My apologies, I realize that’s a ridiculously long title. That said, it needed to be descriptive! Last night the boyfriend, as per usual, declared his hunger, and I opted to do some fridge cleaning. I had two cutlets of pork loin left over from some time ago in the freezer, and an older chicken breast. I also had a number of tiny potatoes that were itching to be used in SOMEthing, so I thought, all right, a marinade and some mashed potatoes.

It took about an hour and a half all together to assemble, which for me is quite quick for a complex dish. The meat was incredibly flavourful and a bit spicy (for me, meaning for you not at all, chances are) and I was surprised at how well it captured the marinade’s flavour despite the short time they spent together in the fridge.

The mashed potatoes are rich and very, very creamy, thanks to skim milk, parmesan cheese, and nutmeg- the secret to mashed potatoes, just like my mother taught me. Nutmeg + potatoes = match made in Heaven. You’ll have to trust me on this one and see for yourself :)

Indonesian Curry Marinade Grilled Pork or Chicken with Creamy Nutmeg Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients (for two) (meat & marinade):

• 2 portions of white meat (I used one chicken breast and two small pork loin cutlets – go organic!)
• 1 tsp each of garam masala, minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp each of cumin, ground cloves, coriander, sea salt
• 1/4 tsp each of balinese chili powder, powdered ginger, pepper, and carry ou curry bombay
• 1.5 tbl extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients (potatoes – makes one rather large bowl, serves 6):

• 8 small potatoes (Yukon Gold and Red, mixed)
• 1/2 stick soy butter (or 5 tbl)
• 7 tablespoons organic skim milk
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp each of pepper, nutmeg

Process:

1. Mix marinade ingredients together and whisk briefly in a medium-sized bowl. Dunk in meat and drench completely in marinade. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Place softened butter, milk, parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg at bottom of a large bowl.
3. Rinse the potatoes, place on a plate covered by a damp paper towel, and place in microwave for 5 minutes.
4. Heat a grill pan on medium high heat.
5. Turn potatoes over to their flipside and microwave for another 5 minutes. Continue flipping and microwaving until the potatoes yield easily to the touch and become softened.
6. Peel potatoes one by one and mash into the large bowl’s mixture with a fork, continually folding it over and under. Set aside and cover with plastic wrap to keep warm.
7. Remove meat from fridge; place onto grill pan and grill for approx. 5 minutes, then flip onto reverse side and grill for another 5 minutes (timing will depend on thickness of meat cuts).
8. Serve potatoes with an ice cream scooper and serve with a refreshing and light summer salad to balance the carbs.

And you’re set! It’s a rather simple recipe but chock-full of flavour and is a nice mix of down-home good ol’ Southern cooking with a flare of Indian and Indonesian curries. Yum! I plan to keep experimenting with this marinade… next time there’s yet another curry from Bali I’d like to try :).

Something that’s crunchy and golden on top but gooey, warm, and creamy on the bottom sounds rather Heavenly to me. And this dish is just that! It’s like a musical piece: it begins softly with this “ahhh” of crunchiness on the top, as you begin munching on the cheese… then you begin to taste the potato and the crunchiness gives way to an irresistable softness… and then the bottom, with the rich creaminess of the cream and you know it’s going to be a winner.

Yes, I know, it’s oft seen as a Southern classic and therefore, why would I make this, I who shiver in fright at the idea of Southern foods? But you know what, this looks like a gratin, and gratin looks safe (and French) and thus I thought, all right, this is do-able :). I was tempted to re-name this Thin Potato Gratin to make myself feel better (and I gave my father a piece and he called it a very good gratin, so clearly if a true Frenchman says so, it must be the case) but as Elise’s fantastic recipe is named ‘scalloped’, I opted for that… with a deep breath!

