blissful eats with tina jeffers: Mango and Coconut Rice Salad

My new favorite salad comes from the cookbook Plenty by Ottolenghi.  If you aren’t familiar with this book, I highly recommend checking it out.  It’s chock full of original unique vegetarian recipes that are easy to reproduce at home.  The photography is spectacular and I love the way the book is laid out in chapters by main ingredient.

With the weather getting warmer I turn to simple dishes that I can put together ahead of time and have in the fridge to grab for a quick meal.  This is super simple but tastes like you spent a lot of time putting it together.  It would make the perfect picnic fare, cool, sweet and intensely aromatic thanks to the addition of mango, mint and basil.  Have a great week, make this salad and take it outside to enjoy the sunshine!

 

Mango and Coconut Rice Salad

Adapted from Plenty

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups camargue red rice

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons mint leaves thinly sliced

½ cup loosely packed basil leaves, roughly chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

grated zest and juice of one lime

1 large mango, cut roughly into 1-inch dice

½ cup roasted salted cashews, roughly chopped

2/3 cup flaked coconut

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cook the red rice in plenty of boiling water for 20 minutes, or until it is cooked through.  Drain and spread on a tray to cool down.

Once cool, add the rice and all the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir just to mix; do not stir too much or the mango pieces will disintegrate.  Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.  

blissful eats with tina jeffers: Spring salad with carrot sesame dressing

I realize that a lot of you don't garden but I just have to say that if you've never tried it you are missing out on an amazing opportunity.  There is no gratification greater for me than eating a dish centered around vegetables that I grew with my own two hands.  When we moved into our house 7 years ago I had never attempted to grow anything except for a few sad houseplants.  It took some work and a little trial and error but growing your own vegetables doesn't need to be difficult or intimidating.  Pick a few things that you love and try them out in a few pots.  Fresh herbs and lettuces are a great place to start, they are super forgiving and easy to care for.  

This is the time of year when the garden starts delivering on all the work that has been put into it.  Tender baby lettuces, crispy snap peas, bright vibrant radishes, I love them all.  Faced with a basket of all this beauty I knew that I wanted a dish that would highlight the freshness without losing all those delicate flavors.  I paired these delicious spring vegetables with an Asian inspired carrot sesame dressing that I can never get enough of.  If you try this recipe don't skimp on the dressing, the more the merrier.  The dressing is delicious as a dip or you could even toss it with some soba noodles for the most delicious pasta dish ever.  For a variation try some edamame and shredded cabbage instead of the lettuce and snap peas or try any of your favorite vegetable combinations.  For more recipes visit me during the rest of the week at www.scalingbackblog.com. 

Spring salad with carrot sesame dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 medium carrot

one 2-inch piece peeled and chopped ginger

1 clove garlic

4 tablespoons white miso

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 head of bibb lettuce

1 cup snap peas

1 avocado

1 bunch radishes

1 cup pea shoots

3 teaspoons sesame seeds

Method:

Process carrots, ginger, garlic, miso, vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil and water in a food processor or blender until smooth.

With the machine running, slowly add vegetable oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the salad.  Break up the lettuce and divide among four plates.  Thinly slice the radishes, cut the snap peas in half lengthwise and add them along with the pea shoots to the salad.  Dice the avocado and scatter over the top.  Sprinkle  the sesame seeds and drizzle dressing over the top of the salad.  Serve any extra dressing on the side.

blissful eats with tina jeffers: Apricot Almond Muffins

When we made almond milk a few weeks back I promised you a recipe that would utilize the leftover pulp so here it is, apricot almond muffins.  Don’t worry though if you didn’t make your own almond milk you can just grind fresh almonds in a blender to use in the recipe. 

Apricots are a underappreciated fruit since they have a relatively short season usually May thru July.  When they are at their peak they give off a lightly perfumed scent reminiscent of honey and almonds.  This recipe exploits those lovely characteristics with apricots lightly cooked in honey and vanilla and then spooned on top of an almond and cinnamon batter.  They are best eaten the day they are made but are perfect to pop in the freezer and then reheat.  

