Salads, salads and even more salads

Over the years, I have had some really great salads. Some of my favourites have been the 'Jerk Chicken Salad' from fresh bytes (I think that was what it was called) in the basement of Tuttleman, on Temple University's main campus, and the 'Cobb Salad' from Quiznos. However, salads can run you deep in the pockets costing about $7.00 on average. You can create your own in about the time it takes the person at the shop to make yours. All you have to do is 'prep'... just like they do at your favourite deli or fast food place.

Step 1: Buy pre-cut salad bags from the store. Go for the 'Garden Salads' with the iceberg lettuce, red cabbage and carrots, for example.
Step 2: Buy additional vegetables that you like but that are not in the bag, such as green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions.
Step 3: Decide on what meat toppings you like and prepare them however you like (might be an excellent way to use up left over grilled chicken or pork chops from last night's dinner).
Step 4: Assemble however you want, drizzle your favourite salad dressing and bon apetite!

Here are a few examples....



Spicy Shrimp Salad: Spread about a third of a bag of 'Garden Salad' on your plate. Slice up about half a small green pepper and dice half a small firm tomato. Scatter over the salad already on the plate. Toss thawed raw shrimp in a mixture of salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and thyme. Cook in a hot pan for about 2-3 minutes on each side (until it turns pink). Allow to cool for about two minutes (store bought thawed cooked shrimp would also be just fine) and add to your plate. Add two tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette dressing (or whichever you like) and enjoy.



Steak Salad: Just like above, pour about a third of a bag of 'Garden Salad' on your plate. Slice up about half a small green pepper and half a small firm tomato. Scatter over the salad already on the plate. Boil an egg and cook some sirlon steak strips in your favourite way (I simply chopped and heated up left over pan cooked seasoned sirlon from last night's dinner). Dice up the hard boiled egg. Arrange the tomatoes, peppers, eggs and steak on the plate as above and sprinkle with homemade or store bought bacon bits. Drizzle some dressing and enjoy this tasty and refreshing dish.



BBQ Chicken Salad: Sprinkle a third of a bag of salad on your plate. Slice a small, firm tomato and add to the salad. Sprinkle sliced barbequed chicken over the salad in the plate (use store bought or use up leftover's from the night before like I did), sprinkle sweet corn from a can and drizzle over two tablespoons of dressing. Simple, quick and delicious.

Enjoy any one of these salads on a Saturday for lunch or take it to work for a nice and healthy, but filling lunch.

Whole Wheat Rotini Carbonara

Making better dietary choices does not mean compromising on taste. I recently discovered the world of whole wheat pasta and wondered why I had not switched over earlier. I made the change from white rice to brown rice about a year ago, and have not looked back. The truth is, whole wheat foods have come a long way. Even a short 5 years ago, when I tried whole wheat pasta for the first time, it still tasted like sawdust or sandpaper (if either of us could imagine what these taste like). Not yet sold? Read on and then try this recipe out for yourself.

I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with left over part skim ricotta cheese (which I was still unable to finish), I surfed the internet for simple recipes which I could accomplish without having to buy many more ingredients. I stumbled upon a couple of discussion board posts about a 'Zuni Cafe Carbonara Recipe' ( Zuni Cafe Pasta alla Carbonara, from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers) and how delicious it was. To my surprise, the dish required only a few ingredients - most of which I already had, and some of which I could easily substitute with other ingredients. Plus, this was the perfect opportunity to find out whether whole wheat pasta was truly a good substitute for the real thing. After a few tweaks to the recipe, I came up with a delicious 'Whole Wheat Rotini Carbonara'.

What do you need?
5 slices of turkey bacon (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1/2 cup of part skim ricotta cheese
4 medium eggs
1 pound or 4 cups of uncooked whole wheat rotini (Barilla makes an excellent one)
1 cup of peas (frozen is excellent)
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Black pepper and salt to taste

What do you need to do?
Heat a sizable pan (medium heat), then add bacon
Cook bacon until it starts to crisp, then remove from heat
Beat eggs and ricotta cheese together in a bowl
Cook pasta in salt water until almost al dente
Microwave peas for a minute and then add to pasta
Cook for an additional 2 minutes, then drain
Put the pan with the bacon back on medium heat and add the pasta and peas
Add the ricotta and egg mixture, Parmesan cheese, canola oil, salt and pepper to the pan
Cook quickly, stirring consistently until the egg is cooked.

Serve alone or with your favorite meat and/or vegetables.

p.s- I served mine with pan grilled thinly sliced sirloin steak

Lasagna (or... as the brits spell it... Lasagne)

Lasagna is a hearty casserole that is much easier to prepare than it looks. Like almost every dish I talk about, this one too has a story. My love for lasagna started in my junior year at college (go Owls!). I had this roommate who's mom sent over some lasagna for us after she had spent the weekend at home. The lasagna was pretty darn good and better than most I had tried... I remember ranting and raving about how good it was. Many years later, I decided to give a recipe I found online a try, and VOILA!!!!

Here is what you need;

Ground beef or ground turkey
Onions (optional)
Tomato/spaghetti sauce
Lasagna pasta sheets
Part skim ricotta cheese (can substitute cottage cheese if you want)
Part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt, pepper and Italian seasonings

What to do;

Step 1: Heat a pan, add cooking spray and brown the meat. Once browned, add thinly sliced onions (optional) and allow to cook about 5 minutes longer.



Step 2: Add the tomato/spaghetti sauce and seasonings and leave to cook on medium heat until it reaches a boil.



Step 3: Heat up water in a pot, add lasagna sheet and parboil (cook until tender but not all the way).



Step 4: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and then, grab a casserole dish. Place a layer of meat sauce at the bottom of the dish.



Step 5: Add a layer of lasagna pasta.



Step 6: Spread the ricotta cheese over the lasagna sheet and then sprinkle a layer of mozzarella.



Step 7: Repeat the layering steps (in that order), until dish is full. Finish with a layer of mozzarella and sauce.



Step 8: Cook in the oven for 30 - 45 minutes. The lasagna is done when the sides bubble over and the top layer slightly browns. Leave to cool down and set for about 10 minutes, then serve.

Result... a yummy dish that you can serve as dinner or lunch. Serve alone, or with a side of steamed veggies and garlic toast. Enjoy!!!!!!