Cucumber Tomato Salad

I feel silly for needing a recipe for this basic salad, but it helped me get the taste right. My mother-in-law calls this Shepard's Salad and serves it regularly. It's a typical Turkish dish. I changed this recipe from the original by adding oil, salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

4 mini cucumbers, roughly chopped

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved

2/3 cup fresh parsley and/or mint, chopped

1/3 cup chopped green onion

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (half a lemon)

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Stir together cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, green onions and lemon juice. Let sit for a half-hour to an hour before serving. Supposed to be served with bread.

Inspiration: President's Choice Blue Menu Flier

Citrusy Tuna and Chickpea Pasta

Fish is not my favourite, but the rest of my family enjoys it, so I've been on the look-out for inventive ways to serve it. This is recipe is really quick and made from ingredients we always have on hand. My four-year-old didn't want to try the sauce--she wanted to know where her traditional meat sauce was--but she ate some tuna and plain noodles.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

3/4 tsp fennel seeds

zest of 1 orange or lemon

1 cup chick peas, drained & rinsed

12 oz spaghetti, cooked to package directions

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Drain tomatoes, reserving juices. chop tomatoes. Set tomatoes and juices aside.
2. In large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.
3. Cook onion for five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
4. Stir in fennel seeds and orange rind; cook stirring for 1 minute.
5. Stir in tomatoes and juices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions.
7. Stir in tuna and chickpeas. Cook, covered, for 1 minute or until heated through.
8. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
9. Toss pasta with reserved cooking water and sauce.
10. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and orange rind.

Inspiration: President's Choice food flier