The muffins are inspired by  Good To The Grain by Kim Boyce a book I highly recommend if you haven’t already invested in a copy yourself.  It is full of recipes that features baked goods made with whole grain flours and it’s chocked full of useful tips that will improve your baking and leave everyone thinking that you are an expert.  One tip I’ve learned from Kim is to bake your muffins in two muffin tins or a large 24-cup tin.  By alternating the cups that you fill and leaving every other one empty you encourage even baking and it insures a nice dome on top of your muffins.  The next time you are looking for an easy breakfast bake up a batch of these on the weekend, pop them in the freezer and you can reheat them in the morning when you don’t have the time. 

Apricot Almond Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce 

 

Ingredients:

For the apricot topping:

3-4 apricots, ripe but firm

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon honey

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

For the muffins:

1 cup almond meal or 1 cup almonds finely ground in a blender or food processor

1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup natural cane sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

¾ cup almond milk or whole milk

½ cup Greek yogurt

1 egg

2 tablespoons demera sugar

 

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two muffin tins with 12 liners or rub the tins with softened butter.

For the topping, cut the apricots in half, remove the pit and cut lengthwise into thin slices.  Add the butter, honey and vanilla bean seeds to a medium size skillet.  Place the skillet over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes or until the mixture begins to bubble.  Add the apricots, and stir the fruit until they are coated with the syrup then set aside while you assemble the batter.

Sift the dry ingredients (almond meal through the salt) into a large bowl.  In another bowl combine the butter, milk, yogurt and egg and whisk until thoroughly combined.  Using a spatula, mix the wet ingredients into the dry just until combined.

Using a ¼ cup measuring cup scoop the batter into 12 muffin cups alternating the cups you fill.  Toss the pan of apricots to coat them with the syrup.  Place two to three slices of apricot on the top of each muffin and then sprinkle the tops with the demera sugar.

Bake the muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking.  The muffins are ready when they smell nutty, and the edges of the apricots are caramelized.  Take the tins out of the oven, twist each muffin out, and place it on its side to cool.  This ensures that the muffin stays crusty instead of getting soggy.

  

blissful eats with tina jeffers: Tahini quinoa bowl with beets, kale and chickpeas

Do you ever take a step back look at your life and wonder how you got here?  I’m sitting in my car with my computer on my lap waiting for my son to get done with soccer practice.  Somehow I’ve become what I always dreaded; I’m a Volvo driving soccer mom.  I never thought that I would become such a stereotype but that is exactly what has happened. 

When I was in my twenties I was positive that not only would I never get married but that I was never going to be a mom let alone one that did carpools and volunteered to take care of a classroom tortoise.  I was to busy being selfish and enjoying my freedom, going to concerts, sleeping until noon, spending all my money on clothes, make-up and eating out in nice restaurants.  Flash forward fifteen years and I am desperately trying to figure out how I am going to get everything done in a day.  Between my job, blogging, and running from practice to practice I barely manage to get the dishes in the dishwasher and run a comb through my hair.  I want my life to look like a Martha Stewart Magazine layout but in reality I feel like I am constantly drowning in laundry, dishes and a to do list that grows longer by the second.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for my family and my busy schedule but I wish that I were better at organizing my time.  I am not good at planning and scheduling my days, I am definitely a fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal and sometimes things pile up, like figuring out what recipes I am going to test or when I'm going to shoot my photos.  

It’s times like these that I am grateful for the simple things, like a lovely bowl of quinoa that I can throw together in a few minutes and have a nice quiet lunch before the chaos closes in.  I love recipes that come together quickly with ingredients that I usually keep in the pantry or fridge without a lot of fuss. 

