Couscous Avocado Salad

2 cups cooked couscous

10 grape tomatoes, cut in half

½ cucumber peeled, seeded and diced

1 avocado, diced

¼ c chopped almonds

Place all the ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle dressing over it and enjoy.

Dressing:

the juice of 2 lemons

¼ c olive oil

2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard

pinch of salt

Whisk it all together. This dressing also makes a great marinade for chicken.

Ginger Lemon Crock-pot Chicken

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp minced garlic

½ c soy sauce

¼ c. fresh lemon juice

¼ c. grated ginger

½ c. sliced green onions

1lb. Button mushrooms

4 boneless chicken breasts

3 boneless chicken thighs

Trader Joes Harvest Grains

Place the ingredients in the order listed above into the crock pot. Cook on low for 5 hours stirring once or twice if you can. Cut chicken into chunks. I like to serve this over Trader Joes Harvest Grains.

Roasted Lemon Dill Shrimp

1 lb shrimp ( I like to peel the shrimp myself but unpeeled is just as good )

2 whole lemons thinly sliced

whole bulb of garlic top cut off

olive oil

kosher salt

Fresh dill

Place shrimp single layer on a heavy bottom baking sheet. Place lemon slices on shrimp and top with dill. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for about 7-10 min depending on size of shrimp. 

So I cooked some fettuccine and while the pasta was still warm I  rubbed the pasta with the roasted garlic bulb from the shrimp tray.

 I mixed the Spring in Pan veggies with the shrimp and lemon slices and tossed it all with the pasta. Delicious!! 

helpful hints

For an easy breakfast I like to freeze my muffin mixture raw in the paper muffin cups in the tin. After they are frozen I place them in a freezer zip-lock bag ( 12 will fit in a gallon bag) and keep them in the freezer. To serve just place them in the muffin tin, bake and you have hot muffins for breakfast with no mess.

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Muffins

3 eggs

1 ½ c sugar

1 can pumpkin ( not pie filling)

2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

3 c. flour

½ t. salt

1 c. oil ( you can also use half applesauce )

1 T. cinnamon

¼ c. wheat germ

12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix eggs and sugar together. Add cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin. In a small bowl mix the baking powder and baking soda together with 1 cup of flour with a fork. Add to the pumpkin mixture. Alternating between the oil and remaining flour mix into the pumpkin ending with the flour. Stir in the chocolate chips and wheat germ. Place in muffin cups and bake at 350 for about 12-15 min. or until you can smell them. You can also make mini muffins with this recipe. * see helpful hints for a great make ahead idea :)

Louys Tabouleh Salad

Cracked Bulgar Wheat

4 cups cracked Bulgar wheat ( Whole Foods has it in bulk)

1 cup oil

2 cups of lemon juice ( I like to use half fresh and half from the bottle)

1 English cucumber, diced

1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 bunch parsley or dill, chopped

Place wheat in a large bowl and add all the ingredients. Give it a good sitr. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning after stirring and tasting you might need to add more lemon juice.

There is always that one dish that whenever the family is going to be together everyone asks “ are you making..?” Well for us this the dish. It is a staple at graduations, holidays, weddings etc. This is a great salad for summer picnics , out door concerts, or tailgating  if your hockey team actually makes the playoffs. A nice crisp sparking wine finishes this dish off. I love J Cuvee but sometimes its a hit or miss in the stores. 

French Onion Soup

3oz butter
11/12lb onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp plain flour
7 oz dry white wine
1 3/4 pints hot vegetable stock
bouquet garni
salt and ground black pepper
1 small baguette, cut into slices (1/2 in) thick
2 oz Gruyere or Cheddar, grated, to serve

Step 1

Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onions and cook slowly over a very low heat, stirring frequently, until very soft and golden brown; this should take at least 30 minutes. Add the garlic and flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Step 2

Pour in the wine and let bubble until reduced by half. Add the stock, bouquet garni and seasoning. Bring to the boil, transfer to a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours until the onions are soft and tender.

(Without a Slow Cooker) bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes. Complete the recipe as below)

Step 3

Preheat the grill. Lightly toast the slices of baguette on both sides. Reheat the soup and adjust the seasoning. Discard the bouquet garni.

Step 4

Divide the soup among four ovenproof soup bowls. Float two or three slices of toast on each portion and sprinkle thickly with the grated cheese. Stand the bowls under a hot grill until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown. Serve at once.

A little about our contributor - 
Paul Doussay
BA (Hons). Dip. HSM PG. Cert Clinical Risk Management MA
As a home cook, festivals organizer and care-giver, Paul has an appreciation of good food. He has cooked and managed a restaurant in the city of Leicester, UK, and has been a patron of many restaurants in London, Paris, Italy, Southern Spain & North Africa. He attended University in the UK and possess both bachelor and master of arts degrees, in addition to professional management post-graduate certificates & diplomas.