Crunchy & Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

Adapted from / variant of Elise @ Simply Recipe’s Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 very large baking potato, sliced into 1/8-inch thick slices
• 3 medium/small Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch thick slices
• 1 tbsp soy butter
• 5 cloves of herb-roasted garlic, peeled, whole
• 1 tsp each of nutmeg and coriander
• 1/8 tsp cardamom
• 1 cup grated San Pietro cheese (very similar to Parmesan)
• 2/3 cup italian fancy cheese blend (mix of 5 cheeses – to be found at your local grocery store)
• 2 1/2 cups of half-and-half
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Butter (with soy butter) a large, fairly shallow dish (could be round or square)
3. Place half of the potato slices (I kept the skin on- after rinsing thoroughly- but you can peel if you so desire!) over the bottom of the dish, trying to have as little overlap as possible
4. Place the garlic cloves directly onto the slices, evenly dispersed. Sprinkle with the spices, and half the cheese.
5. Layer the other half of the potato slices in the same fashion as the first layer, and sprinkle on half of the remaining cheese, as well as the salt and pepper.
6. Pour the half-and-half and milk evenly over the dish, dot slightly with very small pieces of soy butter and cover with a large piece of aluminum foil.
7. Place in the oven for approximately an hour. Then remove from the oven, take off the foil, sprinkle on the remaining cheese, and bake for an additional 30ish minutes, until the potatoes are golden browned on the top.
8. Let cool a bit, then serve warm…. yum.

It’s seriously delicious, and if it has the French stamp of approval, clearly that means you shouldn’t waste time- go get some for yourself and see if you agree! You could change the recipe- I edited Elise’s a bit as I am horrorstruck by bacon (just ask the boyfriend), and I had been on a chives kick the week before, so I wanted to stay away from them. Plus, it’s a proven fact that cream + nutmeg = meant to be. Think of this marriage of flavours as your favourite destined couple. Just trust me on this one :).

So to go along with the panini for our picnic, I opted to make a sweet potato salad as well. Potato salad is a classic picnic food, and this is a bit of a twist on the usual: sweet potato, herbs, and little else. It was slightly crunchy on the outside, mushy on the inside, and the boyfriend seemed to really enjoy it. If anything, it’s a nice change from the traditional. Try it! Between the herb and the intense orange, you know it’s packed with beta carotene goodness.

Grilled Sweet Potato Rosemary Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch-thick cubes
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary (optional: fresh rosemary, too, for an extra kick!)
• 1 tablespoon organic canola oil
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• optional: 1.5 tablespoons low-fat olive oil mayonnaise

Process:

1. Heat grill pan (just the bottom, no need to heat the press if you have one)
2. Place potato cubes in a bowl, add in canola oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, toss thoroughly until well-coated
3. Grill potato cubes, rotating every 4-5 minutes to brown evenly, until firm but giving a bit in the middle
4. Place in bowl, add optional mayo if desired
5. Let cool a bit… then eat! Warm or cold!

The only complication, if any, to this dish is the time it took for my grill pan to fully grill the potato. That said, it’s a simple yet incredibly flavourful dish that’s very portable and useful. You could switch about the herbs, but I have yet to try any other combinations. If you’re looking to try something even healthier, try flax seed oil (just check its burning temperature first to make sure it can handle your grill).

So I recently purchased a fantastic cookbook at Half-Price Books entitled The Complete Ste-by-Step Family Cookbook, by Gina Steer. H and I were looking through it together recently, and as we did so, she mentioned that she had purchased some beautiful wild salmon at Whole Foods. Unfortunately, when she froze it, she didn’t realize it had been previously frozen, and thus was seeking a use for it that didn’t depend on nice texture. We happened upon this salmon fish cake recipe in the book and thought, aha, we have all the ingredients for this between the two of us! Not shopping for specific recipes = exciting, so it was on :)

Salmon Fish Cakes

Following the recipe from the Complete Step-by-Step Family Cookbook

Ingredients (makes 7 3-inch-wide cakes):

