kitchen sink salad

I know -- it's a little ridiculous to post a recipe for a salad.  However, this is my "kitchen sink" salad; the one that I truly love, and to which I return time and again, so I thought I might as well share how I make it.  I actually used to hate salads until one magical summer when I first visited my sister in Southern California and realized how delicious fresh vegetables really can be (I think I also had simply outgrown my blanket policy of avoiding anything healthy at all costs).  This is basically a variation of what she made, although she usually added sprouts and would NEVER add raisins/apple.

The ingredients below are what I put into one salad; usually, I will buy enough to make salad for lunch every day that week.

Serves 1 person.  

Ingredients:
- handful of spinach leaves or another dark green
- 3 Tbsp. corn (fresh is great; frozen and thawed or canned and drained is also fine)
- 1/2 carrot, or about 5 baby carrots, diced
- 1/2 red beet
- 1/2 an avocado
- 1 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
- 1 stem (or stick) of heart of palm (my favorite ones are sold by Trader Joe's), diced
- 1/4 a tomato, or about 5 grape/cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
- 1 Tbsp. black raisins, or 1/4 of an apple, diced
- salt and pepper
- really good quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (note: "really good" doesn't have to be expensive - I buy both of these at Trader Joe's, and the balsamic really ages well if you buy the large bottle ... it gets a little richer and sweeter over time)
- lemon juice

Directions:

1. Take the red beets you've bought for the week, wash them, dry them, and brush them with olive oil.  Wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet.  
2. Bake the beets at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes to an hour, until you can insert a fork into the beet with very little resistance (remove them from the oven before they get mushy, however). 
3. Cool the beets, then peel them and dice them.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  
4. Wash the avocado and cut it in half, lengthwise.  The side that has the seed left in it will remain fresh for longer; drizzle this very lightly with lemon juice, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge.  
5. Take the remaining half of the avocado and dice it.
6. Add corn, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, beet, heart of palm, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, and raisins/apple to a bowl.  Mix well.  
7. Add olive oil and vinegar to a small bowl/tupperware, and whisk or shake well to combine them - use sparingly, about 1 Tbsp. of each is more than enough.  Pour this mixture into the salad bowl.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste (note: the vinegar will have already added saltiness and flavor, so be cautious with the salt).  
9. Take a handful of greens, roll them up, and chop into ribbons.  Add to the bowl.
10. Toss the salad again.  Enjoy with a small piece of multigrain bread, if desired.  If you have hummus to spread on the bread, all the better!

scottish shortbread

Today, I found myself really craving shortbread.  I have very fond memories of eating Walker's shortbread biscuits as a child -- the rich, buttery goodness of those biscuits was pretty spectacular.  You can still buy them, although I do think the quality has gone down over the years.

Anyway, I didn't have much time and wanted to throw something together quickly.  Fortunately, I found a very well-rated recipe that looked incredibly simple to make.

I made a quarter-batch of this recipe, with just a few additions.  From other reviewers' comments, it seems like a pretty adaptable recipe (one reviewer mentioned using spelt flour!).  Although some reviewers do mention success with margarine, I actually think that margarine is even more unhealthy than butter.

[Note: In a second round, I added mini-chocolate chips and they were a delicious addition; add them once most of the kneading has been done, if you decide to try this out].

Anyway, here goes:

Makes approximately 4 dozen biscuits/cookies. 

Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Line baking sheet or shallow pan with parchment paper, and grease lightly.  
3. Cream butter and sugar with a stand or hand-held mixer.
4. Add vanilla or almond extract.
5. Add about 3 3/4 cups of the flour, and mix well.
6. Sprinkle a board with the remaining flour, and knead for 5 minutes, adding flour if needed.  
7. Flatten dough out onto a baking sheet or shallow pan.
8. Prick the dough with a fork to create a "pinprick" pattern.  
9. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until golden brown on the top).

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/scottish-shortbread-iv/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=scottish%20shortbread&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

kung pao chicken

I've made this many times, and it has turned out remarkably well each time.  This must mean it's fairly foolproof -- however, I definitely do recommend cutting the chicken pieces as small as possible (1 inch or smaller).  Keeping the size uniform is key to even cooking.  I like this recipe a lot because you don't use much oil and still get a delicious dish.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:
- 1lb boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” pieces)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons green onions (chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (chopped into 1" pieces)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 2 cups white rice, cooked

Directions:

1. Combine chicken and cornstarch in a small bowl and toss to coat. 
2. Heat sesame oil in wok over medium heat, add chicken and bell pepper and stir-fry 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. 
3. Remove chicken and bell pepper from wok.
4. Add green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and powdered ginger to the wok and stir fry for 15 seconds.
5. Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and add the sauce to the wok.
6. Return chicken and bell pepper to the wok and coat with sauce. 
7. Stir in roasted peanuts. Heat thoroughly. 
8. Top with additional green onions if desired and serve over white rice.

Modified from: http://blogchef.net/kung-pao-

chicken-recipe/

south indian coconut quinoa

I've been really craving this recipe recently, so I'll probably pull out my rusty pots and pans to whip it up this weekend.  I remember it being quite delicious, though a little too salty, so I will go easy on the salt this time.

It's a very unusual recipe; I haven't seen quinoa used with Indian spices very often.  It was also extremely easy to make, and a nice vegetarian option.  If you have a spice-filled kitchen, it's also a very affordable dish to make, which is nice for someone on a student budget!

Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 Tbsp vegetable/canola oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 6 dried or fresh curry leaves
- 1 15oz can whole tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved
- 1/3 cup fresh coconut (you can get frozen shredded versions at Indian shops, or probably even in the freezer section of your local supermarket).  In a pinch, use dried unsweetened flakes.  
- 1 15oz can light coconut milk
- 1/2 cup tomato juice (from the canned tomatoes)
- handful cashews
- 2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets
- 1 cup canned or frozen corn
- salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan until it shimmers.
2. Add cumin and mustard seeds. They should sizzle upon contact. Cook for 30 seconds or so, until they're done spluttering.
3. Add turmeric, fenugreek and curry leaves. Cook 30 seconds.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and shredded coconut. Cook 5 minutes, until tomatoes break down a bit
5. Add tomato juice and coconut milk. Bring to a boil.
6. Add quinoa and cashews. Stir, then turn heat down to a simmer, cover and cook about 10 minutes until nearly almost cooked, but still soupy.  If you prefer it less soupy, uncover and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Add broccoli and corn in one layer over the top of the quinoa. Add more water if it's too dry. 
8. Cover and cook 5 minutes until broccoli is tender. 
9. Add salt and pepper if needed (but taste it first!).

Modified only slightly from Aarti Sequeira's recipe: http://aartilla.blogspot.com/2009/04/aarti-paarti-episode-9-south-indian.html