easy breezy: 3 super quick n' affordable pasta recipes

Today I give you three recipes. They're quick, they're easy and they are definitely affordable. All of 'em taste good too. These aren't fancy and they don't make the prettiest of photos (thank you Poladroid!), but they're hearty and warming which makes them nice even as winter is slowly turning into spring.

This is a nice simple vegan recipe which uses Israeli or Mediterranean couscous, the large grained tastier cousin of plain old couscous. I bought a bag of it and didn't know what to make. So I hopped online and found myself at Apartment Therapy and this recipe jumped out at me. I decided to change it up a bit by adding salsa and beans and skipping the balsamic vinegar. I also had kale so I used that instead of the chard. Cornelius wasn't a fan, but he hates all couscous. Whatever, I liked it a whole bunch.

israeli couscous with kale
(recipe adapted from Apartment Therapy)
1 3/4 c vegetable broth
1 1/4 c Israeli couscous
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 t whole cumin, crushed
1/2 t dried red chilis
1 bunch of chopped kale
1 can of beans, drained (black beans, chickpeas, cannelli beans)
1/4 c fresh salsa
salt & pepper

Heat broth in a medium sized saucepan until it reaches the boiling point. Add in couscous, remove from heat and set aside. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add in garlic, cumin and onion and saute until soft (but not brown!). Add in the kale and saute until it starts to wilt, about 5 minutes or so. Add in the cooked couscous, beans and the salsa and let cook for another few minutes. If it's dry, add a bit of broth or water. Serve.

I love using pasta and chickpeas together. It's a coupling that just works. This is a variation of something I've made many times. It ain't the prettiest, but it's tasty and cheap and tastes great. Usually, I top this with grated Parmesan, but I didn't have any on hand and it still got rave reviews.

bowtie pasta with chickpeas & spinach
250 g bowtie pasta
2 T olive oil
1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 bunch of spinach, rinsed and torn
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried red chilis
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Make pasta according to package directions. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add in onion, celery, garlic and hot peppers. Saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft. Add in the can of chickpeas and lightly mash about half the chickpeas. Add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to the chickpea mixture if it becomes too dry. Season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is almost ready, add spinach into the pasta pot, letting the spinach wilt. Drain pasta/spinach, reserving some of the pasta liquid, and add it all into the pan with the chickpeas. Simmer for a few minutes and stir so that everything mixes nicely. Serve in deep bowls and top with Parmesan if desired.

I love new cookbooks and this recipe is adapted from the book Apples for Jam –a relatively new book in my collection. It's pretty and the recipes are simple and homey, however, it is organized by colour which isn't the most practical when it comes to like, cooking. It does make it fun to browse, though. This recipe was taken and adapted and worked out wonderfully. It's perfect weeknight food and might even qualify as nice enough to share with good friends over a bottle of wine. However, it is really good, so maybe you just want to be selfish just this once and keep it to yourself.

spaghetti with tomatoes, oregano, ham & parmesan
(adapted from the book Apples for Jam)
2 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried red chilis
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 t dried oregano, crushed between your palms
salt
400 g spaghetti
6 slices of parma ham (or prosciutto) cut into thin strips
grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan, adding in garlic and dried chilis. When fragrant, add in tomatoes, oregano and salt. Use the back of your wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes as you stir and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti in salted water. When the pasta is done, add in the parma ham into the sauce and let it heat through. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir. Serve pasta in deep bowls topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

beat the clock: italian minestrone with beans, pasta and chard

I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, but I've pretty much sucked at the documentation part of things. I could tell you about the amazing chicken tortilla soup I made yesterday for lunch or the wonderful spicy pork loin I roasted the other day, but without photos or a story, there ain't much to tell.


It's not that I'm becoming a bad blogger or anything like that, it's just that with the holidays around the corner and a trip to visit family across the country looming, time is of the essence. I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling pinched by time! Which is why this recipe for a hearty Italian pasta and chard soup is a perfect no-brainer. It's quick and simple and any leftovers make a delicious speedy and filling lunch. And top this bowl with some organic parmesan cheese...well, you can almost forget about all the directions you are being pulled in.


