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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

Green Smoothie

Lately I have been on a bit of an “eat more healthy” kick.  I tend to find that if I don’t think about what I eat during the week (when things get busy with work, etc) BEFORE the week, I don’t eat too well because I am tired and not motivated to cook.  Thus I have started to try meal planning on the weekends and doing things like chopping up vegetables then.  Anyways, as part of this “eat healthy” kick, I’m finding that I’m starting to lean towards eating more of a vegetarian diet – not that I have sworn off meat altogether – but I just find myself  wanting to eat more veggies and fruit.  In my quest to find less boring ways to do so, I came across this thing called “green smoothies” – basically, the idea is that we don’t get enough greens in our diet, and even when we do eat salads, they don’t get digested enough because we don’t chew them up enough to really do us much good.  But green things are very good for us!  Thus – the green smoothie.  This is what I’ve tried the last couple mornings as part of breakfast:

• 2 bananas
• 5-6 strawberries
• 2 handfuls of spinach leaves
• about 500 mL of water – add more if it’s too thick

Put in your blender and blend into a smooth consistency. 

You are probably thinking, Teresa, this sounds sick and disgusting.  It’s seriously not and it actually tastes good – it tastes like banana and strawberry, not spinachy.  I don’t eat things that taste disgusting.  But I don’t eat green things everyday, and I figure this is a good way to get it into me without eating massive amounts of salad.  In the reading it said that green smoothies in the morning will cut cravings for sugar/carbs – and I have found this to be true.  Usually by 10 am my stomach is growling.  Now it doesn’t growl till noon – although I usually eat some fruit anyways by 10.   So I am also figuring this is a good thing in the “eat healthy” quest. 

Give it a try – it’s super easy, very tasty, and extremely good for you!  I may try some different combinations of fruit next week and post those that I like.  – Teresa

 

Nigerian Curried Beef

I recently found this recipe in a magazine.  It was contributed by a lady who was a missionary in Nigeria for 45 years.  I gave it a try for supper tonight and it was fantastic and super-easy.  It was originally supposed to be simmered on the stove for 2 hrs, but I adapted it to the slow-cooker so it’s even more convenient…

1 lb. beef stew meat

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, diced

2 tomatoes, chopped (or use undrained canned tomatoes and less water)

1 small red sweet pepper, chopped

1 small yellow sweet pepper, chopped

1-2 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp beef boullion

1 1/2 cups water

Place all ingredients in slow cooker on high setting all day (no need to brown beef).  Serve over rice.  Place several small bowels on the table of your choice of the following toppings for guests to add as desired:

Coconut

Peanuts

Raisins

chopped cucumber

sliced banana

diced onion

pineapple tidbits

mandarin oranges

a mixture of chopped tomato, red and green pepper

I topped mine with coconut and peanuts, which was awesome.  The peanuts add a very satisfying crunchiness to the dish.  Enjoy!

–Christine

 

 

Veggie Dill Soup

I originally ate a form of this at my friend Leah’s house -  it was “Dilly Bean Soup”.  But since I didn’t have beans, I put rice in instead, and I still think it’s pretty good.  Great for a day like today when there is 2 feet of freaking snow on the ground in mid APRIL!!!   – Teresa

• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 chopped carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 7 potatoes
• 3 L veggie or chicken broth
• salt to taste

Saute the garlic in a little bit of oil in the pot – then add everything else and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.

• 3 tbsp dried dill (I used fresh for more flavor)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups yogurt or sour cream
• 3 tbsp flour (potato flour works well to get no lumps)

Add the above, stir, and cook until thickened. 

Then add 1 cup rice, and let your soup simmer till the rice is cooked.

Yummy, creamy, healthy, hearty, and most importantly, EASY TO PREPARE goodness!