Preparing meals in a large way
Authors offer up celebrated recipes
Saving your sanity by preparing meals in bulk is the point of The Big Cook Cookbook and The Big Cook 2: More Celebrated Recipes.
The authors have set up recipes with the ingredients in columns according to the number of meals being prepared (one, four, six or eight).
In the recipes below, the ingredients are given for four meals.
Candace’s Soy Ginger Salmon
Makes: 4 meals
6 lbs (2.75 kg) salmon fillets or steaks
3 cups (750 mL) orange juice
1/4 cup (50 mL) cornstarch
2 cups (500 mL) reduced-sodium soy sauce
½ cup (125 mL) olive oil
2 cups (500 mL) brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 mL) lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 cup (50 mL) garlic powder
1 tbsp (15 mL) ground ginger
4 large zip-close bags Label bags. Divide salmon evenly between zip-close plastic bags.
In a large bowl, combine orange juice and cornstarch and stir well. Add remaining ingredients to orange juice mixture and stir. Pour an even amount into each bag of salmon. Remove excess air, seal bags securely and freeze.
Oven: Place a layer of foil over baking sheet. Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of fish. Generally it will take 4 to 6 minutes at 350 F (180 C) per ½ inch (1 cm) of thickness if thawed.
Barbecue: Lay salmon filet on a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. Depending on the size of the fillet, grill it for 10 to 15 minutes until it is slightly flaky. You can also use “non-stick” foil with holes punctured in it and flip the fillets halfway through the cooking time, if desired.
Tips: Use salmon steaks or whole fillets. When you buy the whole fillets you will have to eyeball how many pieces you will need for each meal.
Salmon will keep cooking even after you remove it from the heat source, so take care to remove it at the right time to avoid overcooking your fish. You want it to be mediumrare and firm but still tender inside. It should easily flake with a fork.
Serving Suggestions: Jasmine rice and a mandarin orange salad.
Nutrition info per serving: 303 calories; 12 g fat (2.0 g saturated fat); 26 g carbohydrate; 0 g fibre; 22 g sugar; 21 g protein; 854 mg sodium.