Curried Red Lentil Soup

An easy, hearty soup which can be prepared in under an hour thanks to the quick-cook properties of red lentils.

Ingredients:

• 2 yellow onions
  
• 1 lb carrots
  
• 1 garlic
  
• 1 heaped tablespoon hot curry paste
  
• 2 cups red lentils
  
• 1 can (796 ml) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
  
• 1 can (540 ml) chick peas
  
• 4 cups herb broth
  
• cilantro
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Peel and slice thinly onions, carrots and garlic.
Add curry paste and stir fry in olive oil until vegetables are soft.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Enjoy.

Scallop Croquettes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
  
• 1 cup carrot
  
• 1 yellow onion
  
• 2/3 cup flour
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1 oven roasted garlic
  
• 1lb scallops
  
• fresh parsley or cilantro
  
• flour, eggs and bread crumbs for coating
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Dice onion.
Chop carrots finely in a food processor.
Melt butter in a frying pan.
Add onion and carrot. Cook until softened and onions are translucent.
Add flour. Cook for one minute.
Add milk, incorporating thoroughly.
Remove from heat. The mixture should be a thick paste at this point.
Purée scallops and garlic in food processor.
Chop herbs.
Fold puréed scallops, garlic and herbs into mixture.
Refrigerate mixture one hour or more.
Shape scallop mixture into small patties.
Coat each patty in flour, then quickly dip it in a beaten egg, then roll in bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a large frying pan.
Cook croquettes until they are browned on both sides and heated through. (Approximately two minutes per side.)
Serve with Lemon Tarragon Cream Sauce.

Hemp Nut Salad

Ingredients:

• salad greens
  
• tomato
  
• avocado
  
• sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
  
• cottage cheese
  
• cilantro
  
• shelled hemp seeds

Directions:

Line single serve plates or shallow bowls with salad greens.
Arrange tomato and avocado in alternating slices around the circumference of the plate.
Drizzle vinaigrette over top.
Place large spoonful of cottage cheese in the centre of the salad.
Sprinkle cilantro and shelled hemp seeds over top.
Enjoy immediately.

Hot Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs small new potatoes
  
• 1 jalepeño, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
  
• 1 1/2 inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and minced
  
• juice of 3 limes
  
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
  
• 3 Tbsp. Spicy Island Hot Sauce
  
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  
• 1 Tbsp. honey
  
• 6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  
• 4 oz montery jack cheese with peppers
  
• 3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Directions:

Drop potatoes into a large pot of boiling water.
Cook for 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are tender (but not falling apart).
Combine jalepeño, ginger, garlic, lime juice, vinegar, hot sauce, soy sauce and honey. Slowly add oil, whisking constantly.
Drain potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl.
Toss warm potatoes with dressing.
Set aside to cool for 20-30 minutes.
Add onion, cheese and cilantro to potato mixture.
Toss and serve.

Almond, Snow Pea & Sweet Pepper Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

• 8 oz rice stick noodles
  
• 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
  
• 1 garlic
  
• 1 cup snow peas
  
• 100 g shelled almonds
  
• 1 orange bell pepper
  
• cilantro
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Soak noodles in boiling water for 5-7 minutes.
Strain noodles. Toss with Hoisin sauce.
Mince garlic and stir fry in oil 1-2 minutes.
Slice peas on the diagonal.
Add peas to pan with garlic and stir fry 1-2 minutes.
Add almonds. Continue stir-frying another minute.
Slice pepper thinly & cut slices into thirds.
Add pepper to stir fry. Cook one minute longer.
Toss vegetable/almond mixture with noodles.
Garnish with cilantro.
Serve at room temperature.

Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

Sesame and ginger compliment one another perfectly in this simple chicken stir fry.



Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh or 1 lb dry rice noodles*
  
• 1 garlic, minced
  
• 2 inches ginger root, minced
  
• 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into strips
  
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
  
• 1 bok choy, shredded
  
• 2 tablespoons soya sauce
  
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  
• 1/4 cup sweet chili pepper sauce**
  
• cilantro
  
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  
• olive oil for frying
  
• sliced spring onions for garnish

Notes:

* I use fresh udon noodles when I can get them. If not available, a dry rice stick noodle is an acceptable substitute.

** Amount of chili pepper sauce can be adjusted depending on the heat level of your sauce and your personal taste. I use President's Choice "Memories of Thailand" Fiery Chili Pepper Sauce in my dish.

Directions:

If using dry noodles, place them in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. (Fresh noodles do not require pre-soaking.)
Allow noodles to soak 5-7 minutes (or as directed on package for preparing noodles for stir fry).
Drain noodles and set aside.
Heat olive oil in large skillet or wok.
Add garlic and ginger and stir fry 1-2 minutes.
Coat chicken strips in corn starch.
Add chicken to pan and fry until heated through (5-6 minutes).
Add shredded bok choy and continue stir frying, 1-2 minutes until cabbage has wilted.
Add soya, sesame oil, chili pepper sauce, cilantro and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and mix well.
Stir in noodles and heat through.
Serve immediately, garnished with spring onions and reserved sesame seeds.

Gazpacho

This cold tomato soup is the perfect dish for a hot summer day. Full of flavour and fresh-from-the-garden goodness.



Ingredients:

• 5 large tomatoes
  
• 1 red bell pepper
  
• 1 green bell pepper
  
• 1 red onion
  
• 1 garlic
  
• cilantro
  
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  
• hot sauce such as Susie's Calypso
  
• 2 cups cold vegetable stock
  
• seasoned croutons for garnish

Directions:

Dice tomatoes, peppers and onion.
Mince garlic and cilantro, reserving some cilantro leaves whole for garnish.
Toss vegetables and minced cilantro together.
Pour oil and vinegar over vegetables and mix well.
Fire it up as desired with hot sauce.
Mix in cold vegetable stock.
Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to allow flavours to blend.
Serve cold, garnished with croutons and whole cilantro leaves.

Mango Citrus Salad

A delightful and refreshing summer salad. Enjoy it with a tall cool glass of Mint Lemondade.



Ingredients:

• mixed salad greens
  
• spring onions, sliced
  
• fresh mint leaves, torn into small pieces
  
• fresh cilantro leaves, torn into small pieces
  
• chives, chopped
  
• grapefruit, peeled, seeded and divided into segments
  
• mango, peeled and sliced
  
• freshly squeezed lemon juice
  
• liquid honey

Directions:

Line plates or bowls with mixed greens.
Sprinkle onions, mint, cilantro and chives over the greens.
Arrange grapefruit segments and mango slices on top.
Pour lemon juice and honey into a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid (or a similar, non-reactive vessel which can be used as a shaker).
Seal lid onto jar/shaker and shake vigorously.
Drizzle dressing over top of salad.
Serve immediately.

Shrimp Curry

A wonderful succulent and savoury shrimp curry, great as a crêpe filling or served over rice.



Ingredients:

• olive oil for frying
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and diced
  
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  
• 2 inches ginger root, peeled and diced
  
• 2 tablespoons hot curry paste*
  
• 250 g carrots, julienned
  
• 250 g snow peas, sliced on the diagonal
  
• 2 cups coconut milk
  
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
  
• fresh cilantro leaves
  
• freshly squeezed juice of one lime
  
• 500 g shrimp**

Notes/Substitutions/etc.:

* I favour Patak's Madras curry paste, but there is a wide variety of excellent prepared curry pastes available for those of us without the time to prepare our own.

** If you are preparing the curry for use in crêpes or will be serving it to people who are squeamish about handling their food with their fingers, peel the shrimp and remove their tails before adding them to the curry.

Directions:

Stir fry onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil.


Add curry paste and mix well.

