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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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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Easy Toothpick Appetizers

Gather up some veggies, cheese, pickles, cold cuts and berries and get creative! Pretty for a party or backyard BBQ.

Here we have a strip of prosciutto spread with cream cheese and rolled. Place a sliced radish hat on top and a basil leaf with a square of cheese on the bottom. 

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These were a snap to make and they're so cute! Take 2 slices of cucumber and make a cut halfway through to the center of each. Cut a thin strip out then fit one slice into the other. Put an olive on a toothpick and stick it in the middle of your cuc structure.

These two are pretty straight forward...meat and pickles, berries and cheese.

These little rosettes were fun to make! Take a half slice of salami and roll it up. Hold it together using half a grape tomato and a basil leaf on each side.

So many combinations to stick on a toothpick! Use your imagination, the possibilities are endless. They can be made about 1 hour ahead of time and will disappear in a flash!

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Parmesan Salmon with Kidney Bean and Corn Salad

Keeping supper healthy and simple in this heat wave!
Expected to hit 31F today with a humidex of 38F!

Ingredients:
For the salmon...
1 lb salmon fillet, skin on
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, minced
zest of 1/2 lemon
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbsps parmesan cheese
a squeeze of lemon juice

For the salad...
1 cup white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup kernel corn
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
some fresh parsley and kale, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbsps feta, crumbled
1 tbsp bacon bits

Prepare the salad ingredients and set aside. When ready to serve combine with the olive oil.

Place the salmon fillet skin side down on a greased baking sheet. Coat with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil then give it a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle on the parmesan cheese.

Heat grill to medium high, close cover and barbecue 4-5 minutes. Here it is below after 5 minutes. I was a little chicken to flip it whole so I cut it in half and carefully turned each piece over for an additional 3-4 minutes.

The aroma is to die for! The garlic and lemon and cheese combine to make an outstanding flavour!

We had some roasted potatoes here but the salmon and salad would have been great sans patates!

Serves 2

BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad

Love these easy summer prep ahead meals! Make it up early in the day before it gets too hot out (it is going to get hot right?!?!) then cover and refrigerate to enjoy later.

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie BBQ chicken
2 or 3 hard boiled eggs
Iceberg lettuce and kale
Avocado, tomatoes, sweet pepper, carrots and cucs

Dressing:
2 tbsps vegetable oil
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon
Herbed sea salt and pepper
Pinch or 2 of sugar

Just buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and cut it up. Add veggies and hard boiled eggs.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together and drizzle it on.

Pasta Salad Coleslaw

This was awesome with BBQ chicken but would do just as well on it's own or you could even add chickpeas or kidney beans to make it a meal in itself!

Ingredients:
2 cups elbow macaroni
2 cups chopped miscellaneous veggies (ie: kale, sweet pepper, green onion, radishes, carrots, zucchini)
2 cups coleslaw mix

Salad dressing:
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp celery seed

Cook the macaroni then rinse with cold water and drain. Chop the kale and dice the rest of the vegetables. You can use pretty much any veg you like but these worked really well together! Mix them all with the cooked macaroni.

Combine all the salad dressing ingredients and toss with the veg/mac mix.

Chill and serve. 

Serves 6-8 as a side.

BBQ Italian Sausage and Vegetable Packet

I love packet dinners! Prepare ahead of time with almost zero cleanup after you eat.

Ingredients:
6 Italian sausages (mild or hot as you like)
3 potatoes, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 apple, unpeeled and sliced
sage, thyme, salt and pepper to taste

Ahead of time fry the sausages just until no pink remains  and then cut them in thirds.

Then on a large greased sheet of aluminum foil layer onions, carrots, potatoes, sausage and apples seasoning between layers...

until everything is stacked up like this.

Put another large sheet of foil on top and seal the edges closed. Use a cookie sheet to transport the packet to the barbecue. Slide the packet off the pan and onto the grill.
BBQ on medium heat approximately 30 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are cooked.

Carefully open the foil and pierce the veggies to see if they are cooked. If not, re-seal and place back on the barbecue for a few more minutes, but not too long...you don't want to dry out the sausages.

Serves 3-4
If you are serving more and want to double the recipe, make 2 packets.

Cuban Mojo BBQ Pork Roast

Holy moly it was nice out today! Probably one of the last good days to barbecue, we thought. Then it got pretty cool. My grillmaster powered through.

2 lb boneless pork roast
2 tbsps lime juice
2 tbsps lemon juice
1/4 tsp lime zest
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
1 tsp molasses
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix everything together and spoon over the pork. I like to use a ziplock plastic bag with as much air as possible removed so the marinade covers the meat.

Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight so the flavours can ooze into the meat!

Remove the pork from the marinade and barbecue at 450F to sear all sides, then reduce heat to 350F and using indirect heat, close the lid and BBQ 45-60 minutes.

Rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Hope we have a few more days like this before the snow starts falling.

Watermelon and Strawberry Pops

Fresh fruit with only the littlest bit of sugar to sweeten it up.

3 cups watermelon, cubed
1 cup strawberries, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
1 tbsp sugar

Whirl everything together in a blender and pour into molds to freeze.

Alternatively you could just add rum and have a Watermelon Rum Slushie...oops drank that up before getting a picture!

Shrimp and Pineapple Kebab

Temperatures are reaching tropical this week inspiring this meal. So hot that I didn't want my hubby out at the BBQ too long. This one was ready in no time flat!

300 g - 36/45 per lb sized raw shrimp
2 spears fresh pineapple, cut in chunks
1 small zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch slices
1/2 red pepper

Sauce:
3 tbsps sweet chili sauce
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
1 tbsps lime juice

Garnish:
lemon basil
lemon thyme

wooden skewers, soaked in water

Peel and remove the tail from the shrimp. Thread them on the skewers alternating with the pineapple, zucchini and red pepper. Refrigerate until ready to barbecue.

Mix the sauce together and set aside.

Heat the barbecue to medium high. Grill the kebabs 2-3 minutes per side. You'll know they're done when the shrimp turn pink.

Remove to a platter and brush with the sauce. 

Garnish with chopped fresh lemon basil and lemon thyme.

Don't you love the colours!