you like it.

Curried Chicken Salad
(makes enough for my brood of 2 plus a wee one, adjust as necessary)

2 chicken skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons curry powder (adjust to your taste)
2 tablespoons grated ginger root
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/2 (or so) diced Granny Smith apple (I leave the peel on)
(other additions that sometimes find their way in include green onion and celery)

Poach chicken breasts by placing them in a saucepan, covering them with cold water, and bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover until the chicken is cooked through (maybe 20 or 30 mins). Cut into bite sized chunks (or pull) and leave to cool.

Mix together yogurt, mayo, lime juice, curry powder, ginger root (I freeze my ginger root, one of the best tips I ever got), parsley, walnuts and apple. Combine with cooled chicken breast pieces and refrigerate.

Serve cold with pita chips, or pita halves (makes great pita pocket sandwiches), in a wrap, or between two pieces of bread.