Tomato Cucumber Couscous Salad

This is a refreshing and easy salad.  Furthermore, it is a welcome addition to a summer barbecue, as it goes well with any type of meat.  Make this recipe your own and adapt according to your personal taste by adding raisins, olives, fresh mint or even feta cheese.  A lot of different options for this delicious recipe.

Ingredients:

-2 cups cooked couscous grains
-3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
-3/4 cup diced cucumber
-1 finely chopped garlic clove
-Handful of chopped parsley and basil
-4 tbsp olive oil
-4 tbsp lemon juice
-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
-Salt & pepper

Instructions:

-In a bowl, combine and mix the couscous grain, tomato, cucumber, garlic and herbs.
-For the sauce, combine and mix in a small bowl, olive oil, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.  Taste and adjust according to your personal taste.
-Add sauce to the salad and season with salt and pepper.
-Keep in the refrigerator and serve cold.

Chicken Stir-fry with Hoisin Sauce

Love stir-fry, but finding the right sauce has always been my problem, however this hoisin sauce seems to do the trick.  I've made this recipe extremely simple, as I don't like to spend too much time in the kitchen (I like to spend more time eating than cooking).  You can always add minced ginger, chilli paste and any other favourite veggies such as mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, etc.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
-1 chicken breast
-1/2 red bell pepper
-1/2 cup broccoli
-1/3 cup zucchini
-2 garlic cloves
-pepper
-4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
-2 teaspoons soy sauce
-Dash of sesame oil
-1 tablespoon of oil for frying

Instructions:

-Chop chicken breast, broccoli and zucchini into bite size pieces. Julienne red bell pepper.  Mince garlic cloves.

-For the sauce, combine and mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.  Add a little water if the sauce is too strong (taste and adjust).

-In a large wok or frying pan, heat up the oil on high heat.  Add garlic and stir often.

-Add chicken and stir often for a few minutes.

-Add the vegetables, stir often.  Season everything with pepper.

-Once everything has been cooked, add sauce and stir well.

-Serve over rice.

Crispy Zucchini Sticks

It's that time of year again, zucchini season!  My mother-in-law has planted a bunch, so I get frequent zucchini deliveries.  No complaints here, however I do need to find creative ways to cook them, otherwise we will get zucchini overload.  This is a simple and tasty way to eat zucchinis.  Rather than deep frying, baking is another alternative.

Ingredients:

-2 zucchinis
-1/3 cup flour
-1 cup panko breadcrumbs
-2 eggs
-Salt & pepper
-Oil for deep frying

Instructions:

-Cut up zucchini into sticks (about 3 inches in length).

-Season the zucchini sticks with salt and pepper.

-Toss zucchini sticks in flour.

-Dip zucchini sticks in egg.

-Coat zucchini sticks in the breadcrumbs.

-Deep fry on medium to high heat until golden brown.

Optional:

-Dip zucchini sticks in ranch dressing, marinara sauce or mayo mixture (6 tablespoons mayonnaise, 3 teaspoons lemon juice, 1-1/2 teaspoons wasabi paste).

Shelly's Garden: Shopping in My Own Backyard

La vie est belle dans notre jardin!  I don't have a green thumb, however due to the hot summers and mild winters in the south of France, plants, trees, shrubs, etc. have a way of growing on its own.  The previous owner of our home planted a lot of stuff, so we are lucky to find wonderful surprises from our humble little garden.  Not only do we get fresh items from the garden, but it's all organic and chemical free - hallelujah! - we've got enough pollution and junk in this world. 

Orange tree in December

Basket full of oranges in February

Cherry Tomatoes - planted by yours truly!

Bowl full of cherry tomatoes - yummy!

Our sky high prune tree in July

Prunes, healthy version of sweet & sour candy!

Apricot tree, which did not produce much this year :-(

Apricots from last year :-)

Wild grapevine growing on its own

Grapes, ready to eat in September

My herb garden with basil, rosemary, parsley and coriander

Baked Barbecue Ribs

I absolutely love ribs!  I just dig in and eat it with my fingers!  My French husband looks at me with horror, as he needs to eat everything with a fork and knife (even hamburgers!).  I eat it my way and it tastes so good with this honey barbecue sauce!  Finger lickin' good! Cooking time is long, but well worth the wait. 

