Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

Simple and lovely.  I served with whip cream for Hal and Greek yogurt for me. Serves 2. 1 peach or nectarine 1 kiwi 1 cup strawberries 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed 2 tsp sugar Peel the fruit and cut them into bite size pieces.  Put the pieces in a salad bowl, add the lemon juice and sugar.  Toss to combine.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Toss the fruit before serving. soscuisine.com

I thought it was okay.  Hal hated it. Serves 2. 1 tbsp paprika 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground pepper 1 tbsp cornmeal 2 tilapia or turbot fillets (360 g) 1 tbsp canola oil 1 clove garlic, for pan-frying 1 tbsp butter, unsalted, for pan-frying 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges These fish fillets can be cooked either in a pan on the stove or using an outdoor grill. In a shallow bowl, stir together the paprika, oregano, cayenne, sugar, salt and ground pepper.  To obtain a crispier crust, add the cornmeal (optional). Pat the fillets dry and dredge them in the mixture, turning them to coat well.  Shake of the excess then place the fillets on an oiled, hot grill. Cook until the fish is opaque throughout and lightly blackened on the outside, 4-5 minutes on each side, turning them once. Alternatively, heat the oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat.  Thinly slice the garlic then add it to t...

I really liked it.  Hal did not Serves 4. 1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard 3 tbsp. olive oil 1/3 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted Peel the leaves off the Brussels sprouts; discard the cores.  Bring a large saucepan of water to boiling.  Add sprouts; cook 20-30 minutes or until barely tender.  Drain and immediately plunge into ice water.  Drain well and dry in a salad spinner.  Transfer to a large bowl; set aside. For the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper to taste.  Gradually whisk in the oil.  Drizzle dressing over leaves to coat lightly; toss.  Add cranberries and walnuts; toss to combine.  Chill.

This is the salad I was raving about earlier this week on Facebook.  I think I will be making it quite a lot this summer.  It is easy, delicious and very refreshing.  I bet lots of different veggies could be substituted in. For 2 servings: 1 leek 1-1/2 tbsp Classic Vinaigrette 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed salt and pepper to taste 4 button (white) mushrooms, sliced 1 tomato, sliced 1 carrot, shredded Prepare the leeks:  cut off the dark green tops and discard, slice the white and pale-green parts into large chunks, then boil or steam them for about 10 minutes, until soft.  Drain the leeks and let cool a few minutes. With a serrated knife, cut each chunk of the leeks into rounds about 1 cm thick and transfer them to a bowl.  Pour in the Classic Vinaigrette (I doubled the lemon/olive oil dressing and used that instead), then season with salt and pepper.  Blend gently and set aside. In a small bowl, ad...

4 apples, Cortland or Lobo 4 tsp butter, unsalted 1 tbsp brown sugar 2 tsp raisins 1 tbsp pine nuts 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon salt, about one pinch Preheat the oven to 375F. Wash the apples.  With a corer, carve out the core and seeds from the top, paying attention not to pierce the apple completely through to the bottom.  Make a circular incision just through the skin halfway up the side to avoid bursting during cooking.  Place the apples in a shallow baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, raisins, nuts, cinnamon, and pinch of salt.  Portion out the mixture into the apples.  Add a small amount of water (about 1/2 tbsp per apple) to the bottom of the dish to start the cooking and prevent burning or sticking.  Place the dish of apples in the centre of the oven. and cook for 30 minutes. I served the apples with vanilla ice cream. From soscuisine.com

Before I post this recipe, let me just say that Hal (my hubby) hates fish.  Really really hates it.  He enjoyed this trout.  You notice I didn't say love.  Hal will never love fish, but he did like it.  I loved it.  The fish was served with steamed basmati rice and a salad. 2 trout fillets 360g -- I used rainbow trout 1/4 cup slivered almonds 1/4 cup white wine (optional) -- I used a Vidal 3 tbsp margarine salt pepper Heat the margarine in a frying pan.  Add the almonds then saute over medium heat until they are golden.  Take the almonds out of the pan and keep them warm on a small plate in the oven. Add the trout to the pan and cook over fairly high heat, 2-3 minutes on each side, starting with the skin side down.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, lower the heat and cover.  Cook 7-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets, until the trout is tender.  Check with a fork to see if it is cooked through. Take the s...

I found this recipe and altered it to suit what I had in the fridge today. It was amazing. Take 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut each into 3. Mine were still partially frozen when I started. Place into a large pot with 2 cups of water and 1/4lb of butter and 2 tsp garlic powder. Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes and then leave until ready to make your actual meal. We did this step at 1pm and ate at 6:30. Dice up 3 stalks of celery, 1/2 an onion (I added some fresh chives from the garden) 1 diced small green pepper and refrigerate for quick meal making later. When ready to eat, make a large pot of rice, while doing the ffollowing few steps: Bring the chicken poaching in butter to a boil again, reduce heat to medium and remove chicken. Add pre-diced veggies to butter sauce. In one cup heated milk add one package of nacho cheese sauce powder (or 1 cup cream cheese- I didn't have any) stir well and add to butter sauce. Pour in 2 cups mixed frozen v...