Black Bean Mango Quinoa Salad

My favorite dinners are the ones where I've managed to prep all of the ingredients the night before or the morning of, so I can come home at the end of the day, shake everything out of tupperware containers into a giant bowl, whisk a salad dressing together, pour, toss and serve. This salad was inspired by my mother's recent dinner of a quinoa-black bean-sweet potato salad; I decided to use mango instead of sweet potato as the splash of orange in my dish. Delicious, healthy and perfect for a summer meal! 

Black Bean Mango Quinoa Salad
1- 1.5 c. cooked black beans (see previous post)
2 c. cooked quinoa (it may have been more, all I know is that I started with 1 c. raw, cooked it in 2 c. water and used it all)
1-2 bell peppers, chopped (red or yellow)
1 large mango, chopped (phillipine)
cilantro, chopped
optional: 1-2 avocado, fresh corn kernels

Dressing
1/3 c. canola oil
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp cumin
2-3 limes, juiced (~1/3 - 1/2 c.)
1-2 minced jalapenos (membranes and seeds removed)

Toss all salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing together. Pour over (not necessarily all the dressing to start), toss, taste, and adjust as needed.

Green Tea Sorbet Redux

I attempted to improve the green tea sorbet from my previous post and was quite happy with the results! The next step will be adding some exotic flavor twist; I'm thinking of pureed fruit, perhaps mango or strawberry? Or grapefruit juice?! Something tangy, but without curdling the milk. Hmmmm, I must ponder this concept and return to the lab to experiment....

Green Tea Sorbet
3 c. water
2 c. milk
2/3 c. sugar
4-5 Tbs loose leaf green tea

Probably in the future, it is better to just bring the water and sugar to a boil. Pour in tea and let steep covered 5-6 minutes. Strain out leaves. Pour in milk. (Or you could be lazy like me and bring EVERYTHING to a boil, steep, and strain out leaves - but milk coming to a boil needs to be attended or it ends up all over the stove..) Chill in freezer. Blend once in food processor or blender to break up the ice crystals.

Also extremely delicious if you leave a frozen container of the sorbet out to become a little melted, blend it up with a bit more milk (or ice) and have a homemade green tea frappuccino!!!

Something about frijoles negros...

When you season a pot of black beans just right, there is no better aroma or taste in the world.... even at 7am in the morning. Especially at 7am in the morning - because really then all you can think of is huevos rancheros with a side of frijoles negros y salsa with a strong cup of black coffee. MMMMMMM. Plus it's yet another notch in my belt for my small attempt to cook all of our beans from scratch this year. When I say all of our beans, what I really mean is all of our black beans, when I can remember to start them in advance....

So anyways back to my perfect seasoning which I will happily share in the hopes that the love of black beans will spread even further than my tiny household.These beans will be used multiple ways: (1) half of the batch is going into a quinoa mango black bean salad tonight, (2) half of the batch is being frozen for later, and (3) the bean cooking liquid is being frozen separately for some other as yet unidentified incarnation.

Black Beans (in a Crock pot)
2 c. dried black beans
Enough water to liberally cover
1/2 onion, cut in half
2 tsp freshly ground cumin
2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled
4-5 bay leaves

1. Soak beans overnight (or at least 8 hours). Rinse well.
2. Place beans in crockpot and cover liberally with water. I think I used about 8 c. of water to cover them.
3. Add in the onion, garlic, and spices.
4. Turn crockpot on low for 10 hours.
5. Enjoy.

KaBoom Box and Crave

Friday rolled around and after a long week of dealing with floods in the kitchen, toilets not working, and catching up on life, cooking seemed a bit too much to ask from any person so close to the edge ... so it became the day to try out some new restaurants that have been lingering overly long on my list of my places to try!

