Salmon in a Tomato and Feta Sauce (aka Salmon Saganaki)

Salmon in a Tomato and Feta Sauce (aka Salmon Saganaki)

30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Food Gluten-free Greek Low-carb Main Course Recipe Seafood

Unknown 06:14 Add Comment

With spring finally here I have started to think about lighter meals and this salmon baked in a tomato and feta sauce, inspired by the flavours of shrimp saganaki, was at the top of my list! Shrimp saganaki is a Greek style dish where the shrimp is baked in a tasty tomato and feta sauce that is just begging to be accompanied by crusty bread to soak up all of the extra sauce. It is commonly served as an appetizer but it also makes for a great meal and I had been thinking that serving salmon topped with the same tomato and feta sauce would make for a really nice meal! For this recipe you pretty much just make a simple tomato sauce, spread it out over the salmon, top with the feta and bake until the salmon is ready. I often like to add a splash of ouzo (a star anise/black liquorice/fennel flavoured liqueur) to the tomato sauce to add that hint of something exotic to it but a more pantry friendly version is to use ground fennel seeds which are perfect in this sauce! Parsley is the main herb in the tomato sauce which adds an amazing freshness to it and I also like to add a touch of dill as it also adds that something special to the sauce! You could mix the feta into the tomato sauce but I like to sprinkle it on top and that way it gets all nice and slightly melted and a little bit charred on the top! This salmon baked in a tomato and feta sauce (aka salmon saganaki) is a perfect light spring/summer meal and right now it's great when served with some of the fresh locally grown asparagus!

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Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Bacon Best of 2013 eBook Chicken Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Recipe Texmex

Unknown 03:00 Add Comment

Today is Cinco de Mayo and I wanted to take the opportunity to update one of my favourite recipes, this bacon wrapped jalapeno popper stuffed chicken with some new photos! The basic idea was to stuff chicken with all of the flavours of jalapeno poppers and then to wrap them in bacon and grill, fry or bake them. Jalapeno poppers are commonly filled with cream cheese and/or cheddar cheese and they are either coated in bread crumbs and fried until crispy or wrapped in bacon and grilled or baked until the bacon is cooked. I like a simple mixture of cream cheese, cheddar or monterey jack cheese and diced jalapeno peppers for the filling and the jalapenos can be roasted, fresh or even pickled. These bacon wrapped jalapeno popper stuffed chicken tastes just like jalapeno poppers and makes for one really tasty light meal! Who says you can't have your favourite game day snacks for dinner any night of the week?

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Avgolemono Soup (aka Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

Avgolemono Soup (aka Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

6 Ingredients Chicken Food Gluten-free Greek Pasta Presto Pasta Nights Recipe Soup

Unknown 03:00 Add Comment

I can't believe that we just had snow a few days ago when we are well into April! Well, that means that it's time for some soup and a bright, longing for spring, soup, an avgolemono soup! Avgolemono soup is a Greek style lemon chicken soup with rice that is thickened with eggs. The recipe could not be easier where you pretty much just cook the rice in a bunch of chicken broth before adding the chicken and lemon along with the egg thickener. The egg is added after tempering it first by slowly whisking some hot broth into the eggs and then whisking the mixture back into the soup. The eggs are added this way so that they do not 'cook', turn white and stringy, like an egg drop soup, when added to the broth. Given how simple this soup is, I like to use quality ingredients including a tasty homemade chicken broth or chicken stock but store bought also works. Here's hoping for some warmer spring weather and until it arrives I will be enjoying some of this avgolemono Greek style lemon chicken soup!

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Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Food Gluten-free Italian Low-carb Main Course Pasta Presto Pasta Nights Recipe Sauce Vegetarian

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Marinara sauce is one of those pantry staples that I always want to have on hand and it turns out that it is super easy to make your own! I always want to have a good marinara sauce on around because it can be used in so many different recipes (see below for some ideas) and this homemade version is simply the best! This marinara sauce starts out with a combination of olive oil and butter and it is seasoned with garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano before adding the tomatoes along with onion wedges and fresh basil. The sauce is simmered for a bit to reduce and thicken before removing the basil and onion and adding salt and pepper to taste. This marinara sauce is great fresh and it keeps in the fridge for a couple of days, in the freezer for months and if you use proper canning you can store jars of it in your pantry so that you have it on hand when you need it!

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Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce

Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Appetizer Food Gluten-free Main Course Recipe Seafood Shrimp Thai Vietnamese

Unknown 02:40 Add Comment

After rounding up my tastiest shrimp recipes I realized that I had not shared one of my favourites, coconut shrimp! Coconut shrimp are large shrimp served coated in a crispy golden brown panko breadcrumb and coconut mixture that are just asking to be dipped into some sweet chili sauce or better yet pineapple sweet chili sauce! I sometimes like to add a touch of lime zest to the breadcrumb mixture for a hint of citrus and you can always kick up the sweet chili sauce with something like apricot preserves if the pineapple sweet chili sauce does not float your boat. (I think the coconut and pineapple flavour combo is just fabulous!) This coconut lime shrimp is the perfect finger food for your next dinner party, it's also great on game night and to be completely honest, I like to make a large batch and just eat it as a meal!