italian minestrone with beans, pasta and chard
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 rib of celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1/2 c small soup pasta (I used a tiny pasta that was shaped like a baby's tears)
2 c chard, cut into fat ribbons
5-6 c vegetable broth
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried basil
1 t teaspoon salt
1 t teaspoon black pepper
parmesan (optional)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add in onions. Saute until soft and then stir in the garlic, red pepper, carrots and sprinkle with 1/2 t of salt. Add in the tomatoes and pasta and the vegetable broth, stirring constantly so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Add in chard, beans and the remaining herbs and spices. Lower heat and cover until vegetables are done, about 15-20 minutes. Serve in big bowls topped with freshly grated parmesan.

salad days

One of the qualities that my husband admires in me is my resourcefulness. He thinks I have the ability to turn what seems like nothing into something wonderful. I hate being wasteful and I'm thrifty by nature, so being resourceful just seems to come naturally. It's kind of like creative work in that respect. If I'm working on a design project where I have free reign to do what I want and no restrictions to hold me back, it can make the whole process seem way too easy. But throw in a couple of contraints and left turns and then I've got a real creative struggle. Many times, that's where some of my best work comes from. Looking for ideas in the kitchen can be the same. If your fridge is full and your cupboards are stacked, well, looking for inspiration is easy! But when you knock choice out of the equation, that's when your skills in making something out of nothing can really shine.


This past week, I made a couple salads just by throwing stuff into a bowl and calling in dinner. Salad #1 turned out pretty good. I shredded up some leftover cabbage, diced up some leftover jicama, carefully diced a lonely jalapeno and a sweet red pepper, and tossed everything with fresh orange slices, dried cherries, toasted walnuts and mustard/lime dressing. Not bad. It filled our bellies, tasted fresh and bright and I'll bet it would have tasted a hundred times better with some crumbled feta cheese. Next time.


Salad #2, however, was a wild success. A weird jumble of pasta, beans, lettuce and a super simple yet hella good vinegrette. Sure, this salad ain't fancy but it's perfect for those days cooking doesn't seem like an option and all you want to do is watch America's Next Top Model with a big bowl of something awesome on your lap. And by awesome, I mean this salad. If you do make this salad, throw in some diced avocados. That's what I'm gonna do next time. Or just throw in what you've got on hand and make it better.

southwest bean & pasta salad
250 g whole wheat rotini, cooked, drained and cooled
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c frozen corn, thawed
1/2 c salsa
a few romaine leaves, torn into bite-sized bits
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t cumin
1/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded

Dressing:
juice from 1 lime
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 t chili powder
1 T honey
salt & pepper to taste

Toss everything into a bowl and then pour dressing over top and mix until combined. Top with shredded cheese. Makes 2 super large servings.

the magical fruit

When I was a kid I loved eating baked beans from a can. They had to be the kind that contained maple syrup and I'd definitely pick over that 1 gigantic fatty piece of bacon that seemed to mutate from can to can. I'd dump the can of beans into a small pot and heat up the beans until the liquid would bubble and pop. Then, I'd slather some butter over a fluffy slice of white bread and start my beans and bread eating ritual. First a dollop of beans would go on the bread, then I'd eat off that part. I'd repeat this process until there was no bread left. Usually there would be more beans than bread, so off I would go to butter up another slice and start the process over again until my beans were done. Even when I moved away from home, once in a while, I'd get a craving for beans and buttered bread and I'd repeat my little ritual until that can of beans was gone.

Now that we're getting ready to move, I'm feeling a bit antsy about all we have to pack. In an effort to reduce the stuff we have to pack into boxes, I'm creating another little ritual...something I like to call "Operation: Cupboard Clean-Out". I've been going through all my containers and shelves getting rid of things that are too old to eat and eating things that I don't want to move. Yesterday I found a tin filled with navy beans and decided that this small amount of beans wasn't going to make the journey out of this apartment. So I dumped the beans into a large bowl, covered them with water and decided to make some baked beans of my own. After soaking the beans overnight and cooking them up on the stove, I mixed up a lot of cupboard and fridge ingredients that would not be making the move into the new place. And just to get a little crazy with the clean up, I found a near-empty bag of frozen pineapple in the freezer and decided that the pineapple would end up in the beans. Into the casserole pot the pineapple went and oh my, these baked beans are just made for eating with bread slathered in butter. And this time, I don't have any fatty bacon to pick out. Perfect.

pineapple baked beans
2 c dry white beans
4 bay leaves
1 t olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
6 thin slices of ham, diced
1/4 c molasses
2 T brown sugar
2 T maple syrup
1 14oz can of stewed tomatoes
1/2 c ketchup
2 T deli mustard
1 T cider vinegar
1 c pineapple
hot sauce
pepper

1. Sort through the beans, picking out any that look discoloured or misshapen. Rinse them in a colander under cold water and then transfer to a large bowl. Cover with at least 3 inches of water and soak overnight.