• 1/2lb or about 225g Wild Sockeye salmon fillet, skinned and de-thawed
• 2 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 tablespoon soy butter
• 1 tablespoon organic fat-free milk
• 1 medium-sized tomato, carved out and chopped into a fine dice
• 2 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh parsley
• approx. 3/4 cup wholemeal bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg (organic, cage-free!), beaten
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• seal salt & freshly-cracked black pepper
• for garnish: fan-cut cherry tomatoes, uncut parsley sprigs, and large dollops of low-fat sour cream

Process:

1. Lightly season the salmon fillet with salt and pepper, then poach in water for about 10 minutes, until cooked through. Drain thoroughly, place onto a cutting board, and flake (use a flat wok spatula or similar item to flake the salmon out).
2. Rinse the potatoes, then poke a few holes on either side with a fork, place on a paper towel, and put in mocrowave for 3 minutes. Then flip the potatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Continue repeating this 3-minutes-and-flip process until the potatoes are cooked through entirely (if you press down upon one and it caves inward, then it’s done!)
3. Peel the potatoes, and place in a bowl. Add the butter, milk, a dash of salt and a dash of pepper (optional: pinch of nutmeg) and mash. Add in the flaked fish, diced tomatoes, and half the parsley and mix.  Place in freezer for 25-30 minutes to firm.
4. While the mixture is firming and cooling, prepare the three dipping bowls. Place the flour in the first, and beaten egg in the second. For the third, mix together the breadcrumbs and grated cheese with the remaining parsley.
5. Form the now-cooled mixture into 7 cakes, about .5-inch thick and 3 inches across and place in the flour (thin coat), then egg, then the breadcrumb mixture (pat it on thoroughly). Place aside onto a plate until all the cakes are dipped and ready to cook.
6. Heat some of the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the cakes for about 3 minutes per side (until a nice seared, golden-brown colour appears) and well-crisp. For garnish, serve with a fan-cut cherry tomato, fresh parsley sprigs, and large dollops of cold and creamy low-fat sour cream. (the book suggests raita with mint but I that seems overpowering to me).

They’re delicious, very convenient as a keep-in-fridge thing to heat up later on and they go so well with the sour cream! This was also my first successful fan tomato, so I was quite happy with that :)

I have come to a conclusion: I’m in need of a mandolin. Making chips without one means not being able to count on consistency, texture, or timing. That said, these turned out to be some rather yummy chips! It’s a simple process, they’re far healthier than your fried grocery-store chip, and really tasy. In the future I’m going to try onion and garlic, but perhaps not with sweet potato… that may be a more non-sweet-potato thing. I’m told these also go well with cinnamon :)

Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 large yam/sweet potato (or more, if desired)
• about 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Rinse yam, then slice as thinly as possible using sharp knife or, preferably, a mandolin
3. Brush light coating of olive oil onto baking sheets- very thin, but enough so that the bottom of the chips won’t burn
4. Arrange yam slices packed in tightly but flat across baking sheets
5. Brush another very light coating of olive oil onto the tops of the slices
6. Sprinkle on salt and pepper (quantity as desired)
7. Bake yam slices for about 6 minutes, then rotate to even the baking process
8. Bake for an additional 6-8 minutes, until edges begin to curl slightly upward and the chips have reached your desired level of crunchiness
9. Place a paper towel over a cooling rack
10. Remove from baking sheet and arrange over paper towel-cooking rack, trying to have as much contact with the paper towel as possible
11. Allow to cool for 5 minutes; toss the chips over if desired to absorb more oil into the towel, allowing to cool for a few more minutes
12. Eat and enjoy! :) For something cool to counter the heat and pepper, dip chips in cold sour cream- or, instead of pepper, add cinnamon and some cloves for a sweeter (yet spiced) taste

It’s a rather quick process! The only downside is that if you used a gargantuan yam as I did, you’ll need more than two baking sheets- so it took me two batches of two sheets to just do one yam worth of chips. These things have a high yield! You may also want to arrange the chips by size- have one sheet of smaller slices and one of larger so that you can ensure more even timing for the lot.

