2018 RECIPE SIXTEEN: Wednesday March 7th - mango, avocado and black bean salad

BACK STORY:
Bought a mango for the black beans over rice recipe from the LVC cookbook, but decided to make this salad to use up some other fresh food before leaving for Jordan!

NOTES:
I had nearly all of these ingredients, except limes. I dropped everything into a big bowl, layering as I went along - black beans and corn (rinsed) first, then chopped romaine, red pepper, avocado, onion, one mango, a few cherry tomatoes (chopped), jalapeno, and finally oil and lemon juice on top. I also added a squirt of lime juice from the jar along with salt and pepper and chili powder. I didn't really follow the portion requirements, chopping up whatever I had. Eat with corn chips - delicious!!

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Fresh and good, but ingredients just enough out of the ordinary that it's not 4 or 5 stars. A perfect complement for a summer barbecue meal, but also good just on its own as a salad.

RECIPE:
https://recipes.heart.org/recipes/1223/mango-avocado-and-black-bean-salad

Ingredients

6 Servings

• 15 oz. canned, no-salt-added black beans (1 can), drained, rinsed
• 15.25 oz. canned, no-salt-added or low-sodium whole kernel corn (1 can), drained, rinsed
• 1 cup avocado (1 medium or 2 small), halved, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 mangos (about 2 cups), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 green onions (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)OR
• 1/2 small red or white onion (about 1/4 cup), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 or 1/2 jalapeño pepper, stems discarded, seeded, finely chopped, optional
• 1 head romaine lettuce (chopped)
• 3 Tbsp. fresh, or, bottled lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt

 1.98 Priceper serving

 218 Caloriesper serving

 1.0 g Sat. Fatper serving

 128 mg Sodiumper serving

VIEW FULL NUTRITION INFO

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Quick Tips

Cooking Tip: You can serve this with crunchy vegetables like cucumbers and/or jicama, cut into ¼ inch slices and used like chips.

Keep it Healthy: When using canned beans, drain and rinse under cold water for a minute to remove some of the sodium.

Tip: You can also enjoy this in a sandwich or wrap. It is a great dish to bring to potlucks or picnics.

Tip: This salad will keep in the refrigerator for a few days and the flavors keep improving.

Directions

Tip:  Click on step to mark as complete.

• 1Wash and dry lettuce, then chop or tear into 2 inch pieces and divide into 6 bowls or plates.
• 2Combine the black beans, corn, mango, avocado, onions and jalapeño pepper. Do not mix until you add the dressing.
• 3Combine the lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, chili powder, black pepper and salt together in a jar with a secure lid, shake together until mixed well and pour over the mango and avocado mixture.
• 4Toss gently to coat and serve over the lettuce and mixed greens.

2018 RECIPE FIFTEEN: Monday March 5th - cauliflower cheese

BACK STORY:
Looking for something delicious with cauliflower on an unexpected snow day while I was working from home. This has all the makings of things I love - cauliflower! cheese! - so I was eager to test it out.

NOTES:
I did a few replacements - half and half instead of milk (they don't sell milk in small enough bottles to justify buying for only 2 cups), and dijon mustard instead of powdered. I used a sharp cheddar from the wedge and put in the whole block, which was probably more than needed but you can't go wrong with more cheese, right? I boiled the cauliflower for about 6 minutes and let it dry while the sauce thickened. This would have been much better if there was twice as much cauliflower, or something else hearty in the sauce. It ended up being very saucy without much substance. Still good though!

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Might add some beans or more veggies to the leftovers.

RECIPE:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/10/cauliflower-cheese/

Cauliflower Cheese

I think a dish like this could have endless variations. You could infuse the milk, warming it, with a bay leaf or minced clove of garlic. You could stir chopped parsley into the sauce for color. If you don’t have dry mustard, you can add two teaspoons smooth Dijon or an English mustard to the sauce along with the cheese. You could sprinkle some plain breadcrumbs on top for extra crunch. Finally, I saw a version online in which the chefs had grilled pork sausages and sliced them up into the dish, baking them with the cheese sauce as well for more of a meal-in-one dish.

Serves 4 as a side

1 medium head (about 2 to 2 1/4 pounds) cauliflower
4 tablespoons (55 grams or 2 ounces) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons (30 grams or 1 ounce) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons mustard powder
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper or ground cayenne
2 cups (475 ml) milk, whole is best but low-fat will probably work just fine
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (about 155 grams or 5 1/2 ounces total) grated cheddar, the strongest you can get, preferably English or Irish
Chopped chives or flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Trim cauliflower and remove tough core. Cut into 1 to 2-inch florets. Steam (for about 10 minutes) or par-boil (6 to 7 minutes) florets until firm but tender. Drain, if needed, and spread florets on a towel so that it can wick out as much moisture as possible

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk to combine; cook for 1 minute to ensure you get rid of the floury taste. Add mustard powder and a pinch of cayenne or few grinds of black pepper, and stir to combine. Drizzle in milk in a thin, steady stream, whisking the whole time so that no lumps form. Season with salt and bring mixture to a simmer, stirring with a spoon; mixture should thicken. Stir in 1 1/4 cups cheddar, a handful at a time, letting each handful melt before adding the next. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings if needed.

Spread cauliflower florets in a 2-quart baking ovenproof baking dish. Spoon sauce over florets and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake until until bronzed and bubbly, about 30 minutes. For reference, f I wasn’t in such a rush to get dinner out on the table, I’d have baked mine a minute or two longer, up to 35 minutes.

Sprinkle with herbs, if desired. Eat with abandon

2018 RECIPE FOURTEEN: Thursday March 1 - shakshuka

BACK STORY:
Quick! Easy! Needs to be made with things I have on hand! This recipe fits all the criteria. Though it turns out I made this as my first recipe of 2017 (on March 18th! I had really fallen behind). I'm still counting it though. These are my rules and I can break them any time I want.

NOTES:
I halved this recipe, kind of. I used one onion and 5 garlic cloves, but only half the spices and a can of 14oz diced tomatoes instead of crushed. I also eyeballed the water (by rinsing out the can, then pouring it back into the pan) and cooked it for an unknown time while I was doing other things (ahem, Instagram). It was delicious! Easy peasy.

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Mostly fast and a good alternative to fried eggs. 

RECIPE:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/shakshuka/

Shakshuka [Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce]
Adapted from Saveur

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalape&#241os, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (I was nervous and only used 2 Anaheims; I would go for 3 or 4 next time for a more moderate but still gentle kick)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.