spinach noodle salad + the perfect iced coffee recipe

This was something I kind of just made up on the spot, it was light, cheesy, spicy.. Mmmm.  And very easy.  (Key.)

 

 

Here’s what you need:

• 4 oz rice noodles, or spaghetti
• 4 handfuls of baby spinach
• 10 asparagus stalks
• 1/2 sweet red pepper, sliced
• 1 tbsp garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Start by cooking the noodles as directed, either by setting the in bowling water as you would normal pasta, or by pouring boiling water over them in a separate bowl and letting them soak until soft.

This meal goes by fast so you will be doing a lot of things at the same time.  As the noodles are cooking, prepare a bed of spinach in a bowl (still raw).  You will be using the hot noodles to wilt the spinach later on.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil, then add the asparagus and red pepper, garlic, ginger and spices, leaving the cilantro out.  Saute until the asparagus is a darker colour and the pepper is soft.  When the noodles are done, drain and return to the pot.  Mix the cooked veggies in with the noodles, and add the remaining oil, cilantro and grated parmesan.  Toss and add more cheese if needed.  Lay over the spinach, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.  Toss and serve.  This makes 4 servings and is a great, light summer meal.

Even though rice noodles are my favourite, I would suggest maybe trying with regular spaghetti since the denser noodle tends to stay hot longer, giving the spinach heat to work with and wilt.

Also if you’re looking for a great summer drink, try this recipe for Iced Coffee.  I made it last night, and seriously enjoyed it today.  I recommend filling a large cup with ice, and then mixing 3 parts coffee to 1 part skim milk and then added 1 tsp of sugar.  But then again, I’m not one for cream so try these recipes and let me know what you think!

What is your favourite summer meal?

How do you take your iced coffee – creamy and sweet or dark and bold?

asian turkey noodle salad

This one is pretty simple, yet another Weight Watchers recipe, second from the PointsPlus cookbook, and again amazing.  This is a great summer meal and a fantastic picnic or barbeque meal.

 

 

Here’s what you need for this light, fresh noodle salad:

• 4 oz wide rice noodles
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp asian fish sauce
• 1 tsp chili-garlic paste (I couldn’t find this ingredient, so I used equal parts minced garlic and chili powder to make up 1 tsp)
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 lb ground skinless turkey breast
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3 inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions – for mine I boiled them on high for 6 minutes, drained, rinsed under cold water and drained again.  Set aside in a large bowl.

While the noodles are cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, lime zest and juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, and chili paste until brown sugar dissolves.  This is your dressing.

To cook the turkey, heal half of the oil over a nonstick skillet over medium high-heat.  Add the turkey, five-spice powder and salt.  Honestly, even though the amount of spice doesn’t seem like it’s enough IT IS!  Believe me.  Cook, breaking up the turkey with a wooden spoon until no longer pink and most of the liquid has evaporated.  Ground turkey doesn’t give off as much liquid as ground beef, there is hardly any and it usually evaporates so there is no need to drain it.  This takes about 5 minutes.  Add the turkey to the noodles.

Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat and add the asparagus, garlic and ginger.  Cook, stirring constantly, just until the asparagus turns a more intense shade of green, about 2 minutes.  Add asparagus mixture to the noodles and turkey mixture in the bowl.  Add dressing and cilantro, and toss to combine.  If you are using peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve immediately.  We didn’t use peanuts because of mine and my mum’s allergy, but they would be a great bonus.  Also try cashews or pistachios.

This is a great wheat-free, corn-free, yeast-free, dairy-free meal, and for me there was not one thing that I was allergic to, and I’m allergic to 65+ things.  So a great option for everyone and anyone.

meat sauce

Have you ever seen the show Chef at Home on the Food Network?  The host’s favourite line is “the best recipe is NO recipe!”  So that’s the recipe I followed tonight when my boyfriend, Alex, and I made our dinner – spaghetti and meat sauce!  Mmm.

So we started out by browning a pound of extra lean ground beef, adding a big big big variety of spices as the meat cooked.  We put in two varieties of Mrs. Dash spice mix (if you haven’t heard of Mrs. Dash, look her up!), red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, etc.  Once the meat was half cooked, we chopped up some carrots, onion, celery and red pepper, and cooked it all together in the pan.  Once the meat is all browned up, add a full jar of tomato sauce and (IMPORTANT) a couple tsps of sugar.  This will bring the tomato taste out in the sauce over the vegetables, and the beef.  We added some hot sauce which added a nice bite as an after taste.

This is probably the easiest meal that you could make.  As a total it takes ten minutes, and makes tons of left overs that you can keep for tomorrow, or freeze for months from now.  Hands down, it’s great.