Baked Chicken With Herbs

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper
• 2 skinless chicken breasts

1. In a baking dish, combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
2. Place chicken on top of herb mixture.
3. Bake, covered, at 375°F for 20 minutes.
4. Turn chicken and bake for another 30 minutes, uncovered, basting it twice.

Serves 2.

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The recipe was easy to make, and The Chef added a couple of touches of his own. He cut the ingredients in half, so we didn’t have leftovers.

We both really enjoyed it, and will have it again. It’s a flavour combination that we hadn’t tried before, and it had a bit of a kick, but no cabbage taste. And according to The Chef, that’s a good thing!

Spicy Pork Chops With Red Cabbage

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 bone-in pork rib chops (approx 1” thick, 8 oz each)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• salt and black pepper
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.
2. Season pork with cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
3. Cook until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side.
4. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in second large skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Add cabbage, raisins, vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
7. Cook, covered, tossing occasionally, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
8. Stir in the dill, and serve with the pork.

Serves 4.

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If you don’t like lamb, you could substitute ground beef.

Greek Lamb and Orzo

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 2 cans (16 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup uncooked orzo gluten free pasta
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
• Plain yoghurt (optional)

1. Cook lamb in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.
2. Drain fat from the skillet.
3. Stir in tomatoes, celery, pasta, salt and red pepper.
4. Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
5. Cover and simmer about 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until tomato liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender.
6. Serve with yoghurt.

Makes 4 servings.

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The recipe is adapted from Quickies 2, which is packed with easy, tasty meal ideas.

Serve a nice tossed salad on the side, and it’s a great supper.

Fusilli With Tomato and Beans

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 19-oz can kidney beans
• 1 pound gluten free fusilli, cooked
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil, about 5 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in kidney beans.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, stirring frequently.
5. Toss with fusilli and Parmesan.

Serves 6 to 8.

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The recipe is from the Canadian cookbook, Quickies: Ten Quick Ways with Everyday Foods. The instructions don’t say to pierce the squash, but I usually poke it with a fork once or twice before microwaving.

Acorn Squash With Ginger

• 1 small acorn squash
• 3 tsp butter
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 thin slices fresh ginger

1. Microwave the acorn squash on high, for 3 minutes.
2. Peel the squash, and thinly slice it, discarding the seeds.
3. Cut the squash into bite sized pieces, and sauté in butter, with garlic and ginger.
4. Sprinkle with pinches of salt and pepper.

Serves 2.

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Last weekend, I bought The G.I. Diet Menopause Clinic, by Canadian author, Rick Gallop. It’s similar to others in his G.I. Diet series, with easy to follow meal plans and recipes.

The chef made several of the recipes from Week 1, and we’ve enjoyed them (some a bit more than others). He adapted a few of the recipes, to include ingredients that we prefer, and followed the instructions exactly for others.

Thursday he made braised halibut on spinach. I’m not a fish lover, but this meal was so good that I ate the leftovers today in a tossed salad.

Here’s the chef’s version of the recipe, with a picture of his finished dish.

Braised Halibut on Spinach

• 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach
• 1 lb Pacific halibut
• 1 tbsp grainy mustard
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. In medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to boil. Add frozen spinach, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until thawed.
3. Drain spinach in colander, and squeeze out as much water as possible.
4. Rinse and pat fish dry with paper towel.
5. In small bowl, mix mustards, lemon zest and pepper. Coat fish on all sides with this mixture, and set aside.
6. In large ovenproof frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add garlic and onion and cook for 8 minutes, or until softened.
8. Reduce heat to medium and stir in spinach and salt.
9. Pour in water, and place fish on top of spinach mixture.
10. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until fish just flakes with a fork.

Serves 4.

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Pasta Carbonara

• 6 slices Prosciutto
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup cream
• Pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese (grated)
• Fresh curly parsley a few sprigs
• Fresh Italian parsley a few sprigs
• Fresh garlic chives
• 6 oz pkg gluten free Linguine or spaghetti

1. Slice mushrooms, dice prosciutto, dice parsleys and chives and set aside.
2. Place pasta in pot with enough water, a dash of salt and a bit of olive oil bring to boil and cook until el dente.
3. In large mixing bowl beat egg with the cream and add pepper and set aside
4. Next while the pasta is cooking sauté the mushrooms in olive oil and a bit of butter as the pasta is almost ready add the prosciutto and herbs to the mushrooms.
5. When pasta is ready drain and toss in the egg and cream and add  parmesan and mix in the sautéed mushrooms mixture.

Serves 2.

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And when he says to watch carefully, please take his advice! The chef turned his back on our dinner for about 5 minutes, and we almost lost it! Suddenly, it was engulfed in flames, but the chef managed to retrieve it, without too much harm done.

So, it was a little crispy on the outside, but moist and flavourful, and done to perfection inside. The rosemary was from our garden, and added a nice touch to the meal.

Grilled Rack of Lamb

• 1 rack of lamb (we used Australian from Costco)
• 1 heaping tbsp Dijon
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• One stem of Rosemary (Cut in thirds)

1. Mix all ingredients in a bag with the rack of lamb
2. Place in fridge until ready to BBQ (1-2 hours)
3. Set BBQ on medium and place rack on
4. Spread remainder of marinade on rack
5. Watch carefully turning occasionally for approx. 5 minutes a side for medium rare

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If you’d rather not use the mix, you could use 2 cups of thinly sliced cabbage and 1 cup of carrot strips.

Cabbage and Carrot Slaw

• 3 cups cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. In a large salad bowl, toss the cole slaw mix, vinegar and oil.
2. Season with sale and pepper to taste.
3. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

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Skillet Beef and Macaroni

• 8 oz uncooked macaroni or other gluten free pasta
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp oregano
• 1-1/2 tsp dried basil
• 10 oz can mushrooms
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (gluten free)
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, and set aside.
2. Place beef, onion, garlic, herbs and mushrooms in a skillet.
3. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until beef is fully cooked.
4. Add tomato paste, water, Worcestershire sauce, cheese and parsley.
5. Stir to combine with meat mixture.
6. Stir in pasta, and heat thoroughly.

Serves 6.