S-t-r-e-t-c-h Your Dinner to Feed Extra People

Salmon Shish Kebab, Black Rice and Corn (photo by Jenny Craig)

You’ve planned dinner for two, and suddenly a third person turns up.  Don’t panic.  There are lots of ways to stretch a meal without people leaving the table hungry.

* Add an appetizer (see White Bean Spread recipe), a soup or an extra vegetable

* Make a big salad

* Prepare garlic bread (keep loaves of French bread in the freezer)

* Cook extra rice or potatoes

* If your menu features meat or fish, cut it into bite-size pieces and make shish kebab.  Fill out the skewers with quick-cooking raw vegetables and oven-grill everything.  Your guest will think you planned it that way. 

Salmon Shish Kebab – serves 3    

1/2 pound salmon filet (not steaks) 

1/2 large onion cut into 1-inch pieces 

Handful cherry tomatoes 

A selection of quick-cooking vegetables such as asparagus, celery, mushrooms,

zucchini or an ear of corn sliced through the cob into 1-inch sections 

1/4 cup bottled marinade (or 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons

          brown sugar, 1 tablespoon wine and 1 tablespoon oil mixed together) 

 1 tablespoon canola oil or more if needed 

2 cups hot cooked rice (optional) 

Rinse the salmon.  If the skin is still attached, place the salmon, skin side down, on a cutting board and slide a sharp knife between the skin and the salmon flesh.  Discard the skin, cut the salmon into 1-inch pieces and put in a large bowl. 

Wash the vegetables and cut them into 1-inch slices or 2-inch lengths.  Add the vegetables to the bowl.  Add the marinade and stir the salmon/vegetable mixture and let sit for 5 minutes. 

Begin preheating the broiler, making sure the top rack is about 4 inches from the broiling unit. 

Cover a broiling pan with foil for easy clean-up.  Thread the vegetables and salmon onto 6 skewers and place on the foil.  Place the pan under the broiler for 2-3 minutes per side, or until the fish is cooked.  Serve 2 skewers per person on a plate. 

Photo by Jenny Craig