Tag Archives: corn

cooked, main dishes, salads

Kidney Bean Salad

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Each time my taste buds come in contact with a new combination of tastes, I’m completely drawn to re-creating and further improvising on the alchemy.  Was the same case with this great salad proudly introduced by my uncle back in summer. Firstly, I made it vegan (it did contain fish) and secondly, I kept introducing ingredients that would suit – color wise and texture wise – the base of the dish made out of kidney beans. Which by means of richness makes it totally a main dish, though by means of the preparation process is as simple as a salad.

All you have to know is to give plenty of time to the boiling of the beans, so you have it tender, mingling nicely with the crisp veggies As always, pressure cooking is the best option. Also, pay attention to the juiciness of the composition as some of the ingredients – the beans and the dried tomatoes – may progressively suck in the dressing. A good moment to practice indulgence :))

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Below you have the list of ingredients, but feel free to make your own choices!

  • dried tomatoes (partially rehydrated)
  • red bell peppers
  • corn
  • red onions
  • parsley (or other greens)
  • black olives
  • olive oil
  • lemon
  • balsamic vinegar
  • ground pepper and/or coriander
  • garlic (in moderate amount)
  • sesame seeds & sprouts (optional)
raw, salads

Crisp as Broccoli

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No wonder there’s so much talk around and about the nutritional benefits of broccoli. This greener sister of cauliflower is not only packed with vitamins A, C, K and folic acid but carries a great deal of minerals such as chromium, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Here you can find an exhaustive explanation of its amazing health benefits.

There’s one simple way in which you can enjoy the green crispiness of broccoli without cooking it over heat, and that’s by marinating it. You can think of accompanying it with mushrooms, either by marinating them all together in a bowl, or separately, in two bowls (due to their different consistencies, you might as well consider different marinating times). Both of the veggies should be cut in slices thin enough so that the liquid is able to permeate the pulp. If you fancy garlic or thyme, now it’s the right time to make them part of the marinade.

Oblivious of all, the broccoli will turn perfectly juicy over the night, yet crispy enough to be chewed. You can now add corn/peas, spring onions and dill and garnish it with anything from tomatoes to sesame or hemp seeds. This recipe is so easy that you can literally do it in the turning of a hand.

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list of ingredients

  • broccoli
  • mushrooms
  • corn and/or peas
  • spring onions
  • dill
  • olive oil
  • soya sauce
  • lemon juice

optional

  • garlic
  • thyme
  • tomatoes/ sesame/ hemp seeds

 

raw, salads

Cauliflower Forever

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Most of the people are simply astonished when they have raw cauliflower. Wow, it’s so great! but…what is it? rice….or cheese? If you’re not familiar with it, you literally have no idea what is that you’re eating. We of course owe it all to the food processor, able to break down the cauliflower into tiny white pieces resembling rice. You can do it by hand as well, but the result will be slightly different.

I haven’t yet discovered a better and faster recipe than the cauliflower rice.  It goes like this: you shred the cauliflower in your food processor and you mix it with peas, corn (both fresh or frozen) pepper (capia or capsicum) and green onion/garlic. In case you want to add some greens, I totally recommend lovage or dill. Make a basic dressing out of olive oil and lemon juice and that’s it. Now you can enjoy the best summer salad!

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Another vegetable that goes pretty well with cauliflower is carrot. I’ve used it in this thai version of the cauliflower rice. The whole idea is to make a coconut based dressing, keeping everything else the same. For this you would ideally need coconut cream or milk (I use Renuka or Biona brand as it doesn’t have any additives). You can also add shredded coconut or coconut flakes directly into the salad, but be aware it will draw in all the liquid, so you might have to add some more in a few minutes. The perfect seasoning is curry, mild or hot, and fresh basil. In the picture I’ve served it with sunflower seeds pate spread on bell pepper.

list of ingredients

  • cauliflower
  • peas
  • corn (if not fresh, see that it doesn’t have added  sugar)
  • pepper/capsicum
  • olive oil
  • lemon juice
  • salt

optional:

  • green onion/garlic
  • lovage/dill
  • coconut milk or cream
  • shredded coconut
  • curry
  • fresh basil