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.

 

getting started.

Hmmm....where to start. I guess I have been a "foodie" for years now. A "foodie" in terms of my love for food and passion for cooking. Definitely not in terms of my skill, which I must admit right from the start is no where close to any type of chef du cuisine. Chef du "my kitchen" perhaps. I think my passion for cooking really blossomed around the age of 10. I always loved whipping up culinary experiments in my moms kitchen, most of which contained either Velveeta cheese or peanut butter, and most of which also ended up on all four walls of the microwave. 

My experimenting didn't always turn into "kitchen nightmares" though. I actually started a little business at the ripe age of 12, baking and selling Boeterkoek to family and friends. For those of you scratching your heads right now, Boeterkoek is a Dutch delicacy...literally... "butter cake", completely...delicious. Looking back, it was a pretty sweet operation. My mom bought all the ingredients, and I'd rack in $6 for every cake I sold. I wonder if I'd ever be able to find a generous investor like that again...

Nowadays, I'm recently married and living in the heart of downtown Montreal. Married life has proven to be the best gateway for experimenting with cooking and creating recipes, although my husband and his waistline may not agree. Living in the land of bread, wine and cheese doesn't help either ;P. 
I'm definitely a meat and potatoes kind of girl, but I love experimenting with other cultural delicacies as well. With my Dutch background and my husband's Italian heritage, I've definitely been learning to keep the spice in our lives and in our kitchen. We've traveled to Thailand, Mexico, India, Morocco, Indonesia, Italy and of course Holland in the past 6 months without even leaving our apartment! Join us on our journey of flavour.

Lindsay