Add carrots and snow peas, continuing to stir fry until carrots soften slightly.


Add coconut milk and bring to a boil.


Reduce heat and simmer.

Add mango, chopped cilantro leaves and freshly squeezed lime juice.


Continue to simmer curry until flavours are well blended and the sauce has thickened.

Add shrimp during final few minutes of cooking and heat through.

This dish is best served fresh!

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

I just cannot get enough of thick, hearty soups in the winter time! This soup provides a double dose of heat from its warmth and its spice. It's perfect for chasing away the winter chills!

If you cannot get a hold of fresh habaneros, substitute a favourite, flavourful hot sauce such as Susie's Calypso.



Ingredients:

• 1 buttercup squash
  
• 1 butternut squash
  
• 5 - 6 habanero peppers
  
• 1 large yellow onion
  
• 1 stalk celery
  
• 2 carrots
  
• 1 garlic
  
• 2 inch piece ginger root
  
• olive oil
  
• 4 tablespoons honey
  
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground: cardamom, anise, cloves, turmeric & cinnamon
  
• 1 mango
  
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  
• 1/2 cup peanut butter*
  
• 1 cup whipping cream
  
• juice of one lime
  
• sour cream
  
• fresh cilantro

Notes/Substitutions/etc.:

* Real peanut butter is made from peanuts and nothing but.

Directions:

Wrap squash in tin foil and bake at 400°F for an hour (or more if needed).
Peel onion, garlic and ginger.
Remove stalk and seeds from habaneros.
Dice habaneros, onion, celery, carrots, garlic and ginger.
Sauté in oil until soft.
Peel and dice mango.
Cube squash, discarding skin, stringy pulp and seeds.
Place vegetables, spices, honey, mango and stock in a large pot and cook until squash is soft.
Purée soup in a blender or food processor and return to the pot.
Bring to a boil.
Stir in peanut butter, cream and lime juice.
Simmer soup for 1/2 hour or more to allow all flavours to blend nicely.
Garnish with sour cream and fresh cilantro leaves.

Spicy Vegetable Juice

I have been staying at my parents' home the last couple of weeks. My father has a brand new 1000 watt Breville "Juice Fountain Elite" and my mother an enormous refrigerator which is perpetually stocked with more produce than they can eat (and crammed so full that my mother can seldom find what she has hidden away in there!) I felt this was a good combination for experimenting with some new juice recipes *. Here is the first:

Ingredients:

• tomatoes
  
• carrots
  
• red pepper
  
• celery
  
• cilantro
  
• hot sauce **

Notes:

* I did a fairly good job of cleaning out my mother's fruit and vegetable drawers during the course of these experiments, but they were chocker-block full again the next day!

** I used Dan T's Inferno White Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce. If it's heat level is not to your liking, any cayenne/tomato-based hot sauce would make a suitable substitution.

Directions:

Cut the stalk out of the red pepper and scrape out the seeds.
Wash the cilantro, squeeze into a bundle.
Stuff red pepper with cilantro bundle.
Juice carrots and celery on high speed.
Juice tomatoes and cilantro-stuffed red pepper on low speed.
Add a dash of hot sauce and mix well.
Enjoy fresh-squeezed or chilled same day.

Chicken Curry

This recipe is a favourite at my dinner parties as a crêpe filling. It is also excellent served over rice. I take it wilderness camping, preparing the curry ahead of time and freezing it in airtight plastic freezer bags. The curry then serves as an ice pack for the rest of my food during the first couple of days of my trip. Once it has thawed out, it is time to enjoy it. Cook the rice over an open fire, then stir curry mixture into cooked rice and heat through.