2. Rinse the beans well and put them into a large saucepan. Cover with water and add in the bay leaves. Boil gently until soft, about 1.5 hours. Drain the beans, remove the bay leaves and reserve the cooking liquid.

3. Preheat oven to 375F. In a large cast iron casserole dish, heat oil and add in the garlic, onion, ham and green pepper. Saute until soft. Turn off heat. Add in all remaining ingredients as well as 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid. Stir until combined.

4. Cover and bake, removing from the oven and stirring every so often. When most of the liquid has been absorbed (about 2-3 hours) and the sauce has thickened, remove from oven and serve with buttered bread.

photographic evidence

I'm always a little bummed out when I don't have a photo post for every yummy recipe I make. And because there is no photo in sight for this post, please do not make the mistake that the recipe below is hum-drum, bland or just plain ugly. Not so! This week I made some great vegan dinners but I am lacking the photographic evidence. Don't worry, the proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes.

When my friend arrived onto Vancouver soil, I had made up a butternut squash and chickpea soup flavoured with ginger and orange. You'll have to trust me when I say that it was tasty! The next night I made a veggie yakiudon with tons of ginger and cauliflower...oh my! However, it was Tuesday night's dinner that was the true stand out. Fretting over what to make, I came up with a Mexican salad with a grapefruit juice dressing, crushed tortilla chips and blackbeans served over mixed greens that I made up on the fly. This was my crowning salad achievement of the week and alas, no colourful photo. I guess I'll have to make due with happy memories. My recipe is a bit fuzzy since I'm recounting ingredients and measurements from a couple days ago rather than just a few hours. I'm sure it will be great. Trust me.

mexican black bean & tortilla salad
1 can of black beans, rinsed & drained
1 rib of celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced fine
juice of half a grapefruit
olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t cumin
1 t dijon mustard
1 t red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
salad greens
tortilla chips, slightly crushed
fresh salsa

1. In a medium sized bowl, add the black beans, celery, red pepper and onion and combine.

2. In a small measuring cup, add the grapefruit juice and red wine vinegar. Add an equal part of olive oil and stir. Mix in the cumin, dijon, garlic and red wine vinegar and mix well until combined. Pour dressing over black beans and let sit for a few minutes, tossing occassionally.

3. In your own individual salad bowl, add in some salad greens. Crush some tortilla chips over top and drop in a couple big spoonfuls of the black bean mixture. Top with some fresh salsa. Eat and repeat, if necessary.

expiration date

When I made Cornelius' birthday dream pie, I had a lot of egg whites left over and I was pretty excited to make some macaroons. Unfortuntely, my macaroon-making was a total bust. All those egg whites wasted due to the mass humidity of our apartment. Coming out of the oven they seemed okay, but an hour on the kitchen table reduced the cookies into a sticky, inedible mess of goo. Into the garbage for the whole lot. Grrrr, I hate wasting food! I think it's time for a new apartment or a dehumidifier!

The next day, things in the kitchen were much better. I made some of my baked oatmeal for breakfast but I ran out of my skim milk. Luckily, Cornelius had just a little bit of eggnog left over from all the holiday festivities, and the expiration date was still a day away. So along with my 1 remaining cup of skim milk went in a half cup of the 'nog and boy oh boy, did this oatmeal rock my socks! I had already added in a bit more spice than the original recipe called for and with the added kick from the eggnog, this oatmeal was a total flavour sensation. Wondering what to do with some leftover 'nog? Put it to use for breakfast and treat yourself to something extra special. Oh boy, I guess this makes the 2nd of 2 breakfast eggnog posts! And I don't even like eggnog!

Earlier this week, I made for dinner some good ol' rice and beans. Please excuse the photo as I was only able to snap one blurry shot before my camera battery died. But don't judge this recipe by one shoddy picture because this meal is so easy to put together and it's full of flavour and spice. Plus, it's the epitomy of cheap eats which makes it the perfect meal after all of December's excess. You can adjust the heat by adding more or less chili....I went a bit crazy with the peppers but I tamed it with some honey and a big dollop of fat free sour cream. We heated up a few corn tortillas to eat along side. Yum.

red beans and rice
1 c rice
2 c water
1 t olive oil
1 can of red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 c salsa
2 T dark rum
1 T cumin
1 t red dried chili peppers, crushed
a few dashes of piri-piri sauce or your favorite hot sauce
1 T honey or brown sugar (optional)
dash of salt

1. Prepare rice as per usual. I always boil up 2 cups of water and then add in the rice. I keep the lid on and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes or so and then I turn off the heat and forget about it. Just don't open the lid as the steam makes everything perfect!

