Roast Corn & Black Bean Salad with Avocado

Salads are one of my most favourite things to make. They're healthy, packed with flavour and come together so quickly! I made this roast-corn salad to go alongside a simple grilled chicken breast for dinner a couple of weeks ago. Strongly recommend this festive looking salad for your next potluck party / BBQ party! :) Bon appetit!

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Black rice salad with Mango & Avocado

Hello all! I have been meaning to revamp the format for CCG for a little while now. Have worked out a simple format that will allow you guys to download future recipes as a jpg/ jpegs. As a regular user of food apps on my iPhone, I am very conscious of the fact that most of us use our phones to replace recipe books in the kitchen and as I am not particularly impressed with the mobile view that blogger offers, I thought it was worth trying this format out. Do let me know what you think and if this format of recipe presentation made your life infinitely better :) hehe! 

Ok, now on to the recipe.

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine from work introduced me to a nice little salad &sandwich place at Takashimaya (Ngee Ann City) called Marmalade Toast. It has a delightful selection of salads, wraps , sandwiches and stone fired pizzas at fairly (and surprisingly) reasonable prices, considering their location. I simply LOVE their wild rice salad with apple and raisins and have been itching to recreate it at home ever since. Somewhere down the line, I forgot all about it till recently when I came across an asian-style rice salad.
As usual I set about researching how to cook/store wild rice. Unfortunately, the grocery store near where we live doesn't sell any, so I decided to replace it with Black rice instead.
Black rice has always been a bit of a mystery to me. All I knew about it (besides its fab flavour) was that it used to be served only to royalty in imperial China. So I bought a bag of it (as I consider us nothing less than royalty!) and read up on its uses and cooking instructions while in the check out line.
To my delight it was easy-peasy to cook and not at all as sticky as I thought it would be!

I love salads that have an interesting mix of ingredients that keep your taste buds and eyes interested. I used fresh mango and avocado along with a lime-olive oil- honey dressing with plenty of fresh cilantro (coriander) for this salad. It was a vibrant and delicious side to the grilled fish main that we enjoyed on Saturday night (after the baby was tucked into bed for the night) ;)

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BBQ Party Potato Salad

Poolside BBQ's are a popular choice among folks here in Singapore. The warm sunny weather all-year round, and the fact that our poolside is dotted with family sized BBQ pits, makes impromptu parties a fun, welcome way to spend a Saturday evening.
This modest chilled Potato Salad uses very standard pantry ingredients and comes together in barely 10 mins (not counting the time needed to boil the potatoes of course!). It works as a refreshing, tangy contrast to the smoky flavours of BBQ'd meat and veggies. I'd recommend making this a couple of hours in advance and then covering it and allowing it to chill before serving.
I plan to experiment a little more with this recipe the next time I make it by roasting the potatoes instead of steaming them... but if any of you readers beat me to it, let me know how it turns out! :)

Ingredients: (Serves 4-5 persons)

- 1kg baby potatoes, steamed till tender
- 1 large red Onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup regular or eggless Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves Garlic, grated
- 1-1/2 tsp Lime juice
- 1-1/2 tsp cracked black Pepper
- 1 tbsp dried Chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp fresh /OR/ 1/2 tbsp dried Mint leaves
- 1 small handful of Coriander, roughly chopped
- Salt, to taste





Method:

1.) Slice the cooled baby potatoes into rounds, not too thin, but thick enough to pick up with a fork.  Set aside. Peel the potatoes if you must before you slice, but I left the skins on.

2.) In a bowl, whisk together the mayo, dijon mustard, grated garlic and lime juice to make the salad dressing. Add the cracked black pepper, chili flakes and mint. Mix well.

3.) Pour the dressing over the potato followed by the sliced red onion and mix gently to coat the potatoes evenly. Do a quick taste- test and season the salad with some salt.

