Black Bean and Corn Salad

Back in February, my first recipe for The Foodie Spot was one for Corn Salad.  Here is another take on corn salad, and I must admit that I personally like this one even better.  :)

What You Need

1 can (19 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (11 oz.) corn, drained

1 c. chopped tomatoes

1/2 c. chopped red onion

2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

1/2 c. ranch dressing

What You Do

Combine all ingredients.  Chill.  

That's it!  An easy, delicious side dish that pairs well with so many main dishes.

Happy pairing!

Beans are highly nutritious and satisfying, they can also be delicious if and when properly prepared, and they possess over all vegetables the great advantage of being just as good, if not better, when kept waiting, an advantage in the case of people whose disposition or occupation makes it difficult for them to be punctual at mealtime.

~ Andre Simon (1877-1970),

in The Concise Encyclopedia of Gastronomy

Read more...

Butternut and bacon soup

Last week, my mother-in-law sent me home with a gorgeous box of vegetables from her garden. There were peppers and eggplants, those staples of late summer from which my husband made the most wonderful ratatouille. And below those purple and green gems lay the hardier, firmer fruits of autumn: squash.

Acorn and butternut, we have been waiting for you all summer.

Last night, I officially welcomed fall into our home with a dinner of butternut and bacon soup (and grilled cheese on the side). You can, too! As long as the winter squash purée is already prepared, you can whip up this soup in less than 30 minutes.

Butternut and bacon soup

8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large onion, minced

4 cups butternut squash purée (canned is fine here, but you may need to add more stock)

3 cups chicken broth (or more, as needed)

8-10 ounces chopped frozen kale (use lots of fresh kale if you have it; I only had frozen kale)

1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed and torn or chopped roughly

In a saucepan or dutch oven (it doesn't need to be huge, but something with a heavy bottom is preferable), fry the bacon until crispy. This usually takes 5 minutes.

While the bacon is frying, mince the onion. Remove the crispy bacon bits and set them aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Drain all but a tablespoon of the bacon fat and add the onions to the pot. Sauté until softened, 4-5 minutes. [Note: if you're using fresh kale, you'll want to add it here and make sure it's wilted before you continue.]

Add butternut purée and chicken stock. If soup is too thick, add additional stock until you reach the desired consistency. Bring to a boil, then add frozen kale. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and serve this steamy soup topped with bacon bits.

Read more...

Roasted eggplants with spring onions

We grew eggplants for the very first time this year -- in a five-gallon bucket! The plant itself is beautiful, with its broad, purple-veined leaves, and we've been amazed at how much our little plant, with only five gallons of soil to sustain its roots, can produce.

an eggplant blossom in July

Here's a dish we recently prepared with the bounty of our modest container garden. It's a variation on a recipe from Best-Ever Curry Cookbook by Mridula Baljekar. I've modified the original version to allow for Asian eggplants. I also substituted olive oil for vegetable oil, yellow mustard seeds for black, and some random kind of hot pepper growing in my backyard for the red chili pepper.

Served over brown jasmine rice, it was delicious and nourishing.

Roasted eggplants with spring onions

Serves 4

Brown jasmine rice

2 large eggplants (or 5 of the small, long Asian variety)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. yellow mustard seeds

1 large bunch spring onions (bigger is actually better in this case), finely sliced

4 oz. button mushrooms, halved

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 fresh red chili (or equivalent amount of any hot pepper you have on hand)

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tsp. salt

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few extra sprigs to garnish

*Note: brown jasmine rice takes a while (40-45 minutes) to cook, so you might want to start the rice ahead of the rest of the dish*

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place eggplants on a baking sheet and brush with 2 Tbsp. of the oil. Prick each one with a fork, then roast until soft (about 15 minutes for the small Asian variety; 30-35 minutes for large conventional eggplants).

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil and the mustard seeds in a large skillet for about 2 minutes on medium-high heat (the seeds may start to splutter). Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic, and chili pepper, and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. While the tomatoes are simmering, cut the eggplants in half and scoop out the soft flesh into a bowl. Mash the flesh with a fork.

4. Add the eggplant flesh to the pan with the chopped cilantro. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes until the sauce thickens. Serve over brown jasmine rice, garnished with cilantro.

Read more...

