Author: natashapaterson

Macaroni Salad

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2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
1 can tuna or salmon, drained (save the liquid)
½ cup celery, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped*
1 large carrot, grated
2/3 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup tuna water or oil
2 Tbsp vinegar

  1. Boil macaroni until tender. Rinse with cold water until it is completely cooled. Drain.
  2. Mix in a large bowl the mayonnaise, tuna water and vinegar to make a dressing.
  3. Add the noodles, tuna and all the vegetables. Toss until completely coated with dressing.
  4. Season with salt, pepper and parsley.
  5. Chill until ready to serve.

* If you don’t have green onions, substitute with red onion. Adjust the amount according to your taste.

Spinach salad

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For now, measurements are estimated. Use your judgement.

6 cups baby spinach
½ cup honey-mustard vinaigrette (store bought or mix it up yourself)
1 cup sliced strawberries (or canned mandarin slices, or pomegranate seeds depending on the season)
¾ cup goat cheese
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup red onion, diced (optional)
¾ cup candied pecans*

  1. Place spinach in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss completely.
  2. Top with the rest of the ingredients.

* To make candied pecans, place pecans in a small pot. Add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and water. You can add some chili pepper too, if you like a bit of heat to them. Stir over medium heat until the pecans are candied. Leftovers can be stored in a jar at room temperature.

Beef Barley Soup

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1 ½ lbs stewing beef, chopped small and browned*
6 cups beef broth (or 6 cups water and 3 Tbsp, or cubes, beef bouillon)
2 cups carrots, sliced
1 ½ cups onions, chopped
1 ½ cups celery, chopped
½ cup green pepper, chopped (about ½ a pepper)
½ cup barley
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, chopped (3 ½ cups)
¼ cup ketchup
1 cup tomato sauce

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until barley and vegetables are barely tender.
  3. Remove bay leaves before serving.

* For a more economical version, you can use hamburger.

Spinach Dip

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1 (300g) pkg frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and chopped
2 cups sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (40 g) pkg Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 (10 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 green onions, chopped

  1. Mix all the ingredients, except the bread, and refrigerate.
  2. When ready to serve, hollow out the bread and break into bite-sized pieces. Fill the bread cavity with the spinach mixture.
  3. Place on a serving tray and surround loaf with the bread pieces.

* If you don’t like pumpernickel, you can use a loaf of round white bread instead.

Orange & Honey Glazed Carrots

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½ cup water
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp minced ginger
2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut in 1” slices (about 5 cups)

1 tsp grated orange zest
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

  1. Place the water, butter, honey, salt, and ginger in a large sauté pan and bring to a boil.
  2. Add the carrots, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove the lid and continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until all the water has evaporated.
  4. Add the orange zest and orange juice to pan, tossing with carrots.
  5. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes, until the carrots are al dente (tender, but still resistant when you bite into them) and the sauce glazes the carrots.
  6. Add the pepper and more salt to taste.

Bean Salad

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1 (16-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16-ounce) can chick peas, drained
1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained
½ cup onion, minced

½ cup sugar
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup avocado oil (or another kind of oil you prefer)
1 tsp salt

  1. In a large bowl, combine the beans.
  2. In a small microwavable bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and microwave for 60 seconds on high. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Toss with beans and onion to coat.
  4. Refrigerating for at least six hours will blend the flavours.

Steak Rub (Spice Mix)

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This is Emeril Lagasse’s Rustic Rub recipe, but with less salt.

8 T paprika
3 T cayenne
5 T fresh ground pepper
6 T garlic powder
3 T onion powder
6 T salt (can be adjusted to taste)
2 ½ Tbsp dried oregano
2 ½ Tbsp dried thyme

  1. Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
  2. Use as a rub on fish or meat, add it to dips, or use it any other way you like. Please leave a comment on how you like to use it.

Southwest Seasoning (Spice Mix)

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This is an Emeril Lagasse recipe, but with less salt.

2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp paprika

1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper

  1. Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
  2. Use as a rub on salmon, chicken, wings… or add to quesadillas, tacos, fajitas, fries, burgers and anything else you can think of. Please leave a comment on how you like to use it.

Quiche

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1 pie crust*
2 cups chopped veggies of your choice (roasted red pepper, fried mushroom, onion, spinach, hot peppers, corn…)
1/2 cup Bacon bits (optional)
5 eggs
¾ cup milk
Salt and pepper
1 cup cheese (of your choice)

  1. Put the veggies and bacon in the bottom of the pie crust.
  2. Mix together the other ingredients (except the cheese) and pour into the pie crust.
  3. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
  4. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

* Feel free to cheat and use a store-bought pie crust. Or make it without the crust and call it a frittata.

Oatmeal Pancakes

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2 cups oats
2 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp oil
½ cup flour*
½ tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

  1. Combine the oats and buttermilk or yogurt in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Add eggs and oil.
  3. Mix remaining ingredients together, and then add into the wet ingredients. If the batter is too thick, you can add a bit of milk.
  4. Heat frying pan, with a little oil, to medium-low heat.
  5. Pour enough batter to make a pancake into the pan. If necessary, spread the batter out a bit. Watch for the tops to bubble. Turn the pancakes and cook until golden on the second side.
  6. Serve hot, with butter and maple syrup.

* To make gluten-free version, substitute a gluten-free flour.