RECIPE: Corn and Black Bean Salad

If you know me, you know how grumpy I get in the heat of the summer. However, THIS salad makes it all better! Seriously, it's all better now...

The salad tastes great, comes together quickly and can be made from items in your own garden (if you're into gardening, of course)... here's where I started.



Corn, black beans, sweet red pepper, red onion, cilantro, canola oil and some seasonings for the viniagrette.



I start by mixing together the viniagrette... lime juice, canola oil, onion powder, ground cumin, kosher salt/pepper and at the last minute I also decided to add some dried oregano.





Then I added the red onion to the viniagrette so it could sit for about 15 minutes. I prefer the red onions to be "pickled" a little... letting them sit in the viniagrette for a bit tames them down a bit, just to perfection. But it's here that I also added a few teaspoons of our favorite hot sauce.





After 15 minutes or so I added the corn, black beans, sweet red pepper ...







Oh yeah, and the cilantro... and then it sits for another 30 minutes or so...

This time we served it up with our "house grilled chicken"... yummy! Make this salad this summer ... your loved ones will love you more for it!




Corn and Black bean Salad
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
2 cups frozen corn
1 can (14 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 sweet red pepper, finely diced
½ red onion, finely diced
¼ cup cilantro, diced
2 limes, juiced
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch onion powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
Salt/pepper to taste

Instructions
In a large bowl make vinaigrette by whisking together lime juice, hot sauce, oil and spices. Add red onion and mix well; set aside. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.

Add corn kernels, black beans, red pepper and cilantro. Mix well. Allow to sit for another 30 minutes or so, for the tastes to marry. Salt/pepper to taste before serving.


enjoy your time in the kitchen...

do i like brussel sprouts?

Quite a few people wince when brussel sprouts are mentioned. And I cannot recall ever attempting them before (probably because of all of the wincing)...



So, today I bought some. I felt so proud of myself as I bagged up several brussel sprouts... all the while Gramma's sarcastic tone rings in my ear: "How do you know you don't like it if you've never given it a good chance?!"

I brought them home... did some online researching and found a quick method that looked easy, sounded good and had some potential.

I started with preheating the oven to 400 degrees F. Then I hit the cutting board... I cut off part of the stem and peeled back the yellowish and/or loose leaves. I will note, these things look and act like mini-iceberg lettuce heads. The layers of leaves even peel back similarly... but don't let them fool you. They taste NOTHING like iceberg lettuce (afterall, iceberg doesn't have much flavor anyway).



But let's take another rabbit trail... while I was roasting I decided it was time to roast some garlic and maybe some cauliflower too. See?


Chop off the pointy top, drizzle some oil and sprinkle on some kosher salt... wrap it tightly and voila!





Then I tossed the brussel sprouts (not pictured here) in a little bit of olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. And onto the sheet tray with the garlic...



But since brussel sprouts take a bit longer than the cauliflower I'm going to wait on that part for now.

Roasting, roasting, roasting...



After about 15 mins it was time to roll the brussel sprouts around the sheet tray a little bit (so they roast evenly)... so this is when I added the cauliflower. (And yes, I also drizzled the cauliflower with a bit of olive oil and kosher salt.)





Another 15 mins went by... and it was time for another turn.



10-15 mins later ... it all looks good. Time to find out if I like brussel sprouts. (I already KNOW I love roasted garlic and cauliflower... just doing double duty with the hot oven on this post.)


The cauliflower was scrumptious. The brussel sprouts? Crispy on the outside - and salt always helps. Cooked well inside - soft and not overdone. But there is that overwhelming brussel sprout flavor... I can understand the wincing, completely.





So, what's the verdict? I still don't know if I like brussel sprouts.


Why don't I know? Well, I ate the brussel sprouts. But I'm not yet convinced. i promise to give these poor things will get a second try from me (using a different cooking method) along with some different flavors. Any suggestions? Leave me a comment...


Stay tuned... I'd like to be a champion for brussel sprouts. But they have yet to prove themselves...




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RECIPE: Spaetzle and Dill Sauce

Not that you asked for it, but here's another way to use that amazing dill sauce...

Here's the OTHER way I use it... Swedish Meatballs ( < ---- oh yum! )

Find some good quality spaetzle ... spaetzle is typically considered a German food. But can also be found in other countries. Check out the link for more info...

I bought this spaetzle at World Market. If your grocery store doesn't carry this in the pasta section then check in a food specialty store in your area. Cook it according to the instructions on the back... and then drain and toss it into the large pan with the sauce. Toss well until all of the spaetzle is covered with sauce.