Ingredients:
-1 slab of ribs
-1/2 cup whiskey
-1/2 cup ketchup
-3 tbsp vinegar
-1 tsp lemon juice
-3 minced garlic cloves
-1 tbsp honey
-pepper

Instructions:

-Season ribs with pepper.

-Bake ribs in the oven at 185 degrees C for 30 minutes.

-After 30 minutes, on the rib side use a knife and cut off the membrane (like a thin layer of skin).

-Add 2 inches of water to the ribs, cover with foil and bake for another 2 hours.  While baking, check on the ribs and add water if needed.

-In the meantime, combine and mix the whiskey, ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, honey and minced garlic cloves.

-After 2 hours, most of the water should be gone, so add sauce to the ribs and bake for another 20 minutes without the foil.  Be sure to baste the ribs with the sauce from time to time while baking.

-Serve with fries or salad.

Apricot Glazed Chicken

Adding fruit to meat may seem strange, but it really adds a tasty spin to the dish along with beautiful colour. There are so many fruit and meat combinations that merge well together like apple and pork chops, apricots and lamb, ham and pineapple, the list goes on and on. 

Ingredients:
-4 large chicken thighs
-1 can of apricot (400 grams)
-1 package of onion soup mix (50 grams)
-1/4 cup water
-1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

-Heat up olive oil in a pan on medium to high heat.  Add chicken and brown on each side. -In a bowl combine the water, onion soup mix and the juice of the apricots. 

-Once the chicken is browned, add the liquid mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

-Transfer everything into a baking dish and add the apricots.

-Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at 200 degrees C.

Optional:
-Serve with rice or couscous.
-Add some curry or cumin powder before baking.

Korean Egg Omelette

This Korean egg omelette is really easy to make, aesthetically pleasing and quite tasty.  This is considered a side dish in Korea, but it also makes for a nice appetizer or snack.  This may be a real faux pas, but I like to add a little dollop of ketchup on top.

Ingredients:
-3 eggs
-1 tbsp water
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp red pepper flakes
-Finely chopped green onions or chives (4 stems)
-1 roasted seaweed sheet
-Vegetable oil

Instructions:

-In a bowl, combine and mix the eggs, water, salt, red pepper flakes and chopped green onions.

-Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium. 

-Add egg mixture to heated frying pan.

-Once the omelette is half cooked, place the seaweed sheet on top.

-Carefully fold/roll the omelette.

-Once you are done rolling, fry on both sides until golden brown.

-Set aside and let it cool.

-Cut width wise into 1 inch slices.

Optional:

-Get creative and add any of your favourite ingredients to this recipe such as ham, mushrooms, shredded carrots, sesame seeds, etc.

Salmon and Leek Spring Rolls

I love any type of spring rolls. I find the combination of salmon and leeks especially delicious.  In France, I use feuilles de brick for the wrapper.  Otherwise, use spring roll wrappers for this recipe.

Ingredients:

(makes 12 small rolls)

-420 grams salmon

-2 leeks

-12 small feuilles de brick (spring roll wrappers)

-Butter

-Salt and pepper

Instructions:

-Chop up the leeks (do not use the dark green part of the leeks).

-Saute leeks in butter until soft (approximately 5 minutes).

-Fry or bake the salmon in butter until cooked thoroughly.

-Once the salmon is cooked, using a knife, take off the skin and chop the salmon into small square cubes.

-Combine the cooked leeks and salmon together and season well with salt and pepper.

-Place 1 tablespoon of salmon mixture near the end of the wrapper.  Fold the edges of the wrapper inward and roll.

-Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Asparagus with Gochujang Sauce

Asparagus is a wonderful spring vegetable and tossing it in this gochujang sauce gives this side dish a spicy kick.  Gochujang is a Korean hot pepper paste and should be used with caution, as it can leave a fiery burn on your tongue.