Caprese pasta salad

Today's recipe was supposed to be French tarragon pickles. My husband and I had a lot of fun brining and canning them, and I was excited about sharing the recipe. The only thing is . . . we just tasted them the other day. And these pickles are so vinegary, they're practically inedible.

Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted, and I think we'll try again some other time (with significantly less vinegar).

In the meantime, I'm not feeling much like cooking during this heat wave. So here's a recipe for a little something I whipped up the other night (with minimal cooking) that also uses the delicious, fresh garden ingredients.

Caprese pasta salad

12 oz. vegetable radiatore (use any pasta your family likes, but a spinach pasta is nice here)

1 large, ripe yellow tomato, chopped

1 large, ripe red tomato, chopped

8-12 oz. fresh mozzarella, chopped or torn

Lots of fresh basil, chopped or torn

Olive oil

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Layer pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil on individual plates. Drizzle with olive oil and serve. Eat and stay cool!

Read more...

Chipotle chicken salad tacos

Rick Bayless is a genius. At least, that's what we think in our house. He has made great strides in introducing the U.S. to really authentic Mexican food, and he's also been a prominent advocate of the locavore movement in Chicago and throughout the country.

But as much as he teaches traditional techniques and dishes, he puts fresh, contemporary twists on these same dishes.

Like chipotle chicken salad tacos.

Have you ever had tacos filled with cabbage? I hadn't, before I tried this recipe. And I certainly wouldn't have thought of combining cabbage and carrots with a smoky chipotle balsamic vinaigrette.

But . . . wow! It's amazing. Taste it for yourself with some local carrots and cabbage.

Chipotle chicken salad tacos

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, finely chopped

salt to taste

1/2 small head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

1 small candy onion (or red onion)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken (I cooked mine in the crockpot last week and froze the chopped meat)

1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into cubes

1/3 cup coarsely grated pecorino romano cheese (or queso añejo or Parmesan)

12 to 16 warm, fresh corn tortillas (we made our own with Maseca!)

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, and chipotles. Season generously with salt. Add the cabbage, carrot, chicken, onion, and cilantro and toss. Let stand for 15 minutes. (It's best eaten the same day, but you can refrigerate it for a few hours before dinner if that works better with your schedule.)

When you're ready to serve, put the avocado, cheese, and salad on the table with tortillas and let everyone assemble their own chicken salad tacos.

From Mexico One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless, page 114

Read more...

Cucumber & Tomato Salad

My family had the opportunity to travel around the world when I was younger.  When we were in Switzerland visiting some friends, an older couple, she made this dish for us.  At that point I was going into 4th grade and didn't care much for the onions, but ate everything else.  Now that I am older, I am enjoying and eating the onions in this dish.  :-)  My mom always told me that when we get older we like more foods than we do when we are younger.  It is true!  Yet I can't bring myself to like sauerkraut, lima beans, or sweet potatoes.  Maybe when I am 60!  It is one that taste better the longer everything is together.  So make it ahead if you are having it for dinner or taking it to a potluck!  And for those of you that are growing gardens, like we are, you will have all these things on hand. 

3 small Cucumbers
3 small Tomatoes
1 small Onion
1 tsp Salt
Dash of Pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
3 or 4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
3 or 4 Tbsp White Vinegar
2 Tbsp Sugar
Some Parsley
Mix all these ingredients together.  And add seasonings to your taste.

Note: You don't want to use Olive Oil for this recipe.  It doesn't have the flavor that it does with vegetable Oil.  I tried it a while back and the flavor just wasn't there.  Also, White Vinegar is better than the apple cider vinegar, again because of taste.

Read more...

Creamy pea salad

I am not the only foodie in the family. In fact, my husband is as obsessed with cooking and eating as I am. It's something that unites us. To counteract this somewhat fattening bonding time, we're trying to work out together, too. Wish us luck.

On Father's Day, we returned home from a brief camping trip to a fridge that was fairly well-stocked with fresh veggies. While I popped some of my frozen potato rolls in our cast-iron skillet to rise, he brainstormed a fresh salad idea to accompany the clams (from the freezer!) and rolls we were having for dinner that night.

The result was creamy, fresh, and beautiful.

Creamy pea salad (serves 2-3)

3/4 cup sour cream

1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 tablespoon honey

ground pepper to taste

dill (to taste)

2 scallions (the white part, plus as much of the green part as you'd like)

1 cup cooked and chilled peas (the smaller and sweeter, the better!)