Ingredients:

• 1 coconut
  
• approximately 1 cup hot water
  
• olive oil for frying
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and diced
  
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  
• 1 inch ginger root, peeled and diced
  
• 1 lb chicken breasts *
  
• 2 tablespoons hot curry paste **
  
• 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
  
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced
  
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
  
• fresh cilantro leaves
  
• freshly squeezed juice of one lime
  

Notes:

* I often work with chicken breasts pre-cut into strips for stir frying. This makes for quick, even cooking throughout without drying the outside of the chicken, and speeds up the work of dicing the cooked chicken.

** I favour Patak's Madras curry paste, but there is a wide variety of excellent prepared curry pastes available for those of us without the time to prepare our own.

Directions:

Drain and reserve water from coconut.
Bake coconut at 400°F for 15 minutes.
Break coconut open and pry flesh away from shell.
Peel brown skin off coconut flesh.
Purée coconut flesh in blender or food processor with reserved coconut water and enough additional water to make liquid up to 1.5 cups.
Allow pureéed coconut mixture to stand for 15 minutes.
Press coconut mixture through a fine sieve to extract milk.
Stir fry onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil.
Add chicken and continue stir frying until chicken is cooked through.
Dice chicken with spatula while continuing to cook. (Once cooked, it should slice easily with a plastic or rubber spatula.)
Add curry paste and mix well.
Add peppers, continuing to stir fry.
Add coconut milk and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer.
Add mango, chopped cilantro leaves and freshly squeezed lime juice.
Continue to simmer curry until flavours are well blended.

To fill crêpes:

Prepare crêpes.
Spoon curry mixture in a line across crêpe, 1/3 of the way in from one edge.
Fold near edge up over curry mixture and roll up crêpe to surround curry.
For best results, serve crêpe immediately.
When large quantities are required, place filled crêpes in a singler layer in a large baking pan (such as a lasagna pan) and warm in oven to heat through just before serving.

Budget Bean Salad

When time and/or money are tight, this hearty salad is a great choice. Taking only minutes to prepare, this recipe makes a LOT of flavourful, nutrient-packed food!

(If you have time to start preparing this salad a little earlier, you can save even more money - and have greater control over quantity - by working with dried beans and soaking them overnight to rehydrate before use.)

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas
  
• 1 can black beans
  
• 1 can red kidney beans
  
• 1 can white beans
  
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  
• 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
  
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced
  
• fresh cilantro leaves
  
• a favourite vinaigrette (a tomato-based dressing works well)

Directions:

Mix chickpeas, beans, onion, peppers & cilantro together.
Toss with vinaigrette.

Guacamole

Guacamole is a wonderful accompaniment to many Mexican dishes and a delicious and healthy chip dip. (Not that the chips themselves are all that healthy, but, if I've been working up a good sweat, and the chips are of a low-salt-as-far-as-chips-go variety, then I allow them under my Most things in moderation policy.)

Don't be shy with the hot peppers in this recipe. Avocados are known to have several important health benefits but they are a mild-tasting fruit and can really take the sting out of the jalepeños' heat.



Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados, peeled & pitted
  
• freshly squeezed juice from one lime
  
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
  
• 1 bunch spring onions, sliced
  
• 2 jalepeños, diced
  
• fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions:

Mash avocados with a fork.
Incorporate lime juice thoroughly.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Cover and chill approximately one hour to allow flavours to blend.
Serve immediately.

Guacamole is best served fresh. I have personally eaten leftovers stored for 1-2 days in full, air-tight containers in the refrigerator -- but I don't serve this recipe to guests once it's more than a few hours old.

Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• cooked chicken, diced
  
• "Sweet Mild Jakarta Curry Dip" *
  
• red bell pepper, diced
  
• yellow bell pepper, diced
  
• red onion or bunch of spring onions, diced
  
• mango, diced
  
• fresh mint leaves, chopped
  
• fresh cilantro, chopped
  

Substitutions:

* This is a "Compliments" brand dip, available from Sobey's. If you cannot acquire it, try your favourite curry paste mixed with a little mayonnaise and/or sour cream.

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together.
Enjoy on a sandwich or on salad greens.