Tag: recipe

Recipe exceeding expectations

Today’s supper was a “Bean and Grain Salad”, courtesy of Canadian Living magazine.

You can find the recipe on their website.

With a name like that, I wasn’t expecting too much (other than that it ought to be good for me). I was surprised it was so delicious.

I think the avocado is the secret ingredient. Recipe says it’s optional, but I think that, combined with the barrel-aged feta and really good Spanish olive oil I used, gave it this appealing, creamy deliciousness that seemed almost decadent.

Other changes I made:

  • I don’t know what wheat berries are, so I used quinoa. Grainy, good for you, and cooks in only 12 minutes.
  • Reduced the peppers from 2 and one-half, as my husband is not a fan.
  • Omitted the green onion.
  • Omitted the kale. Kale can be delicious cooked, but raw? Baby kale is OK, but “adult” kale is pretty bitter til cooked.
  • Instead of minced hot pepper in the dressing, used dried ancho, which is less spicy. (I don’t mind spicy, but I am a bit lazy, and that was less work.)

So my version be kind of like this:

1/2 cup (125 mL) quinoa
1 can (14 oz/540 mL) no-salt black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (250 mL) halved cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 red or yellow pepper, diced
1 avocado, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup (125 mL) crumbled Canadian Feta cheese (consider barrel aged)
3 cups (750 mL) torn romaine lettuce

Coriander Chili Dressing:
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp (25 mL) each extra-virgin olive oil and canola oil
2 tbsp (25 mL) cider vinegar
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) ancho chili powder
Pinch each kosher salt and pepper

Bring 1 cup of salted water to boil. Add quinoa; cover and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, about 12 minutes.

Add black beans, tomatoes, red or yellow pepper, avocado, and Feta cheese.

Coriander Chili Dressing: In small bowl, whisk together coriander, olive oil, canola oil, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper; pour over salad, tossing to coat. Divide lettuce among plates; top with wheat berry mixture.

Makes about 3 servings.

How does my garden grow

The yard is not as embarrassing any more. Can’t go so far as to say it looks good, since with the weeds pulled and the mulch put down where they were, the garden areas tend to look a little… sparse. But it’s definitely better than giant thistles and crab grass.

It’s been the project of the last couple weekends. We paid to have the heavier work done (gathering those receipts for the tax credit), leaving the more interesting stuff like planting for ourselves. The front garden now has some daylilies, two of which are blooming nicely with quite a few more showing signs of blooming soon.

In the raised bed out back, we have several tomato plants and a bunch of herbs—parsley, basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage… I’m still at the excitable stage where I go out and see how they’re doing each day. So far, so good.

And, I’m kind of disappointed each time a recipe doesn’t call for one of the herbs I’m growing. Guess I need to make more Italian stuff.

Maybe once I have a bunch of tomatoes, too…