Magic Martinis

This is a great cocktail to enjoy on the patio on a warm summer night! This recipe makes about 6 martinis. The sambucca adds a nice sweetness with a subtle licorice flavour.

Ingredients:

2 cups low calorie 100% cranberry juice sweetened with sucralose
1 cup vodka
10 ice cubes
1/4 cup lime juice
2 shots of sambucca

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Process on low/ice crush for about 15 seconds.
2. Pour into chilled martini glasses & enjoy!

Corn Pineapple and Red Pepper Relish

This relish is great served cold in the summer as an accompaniment to salmon fillets. In the winter you can serve it hot beside pork chops. This recipe makes about 2 cups of relish.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cream-style corn
3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red bell pepper
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until heated through.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. Transfer to a bowl and cool in refrigerator, covered, until ready to serve (or just serve warm).

Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade

I was in a shop today and I saw a small jar of sun-dried tomato tapenade but it cost a small fortune. This recipe is full of fresh ingredients and no additives. It is great to spread on some crackers or on your favourite fresh bread---try some Italian or French stick, or even inside a wrap to flavour things up a bit! This will make about 2 cups.

Ingredients:

2 cups sun-dried tomato, drained (reserve oil)
4 medium cloves of garlic, peeled
2 heaping tbsps capers packed in brine, drained
2 tsps dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 tbsps of reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes & 4 tbsps of olive oil infused with chili peppers and rosemary (see my recipe from earlier this month---this stuff is great to have on hand to spice up a recipe easily)
2 tbsps red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in food processor and chop into a coarse puree. Taste and add more seasoning or oil if needed, stirring in extras by hand to avoid over-processing.
2. Scrape into a bowl and store, covered, in refrigerator .

Pineapple-Cheddar Cornbread

The various dishes at our book club meeting were a huge success. We had a cold avacado soup; a peruvian pot roast with a wonderful cumin infused gravy; empanadas; a bean salad (with some steamed asparagus--but you have to read the book "Love in the Time of Cholera" to understand that one); vegetarian lasagna; cornbread; my Colombian rice and shrimp; and finally to finish off the meal, a traditional cake. This recipe for cornbread is fabulous---you've never had cornbread this delicious (and full of calories I would imagine). I halved the recipe and baked it for 40 minutes in a glass loaf pan. I also added a teaspoon of dried red chili peppers to give it some "heat". The recipe below is for the full 12 servings. Serve it warm; enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 14oz can cream-style corn
1 8oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup (4 oz) cheddar or monterey jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F; grease and flour 2 qt rectangular baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder & salt.
3. In large bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture on low speed until just combined. Stir in corn, drained pineapple and cheese. Spoon batter into prepared baking dish.
4. Bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Colombian Rice with Shrimp (Arroz con Camarones)

I made this recipe to take to my bookclub meeting today. We read the book "Love in the Time of Cholera" and it is set in a Latin American country, believed to be Colombia, so everyone brought a dish along that theme. This recipe makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh shrimp
7 cups water/liquid, including 1/4 cup of lime juice
2 cups brown rice
4 tbsps olive oil,divided
2 tbsps butter or olivina
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp dried red chili peppers
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin, divided
1 can tomato paste
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Marinate shrimps, for at least one hour, in 1/2 each of olive oil, salt and pepper, cumin, and all of the garlic and chili peppers.
2. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium high heat & add the marinated shrimp, along with all of the marinade. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the shrimp is pink.
3. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and set the liquid aside for later.
4. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook for 1 minute; add the red pepper and cook for 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook for 1 minute; add the tomato. Stir well and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add the rice to the tomato mixture, stirring until well coated. Add the liquid that was used to cook the shrimp, plus 1/4 cup lime juice and enough water so that the total liquid equals 7 cups. Stir in the tomato paste, remaining ground cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

Mango Salad

This mango salad is a wonderful & easily made accompaniment to any meal. I served it alongside roasted strips of chicken and steamed baby bok choy. Make some extras as it will last well in the refrigerator until the next day as leftovers. Be sure to use mangos that are not quite ripe (green skins) as they hold together much better than the ripe ones.

