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Recipes

Tabouleh


Image via DieKatrin

A quick & easy, almost no cook recipe; ideal for summer.

Ingredients
1/2 cup bulgur
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups roughly chopped parsley leaves
1 cup roughly chopped mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Avocado slices (optional)

Method
1. Cover bulgur in boiling water and let stand for 5-15 minutes. Fluff once water is soaked up.

2. Toss with oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add onions, parsley, tomatoes, mint and mix well.

4. Cover and chill.

5. Garnish with avocado slices before serving, if desired.

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Recipes

Cool Beet & Cucumber Soup

A friend made this soup for me. It sounds a little involved, but not having been the chef, it definitely tasted worth the effort! Perfect for a hot summer day.

Ingredients
1 small beet bunch, with greens
water to cover
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
3 cups buttermilk
1 cup yogurt, kefir or sour cream
2-3 lemons juiced
1/4 cup pickle juice
lots of cracked pepper
1/2 long english cucumber 1/4″ dice
1 bunch scallions minced
1/4 cup minced fresh dill

Method
1. Cut greens from the beetroot and wash both well to remove any dirt.

2. Peel beets, quarter and thinly slice. Place in a pot and cover with cold water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil, add salt, partially cover and reduce heat.

3. Simmer until the beets are just tender.

4. While the beets are simmering, finely shred the beet greens with their stems. Once the beets are tender, stir the greens and sugar into the pot. Cover and turn off the heat. Let stand 10 minutes.

5. Uncover and cool to room temperature, then chill thoroughly before proceeding. [This step can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, or frozen for 1 month.]

6. In a large bowl, combine the beets, greens and cooking water with buttermilk, yogurt, lemon and pickle juice.

7. Season with salt, cracked pepper, sugar or more lemon to taste.

8. Chill the soup at least one hour.

9. Add cucumbers, scallions, and dill and taste one more time to adjust the seasoning.

10. Serve in chilled bowls.

Yield: 4-6 servings

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Recipes

Chick Pea & Sweet Potato Kofta

Moving in on the Sweet Potatoes by NatalieMaynor.
photo copyright Natalie Maynor
recipe via CD Kitchen


Ingredients
3/4 pound sweet potato or yam
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup chickpeas – cooked
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic
Fresh ground black pepper
2 scallions — cut into 1″ pieces
6 tablespoons of unbleached flour
2 teaspoons cumin seed — lightly toasted
1 cup peas **If you use frozen peas, you do not need to defrost them first.
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root – minced
veg. oil or olive oil-for sauteing

Directions
1. Peel and dice the sweet potato or yam, and cook it in boiling water until soft–about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Drain well. (Or cook the whole sweet potato in the microwave until soft, then peel.) You should have about 1 1/2 cups of cooked sweet potato.

2. Transfer to a food processor. Add all the other ingredients, except the flour, peas and oil. Puree until fairly smooth. (The mixture might be very thick, depending on the sweet potato or yam, so be patient with this process.) Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the flour until it is thoroughly incorporated, then gently stir in the peas.

3. Form into large or small patties. To make them uniform or professional looking, use a 1/4-cup-capacity ice cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measure to scoop up the mixture. Then pat each one down until it is about 1/2-inch thick and 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

4. Place a skillet over medium heat and add a little bit of oil. When the oil is very hot, add the patties and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and heated through.

5. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Categories
What the veg?

Scallions

Nutrional Value
1 cup of raw chopped scallion has 32 calories.  It has 3 grams of fiber and 2 of protein.  It is an excellent source of vitamins C, offering 31% of the daily reccomended amount in 1 cup.  It is also a good source of vitamin A and K plus folate and a host of minerals.

General Facts
Scallions are onions that are pulled before a large bulb has formed. They are also called Spring Onions and are in season in Spring as one would imagine!

Storage
Wrap the whole trimmed scallions in a paper towel, and put them in a zip-top bag in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to a week before wilting.

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