summer sides.

I don't know about the rest of you, but summer for me means barbequing. I have spent the last eight months of the year trapped in my little 10' by 4' kitchen slaving over a hot stove (My husband is convinced it's 12' by 6'...but don't men generally exagerate when it comes to measurements?) Either way, by the time May roles around I am itching to get outside, to smell the fresh cut grass, have the sun beat down on my pasty white skin, to look out over my big back yard, turn on the grill and start cooking. Oh...did I forget to mention that I live in Downtown Montreal? For now this is my beautiful view...

 
And this is my little slice of heaven...

But regardless of my sad little backyard scenario, that mean machine barbeque can cook up some fantastic burgs' and dogs' just like best of your oversized grills. And who can't grill a burger or boil a hot dog...it's the salads that really make a barbeque!
Skip the typical potato salad or pasta salad next time you're asked to bring a side dish to your family get-together and try this amazing sweet potato and black bean salad. This recipe has been adapted from a recipe originally featured in the New York Times and is a really great alternative to your typical macaroni and mayonaise. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

- (4) medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2 to 1-inch chunks
- (2) tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- (1) large onion, chopped
- (3) cloves of garlic, minced
- (1-2) tablespoons of minced fresh or pickled hot chile, like jalapeño
- Juice of 2 limes
- (1) tablespoon of white vinegar
- (1) teaspoon cumin
- (1/3) cup of extra virgin olive oil
- (2) cups of cooked or canned black beans, drained
- (1) cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 400 degrees C. Put cubed sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet, drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or enough to baste), toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven.

In a medium skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onion until tender, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and chiles and saute another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

 

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vinegar and cumin.  While whisking, drizzle in the olive oil until dressing comes together.  Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, onion mixture, black beans and cilantro and toss with dressing to coat.  Serve immediately or refrigerate and enjoy later.

 

coconut red lentil soup.

I must explain to all of you my lack of blogging recently. It isn't that I've been too lazy, although once you hear the real reason you may beg to differ. It isn't that I haven't been cooking. Trust me...we've been eating. And it definitely isn't due to a lack of new recipes to share. Since recently joining the addictive habit of Pinterest, my camera is overloaded with new recipes we've been trying. Sidebar...I must apologize to all of you who are "following" my posts on Pinterest, as my "repins" have all been of the foodie persuasion.

The real reason for my recent absence has been due to a little technical glitch with my laptop. I have recently lost all function of my letter "e", and for those of you who think this may not be a big deal...stop and consider the number of times I have had to "copy" and "paste" just to write this paragraph! Super frustrating! And it's a "good" day when it's just my letter "e" that decides not to work. Some particularly frustrating days, my "e" along with my "d", my "s" and some days even my "c" decide not to work! Luckily this is a "good" day. My husband is convinced this problem must be some sort of virus I picked up on Pinterest, but I'm not fully convinced. I unfortunately think it has more to do with the honey that may have dripped on my computer while I was blogging about granola bars...oh the hazards of the job :)

So while I generally like to "reword" a recipe I find, this one is copied directly from 101 Cookbooks...just for my sanity. Feel free to follow the original recipe from Heidi here.   

Since it's February, and since the weather in Montreal continues to dip below -20 degrees C, I will continue to make soup. And this recipe is a keeper! So tasty and hearty and according to my mom..."the kind of soup that really sticks to your ribs". For the past two weeks I've made a big pot of it on Sunday afternoon, and then enjoy it in my lunch at work for the rest of the week. For those of you who may be scared off by the raisins or the cilantro, I think it would still be great without them...maybe even with a dollop of peanut butter or sour cream on top! Don't judge...the added fat just seems to add a certain "je ne sais quoi"!


Coconut Red Lentil Soup

- (1) cup of yellow split peas
- (1) cup of red split lentils
- (7) cups of water
- (1) medium carrot, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- (2) tablespoons of fresh peeled and minced ginger
- (2) tablespoons of curry powder
- (2) tablespoons of butter
- (8) green onions, thinly sliced
- (1/3) cup of golden raisins
- (1/3) cup (80 mL)of tomato paste
- (1) 14-ounce can of coconut milk
- (2) teaspoons of salt
- one small handful of cilantro, chopped

Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse - until they no longer put off murky water. 

Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. 

Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt.

Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water for a thinner soup or simmer longer for a thicker consistency.

Feel free to eat this soup on it's own, sprinkled with cilantro and the remaining green onions, or add on top of your favourite grain; rice, barley, farro, whatever!

Enjoy!

salad super stars.

I've recently been wanting to expand my cookbook repertoire to bring in some new and exciting recipes, but it's always hard to judge a book by it's cover. Some recipes LOOK amazing, but when you scroll through the ingredients, it's hard to imagine them ever tasting good together. Take for example the Kraft "What's Cooking" magazine that comes in the mail every so often. Don't get me wrong...I love getting this magazine, and may or may not take any family member down just to be the first to read it. But some of their recipes just confuse me. Par example...(Please note this is NOT my recipe)...

One-Pot Saucy Meatball Pasta

1 pkg. (225 g) Kraft Dinner Macaroni and Cheese

12 frozen prepared meatballs (1 inch)

1-1/2 cups pasta sauce

1/4 cup (1/4 of 250-g tub) Philadelphia Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese

Really?!? It may in the end be semi-tolerable, but I think you'd need a crane to lift me off my chair after I ate it. Not generally the feeling I like to have after a nice meal.

So...back to my point. I'm looking for new recipes...the best of the best. Something you'd make when you're fanciest friends come over, or when you're trying to impress your in-laws, or you're craving your all-time favourite...or just something really simple but oh-so-good! So send them in! Email your best recipe to pinkpeppercorn@hotmail.ca, and we'll start sharing some of our favourites! If you've got a little story about your recipe, send that along too!

Our first "guest chefs" come to us from Peterborough, Ontario. My Uncle Doug and Tante Niet. They are the salad gurus! I am always amazed at their salads...all the chopping...the tiny cut up veggies...and the flavour! This recipe is no exception. My aunt and uncle brought this salad to Easter dinner this year, and I must admit...I've made it a few times since. It's SOOOOO good! I told them right away I'd have to feature it on the blog, so here it is! Enjoy!



Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad
                     (Serves 6)

- (1) 19 oz. can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
- (1) 12 oz. can of corn niblets (rinsed and drained)
- (1) cup of cherry, grape or cocktail tomatoes, halved or quartered
- (1/2) red onion, diced
- (1/4) cup of chopped cilantro
- (2) avocados, cut into larger chunks

Dressing
- (3) tbsp. olive oil
- (1) tbsp. rice vinegar (white vinegar works too)
- (1) tsp. cumin
- (1) tsp. chili powder
- (1/4) tsp. salt
- (1/4) tsp. pepper

Rinse and drain both the black beans and the corn and empty into a medium sized bowl. 

 

Cut tomatoes into halves or quarters depending on their size. If you are using cocktail tomatoes or larger cherry or grape tomatoes, cut them into quarters, otherwise halves are fine. Add to the bowl. 

Dice the red onion into smaller pieces and add into the bowl. 

Chop cilantro quite finely and mix into other ingredients. Leave out the avocado until right before you serve it as it tends to become mushy.

Prepare the dressing by mixing all ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the rest of the salad and stir gently to combine. At this point you can cover the salad and refrigerate it until you're ready to serve. If you make this ahead of time, it will give all the flavours a chance to soak in.

Right before you serve the salad, add the diced avocado, stir and serve.

mexico on my mind.

This morning I woke up with Mexico on my mind. It seems like many things in my life have been centering around this beautiful country lately, and I'm wondering whether to take it as a sign that I need to return (hint, hint Joe!). Maybe it's like LOST and the island is calling me back...I guess I just officially "outted" myself as a nerdy LOST junkie...oh boy :).

My first trip to Mexico, or to anywhere tropical for that matter, was about six months ago. Joe and I went to Riviera Maya for our honeymoon, and as soon as we arrived at our resort I turned to Joe and told him that he had officially ruined me for good. An all-inclusive, 5-star hotel with like 10 pools, 5 swim-up bars, 24-hour room service that would deliver chicken wings to our door-step at any time of the day, and MARGARITAS...and Banana Mamas...and Daquiris...and Pina Coladas...
Where was I? Right. Mexico. While I'm sure a number of you are probably thinking that an all-inclusive resort is actually a pretty skewed representation of what Mexico is really like, the Valentin Imperial will always be Mexico to me :).

