it's fish season!

Here in northern British Columbia, August is smack in the middle of salmon season, and let me tell you - I'm going to take advantage!  This recipe uses jarred fish (which tastes about a million times better than canned fish, but if you don't jar your own fish you'll have to make do with the canned stuff), as well as yogurt, a lemon, and a few fresh herbs.  It's summer, so hopefully even the boonies cook can grow a couple of herbs in a pot at this time of year! 

The bonus for this recipe is that it literally takes 8 minutes to make.  In the time that it takes to boil pasta, you can be feeding your entire family.  Because who wants to spend hours in the kitchen when it's so nice out??  not me.

I don't want to say I invented this recipe, but I saw a recipe in a magazine at the doctor's office, then tried to reproduce it at home.  I have no idea if it's the same...

Pasta with Salmon, Yogurt, and Dill

Ingredients

• 4 servings pasta (spaghetti works well)
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 1-2 jars (or cans) of salmon (preferably sockeye), drained
• 1 c. plain yogurt (not Greek)
• 1 tbsp grated lemon rind
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. fresh dill, chopped
• 1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Boil water and add pasta.  During the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking, add the frozen peas.

While the water is boiling, mix the yogurt, lemon rind, garlic and herbs together in a bowl.

Drain the pasta and peas.  Add the yogurt mixture and the salmon and mix.

Serve and OMNOMNOM.

Rainforest burritos

OK, I've been wanting to post this recipe since I started this blog and I finally got my cousin's permission to post it... as long as I change the name.  So, I hereby give you *drum roll*... the rainforest burrito!  Rainforests have nothing to do with the burrito, but it's kind of in keeping with what her family calls them. This recipe came from my cousin, who got it from her dad, who may or may not have gotten it from a restaurant somewhere.

This recipe is soooooo yummy! I'm not even an olive fan, but I couldn't dream of these burritos without them! For the boonies cook, it's reasonably attainable (the tomato is the only thing that won't keep for a long time in the fridge), and it's really fast to put together. 

For this recipe, you'll need:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. sliced or chopped almonds (preferably toasted)
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1/2 c. raisins
• 1/2 c. sliced green olives
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• flour tortillas
• feta cheese
• sour cream
• salsa
• lettuce

To make, brown the meat in a large frying pan or wok. Drain excess fat.
Now, add each ingredient in order up to the spices, stirring for about a minute after each addition. 

Heat some flour tortillas - you can do this one by one in a dry frying pan over medium heat.  Don't cook them - you just want them to soften.  Alternatively, you could place them in the microwave for about 20 seconds on high. Or in the oven wrapped in foil for about 15 minutes at 350°F.

Add a leaf of lettuce, then put the meat mix on it. Sprinkle some feta cheese, sour cream and salsa over the whole mess and wrap up to eat. You'll probably need to make this every night for a week because it's so dang good.

Portable, Good-For-You Porridge

I am NOT a morning person.  Nuh-uh. My goal in life is to wake up as late as possible and still get to work on time.  So it follows that breakfast is not high on my list of weekday morning priorities.  Sometimes toast, most often nothing at all.  I usually just take a lot of snacks to work, and work through them as the day progresses. But once in a while I remember that I can bring a decent breakfast to work with minimal preparation. Instant oatmeal is an option, but I find most of the brands to be sickeningly sweet. So here is a version of instant oatmeal that you can make yourself - you could even prep several of these on the weekend and leave them in your cupboard to grab on the go.

You'll need a small jar with a lid (a 250 mL canning jar works great), some rolled oats, and whatever dry toppings you like on your oatmeal.

Fill half the jar with the oats, and sprinkle on spices of your choice (I add cinnamon and ginger and sometimes cardamom). Then add your toppings (dried fruit, nuts, flax seeds, coconut, whatever). Now close the jar.

When you get to work, dump the whole thing in a bowl, and measure out about 3/4 jar of water and add it to the bowl.  Microwave for 3 minutes on high.  If you like, you could bring an individual sized yogurt or cut up fresh fruit for the top. Voila!  Instant breakfast with minimal sugar or preservatives!  WIN.