Nicoise Salad for the Brain Dead

This is one of my favourite main salads. When it's summertime, hot and you want something substantial and satisfying without heating up your kitchen, try this recipe for Salade Nicoise.  The only thing you have to cook are the eggs, potatoes and the green beans which you can microwave.

A Nicoise is a "composed" salad.  This doesn't mean it's emotionally restrained - LOL - but it does mean all the ingredients stay separately on the plate and you can pick and choose the combos to spear on your fork. At one point, everything just melds together and it is a yummy combo no matter what .

This is also a great pack for work lunch salad. I even put the dressing on it the night before - nothing to wilt here.  Instead, it soaks in beautifully giving the ingredients a delicious vinaigrette saturated taste.

So easy to pull together.  Definitely worthy for a Brain Dead Thursday.

Here's what you'll need for 2 mains:

                        2 - 5.3 oz (or more) cans tuna in oil

                                    (MUST be in oil - the taste is SO much better.)

                                 14 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

                        2 hard boiled eggs

                        8 oz French green beans, steamed crisp

                        4 T Nicoise olives (they are really small & round)

                        10 baby new potatoes, steamed tender

                        Classic  vinaigrette (recipe here)

                        (Add 1 t crushed tarragon to the dressing recipe)

  

On each plate, arrange 5 potatoes, halved.

Place half the green beans next to them.

An easy way to steam the beans is to wrap them in 

a wet paper towel, place on a plate and microwave 

on high for about 3 to 4 minutes until tender crisp.

Immediately rinse in cold water to stop cooking process.

 

Cut each egg in quarters - one egg for each plate.

Add 2 T olives per plate.

Equally distribute the tomatoes.

Drain tuna cans of excess oil.

Place one in the middle of each plate.

These cans are a little over 5 oz each but you can use more.

The ones I buy are in a package of 3 cans. 

Drizzle 3 T of dressing over each salad.

And there you have it.

A gorgeous, healthy and oh so satisfying

Classic Salade Nicoise!

Bon Appetit, mes amis! 

Butter Chicken a la Brigitte

Talk about a misnomer!  Butter chicken, though velvety and creamy, is in fact quite a low fat dish and has very little, if any butter.  I do use about a tablespoon in this recipe but you don’t have to.  I also use 2 tablespoons of oil which you can reduce to one if you’re really concerned about fat content.  You can keep adding water to your ingredients during the cooking process to make sure nothing burns.  Really though, this recipe is for 4 people so the fat content is not that great when you spread it over 4 portions.

Don’t be daunted by the spice list.  As you measure it out, dump it all into one small dish.  I just did them separately for photo op purposes.  Do this the night before so come dinner time, this step is all ready for you.  If you’re ambitious, you can chop your onion and/or chicken the night before and store in your fridge until you’re ready to cook.

Now I’m thinking that this could even have been a brain dead recipe!  It’s really easy.  If you’ve never found a good butter chicken recipe or are wary to try it as a new dish, try this one.  The flavour is mild and complex and most importantly, delicious.

To make this a fast fix, buy green beans in a bag as an accompaniment.  You can microwave them just before you’re ready to serve.  If it’s just the two of us, I like to use a quick basmati by Uncle Ben’s in pouch which is ready in 2 minutes.  When we’re ravenous, we want dinner NOW!

As I said, this serves 4.  You can certainly halve the recipe for 2 or, make the whole thing and save for a lunch the next day or freeze for an “I’m too darn lazy to cook tonight” night!  

So no more pre-amble already.  Let’s get ambling!

Here's what you'll need:

                             1.5 lb chicken  cut into medium sized chunks

                             (white or dark or a combo - I used the combo)

                             1 onion, chopped 

                             1 t each ground cardamom, ground coriander,

                             turmeric, cinnamon, garam masala, sweet paprika

                                  ½ T chopped fresh ginger

                                  ½ T sugar

                                  3 T tomato paste

                                  2 C plain yogurt

                                  Fresh coriander

Add 2 T oil and 1 T butter or margarine to a fry pan.

