Sweet and Tangy Sausage Pepper Kabobs

Sausage is always great on the BBQ but I had never thought about putting it on a skewer.  This is an easy and delicious recipe for a great dinner.  From Canadian Living/The Barbecue Collection.

450 g mild Italian sausages, cut into 24 pieces
2 Cubanelle peppers, seeded and cut into 32 pieces (I could not find these so I substituted sweet peppers)
1 Sweet red pepper, seeded and cut into 32 pieces
1 red onion, cut into chunks
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper and dried oregano

Alternately thread pieces of sausage, Cubanelle peppers, red pepper and onion onto 8 metal skewers.

Whisk together oil, vinegar, sugar, salt pepper and oregano; brush half over skewers.

Grill, covered, on greased grill over medium high heat, turning once and brushing with remaining oil mixture, until sausages are no longer pink in centre, 12 to 15 minutes.

Makes 4 main course servings.

Beef and Mushroom Casserole

An easy dinner casserole.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup green peas
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a large frying pan.  Add beef, onion and peppers.  Cook until beef browns.   Stir occasionally.  Add salt, pepper, mushrooms, peas, soup and 2/3 cup cheddar cheese; heat.  Spoon into 8 cup casserole; top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.  Serve with rice.

Marinated Vegetables

This is nice as a side dish or included in a burger or sandwich…From Food and Drink Summer 2011.

6 cups bite size vegetables such as carrots, sweet red pepper, cauliflower and broccoli florets, quartered mushrooms and green beans
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 tbsp water
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

• Cut vegetables in various shapes, keeping all pieces bite size.  Keep hard vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower and green beans separate.
• Combine vinegar, water, shallot, sugar and slat in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Add carrot and cauliflower; cover and cook for a minute.  Add green beans; cover and cook for a minute more.  Take off heat.  Stir in black pepper.
• Pour hot mixture, including liquid, over pepper, broccoli and mushrooms ina  large mixing bowl. Drizzle with oil; toss.  Salad keeps well at room temperature for a couple of hours.  Or cover and refrigerate until needed, up to 2 days.

Chicken and Bean Salad with Crispy Tortilla Topping

Serve with some sour cream if you like, I found this salad had lots of flavour and was filling enough for a dinner.  From Canadian Living Magazine - with a few of my own adjustments.

3 small flour tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
1 tbsp vegetable oil
450 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 red sweet pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
Pinch salt
1 cup rinsed drained canned black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
4 cups torn lettuce (romaine)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

Honey Lime Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp liquid honey
Pinch salt

Toss tortilla strips with 1 tsp of the oil.  Bake in oven at 450F until crisp, about 10 min.  Transfer to bowl.

Add remaining oil to skillet; cool chicken, sweet pepper, garlic, chili powder, pepper and salt, stirring often, until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 4 minutes.

Stir in beans, corn, green onions, and lime juice; cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes.

HONEY LIME DRESSING
In large bowl whisk together oil, lime juice, honey and salt.  Add lettuce and toss.  Spoon chicken mixture over top; sprinkle with cheese and avocado.

Pineapple Pepper Salsa

Fresh and wonderful against a spicy meat.  Make this within an hour of serving so the fruit is fresh and not watery.  From Food and Drink Winter 2000.

2 cups diced fresh pineapple
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 green onions sliced
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine pineapple, peppers, green onion, coriander, ginger, lime juice, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Refrigerate until serving time.  Makes about 3 cups.

Baja Grilled Chicken Chef's Salad

I love grilled vegetables, what a great assortment of veggies and chicken!

1 cup Diana Sauce Western Smokehouse flavour, divided
1 tbsp each brown sugar and cider vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp minced chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
2 cobs corn, husked
4 thick rings of pineapple
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 tsp each salt and pepper (I omit the salt)
8 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (I prefer romaine)
1 avocado, pitted peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
Lime wedges

1. Preheat the grill to medium high and grease the grate.  Divide the sauce in half.  Stir one half with brown sugar, cider vinegar and vegetable oil.  Reserve.  Stir remaining sauce with lime juice and chipotle peppers until combined.
2. Brush corn, pineapple and chicken with chipotle sauce mixture; sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.  Transfer chicken and corn to grill.  Cook, turning once for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium; cook, turning as needed for 9 to 12 minutes or until tender and cooked through.  Add pineapple during last 5 minutes of cooking time; turning as needed.  Remove everything from grill.  Slice chicken and quarter pineapple rings.  Use a sharp knife to cut corn into disks.
3. Divide lettuce between four large plates.  Drizzle with some of the reserved dressing.  Arrange grilled chicken, pineapple, corn, avocado, red pepper and green onions over lettuce.  Drizzle with remaining dressing.  Serve with lime wedges. Makes 4 servings.

