I've been taking photos of a few of my summertime meals as of late, and I thought that I would share them with you here on Hive. Maybe it's me being narcissistic but I just assume that everyone wants to see what I eat on the daily. Most of the meals are simple, easy to prepare and fairly quick to cook, basically just a protein, vegetable and starch. Let's take a look shall we?
Mini sausages, baked and sweet potato and regualr potato fries and a salad
This is a simple meal that doesn't take much time or effort. No recipe to follow either which is a plus. Many of my go to meals are like this.
Large salad with raw zucchini, cherry tomatoes, radishes and kalamata olives
This is a very light meal that I likely ate for lunch. Sometimes I'll add a grain to it like quinoa or brown rice if I'm aiming for a vegetarian meal. You will see what I mean later.
BBQ chicken, loaded baked potato, roasted vegetables
I use premade store bought BBQ sauce and a spice rub on the chicken. The chicken can be cooked on an actual BBQ or in the oven. I put butter, sour cream (or creme fraiche) and crispy fried onions on the potato. The onions are store bought. It's all quite simple really.
Ribs, Corn, and baked potato
Corn on the cob is about as Canadian as it gets. We grow a lot of corn in Canada so its basically a quintessential food to eat in the summer. When it's in season it can be very good.
This one is a double starch meal, which I don't usually do, but the corn was in season so we treated it like a vegetable.
I just boil the corn on the cob in water for 5 minutes and serve with butter and salt.
Quinoa, chicken and assorted raw vegetables
We call these healthy bowls. Its basically a grain, a protein and a lot of raw vegetables all mixed together like a salad. I generally go Mediterranean style, with olives, tomatoes and olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Adding feta cheese or a fresh mozzarella is good with it as well. The vegetables can be whatever your taste preferences are.
Ground chicken Kaftka, brown rice, mixed raw vegetables with a yogurt sauce
We call this dish "chicken Kaftka," though in actuality I have no idea what kaftka is or how to make it. So this version is probably nothing like what it's supposed to be like. Nonetheless we need a name for things at home so we know what we're talking about and this one we landed on "Kaftka." I use a lot of cardamom spice to season the chicken and maybe a little cummin and some herbs - parsley or a herb mix. Then I serve it with brown rice, mixed vegetables and a yogurt sauce with garlic and cucumbers or lemon zest and lemon juice. The sauce all depends on what I have in the fridge.
Seafood Paella with shrimp and mussels
I really love Paella and I aspire to get good at cooking it. I only had it once in Spain but I really enjoyed it. Mine is nothing like the authentic version but I keep trying to perfect the recipe and become a pro. I use Paella rice, saffron and paprika spices, chicken stock, colorful vegetables and in this version shrimp and mussels. I try to cook it in a way that creates a crust on the bottom of the rice (called a soccarat) but it isn't always easy. Sometimes it works out and sometimes not.
Pork tenderloin, asparagus and mashed potatoes
I seasoned the tenderloin with salt, pepper and dried herbs - usually herbs de Provence.
I try to cook the tenderloin on the medium rare side and that makes a huge difference, I think. Well done tenderloin tends to be very dry in my opinion.
I season the asparagus with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and try not to overcook it.
Strawberry Shortcake
This one is just a bonus because its on theme for summer meals. I've posted this photo (or a similar one) before. My wife makes strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream fairly often and it's always delicious. Great for summer.