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No Crust Pepperoni Pizza

No Crust Pepperoni Pizza

6 Ingredients Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Pizza Pork Recipe

Unknown 03:00 Add Comment

First I brought you the cauliflower pizza crust and then I brought you the zucchini pizza crust and now I bring you the ultimate low-carb pizza crust, the no crust pizza crust! Yes, that's right a no crust pizza crust! You know how the melting cheese sometime ooezs out of a grilled cheese sandwich, sticks to the pan and hardens on the bottom? That's the idea behind the no crust pizza crust, you simply sprinkle the cheese onto the pan, let it melt and cook until bubbling and nice and golden brown on the bottom before letting it cool a bit so that the bottom gets solid enough that you can slice it and pick it up just like a regular slice of pizza. Hold on, I know what you are going to say! What about the toppings and the sauce? While the cheese is cooking you can sprinkle on your favourite pizza toppings and then you can dip the pizza into some pizza sauce as you eat it! And there you have it a no crust pizza crust with all of the flavours of pizza and none of the carbs or the leftover crust ends that nobody wants to eat!

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Sausage and Pepper Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Sausage and Pepper Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

6 Ingredients Food Gluten-free Italian Low-carb Main Course Pork Recipe Vegetable

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It's time for another fall recipe and this time I have an easy and tasty sausage and pepper stuffed spaghetti squash! This recipe could not be easier, you simply roast some spaghetti squash stuff them with a mixture of Italian sausage and diced red peppers in a tomato sauce and cover it all in melted cheese! A lot of the flavour in this dish comes from the sausage so choose some that you like and you can either make your own marinara sauce or use your favourite tomato based sauce. This recipe is a great way to enjoy some fall spaghetti squash and it a great way to cut down on the carbs since the spaghetti squash replaces the pasta!

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Taco Lime Grilled Chicken

Taco Lime Grilled Chicken

6 Ingredients Chicken Food Gluten-free Grill Main Course Mexican Recipe Texmex

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While it's still warm enough to do some grilling I got out and did some to make this taco lime grilled chicken using my homemade taco seasoning! This taco lime grilled chicken is super easy to make, you just marinate the chicken in the taco seasoning and some lime juice, grill it and you are good to go! You can serve these tasty chicken breasts as is or slice them up and use them in anything from tacos, to burritos, quesadillas, etc. I like to make larger batches so that I have leftovers to use in other recipes requiring grilled chicken. This taco lime grilled chicken is one tasty way to enjoy some of the dwindling summer grilling days!

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Caprese Stuffed Avocados

Caprese Stuffed Avocados

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Appetizer Avocado Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Recipe Salad Vegetarian

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During the summer one of my favourite things is all of the fresh ripe tomatoes and basil and the combination of the two is absolutely fabulous! Things get even better when you add some fresh mozzarella and touch of balsamic vinegar to the mix, caprese salad style, and I often like to throw some diced avocado in as well. These caprese stuffed avocados are a slightly different take on that idea where an avocado half is filled with a mixture of diced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella tossed in a homemade basil pesto served on a bed of salad greens all topped with a drizzle of balsamic reduction! The combination of the cool and creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil pesto and tangy balsamic vinegar is simply divine; pure summer on a plate!

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Pesto Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken

Pesto Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken

30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Chicken Food Gluten-free Italian Low-carb Main Course Pasta Recipe

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It's time for another summery zucchini recipe and this time it's fresh pesto zucchini noodles with roasted tomatoes and grilled chicken! Ever since I came across the idea of zucchini noodles I have been a little obsessed with them! I mean what's not to like about them? They behave just like spaghetti noodles and they are lighter and healthier! This recipe could not be easier, you simply roast the tomatoes, grill the chicken, slice the zucchini into noodles and then toss it all in a fresh homemade basil pesto! In addition to being nice and light and healthy, this dish is pure summer in a bowl with the juicy roasted tomatoes bursting in your mouth balancing off the creamy pesto. The zucchini noodles can be served cool making this dish perfect for hot summer days!

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Cauliflower Pizza Crust (with BBQ Chicken Pizza)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (with BBQ Chicken Pizza)

6 Ingredients Cauliflower Chicken Food Main Course Pizza Recipe The Best of Closet Cooking 2013

Unknown 04:52 Add Comment

I have been wanting to try making a pizza with a cauliflower crust ever since I came across the idea on Recipe Girl; I mean what's not to like about a cauliflower crust for a pizza? I actually got a chance to try a cauliflower crust a couple of months ago but I ran into a problem, the crust stuck so badly to the parchment paper that I could't get it off. What bits that I could get off tasted great though so I was determined to get it right! After hours of going through comments on various cauliflower pizza crust recipes the secret seems to be that you need to squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible from the cooked cauliflower before baking it. As sometimes happens this project fell through the cracks and I forgot about it until the holidays when I picked up a silicon baking mat and it practically had the cauliflower crusts name written on it. I tried the recipe again, this time squeezing out the excess liquid and using the silicon baking mat, and the crust came out beautifully and just as tasty as expected! This crust is seriously good! I could easily eat the crust all by itself as a snack or maybe with a dipping sauce not to mention all of the tasty pizza topping options!

