Recipe Notes

Original recipe in http://www.dianaskitchen.com/page/ground/cajun.htm

Ingredients (serves 6) (the following ingredients serve about 12 as the meat packages were about twice what the original recipe called for and therefore everything was doubled when I made it.)

Seasoning mix
2 whole bay leaves	4 whole bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt	2 teaspoons Hy's seasoning salt
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper	2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper	2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper	1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin	1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg	1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Main Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter	8 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onions	1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper	1 chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup celery, chopped	1 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions	1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic	2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce	2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce	2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup evaporated milk	1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup catsup	1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 pounds ground beef	3.8 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork	1.5 pounds ground pork (this was the package that determined the quantities for the remaining ingredients)
2 eggs, lightly beaten	4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fine bread crumbs	2 cups fine bread crumbs

Steps

1	Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
2	Chop onions, celery, bell pepper, green onions into small pieces.
3	Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
4	Add onions, celery, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, Tabasco, Worcestershire and seasoning mix from step 1.
5	Saute until mixture starts sticking excessively, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan bottom well. (I never noticed any tendency for the mixture to stick excessively.) (I cooked this for about 10 minutes, as the heat was not high enough initially.)
6	Stir in the milk and ketchup.
7	Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8	Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. (This only takes about 15 minutes.)
9	Mix ground beef and ground pork by hand.
10	Mix eggs, cooked vegetable mixture (from steps 2 - 8) and the bread crumbs and remove the bay leaves.
11	Combine meat from step 9 with mixture from step 10 and mix by hand until thoroughly combined.
12	Place half of mixture from step 10 in each of two 13 x 9 baking pans.
13	In the center of each pan, shape the mixture into a loaf that is about 1 1/2 inches high, 6 inches wide and 12 inches long.
14	Bake uncovered at 350 F for 25 minutes.
15	Raise heat to 400 F and continue cooking until done, about 35 minutes longer.
16	Serve immediately as is or with Very Hot Cajun Sauce for Beef. I will try salsa or horseradish.

Nutrition (from FitDay software)

The following two images are based on a single serving (1/10 of the above recipe).

Here are a few photos:

Recipe Notes

Original recipe in the book "A Flash in the Pan" by Shirley Gill & Liz Trigg (2002) p. 90.

Ingredients (serves 4)

450 g/1 lb skinless & boneless chicken breasts	I used 2 chicken breasts, one was a large breast, one a smaller one.
75 g/3 oz/ 3/4 cup cashew nuts	ok. I used unsalted cashews bought in a bulk foods section of the grocery store
1 red pepper	ok.
45 ml/3 tbsp/ groundnut oil	I used canola oil.
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped	I now use minced garlic out of a container
30 ml/2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or medium-dry sherry	I used Gekkeikan sake.
45 ml/3 tbsp hoisin sauce	ok.
5 - 6 spring onions, green parts only.	ok.

Steps

1	Cut red pepper and chicken into finger-length strips. Cut spring onions into 1" lengths.
2	Heat wok until hot, add the cashew nuts and stir-fry over low to medium heat for 1 - 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
3	Heat wok until hot. Add canola oil and garlic and let it sizzle for a few seconds.
4	Add chicken and red pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
5	Add rice wine and hoisin sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the chicken is tender and all of the ingredients are evenly glazed.
6	Stir in the sesame oil, toasted cashew nuts and spring onion tips. Serve immediately with rice or noodles. (We did not have this accompaniment. This may explain why the meal was for 2 people rather than 4.)

Nutrition (from FitDay software)

The following two images are based on a single serving (1/2 of the above recipe) (we found it served 2 people perfectly)

Here are a few photos:

Recipe Notes

Ingredients (serves 2)

7 pork sausages	The number can vary but 7 is exactly half of a regular package at the store. It also is the perfect number for cooking eggs (see Steps section below).
2 medium eggs
1 can (398 mL/14 oz liq) apricot halves

Steps

1	Coat bottom of frying pan with spray canola oil.
2	Cook pork sausages on medium-high heat, turning frequently, until brown on all sides.
3	Reduce heat to low-medium.
4	Rearrange sausages to form two squares. Break an egg into each square. Add apricots along side.
5	Cover and cook until eggs are done.
6	Eat with a fresh cup of coffee.

