Sweet Potato and Garlic Mac and Cheese

Tasty and nutritious twist on the classic mac 'n cheese!

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato, cubed (1 - 1  1/4 cups cubes)
1 head of garlic
olive oil to drizzle
salt and pepper
2 cups almond milk
1  1/2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps flour
2 cups shredded strong cheese, like sharp cheddar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of hot pepper flakes
2 pinches smoked paprika
2 cups pasta (elbow or penne)
1 cup chopped kale or spinach

Start with a quick "roasted" garlic. Cut the top off the head of garlic. Drizzle olive oil on top, add salt and pepper. Pour 1 tbsp water into the microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave on low 3 minutes. Check for softness and continue cooking on low 3 minutes at a time until tender. Set aside.

Cook the sweet potatoes...either boil 10-15 minutes or roast at 400 F tossed in oil for 20-25 minutes. Place the cooked sweet potatoes in a food processor. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and add to the potatoes along with 1/4 cup of the almond milk. Process together until smooth. Set aside.

Next make a white sauce...melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the remaining almond milk and cook 3 minutes.

Add the sweet potato mixture to the white sauce along with the nutmeg, salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes and smoked paprika. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Stir in the cheese and greens.

Keep the sauce simmering slowly while the pasta cooks.

Then drain the pasta and toss with the sauce to coat.
Add more almond milk if you want a thinner sauce.

Serves 4

Adapted from a recipe at: Runningtothekitchen.com

Parmesan Salmon with Kidney Bean and Corn Salad

Keeping supper healthy and simple in this heat wave!
Expected to hit 31F today with a humidex of 38F!

Ingredients:
For the salmon...
1 lb salmon fillet, skin on
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, minced
zest of 1/2 lemon
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbsps parmesan cheese
a squeeze of lemon juice

For the salad...
1 cup white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup kernel corn
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
some fresh parsley and kale, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbsps feta, crumbled
1 tbsp bacon bits

Prepare the salad ingredients and set aside. When ready to serve combine with the olive oil.

Place the salmon fillet skin side down on a greased baking sheet. Coat with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil then give it a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle on the parmesan cheese.

Heat grill to medium high, close cover and barbecue 4-5 minutes. Here it is below after 5 minutes. I was a little chicken to flip it whole so I cut it in half and carefully turned each piece over for an additional 3-4 minutes.

The aroma is to die for! The garlic and lemon and cheese combine to make an outstanding flavour!

We had some roasted potatoes here but the salmon and salad would have been great sans patates!

Serves 2

Berry Oat Banana Loaf

Flourless and gluten-free and ready to satisfy your sweet tooth! You could even leave out the brown sugar as the bananas and berries make it sweet enough for some. I like it just that much sweeter though!

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups oats
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar (optional)
1  1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dried blueberries and cranberries

First off you want to re-hydrate the berries. So pour a little water on them, just enough to cover, and set aside for 15 or 20 minutes.

Take half the oats and whirl in a blender. Stir this oat flour into the remaining whole oats.

Beat butter then add 1/3 of the banana, 1 egg and 1/3 of the oats. Repeat, repeat until the bananas, eggs and oats are well combined with the butter.

Add the brown sugar (if using), baking powder, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix well. Drain the berries and fold them into the batter.

Grease and flour a 9 X 5" loaf pan, pour the batter in and sprinkle some oats on top if you like.

Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes

Cool at least 20 minutes on rack before turning out to cool completely.

Whole Grilled Pineapple

Tropical side dish or sweet and juicy dessert right here!
Personally I like it as a side but I would not be against having a big old scoop of vanilla ice cream with a spear of grilled pineapple!

Ingredients:
1 whole pineapple
2 tbsps coconut oil
2 tbsps brown sugar

Start by scrubbing the outside of the pineapple with a potato brush. Then stand it on end and leaving the leaves intact slice off the pinepple bark. (Stick the bark in the freezer to have with fish at a later date...see below)

Brush the pineapple with coconut oil and sprinkle all over with brown sugar.