My coworkers and I popped out over lunch to try Kaboom Box, one of the more highly raved about food carts in our burgeoning food cart scene, known for its mushroom gravy poutine and smoked salmon burger. I was excited to try it based on its ocean wise seafood commitment, organic veggies, and biodegradable and compostable packaging.

http://www.thekaboombox.ca/menu.html

We all got the smoked salmon burger and a regular order of poutine to share. I LOVED the poutine - would go back again in a flash for the mushroomy creamy goodness and cheese curds and crunchy fries all rolled into the most delicious heart attack in a box :)  I was sadly hoping for more out of the smoked salmon sandwich than the reality I encountered. First, I couldn't really tell that the salmon was smoked, at least compared to the wonderful smoked salmon I've had from VCC's Aboriginal Culinary Arts students. This may be a plus for those out there who don't enjoy the smokey taste overly much. Secondly, the salmon was a bit dry. When combined with the large toasted bun and the not nearly enough spicy mayo, this led to overall dryness in the mouth. Unpleasant. The maple syrup mustard slaw almost redeemed the sandwich - absolutely delicious, but unmanageably messy to eat piled on top of the salmon; it spilled out with every bite! I vote for a nice pile of slaw alongside the sandwich with enough of some type of delectable sauce inside the sandwich (or an open faced sandwich with one less bun) to improve this dish for the future. Overall though, a cart worth visiting! Especially because I still haven't tried the fish and chips.

At the end of the day, wife and I headed out to Crave for supper. While I had read reviews about it before, and was excited to take advantage of my first groupon purchase ever (for Crave), it somehow was not at all what I was expecting (in a good way). I was envisioning a diner style restaurant with comfort food (perhaps a misconception based on the menu), but the restaurant is very modern and cozy. You can't help but see what your neighbors are eating and enjoy the murmur of conversation around you, which usually I enjoy, unless there happens to be an extremely loud New Zealander talking about "dags" during your meal (see definition 4).

Regardless of the neighborly ambience, we started off with the popcorn shrimp. Tiny shrimps battered with herbs and sprinkled with sea salt arrived in a paper cone and were paired with a sweet chili mayonnaise. OMG. Wife and I were in a bit of an argument when the shrimp arrived, but were struck dumb upon each taking a bite of the shrimp. The argument came abruptly to a halt and was quickly forgotten as we came together in glorious agreement to rave about their mind-blowing perfection. I also loved that they were served with chopsticks which added a fun spin on the dish!

http://www.craveonmain.com/gallery.php

The main meals continued to elicit our glowing praises. I opted for the pan roasted halibut served with lemon ricotta gnocchi, asparagus and corn. I confess I was slightly hesitant, doubtful that the fish would come out well since I have become a Chambar fish snob, but it was perfectly cooked - moist, falling off in beautiful tender flakes. And the asparagus and CORN! Slightly charred kernels of corn that burst in your mouth with sweetness, complimenting the butteryness of the fish and the crunch of the asparagus. And who could forget the lemon ricotto gnocci, which were rich, zesty, and worked so well with the corn and asparagus. Wife had the pulled pork burger and even I (mostly pescatarian, but occasionally flexitarian) was suitably impressed by the tenderness and seasoning of the pork. MMM.

The only disappointing part of the meal was our dessert. I ordered the sticky toffee pudding, but should have known better. Wife is Australian and makes the most AMAZING homemade sticky toffee pudding, whose success is largely due to the sauce - oh the glorious caramel toffee butter sauce that I could eat spoonful after spoonful of...  Anyways the pudding arrived and the pudding itself was pretty good. But most of the sauce was chilled underneath the pudding in a congealed cold caramel state that was entirely unappetizing and ruined the nice hot state of the pudding itself. There was also a few bites of crystallized caramel on top that did nothing for the dish. Thankfully, they made excellent decaf americanos to wash it all down with.

My conclusion: go now, go to Crave and treat yourself! Though you'll probably have to wait for it (since they don't take reservations), it's worth it!

Tofu Fish Sticks

Last night, I was inspired by reading The Giant Book of Tofu (which I bought on my first ever trip to Salt Spring Island!) and recalling all of the recipes in there that I had yet to try. I came across a recipe for tofu "fish" sticks. Normally I would scoff at this overt replacement of a "meat", but I just couldn't must up the brain power or enthusiasm to conceive of any other tofu dish to accompany my romano bean salad. Thank goodness for first instinct/laziness/fates/whatever! This was one of the best new tofu recipes I've had in a long while - very flavorful with a crunchy panko exterior. Even better was the fact that the crunchiness was obtained by baking as opposed to frying, which is the usual route of tofu crispy achievement! Even meat eater wife was keen on them, so it must be worth writing about....