2. Heat up a large cast iron pan with the olive oil. Add in the onions, garlic, celery, green peppers, and crushed dried chilis. Throw in a dash of salt to help the juices flow and stir until everything gets wilty.

3. Next, add in the kidney beans, spices and salsa and stir about until everything is combined and heated through. Taste to adjust spices and add in the rum and the honey if needed. Simmer for a few minutes and then serve in deep bowls on top of the rice.

time to play catch-up

In spite of yesterday's rain, today is all sunshine and lollipops. And with that bit of good news, I'm heading off on my bike to explore the city and get a few errands done. But I'll leave you with a couple of recipes that reared their lovely little heads this past week.

The first is such an old standby that I can't believe I hadn't posted it before now. Pasta e Fagioli was pretty much my standby during those lean years when I worked in a record store earning not much more than the $8 minimum wage and all my money went into seeing shows, getting cds & records and buying vintage dresses. I meticulously cut my own bangs and scrimped on groceries, but always managed to make incredible vegetarian feasts that would last me for days for as little as $4. There was a simple kidney bean and lentil casserole that sounds humble but was truely a delight and then there was this soupy/stewy concoction that worked wonders on a cold, damp evening. And years later, this dinner still satisfies many a belly for less than $4. Nice.

pasta e fagioli
1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 c uncooked macaroni
1 large can of tomatoes
1 t dried oregano
1 t crushed dried chili peppers (more of less to taste)
2 T ketchup
1 t worchestershire sauce
1 T hot sauce
2 cans worth of water or vegetable stock
1 can of kidney beans, drained & rinsed
a few leaves of fresh basil, torn

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, celery and green peppers and saute for a few minutes until somewhat softened. Add the macaroni and stir until well coated with the oil and vegetables.

2. Add the can of tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the oregano, chili peppers, ketchup, worchestershire sauce and the hot sauce and stir. Add in 2 cans of water or stock until everything is covered. Cover pot with lid and turn down heat to medium-low, stirring occassionally. Add more water or stock if necessary.

3. When pasta is cooked and sauce has thickened, ladle out into bowls and top with fresh basil. Serve with crusty bread and parmesan cheese, if desired.


Lately, I've been on the lookout for low-fat desserts. And although my snacking desires lead me closer to the wonderful world of salty treats, I still have a very strong sweet tooth that rears it's head once in a while. Last week, I made the very yummy low fat chocolate zucchini muffins and I was looking for more recipes that used applesauce as a fat replacement. Instead, I found these cocoa fudge cookies on Nic's blog, Baking Sheet. They looked too good to pass up and they were low fat-ish, so I whipped them up and didn't regret a thing! Plus, I made them vegan. They were the right amount of chewy on the inside and had a nice crispy outside and they were bursting with an intense chocolate flavour. I still have a whole jar of homemade applesauce sitting in the fridge, so if anyone has any good low fat dessert recipes using applesauce, I'm all ears!

cocoa fudge cookies
(adapted from Baking Sheet)
1 c flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1/4 c Earth Balance, melted
7 T cocoa powder
2/3 c white sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c soy vanilla yogurt
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix together the melted margerine, sugars, and cocoa. Stir in the yogurt and vanilla extract. Slowly, add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and blend.

2. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto cookie tray. Press down slightly to flatten; cookies do not spread a lot. Bake at 350F for 9-12 minutes or until set and slightly firm at the edges. Do not overcook. Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen.

the small joys

I've totally been craving Shepard's Pie, or pretty much anything that comes from the oven all toasty with childhood memories. It's too hot for that now, but the days are getting shorter and summer is coming to an end (it really hurt me to say that!) and soon enough it will be time for Shepard's Pie and soups and all those other comforting foods. Last night I wanted all those cozy feelings of childhood but without the heat of the oven, and so dinner was a simple veggie burrito. Burritos don't hold any childhood memories for me since I had never even heard of salsa or burritos or refried beans as a child - a true shame. I don't have any photographic evidence of this meal (it was that good) and it was so easy to prepare that putting a recipe this dead simple on this blog seems kind of silly. But sometimes that is just how it goes.