On the barbecue grill the pineapple on indirect medium heat  for 35-45 minutes, turning every 5-10 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and cut into spears. Slice off a strip where the core is and serve
.

Serves 4-6

Here's why you should save the pineapple bark...
Barbecued Salmon in Pineapple Bark
https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2015/05/barbecued-salmon-in-pineapple-bark.html

Balsamic Bruschetta Baked Chicken

My sister-in-law sent me this recipe to try. I had chicken strips instead of the boneless chicken breasts it called for. And I added a few extras because I just can't seem to leave a recipe alone ; )
It was 3 thumbs up in our house!

Ingredients:
850g (1  1/2 - 2 lbs) boneless chicken strips
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp dry basil
1/2 - 1 tsp herbed sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1  1/2 tbsps garlic, minced (divided)
2 cups tomatoes (large quartered, cherry or cocktail halved)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tbsps capers
fresh thyme sprigs
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 tbsps fresh parsley and zest of 1/2 lemon to garnish

Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish. Toss the chicken with olive oil and place in a somewhat single layer in the dish. Mix the oregano, basil, salt, pepper and half of the minced garlic together and sprinkle over the chicken.

Arrange the tomatoes, onion, celery and capers on and around the chicken. And lay a few sprigs of thyme here and there.

Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and remaining half of the minced garlic. Pour over chicken and bake at 425 F for 20 minutes.

Top with the shredded mozzarella and broil 4-5 minutes.

Serve garnished with chopped parsley and fresh lemon zest.
Try it, you'll love it!

Serves 6

Adapted from: http://skinnyrecipes.net/2019/05/06/balsamic-baked-chicken-breast-with-mozzarella-cheese/

Rhubarb and Strawberry Custard Squares

No wonder this recipe was a 1944 bake-off winner!

With rhubarb season coming to a close and being right in the middle of a late strawberry season, there's no better time to whip these up!

Ingredients:

Crust:
1  1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or marg

Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsps flour
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup quartered strawberries

For the crust, mix flour and sugar together, then cut in the butter using a pastry knife. Gently press the crumbly mixture into a greased 13 X 9" baking dish.

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the filling. Combine sugar, salt and flour, then add the eggs and vanilla. Stir into the rhubarb and strawberries. 

Pour the filling over the pre-baked crust and return to the oven for 30 minutes.

Let cool before cutting into squares...

and serve plain or topped with whipped cream, ice cream or Cool Whip topping.

Adapted from: www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/1944-bake-off-winner-rhubarb-custard-bars.

Sesame Crusted Pork Loin

Sesame seeds and the tahini sesame paste add flavour and texture to this pork roast, along with the benefits of boosting your energy and immune system.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lb boneless pork loin

2 tsps tahini paste
4-5 garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsps oregano
pepper to taste

2 tbsps sesame seeds

Mix the tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and oregano together and smear it over the pork. Grind some pepper over the top and refrigerate several hours.

When ready to cook sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the marinade and gently press.

Set the oven or BBQ (indirect heat) to 400 F and cook for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 F for 50-60 minutes. Don't turn it over as you'll mess up the crust!

Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing to keep it good and moist.

Watermelon Sashimi Appetizers

It looks like tuna but it's cool and refreshing watermelon! Bring these meat free, gluten free, vegan, save the tuna appetizers to your next BBQ!

Cooking time: 0 minutes

Ingredients:
Watermelon
Tamari
Avocado
Red onion
Sushi ginger

Cut watermelon into triangles and pat dry with paper towels.

Brush with tamari

Then top with a thin slice of avocado, even thinner strips of red onion and a strip of pickled ginger. A sprinkle of black sesame seeds would be good here too!

These can be prepared 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate until ready to use. I read somewhere that they can be frozen, but I didn't try it. If you do freeze them and it works please share the info in comments below.

One watermelon makes ALOT of appetizers!

Update: Yep, black sesame seeds just make these POP!