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.

 

Spring Vegetable and Mint Polenta

I will readily admit that one of my all-time favorite foods is polenta.  I love the stuff!  And frankly, it makes for an incredibly simple and wholesome meal when you cook it using this no-fuss method borrowed from the great Marcella Hazan (all hail the Queen of Italian cuisine!).  While Marcella, unsurprisingly, favors the labor-intensive method of constantly stirring, she offers a wonderful alternative method in her masterpiece, The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, one of my most treasured cookbooks (and while we're on the subject - if you don't own a copy, yet, you should immediately run out and purchase one!).

My Spring-time version of polenta is light, colorful and full of flavor.  The sauteed leeks add richness and depth while the peas add a pleasant sweetness to the dish.  The bright, cooling burst of mint adds an unexpected element to the flavor profile and makes the polenta taste decidedly Springy.  As I am incredibly fond of poached eggs, I love serving one on top of this dish, but it would certainly work well as an accompaniment to roasted chicken or lamb. 

As far as the polenta, itself, I am absolutely crazy about Anson Mills' Polenta Integrale.  It is a rustic, coarse polenta milled from an Italian heirloom red tentrino flint and has a lot more texture and flavor, when cooked, than any other polenta I've tried.  If you don't feel like seeking out the fancy stuff, regular ol' polenta grain will work just fine.  But, for heaven's sake, don't buy that instant stuff!  It is pallid and lifeless compared to slow-cooked polenta and since the cooking time is mostly inactive, anyway, why on earth would you cook it any other way?  Marcella would be so proud...


Spring Vegetable and Mint Polenta
serves 6-8

7 1/2 cups water
scant 2 cups polenta
3 T butter
1 large leek
10 oz peas (thawed, if using frozen)
4 cups spinach leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chiffonade of mint leaves
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, bring water to a rolling boil.  Pour polenta in a very slow, thin stream, whisking constantly.  Switch to a wooden spoon and stir for two minutes.  Reduce heat to lowest setting and cover pot.  Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring for one full minute every 10 minutes.

While the polenta is cooking, prepare the vegetables.  Cut off the tough green ends of the leek and slice in half lengthwise.  Thinly slice the leek and rinse very well with cold water.  Allow to drain.  In a large, shallow pan, add butter and melt over medium-high heat.  Add leeks and saute until slightly caramelized and soft, about 10 minutes.  Add peas and cook until warmed through, another minute or so.  Add cooked vegetables, chopped spinach, and mint to the cooked polenta and stir well.  Add plenty of salt and pepper, to taste.  Serve immediately with a poached egg on top, if desired.

Herbed Farro and Chickpea Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

It is the first day of Spring!  Visions of farmer's markets, CSA shares, and herb seedlings perched in the windows are dancing through my head and yet, here in Colorado it is still too early for local produce.  Soon we will all be inundated with so many salad greens, spring onions, fiddleheads and asparagus spears that we won't know what to do with them, but for now we are patiently waiting...

But no matter, you can still make a dish that invokes the spirit of Spring using some of our friends from the late-winter produce family.  This wonderfully fragrant salad is bright with the flavors of blood orange and meyer lemon.  The farro is cooked in aromatic Herbs de Provence and tossed with locally-grown carrots (one of the few Colorado items available right now!) and sweet, chopped spinach.  The ensemble makes for a light, wholesome, and decidedly springy dish that is sure to cure your Spring Fever, if only for a day!

Herbed Farro and Chickpea Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
serves 6

Salad:
3/4 cup Farro
3 cups water
1 T Herbs de Provence
cups cooked chickpeas
2 large carrots, shredded
2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

Dressing:
1 small garlic clove, grated on a microplane (or very finely minced)
Juice of 1 medium blood orange
1 tsp. meyer lemon zest
Juice of 1/2 meyer lemon
1 T D'Anjou pear vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium-sized pot, add farro, water and herbs de provence and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, slightly, to maintain a low boil and cook, uncovered, until tender and fragrant, about 20 minutes.  Drain farro in a colander and toss with a handful of ice cubes to cool the grains down.  Set aside.

Assemble the dressing.  In a small bowl, add the garlic, citrus juices and zest, vinegar and mustard.  Whisk ingredients together.  Continue to whisk and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture so that it emulsifies.  Season with salt and pepper.

Toss remaining salad ingredients together in a large bowl and add as much dressing as desired.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  You may serve immediately, or, for a better depth of flavor, allow to chill for several hours before serving.  Garnish with citrus slices, if desired.

Counter Culture Jambalaya

It's Fat Tuesday!  Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez!  While Fat Tuesday is usually all about indulgence, I am putting a healthy twist on a Louisiana favorite - enter, Counter Culture Jambalaya.

