What are we eating ? | Quick recipes for busy cooks

Just before the weekend, all readers who cook ask themselves this eternal question: what are we going to eat? In order to inspire you, The Press suggests some suggestions for seasonal recipes that will make your mouth water.

Indulgence: arugula pesto

The hand blender (or hand blender) is undoubtedly Jonathan Garnier’s favorite small household appliance. Inexpensive, easy to use and, above all, to clean… this tool is an ally on rushed dinner nights.

Yield: 420 ml (1 2/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 250 ml (1 cup) arugula
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) walnuts
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) parmesan cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

• 1. In a large measuring cup, add all the ingredients and using the hand blender, grind everything quite finely.
• 2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 3. The mixture should be thick and smooth.
• 4. Keep cool.

Posted in The Press+ on October 23, 2014.

Quickly done well: creamy pasta with salmon and broccoli

8 servings

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 can 454 g (1 lb) penne pasta (or other short pasta)
• 1 broccoli, 450 g (1 lb), cut into small florets (or 300 g/2/3 lb broccoli florets)
• 750 ml (3 cups) milk
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) Nutri flour
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• Pepper and salt
• 500 ml (2 cups) grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 500 ml (2 cups) flaked cooked salmon
• Sriracha hot sauce (optional)

Preparation

• 1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions. Add the broccoli to the pan three minutes before the pasta is done cooking. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.
• 2. While the pasta cooks, in a large, high-sided nonstick skillet, whisk the milk, flour, lemon zest and cayenne pepper off the heat. Season generously with pepper and add a generous pinch of salt.
• 3. Cook over high heat, stirring regularly, until thickened. In the first broths, add the cheese and stir. Remove from the heat when the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• 4. Add the pasta, broccoli and salmon to the skillet, then stir gently.
• 5. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

Ratings

Keeps for four days in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer.

Before reheating the dish the next day, add 15 ml (1 tbsp) of milk to each serving to thin the sauce.

Source: recipe from the book Smart cooking, parents in a hurry 3.

Published on lapresse.ca on March 15, 2018.

Call me boss! : Greek tofu, tzatziki and rice with vegetables

We wouldn’t have thought it possible to be surprised by a tofu recipe in 2021. We were wrong. This Jean-Philippe recipe renews the genre by offering a crispy and tasty tofu that is not bathed in sauce. It could even convince those who don’t appreciate the texture and lack of personality of this food. Resist the urge, on busy nights, to skip the tzatziki sauce. Although this recipe comes in three parts, once the tofu is marinated, it is quite simple and quick to make.

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation: 45 minutes

Cooking: 32 minutes

Rest: 1 hour

Ingredients for marinated tofu

• 450g extra firm tofu
• 2 tbsp. (30 ml) old-fashioned mustard
• 2 tbsp. (30ml) olive oil
• 1 C. (15 ml) red wine vinegar
• 1 C. dried oregano
• 1 C. dried basil
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 C. salt
• Pepper to taste

Ingredients for the tzatziki sauce

• 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegan mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) Belsoy-type soy cream
• 1 C. garlic powder
• 1 C. onion powder
• Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 grated cucumber
• Pepper to taste

Ingredients for vegetable rice

• 2 tbsp. (30ml) olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cups (500 ml) vegetable broth
• 1 cup (200 g) long-grain white rice
• 1/2 cup (85 g) frozen peas
• 1/2 cup (75 g) frozen corn
• 1 C. salt
• Pepper to taste
• Serving cherry tomatoes

Preparation of marinated tofu

• 1. Tear the tofu into bite-sized pieces. To book.
• 2. In an airtight container, mix the rest of the ingredients, except the vegetable oil. Add the tofu pieces and marinate in the fridge for at least 60 minutes.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 400oF (205C).
• 4. Oil a baking sheet and place the pieces of marinated tofu on it. Bake for 20 minutes.

Preparation for the tzatziki sauce

• 5. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients.

Preparation of rice with vegetables

• 6. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and sweat over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Let stand 15 minutes covered before serving.

For the service

• 7. Serve the marinated tofu with the vegetable rice, tzatziki sauce, cherry tomatoes and, if desired, naan bread.

Source: recipe taken from Vegan comfort

Published on lapresse.ca on November 20, 2021.

Guilty Pleasure: Skillet Cookie

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

Keep for one week at room temperature in an airtight container or three months in the freezer.

Ingredients

• 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp.) vegetable oil (for the pan)
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) walnuts
• 160 ml (2/3 cup) brown sugar
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder
• 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
• 250 ml (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) chocolate chips

Preparation

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Put the grill at the center of the oven. Oil a cast iron skillet (see notes) 20 or 23 cm (8 or 9 in) in diameter.
• 2. Chop the walnuts.
• 3. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, egg, baking powder and vanilla extract with a fork.
• 4. Add the flour and mix. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
• 5. Pour the cookie dough into the skillet and spread well.
• 6. Bake for 25 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use a regular skillet without a non-stick coating and line the handle with aluminum foil to protect it before putting the cookie in the oven. Prepare this recipe before dinner and put it in the oven while you eat. You will have a hot dessert, ready to enjoy, once the meal is over!

Source: recipe is taken from the book Quick dinnersby Geneviève O’Gleman, published by Éditions de l’Homme, 2019.

Published on lapresse.ca on February 13, 2021.

Health ! : pineapple green juice

For one person

Ingredients

• 250 g (1 1/2 cup) ripe pineapple
• 60 g (2 cups) spinach with stems (preferably organic)
• 60 g (2 cups) lettuce leaves
• 1/2 lime
• 10 fresh mint leaves

Preparation

• 1. Peel the pineapple. Peel the lemon and remove the seeds. Wash all the ingredients and cut them into pieces (small enough to fit into the juicer).
• 2. Pass all the ingredients through the machine piece by piece, alternating the most fibrous (spinach, lettuce, mint) with those that are rich in water (lime) and using the toughest (pineapple) to push everything.
• 3. Taste and possibly add one or the other of the ingredients according to your taste.

Note: not having specialized equipment, we made this recipe in a blender and then strained the juice through a sieve. Result: practically no loss and a ma-gni-fi-que juice!

Source : Green Kitchen – SmoothiesDavid Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl, Les Éditions de l’Homme, 160 pages, hardcover.

Posted in The Press+ June 8, 2017.