Cooking with Parchment Paper

I hate washing dishes, so when fellow professional home economist Barb Holland introduced me to parchment paper eons ago I immediately fell in love with it! Line a pan and never have to scrub a baking dish again? Are you kidding me?

Here are three recipes that use parchment paper, and yes, I know you’ll want to thank me, so you are welcome!

Terrific Salmon Teriyaki

(sorry no picture, we ate the one I cooked on Cityline before I could shoot a picture!)

Serves – 4

This recipe is my West Coast specialty. I’ve always maintained that most fish abstainers just have never eaten really fantastically fresh fish cooked to perfection.

1 – 13 oz. (370 g) salmon fillet

2 tbsp (30 mL) sodium reduced soy sauce

2 tbsp (30 mL) rice vinegar

1 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar

2 tsp (10 mL) minced fresh ginger or wasabi paste

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Have an 8-inch square pan ready.
2. Place salmon into the parchment paper bag.
3. Mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and the fresh ginger or wasabi, pour over the fish.
4. Seal the bag and bake for 10-15 minutes or until fish is just done. Serve with brown rice, quinoa or barley and spoon the sauce over top.

 

 Each serving contains (not including rice): 200 Calories, 10 g Total Fat, 2 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 360 mg Sodium, 7 g Carbs, 0 g Fibre, 19 g Protein

Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers with Tomatoes              

From: The Vegetarian’s Complete Quinoa Cookbook (Whitecap 2012) Short list for Taste Canada Cookbook Writing Awards

Recipe created by: Elaine Silverthorn PHEc

 

 Makes 8 large pepper halves

One serving = 1 half pepper for a side dish or 2 pepper halves for a main dish

Make this autumn dish as colourful as you want by choosing a rainbow of peppers.

1 cup (250 mL) red quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 cup (250 mL) vegetable broth

4 large peppers – choose your favourite colours

½ green pepper, diced

1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil

½ cup (125mL) finely diced shallots, approx 2 large

½ cup (125) finely diced celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp (5 mL) paprika

1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh diced parsley

1 tsp (5mL) dried thyme leaves

1/8 tsp (.5 mL) cayenne

1 cup (250 mL) frozen corn, rinsed under hot water, drained well

One – 14.5 oz (398 mL) canned diced tomatoes, drained, reserve juice

1 cup (250 mL) tomato sauce, no salted added

¼ cup (60 mL) fresh parsley sprigs – garnish

 

1. Place quinoa in a medium/large pot, add broth, and bring to boil, cover and cook over medium/low heat for 15-20 minutes.  The quinoa will be slightly chewy. Fluff with fork, remove from heat and let stand covered for 5-10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9×13 inch (3.5L) pan with wet parchment pape
2. Slice the 4 peppers in half lengthwise through the stem. Remove seeds and membrane and discard.
3. Boil 12 cups (3L) of water in a large pot and cook the pepper halves for 5 minutes.  Carefully drain and place cut sides up in a 9×13-inch (3.5L) pan with sides. OR place cut sides down into a microwavable dish, add 2 tbsp water, and microwave on High for 3-5 minutes until the peppers are slightly softened.
4. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add oil, diced green pepper, shallots, celery, and garlic until translucent about 3-5 minutes.   Stir in the paprika, parsley, thyme, cayenne, corn and tomatoes.
5. Add the cooked quinoa to the vegetable mixture and stir well.
6. Stuff the pepper halves with all of the stuffing mixture.
7. Pour the reserved tomato juice and tomato sauce into the pan between the peppers.  Cover with foil or parchment paper.
8. Bake at for 45 minutes or until peppers are tender.
9. Serve by pouring ¼ cup (60mL) of the hot tomato juice over each pepper half and garnish with parsley.

  Professional home economist tip: To increase the protein use black or small red beans instead of the corn.

 

Per serving (1/2 pepper): 146 calories, 3 g fat, 0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fats, 178 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrates, 4 g fibre, 7 g sugar, 5 g protein.

 

Individual Peach Crisps

 

Dessert and portion size doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive, as long as you have parchment paper lotus cups.

6 parchment paper lotus cups

6 ripe medium local peaches

1 cup (250 mL) fresh local blueberries, optional

1 tbsp (15 mL) minute tapioca

1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) liquid honey – optional (I don’t use any but if you have a sweet tooth….)

Topping:

¼ cup (60 mL) oat flour, available at bulk stores

½ cup (125 mL) large oat flakes

2 tbsp (30 mL) oat bran

2 tbsp (30 mL) dark brown sugar

¼ tsp (1 mL) cinnamon

¼ cup (60 mL) canola oil

 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12 cup muffin pan with 6 parchment paper lotus cups – spacing them out so they don’t knock each other over.
2. Peel peaches and slice thinly into a large bowl, add blueberries if using. Add tapioca and toss gently. If using honey, drizzle and let sit.
3. To make the topping: In a medium bowl mix together using a fork the oat flour, oat flakes, oat bran, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add oil and mix until well combined.
4.  Gently toss the peaches and then equally spoon into the parchment paper cups. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons (30 mL+) of the topping.
5. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
6. Cool slightly, remove from the pan and let sit on a cooling rack. Serve warm or left sit and serve 2-6 hours later. Refrigerate any leftovers.

 

Per serving = 1 lotus cup: 196 calories, 9 g total fat, 0.8 g sat fat, 0 trans fats, 0 mg sodium, 31 g carbs, 3.6 g fibre, 20 g sugar, 2.9 g protein

 

 

 

 

 

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