Lighter mexican salad

The winter is getting to me, so i thought it would be nice to make a colourful salad full of "fresh" ingredients to help perk me up. This one's base was canned corn and black beans - i know not exactly fresh, but corn is a total reminder of summer, and i had both in my pantry.

Ingredients Chopped up

I mixed the corn and black beans with seasoning, including some lime zest.

I added all the veggies - except the romaine lettuce and toss it with a little sour cream and lime juice mix - its a nice low fat dressing that seems decadent, but isn't.

Cinco de Mayo Enchiladas

To celebrate Cinqo de Mayo i decided to make a bastardized mexican enchilada dish. I didn't have any recipe to go with this but since i've made similar ones i figured i could just wing it.



None of the ingredients were anything too special. I wanted to make the Tomatillo salsa/enchilada sauce again - so i roasted some peppers, garlic and onions to add to the canned Tomatillos.




Once they were roasted i added them and the tomatillos to the food processor to make the sauce.


I was also going to make some dips, so since the packages of tortillas are so big i thought i would bake some chips which would be a lot healthier. I lightly brushed them with some olive oil spiced with red peppers.


I then laid them out on a baking sheet - paying attention to them in the oven. I also made a dip of feta, tomato, onions and jalapenos for dips and guac. (not pictured)


For enchilada toppings i had cabbage, onions and jalapenos.


Previously, working with corn tortillas i've either fried them or baked them, but i had read about steaming them in a bamboo steamer so i did that. They were good, but i think if you're in the mood for something a little more decadent fry them. I appreciate the crispness, and i think they create a little more texture for the dish.


Making the enchiladas i put enough of the sauce to coat the bottom of the baking dish and set aside. To assemble them i simply put some of the tomatillo sauce down, then black beans (rinsed) and some goat cheese and cabbage. I rolled them up and added them to the waiting dish


Once i had filled the dish with rolled tortillas i topped the dish with the rest of the sauce then added the goat cheese, a mexican cheese blend and sprinkled with black beans. I covered it in foil, baking for about 10 minutes at 425, then removing the foil and allowing the top to brown and crisp up.

So authentic! (not)

Catfish Tostada

So for the next week or so i am house/dog sitting for my parents in mono. My mom has an amazing kitchen with lots of nice gadgets along with my dream item - a gas stove. There isn't too much to do on ten acres by yourself, well except cook.

I was looking through some of my mom's Moosewood cookbooks, and saw quite a few recipes that interested me, but this one in particular caught my eye - Fish Tostadas. The recipe itself was pretty simple - as most tostadas are, and i thought i would use catfish, which is quite a tasty fish that doesn't really get used that often. In the supermarket fish section you often see it pre-seasoned either cajun or lemon pepper - i've never tried them, but heard the cajun is good.

I ended up buying a piece of unseasoned catfish which i first rubbed on both sides with a clove of cut garlic. I've used this technique before for bread, but never for fish. I then rubbed the fish with a mixture of ground corriander, cumin and salt and pepper. Once i put it on the foil (no need to ruin any of my mother's baking sheets) the recipe called for you to squeeze half a lemon over the fish, and then broil it, a few inches from the top for 9 to 12 minutes.

While the fish was cooking, i made a salsa. They had a number of salsa recipes mentioned in the cookbook, but i didn't quite have the ingredients for any particular one, so i made my own. Initially i was going to to a tomato based one (as you can see from the pictures) but changed my mind and did a black bean and mango salsa with red onions, coriander, red peppers and jalapenos. I do enjoy certain fruits with fish and this seemed like an opportunity to do one.

Once the fish was finished i heated a corn tortilla in oil, drained it and topped it with arugula, the fish and finally the black bean mango salsa. Voila Catfish Tostadas

Above:

The finished tostada

Some of the ingredients

The fish ready for the rub

The fish ready for the oven

Assembling the tostada

Weekday Healthy Taco Salad

A few days ago while i was running on the treadmill at the gym i switched the channel over to the food network. I was so sick of the Olympics, and i actually really enjoy watching cooking shows while i run - for some reason i find it inspirational. Well this was some show where they were making healthy versions of restaurant favorites. The one that really caught my eye was the taco salad. There is a great restaurant in Mississauga i often get the taco salad topped with salmon, but it certainly isn't healthy!!!