Creamy Grilled Potato and Mushroom Salad

A great accompaniment to any BBQ dinner!  I love baby spinach and it works wonderfully in this salad!

2 lb (1kg) baby potatoes, halved
500g button mushrooms, trimmed
1/2 cup Diana Sauce, Original Flavour (or your favourite BBQ sauce)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander or parsley
1 red pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 cups baby spinach leaves

1. Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 minutes or just until fork tender.  Drain and rinse under cold, running water.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add the mushrooms.
2. Preheat the grill to medium high.  Stir 2 tbsp of the sauce with the vegetable oil.  Gently toss the potatoes and mushrooms with the oil mixture, salt and pepper.  Transfer to a grilling basket or line the grate with perforated grilling foil.  Grill for 20 minutes, turning often until well marked.  Cool to room temperature.
3. Stir the remaining sauce with the mayonnaise and coriander.  Toss the potatoes, mushrooms, red pepper, onions and spinach with the mayonnaise mixture.  Serve at room temperature or cool.   Makes 10 to 12 servings.  

Maple Glazed Asparagus Bundles

Very fancy looking with minimal work!  Great with anything on the Barbecue!

1 large bunch asparagus, about 24 to 32 spears, trimmed
1/2 red pepper, sliced into long thin strips
8 slices trimmed, thinly sliced black forest ham or prosciutto about 125 g
1/3 cup Diana Sauce, maple flavour
2 tsp coarsely cracked mixed peppercorns
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp each lemon juice and melted butter

1. Preheat the grill to medium high.  Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water for 3 minutes.  Rinse under cold running water until cool.  Drain well and pat dry.
2. Divide the asparagus into 8 bundles.  Add a few strips of the red pepper to each bundle.  Wrap the ham tightly around the base of the asparagus.  Secure each bundle firmly together with a toothpick.
3. Stir the sauce with the lemon zest, juice and butter.  Brush half of the sauce over the bundles.  Sprinkle the ham or prosciutto evenly with cracked pepper.
4. Grill the bundles for 2 minutes.  Turn and brush with remaining sauce.  Grill for 2 minutes, turning as needed, until the vegetables are marked ad the ham or prosciutto is crisp.  Remove the toothpicks before serving.

Hot 'N' Spicy Chicken Lasagna

Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time:  15 minutes
Baking time:  40 minutes
makes:  10 servings

8 lasagna noodles (not oven ready noodles)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red or green sweet pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups spicy salsa
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
475 g container ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped coriander or italian parsley
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
4 cups cooked cubed chicken

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a full rolling boil.  Add lasagna noodles and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until al dente.  Check recommended cooking time on package; they usually take about 12 to 14 minutes.  Drain well and rinse under cold water.  Lay drained wet pasta in a single layer on a piece of waxed paper.  Cover with another piece of waxed paper.
2. Meanwhile, to prepare sauce, heat oil in a large wide frying pan set over medium low heat.  Add garlic, onion and sweet pepper.  Saute until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Then, stir in salsa, spaghetti sauce and cumin.  Taste and add more cumin, if necessary.  Increase heat to medium high and bring mixture to a boil.  Then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer to allow flavours to develop, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Turn sauce into a bowl and set aside.  
3. To prepare filling, place ricotta, eggs, chopped coriander and jalapeno pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Whirl until mixture is evenly blended.  Scrape down sides of bowls occasionally to ensure an even puree.  Turn filling into a bowl and set aside.  Or combine ingredients in a bowl and mash with a spoon until smooth.
4. Stir grated cheese together in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly cover bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with about 1/2 cup of sauce.  (It will be a very thin coating of sauce.) Completely cover bottom of pan with a single layer of noodles, about 4 noodles.  Spread half of sauce evenly over noodles, then dot with half of ricotta mixture, followed by half of chicken then half of grated cheese.
6. Add another layer of noodles.  Repeat layering ending with cheese.  Then bake, uncovered, in centre of preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until lasagna bubbles around sides and top is golden.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Green Bean and Cashew Jumble

500 g Green Beans (1lb)
1 sweet red pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp bottled black bean and garlic sauce
3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock, divided
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsalted unroasted cashews

Trim ends off green beans and slice each in half crosswise.  Slice red pepper into strips.

In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients for the sauce: Cornstarch, black bean sauce and 1/2 cup stock.

