Quick and Easy Recipes

Meals, healthy meals, can be attractive and tasty too. We always assume to be healthy we cannot enjoy the meal or we would have to be gourmet chefs in order for it to it to be tasty. Chef Noel Cunningham shared a few quick recipes on how to get this done.

Healthy Smoked Tuna-Stuffed Avocado

A quick and healthy tuna and avocado lunch!

Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes

2 servings

Ingredients:

1 avocado, halved and pitted

1 (4.5 oz) cans smoked tuna, drained, or regular

1 stalk green onion finely chopped

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp minced scotch bonnet pepper

Directions:

In a mixing bowl combine tuna, green onion and peppers then sprinkle with lime juice. Stir to combine and put a side.

Slice your avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out some of the avocado from the pitted area to widen the "bowl" area. Place the scooped avocado into a container.

Add the tuna mixture to avocado bowls and enjoy.

Thai Curry Coconut shrimp with Quinoa

Bean Salad

Healthy, light and tasty meal idea that your family will love with a chock-full of protein and fibre.

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk

2 tbsp red curry Paste

1 tsp brown sugar

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly slice

1/2 red onion, thinly slice

1/4 cup blanched broccoli or any veggies you would like

1 tsp salt

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

2tbsp butter

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup canned corn kernels, drained

1/3 cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

salt, to taste

Directions:

Bring coconut milk to simmer in large pan on medium heat. Stir in curry paste and sugar until well blended; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes. Stir in shrimp and vegetables. Cook for three to five minutes, or just until shrimp turns pink and vegetables are tender-crisp.

Serve with quinoa salad, if desired. Garnish with basil or baby pak choi and red Chile slices, if desired.

In a large saucepan over medium heat add water, coconut milk, butter, and salt then bring to a boil. Add quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, black beans, corn, red onion and parsley. Gently toss to combine and enjoy.

Oven-Jerked Chicken Thigh with Lemon Spinach Couscous

Ingredients

2 lb deboned chicken thigh

Jerk marinade

For the Jerk Marinade

6 whole Scotch bonnet peppers

Allspice (pimento)

2tbsps brown sugar

1 medium onion, chopped

1 head garlic

2tbsps chopped ginger

2tbsps soy sauce

2 stalks scallion

1 sprig thyme

1/4 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients for jerk marinade in a blender and blend until smooth. Trim excess fat off chicken, rinse and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin. Place chicken in a medium bowl and cover jerk marinade.

Turn the chicken around to make sure that all the pieces are coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 3508F and place chicken pieces on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes then turn onto the other side and leave to cook for an additional 10 minutes or until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 1658.

For the Couscous

1 cup medium-grain

instant couscous

2 cups water

1 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 tsp Parsley leaves, chopped

1 stalk scallion, trimmed and cut into very thin rings

1 tbsp butter

1 oz fresh spinach leaves, finely chopped

In a medium saucepan add water, butter and salt and bring to a boil.

Add couscous, stir and leave to cook for two minutes. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest, chopped spinach, scallion and parsley; cover and let stand for five minutes until all liquid are absorbed.

Fluff with a fork before

serving. (Can be prepared

and refrigerated for up to eight hours.)

Caribbean Spice-rub Pork Chops with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

A delicious pork recipe with a healthy roasted red pepper sauce served with sauteed veggies for a quick low carbohydrate lunch.

(Makes two to four servings)

For the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 shallots, chopped

4 cloves roasted garlic, peeled

1 Tbsp. honey

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Combine the peppers, shallots, garlic and honey. Puree in a blender, season with salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified.

For the Rub

11/2 tbsp smoked paprika

1/2 tbsp black pepper

1/2 tbsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp Chile powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp ground allspice (pimento)

For the Pork Chops

4 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops (about 11/4 lb)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 sprig rosemary or fresh thyme

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle some of the rub on both sides of the pork chops; cover, and refrigerate six to seven hours or overnight, prior to cooking.

Remove chops from refrigerator and allow to sit 10 minutes before cooking. Heat a medium frying pan, drizzle with olive oil and add butter. Once the frying pan is heated, add pork chops and leave to cook on each side for four minutes or until properly seared.

Add rosemary to pan and baste the meat with melted fat, while it's cooking (this helps to add flavours and moisture). Remove from frying pan and place in the oven for three to five minutes.

Chef Noel Cunningham

Website: www.chefnoelcunningham.com

Instagram and twitter: @iamchefcunny

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