"Fish" Sticks
16 oz firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs soy or tamari sauce
1/3 c. flour
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp cajun spice mix
1/2-1 tsp salt (if your cajun spice mix has salt in it, only use 1/2 tsp)
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. panko
1 tsp veggie oil (or olive oil)

1. Slice the tofu into wedges about 1/4-1/2" thick.
2. Whisk vinegar and soy in a bowl. Add the tofu and marinate for at least 1 hr, turning a couple of times if possible (I let mine marinate for about 8 hrs).
3. Beat the eggs and salt together in a bowl, set aside.
4. Mix the flour, oregano, thyme, basil, and cajun spice mix together on a plate.
5. Place the panko on a plate (not at all once).
6. Remove the from the marinade and dip each piece in the flour, the egg, and then the panko.
7. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 20 min at 350 degrees F.

And if you're looking for a nice B.C. microbrewery summer beer to go along with your fish sticks and salad, I would recommend Whistler Brewing Company's Powder Mountain Ale. Enjoy!

Out of Town

I was away all weekend at a Jesuit retreat centre in Guelph, ON. I learned an incredible amount of information with a fabulous group of people and felt so enriched and mentally stimulated by it all. The setting itself was a wonderful respite to the mental exercises - fields of orchards and vegetable gardens, reclaimed land, labyrinths and spirals. I spent most of the time barefoot, both indoors and outdoors which was a treat. And I saw a muskrat! I thought I caught a glimpse of some kind of cat or dog scurrying through the underbrush and followed it, only to realize as it turned around to face me with its reddish brown fur and gopher-ish face, that it was neither cat nor dog! During another walk, I caught sight of two mule deer bounding slowly towards me in the morning mist, only to have the bucolic scene spoiled by a small grey and white cat that exploded out of the grass, trying to take out the deer :)

The food was also amazing, much of it from their own gardens, but there was one salad in particular that was so incredible and unusual (for me) that I had to ask for the recipe, which was graciously shared.

Cucumber-Watermelon Salad
Cucumber sliced into 1/4 moons, about 1/4 to 1/2" thick
Watermelon sliced into chunks
1/3 c. lavender infused rice vinegar (see notes below)
1 c. canola oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard

For the rice vinegar, take about 8 parts vinegar to 1 part lavender flower and let sit for 1 week. Remove flowers and use vinegar.
Whisk vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and mustard together. Pour over cucumber and watermelon. Chill and serve.

Quick Bran Bread

Being that I was short on both time and bread this week, I opted try a new quick bran bread recipe instead of my usual no-knead bread. Unfortunately, once I started the recipe I realized I didn't have nearly the quantity of bran flakes called for, but I did have rice bran and buckwheat flour on hand. So I did what any irresponsible and impulsive baker would do - substitute with abandon! Amazingly my crazy substitutions worked like a charm in this recipe.The bread emerged with a dense, moist interior and a delicately crunchy exterior. Totally delectable with butter and jam, butter and honey, and any kind of fresh cheese.

Whole-Wheat Bran Bread
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. wheat bran flakes (my combo was ~1 1/4 c. rice bran + ~1/4 c. wheat bran flakes + ~1/2 c. buckwheat flour --- my  basic thought was that if I was using something denser than flakes, the total volume should be a bit less than 2 c. so that the bread wouldn't turn out too dry)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 c. milk
1 egg, room temperature 
2 Tbs molasses
2 Tbs melted butter
1 c. nuts (I substituted 1/4 c. sesame seeds and 1/4 c. ground flax)

Stir dry ingredients together. Beat wet ingredients together. Mix wet with dry just until moistened. Place batter in a greased 9x5" loaf pan and let sit for 15 minutes. Then bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 min. Let cool 5-10 minutes and remove from pan onto cooling rack.

Photo to come if I can manage to stop eating the bread long enough to take one...