Heat oil in wok or large frying pan.  Add green beans and peppers and stir fry for 1 minute or until the pan gets dry.  Add 1 tbsp of the stock, stir to mix and cover; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally and adding more stock when pan gets dry.  Pour in sauce and cashews, and stir until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

Serve over rice.

Grilled Sausage and Wheat Berry Salad

This is the first time I have tried Wheat Berries and I have to say they are wonderful!  A little chewy but I really like them.  They are wheat kernels with the outer hull removed.  An excellent source of dietary fibre and are available at the bulk food store.

4 bratwurst sausages - or turkey sausage
1 cup wheat berries
1 cup diced red peppers
1 cup diced, peeled carrots
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

On greased grill preheated to medium high, grill sausages, turning often, until cooked through - about 15 minutes.  Let cool slightly; slice and set aside.

While the sausages are grilling, cook wheat berries in a large pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until softened - about 40 minutes.  Drain.  Combine in a large bowl with red peppers, carrots, cucumber, green onion, salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Toss gently to combine.  Add sausage and parsley, and toss again.

Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps

Here is something the kids will actually eat that isn't french fries or chicken nuggets.

8 small whole wheat flour tortillas

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup milk

3 tbsp honey mustard

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1 tbsp butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into thin strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips

2 cups shredded romaine or leaf lettuce

1. Preheat oven or toaster ovento 350 F.  Wrap tortillas in a large foil package and warm in oven for 5 to 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together cornstarch, milk, honey mustard, salt and pepper.  
3. In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium high heat; saute chicken and garlic just until chicken is starting to brown.  Add red pepper; saute for 2 min.  Stir milk mixture and stir into skillet.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 min or until thickened and chicken is no longer pink inside.
4. Spoon filling along centre of each tortilla and top with shredded lettuce.   Fold up bottom of tortilla, then fold in sides to enclose filling.

Family Night Chicken Nachos

Even the kids will eat these!  Never a complaint when Nachos hit the table..:)

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 cups milk

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, Cheddar or Tex Mex blend cheese, divided

8 0z (250 g) Baked corn tortilla chips or scoops

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 sweet red pepper, diced

1 cup corn kernels

light sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 425F.  Butter a large rimmed baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan, combine flour, chili powder and oregano.  Whisk in milk and garlic, bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.  Reduce heat and boil gently, whisking for about 2 min or until thickened.  Remove from heat; whisk in tomato paste and 1 cup of the cheese.
3. Spread tortilla chips on baking sheet.  Drizzle sauce over chips and top with chicken, tomatoes, red peppers and corn; sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake for about 10 min or until chicken is hot and cheese is melted.  Serve with sour cream on the side.

Oven Baked Salmon with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

An excellent and simple dish.  If you don't like the red peppers - switch it up with squash, potatoes, carrots or your favourite veggie!

4 salmon steaks or fillets
1/4 cup sun dried tomato pesto
4 medium sweet red peppers, cut into strips
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

• Preheat the oven to 375F.  Lightly oil a cookie sheet or shallow baking dish large enough to hold the salmon and peppers in one layer.  I put down parchment paper here.
• Spread the top surface of the salmon steaks or fillets evenly with the tomato pesto.  Place on the prepared baking pan.
• In a bowl toss the red pepper strips with the olive oil, salt and pepper to coat.  Arrange in the baking pan, surrounding the salmon pieces.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until the fish is opaque (poke a fork into the middle of a piece to check) and the peppers are sizzling and softened.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Firecracker Chicken Salad

A great salad that kids will enjoy because of the salsa - spice it up with a hot salsa or keep it mild depending on your taste.  The avocado in this is my favourite!

1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 1/2 lbs (750g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 sweet onion, sliced in thick rounds
1 red pepper cut in quarters
2 zucchini cut in half
salt and freshly ground pepper

Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup salsa
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp chopped coriander
salt and freshly ground pepper

Garnish
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
2 cups tortilla chips

1. Combine chili powder, cumin, garlic, lime juice, olive oil and coriander.  Brush on to chicken breasts, onion rounds, red pepper and zucchini.  Marinate for 1 hour.
2. To make dressing, combine mayonnaise, salsa, lime juice and coriander.  Season with salt and pepper.  Reserve.
3. Preheat grill to high.  Season chicken and vegetables with salt and pepper.  Place chicken breasts and vegetables on grill.  Grill chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until juices run clear.  Cool.
4. Grill vegetables about 4 minutes per side or until tender.  Cool.  Remove skin from peppers.  Slice onions, peppers and zucchini into strips.
5. When chicken has cooled, slice it and mix with dressing.  Add vegetables and toss to lightly coat with the dressing or serve dressing on the side.  Surround platter with sliced avocado and tortilla chips.