Ingredients:

2 firm mango, sliced into thin strips
1/2 purple onion, sliced into thin strips
1 sweet red pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 cloves of garlic, flattened and chopped finely (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Combine all ingredients, except blueberries and cranberries, in a salad bowl. Toss lightly.
2. When ready to serve, sprinkle with blueberries and cranberries.

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

If you made enough leftover Roasted Root Vegetables from yesterday's recipe, this soup can be made up in a snap, otherwise you will have to start from scratch by roasting the vegetables as per recipe directions from yesterday. Because they were made with chili pepper and rosemary infused olive oil, there is little extra spices to add to make the soup today. Just get some fresh artisan bread---olive ciabatta is great with this soup---and dunk away! This makes about four servings.

Ingredients:

Roasted root vegetables as per yesterday's recipe (about four cups)
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth--low sodium
2 cloves fresh garlic, mashed and chopped (of 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsps dried basil

1. Add all ingredients, except basil, to food processor and puree until well blended.
2. Place in a medium sized heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid.
3. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes.
4. Reduce heat to low; add basil and stir.
5. Cover and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes---if soup is too thick, add more stock or water and reheat. Ladle into large bowls and serve with artisan bread.

Roasted Root Vegetables

I love this recipe, because it is a one dish wonder and is packed with vitamins and fibre. Do not peel the vegetables, because that is where the main source of fibre comes from! If you are using beets, note that the colour of the beets will also colour the other vegetables. If that bothers you, cook the beets in a separate pan. I add sweet red peppers to compliment the root vegetables. I usually make this dish to go with oven grilled salmon fillets. This recipe makes enough for about 4 servings, but if you make enough for leftovers you can make a fabulous soup, which is my recipe for tomorrow!!

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsps olive oil infused with chili peppers and rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
2 medium sized beets, washed well and cut into 2 inch squares
2 medium sized carrots, washed well and cut into 2 inch rings
1 large sweet potatoe, washed well and cut into 2 inch squares
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped into large chunks
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 400F.
Place all vegetables, including onion, in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with infused olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss well to coat. Roast, uncovered, for about 35 minutes, tossing once after 20 minutes.

olive oil infused with chili peppers and rosemary

This oil makes cooking so easy and adds a delicious flavour to any meal. It is also great to just poor a tbsp on a plate and soak it up with fresh bread of your choice. You need a glass bottle with a good stopper to seal it.

Ingredients:

2 cups good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsps dried red chili peppers
1 tbsp dried rosemary

1. Combine all ingredients in glass bottle. Place stopper on top and shake well.
2. Allow to sit at room temperature, sealed, for at least one week. Depending on how intense you want the flavouring you can leave it for up to 2 weeks.
3. Strain out the chili peppers and rosemary. Return oil to bottle, seal with stopper and refrigerate to stop the oil from going rancid.

Cranberry Walnut Breakfast Cookies

These cookies are great to grab as an easy breakfast as you rush out the door, or to pack as a quick after-workout snack for the gym. They are very healthy and full of fibre.This recipe makes about 24 cookies. You can make the cookies larger if you wish, then bake for about 19 minutes and you will get about 18 cookies.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsps olive or sunflower oil
3 egg whites, or 1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup low fat, plain yoghurt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried dates, chopped

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup 100% whole grain large flake oats
1/3 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup oatmeal crisp cereal, crushed
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly oil.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, oil, egg and yoghurt and whisk well. Stir in cranberries & chopped dried dates.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
4. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture a bit at a time and stir after each addition until just combined. At this point, if the mixture is too dry, you can stir in a little more yoghurt.
5. Drop by slightly heaping tablespoons full onto baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes on centre rack of oven. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 24 cookies.