Recipe #5 - Stir-Fry

This is a great way to empty your fridge of all the random vegetables that are lying around. Throw in some left-over meat, and serve it over rice or noodles. There are so many variations to this recipe that this is very general and I encourage you to experiment with it. I don't think I've ever made it the same way twice.

What you need:
Veggies chopped up into bite sized pieces.
Meat of your choice cooked or uncooked also chopped up into small pieces
Saucy things!

I used
-Two handfuls of cauliflower
-Two carrots two celery stalks
-8 little heads of bok-choi
-1 red pepper
-1 pound of chicken (uncooked)
-A laaarge splash of teriyaki sauce
-A large splash of soy sauce
-A good splash of sesame oil
-1 pound of chow mein noodles

What to do:
-Chop the meat first if it's uncooked
(with a separate knife and cutting board)
-Put a drop of olive oil in the frying pan and heat it up on high
-Cut everything else while it's cooking BUT make sure you check on the meat and stir it around.
-When the meat is no longer pink and raw looking, add all the veggies
-Pour your sauces over everything and mix well
-Keep stirring on and off until veggies reach desired level of crunchy/mushyness
-Turn to low until noodles are ready
-While the veggies are frying fill a large pot 2/3 of the way full
with water and heat at max temperature until it boils.
-Add noodles and loosen them up
-Cook as directed by the package or until they taste soft enough

Serve the veggies over the noodles and enjoy! This serves 4 or two with two lunches.

Feel free to post comments telling me what you think, or if you have questions/suggestions.

Extra #1 - Strawberry Sauce

This was seen on my crepe post as the topping/filling for the crepes. It's really simple to make, and it's also a nice alternative to syrup.

You need:
2 or 3 cups of sliced strawberries. Frozen work really well for this.
2 tbsp of brown sugar

What to do:
Put the ingredients in a small pot
Heat gently until bubbly.

Optional:You can add a little corn starch to thicken it if you want. For this dissolve the corn starch in cold water (1 tsp for 1/4 cup water), then add when the berry mix is bubbling, stirring it into the mix until it thickens.

Recipe #4 - Crepes

Crepes are really versatile in terms of when you can eat them and what you can do with them. They can be sweet or savoury, and eaten for breakfast,brunch, dinner, or desert. They are not hard to make and it's actually quite a fun way to spend a weekend morning.

What you need:
-1 cup of milk
-4 eggs
-1 tbsp melted butter (melt in microwave for 30 seconds but check it every ten and stir it around)
-6 drops of vanilla (add more if you like. this is what will make the crepes more breakfast/desert like. leave it out if you're going for savoury.)

-1 cup flour
-tbsp sugar
-1/8 of a tsp salt (pinch)


What to do:
-Mix all the wet ingredients in a blender. (slowest setting)
--Make sure to crack the eggs into a bowl or measuring cup first just in case some shell escapes. This makes it easier to fish out.

-Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk.
FUN PART!
-Pop the middle part out of the blender lid .
-Put the lid on the blender.
-Rest the middle part on top just in case it splashes .
-Turn the blender back on the lowest setting .
-After you turn it on, you can remove the middle.
-Take a spoon and start adding your dry mix to the wet one.
-Keep going until it's all added and then give it a couple more seconds to mix fully.
-Turn off the blender.
-Let it sit for 5 minutes.

-Let your frying pant heat up on a burner set to about medium.
-Put a little bit of butter in the pan to grease it lightly.
-When it's ready pour in some batter and tilt the frying pan around in a circular manor to spread the batter out. You want a big thin layer of batter covering your frying pan.
NOTE: It's ok if the shape isn't perfect. They still taste delicious.
-Let it sit until it completely changes colour from beige to more yellowy, and the edges appear dry.
-Flip it over and let it sit for about 30 seconds.

-Repeat until you run out of batter.

This recipe makes 8 crepes. It makes for a nice breakfast for two.

Recipe #3- Pasta and Rosé

What you need:
-350g of fresh pasta (linguine)
-300ml of rosé sauce
-1 pepper
-1 pound of Atlantic salmon fillet
-half a lemon
-a sprinkle of paprika and oregano

What to do:

Salmon
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
-Cover a cookie sheet in tin foil
-Rinse the salmon
-Place it on the tin foil pink side up
-Sprinkle on your paprika and oregano
-Cut your lemons into thin round slices and lay them on top
-Pinch the corners of the tin foil to catch the juice
-Place in the oven for 15 minutes
-Remove from oven and cut into the thickest part to check readiness. It should be solid light pink throughout

PRO-TIP!
If the salmon isn't done and it isn't making a lot of juice, add a little bit of water to the pan so the fish doesn't dry out as you put it back in the oven for a couple more minutes

Pasta
-Fill up a pot 2/3 of the way with water
-Set in on a burner turned to high and wait for it to boil
-When boiling add pasta
-Cook for 3-4 minutes or until it reaches the desired state of soft
-Drain and serve

Pepper
-Cut it up into small bite sized pieces
-Place them in a warm frying pan with a little bit of olive oil
-Sauté until pepper looks slightly browned
-Add rosé sauce and heat for about 2 minutes or until bubbly

Put it all together and enjoy!

This recipe serves two people with the possibility of left over noodles.

NOTE: Fresh pasta is more expensive than normal pasta but you can make this with any kind of pasta. It will just take longer to cook :)

Recipe #2 - Really Easy Pizza

What you need:

-2 pitas or naan breads
- tomato sauce or pesto
-your fave pizza toppings ( I like peppers, olives, pepperoni/ham, and cheese)
- a cookie tray


What to do:
- preheat to oven to 425 degrees
-put your toppings on your pizza
- bake them in the oven on the cookie tray for about 10 minutes or until the cheese melts
-eat it!

This serves one if you're a hungry person, or two if you and a friend like to keep it small and simple (or have opted for a side dish)

Enjoy :)

Recipe #1 - Red Veggies with Couscous

I found this recipe in "The Ultimate Student Cookbook (From Chicken to Chili)" by Tiffany Goodall. It's easy to make and super delicious. Perfect for lunch or a light dinner and even on the go. I didn't quite follow her recipe but here's what I did.

What I used:
2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
6 cocktail tomatoes quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped up really small
4 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 cup couscous
11/2 cup boiling water

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Cover a roasting tray with tinfoil
Place your chopped veggies in the tray
Pour in the oil, vinegar, and garlic
Roast for 15-20 minutes

Put your couscous in a bowl or small pot
Boil the water in a kettle, then pour it over the couscous
Cover it with a lid and let it sit for about 5 minutes
Check it with a fork to see if all the water is gone
Stir it around to fluff it up

Serve with the veggies over the couscous and sprinkle the grated cheese on top

This recipe serves 2

Extras- You can roast whatever veggies you like and make it as colourful as you like. Adding some fresh basil would also be a great idea.