Tag Archives: healthy

Miso-Glazed Pork Kebabs – great for BBQ

Posted on by Andrea

miso glazed pork kebabs

I noticed this recipe in the June 2011 issue of Chatelaine magazine and realized it would be the perfect recipe to finally use ‘miso’. I had never used it before but was eager to find out how to use it and how it tasted. I’m glad I did – this marinade is a perfect introduction to using it. I bought the ‘white’ miso at the health food store – it was in the cooler area where yogurt and that sort of thing was located. You can probably find it at an Asian grocery store as well. Give it a try, if you enjoy Japanese flavours, you’ll really enjoy these – easy, with great flavour and a minimum of ingredients – my favourite way to cook. Give it a whirl.

Miso Glazed Pork Kebabs

slightly adapted from Chatelaine magazine

2 tbsp miso paste

2 tbsp dry sherry

2 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1 tsp freshly grated ginger (or more if you love ginger)

1 tsp olive oil

1 lb (500 g) pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 yellow, orange or red pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 onion, cut into 1 inch chunks

Whisk together miso, sherry, maple syrup, ginger and oil in bowl.  Add pork tenderloin chunks to marinade and let stand for 15 minutes. If using wooden skewers, soak  skewers in water at least 20 minutes to prevent burning.   Preheat bbq to med-high. Thread pork, onions and peppers onto skewers.  Brush skewers with remaining marinade.  Oil grill, and bbq skewers, turning every few minutes, until pork is cooked through– about 10 minutes.  Delicious!

white miso paste

mix up marinade ingredients

prep your ingredients, can do ahead of time

thread your skewers, some plain for PICKY people

with a salad, a perfect dinner

Healthy Salad with Creamy Japanese Dressing

Posted on by Andrea

Notice how I titled it, “Healthy” salad? I did so because there are so many salads have ingredients that  make them less than healthy–but this one really is very healthy with steamed veggies, sauteed peppers,  feta, and toasted almonds. You can add whatever you like — bean sprouts and some red onion would be nice – some roasted red peppers would add great flavour and perk up the colour as well. I put this together with what I had on hand, and so should you. The creamy Japanese dressing ties this salad in nicely with the previous post, “Ginger Soya Glazed Salmon Skewers”.

Vegetable salad with Creamy Japanese Dressing

Healthy Vegetable Salad

1 head boston lettuce

2 cups baby spinach

2 cups broccoli, cooked until tendercrisp

2 cups cauliflower, cooked until tendercrisp

1/2 yellow or red pepper, sliced

1/4 cup feta cheese, diced

2 Tbsp toasted sliced almonds

1/2 cup Creamy Japanese Dressing (see recipe below)

Cook broccoli and cauliflower in boiling water until tendercrisp, about 5 minutes. Immerse in a bowl of ice water. Cool, drain.  Saute pepper strips for 2-3 minutes in a tsp of butter or oil.  Remove from heat. Toss lettuce in a bowl with dressing. Place on platter. Surround lettuce with cauliflower, broccoli and sauteed peppers. Sprinkle feta and toasted almonds on top. Drizzle a little more dressing on vegetables.

Creamy Japanese dressing, vegetables and salad

Creamy Japanese Dressing

adapted from Chatelaine magazine

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 Tbsp ketchup

2 Tbsp mayonaisse

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously.  Serve over salad greens. Refrigerate remainder. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Ginger-Soya Salmon Skewers

Posted on by Andrea

ginger soya salmon skewers with salad

This is a great way to make salmon now that we have our bbq’s fired up for the season. Make sure your grill is well greased — fish notoriously sticks and can turn into a mess. This marinade works well with salmon filets as well and you can cook them up in the oven (400F for 10-15 mins) all through the year. The marinade is super easy and can be made up ahead of time, then throw it on your fish to marinate an hour before cooking. The skewers cook up really quickly and served with a salad makes a healthy and satisfying dinner.  This recipe is delicious enough to serve to company and makes a great addition to your dinner repetoire.

* I served this with a big salad made with a variety of vegetables and a Creamy Japanese Dressing to tie the flavours together.

Salmon Skewers

1 1/2 pounds skinless salmon filet, sliced into  1/4 inch thick strips (against the grain)

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 15 minutes

Ginger-Soya Marinade

adapted from The Gourmet Prescription

3 Tbsp soya sauce or tamari (check label to verify gluten free if necessary)

1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

Mix all ingredients. Place salmon strips in a non-reactive container and pour marinade over. Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Skewer salmon strips by weaving onto wooden skewers, about 2 strips per skewer.

Transfer marinade to a small saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.

Spray grill with Pam.  Heat BBQ to 400 F.   Place skewers on grill and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn carefully. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cook for another minutes. Remove from grill.  Serve with heated marinade.

Everyone can spoon a tablespoon or so of the marinade over their salmon skewers.

skewers on the grill, sprinkled with sesame seedssalmon skewers with healthy salad with creamy japanese dressing

skewers on the grill, sprinkled with sesame seeds

salmon skewers with healthy salad with creamy japanese dressing

BBQ Beer-Can Chicken with Broasted Shallot Potatoes

Posted on by Andrea

beer can chicken and broasted potatoes

If you haven’t made a beer-can chicken yet, you might as well start. The result is a moist, delicious roast chicken — and it’s practically effortless. Plus, who doesn’t love roast chicken?  You can purchase your  beer-can chicken holder at a hardware store– they are widely available…or simply stick your chicken on a beer can (you can use any can with water in it and get the same result) and place on a metal pie plate.  The key is to have a great tasting “rub” to slather on your chicken, and to use your BBQ as a convection oven. Easy. Delish.

Beer Can Chicken

1 chicken

1 330ml can of beer (or a pop can half filled with water)

beer-can chicken holder or metal pie plate

3 Tbsp chicken rub (see recipe below)

2 Tbsp olive oil

Rub for Chicken

adapted from Anna Olsen,  foodnetwork.ca

2 Tbsp cumin seed

2 Tbsp coriander seed

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp ground oregano

1 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika

1 Tbsp smoked Spanish paprika

2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp fresh ground pepper

Turn  LEFT  side of BBQ on high. Remove upper shelf if you have one. Close lid and let heat up to 400 F.

Meanwhile, make rub. Dry roast cumin and coriander seeds in frying pan on medium heat until they begin to smell aromatic. Remove from heat and grind in a coffee grinder or use a mortar and pestle. (You can use ground cumin and coriander instead, if you want to skip this step — the roasting of the seeds gives it more intense flavour).  Mix all spices together. Place about 3 Tbsp. of the mixture in a medium sized bowl with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil and stir.  Place your chicken in the bowl, and using your hands, slather the rub all over your chicken, being sure to get it in to all the crevices. Pour half of the beer out of the can. Place beer can into holder and slide chicken over.

*Save the rest of your leftover rub for the next time

place beer in holder

chicken on holder with rub slathered on

chicken on bbq, left side on, right side off

Place chicken and  holder onto the RIGHT side of your BBQ, breast facing the heat on left side. Close lid. Check chicken every 20 minutes or so, rotating each time. Maintain BBQ temp at approx 350-400F.  Once drippings begin to accumulate in the bottom of the holder, start to baste the chicken each time you check it. When the chicken reaches and internal temp of 165 F, remove from heat and let stand for at least 10 minutes before carving. Devour.

Broasted Shallot Potatoes

Slice up some potatoes, slice up some shallots (or onions). Place potatoes on squares of foil.  Fit shallots in between slices of potatoes. Top with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap up foil packets securely, and place on the bbq beside your chicken. Cook until fork tender, approx 40 minutes or so.

potatoes with shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper