Cucumber and Tomato Salad

This salad is is simple and fast to throw together. No one in my family (who eat salad) needs a recipe for this but for those who are new to Italian food may need some help. This salad is great as a side with pasta, or topped on bread as bruschetta. 

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Cucumber (English or de-seeded)
Tomato
Basil
Olives
Soft Cheese (Feta or Mozzarella)
Olive Oil (1 tsp)
Balsamic Vinegar (1/2 tsp)
Salt and Pepper

Cut up some cucumber and tomato.  Rip up some fresh basil. Add some olives.  Top with cheese, oil and vinegar.  Salt and pepper if you like.

Gochujan Cucumber Salad

 This Gochujan Cucumber salad has a secret but I will share it.  Tahini!  Korean recipes often call for sesame seed salt, which is just toasted and ground sesame seeds.  My pestle and mortar are in KS with my sister so I had the idea just use Tahini.    I used tahini in bulgogi a few time and it works. Tahini and Gochujan mix together so well and they make the perfect not too spicy smooth dressing.

Gochujan Cucumber Salad

1 English Cucumber
1 green onion
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp gochujan
1/4 tsp tahini
1 tsp mirin (sweet rice wine vinegar)
1 tsp soy sauce

Mix the gochujan and tahini. Add in the vinegar and soy.  Slice the cucumber and green onion and dress.  Top with the sesame seeds.

This is a great salad for introducing a baby to gochujan...if your baby don't throw the cucumbers on the floor!

Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry

 Lidl has started selling beautiful Irish grown oyster mushrooms and they are only 1e. Feel free to use whatever kind of mushrooms that are local to your area. 

Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry
serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

500 gram Oyster mushrooms cut into strips
1 onion cut into strips
1 green bell pepper cut into strips
1 green onion
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chinkiang vinegar (black glutinous rice vinegar)
1/2 tsp sesame seed oil
a few sesame seeds

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan or wok to med high.  Add the veg and stir fry for 2-3 min.  Add the soy sauce and chinkiang vinegar. Mix, take off the heat add the sesame seed oil mix.  Plate and top with green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy with rice.

Toasted Brown Rice

 I have a very hard time getting my white rice eating family to eat brown rice, but that doesn't mean I stop trying.  So far mixing brown and  white rice together hasn't worked well so I've gone back trying to work with just plain brown rice.  A few weeks ago I cooked the brown rice in broth...but Saeid didn't like it.  Last night I toasted the rice before cooking and guess what? Saeid said "I don't hate this brown rice."  The baby liked it too!  Win!  I don't think this will replace our everyday white rice but its a start.

Toasted Brown Rice
serves 2 (and 1/2)
1 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt

Toast the rice in a dry pan on med heat for 5 min or until the brown rice starts to brown and smells nutty. Make sure to shake the pan from time to time. Transfer the rice into a pot (or toast the rice in the pot to start but it may take longer).  Cover with the water, add salt.  Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.  Forget about it for the next 20min.    Fluff and enjoy.

No left overs!!!!

Mom's Roasted Chili Pepper Hummus

My mom almost ran out of time to make her hummus but I did not let her leave without making it. This time she used a roasted chili pepper but blended with the chickpeas the hummus was not spicy just flavorful.

Mom's Roasted Chili Pepper Hummus
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 cup dry chickpeas
1 small chili pepper
1 clove garlic
1/8 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup tahini
salt
red pepper flakes

Soak the chickpeas over night. Change the water, salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until soft (about an hour) Or use unsoaked chickpeas. Pour boiling water over the chickpeas. Leave for an hour, change the water, salt and cook over a low heat until soft (1h+).
Once soft strain the chickpeas but reserve the cooking water.

Roast the chili pepper by hold it with a fork over a gas burner on high heat. Slowly rotate the pepper until the skin is blackened. Allow to cool, peel skin and remove seeds.

In a food processor place the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, roasted chili pepper, and tahini. Add 1/8 cup of chickpeas cooking liquid. Process. Check consistancy often. Add liquid 1/8 cup at a time, until the hummus is creamy. Season with salt.

To serve, spread hummus on a large plate, top with a few reserved chickpeas and swirl with 1 tsp olive oil. Sprinkle with red peer flacks.

Mango Mint Salad

My mom has been visiting me over the past few weeks. We both had planned on cooking and eating great food while she is here but the lure of sightseeing was too great. My mom did make this lovely Mango Mint Salad to go with the chicken curry I made a few nights ago.

Mango Mint Salad
Serves 6
1 large ripe mango
1/2 English cucumber
1/2 red onion
1 orange
1/2 lime
2 Tbs mint
1 Tbs coriander
1 Tbs chives
1/4 tsp mango powder (Amchoor Powder)
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1 tsp of ground cumin seed
Salt, Pepper and hot red pepper flakes

Peel and slice mango into long strips. Slice cucumber into strips. Finely slice the red onion into crescents. Zest the orange, peel and slice. Zest the lime and juice half. Chop the herbs. Mix everything and add the spices and salt and pepper.

I would have used tons more hot pepper, but my mom wanted to make something cooling to go with the spicy curry.

Vermicelli Salad with Prawns

Vermicelli are rice noodles. The cook really fast and are the perfect base for any summer salad. This one is Ng Thai or the cheating way that I make Thai (a mix of soy and fish sauce, sweet chill sauce and lime juice).

Vermicelli Salad with Prawns
for 4
1 package of Vermicelli
1 carrot shredded
1/2 English cucumber shredded
2 green onions chopped
1/2 cup of fresh herbs chopped (Thai basil, lemon basil, coriander, chives and parsley)
1/2 cup of cooked and peeled prawns
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp of fish sauce
1 tsp of sweet chill sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp of sesame seeds (to top)

Cook the Vermicelli for 3 min or follow the package. Mix with the carrots, cucumber, herbs, pawns, sauces, lime and oil. Taste and add more lime to brighten or sweet chill to sweeten or fish sauce for salt. Top with more herbs and sesame seeds. Eat right away or let it hang out in the frig for a few hours and enjoy cold.

I like it cold.