 This classic Southern one-pot dish is usually heavy and meat-laden, so my translation is a healthful, delicious, and rather Bittman-esque version.  I like my Jambalaya Creole-style (made with tomatoes), heavy on the spice, and just lightly studded with shrimp and andouille (for all you Coloradans - one of my favorite local sausage companies, Continental Sausage, makes a tasty and sustainably raised andouille which is often available at Whole Foods and, of course, Marczyk Fine Foods for the Denverites).  

When you cook it low and slow and use a heavy hand with the seasonings, the flavor of this Jambalaya is so good you don't need all that extra protein!  Using brown rice also yields a more toothsome texture and a nice, toasty flavor and is well worth the extra cooking time.  Tony Chachere's is the quintessential Cajun seasoning, and is pretty widely available, but there are lots of other versions that would work well.  

For those of you who really like to sweat (this recipe yields a medium-spicy Jambalaya) add more hot sauce, rather than spice mix, so you don't make it overly salty.  I used Tapatio, but if you are lucky enough to have any Louisiana hot sauce on hand - that would be even better!  If using a salt-free spice blend, make sure to add salt to the dish.

Counter Culture Jambalaya 
serves 4


2 T olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 28 oz. can San Marzano diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 T Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning (or other cajun spice mix)
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
1/2 pound raw shrimp
1 Andouille sausage, sliced
2-4 tsp. red hot sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a large dutch oven (or large pot) heat olive oil on medium-high.  Add onion and celery and saute until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and peppers and saute another 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, stock, bay leaves and Cajun seasoning and bring liquid to a boil.

Add rice and stir well.  Allow mixture to return to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.  Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is almost  cooked, about an hour.  Add shrimp and sausage, mix well, and continue to cook until rice has absorbed much of the liquid and is tender, about another 20 to 30 minutes.  Remove from heat, add hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce and stir well.  Cover and allow to sit for another 10 minutes.  Serve with plenty of parsley and scallions on top and hot sauce on the side.

 

Brown Butter Banana-Barley Porridge

One of the New Year's resolutions I made this year is to eat breakfast every day.  It is one simple way to set aside a little time to take care of yourself in the morning, because how many of us actually allow for fifteen extra minutes to just sit, eat, sip a hot cup of something, and enjoy the morning?  For me, that was a luxury I felt I could only afford on the weekends!  I have to say, though, after two weeks of sticking with it and never skipping the all-important morning meal, I feel great!  OK, I'll admit, there have been a few mornings where I've literally thrown some greek yoghurt and granola in a tupperware and eaten it in the car on the way to work... but I never let myself go hungry in the morning!  There is really something to be said for how much easier it is to stay energetic and focused when your tummy isn't rumbling.

Speaking of New Year's resolutions, I read this article over a week ago and I'm still thinking about it!  For those of you who need some extra motivation to stick to your goals this year, I would highly recommend reading it!  New York Times: New Years Resolutions Stick When Willpower is Reinforced

This recipe is a great thing to make on a leisurely Sunday morning, since it takes more time to cook.  You can easily double the recipe and have leftovers that make for a lightning-quick, filling and nutritous breakfast throughout the week.  It is also a great way to use up brown bananas!  Whenever I buy a bunch of bananas, and inevitably there's one or two that get too brown to eat, I freeze them and later use them in recipes like this (bananas can keep for about a month or two in the freezer but they do continue to brown when frozen so make sure to use them before they get overripe).  You can reduce your waste by preserving what you might normally throw away, and they act as a natural sweetener in recipes so you don't have to add sugar. 

Cooking the barley in water results in a lighter, wholesome-tasting porridge.  If you want your porridge to be a little more rich and creamy, use milk, or a combination of milk and water that's to your liking.  You might want to double the recipe in order to have leftovers that make for a lightning-quick, filling and nutritous breakfast throughout the week. 

Brown Butter Banana-Barley Porridge
serves 4

1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 1/2 cups banana puree, lightly mashed
3 cups water (or lowfat milk, or milk substitute)*
1 cup pearled barley
sea salt, to taste
1/2 cup walnuts halves
maple syrup (optional)

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil and butter.  Cook until the oils sizzle and butter begins to brown and become toasty and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Lower heat to medium and add banana puree.  Allow bananas to saute in oil until lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.

Add water and barley and bring mixture to a boil, mixing often.  Reduce to a simmer and cook, occasionally stirring, until barley is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.  *Note:  If you use fresh bananas instead of frozen, amount of cooking liquid should be reduced by 1/4 cup or so.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange walnut pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Serve the porridge hot, with the walnuts sprinkled on top and a light drizzle of maple syrup, if desired.