2 large lettuce leaves, plus more torn-up pieces to put on the side

To make the dressing:

Start with the sour cream. Add about a tablespoon of the olive oil, and whisk until combined. Taste the mixture. It should have a less tangy taste than the plain sour cream, and just a hint of the flavor of the olive oil. Whisk in a little more oil if the sour cream is still very tangy and you can't quite taste the olive oil. Add the salt and the honey. Taste again. If it's too sweet for your liking, add a little more sour cream. If it's too tangy, add a little more honey. Finally, add the dill and a little freshly ground pepper.

Mix the dressing with the peas and scallions, and spoon over the lettuce.

VARIATION: for a dinner salad, add cooked, cooled potatoes and salad radishes to the ingredients above.

Note: My husband wrote up this recipe for me, and as you read it, you'll probably notice the style of his cooking: it is all about taste! His favorite cookbook authors at the moment are Rick Bayless and Francis Mallmann, who also advocate tasting as you go to make sure everything is seasoned properly. So naturally, this is how my husband writes his own recipes. Happy tasting!

Read more...

Broccoli Salad

This recipe is from my Simply in Season Cookbook.  I am trying to expand my cooking horizons and trying different recipes from this cookbook.  This would be a HUGE hit at a potluck and require very little effort.

3 c. Broccoli Florets
1 c. Raisins
10 slices of bacon (fried, crumbled) or 1/2 c. Bacon Bits
1/2 c. Red Onion
1/2 c. Raw Sunflower Seeds
1/2 c. Cheese (shredded, optional)

Mix together in a large bowl.  Set aside.

2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
3/4 c. plain yogurt or mayonnaise

Combine sugar and vinegar and stir to dissolve.  Stir in yogurt/mayo until well blended.  Pour over broccoli mixture and stir together.

My only alteration: I used turkey bacon instead of the real thing.  And I prefer mayo over yogurt.  Just my preference.

Read more...

Sesame chicken couscous salad

Have you discovered couscous? It's a popular grain dish in the Middle East and North Africa, and it has the versatility of pasta with a shorter cooking time and a delightful light texture. Made from semolina wheat grains coated with flour, couscous is as suited to salads as stews.

This recipe, found on page 50 of Simply In Season (a book you absolutely must have if you have a thriving garden or a CSA share), uses couscous as a base for a crunchy, Asian-inspired vegetable salad that can be served cold or at room temperature.

The only change I made was to use whole wheat couscous instead of the conventional stuff. We eat couscous a lot, and we feel the whole grain version has a much fuller, sweeter flavor. If you can find it, I highly recommend whole wheat couscous.

Sesame chicken couscous salad

Here's the cast of characters:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

3 teaspoons soy sauce, divided

2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided

1 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous

2 green onions, sliced

1 large red sweet pepper, chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas or snow peas

3/4 cup broccoli florets

1 cup cooked chicken

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Here's how it plays out:

bine chicken broth, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil and bring to a boil. Place couscous in large bowl and stir in boiling liquid. Cover and let stand 7 minutes. Fluff with fork. Stir in green onions and red peppers and refrigerate.

Meanwhile, steam peas 1 minute. Add broccoli and steam 2 more minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse in cold water and drain. Add steamed vegetables and cooked chicken to couscous mixture and continue to refrigerate.

For the dressing, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, pepper, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mix into couscous salad. Just before serving, stir in slivered almonds and sesame seeds.

This is a great summer picnic dish because it's full of summer veggies and it tastes best at room temperature. Happy picnicking!

Read more...

Niçoise salad

A salad to end all salads. Seriously. This is not your average, girly, anemic "I'm on a diet" kind of salad. It's chock full of hearty vegetables and topped with lots of protein in the form of eggs and fish. It's French. It's Mediterranean. It's delicious.

Originally popularized in the U.S. by Julia Child, niçoise salad is a favorite in our house. You have my permission to skip the anchovies, but I hope you'll give them a chance. Chop them up in small pieces, if distributing the flavor around the salad helps you to eat them. And remember how essential those Omega-3 fatty acids are for optimal brain and body function.

But enough of that. If you won't eat your oily fish, then I guess there will be more for me (yum).

This recipe is my adaptation of the one found in America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. My changes? Kalamata olives instead of Niçoise; Boston or baby romaine instead of Bibb lettuce; and canned tuna in place of foil pouches. In other words, this recipe is good enough that I don't mess with it. Hope you enjoy it, too!

