Cilantro Salsa Fresca

So I realize that cilantro is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I adore it.  It’s my current favourite herb.  But if you hate it, move along, because it’s the main ingredient in this recipe and can’t really be substituted.  I recently had this at a restaurant and then rushed home to concoct it myself.  The result is almost exact.  I love doing that…

2-1/2 cups fresh cilantro, diced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced (I used a handful of green onions, but a small white or red onion works great too.  The red onions look so nice in it)
2 tomatoes, diced
half a sweet pepper, any colour, diced
1 spicy pepper, diced (I used a habanero because I like it spicy, but you may use a jalapeno if you are not so brave as me.  You can also decide if you want to seed it or not in order to adjust the spice.) 
Juice of 2 limes (or 1 lemon and 1 lime)
Salt to taste (I used quite a lot– you have to experiment a little)

Combine all ingredients.  Allow to chill and mellow in the fridge a few hrs before serving with tortilla chips.

Christine

 

Redeeming eggplants

No veggetable i know is more misunderstood then eggplant. We by it once because we can’t resist it’s beautiful deep purple color then we look at it puzzled and guilty for weeks each time we open the fridge… “what the @#$% am i suppose to do with you?” We finally get it out, decide to fry it, not long enough and finally decide that this weird purple though skinned spounge is not for us. This is too often the fate of the eggplant. In this post, a few easy, receipies, that DO NOT include the stupid hour long process of puting salt on the poor thing, then rinsing it… like we had time for that. My goodness!!! when i get around to cook, it’s because i am hungry!!!

Chinese Way (an authentic nortern chinese recepi)

• 1 eggplant diced
• 1 tomato
• 1 pepper
• sugar
• vinegar
• oil

method

1. You need a wok, or a pan big enough. 
2. With 1-2 tb spoon of oil in the pan fry the eggplant. Make shure each piece touches the bottom of the pan. I usually need to do this in a few batches. As it fries, sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Do not consider the eggplant cooked until it’s a nice brown all around and get a bit mushy.
3. If you’ve done the previous step in multiple batchs, now it’s time put all of the eggplants back in the pan. 
4. Ad the pepper cun in rough suarres. to tell the truth my chinese friend litteraly was riping the thing in pieces right there when needed. 
5. While it cooks a bit, chop you tomato in rough squarres then ad into the pan. My friend would boil water before hand, fill a bowl and dip the tomato into it at this point to peal the skin off. Personaly, i don’t mind the skin.
6. Let cook until the tomato makes a kind of chunky sauce. Drizzle a bit of vinegar. Mix. Ready!

Veronique’s eggplants

This version is more middle estern. Veronique is not, but she owned a cookbook with that receipie and made it for us in exchange of a shelve. It turned out to be a very good deal.

• 1 tb spoon honey
• 1 tb spoon sesame oil
• 1 tb spoon soya sauce
• 1 tb spoon vinegar
• 1 eggplant sliced 1-2 cm thin

Mix all 4 first ingredients. Put all your slice of eggplants on a cookie tray. Spread the mixture on each slice. Cook in oven for 40 minutes at 400F. You can sprinkle sesame seeds to be fancy.

Eggplant pizza

1. Slice eggplant
2. drizzle olive oil on each slice, previously put on a cookie tray.
3. ad your favorite intalien herbs
4. then a slice of tomato
5. grated cheese.
6. Oven, 400F For 40 minutes. Obviously, you can jazz the thing with other veggies.

 

Spaghetti Squash with Balsamic Beans

I was in the farmer’s market with Susan, asking her if she knew of any good squash recipes, because I did not.  She sent me this one – which is fantastic!  Nicely paired with some type of meat. – Teresa

1 medium spaghetti squash halved and seeded
1 - 10 oz pkg frozen baby lima beans (or substitute green beans)
1 - 15 oz can kidney beans rinsed & drained

½ cup roasted red sweet peppers (rinsed and drained and cut into short strips)

½ tsp salt
¼ tsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced

 

1. Place squash halves in Dutch oven with 1 inch water. Bring to boiling. Cook covered 15-20 mins or until tender.
2. In saucepan cook beans according to package directions, adding kidney beans during last 3 mins.  Drain & return to pan.  Stir in roasted red peppers and salt; heat through.
3. Make vinagrette in screw-top jar by combining vinegar, oil, honey mustard & garlic.  Cover and shake well.  Pour over warm bean mixture; toss to coat.
4. Use a fork to scrape squash pulp from shells in strands; return strands to each shell.  Spoon warm bean mixture atop squash strands in shells, drizzling any excess vinaigrette on top.  If desired, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

 

 

Martine’s chick peas

This is, in fact, morrocan jewish shabat dish. It probably has another name among the sephardic jews. Since i don’t know of that name, I call it Martine’s chick peas because Martine is the one who though me how to make it. First, she told me, “it’s simple, it all goes by 2.”