Kitchen Sink Salad

This is a wonderful and healthy salad, don't worry about substituting ingredients in this recipe if you have some leftovers.

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken, pork or beef

1 can (540 ml) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 can (540 ml) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (540 ml) navy (white) beans, rinsed and drained

1 red pepper, diced

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1 cup fresh corn kernels (or frozen corn, thawed)

1/2 cup each chopped fresh basil and parsley

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

2 tsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

4 cups salad greens of your choice (I personally love baby spinach)

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, all the canned beans, red pepper, onion, celery, corn, basil, parsley and mint.
2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together vinegar, Dijon, maple syrup, salt and pepper.  Pour over chicken mixture and toss gently to combine.  Let sit for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to a day to let flavours blend.
3. To serve divide salad greens among 4 plates, then divide chicken mixture equally overtop.

Roasted Red Pepper and Cheese Crustless Quiche

This was surprisingly wonderful!  I added some crumbled bacon to the top at the end for a little extra flavour.  The only thing I couldn't figure out is that I baked it in a glass pie pan and it took an hour to bake as opposed to the 35 to 40 minutes that it states in the recipe.  I am posting the recipe with the original baking time and hopefully it doesn't take you as long as it took me.  This was served with a spinach salad. I got this recipe from Todays Parent magazine May 2008.

1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
9 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, Asiago or Swiss cheese (I used cheddar)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup diced roasted red peppers (from a jar is fine)
4 green onions, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease a 10 in pie pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until very fluffy and almost doubled in volume - 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the flour mixture and beat until just blended.  Add the cheddar (or whatever), ricotta and Parmesan cheeses and beat very briefly.  Finally stir in the diced red peppers and green onions.  Transfer to the prepared pie pan and put into the oven.   Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until nicely puffed, lightly browned and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

Whew, Thanksgiving was wonderful!  Hope you had family and fun and food (maybe even a glass of wine or two). I had an amazing time, although I did learn I should not have two glasses of Pinot Noir on an empty stomach.  Despite that the dinner turned out lovely.

Now to get back to some healthier eating here is a recipe I got out of Food and Drink Early Summer 2011.  I made it earlier this year and don't have a picture of it but it turned out really well.  I love bean salads year round.

1/2 cup Feta Cheese
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp Dijon Mustard (grainy works well)
2 cans black beans (540 ml each)
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 cups frozen corn, thawed and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1 cup red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1.  In a large bowl, break up feta with fork.  Whisk in vinegar, olive oil and mustard.
2.  To the same bowl add black beans, grape tomatoes, corn basil, red pepper and onion.  Stir well, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serves 4

Grilled Zucchini Pepper Wraps with Lemon Grass Aioli

I love grilled vegetables and this is a really great way to jazz them up a bit.  If you want to skip the Aioli they also taste great just on their own or you could drizzle a bit of balsamic vinaigrette over them - definitely a healthier choice.

Aioli
2 stalks lemon grass
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Wraps
4 medium zucchini, each about 7 x 1 3/4 inches
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
36 thin strips each sweet orange and yellow pepper each about 2 inches long

1. For the aioli, cut lemon grass stalks in half lengthwise.  Trim out tender inner hearts and the tenderest inner layers.  Reserve remaining lemon grass for another use.  Finely mince hearts and enough of the tender layers to make about 2 tbsp.
2. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium low heat.  Saute minced lemon grass and garlic for about 3 minutes or until softened but not browned.  Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool.  Whisk in mayonnaise until blended.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to blend the flavours or for up to 2 days.
3. For the wraps, heat barbecue to medium.
4. Trim ends from zucchini.  Cut lengthwise into thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick, until you have 36 slices.  In a shallow dish, combine oil, coriander, salt and cayenne.  Add zucchini, and rub or brush to coat evenly with spices.  Grill, turning once for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until grill marked and tender (do not let crisp).  Return to shallow dish and let cool to room temperature.
5. To assemble, hold 1 strip orange pepper and 1 strip yellow pepper together.  Wrap 1 slice of zucchini horizontally around peppers, with peppers sticking above the top edge of the zucchini.  Secure with a toothpick and place on a platter; gently separate pepper strips so the point in opposite directions.  Repeat to make about 36 wraps.  
6. To serve, place bowl of aioli on platter along with a small spoon to dollop on top of wraps.