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Slow Cooker Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

Slow Cooker Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

6 Ingredients Bacon Chicken Crockpot Food Gluten-free Main Course Recipe Slow Cooker

Unknown 14:29 Add Comment

I have had a slow cooker for a few years now but I find that I hardly ever use it and when I do it is usually for things like pulled pork. I almost feel like I need to justify it taking up space when I have so little so I am always on the lookout for good slow cooker recipes to give it a workout. I recently came across a this tasty looking recipe for slow cooker bacon wrapped apple BBQ chickenon Chef in Trainingand with apples in season it seemed like the perfect chance to pull my slow cooker out! I mean you really cannot go wrong with BBQ chicken and if you then throw apples and bacon into the mix things can only get better! One thing that I do like about slow cooker recipes is that they are generally really easy, sometimes being as simple as throwing all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and turning it on and then you come home to a fully cooked one pot meal. This recipe is only requires you to dice some apples and wrap the chicken in bacon so it is easily doable even on a busy weekday morning and it is so worth the ten minutes of effort! The chicken comes out nice and moist and tender and the flavours of the bacon have melted into the chicken and BBQ creating one really tasty dish!

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Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo Pasta

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo Pasta

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Food Gluten-free Main Course Pasta Recipe Vegetarian

Unknown 13:47 Add Comment

Another thing that I really like about this time of year is all of the red peppers that are around. Not only are they plentiful but they are also cheap and every year at this time I head down to the farmers market and pick up a large basket full of them. By far my favourite thing to do with red peppers is to roast them and luckily roasted red peppers keep well in the freezer so I roast most of the basket and freeze them for use throughout the year. Since I was roasting up a bunch of red peppers anyways it seemed only natural to use some of them right away and I was thinking that a creamy roasted red pepper and goat cheese pasta was a great way to go!

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Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas with Roast Zucchini Salsa

Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas with Roast Zucchini Salsa

6 Ingredients Appetizer Food Low-carb Main Course Mexican Quesadilla Recipe Vegetarian

Unknown 14:06 Add Comment

When you make the corn and black bean tacos with roast zucchini salsabe sure to make a double batch as the leftovers are great in other dishes like these quesadillas. You really cannot go wrong taking the sweet caramelized corn along with the creamy black bean and the fresh and tasty zucchini salsa with a nice spicy heat and wrapping them all in a toasted golden brown tortilla along with plenty of melted cheese! Once the corn and black beans and zucchini salsa are made these quesadillas only take a few minutes to make which is good because you will want to make them all the time! What a great way to enjoy some of the last of summers produce!

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Bacon Jam and Guacamole Quesadilla topped with a Fried Egg and Bacon Jam Vinaigrette Drizzle

Bacon Jam and Guacamole Quesadilla topped with a Fried Egg and Bacon Jam Vinaigrette Drizzle

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Appetizer Avocado Bacon Breakfast Food Main Course Quesadilla Recipe

Unknown 13:41 Add Comment

Thoughts of bacon jam have been haunting me ever since my first batch ran out a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately it ran out long before I had finished using it in all of the things that I wanted to and I figured that that was the perfect excuse to make another batch! The next thing on my list to try were these quesadillas with bacon jam, guacamole and plenty of melted cheese. Despite the fact that the bacon jam is extremely versatile and can be used in a lot of different ways I seem to keep thinking of it in terms of breakfasts and it seemed only natural to top the quesadillas with a fried egg and have them for breakfast! I was thinking that the fried egg might be a little lonely sitting there on top of the quesadilla all by itself so I jazzed it up a bit with a drizzle of a bacon jam vinaigrette.

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Jalapeno Popper Pizza

Jalapeno Popper Pizza

30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Bacon Food Low-carb Main Course Pizza Recipe

Unknown 14:33 Add Comment

It has been a while since I last made a pizza and the craving for one had been building up over the last while until finally I just had to make one. On top of my list of new pizzas to try was one inspired by the flavours of jalapeno poppers. Jalapeno poppers are jalapeno peppers that are stuffed with cheese, commonly cream cheese and cheddar, and either coated with bread crumbs and fried or wrapped in bacon and grilled. With those ingredients it is pretty easy to envision a pizza topped with cheddar, along with mozzarella, sliced jalapenos and bacon and that just left the cream cheese and the crispy bread crumb coating to work in.

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