 

• 2 cans of chick peas
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 2/4 (1/2) cup of brown sugar
• 2 ts cinamon

 

 

1. In a large pan (could be a wok for an even more multicultural experience) fry the onions until translusant.
2. Ad all the ingredient, mix and let cook until sticky.
3. Serve with couscous or rice and enjoy.

 

 

mexican pancakes

More vegetarian then truly mexicans, but very good.

ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 potato
• 2 zuccini
• 1 carot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 15 g minced cilantro
• 60 g flour
• 3 eggs
• oil
• salsa
• sour creme

grate the onion, potato,zuccinis and carot. Put on absorbing paper to drain water out. Put in bowl with other ingredient (except oil, salsa and sour creme)l. Mix.

In a pan, put a bit of oil then 1/2 cup of mixture. Flaten with spatula and let cook on the first side then flip over to cook the other side. Takes aproximately 5 minutes per crepe. serve with salsa and sour creme.

Sorry for bag inglish. Fil free to korek me.

 

spinash lentils

 Indian taste, vegetarian, easy, quick. For 2

ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup lentils (1 big can does it)
• 1 tb oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 ts powdered cumin
• 1/2 ts powdered paprika
• 1/2 ts powdered curcuma
• 500g spinash (fresh or frozen)
• 15 g fresh cilantro*
• 15 g frsh parsley*
• yogourt

* i have sometime omited those 2 and replaced them by a pinch of powdered cilantro. Nobody died.

1. In pan: oil, garlic and spices. Let the flavor developpe 2 minutes. 
2. Ad the spinash until tender.
3. Then, ad your lentil, cilantro and parsley. Mix then serve with a generous spoon full of yogourt on top. If you feel fancy, decorate with remaining cilantro leaves. We generaly eat it just like that, but it can be served with rice or some flat bread.

 

 

Yet another green smoothie….

Tried it this morning and loved it:

• 1 apple
• 1 pear
• 1 big handful of spinach leaves
• 500 mL of water

Core your apple and pear before you throw everything into the blender.   – Teresa

 

Easy Baklava

Impress your friends with this tasty baklava that requires minimal effort to make, courtesy of pre-made phyllo pastry.  And then if you REALLY want to be authentically Greek, go smash a plate outside and yell “opa!”     – Teresa

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chopped mixed nuts (I usually use walnuts, you might need a bit more)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (2 tsp lemon juice works too)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
2. Toss together cinnamon and nuts. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack in half to fit the dish. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava, to keep it from drying out.
3. Place two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (six times) diagonally to make 24 squares
4. Bake in preheated oven 50 minutes, until golden and crisp.
5. While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon zest, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
6. Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store uncovered.

 

Ginger Beef

I love Ginger Beef, and after searching far and wide, this is the best homemade recipe I have come by to date… and very easy!

1 lb. round steak, cut into 1/8″ strips

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 cup H2O

1/4 cup plum sauce

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp soya sauce

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (add more if you like spicey food)

1 clove garlic, minced

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 tsp NaCl

Brown beef and onion in olive oil.  Combine all other ingredients in large bowel.  Pour over beef and cook for 1 min.  Serve with rice. 

Variations: add carrot slices or peanut sauce

I have found it helpful to double the sauce so that you have enough to enjoy with your rice. 

– Christine

 

Chai Tea

Here it is Teresa.  I should warn you that I don’t usually measure ingredients so a little intution is required.

2 cups water

1 or 2 teabags depending on how strong you like your tea

1 tsp of each of the following

cinnamon

fennel

nutmeg

3 cardamom seeds cracked

2 whole cloves

1 1/2 Tbsp of sugar

1/2 cup milk.

Boil all the ingredients except the milk together about 10 minutes.  Add milk and bring to a boil.  Enjoy!

Talitha