Thai Cucumber Salad

I saw this recipe on allrecipes.com and since we received a TON of cucumbers in our CSA box from Cooper's Farm, I decided to give it a whirl!  This is not only super simple, but it's tasty and refreshing!

THAI CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients

3 large cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/4" slices

1 tbsp salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

• Toss the cucumbers with the salt in a colander, and leave in the sink to drain for 30 minutes.  Rinse with cold water, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
• Whisk together the sugar and vinegar in a small mixing bowl until the sugar has dissolved.  
• Add the cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro; toss to combine.
• Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top before serving.
• ENJOY!

Slow Cooker Refried Beans (Without the Refry!)

My family LOVES refried beans but there is a lot of fat in the commercial canned versions, so when I found this recipe online for a slow cooked version without any oils, I decided to go for it!  I wasn't disappointed - this is a flavourful recipe with the perfect consistency and costs only pennies per serving.  Enjoy these with your next Mexican dinner, or just as a side dish!!

SLOW COOKER REFRIED BEANS

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and halved

3 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed

1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp. minced garlic

5 tsp salt

1 3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground cumin, optional

9 cups water

• Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno garlic, salt, pepper and cumin into a slow cooker.  Pour in the water and stir to combine.  Cook on high for 8 hours, adding more water if needed (if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high).
• Once the beans have cooked, strain them and the onions, reserving the liquid.  Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to attain the desired consistency.
• ENJOY!

Ensalada Grangero (Mexican Farmer's Salad)

Cinco de Mayo was this past Saturday and our friends, Michelle and Sean and their children, joined us in a veritable feast honouring our newly adopted homeland of Mexico!  We took our recipes from the Better Homes & Gardens "Mexican" magazine (on stands till July 2012) and were super impressed with the results!

This salad was made by Michelle and is delicious and beautiful in its simplicity.

ENSALADA GRANGERO

Ingredients:

3 ears of fresh sweet corn, husks and silks removed

1 1/2 lbs of fresh green beans, trimmed

3 cups grape tomatoes

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup snipped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup olive oil

3 fresh jalapeno chile peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped*

2 shallots, chopped

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp bottled minced roasted garlic

1/4 tsp salt

• In a Dutch oven, cook corn in a large amount of boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.  Remove corn from Dutch oven, and set aside to cool.  Add beans to the boiling water in Dutch oven;  cook for 3 to 4 minutes or just until crisp-tender.  Drain beans in a colander; rinse with cold water and drain well.  Cut kernels from corn cobs.
• In a large bowl combine corn kernels, beans, tomatoes and onion.  Toss to combine.
• For dressing, in a food processor or blender, combine cilantro, oil, chile peppers, shallots, vinegar, garlic and salt.  Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth.  Drizzle dressing over vegetables; toss to coat.
• ENJOY!

Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

This is a fantastic recipe that is so easy to pack and freeze - it was a regular dish in our house when we had a 2 year old and a newborn in the house!  Now I make these as a convenient go-to dinner when all inspiration fails me (and I know that these 'freezer treats' aren't packed with preservatives, sodium and other things that I can't pronounce!)

CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN BURRITOS

Ingredients:

1 tbsp EVOO

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 sweet red bell pepper, chopped

1 can (19 oz/540 mL) of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup salsa

8 large whole wheat or flax soft tortillas

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup light sour cream

• In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; fry onion, garlic, salt and pepper until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add chicken, jalapeno, red pepper, beans and salsa; cook, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink inside.  Approx. 10 minutes.  Let cool.
• Spoon about 3/4 cup of the filling down the centre of each tortilla; sprinkle each with 1/4 cup of the cheese. 
• Fold in bottom edge, then sides; roll up.  Place, seam side down, in a greased 13" x 9" glass baking dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.
• Bake in a 400F oven until golden and hot, and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.  Serve with sour cream.

*Freezing Instructions:  After sprinkling with remaining cheese, let unbaked burritos cool for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate until cold.  Cover and overwrap with heavy-duty foil (or wrap individually in heavy-duty foil) and freeze for up to 1 month.  Bake from frozen, loosely covered with foil in 400F oven until golden and hot, and cheese is melted.  Approx. 25 minutes.

Grilled Tomatillo and Jalapeno Salsa

The tomatillos are also plentiful over at the farm and since I made Salsa Verde using them last year, and added them to my tomato sauce to thicken it up, I decided to make a batch of salsa using Cooper's jalapenos, garlic, oregano, tomatoes and tomatillos!

GRILLED TOMATILLO & JALAPENO SALSA

Ingredients

2 lbs tomatillos

4 cups chopped, peeled plum tomatoes

1 1 /2 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup finely chopped and seeded jalapeno peppers

2 tbsp finely chopped garlic

2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tsp kosher salt (or canning/pickling salt)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 cup white vinegar

2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried)

• Peel husks from tomatillos and rinse under running water. Pat dry and broil in oven on a rimmed baking sheet, for approximately 10 minutes (turning halfway through to ensure even charring on all sides of the tomatillos). Remove from oven and let cool. Chop coarsely and measure out 5 cups.
• Meanwhile, prepare jars, lids in canner, as usual.
• In a large pot, combine tomatillos, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often (because it will stick to the bottom otherwise...trust me grrrr!) Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring often, for approximately 45 minutes or until mixture is thickened and salsa can be mounded on the back of a spoon.
• Stir in oregano.
• Ladle the hot salsa in to hot jars, leaving 1/2" headspace (adjusting headspace once air bubbles are removed). Wipe rim and centre lid on jar. Screw band down until fingertip tight. Place jars in canner and return to a boil. Process jars for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and remove canner lid. Let jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes before removing to a towel-lined surface. Check lids after 24 hours and reprocess any lids that have not sealed.
• ENJOY!!!
  

*As a note ~ my jars are labelled mild because the fresh jalapenos from Cooper's Farm are quite potent and last year my batch of salsa was quite hot! Therefore, I skimped a lot on the jalapenos and the result was more of a mild salsa instead of the desired medium. My next batch will have a little more heat!!!

PLANTAIN GRATIN

I was watching "Everyday Exotic" hosted by Roger Mooking on the Food Network the other night and he created this dish which is so colourful and SO different from anything that I have cooked in the past, that I just had to try it! I have never eaten, nor cooked with plantains so unfortunately my first attempt was disasterous as the plantains were too unripe. However I persevered, bought more and let them blacken on my countertop...the results were miles better!!

PLANTAIN GRATIN

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/2 stick of cinnamon

1 shallot, sliced into 1/4" pieces

2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced into 1/4" pieces

1 tbsp sugar

salt

4 ripe plantain, peeled, and sliced in half lengthwise

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 cup aged white cheddar, grated

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional garnish)

salt

• In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and boil for approximately 1 minute. Add the shallot, jalapenos, sugar and salt to taste. Take off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes before removing the cinnamon and draining. Set aside the pickled topping.
• Preheat oven to broil
• Place the halved plantain in a baking dish, drizzle with the vegetable oil and season with salt. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes until slightly caramelized.
• Place the cheese and green onions over the plantains, broil in the oven for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
• Garnish with pickled topping and cilantro.
• ENJOY!

**This is a really unique side dish that held up fabulously against the meatloaf leftover from dinner a few nights ago!