Roasted Corn, Black Bean, and Mango Salad

How ours turned out! delicious!

On hot summer days when you’re appetite isn’t quite so heavy, a light fruit and vegetable salad is a great option. Simple, easy to make, and healthy are all the positives of this favorite dish. For a few weeks here in the midwest, we’ve had some cooler days, staying in the low-70s. But… today was a bit different. Jumping up to the 90s, today was definitely a day for a light meal! In one of my dad’s favorite cookbooks, Cooking Light, we found a great recipe for a vegan salad, rich with a great combination of textures and colors. Reds, yellows, greens, and jet black will fill your plate, promising a great meal for a hot summer’s day.

This recipe is revised to my taste. To get to the original, you can click the link above, titled ‘Cooking Light’

Ingredients…

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• about 6 ears of corn, with the kernels cut off and put into a bowl.
• 2 cups diced peeled ripe mango (about 2 pounds)
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
• fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1-2 tablespoons per plate)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 chipotle chile, chopped (canned in adobo sauce, with about 1 teaspoon of the sauce)
• 2 (15 oz.) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained.
• red leaf lettuce leaves, about 5 for each plate

Directions…

  

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium to high heat.
• Stir in corn kernels and garlic (at the same time), cook about 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

  

• Then add in red onion, red bell, salt, cumin, and chipotle. Cook for 2 more minutes.
• Empty the skillet into a large bowl, then add in the mangos, lime juice, and black beans.

To Serve!

Can be served hot or cold, or over rice.

  

• Arrange about 5 lettuce leaves on each plate.
• Scoop about 1 or 2 cups of the corn mixture onto the lettuce.
• Sprinkle about 1 or 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro over each plate.

ENJOY!

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Fresh Mint Chutney

As I said before in the post below, for dinner tonight we expirimented with making our favorites from the Indian bistro in town at home. One of those favorites, mint chutney, was the first on our list. We found a recipe with pretty common ingredients at http://www.food.com/, altered it a little, and whipped it up to have along with our Indian feast. Here’s one of our Indian favorites, made simple!

Ingredients…

• 2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup  fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger (jarred or fresh)
• 1 cloves garlic, chopped
• a pinch of ground red pepper, to taste (this is very strong, so don’t over-do it!)
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• salt, to taste

Directions… 

1. Put all of the ingredients in your blender, and chop in pulses, scraping down the sides with a rubber scraper on each interval.  DO NOT LIQUIFY IT! Be careful not to cut your rubber scraper on the blade!
2. scrape out of the blender after you have achieved a finely chopped texture.

To Serve!

Serve mint chutney along with pita bread or naan for a appetizer or side, or along with meat, as a spread for sandwiches, and a topping for chicken or fish.

ENJOY!

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Bhindi Bhaji – An Okra Side Dish from India

My plate from the Indian feast.... the bhindi bhaji is the okra side.

Tonight, what started as curry leftovers for dinner transformed into an Indian feast. My dad and I sat at the island, wondering if there would be enough leftovers for dinner, and also if we should pick up some naan. From there, we decided if the meal should be over yellow rice or white. Slowly we kept throwing around ideas for side dishes, chutneys, and drinks. I browsed my laptop as we sat there, looking for recipes similar to our favorites from our local Indian bistro. (This one comes from Indianfoodforever.com, with some adjustments and changes) And we ended up with this… the leftover curry, over yellow rice, with bhindi bhaji as a side, toaseted naan, mango chutney, and home-made mint chutney. Yes, a feast.

This is the first time I have ever heard of, cooked, or eaten Bhindi Bhaji, but it turned out great for my first try. I have always loved okra, and have considered it one of my favorite vegetables for awhile. For those who can’t stand the viscous texture of it, this is NOT the recipe for you. The way this dish is cooked highlights that aspect of the okra, respecting it for how it is. Anyway, this is a relatively simple dish with relatively simple ingredients. If you have fresh tomatoes and okra in your garden, like my stepmother (and she does more than garden… fiber2love.etsy.com), and appreciate Indian food and trying something new, give this recipe a whirl!

Ingredients!

• 1 pound of okra (this can be frozen or fresh, but if you are using fresh, it might cook a litter faster.)
• 1 1/2 onions
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. ginger, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 or 2 fresh or dried red chili peppers, chopped finely. (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. ground fennel seeds

Directions!

1. Wash and thoroughly dry the okra, and cut the tops off. Then slice the okra lengthwise.
2. Chop the onions and saute in a large pan over medium heat, until almost translucent. (about 3 minutes, depending on how finely the onions are chopped)
3. Add in the spices, ginger, chilies, and garlic, and saute for another minute or two.

  

1. Add the okra to the pan, stir fry for a few minutes. Then, reduce heat to low-medium and cook covered for 15 minutes or so. Fresh okra cooks faster, so keep an eye on it! Do not add any water while covered!
2. After the okra is done, scoop the ingredients from the pan into a bowl and stir in the diced tomato and the cilantro, and salt to taste.

To Serve!

Serve the Bhindi Bhaji hot as a side with rice, naan, or toasted pita bread.

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