And how about a little self promotion? Well, I've started a new blog in addition to this one. Yikes! It's not really food related, nor is it solely about shopping or crafts (tho there is some of that too). It's just a way for me to not lose track of the little things I find along the way. The small joys, is just that. Random small things I find along the way that I'd like to keep close to my heart. Anway, just a little invite to take a peek and say hello.

bean & veggie burrito
1 can of refried beans
1 t olive oil
salt
1 package of Yves Veggie Ground Round "Chicken"
1/4 c chili powder
1/2 c salsa plus extra for topping
1 onion, sliced into matchsticks
1 green pepper, sliced into matchsticks
flour tortillas
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
hot sauce

1. In a cast iron pan, heat up olive oil and add green peppers and onions and salt. Stir occassionally and add in some hot sauce if you wish. When it's all roasted and slightly charred, it's done.

2. Meanwhile, in a small pot, heat up the can of refried beans. About 5 minutes or so should do it.

3. Meanwhile again, heat up a larger fry pan, add a drop of olive oil and in the ground veggie "chicken". Stir and and in the chili powder. Mix until well combined and heated through.

4. Heat up tortillas one at a time over the gas flame of your stovetop. If you dont have a gas stove, heating in the microwave is fine. Add the toppings along with some extra salsa and grated cheese to the tortilla, roll it up with your prefered method and eat up.

simply delicious

I'm running around tying up loose ends before we leave for our trip tommorrow morning. So many little things that I don't want to forget about that I've got lists upon lists of things to remember. That's why today I needed something quick to prepare for lunch and bonus points if it used up all the half-cut vegetables in the fridge. This canelli bean and tuna salad turned out to be amazingly simple to prepare and I had everything I needed in the apartment to make it happen. A perfect, quick summer lunch and delicious to boot.

canelli bean and tuna salad
1 can of canelli beans, drained & rinsed
1 can of tuna packed in olive oil
1/4 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 t capers
1 small lemon, juiced
1 t dried oregano
salt & pepper

1. In a small bowl, add the rinsed beans and the can of tuna with all its juices. Mix in the chopped vegetables, capers, oregano, salt and pepper and lemon juice. Mix.

Delicious served with crackers and baby carrots. Yum!

i love leisure

Yesterday I had a busy day. Cornelius and I decided to ride our bikes to Pitt Meadows so that we could ride along the Fraser River trails. We saw a couple of bald eagles up close, 2 donkeys and a few cows grazing. It was a lovely day and we managed to ride more than 80km. You think after all that, we'd be ready to relax and put our feet up. Not so. Last night was the first night of our Tennis Leisure Club, and we rocked the balls & racquets super-fun-style! We played by our own rules, cuz that's how we roll! Major fun was had and I think all Leisure Club members are pleased to note that this will be a recurring Monday night event.

Today I had to play catch up with work and didn't want anything fussy to mess with when it came to my lunch. I also wanted a little comfort, after all, my muscles were a bit stiff after all that activity the day before, so I called my mom and requested her mixed bean salad recipe. When I was a kid, I was a very fussy eater (actually, some people would still say I am!) and I hated all kinds of beans. But somehow, this salad was one of my favorites. It was tangy with vinegar and had a touch of sweetness and lots of crunch. I modified the recipe because I like the taste of cider vinegar better than white vinegar, and I didn't have a can of yellow or lima beans, so I added some extra veggies and cut back on the amount of dressing a bit. I couldn't wait to eat this salad the next day, so I ate a bowl of it about an hour and it was delicious. I also know that this salad will taste even better tommorrow! This recipe makes a huge serving bowl full, so it's perfect for picnics and bbqs.

mixed bean salad
1 can of green beans
1 can of yellow wax beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of lima beans
1 can of chick peas
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, finely diced
1 c celery, diced
1/3 c cider vinegar
1/3 c olive oil
1/4 c white sugar or honey
1 t paprika
salt & pepper

1. Drain and rinse all beans and combine in a large bowl. Add chopped vegetables.

2. Combine ingredients for the dressing and mix well. Pour over salad and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

happy bloggerversary to me

Little did I know that my one-year food blog anniversary had slipped me by. No public ceremonies, no cake. My very first post was written on February 20, 2005 and even though I had good intentions to write often about my own culinary adventures, life and wedding plans seemed to take over. Things didn't really kick in until August when I had returned from a 1 month honeymoon road trip. Work was slow and I needed to keep the creative juices flowing so I privately created one of those 101 things to do in 1001 days lists. Lucky for me, sandwiched between "buy a home" (not completed & probably will never happen according to this article which lists Vancouver's average housing prices way out of league for teachers, police officers and nurses -- not to mention poor arty types like freelance designers!) and "get bangs again" (done!) was this blog entry which read "post at least 1 new recipe a week on food blog". Done! So yay me!

