Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

This is an easy, light, delicious sauce that you can whip up in no time to top those pasta cravings! This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 large basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 servings of pasta of your choice, preferably fresh and whole wheat (one serving of pasta is a lot less than what most people think: 1/2 cup of cooked pasta is one serving)
2 cloves minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried hot chili peppers (optional for extra heat:)
salt to taste (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (a little goes a long way!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, rosemary, basil and black pepper. Lay it out on a baking sheet and roast about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to brown, tossing in the garlic in the last five minutes of cooking.

2. Cook the pasta as per package directions; drain and reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add pasta, tomato mixture, vinegar and 1/4 cup cooking liquid to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the chili peppers if using (or offer as a garnish for individual dishes at the table). Season to taste with salt and drizzle with remaining tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with cheese to taste.

Crispy Baked Red Snapper

You can use other types of white fish for this recipe as well. It makes a nice crispy batter but you just bake it in the oven---delicious! Quick and easy too! This recipe makes 4 servings. Serve with a side salad of mixed greens, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes for a full meal.

Ingredients:

-4 snapper fillets (about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick)
-1/4 cup flour
-pinch of salt & freshly ground black pepper
-1 tbsp garlic powder & oregano
-1 egg
-1 tsp hot picante sauce of your choice (optional)
-1/4 cup milk
-1 cup bread crumbs
-1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
-lemon or lime wedges (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with non-stick foil.
2. In one bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, garlic and oregano.
3. In another bowl, beat egg, hot sauce and milk together.
4. On a plate, mix together bread crumbs and cheese.
5. Coat each fish fillet with flour mixture; then dip into egg mixture; then coat with bread crumb mixture.
6. Arrange fillets on baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with a wedge of lemon or lime for garnish.

Lentils and Italian Sausage Stew

Delicious comfort food for a cool spring evening!  You can add your leafy greens here by adding some baby spinach to the stew at the end (optional). Serve with fresh Italian bread to sop up the juices!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil + more for drizzling

1 medium white onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tomato, chopped

2 cups (500 mL) green lentils, rinsed

6 cups (1.5 L) water

6 large Italian-style sausages--spicy of course!

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In large pot, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil over medium. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add tomato. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add lentils. Stir until coated in oil. Add water, sausages and 1 tsp (5 mL) salt. Raise heat to high; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer until lentils and sausages are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Remove sausages to cutting board. Thickly slice on diagonal. Return to pot with any juices. Taste; season with salt and pepper.

Serve bowls of lentil stew drizzled with oil, if desired. Have a good portion of Italian bread on hand to finish off this dish!

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Lamb Meatballs with Feta

These meatballs are such a tasty version because of the lamb and the feta! Easy to make---and if you want to make an extra batch, just freeze them for later use. Delicious!

Ingredients:

-1 lb ground lamb
-90 g feta cheese, crumbed
-2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
-1/3 cup bread crumbs
-1 egg
-1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
-1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
-freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and combine well with hands. Form into small balls (1" diameter). Place in an oven safe baking dish (corning ware is good). Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once to brown evenly. Serve with roasted cherry tomatoes or you favourite sauce and pasta.
 

Spicy Walnut Basil Pesto

This is a great little pesto recipe that you can use to top pasta, tossing it in with the tomato sauce. This is enough for 4 main pasta servings, as it packs a lot of flavour. You can easily increase the recipe to what you need. Serve with a side spinach salad for a complete meal.

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup of  packed fresh basil
-1/4 cup walnut pieces
-1 garlic clove or 1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
-1/8 tsp salt
-1/8 tsp dried red hot chili pepper flakes
-1 heaping tbsp grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
-Whole wheat pasta and pomodoro/tomato sauce of your choice

Directions:

Place all ingredients--except the pasta and tomato sauce-- in a food processor and process until pureed, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides a couple of times. Place in a small bowl, covered until your pasta is cooked. After cooking your pasta and tossing it with tomato sauce, transfer the pasta to individual serving bowls and toss in  a tbsp of the pesto for each serving. Serve with a side spinach salad for a complete meal.

Pistachio-Crusted French Toast

This is a wonderful French toast recipe with a bit of a twist. Serve it to your mom for breakfast on mother's day for a special treat!

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup finely ground pistachios or walnuts
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 slices whole wheat bread
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• fresh sliced bananas, along with fresh berries of your choice

Directions:

1. Mix the eggs, milk, sugar just until combined and pour onto a plate.
2. Combine the pistachios or walnuts and cinnamon and put on another plate.
3. Dip the bread in the egg mixture, soaking until just  before the bread breaks. Dip in the pistachio mixture.
4. Spray a skillet with vegetable oil and brown the bread for 4 minutes on each side or until browned.
5. Garnish with maple syrup and fresh fruit.
Preparation time: 5 minutes

Avocado Pumpkin Seed Paprika Sandwich

I wanted a snack to tide me over until dinner today and I felt like something savory, rather than sweet. I put together this sandwich with just one slice of bread---of course you can make it bigger by using two slices---it is delicious!

Ingredients:

1 slice whole grain bread
1/2 a ripe avocado, mashed
juice of 1/4 of a lemon plus one tsp of lemon zest
1 tsp garlic powder
sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 slices of tomato
1 tsp pumpkin seeds
sprinkle of  paprika

Directions:

1. Mash the avocado well in a small bowl with the lemon juice and zest, the garlic, salt and pepper. Spread mixture onto the bread. Top with the pumpkin seeds and paprika and tomato slices. Enjoy!