Salsa Verde

Do you recognize the fruit in the picture above? They're tomatillos and they are beautiful. I have a billion pictures of them 'cause they are just so darn pretty.

This is the first time I've cooked with tomatillos - so here's a one-sentence-fast-fact on them: tomatillos look similar to green tomatoes, are related to the cape gooseberry, and provide the tart flavour in Mexican green sauces.

I've been meaning to make Salsa Verde forever, so I'm happy to say that I finally got my booty in gear and picked up some tomatillos at the grocery store. Tip: despite their similar look to tomatoes I found them in the exotic fruit section rather than the tomato section.

"What will I do with Salsa Verde?" you ask. The answer is simple: anything you want.  Dip with rice crackers or tortilla chips, add to a burrito, enchilada, or taco, use as a burger topping, pour over rice, or serve with scrambled eggs and/or refried beans. Any other ideas? 

This guilt-free dish is packed with nothing but vitamins and minerals. It's low in calories, and when you make it yourself, contains very little sodium (you can even leave out the salt completely!).

Recipe: Salsa Verde 

Ingredients:
Tomatillos - 1 pound (this was about 7 tomatillos)
Serrano (or jalapeño) pepper - 1
Garlic, clove - 2
Cilantro, fresh - 1/2 cup
Onion, diced - 1/4 cup
Lime juice - 2 tsp (10 mL)
Salt - pinch (optional)

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven broiler.
2. Remove papery husk from tomatillos, wash, and cut in half.
3. Place tomatillo halves, Serrano pepper, and garlic cloves (unpeeled) on a baking sheet (option: line baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up). 
4. Broil for 15-20 minutes, until tomatillos and peppers are roasted and slightly charred on both sides. Turn over half way through.
5. Once cooled, remove the skin of the Serrano pepper and garlic.
6.  Throw all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well blended. Salsa verde tends to thicken as it cools, so blend more for a thinner consistency.

Prepare....

Roast....

Blend, blend, blend.....

Eat and enjoy! 

Wishing you tasty meals and happy days,

Rebecca

Chickpeas and Cilantro

Cook books will forever hold a dear place in my heart, but seriously, what did people do before social media? Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and most recently, Pinterest, provide me with the best inspiration for healthy, delicious recipes. The latest awesome find was this Chickpea Spinach Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette adapted from The Whinery 2.0. The dish screams summer picnics and potlucks. 

I can't control myself when I make this dish.  Give me a spoon and this whole bowl is in danger of disappearing in one sitting. As eating two cans of chickpeas in one day is not recommended, I'm forced to portion this recipe into small tupperware containers before chowing down (hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do). 

Chickpeas are a great alternative to meat, providing 10 grams of protein and 25% of our daily iron requirements in 3/4 cup. Pairing this with spinach and lime juice is a smart move as the vitamin C in these foods help our body absorb the iron in the chickpeas.  Iron carries oxygen to every cell in our body and helps produce energy.  As you can imagine, it's pretty important. 

Enjoy this dish as part of a meal or have on it's own as a snack. 

Recipe: Chickpea Spinach Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 
Spinach, raw - 5 cups
Chickpeas (also called Garbanzo beans), cooked - 4 cups (about two 15 ounce cans) *Rinse canned chickpeas before using
Red onion chopped, 1/2 onion
Red Pepper Flakes - 1 teaspoon
Lime Juice - 3 limes (about 100 mL)
Fresh Cilantro - 1 cup, loosely packed
Pure Maple Syrup (or honey) - 1.5 Tbsp (22 mL)
Balsamic Vinegar - 2 Tbsp (30 mL)
Dijon Mustard - 1 teaspoon (5 mL)
Garlic, minced - 2 cloves
Red Pepper Flakes - 1 Tbsp
Olive Oil - 1/4 cup (60 mL)


Directions: 
1. Pulse the spinach in a food processor until it is finely chopped (about 4 or 5 pulses). If you don't have a food processor just chop the spinach into very small pieces with a knife.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chopped spinach, chickpeas, chopped red onion, and 1 tsp of red pepper flakes.
3. In a food processor or blender add remaining ingredients except the olive oil.
4. While processing slowly add the oil.
5. Pour about 3/4 of the dressing on the chickpea salad and mix to combine. The remaining dressing can be added before serving or saved for another salad (store in refrigerator).
6. Let the salad sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.  You can also make this the night before a potluck, or have for snacks and meals throughout the week.

Wishing you tasty meals and happy days,
Rebecca 

Oh Martha, you've done it again.