Nutrition (from FitDay software)

The following two images are based on a single serving (1/2 of the above recipe)

Here are a few photos:

Recipe Notes

Original recipe in the magazine "Cooking Light" Jan/Feb 2007 p. 151.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves	I substituted 3 turkey breast halves, since that was what I had.
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Chicken soup	I substituted 1 can (10 fl oz/284 ml) Campbell's Low Fat Cream of Chicken soup.
1 1/3 cup water	I substituted Campbell's Chicken Broth (fat free, 25% less salt), since we had an open carton of this in the refrigerator. Such a substitution makes for a richer dish.
3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice	I used Uncle Ben's converted natural long grain rice, which we had on hand.
1/2 tsp onion powder	Yes.
2 cups fresh or frozen vegetables	I used about a cup of frozen Green Giant summer sweet peas (what was left from previous meals) + 1 small can Safeway peaches & cream kernel corn (341 mL) which is about a cup in size.
fresh ground black pepper	I sprinkled this over the three turkey breasts
	McCormick's salt free garlic & herb seasoning. I sprinkled this over the turkey breasts as well.
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese	I used Kraft medium cheddar cheese.

Steps

1	Mix soup, chicken broth, rice, onion powder, peas, corn in a 12 x 8" shallow baking dish.
2	Add spices to turkey breasts.
3	Place turkey breasts on top of soup mixture.
4	Cover baking dish with aluminum foil (shiny side down).
5	Bake at 350 F using convection bake setting for 45 minutes.
6	Top with shredded cheddar cheese and serve.

Nutrition (from FitDay software)

The following two images are based on a single serving (1/4 of the above recipe)

Here are a few photos:

Recipe Notes

Original recipe in the magazine "Cooking Light" Jan/Feb 2007 p. 68.

Ingredients (serves 4)

3 pound beef brisket	I was not able to find beef brisket at the supermarket so substituted a 1.5 kg beef chuck roast (a cheap cut). Since this is a slow cooker recipe, there is no need to use tender cuts of meat.
1 teaspoon salt	I substituted Hy's seasoning salt and lightly sprinkled it over the entire surface of the roast.
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper	I lightly sprinkled the entire surface of the roast.
cooking spray	I used Pam canola oil spray.
1/4 cup water
2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1 large)	I used 2 medium onions (grown locally in Taber).
1 1/2 cups chopped parsnips (about 2)	I used 2 (grown in Manitoba).
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf	I used a bunch of smaller pieces that would amount to about the same size as one full leaf.
1 12 ounce bottle light beer	I used 1 can (355 ml) Kokanee beer (5%).

Steps

1	Rub all surfaces of roast with salt & pepper.
2	Coat fry pan with canola spray.
3	Heat fry pan to medium-high and sear all surfaces of roast (about 1-2 minutes for each surface).
4	Remove roast from pan.
5	"Add 1/4 cup water to pan, stirring to loosen browned bits." This was a disaster for me. The pan was too hot and the water immediately turned to steam, leaving a dark mess on the bottom. I had to let the pan cool and then I washed it before continuing. I omitted adding the water and simply added a little canola oil to the bottom of the pan and reheated it to medium.
6	Add onion and parsnip and saute about 5 minutes, or until tender.
7	Place onion & parsnip mixture, balsamic vinegar, bay leaf and beer in slow cooker.
8	Place roast on top of mixture.
9	I followed the suggestion to refrigerate this overnight, but one could also begin cooking it immediately. Refrigerating it means that one only has to cook it the next day (no hassle). I assume that refrigerating it also acts like a form of marinating.
10	Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours.
11	Discard bay leaf.
12	Cut roast diagonally across the grain into thin slices. I tried to do this, but the meat just fell apart, so I treated this as pulled beef. This turned out to be just fine, excellent even.
13	The liquid, with the onions and parsnips, was served in a separate gravy bowl and poured over the meat once it was on a plate.
14	The recipe said this serves 12 but 4 senior citizens had no difficulty eating it all. We had a Greek salad, cole slaw and sweet potatoes as a vegetable accompaniment. A very nice Australian red wine was the final touch.

Nutrition (from FitDay software)

The following two images are based on a single serving (1/4 of the above recipe)