Mango, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Ancho-Mango Dressing

Ugh, another quinoa and black bean salad?!  Have no fear... although quinoa is a ridiculously healthy grain it does NOT have to taste awful - and I think this recipe can serve as proof!  My inspiration came, in part, from the sudden abundance of Haitian mangoes appearing at my nearest Whole Foods (and probably yours, too!). These mangoes are sweet, deliciously floral and are also Whole Trade certified. This recipe would work with just about any mango you can get your hands on - just make sure to buy one that's medium-ripe and one that's very ripe (one for dicing and one for blending).

Although this salad is by no means authentic, it makes excellent use of the fresh, vibrant flavors of Mexican cuisine. The sweet, mellow crunch of jicama lends a wonderful contrast to the soft, juicy mangoes and the ancho-infused quinoa and beans add a gentle, fragrant spice to the dish. The dressing is a luscious, thick concoction of ancho chiles and mangoes with lots of vibrant, bright-tasting cilantro and tangy lime juice. If you are like me and you like to dress your salads lightly, you can use the leftover dressing to marinate pork or fish, or you can add some chopped onions, jalapeno and diced mango to make a tasty salsa!

Mango, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Ancho-Mango Dressing

Serves 6

 

Mango, Black Bean and Quinoa Salad:

 

1 cup dried black beans
2 dried ancho chiles
1/2 cup red quinoa
a dash of chile powder
1 cup diced medium-ripe mango (1 large mango)
1 1/2 cup diced jicama
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup cilantro leaves, stems reserved for dressing
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

 

Ancho, Mango and Lime Dressing:

 

1 ripe mango
1/2 cup leftover cilantro stems, loosely packed
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons rehydrated ancho chile, seeds removed and chopped (use the chile from the beans or quinoa)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 small limes)
1/2 serrano pepper, minced (optional)
splash of tequila (optional)
salt to taste

 

In a medium pot, cover the black beans with several inches of water and add the dried chile. Bring to a boil, then simmer until beans are tender (about 1 1/2 hours, or 8-10 minutes in a pressure cooker). Drain the beans and remove the chile. Season with salt and set aside.

 

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan cover the quinoa with 1 cup of water and add the other ancho chile. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and a dash of chile powder, fluff with a fork and allow to cool. 

 

Assemble the dressing: combine all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Combine the beans, quinoa and remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add desired amount of dressing (I used all but about 1/4 cup for a lightly-dressed salad) and toss well to combine.

 

Greek Pizza

Happy New Year, everybody!  I think there's really nothing like entering a brand new year to get you motivated.  So many of us make plans to eat a little better, or maybe just cook at home more and eat out less.  January seems to be the one month when everybody is thinking about their health! 

So, in honor of New Year's Resolution-makers everywhere, I give you the Greek Pizza.  Not only is it a snap to put together, but it's also wholesome, light, high in protein, full of flavor, and very satisfying.  For the base of the pizza (and my daily legume fix) I used Palirria Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce.  When you mash the beans together with the sauce, it acheives a wonderful hummus-like consistency and the flavor is just marvelous - lots of bright tomato with hint of dill mingling with the creamy white beans.  The toppings are just an assortment of all the veggies I love best on a pizza.  If you haven't tried black cerignola olives, now is your chance to get some!  They are my all-time favorite olive for their rich meatiness and lightly floral flavor.  Kasseri cheese is the final touch, and is another must-try ingredient.  It is made with a blend of sheep and goat's milk and has a salty, tangy, complex flavor and it melts like a dream.  Feta would make a fine substitute, although you'll be depriving yourself of that nice, smooth, melty texture that Kasseri will give you. 

So, next time you have to get dinner put together at lightning-speed, give this simple recipe a try!

Greek Pizza
Serves 4

4 Whole Wheat Pita rounds
1 can Palirria Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce (hummus with a little extra olive oil is a good substitute)
1 can (14 oz) Artichoke Hearts
1/2 cup chopped black olives (black cerignolas are my favorite)
1 roasted red pepper, roughly chopped
4 oz Kasseri cheese, grated (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl, smash the beans in tomato sauce with a fork until no beans are left whole and mix until a chunky paste forms.  Drain artichoke hearts, cut off leafy ends and reserve for other uses (they are great in pureed soups).  Roughly chop hearts.

Arrange pitas on a work surface.  Assemble pizzas using 1/4 of each of the ingredients for each pizza:  spread bean paste on pita leaving about 1/2 inch around the edge.  Top with remaining ingredients in any order you like and place pizzas directly on the oven rack.  Bake until cheese is completely melted, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Chickpea Meatballs

There are a seemingly infinite number of vegetarian "meat"ball recipes out there.  What I like about this one is, it is made with mostly pantry staples (which makes it cheap!), it has lots of flavor, and it's quick and easy to put together.  The extra bonus?  They're good for you!  I made a quick and simple tomato sauce by caramelizing a few sliced shallots in some butter and pureeing it together with a can of diced San Marzano tomatoes and a little salt and tossed it with some whole wheat penne pasta. 

