Thursday, June 11, 2009

trying new recipes

Yesterday, our area went into the rainy season, this is actually 12 days later than last year and is supposed to last for 40 days. Not looking forward to this muggy, uncomfortable weather, but it is something that has to be done, for the plants, etc.

So in need of some "cool" foods...Monday, I tried several new recipes for dinner. Here is my dinner tray.

One I found on Serious Eats, this recipe which combines tuna with garbanzos as a salad. It is easy to put together and delicious.

Fragrant chickpea salad : Nick Kindelsperger, The Paupered Chef, serves 2 -3
1-15 oz. can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
2 bellpeppers, red or yellow, diced
5 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
2 teaspoons paprika powder
1 can of tuna, water/oil drained
handful of parsley, chopped
salt & pepper

Roast peppers
Heat oil, add onions & spices
Whisk in vinegar
Add all the ingredients
Combine well
Season with salt & pepper

NOTES: I cut this recipe in half. I didn't have sherry vinegar and subbed balsamic vinegar. I also didn't have fennel seed so I left it out. I ate this as is, but this would be great on baguette or as a sandwich filling.

The original recipe heats the spices and roasts the bell pepper, but I just dice and throw everything together without heating anything up. I do this a day ahead and we eat this cold.

Another recipe I tried was Ellie's "Muhammara" from "The Food You Crave". Another easy recipe which uses walnuts and roasted red peppers, it was great on this pistachio baguette I got from Ferdinand.

This baguette was delicious, filled with lots of pistachios from end to end!

The recipe uses bottled roasted red peppers, but I roasted my own, and cut the recipe to match the one red pepper that I roasted (actually for the tuna with garbanzos it uses a roasted pepper also and I roasted a yellow one for that).

I didn't have bread crumbs, so I added some ground flax seed. I also didn't have pomegranate juice or pomegranate molasses, so I used balsamic vinegar. I really liked this and want to try it as a sandwich spread.

The last recipe I tried was Ellie's "Chickpea and Spinach Salad with Cumin Dressing", which was also from "The Food You Crave".

I cut this recipe in half and used the remaining half can of garbanzos. I couldn't find spinach so I just served this on iceberg lettuce. I was really disappointed with the lettuce at the market, everything didn't look too good, even the iceberg lettuce. The salad also calls for mint, but I forgot to add it...still, I loved the flavors of the salad.

Actually all three recipes had overlapping flavors, so they all tasted slightly similar, but I really enjoyed them.

p.s. on Tuesday night I put some thinly sliced chicken in the oven with ras el hanout, salt and pepper and cooked it for 12 minutes @ 350F (180C). I put it into a pita with the muhammara and some lettuce...mmm.

13 comments:

2kamuela47 said...

interesting dishes...I picked up a cook book with Indian dishes. I'm going to try one of the recipes this weekend. Take care!

Melanie Gray Augustin said...

Bummer to hear that the rainy season has started. That and then the muggy summer to follow were my least favourite times in Japan (except that there are lots of fun summer festivals).

All the food looks delish. You did so well with your substitutions, there were always so many things I couldn't find to use in cooking over there.

K and S said...

I hope the Indian dishes turns out to your liking Laura :)

Yeah, rainy season and summer have got to be my all time dislikes too Melanie, I mean that humidity is so horrible!

Take care you two.
Kat

KirkK said...

Hi Kat - You sure have been cooking up a storm recently.

Rowena said...

You've been cooking up a bunch of delish stuff, and that tuna with garbanzo would be so appreciated right now. Fortunately for us the rainier part of the season is over (or at least it should be!) and all I would really love now is some sun and heat, so that my veggies can grow!

Deb in Hawaii said...

Well if you have to be hot and muggy--at least you are eating well! Everything looks delicious!

K and S said...

Thanks Kirkk, I try :)

Thanks Rowena, if you try the tuna dish, I hope you like it :)

So true about eating well, thanks Deb :)

Take care everyone.
Kat

Anonymous said...

All wonderful dishes you've prepared.

Paz

K and S said...

Thanks Paz, they were delicious :) and easy to put together.

Take care.
Kat

Jenster said...

I love how you improvise with your recipes, using what you have or what is available locally. I'm not yet brave enough to do that, so I skip trying out a lot of recipes when I don't have all the listed ingredients.

I'm impressed that you turned on the oven during hot, muggy weather! It's been warm hear near Seattle, too, so we've been eating a lot of cool weather foods, too. Whatever needs to be cooked in the oven I've been trying to cook in the toaster oven, so it doesn't heat up the kitchen.

K and S said...

Thanks Jenster, my oven is the size of a microwave, I think it is a convection type. I don't think it heats up the kitchen as much as a "real" oven would but it saves me from standing near the stove :)

Take care.
Kat

Tamakikat said...

Hi Kat,

inspired by you I tried the "Chickpea and Spinach Salad with Cumin Dressing". It was really good:)

BTW I couldn't find a chickpeas in a can at Yamaya. Instead they had them in 'juice box' pack. Wonder if you have the same at your store.

TK

K and S said...

Glad you liked it Tamakikat! Yes the "can" of chickpeas was the box type. I think the contents are a little less than the can type.

Take care.
Kat