"At the cocktail hour, serve crunchy vegetables complete with their own dip: buttermilk-peppercorn, roasted pepper and eggplant, or toasted curry. Their bowls -- hollowed-out slices of baguettes in pumpernickel, plain, or everything -- are meant to be eaten, too."

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com

Spring in my step

These yummy vegan spring rolls were well worth the effort. It was a multi-step process and the dipping sauce involved me pulling out the food processor, but after tasting these little bundles of joy I would certainly do it again! Check out the colours in the photo, wouldn't this be a darling holiday party plate? Guests would be even more impressed by it's stellar nutrition profile. If you're really wild you could even engage your guests with a 'make your own spring rolls' activity (ooooooh). 

I made my spring rolls by slicing carrots, cucumber, red bell pepper, avocado, and tofu into long thin strips and rolling in rice paper but the choices are endless.

Some more filling ideas include:
lettuce, sprouts, vermicelli, green onion, shrimp, bean paste, chicken, beef, fish or whatever your heart desires (or whatever you have lingering in the fridge).

Dipping sauce plays a key role in the enjoyment of this dish. Peanut sauce and sweet and sour sauce are both popular go-to options but this carrot-ginger dipping sauce wins the grand prize of deliciousness! I do however have one piece of advice: when it says "one clove of garlic" it means one regular/normal/medium clove of garlic, not the monstrous clove of garlic that I decided to use. Oopsies, I'll have garlic breath for days (but well worth it!).

Carrot Ginger Dipping Sauce:
1 clove of garlic
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 Tbsp coarsely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
Ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp water


Blend garlic, carrots, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peppers in a food processor until smooth. While the processor is running, add olive oil and water. Chill and serve with spring rolls.


Wishing you a little piece of spring roll heaven, 
Rebecca

Roasted Garlic

Since stocking up on garlic at the Garlic Festival I have been curious to try roasted garlic. I expected it to be super pungent and garlicy but to my surprise it had a subtle flavour with a hint of sweetness. Once cooked the garlic cloves turned a soft, butter-like consistency; perfect to spread over a slice of bread.

The best thing about roasted garlic is how incredibly easy it is to make! Plus it can be used in so many ways. Here is my short brainstorm of great ways to use roasted garlic:

• eat on its own 
• spread on bread, crackers, or pizza crust
• mashed potatoes
• soups and stews
• pasta sauce
• anything and everything! 

Making Roasted Garlic: 

1. Peel away the out layers of skin off a bulb. Leave the skin of the cloves intact (see photo above)
2. Cut the top off the bulb so that you can see the top of each clove. 
3. Rub with a small amount of oil. 
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes at 400F or until the garlic is soft when pierced. 
5. When finished scoop the garlic out of the skin and use as desired!

Enjoy!
Rebecca

Presentation is everything.

Isn't this a cute way to serve veggies? Taste is important but presentation sure does mean a lot.

I found this lovely photo on Pinterest. I discovered Pinterest a few days ago and am officially obsessed. For those of you who aren't in the know, Pinterest is a website similar to Twitter but instead of sending a message in 140 characters it uses pictures. Give it a try and while you're at it:

Good things come in small packages

I love pizza. I love it's versatility. I love how easy it is to make. I love that it can be big or small, round or square, on dough, buns, tortillas, or pitas. I love that you can change the sauce, the toppings, the cheese. Barbecued or baked. Spicy or sweet. Fancy or casual. Classic or exotic.  

Love, love, love. 

These little pizza's were baked on mini pitas (leftover from my mini turkey burgers) . Instead of pizza sauce I used tikka masala (sauce from an Indian dish). I kept the topping simple - red pepper and green onion - and topped it all off with extra old cheddar cheese. 

I'm coconut for you

Coconut shrimp have been popping up all over the place lately - magazines, restaurants, websites, cookbooks. I had a bag of shrimp in my freezer that needed to be put to good use so I gave it a try!

I must say, the process was much easier than I expected.

Bowl #1 - Whole wheat flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and chilli powder (use whatever spices or herbs you like)
Bowl # 2 - 1 egg white, whisked well
Bowl # 3 - Shredded coconut

Remove the shell from each shrimp. Roll each shrimp in the bowls (in order, 1-2-3!)  and place on a pan or a wire rack. Pop 'em in the oven at 425˚C for 5 minutes, flip and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Badda-bing-badda-boom you've got yourself some coconut shrimp!

I needed something sweet and spicy for dipping so I combined honey with some home made pepper sauce. Fast, easy, and delicious.

            

While this was a super fun dish to make, I must admit that it was kind of random to have for dinner. I'm guessing that it would be a hit at a potluck or as an appetizer at a dinner party!

Give it a try, have some fun & enjoy!
R.