Rice Salad with Mango and Peanuts

This is yet another recipe from Bon Appetit June 2012. There was an entire article on grain-based salads last month. This one I tweaked a little bit, because I couldn't find black rice at our local grocery store (that's what I get for living in the middle of nowhere where the largest near city is 35,000 people. Not as many specialty shops as  in a city of 150,000 people!)

The recipe says it is 6-8 servings, but I think that means side servings. I am eating it for lunch 2-3 days as the main course.

Rice Salad with Mango and Peanuts
Dressing:
2 oranges, peeled and each wedge cut in half.
juice from one lime
2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups rice (I used Bob's Red Mill Wild and Brown Rice Mix), prepared per package instructions
about 1 tsp salt, or to taste

1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 a bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
3 handfuls of roasted, salted peanuts, plus more for garnish
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 jalapenos, seeded, julienned and minced

Prepare the dressing in a small bowl and set aside.

Prepare the rice. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients.

AMAZING. The perfect crunch, salt, sweet and spice.

The original recipe called for black rice (couldn't find it here!), vegetable oil (in lieu of olive oil), fish sauce (mine is really old and not sure if it's even good anymore!), a second mango (which I forgot to buy) and a diced red onion (was on the counter but I forgot to prepare). I am glad I didn't add the onion. It also only called for 1/2 c of peanuts, but as I'm eating this as a main course, I increased the amount for protein's sake.

Tweet

Zonta's Murder Mystery

Also known as "eat so much chocolate-covered fruit, pretzels and marshmallows that it hurts".

I'm a little behind writing about this fundraising event, but it was a fun event so I wanted to share.

A couple weeks ago, several friends from work and I went to the Zonta Chocolate Murder Mystery held at Buckner's Brewery. The event was held on the second floor, in a room that overlooks the Mississippi River and floodwall.

Zonta is an international organization that "seeks to advance the status of women worldwide by improving the legal, political,economic, educational, health and professional status of women at the global and local levels through service and advocacy."  (from the international website) I won't lie; when I first heard about this organization I felt it was pretty sexist. Then I heard more about their mission and how the organization helps women gain financial freedom by teaching them new skills, and improving their access to healthcare. See more on the flyer below. Zonta not only helps women in other countries, but also women here in the local area. 

The event was a murder mystery. Think of the board game Clue acted out. And there was chocolate. Lots of it. There was a chocolate fountain and chocolate candies, cookies, cakes, and items to dip in the chocolate.

 This was just one of my plates...

This was just one of the tables...

I'm glad our table stopped downstairs for salads and appetizers prior to all the chocolate!

Tweet

Farm happenings

 Freddy is starting to get the hang of this whole "sit" command...Unless he is distracted by chickens or kittens and then you might as well pick him up and remove him from the situation.

 The chickens (and roosters) are getting huge!

Yesterday I harvested a couple cukes, 3 Cherokee Purple tomatoes, about a cup of blackberries. Also about  10 sweet 100 tomatoes that I gave to Dad for his lunches (not pictured).

Tweet

Chorizo Taco Night

Last night for dinner, I tried another recipe out of Bon Appetit magazine. This one was from the June 2012 edition, from an article about several different types of taco fillings.

My recipe is slightly different from the magazine recipe; I didn't find any dried New Mexico chiles, so I used about 1/3 of a chile in adobo sauce.

Homemade Chorizo:
2 lb ground pork
8 garlic cloves, smashed and finely diced
3 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
about 1/3 of a chile in adobo sauce, or more depending on how spicy you want the chorizo (Grandma doesn't like anything hot, so this version of chorizo was VERY mild. This was enough chile to have flavor without the heat.)

Mix all together and cook in a skillet until cooked through. Make sure to keep separating the pork so you don't end up with a big pork patty.

On the side we had fried corn:

5 ears of corn, cut off the cob
1/4 of a yellow onion, diced finely
about 1/4 c cilantro, diced
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste

Saute the onion  in about 1 Tbsp olive oil until translucent. Add the corn and cook for several minutes, until tender. Then season and eat.

We also had (semi)homemade refried beans:

1 can of pinto beans, including can juice

Smash with a potato masher in a small skillet. Cook on medium heat until sauce reduces. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

And homemade pico de gallo:

2-3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 of a yellow onion, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded, julienned and diced
1/4 c cilantro, diced

Mix altogether and refrigerate until ready to eat.

The tacos were eaten on storebought corn tortillas (someone convinced me at the last minute not to make those homemade, even though there's a recipe in the magazine and I had masa...) Grandma fried garden zucchini on the side.

Tweet

Lunch time

For lunches this week, I decided to incorporate fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden, along with a few storebought items.

The first recipe, I adapted from the July issue of Better Homes & Gardens. It is Fresh Corn Salad.

Here's my recipe (for 2 servings):
1/4 yellow onion
about 6 jalapenos, seeded, julienned and diced
2 ears of corn, cut from the cob
2 roma tomatoes, cut into 1/2" dice
about 10 basil leaves, sliced thinly
about 10 kale leaves, leaves cut in half and then sliced thinly
salt & pepper
1 small cucumber, diced finely

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate. Eat.

The second recipe hasn't been made yet. It will consist of fresh basil leaves, Cherokee Purple tomatoes and mozzarella. Probably with a side of chickpeas or some other bean for protein.

Tweet

Sunday harvest

Yesterday I harvested:

kale

lettuce

tomatillos

2 Cherokee purple tomatoes

a TON of jalapenos (well maybe a pound or so)

green beans

basil

And I came to the realization that if I want to eat fresh veggies and preserve some for winter, I need a bigger garden. And rain. 

This year I planted 17 tomato plants. I probably need twice that many.

Tweet

Yesterday's harvest

It's been really dry here the last several months. And this week the highs have been over 100.
The kind of temperature and humidity that leaves you drenched when you walk from the house to the car, even at 7:30 in the morning.

Yesterday, I harvested several squash, a couple pounds of cobbler potatoes, a couple cukes, a beefsteak tomato, several Romas and a handful of Sweet 100s.

This week for some of my lunches, I'll be having Caprese salad with garden fresh tomatoes and basil, and (store bought) mozzarella.

Tweet