Main Dish

Meatless Monday is a great idea for many reasons. Nutritious, budget friendly, earth friendly and often (but not always) lower calorie, eating a vegetarian meal feels good. These recipes are divided into sections- Curry, Pub/Comfort Food, Pasta/Risotto, Tacos/Mexican and Sheet Pan recipes. I’ve indicated before each recipe V=Vegan and GF=Gluten-Free when applicable. I hope this post will help you find delicious meat-free inspiration to please everyone in your family.

Halibut is a favourite fish for many because of it’s light flavour, firm texture and speed of cooking. Low in fat and full of vitamins, many are probably familiar with it in fish and chips, but when you get it fresh, it’s great to cook it up in other ways that won’t hide that delicious, delicate flavour. These halibut recipes are all quick and easy without sacrificing flavour-a total win! List includes Paleo, GF, Keto and Whole 30 recipes.

This Thai Vegetable and Steak Salad Bowl is Week 4 of January’s healthy dinner recipes. This salad has a lovely bright and punchy vinaigrette style dressing and the salad is packed with fresh veggies and herbs. Basil, cilantro and mint plus Thai chilis if you choose to include them, make this meal in a bowl sing. This is one of my very favourite low carb, high nutrient salads!

Wild Mushroom and Lentil Stew is the recipe for week 3 of my healthy January dinners. This vegetarian stew has deep, rich and delicious flavour from caramelized onions and the same varieties of mushrooms I used in my Wild Mushroom Soup recipe.
Lentils are full of protein and more importantly for vegetarians, iron. The green lentils I used for this recipe have 12 grams of protein, 25% of your daily recommended intake of iron and 5 grams of fiber per 1/4 cup!!! Definitely a nutrition powerhouse.

Chirashi sushi bowl recipe (often Chirashizushi in Japanese restaurants) is my second healthy eating meal for January. This recipe is so easy to customize that it’s great for families with picky eaters. Beautifully arranged ingredients over rice make a delicious and unique dish for company or enjoy this one bowl meal during movie night at home. There are a few theories behind the origin of Chirashi, the seasoned rice dish with delectable ingredients scattered over the top. The word itself means to scatter. Some say it was during the 1600’s when Japanese people were ordered to live frugal lives including plain rice.

Today’s Italian White Bean recipe is fantastic as a make-ahead dish, super simple, minimal and economical and can be a vegan main dish or side dish. This dish takes some time to simmer but is mostly hands off and with a bright hit of fresh herbs and garlic at the end

This week’s recipe is inspired by one of the dishes I tried recently at Pluvio in Ucluelet. My version is much simpler I’m sure, but gets deep flavour from roasting the cauliflower and stirring in a little hazelnut oil at the end adds a nutty richness. (Below a pic of the delicious Pluvio version which was garnished with local sidestriped shrimp-HEAVEN!)This soup is a perfect starter but also a light lunch or dinner. I served mine garnished with homemade croutons (crispy outside, soft inside), parsley and fresh hazelnuts grown right here in Campbell River. It is equally good made vegan by using nut milk and veggie stock instead of dairy and chicken stock. Enjoy my friends 🙂

What makes this mushroom soup different than others is that the mushrooms are pureed with a secret ingredient for the body of the soup. A small amount of this amazing flavour bomb enriches and deepens the flavour and makes this stand out from every other mushroom soup you’ve likely ever tried.

My brother and I who spent a few seasons deckhanding together would ceremoniously eat the first prawns of the season raw before then cooking up a feast. Often we ate them steamed or pan fried with garlic butter (cook gently just until opaque and immediately remove from heat so they don’t over cook) but after we’d had our fill, it was time to get creative. I can’t count the number of recipes we tried over the years but it was a lot! Today I’m sharing two recipes, Spot Prawns In Fennel Tomato Broth and simple Grilled Prawns.

A roundup of fast, fresh and easy Mexican style recipes to help you celebrate Cinco De Mayo. Salud my friends!