This was, by far, my favourite of my mother’s lunch recipes. She would make this in large batches every few months, and I was delighted every time. It’s delicious, it’s very nutritious, and it’s incredibly cheap to make. If you’re looking for a recipe that can be easily made on a large scale, has health benefits but won’t cost you more than $8 for 5 meals, look no further. That’s right, this can make you a sandwich for lunch for under $2, all while giving you essential nutrients. Here’s how you do it:

• Take two cans of tuna (this makes about 6 sandwiches- you can add or subtract cans of tuna as you like)- you can pick the brand and colour and whatnot. The essential part is that it be in a can, otherwise the consistency of this salad will go awry. Open the can about 3/4 of the way and press down on the lid to remove all the water you can (on that note, be sure to get tuna in water, as opposed to some sort of oil). Then open the can the whole way and continue pressing to remove all remaining moisture (you can either save this tuna water for your cat, for another dish (cooking pasta)… or give the drain a birthday present). Pour the dried tuna into a large mixing bowl and break it up a bit so that it’s not one large chunk.
• Add your spices: I’ve tried this recipe a good 5 times and tried adding a variety of spices, and have learned this is one where the ‘less is more’ principle comes into effect. My mother would add salt, pepper, and a large amount of nutmeg. After experimentation, I’ve found that this really is the triumvirate to go with… particularly the nutmeg. If you can grate it fresh, that’s wonderful- but if not, powdered will do just fine. Add as you like it- I add a teaspoon or so per can of tuna.
• Now add in the mayonnaise. Helm’s has a low-fat mayo that’s olive oil based, so go with that one if you can find it… if not, look for the healthiest one you can see, because this ingredient is the one real detriment to this recipe’s nutritional value. Sadly, though, for consistency, you can’t go without it. Add one soup spoon per can of tuna. Add each spoon one at a time and mix it in before adding the next. If you go a bit overboard on this one, you can compensate with extra potato pieces. You may prefer it to be drier or wetter- I’ve found that adding a bit less mayo is better than a bit more, for a drier salad will keep the pita crunchier (which I prefer).
• Take 3 medium-to-large-sized potatoes per can of tuna. Rinse these thoroughly, poke holes in them with a fork, and microwave them. You’ll need to microwave them for about 4 minutes at a time, flipping them after every 4 minutes, until they cave in lightly when you touch. This is one I can’t give an exact number for, but simply press down onto the potato lightly and if it immediately goes inward- a bit mushy, but nto so mushy that it loses its shape- then it’s ready.
• Rinse the potatoes in cold water so that your fingers won’t burn :) then either peel them (as my mother would do) or, if you enjoy potato skins, keep them on (just trim off any deformities or black areas). Then cut into cubes (doesn’t have to be exact) of approx. 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch.
• Mix the potato pieces into the tuna mixture, using a folding method- don’t smash the potatoes, you want to keep their form as much as possible. So try folding the tuna around and over the potato pieces until the potatoes are fully coated with the tuna-mayo mixture.

At this point you can eat it warm- it’s quite yummy- but for optimal results, refrigerate overnight and you’re set for the morning. It’s particularly yummy on toasted whole wheat pita as an easy and portable lunch!

It’s yummy, nutritious, and incredibly cheap. This recipe is, no doubt, a winner. (Thanks, Mom!) If you’re looking to add some crunch, you can go traditional and add some chopped chives, or go middle-eastern and add in some chopped pistachios. Drizzle a little honey on your pita to add a little sweetness, if so desired!

Important note: Eating an excess of tuna can lead to mercury poisoning. Try not to eat this more than 3x in one week to ensure good health! This will easily keep in the fridge for 1.5 to 2 weeks- even more so if you squeeze in a bit of lemon juice before adding in the mayo- so be sure to not overdo!