This past weekend we hosted a dinner party at our house, and the theme was (not even chosen by me)...Mexican. My sister called me yesterday to tell me that she was leaving on vacation this morning to...Mexico. I looked at the calendar this morning and guess what holiday is in two days...Cinco de Mayo! Oh...and avocado's were on sale for 99 cents this week at the grocery store...if that's not coincidence, then I don't know what is!

This recipe is a very simple spin on a chicken soup. It's sooo fresh tasting and has a TON of flavour! If you like things a little spicy...double or even triple the amount of hot sauce. Make sure to check out the Margarita recipe at the bottom too, because happy hour isn't just for weekends...right?



Mexican Chicken and Lime Soup

- (2) tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- (1) medium onion, chopped
- (2-3) cloves of garlic, minced
- (1) large boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
- (6) cups of chicken stock
- (1) medium tomato, seeded and diced
- (1/2) cup of ripe diced avocado
- (2) tbsp. lime juice
- (1/2) tsp. hot sauce (or more if you like)
- (1/4) cup of coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- a dash of pepper

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium to low heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring for about 3 to 5 minutes or until softened. 

 

Add stock and bring to a boil.

Stir in chicken and reduce heat to low. Simmer very gently, partially covered for 10 minutes. 

Just before serving, stir in tomato, avocado, lime juice, hot sauce and cilantro. 

Season with pepper and serve immediately.

A little extra...

The Classic Margarita

- (1 1/2) oz. Tequilla
- (1 1/2) oz. Triple Sec
- (1) oz. fresh lime juice

Shake ingredients together and serve over ice in a salt-rimmed glass. Garnish with a lime and enjoy!

rockin' morrocan stew.

I recently received a request from a neighbour of mine to share a recipe with an ethnic flare. I racked my brain thinking of some of my favourites...red curry chicken, pad thai, chicken tikki marsala (all of which I'll eventually share with you), but I finally decided on one of my all time favourites...Rockin' Moroccan Stew. This is one of those recipes that has been passed on SO many times that I'm not even sure where it originally came from anymore. Regardless...it's amazing!
Rockin' Moroccan Stew is healthy and hearty and while it makes a great dish on a cool day, I could eat it anytime of the year. It's got the earthy taste of curry and cumin, texture from the chickpeas and sweet potatoes and the fresh taste of cilantro. My favourite part though...the peanut butter! Don't be scared of this crazy flavour combination...when it all comes together...it's perfection.
This particular recipe is completely vegetarian, however, I've known some meat-eater friends of mine have made it with cooked, cubed chicken and have got great results too. Rockin' Moroccan is perfect served on it's own, it goes great on top of rice or couscous, or just shovel it in your mouth using some naan bread or pita. Anything works!


Rockin' Moroccan Stew
        (Serves 6)

- (2) tsp. olive oil
- (1) cup of chopped onion
- (1/2) cup of chopped celery
- (1/2) cup of chopped green pepper
- (1) clove of garlic, minced
- (3) cups of vegetable broth
- (3) cups of of peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
- (1) 28oz. can of diced tomatoes
- (1) 14oz. can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
- (1) tbsp. of lemon juice
- (2) tbsp. of grated ginger
- (1) tsp. cumin
- (1) tsp. curry powder
- (1) tsp. ground corriander
- (1) tsp. chili powder
- (1/2) tsp. salt
- (1/4) tsp. pepper
- (1/4) cup of raisins (optional)
- (2) tbsp. of peanut butter
- (2) tbsp. of chopped fresh cilantro

The easiest thing to do is to chop up all the veggies first. That way you can just toss everything in the pot at the right time.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or pot over medium to high heat. Add onions, celery, green pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

Add all remaining ingredients, except for the raisins, peanut butter and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes begin to soften.

Stir in raisins (if you're using them), peanut butter and cilantro. Mix well. Simmer for 5 more minutes and serve. If you are making this stew in advance, leave out the final three ingredients until you plan on serving it. They can be added once you reheat the stew, and will need another 5 minutes to simmer.

Enjoy!