5 Must-Have Recipes for Your Canada Day Celebration (Canada 150)

Canada day is just around the corner and this year is a special one! Its no surprise that this year Canada celebrates 150! I’m a big fan of eating healthy and delicious food.  These are some of my personal recipes that are also crowd pleasers and a great way to kick off summer in Canada with family and friends. A number of these recipes are from my personal DASH diet collection of recipes. DASH is an acronym, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It’s an eating plan that’s rich in healthy carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits and vegetables, but low in saturated and added fats and sugars. It also includes lean meats, fish and shellfish, beans and low-fat dairy.

Here are 5 Must-Have Recipes for Your Canada Day Celebration (Canada 150!):

Lime Shrimp with Cilantro

Recipe by Keisha Blair

 Ingredients:

2 Teaspoons olive oil

2 Pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined

6 Cloves garlic, crushed

1 Lime

½ Cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat.
2. Add oil to the pan. When hot add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. When the shrimp is cooked on one side, about 2 minutes, turn over and add garlic. Sauté another one to two minutes until shrimp is cooked.
3. Remove from heat. Squeeze lime all over shrimp and toss with cilantro. Serve hot.

Sweet Potato Wedges  

 

 Recipe by Keisha Blair

Ingredients:

2 Sweet potatoes

1 Clove garlic

1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil

¼ Teaspoon dried thyme

¼ Teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ Teaspoon salt

1 Handful fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

½ Pound cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ chopped walnuts (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

 

2. Peel sweet potatoes; cut in half crosswise and then into wedges about 1 inch wide. Crush garlic clove into its skin.

 

3. On rimmed baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes with garlic, olive oil, thyme, red pepper and salt. Roast until soft, about 30 minutes.

 

4. Right before serving toss with cilantro or parsley, cherry tomatoes and walnuts (optional).

Spicy Spaghetti with Tomato and Bacon  

Recipe by Keisha Blair

Ingredients:

Spicy piquant tomato sauce
1 Pound fresh spaghetti
½ Cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
16 Whole fresh basil leaves, chopped

½ Pound cooked bacon, cut into small pieces
Kosher salt, to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

2. Place tomato sauce and bacon in a large sauté pan and cook over medium heat to further concentrate the sauce’s flavors.

3. Cook the spaghetti until just shy of tender. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water and gently drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti and a little of the pasta cooking water to the pan with the sauce. Increase the heat to medium-high and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce. The sauce should coat the pasta and when you shake the pan, the sauce and pasta should move together.

4. Take the pan off the heat and add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, butter, and basil. Using two wooden spoons toss everything together well.

5. Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Chickpea Curry

 

 Recipe by Keisha Blair

Ingredients:  

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Onions, minced

2 Cloves garlic, minced

2 Teaspoons ginger, finely chopped

2 Sticks cinnamon, crushed

1 Teaspoon ground cumin

1 Teaspoon ground coriander

1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 Teaspoon ground turmeric

2 (15 ounce) Cans garbanzo beans

1 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped

½ Shallot, chopped

Salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, and fry onions until tender.

 

2. Stir in garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and turmeric. Cook for one minute over medium heat, stirring constantly. Mix in garbanzo beans and their liquid. Continue to cook and stir until all ingredients are well blended and heated through. Remove from heat.

 

3. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Garnish with shallot.

 

Grilled Fish Tacos with Cole Slaw

Ingredients:

4 Teaspoons chili powder

2 Tablespoons lime juice

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Teaspoon ground cumin

1 Teaspoon onion powder

1 Teaspoon garlic powder

1 Teaspoon salt ½ Teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 Pounds skinned mahi-mahi halibut cut into 4 small portions

12 Flour tortillas, warmed

For accompanying coleslaw: 

¼ Cup sour cream

¼ Cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

2 Tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced

1 Teaspoon lime zest

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1 Teaspoon sugar

1/8 Teaspoon salt Fresh ground pepper

3 Cups finely shredded red cabbage

2 Avocados, sliced

Directions:

1. For coleslaw: Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro, green onions, lime zest, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl; mix until smooth and creamy. Add cabbage and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. For fish: Combine chili powder, lime juice, oil, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub all over fish. Let stand 20 minutes for the fish to absorb flavor.
3. Preheat grill to medium-high. Oil the grill rack or use a grilling basket. Grill the fish until it is cooked through and easily flakes with a fork, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a platter and separate into large chunks.
4. Serve the tacos layered with fish, tortillas, coleslaw and avocado.

Recipe by Keisha Blair