Melt/heat over medium high heat.

Add onion and ginger.  Stir while cooking.

Cook until almost soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes

Add chicken chunks.

Cook and stir until fairly browned on the outside.

 

Add tomato paste.

Mine look funny because I freeze them 1 T at a time 

and keep in my freezer for just such a use.

Usually recipes call for 1 T of tomato paste so this is 

what I do with the leftovers.

 

Place all the dry spices and sugar in a little bowl 

and stir to blend together completely.

 

Sprinkle spice blend over the chicken.

Give it a good stir so everything is well coated. 

Add yogurt.

You can use non-fat, low fat or full fat.  

It doesn't matter. 

Stir really well so everything is blended.

It should be a uniform colour like this.

Now reduce heat to low and cover with a tight fitting lid.  

Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes so your chicken 

can cook through and the flavours can meld together. 

Here it is after it's done its time. 

Garnish with cilantro. 

In addition to  basmati rice, 

I like to serve this with steamed green beans.

Buy some ready make samosas and pakoras.

Make my biryani (recipe here) and you have 

a pretty good Indian meal to enjoy with your family.

Double Handed Sopressata Provolone Italian Sammy for 2!

Summer is almost over.  With the limited days of warmth and sunshine remaining, why not pack a picnic and enjoy a day at the beach or park.

This is one satisfying sandwich that packs well and travels well.  I like to wrap it tightly in cling film so when you're ready to indulge, it is completely compacted because of the binding, making it easier to manage.  (You'll still need both hands, however!)

What's not to love in this sandwich?  The crusty Italian bun?  The robust sopressata? Velvety provolone?  All those flavourful veggies?  It's all good...

Try this baby al fresco.  Close your eyes as you bite into it and imagine yourself sitting in a piazza in Italy! Delicioso!

Here's what you'll need:

                                 100 gms of sopresatta salami

                                 4 slices provolone

                                  1 chinese eggplant

                                  1 medium zucchini

                                  1 tomato

                                  Jarred roasted red pepper

                                  Italian parsley

                                  2 Italian rolls

Cut the eggplant and zucchini on a diagonal into 1/2" slices.

I like to use Chinese eggplant because it's milder.

Fry in hot olive oil in batches...

...until golden brown on both sides.

Cut tomato into thin slices.

Removing the juicy seed segments will keep your sandwich from getting soggy if you're making it in advance.

Dry your jarred peppers with a paper towel.

Cut open your buns.

Now we're ready to build the sammy!

Start with a slice of cheese - it will act as a moisture barrier.

Tear it to fit your bun.

It doesn't need to be perfect.

Add 1/4 of the sopressata to each bun.

Cover with peppers.

Top with zucchini...

Tomatoes and parsley...

Eggplant is next.

Add remaining provolone slices to each sandwich...

And divide remaining sopressata between the two.

Put a lid on it!

OMG!

Check out this thick, loaded sammy!

Sopresatta, provolone, veggies...

A two handed eating experience...

...for professional eaters only!

Stuffed Peppers for the Brain Dead

I know.  You're exhausted - and starved.  You just want to get something simple in the oven so you can put your feet up with a glass of wine already.  That oh so sweet, after work to home, transition time.

These easy to make stuffed peppers will definitely do the trick.  Using jarred sauce is a great shortcut - and when it comes to Brain Dead Thursdays, there is no shame in shortcuts.  Heck, a good shortcut should be welcomed any day of the week for that matter.

These pepper halves are just jammed with meat so they are very satisfying.  This is just my own variation on using a whole pepper per person.

With so many fancy dishes and recipes out there, sometimes a return to a great traditional and super simple classic reminds us of what home cooking is all about!

With a nice green salad, this will easily serve a family of 4.