Dill Sauce
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
½ cup butter
1/8 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cups sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
Pinch ground nutmeg
Kosher salt/pepper to taste

Instructions
Melt half stick of butter in a large pan; stir in flour; gradually stir in broth. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until sauce bubbles & thickens. Stir in sour cream, ground nutmeg and dill. Add kosher salt/pepper to taste.

Drain spaetzle and add to sauce. Toss until spaetzle is covered with sauce. Serve immediately.




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RECIPE: The BETTER Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Note to self: when you wake up from a nap with a food idea (Hmmm... I wonder what that under-used potato ricer would do for the cauliflower?!)... OH, JUST TRY IT FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

Trust those instincts... or am I the only one that wakes up with food ideas?!

I do believe this version of the 'mashed cauliflower' recipe is better than the previous one... so scratch the other one. OK, you can make the other one if you want... but I like this one better.

So, join me half way through the process here. What you see below is cauliflower that has been boiled. And I'm getting ready to drain it.


And these are the 'tools' you will need... a large bowl, a measuring cup and a potato ricer. (And yes, I'm convinced... the potato ricer is THE most under-used kitchen tool - but OH SO WORTH IT!)


In the picture below you will see the "press" that pushes the food through the "ricer" at the bottom of the cup.

I put about a cup worth of boiled cauliflower into the cup and first pushed out water, gently.

Once cauliflower started to come through the bottom I moved to the large bowl and firmly pressed out the rest of the cauliflower.






Then I loaded up the cup again and repeated the process until all of the cauliflower was riced...

See all of that water that got pushed out of that cooked vegetable? You want to save this... because you might want to add some back to the mash to bring it to the consistency you want. But at least your cauliflower won't be all runny...

Then we move on to the flavor that will be added... sour cream, butter, nutmeg, garlic powder, parmesan cheese and salt/pepper.

Mix everything into the cauliflower...

If you think it needs it, add a little bit of water... just a touch. Mix well. You can always add a little more water if you want to... so a little bit at a time.

And there you have it.... what I now consider my best version of mashed cauliflower.

And shhh... my hero-of-a-hubby still thinks he's eating mashed potatoes!

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
4 cups cauliflower
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons light sour cream
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Kosher salt/pepper to taste

Instructions
Boil cauliflower until well done, in well-salted water. Drain and add 1 cup of boiled cauliflower to a potato ricer. Over a 2 cup measuring cup, first press the water out of cauliflower. Once the water is out, press the cauliflower through the ricer (into a large bowl). Continue until all of the cauliflower has been pressed through the ricer. Save some of the drained water in case you want to add some at the end. Transfer the riced cauliflower to a hot saucepan. Add butter, sour cream, garlic powder, nutmeg and mix well. Stir in parmesan cheese until it is melted. Add salt/pepper to taste. And now is when you would add some of the drained water if you feel it would improve the consistency of the "mash". Serve hot.




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RECIPE: Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

Cauliflower can easily masquerade as mashed potatoes when butter, cream and garlic are added. And it's much healthier than potatoes (1/4 of the calories, in fact!)... even though you're still adding butter and cream. So, why not?!

Here's where I started...



I cut out the stem and branches and found the cute little florets hidden in this "tree" ...


(Tee hee! It really DOES look like a tree, doesn't it?! I just love playing with food!)


While I worked on the short ribs I set aside all the ingredients and waited for the right time to start...




::: USE YOUR IMAGINATION HERE: I forgot to take a picture of the boiling cauliflower :::

Then I drained it... and started on the butter, oil and garlic... then added the cream and let it simmer for a minute or so.

I added the cauliflower back in ... and mashed.

Confession: I was wishing I could find my immersion blender. It would have whipped up this mashed goodness in a hurry and made it a bit more creamy. The potato masher only got it semi-creamy-mostly-lumpy. But DANG, it was good!

And now I'd like to proudly announce that my hero-of-a-hubby is once again eating cauliflower. (He had previously told me he didn't like cauliflower. Well, once you add butter, cream and garlic to ANYTHING it's always better! Who could blame him?!)

Tonight I served this up with Braised Beef Short Ribs. Y-U-M!!!

But don't take my word for it... try it for yourself!!!

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
4-6 cups bite-size cauliflower florets (about 1 large head)
3 cloves garlic, crushed and diced
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
kosher salt/freshly ground pepper to taste
Snipped fresh chives for garnish

Instructions
Place cauliflower in boiling water, allow to boil for about 8-10 mins. Drain and set aside. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil, butter and garlic to hot sauce pan. Allow garlic to cook on medium-low heat for about 3-5 mins. Return
Cooked cauliflower to hot sauce pan. Add cream, salt/pepper to taste. Transfer to food processor for or a quick turn or mash with potato masher. Serve immediately. Garnish with chives, if desired.




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