What really interested me was the way that they did the actual taco - they took a whole wheat flour taco and lightly brushed it with seasoned olive oil and formed it into a small baking dish. I thought i would give it a try, and it was really tasty, and although perhaps my pictures don't show, it was quite attractive.

I also decided what would make the dish a bit more interesting, was to make smokey black beans, which is a very easy recipe, that makes them a lot tastier.


Smokey Black Beans

One drained and rinsed can of black beans
Half a cup of veggie stock
1/4 cup of sliced red onions
one or two chipotles chopped

Bring the stock to a boil with the onions and chipotle, boil until soft
Add the black beans and bring to a simmer
Simmer until the liquid is mainly gone.

There you go.

As for the taco salad, i just chopped some lettuce, and made a fresh salsa of tomatoes, red onions, hot peppers, and avocados dressed with just lime juice. I also drained a low-sodium can of corn.

To assemble it, i put the taco bowl on the side, added the lettuce and topped it with the salsa, corn and black beans. You could dress this with a sour cream-lime dressing (equal amounts of both) but i found the beans to be moist enough to keep the salad from being dry.

It was a great dinner, and i had enough leftover for a good lunch the next day, which is always a bonus.

Above:

The taco salad
The ingredients
Taco bowl necessities
Making the bowls
The toppings

Quinoa Taco Salad

I actually only discovered Quinoa a few years ago, and it is a wonderful versatile grain, very nutritious, high in fiber and a good source of iron. It can be used as a side, but i prefer to use it in a salad mixed with lots of veggies. It has a sort of nutty crunchy aspect to it that makes it a lot more interesting than couscous or rice, and it holds a vinaigrette well, without getting soggy.

Quinoa is quite easy to cook, easier in my opinion than rice. You simply boil water, add the Quinoa, boil again, reduce to medium and cover for 12 minutes. That said read the instructions on your package first! There are different kinds of Quinoa, the white/whole wheat, red and black. The black is pretty dramatic as a side as the colour is unexpected. This time i was just going to use plain quinoa, but i didn't have enough, so i mixed a little red in it too. I think it was visually nice.

I decided to make a sort of Tex-Mex Quinoa salad which was pretty simple considering i tend to have these ingredients in my pantry/fridge at all times. I began by sauteing the red onion until soft and translucent, once it was done i added cumin, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. Then i added garlic and cooked it for a little until it was also tender. I then added the canned, drained black beans, chopped tomatoes, red pepper and jalapeno. I stirred that until it was incorporated and added the cooked Quinoa and the juice of a lime.

I served this one a mix of chopped spinach and cilantro and topped it with shredded cheddar/mozzarella mix for a little extra protein and because i love cheese. This actually made quite a bit so i will probably get not only a dinner out of it, but also a couple lunches, which is okay with me.

Above:

Quinoa Taco Salad
Chopped ingredients
Ingredients
Cooked Quinoa
Raw Quinoa

More lunch ideas

Not being a fan of simple cold sandwiches lunches are a bit of a challenge. I try and make interesting, healthy and light meals for the office. In part i'm sort of trapped and it easy to force myself to eat what i've made for lunch. Salads always work pretty well. I generally bring enough for three days, and just dole it out day by day. I find actually putting it on a real plate or bowl, with cutlery makes it a lot more appealing, and i pay a bit more attention to what i'm eating. (a problem i have once its in front of me)

Luckily i have one of those offices where no one is going to steal my yogurt or spinach, so i'm free to store a few days or even a week's worth of food. I also find this easier than dreading what to make for lunch every night before bed.

Last week i made a black bean, corn, jalapeno and tomato salad. I served it over spinach with a sour cream lime dressing. It was really tasty and i used some of the salad as a topping for my potato tacos. Its all about the double duty.

This week i went with a really easy soup - Tomato and balsamic. I had read it on a blog a while ago and it was sitting around in my "Recipe" file (piles of printouts of recipes among cook books with lots of bookmarks). The Recipe called for a can of fat-free evaporated milk, and i just couldn't add something so gross, so instead i went with tofu to give it the creamy texture, plus it was fortified with calcium. You were supposed to make Parmesan crisps, but mine didn't really turn out too well, so i'll have toast and salad with it instead.

Above:

Soup Ingredients
Roasting the canned tomatoes in a broth, soy and balsamic marinade
Final Product
Black bean ingredients
Lunch ready for transport