Ingredients:
-1 bunch of asparagus
-1 teaspoon gochujang
-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
-1 teaspoon honey
-1 teaspoon sesame oil
-1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions:

-Wash the asparagus and chop off about 1 inch from the bottom of the asparagus.

-Boil the water in the steamer.  Place asparagus in the steamer for about 5-10 minutes.  Once they turn bright green, steaming is done.

-Chop the asparagus into 2 inch pieces and cut on the angle.

-Combine and mix the gochujang, vinegar, honey, sesame oil and sesame seeds.

-Toss asparagus with the sauce and place in the refrigerator as it is best when served cool.

Korean Pan-Fried Fish and Zucchini

My mom made this quite often when I was a kid and although simple it is absolutely delicious.  This is considered a side dish in Korea, however this can also be eaten as an appetizer or even as a main dish with a side of steamed white rice.  The dipping sauce is the great finishing touch for the fish and zucchini.

Ingredients:
-1 zucchini
-4 filets of sole, cod or any kind of white fish
-3 eggs
-3/4 cup flour
-Cooking oil
-Salt & pepper
Instructions:

-Slice zucchini crosswise into 1/4 inch circles.

-Fish should be relatively thin and cut into 2 inch pieces lengthwise.

-Season the zucchini with salt and season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides.

-Coat all the zucchini and fish pieces with flour on both sides.

-Heat a pan with cooking oil on medium heat.
-Beat the eggs in a bowl.
-Dip and coat the zucchini and fish pieces in the egg and place on the heated pan.  Cook for a few minutes on each side or until lightly golden (do not over cook).

-Place the cooked zucchini and fish pieces on a paper towel to absorb the oil.

Dipping sauce:

-Combine and mix 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 3 tbsp apple vinegar, 2 tbsp honey, a dash of sesame oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a pinch of sesame seeds.

Teriyaki Chicken

One  of my fond food memories was when my mom would take us to a Korean restaurant and I would always order the same thing, a Shirley Temple and a teriyaki chicken, my favourite.  It came out on this wonderful hot plate, sizzling in its sauce.  There are so many different teriyaki recipes, but here is one that caught my fancy.

Ingredients:

-1 kg of chicken thighs, wings or drumsticks
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-1/2 cup water
-2 tablespoons mirin
-2 tablespoons honey
-4 tablespoons sugar
-2 tablespoons corn starch
-1 tablespoon sesame oil
-2 garlic cloves, minced finely
-sesame seeds

Instructions:

-Combine and mix the sauce: soy sauce, mirin, honey, water, cornstarch, sesame oil, minced garlic and sugar.

-Soak the chicken in the sauce for 30 minutes.

-Place chicken and sauce in a large pot over medium heat.  Let it simmer for about 30 minutes.  Be sure to stir often, as sauce will thicken quickly.

-Sprinkle sesame seeds over chicken before serving.

Stuffed Tomatoes / Tomates Farcies

This is a popular dish in the south of France, especially in the summer.  Any type of ground meat can be used, however I find that a mixture of ground pork, beef and veal is great for this recipe.  For those who like a little spice, chilli paste can be added to the meat mixture. 

Ingredients:
-350 grams of ground pork, beef or veal or a mixture of all three.
-6 tomatoes
-2 onions
-Salt & pepper
-Olive oil
-3 garlic cloves
-1/2 cup bread crumbs
-2 eggs
-1/3 cup milk
-6 tsp uncooked rice

Instructions:

-Chop up the onions and mince the garlic.  In a frying pan saute the garlic in olive oil until soft.  Add onions and saute until soft and golden (approximately 5 minutes).

-In a bowl combine and mix the meat, eggs, bread crumbs, milk and cooked onions.  Season well with salt & pepper.

-Cut off the top of the tomato and keep the top as a lid. 

-With a knife and spoon carefully cut and scoop out the interior of the tomato.

-Place 1 tsp of uncooked rice in the bottom of each tomato.

-Stuff the rest of the tomato with the meat mixture.

-Spray or sprinkle olive oil on top of each tomato.

-Place the lid on top of the tomato.

-Bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for 1 hour.

Optional:

-Goes great with a side salad.

-Keep the interior of the tomato and make a tomato sauce.