Cover the salad with some plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for atleast 30mins. Garnish with a handful of chopped coriander right before you serve. Enjoy! :)

Green Bean Salad with Olives & Feta

I love green beans but had somehow never eaten them in salad form... Vineet who will eat beans only if they are cooked a certain way, was skeptical about trying this out, so I made myself this salad for lunch yesterday, just to take the recipe out for a spin... and man! o man! 
I'm more than certain Vineet is going to gobble this up on Friday night when I make it for him along side some Buttermilk roast chicken (found here)

Green beans are rich in Vitamins A, C & K, are high in fiber and are also a source of Potassium & Iron. In short, they are extremely good for mom... and dad...and grandma...and grand pa ... well, you get the point. The Olives and Feta bring the unassuming Green beans to life and the Sundried tomato dressing is just soooo good that I promise you will be licking it straight out of the food processor!

As more and more of our friends join us on the ''other side'' and are becoming parents, I plan to develop this new section with recipes for new moms, easy, breezy, healthy and delicious that will ensure that the new parents, especially mothers are well nourished... taking care of a small, precious yet surprisingly loud and shockingly opinionated baby isn't for the faint-hearted after all!

Ingredients: (Serves 2 as an appetizer)
- 2.5 cups Green/ French beans, halved
- 1 medium Onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata Olives,halved
- 1/4 cup Feta cheese, roughly crumbled
- 1/2 tsp cracked Black pepper
For Salad dressing:
- 1/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes in Oil, roughly chopped
- 1 large clove Garlic, peeled
- 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tsp Extra virgin Olive oil (EVOO)


Method:
1.) Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the beans for just 2 mins and quickly transfer into a bowl with chilled iced water to keep them from over cooking. Drain the beans in a colander and set aside.
2.) To make the salad dressing, place all the ingredients except the EVOO in a food processor and roughly chop. Open the lid, scrape down the sides of the mixer and now add the EVOO and blitz again to form a chunky paste.
3.) Transfer the beans into a salad bowl. Add the sliced Onion and Olives. Add the sundried tomato dressing and toss gently to coat all the veggies. Season the salad with some cracked black pepper and add the crumbled Feta cheese to the party!

Chill in the refrigerator till it is time to eat. This salad will work as a beautiful side- dish to grilled chicken or lamb... mmm... Eat up!

Fred's Couscous Salad

Although I love it,Vineet isn't the biggest fan of Couscous. So when I tried this salad that Fred, a friend from work, made for a potluck birthday party recently, I knew it was going to be something that would convert my Couscous-shy husband... reason being, it had all of his other favourites, olives, feta and sundried tomatoes :)

Couscous is made from Semolina (rava/ sooji) that is used widely in middle-eatern cuisine. It is soaked in hot water till it swells and becomes fluffy. Eaten as a side, much like rice or pasta, along with curried meat or vegetables, it has a soft grainy texture that readily absorbs flavoursand is yummy when used in Salads.

Couscous is among the healthiest of grain-based products. It has more fiber, vitamins and protein  than pasta and rice and has is excellent for a low-cal diet.See this link for more detailed health benefits of Couscous.

Ingredients:
- 200 g / or 1 cup Couscous
- 1-1/2 cups HOT water (not boiling)
- 4-5 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 5-6 tbsp Extra-virgin Olive oil
- 1 cup french Beans, chopped into 1-1/2" long pieces
- 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted & sliced
- 3/4 cup Feta cheese, crumbled into biggish chunks
- 8-10 strips of Sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Parsley

Method:
1.) Place the Couscous in a bowl. Mix the Balsamic vinegar and Olive oil with the hot  water and pour over the couscous. Give it a quick stir and cover with a lid tightly. Set aside for 7-10 mins. The Couscous absorbs the liquid and fluffs up.

2.) While the couscous cooks, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for about 2 mins. Remove the beans from the hot water and immediately transfer them into a bowl of chilled / iced water, to prevent them from over cooking.

3.) Fluff the couscous with a fork and ensure there is no water remaining. Add the beans, olives and sundried tomatoes and toss gently. Tumble in the Feta and chopped Parsley and toss again. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 10-15 mins.

