Summer Seafood Pasta Salad

The perfect make ahead meal for family gatherings and picnics that's ready when you are! A colourful mix of veggies, a combination of seafoods and a light olive oil dressing to keep it healthy!

Ingredients:

6 cups large shell pasta

200g (almost 1 cup) crab or crab flavoured pollock 

120g (about 1/2 cup) solid white albacore tuna

227g (8 oz) cooked shrimp

2 large bell peppers, diced

1 medium red onion, diced 

1 English cucumber, diced 

2 celery stalks, diced 

1 cup roughly chopped marinated artichokes 

1 cup stuffed green olives 

200 ml (5 oz) canned sliced black olives

1 cup diced feta

A few fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 

And some fresh chopped parsley too

Dressing:

1 1/3 cups light olive oil 

4 tsps dry basil

4 tbsps parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 pieces sundried tomatoes, chopped 

6 tbsps white wine vinegar 

4 or 5 chives, chopped 

1 tsp sea salt 

1/2 tsp dry oregano 

2 pinches of sugar 

Using a food processor, whirl the dressing ingredients together until well combined and set aside.

Cook the pasta then rinse with cold water and drain. Prepare all the veggies. Drain the can of tuna and break into chunks. Slice the crab (flavoured pollock). And for the shrimp I simply defrosted a shrimp ring and removed the tails.

Add the pasta, veggies and seafood to a very large bowl, pour in the dressing and toss to combine coating everything with the dressing.

Chill at least 1 hour for the flavours to develop or even make it a day ahead of time. Just take it out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving, give it a toss and it's good to go!

Makes 10-12 servings

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Blackened Shrimp Skewers

Pan seared shrimp skewers coated in homemade blackening seasoning makes these an irresistibly smoky, umami hit!

Ingredients:

400g (just under 1 lb) 31/40 shrimp

2 tbsps butter

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tsps smoked paprika

2 tsps garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dry oregano

pinch or 2 of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Lemon and lime wedges to serve

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and feed onto wooden skewers that have been soaking in water at least 15 minutes. Then combine the seasonings and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the shrimp. Let sit for 30 minutes. You can use longer skewers but just make sure they fit in your frying pan. These shorties fit well and are just right for appetizers.

Heat butter and olive oil to medium high in a large skillet. Add the skewers and sauté 6-10 minutes or until the shrimps are opaque.

Then serve hot with lemon and lime wedges.

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Mango Avocado Salad

Refreshing and simple salad for two using all fresh ingredients. A perfect compliment to pork, fish or chicken. 

Ingredients:

1 mango, diced

1 avocado, diced

1/3 English cucumber, diced 

1/2 bell pepper, diced 

1-2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley or cilantro 

Pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice 

1 tbsp light olive oil

Just toss everything together. Best enjoyed on the same day it's made.

Serves 2-3

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Classic Lamb Chops

This classic flavour combination of garlic and herbs brings out the best in these rich and savory pan seared lamb chops.

Ingredients for marinade:

4 tbsps avocado oil

2 tbsps minced garlic

2 tbsps fresh minced rosemary

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp dry oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp fresh chopped mint

8 lamb chops

2 tbsps olive oil

Combine everything for the marinade and slather it on both sides of the lamb chops. Marinate for 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.

When ready to cook first bring the chops to room temperature, so remove them from the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking. Heat olive oil in a pan to medium high heat and sear the meat 1 minute on each side.

Continue cooking until desired doneness:

1-3 minutes for medium rare, internal temp 130°F

2-4 minutes for medium, internal temp 140°F

3-5 minutes for medium well, internal temp 150°F

(Note that medium well is not recommended for lamb as they may become dry.)

Remove from heat and cover with foil for 10 minutes before serving. Lovely with mint jelly or mint sauce.