Niçoise salad

Dressing

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)

1 shallot, minced

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoons dried (optional)

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Salad

1 1/2 pounds new red or gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

2 heads Boston or baby romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

3 (5-ounce) cans of tuna in olive oil

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered

Kalamata olives to taste -- I think I use 3/4 cup

1 small tin of anchovy fillets

1. Shake all of the dressing ingredients together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine. Shake vigorously to recombine before using.

2. Bring 4 quarts of water, the potatoes, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a large bowl (reserving the boiling water). Toss the cooked potatoes gently with 1/4 cup of the dressing and set aside to cool. Return the water to a boil, add the green beans, and cook until they are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the beans thoroughly, toss with 1/4 cup of the dressing, and refrigerate to cool.

3. Arrange lettuce in a bed on a large platter (or individual plates). Layer the remaining ingredients evenly, one on top of the other: cooled potatoes, cooled green beans, tuna, tomatoes, eggs, olives, and anchovy fillets. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing over the salad (but go easy). We find it's best to be conservative with the dressing and keep it on the table in case someone wants more.

Read more...

Veggie Pizza

Wahoo -- it's my first post on The Foodie Spot! I'm excited to be joining with a few other foodies to provide easy, delicious recipes. As a new(ish) mom, I'm definitely always on the lookout for recipes that are quick, easy, and healthy.

Just a week or two ago, I made a cold Veggie Pizza to take to potluck luncheon at a good friend's house. It was the first time I had tried a recipe like this, although I've sampled many yummy veggie pizzas at church luncheons.

I get some strange satisfaction from chopping vegetables, so I enjoyed the prep work that went into this recipe. The end result got rave reviews!



Veggie Pizza
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. dried dill weed
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
1 small onion, finely chopped (I omitted the onion since we all had to go back to work after partaking of this!)
A variety of veggies (I used broccoli, red pepper, cucumber, and carrot)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Pat crescent dough into jelly roll pan. Let stand 5 minutes. Pierce with fork. Bake for 10 minutes; let cool.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, dill weed, garlic salt, and ranch dip mix. Spread this mixture on top of the cooked crust. Arrange the veggies on top of the creamed mixture. Cover and let chill. Once chilled, cut into squares and serve.

Recipes from allrecipes.com.

Read more...

Summer Squash Casserole

I got this recipe from Southern Living and it reminded me of the casserole my grandmother used to make. (It originally called for an 8-oz can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped, but I left that out.) A great casserole anytime of year, but especially in the summertime when the veggies are really fresh.

Summer Squash Casserole

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. yellow squash
1 lb. zucchini
1 small, sweet onion, chopped
2 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 cup carrots, grated
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 (8 oz) container light sour cream
1 (8 oz) package herb-seasoned stuffing
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

How to Make It:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash and zucchini into 1/4-inch thick slices; place in pot. Add chopped onion, 2 tsp. of salt, and water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook 5 minutes. Drain well.
2) Stir together carrots, sour cream, soup, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in large bowl; fold into squash mixture.
3) Stir together stuffing and melted butter and spoon half into bottom of greased 9x13 dish. Spoon squash mixture over stuffing and top with remaining stuffing mixture.
4) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. If necessary shield with foil after 20-25 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Sprinkle with cheese during last 5 minutes of bake time. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Read more...

Corn Salad

This salad, vibrant in both color and taste, reminds me exactly of the taste of summer. Which is precisely why I sometimes like to make it in the winter!

What You Need

3 cans corn

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped (or use a green pepper, if that's what you have, like I did for the photo)

1 large red onion, chopped

1-2 cups cilantro, chopped

juice of one lemon or lime

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

What You Do

Mix all ingredients together. Chill at least two hours before serving (so the flavors will have time to blend).

That's it! Couldn't be easier.

When my family and I lived in Israel a few years ago, an American friend of ours who had married an Israeli brought this dish to a potluck we hosted on the 4th of July. This was the same potluck, by the way, that involved the smoke from the grill on our patio drifting in the open windows of our upstairs neighbor - and that neighbor rushing down the stairs to cuss us out. In Russian. The rest of the party, however, was delightful; and this salad has been one of my favorites ever since.

Happy feasting!

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.

~ Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright

in Pavarotti, My Own Story

Read more...