Drizzle a little more Balsamic and adjust salt levels as per your preference.

Eat up!

Spinach-Grape-Pecan Salad

Made this for dinner last night, since I wanted something crisp and light at the end of a rather hot day.
I had come across a recipe a while ago, that used - Arugula leaves, Pecans and Pomegranate in a salad - that I wanted to try... But, I dint want something as peppery as Arugula... so I decided to use Baby Spinach. Then I couldn't find any Pomegranate, so I thought, why not Grapes? and luckily, I did find the Pecans ... but before I knew it , I  had substituted all of the ingredients from the original recipe, and ended up doing my own thing :) The result was a fresh, light , crisp Salad that is perfect with grilled / barbecued chicken / lamb, or even just on its own!

Ingredients:
- 3 fists-full, Baby Spinach leaves,
- 1-1/2 cups Black or Red seedless Grapes, halved
- 1 cup Pecans, roasted & roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup fresh Mozzarella balls in water
- 1/4 cup Extra-virgin Olive oil
- 5-6 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp Lemon zest, freshly grated
- 1 tsp Salt


Method:
1.) Wash the baby Spinach leaves in chilled water and drain.

2.) Toast the Pecans (nuts similar to Walnuts) on a non-stick pan or in the oven. Allow them to cool down and give them a rough chop. Add to the Spinach leaves.

3.) Remove the mozzarella balls from their water and drain. Cut into chunks ( Fresh Mozarella is a soft milky cheese... a lot like fresh Paneer) and add to the salad bowl along with the crumbled Feta cheese and Grapes.

4.) Whisk together the Olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, Salt & lemon zest to form the dressing. Pour over the salad and toss gently to mix. Eat immediately or cover and chill in the refrigerator till its time to serve.

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes & Olivada with Yoghurt marinated Grilled Salmon

Weekends are god's way of showing us that he loves us...It gives us the extra time to do stuff that we put off on the other 5 days of the week - like spring cleaning, doing laundry, catching up on sleep, and....guiltily updating your cooking blog that is 2 weeks overdue :(
For a while now I've been trying to experiment with Salads that are more "main course". I came across some very interesting Pasta salad recipes on Epicurious.com, and these seemed to be a perfect choice for main-course salad meals. This Pasta Salad with peppers, tomato and Green Olivada, is all vegetarian, and we enjoyed this served with a grilled fillet of Salmon. Needless to say, it was a very satisfying meal, and a nice break from our usual weeknight dinner :)

PASTA SALAD WITH PEPPERS, CHERRY TOMATOES AND GREEN OLIVADA

Ingredients for Olivada:
1 large clove Garlic, peeled

1/2 cup pitted Green Olives, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata Olives, roughly chopped,
2 tbsp Capers, drained
1 tbsp Red wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Red chilli flakes
1/4 cup Extra-virgin Olive oil

Ingredients for Salad:
1 cup Whole-wheat pasta ( I used Fusilli)
1 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup fresh Mozzarella balls
2 tbsp fresh Oregano / or Basil, chopped
1 Red bell pepper (capsicum), finely sliced


Method for Olivada:
1.) Mince the garlic clove in a food processor. Add the Olives, capers, and all other ingredients except the Olive oil.
2.) Process on 'pulse' mode till chunky. Add the olive oil little by little and puree the mixture into a thick-ish paste-like consistency. Set aside.

Method for Salad:
1.) Cook the pasta in salted boiling water till its cooked, but not too soft and still has some 'bite'. Drain the hot water and pour chilled / iced water over the cooked pasta to keep it from cooking with any residual heat. Let it drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2.) Drizzle the pasta with some extra virgin Olive oil and season with freshly cracked pepper and gently toss to coat.
3.) Add the halved cherry tomatoes, sliced bell peppers (capsicum) and mozzarella balls.
4.) Add the Olive paste (Olivada) and toss to coat the pasta and vegetables. Best served chilled.