If you'd like a little homemade Mint Sauce with your lamb check out this recipe for Classic Mint Sauce with Malt Vinegar:

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2014/08/classic-mint-sauce-with-malt-vinegar.html

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Sausage Mishmash

Here's one of those clean-out-the-fridge type recipes. A little bit of this and that left in the fridge comes together to make a one of a kind and colourful meal. This is a guideline to help you use up those odds and ends in your fridge! 

Ingredients:

4 sausages (I had 2 hot Italian, 1 mild Italian and 1 bacon cheddar)

olive oil

1/2 a red onion, sliced

1 small yellow onion, sliced

3 radishes, sliced

1 small carrot, sliced

2 stalks of celery, sliced

1/2 a red bell pepper, sliced

a handfull of leftover roast potatoes

about 1/2 cup leftover cooked chow mein noodles

3 chopped garlic scapes and some fresh parsley

ponzu sauce

fresh lemon

Heat a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil in a large skillet. Cut sausages into 1 1/2" pieces and brown in oil. Next add the carrot and stir for 1-2 minutes, then add the red and yellow onions and radishes. Once they are tender crisp add the celery and red pepper and cook until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are cooked to your liking.

I then took my leftover potatoes and chow mein noodles and tossed them in. I wasn't sure if I would make a mess of my stir fry or not, but I took the chance. Added a splash of Ponzu sauce, garlic scapes and parsley with a generous squeeze of lemon juice right before serving. It was delicious!

Makes 2 servings

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Asian Chicken Cranberry Coleslaw

This easy Asian inspired salad is great for dinner on a hot summer night and will have them coming back for more! 

Ingredients:

12 cups bagged coleslaw mix

4 cups chopped rotisserie chicken

1 1/2 cups toasted cashews

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

3/4 cup diced red onion

handful of chopped fresh parsley

2 - 10 oz (284 ml) cans mandarin oranges, drained

3-4 tbsps black sesame seeds

Dressing:

1 cup light olive oil

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

4 tbsps low sodium soya sauce

4 tsps minced garlic

4 tbsps honey

4 tbsps minced ginger

2 tsps sesame oil

In a large bowl, mix the coleslaw, cashews, cranberries, onion, mandarins and sesame seeds together. In a blender, combine the dressing ingredients. When ready to serve add the chicken and parsley to the bowl along with as much dressing as you like. I used about half and will use the rest in another salad or maybe even use it as a marinade.

This salad serves 10 as a side and 4 or 5 as a meal.

It's best eaten the same day but leftovers are still pretty good a couple of days later.

Adapted from: reluctantentertainer.com

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Greek Orzo Salad

This cold pasta salad is delicious same day but I must say it's even better the next day. So leftovers for lunch it is!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups orzo

4 cups water

Dressing:

1/3 cup light olive oil 

2 tbsps lemon juice 

1 1/2 tsps dry oregano 

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 

10 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped 

1 cup finely chopped cucumber 

1 cup chopped olives 

1 cup marinated artichokes, roughly chopped 

1/2 cup crumbled feta

6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 

6 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped 

Begin by cooking the orzo as directed on the package, then drain, rinse in cold water and set aside. 

Prep all the veggies and whisk the dressing ingredients together.

Now just mix everything together in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate.

I used a spicy deli mix of olives which was amazing but canned olives will work too.

This salad can be made a day ahead and serves about 10 as a side but will easily serve 4 or 5 as a meal.

Recipe from: simplyvegetarian777.com

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Leftover Roast Pork Fried Rice

Anyone who knows me knows I love leftovers! So this recipe is right in my wheelhouse! Leftover pork and leftover rice are converted into a savory meal. 