I grew up always thinking that I hated beets but I have really developed an appreciation for them in the last few years.  They are super healthful and add a pleasant sweetness and crunch to this bowl.  I’ve paired the beets with kale and chickpeas and a nice garlicky tahini dressing but you can easily swap out the vegetables in this bowl if beets aren't your thing.  Try replacing the beets with avocados and some shredded carrots or cabbage and if you don’t mind dairy some feta would be a nice addition as well.  Don't skimp on the dressing, it really makes the dish.  

Practice is almost over so it’s time for me to pack up my laptop and head home to get dinner on the table.  The next time you find yourself pressed for time whip up a quinoa bowl for a quick nourishing meal in minutes!  

Tahini quinoa bowl with beets, kale and chickpeas

Serves 3-4                                                                                   

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 pound raw beets (around 2 medium), peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 bunch kale, stems and ribs removed and torn into 1 inch pieces
• 1 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• kosher salt and black pepper 

Method: 

To make the quinoa, first rinse the quinoa in a mesh colander under running water to remove any bitter coating that might remain.

Place the quinoa in a medium bowl with 4 cups of water and cook for 12-14 minutes then drain in a colander.  Place the colander over the pan you cooked the quinoa in, cover it with a clean dishtowel and let steam for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. 

To make the dressing combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, miso paste, vinegar, and water in a blender and puree until smooth.  Taste and add salt and pepper to taste, you may also want to add additional water if necessary if it’s too thick.

Toss the quinoa with the beets, chickpeas, kale and dressing until well combined and serve.

blissful eats with tina jeffers: Strawberry Fool

It’s not quite strawberry season in my garden yet but I when I saw the first local berries appear at the market this week I couldn’t resist.  There are a few things that I refuse to buy when they are out of season and strawberries are at the top of the list.  Eating with the seasons makes the anticipation of their arrival all that more exciting.   Strawberries that haven’t been produced to be shipped across the continent tend to be more fragile and you need to eat them within a day or two of purchase but their vibrant perfumed sweetness blows their bland, tasteless supermarket counterparts away.  I have always loved the combination of berries and cream but wanted to lighten it up a bit so this is my take on a traditional English fool or Eton mess. 

Traditional fools are usually a combination of pureed fruit, whipped cream and sugar layered together.  This is more a combination of a fool and an Eton Mess, a mixture of meringue, softly whipped cream and fresh fruit.  I wanted an alternative to heavy cream and decided to use Greek yogurt instead, it lends a tangy bite to the dish and the addition of the balsamic and black pepper adds a nice little contrast to the sweetness of the berries.  If you don’t want to take the time to make your own meringues you could easily pick up a package of meringue cookies at the grocery store.  The cookies couldn’t be easier to make, any they’ll keep for a long time so it’s easy to bake them a few days before you want to serve them.  The next time you are looking for a quick, easy dessert to impress your company give this dish a try!

 

Strawberry Fool

Ingredients:

For the meringue:

2 large egg whites

2/3 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped

½ teaspoon almond extract

For the berries:

2 cups strawberries

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

1 cup greek yogurt

sliced almonds

basil

Method:

For the meringues:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on medium-high speed in a medium bowl until white and foamy.  With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar by tablesoonfuls, beating until meringue is stiff and glossy.  Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean.  Add almond extract and continue to beat until vanilla is evenly dispersed.  Drop meringues by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheet.  Alternatively you can pipe the meringues

Bake until dry and slightly golden about 90 minutes.  Let meringues cool on sheet (they will crisp as they cool)

For the berries:

Heat 1 cup strawberries, sugar and the vanilla extract or the vanilla bean seeds if using.  Cook the strawberries until berries just begin to soften and release their juices.  Remove from heat, stir in remaining berries and let cool completely.

To assemble:

Layer ¼ cup yogurt, ¼ cup berry mixture and crumble 2 or 3 meringue cookies.  Garnish with the almonds and some roughly torn basil and serve.