Here's what you'll need:

 

                           1 lb ground meat

                           2 bell peppers

                           1 1/4 C jarred pasta sauce (I used tomato basil)

                           1 T Greek or Italian spice blend

                           1/4 C bread crumbs

                           1/4 C parmesan cheese (not shown)

                           Oven at 350 degrees

In a bowl, mix meat, crumbs and spice.

Add a few grindings of salt (about 1/2 t)

  

Cut peppers in half lengthwise.

De-seed and trim internal membranes.

Divide meat into 4 balls.

Stuff meat well into cavity of each pepper half.

Spread 1/4 C sauce over bottom of baking dish.

Nestle peppers in dish.

I like a smallish dish so they don't "travel".

Cover peppers with remaining sauce.

Sprinkle each pepper with about a tablespoon of parmesan.

 

Spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray.

 

Cover the dish with foil, sprayed side down.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

 

Fresh out of the oven!  Yum!

Plate and sprinkle with more parmesan if you'd like.

Super simple...

A retro classic, stick to your ribs meal!

Shrimp, Crab and Avocado Salad

Two of my absolute favourite vacation spots are Maine and Cape Cod.  Absolutely beautiful!  Apart from the breathtaking scenery and warm people, the food is to die for – especially the seafood.  A couple of summers ago, we had a beach house in Maine where down the street from us was the “Fishin’ Optician” – optician by day, lobster trapper and salesman by night – talk about wearing your different hats!  What a treat it was to have a lobster from ocean to plate in less than 30 minutes!  We couldn’t believe how soft the shells were – we could practically crack it open with our hands!  I must also mention Ogunquit which is a charming Maine town that has some of the best lobster rolls around.  Whether it’s in a restaurant or from a seaside shack, these rolls are simply glorious.  And they are ubiquitous both in Maine and in Cape Cod.

Like Maine, The Cape also has seafood shacks.  Fried clams with the “bellies” on are both crisp and gooey – an incredible mouth feel that brings your taste buds into gustatory ecstasy.  And don’t even get me started on Wellfleet Oysters – possibly, hands down the sweetest most succulent oyster Cameraman Dave and I have ever had!  We’ve occasionally laid our hands on some of these babies in Toronto at the St. Lawrence Market – but the Wellfleets from sea to lips have me dreaming of half shells with lemon and Tabasco!

With all of my seafood nostalgia, I needed a quick fix with what I had on hand.  OK, confession…  This is no where near the experiences as noted above but a crustacean induced hankering requires quick action!  I had shrimp and canned crab on hand (no comparison to fresh, I know but this was a craving, you understand).  Here’s your mantra: “There is no shame in shortcuts… there is no shame in shortcuts.”  I like the avocado in this recipe for some interspersed hit of creamy texture.  You can add celery to it for a bit of crunch, if you like.  I used dried tarragon because I was too lazy to go to the store but you can certainly use a couple of tablespoons of the fresh stuff instead.  

If you’re counting carbs, what a delicious and satisfying meal this would make.  It’s a great salad to eat all on its very own.  As an homage to the lobster roll, try toasting some hot dog buns (the kind with the top middle split), buttering them and stuffing with this mixture.  If you make it a main, this recipe will serve 2 or will be enough filling for 4 generous rolls.  Heeeaveeeen!!!

Here's what you'll need:

                            About 2 dozen medium sized 

                            cooked shrimp (tail off)

                            2 cans crabmeat

                            1 avocado

                            1/2 C mayonnaise

                            1 T dried tarragon, rubbed*

                            2 T chopped chives 

                            *("rubbed" means passing it through your palms to crush)

                                    

 Place shrimp and well drained crab into a large bowl.

Chop your avocado into bite sized pieces, about 1/2 inch.

Don't worry about being too precise.

 

Add avocado to bowl along with tarragon & chopped chives.

 

Add mayonnaise. 

Gently toss with spoon until everything 

is mixed through and well coated.

 

Serve it up as is or in a toasted buttered hotdog bun.

Sip on a cold beer, white wine spritzer or Cape Codder!

Can't you just feel the ocean breeze while you eat this?

Dare to share!