I used chopped cooked pork roast here, which was very good, but ideally you would want to use leftover Char Siu for restaurant quality pork fried rice results. This is the link to the  recipe I use for Char Siu:

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2023/01/easy-homemade-char-siu.html 

Ingredients:

1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked pork

3-4 cups leftover rice (or cook and chill it)

3 tbsps avocado or canola oil, divided

1 tsp sesame oil

1 celery stalk, diced

1 carrot, diced small

1 or 2 radishes, diced small

1/4 cup diced red onion

2-3 tsps minced garlic

1 cup frozen peas and/or edamame

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh minced ginger

2 tbsps soya sauce

2 eggs, beaten

sriracha to taste

some chopped chives

apple cider vinegar

snap peas and garlic scapes to garnish (optional)

Heat 2 tbsps avocado and sesame oils in a large skillet on medium high. Add carrot, radishes, celery and onion and cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add the garlic, stirring for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add peas/edamame (I used 1/2 cup of each), red pepper flakes and ginger and heat 1 minute before adding the rice. Spread it out and don't stir for 1-2 minutes. Then stir, spread it out again and don't stir another 1-2 minutes. (Note: using chilled rice helps it to keep from clumping)

Stir in the soya sauce and chopped pork and heat 1 minute.

Spread to the sides of the skillet making a well, then add 1 tbsp of oil. Pour the beaten eggs in the middle and cook for 2 minutes, breaking and scrambling it. Stir into the rice along with the chives.

Add sriracha to taste along with a glug of apple cider vinegar. (Sorry for inaccurate measure of A.C.V. A glug is maybe a teaspoon or 2)

If using snap peas add water into a frying pan and heat to boiling. Add peas for just 1 minute then drain. 

For the garlic scapes, a simple sauté in a bit of oil or butter and they are ready to plate!

Serves 4

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Custard Cake with Rhubarb

Amazingly creamy vanilla custard cake topped with tart fresh rhubarb. 

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated and at room temperature 

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted 

1 tsp vanilla 

3/4 cup flour

2 cups lukewarm milk

1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb 

1 tbsp sugar

Icing sugar to dust

Line an 8 X 8" baking pan with parchment and lightly spray with oil. Cut the rhubarb and toss with 1 tbsp sugar. Set aside.

Separate eggs and beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Beat the yolks with the sugar until light yellow then add the butter and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes. Add the flour and fully combine then add the milk.

Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture. The batter will seem quite thin. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and scatter the rhubarb on top. I had very young, thin stalks of rhubarb.

Bake at 375°F for 60 minutes until set. It may be just a little jiggly but not totally wobbly if that makes any sense!

Cool completely in pan on rack where it will set, before using a second rack on top to flip it out. Carefully peel off the parchment and turn right-side up.

Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Always refrigerate any leftovers.

Makes 9 servings

Adapted from: newstalkzb.co.nz

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Garlic Scapes and Sole

Years ago, when I was first married and didn't know anything about cooking, I tried a recipe for fish with soya sauce. The fish was literally swimming in soya sauce, it was horrible and it's story lives on in infamy in our house. This is NOT that recipe! In this recipe the sole is lightly flavoured with honey and garlic and garnished with fresh sautéed garlic scapes. Scapes have a short-lived season starting in late spring so check out the farmer's market near you and try them!

Ingredients:

400 g fillet of sole

black pepper to taste

2 tbsps avocado oil

2 tbsps honey

1-2 tsps minced garlic

2 tbsps soya sauce

2 tsps lemon juice

garlic scapes

olive oil

A scape is a shoot from the garlic plant when growing garlic bulbs. It is trimmed off once it starts to curl to allow the growing energy to go to the bulb rather than the flower.

Scapes are like chives but a little crunchier and with a mild garlic flavour. The whole thing is edible but I find the bud, where the flower would have developed if not cut, and the pointy end are not as tender. So I cut them just under the bud.

Combine the honey, minced garlic, soya sauce and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels, sprinkle with pepper and heat avocado oil in a skillet to medium high. Fry the fish in hot oil 1 minute per side, then pour the soya sauce mixture over them. Cook 2-4 minutes or until lightly glazed.

In another pan heat a little olive oil and sauté whole or chopped scapes for 2-3 minutes or until they turn bright green. Serve over the sole, or if you have alot of scapes they can be your side veggie!

These were from my small backyard garden and were tender and delicious. Guess I'm going to have to plant more garlic in the fall to enjoy more scapes next spring!

Serves 2-3

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