I always have a lot of dried beans on hand, so I used my pressure cooker to cook dried chickpeas (1 cup yields about 2 cups cooked), but canned ones would work just as well.  For those of you who don't have a pressure cooker, especially those who are frequent legume consumers, I would highly recommend the investment.  Not only will it eventually save you money (dried beans in the bulk section of any supermarket are way cheaper than canned beans and even packaged dried beans) but it also makes quick work out of any traditionally slow-cooked dish.


Chickpea Meatballs
makes about 16 balls

1 cup oats
1 roasted red pepper
3 shallots, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 T dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp cumin
3 T olive oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup bread crumbs


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add oats to a food processor and pulse until ground into a coarse flour.  Add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine into a slightly chunky puree. 

Place breadcrumbs on a medium-sized plate.  Form chickpea mixture into two-inch balls and then roll the balls in the breadcrumbs.  Arrange on a baking sheet and bake, flipping once, for about 30 minutes or until golden in color and firm.  Serve with pasta and tomato sauce or atop a simple salad.

Delicata Squash and Pinto Stew

Whether you shop at the grocery store, the farmer's market, or the farm stand, (or all three!) you can't go anywhere without running into squash right now!  The best markets will already have a rather diverse selection, which might include kabocha, acorn, buttercup, delicata, butternut, spaghetti, and carnival squash.  All are wonderfully flavorful and nutritious, and each has it's own unique characteristics that make it special. 

The delicata squash may look rather unassuming next to the cute and colorful carnival squashes or the rustic, brightly-colored sunshine kabocha, but it is actually a wonderful little gourd!  Delicatas are small and yellow with green striping and are one of the easiest squashes to prepare raw because of their small, easy-to-manage size and their thinner skin.  Their flavor is rather mild and "delicate" compared to other varieties of winter squash.  The delicata blends well with other ingredients because of it's unassuming flavor but still lends that signature nutty-sweet flavor of squash to any dish.

This stew is a nice, easy weekday meal with a lot of the cooking time being inactive.  It is healthy yet hearty and quite inexpensive to put together, and makes great use of a lot of kitchen and pantry staples.  Since it has some distinctly mexican characteristics to it, I had a couple tortillas on the side (and for dipping!) to make it a nice, filling meal. 

Delicata Squash and Pinto Stew
Serves 6

2 T olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 Delicata squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 large green pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans, cooked
about 6 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 T ground cumin
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp Mexican oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Tortillas, to eat alongside the stew (optional)

In a large soup pot over medium heat, add olive oil.  Add onions and celery and cook until onions are soft and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.  Add squash and peppers and cook another five minutes.  Add garlic in the last minute.  Deglaze pan with white wine and allow liquid to reduce for about two minutes.  Add pinto beans, stir well, then add enough vegetable stock to just cover all the vegetables.  Bring liquid to a boil, then add spices.  Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer until fragrant and slightly thickened, at least 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve with warmed tortillas on the side.

Optional step:  Using an immersion blender, puree the soup for about a minute so that there are still lots of diced vegetables

Spring Greens and White Bean Salad with Mint-Walnut Dressing

This year, my parents wisely opted into a CSA and they are thankfully sharing the harvest with Obe and me!  We are so excited to have a share of Red Wagon Organic Farm's CSA.  This week's share was the inspiration for this pungent, flavorful and lively salad which highlights Red Wagon's beautiful mixed greens, sweet and tender pea greens, pungent walking onion and spicy radishes.  A true taste of the flavorful bounty Colorado has to offer!

Some of the ingredients are a bit unusual, but they will surely all be available at the Farmer's Market this month.  If you can't make the trip (although it is truly worth the effort!) you can substitute the pea greens for regular mixed greens and the walking onion for regular green onions.  It won't be quite as special, but the salad will still taste wonderful.  The pungent onion and spicy radishes are gently balanced out by the mellow white beans and toasted walnuts.  The bright, minty dressing gives it a nice tang. 

Spring Greens and White Bean Salad with Mint-Walnut Dressing
serves 3-4

4 cups mixed greens
2 cups pea greens
2 radishes, thinly sliced
1 walking onion, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans, seasoned with salt
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 cup walnuts, toasted

Dressing:
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 cup mint leaves
1 tsp. honey
2 T walnut oil
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Assemble dressing.  Add vinegar, mint leaves and honey to a blender and pulse until the mint is chopped.  Slowly drizzle in the oils while blender is on.  Add salt and pepper and blend. 

In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients.  Drizzle 1/4 cup of the dressing (or more, if desired) over the salad and toss well.  Serve immediately.