I made this for dinner tonight and even though I just played about making this recipe up as I went along, it turned out fantastic, impressing both myself and Cornelius! It looks like a lot of steps, but it didn't seem labourious at all...especially since I made the black bean salad component for my lunch and used the leftovers for this dish. Make sure to read through the recipe first before starting so you don't miss anything!

Mexican Fish & Bean Salad
For the bean salad:
1 can of black beans, drained
1/2 c of corn
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/4 c red onion, diced
3 T fresh salsa
juice of half a lime
1 t cumin
salt & pepper
1/4 t chipotle powder

Mix the above ingredients and then start preparing the following:

Panko-crusted fish:
1/2 c panko crumbs
salt & pepper
1 t cumin
1 large fillet of white fish cut into bite-sized peices (I used cod)
2 T vegetable oil

Mix the spices and panko crumbs together and dredge fish in this mixture until coated on all sides. Heat oil in a large skillet and when hot, add the coated fish. Turn fish over once and then remove from pan when done, about 5-8 minutes.

Salad dressing:
2 T mayo
juice of 1 lime
1 t honey
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle powder

Mix the dressing ingredients together until you have a nice smooth consistency. Taste to make sure the dressing is to your liking!

salad greens
1 avocado, diced

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Line 2 bowls with salad greens and top with the bean salad mixture. Drizzle with the salad dressing and top with the panko-crusted fish. Drizzle with a bit more dressing and throw on some diced avocado for extra creaminess.

vote!

If you are Canadian, you should be voting today. This is a very important election and I'm afraid we're going to join our southern neighbours in electing a crazy conservative leader. My fingers are crossed. I voted NDP. How about you?

Have you noticed my audioscrobbler link to the right? Now you no longer have to imagine what the heck I'm listening to on my itunes! I know you were curious!

Last night I made an easy, super cozy and delicious soup with things I found in my fridge and cupboard. The previous day I had soaked some dry white beans overnight and then boiled them for close to an hour with a bundle of rosemary. Using dried beans makes for a firmer bean which is way better than canned. If you are using canned beans, wait until the last 15 minutes of cooking before adding. Trust me. Yum!

white bean soup

3 rashes of bacon, chopped
2 c white beans
1 onion, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 squirts of ketchup (serious!)
1 carrot, chopped
1 potato, cubed
2 c beef broth
basil, oregano, worchestershire sauce, dried chilis, salt & pepper
parmesan cheese

In a large pot, fry up chopped bacon until crispy. Add onion and garlic and stir around until soft. Add the tomatoes and squirt in 2 generous blobs of ketchup (it adds something tangy with a bit of sweetness - tho I'm sure a squirt of lemon juice and a T of brown sugar would work just as well). Add in the herbs, a splash of worchestershire sauce, chilis and mix everything about. Add the beans, carrots and potatoes. Stir in the beef broth and cover over medium heat for 30 minutes or so. Taste and add salt & pepper and throw in a couple small chunks of parmesan cheese. Recover and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Serve in bowls & delicious with crusty bread.

warm up a little

It's dark and gloomy and the weather is always threatening rain, but this simple meal really hits the spot. This recipe originally comes from Martha Stewart's little magazine, Everday Food. I've made it several times and have played with the ingredient list so many times, that I think I've truely made it mine. You can increase the heat all you want (I usually do) and it's best served with a really good hunk of crusty buttered bread. A nice pumpkin ale (or ipa) would also be totally delicious and very seasonal.

chicken & bean chili

1 T olive oil
3 lbs ground chicken
2 onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1/2 head of garlic, minced or chopped
2 medium fresh jalapeño chiles, minced
3 T chili powder
4 T unsweetened cocoa powder
4 t ground cumin
1 t ground chipotle powder
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole tomatoes, broken with a spoon
3 T unsulfured molasses
salt & pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Heat olive oil in a heavy 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add ground chicken, stirring and breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Add onion, red and green peppers, garlic, and jalapeños; cook until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cocoa powder, and cumin; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes. Add molasses, salt, pepper and hot sauce if using; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, partially covered, 30 minutes. Add beans; continue cooking, uncovered, until meat and beans are very tender, and chili is thick, about 30 minutes more.