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corn quinoa black bean salad

28. July 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian · Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I mentioned earlier this week that I was going to make this corn-rice salad from BHG. I just whipped  up my own version and let me tell you- woww. Might be the best salad I’ve ever had…and it’s perfect for summer. And I bet it would be great if you made it ahead of time too.

My version

In a bowl, combine cooked quinoa (cooled to room temperature), black beans, several pieces of chopped jalapenos, sliced cherry or grape tomatoes, slices of red onion and avocado, several planks of corn (or a handful of canned corn), and a dash each of sea salt, pepper, olive oil, and rice vinegar. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve at room temperature.

Confession: I put in about 10 dashes of rice vinegar and a dash or two of Crystal hot sauce! Yum.

Note: To cut planks, place an ear on its side on a cutting board. Holding the corn firmly with fingers away from the blade, cut off a side of the corn. Rotate and repeat until all sides are removed. Use a spatula to gently move planks to salad.

*I didn’t list measurements; get inspired and play it by ear (no pun intended…ear of corn? Get it?). Salads are very difficult to mess up!

corn quinoa black bean salad

beginnings of the salad

corn quinoa black bean salad

fiddling with aperture settings icon smile corn quinoa black bean salad

corn quinoa black bean salad

working lunch- twitter, v8 juice, water, and salad!

cucumber dill summer salad

20. July 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking · Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Remember how I wrote this morning about creative salad mixes? Immediately afterward, I was browsing Martha Stewart Living (at 5:45am before my 6:00am Pilates class, eek!) and was inspired by the spread on zucchini, which featured a zucchini dill salad. I decided to make an adjustment and use cucumber instead!

I’m currently sitting at Weaver Street in Carrboro, enjoying the dregs of my salad marinade.

persian tomato cucumber salad recipe cucumber dill summer salad Photo credit

Coarsely chop cherry or grape tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion if you’d like. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle on sea salt, pepper, and plenty of dill. Let sit for several hours before eating so that vegetables fully absorb the juices. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature.

So refreshing! And fantastic enjoyed with an almond iced coffee, mango peach applesauce, half of a hummus London broil sandwich, and baby carrots. Or you know, whatever… icon smile cucumber dill summer salad

recipe: pasta romesco

03. May 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Cooking · Tags: , , , , , ,

romesco recipe: pasta romesco[photo credit: here]

The other night, I attempted to make zucchini sticks for a friend who was coming to dinner. I have to admit, they didn’t turn out so hot, so we decided the best way to salvage them was to drench them in ranch (because ranch solves everything).

Which means that we didn’t use the  Smoky Roasted Romesco Dipping Sauce that I made! Since nothing goes to waste under Cristina’s watch and since I’m a big fan of repurposing recipes, I of course put the sauce to use.

When I started this blog post, I had a bowl of cheese ravioli topped with the sauce and  a sprinkling of parmesan cheese perched next to me. Unfortunately, it’s all gone now, but I still have the recipe [my version] to share!

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  • 1 medium red bell peppers
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 slice of white bread, cut into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1 large garlic clove

Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place bell pepper halves and tomatoes, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet or in a roasting pan; flatten bell peppers with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag or in a pot with a lid. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop, reserving any liquid.

Combine the pepper and tomato mixture with the rest of the ingredients; use an immersion blender until smooth.

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Note: as you can see, I left out the almonds that the original recipe called for. I didn’t have any on hand, but I’m sure it would be great with them included!

P.S. Wondering what romesco is? I was too! According to Wikipedia, it is “a sauce originating in Tarragona [in Spain] that is typically made from almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive oil, and nyora peppers, a smaller, sweet, dried variety of red bell pepper. Other common ingredients include roasted tomatoes, red wine vinegar and onion…It is most often served with seafood, but can also be served with a wide variety of other foods including poultry or vegetables.”

sun-dried tomato & feta chicken

27. April 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I’m not normally a huge fan of chicken, but I decided on a whim to make sun-dried tomato and feta chicken, based off this recipe. My edited version is below. This is one of my favorite recipes to date!

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Marinate 4 skinless chicken tenders in a shallow pan with large dashes of lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, minced onion, and salt and pepper. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Caramelize half of an onion. Roast a red pepper (or use jarred roasted peppers); cut into strips.

Mix a handful of sun-dried tomatoes with an equal amount of crumbled feta. Stir in about a tablespoon of olive oil.

“Stuff” chicken tenders with tomato and feta mixture by wrapping chicken and securing with a toothpick.

Place chicken back in shallow pan and cover with caramelized onion strips and pepper strips. Cover and bake for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked throughout. Enjoy!

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Wondering why I don’t always include exact measurements for recipes? Two reasons:

1) Often, I don’t remember exactly how much I used of each ingredient! But mostly…

2) For me, cooking is so much about improvising based on your likes and what you have in your kitchen. I want to clearly convey that through my loose “recipes.” With baking, specific measurements and set instructions are essential, but cooking provides an extraordinary level of flexibility. I encourage you to take advantage of it! Despise shrimp? I promise I (and Bethenny!) won’t be offended if you opt for “Healthy Rainbow Pasta” instead.

spiced tomato & chickpea soup

17. March 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian · Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
screen shot 2011 03 17 at 9 35 26 am2 spiced tomato & chickpea soup

photo credit: marthastewart.com

This is one of my two favorite soups (the other is carrot ginger soup), courtesy of Ms.Martha Stewart. I just realized I never posted this recipe!

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 dried hot red chiles, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon caraway seeds [optional]
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 can [15 ounces] chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed canned tomatoes, with juice
  • 1/2 cup drained jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed or 1 roasted red pepper, peeled and chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken stock [I use broth]
  • Sour cream, for serving
  • Parsley sprigs, for garnish

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, chilies or crushed red pepper, salt, coriander, and caraway; cook until just softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and stock. Simmer, stirring often, for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Rewarm if necessary. Divide among bowls, and top each with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of parsley.

Notes: I haven’t been able to find caraway seeds anywhere, so I leave these out. The soup is still full of flavor! In addition, I use a home-roasted red pepper in lieu of the jarred kind. Lastly, I use chicken broth instead of stock, simply because TJ doesn’t carry stock. This can easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth

Enjoy icon smile spiced tomato & chickpea soup

ad-libbed stuffed tomato

12. March 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Gluten-Free · Tags: , , , , ,
screen shot 2011 03 09 at 1 09 32 pm ad libbed stuffed tomato

photo credit: allrecipes.com

I recently bought a beefsteak tomato at Trader Joe’s because they didn’t have cherry tomatoes in stock (so sad!).

I ad-libbed a baked stuffed tomato with the ingredients in my fridge.

  • One large tomato
  • Two scoops of ricotta
  • Two basil leaves, chopped
  • A small slice of jalapeno, chopped finely
  • A dash of oregano
  • A small spoonful of tomato paste
  • A dash of herb feta
  • A slice of baguette, cut or ripped into small crumbs
  • A dash of salt and pepper
  • A sprinkling of mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Cut top off tomato and hollow out. Combine all ingredients (except mozzarella) in a small bowl; mix well; and scoop into tomato. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake on a cookie sheet for 18ish minutes.

pixel ad libbed stuffed tomato
+Cristina Roman