YOGHURT MARINATED GRILLED SALMON FILLET

Ingredients:

350 g x 2 nos, Salmon fillets

1 cup Yoghurt (slighly sour)

1-1/2 tbsp Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste

1 wedge of lime

Salt, to taste

Method:

1.) Mix the yoghurt with the rest of the spices and other ingredients. 

2.) Rinse the fillets under running water and pat dry. Make 1/2" deep slits in the flesh of the fish. 

3.) Rub the marinade all over the fillet and allow it to marinate for atleast 2 hours or preferably overnight.

4.) Heat the grill. Shake of excess marinade from the fillet and grill under high heat till nicely browned to your liking... I like the meat to be slightly scorched in parts... yum! Allow the fish to rest for a few minutes. Squirt some lime juice and Eat up! 

Tomato-Olive-Shrimp Salad

Although our food habits in general border on healthy, Vineet and I occasionally get into the mood to go super healthy. On days like these,we fill up on Salads & fresh fruit, refrain from alcoholic beverages of any kind and actively indulge ourselves in the outdoors. Saturday, was one such day. We stepped out for a walk to discover Punggol beach, some 3.5 kms from our home, and came back with cheeks flushed, and our hearts happy. But ofcourse an evening like that HAD to end on an equally refreshing and healthy note, so we made a Olive-Shrimp-Tomato salad, munched on Vegetable crudites and Hummus and washed it all down with a chilled Watermelon-mint & lemon Spritzer :) This recipe is quantified to Serve 02 persons.

Ingredients:
12-15 Prawns, medium sized, shelled ( I used pre-cooked frozen prawns)
2 Tomatoes, deseeded & cubed
8-10 pitted Kalamata Olives, halved
1 small bunch Coriander, chopped
2 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil
1 tbsp Black peppercorns, cracked
1/2 Lime, to squirt
Salt, to taste

Method:
1.)  De-frost the frozen prawns under running water. Drain and set aside.
2.) Toss the tomatoes, olives and coriander together. Add the prawns.
3.) Drizzle the olive oil over the salad. Add the cracked black peppercorns, a pinch of salt & a squirt of lime juice. Toss gently to ensure that the prawns are coated well in the dressing.
4.) Chill in the refrigerator for upto 3 hours before serving.

Crudites with Home-made Hummus

So here goes Part-2 of our super-healthy Saturday night dinner :)

Ingredients for Hummus:
1 cup Chickpeas (chole seeds), soaked for 4-6 hours
2 tbsp Extra-virgin Olive oil + 2 tbsp for drizzling
2 tbsp Water
2 tbsp Lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp Cumin powder (jeera)
1 tsp Red Chilli powder




Method:
1.) Pressure cook the soaked Chickpeas with 2 cups of water for 2 whistles, till they're cooked and soft but not mashed. Discard the water and allow them to cool.
2.) Put the cooked chickpeas in a blender/mixer along with all the other ingredients.
3.) Whirrr away at the mixer, till its a nice thick paste-like consistency (see photo :)
4.) Serve along with sliced Carrots, Celery & Cucumbers. Eat up!

Chef's Salad & Buttermilk Roast chicken

CHEF'S SALAD

Ingredients:
Iceberg lettuce - torn roughly
Purple cabbage - roughly chopped
Cherry tomatoes - quartered
Avocado - chopped into cubes
Chicken sausage - cubed
Feta Cheese - crumbled

Dressing:
2 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil + 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard + Salt

Method:
1. Toss all the chopped veggies and chicken sausage together. Set aside.

2. Whisk the ingredients of the dressing together and pour over the veggies. Toss lightly to mix well. Serve Chilled!

BUTTERMILK ROAST CHICKEN

Ingredients:

6 nos. Chicken drumsticks

3/4 cup plain Dahi (preferably sour)

1 large Garlic clove - bruised

1-1/2 tbsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Pepper powder (coarsely ground)

1 tbsp Honey

Pinch of Salt

Method:

1.  Take a ziplock bag. Add the dahi, garlic, cumin powder, pepper powder, honey and salt and squish around in the bag.

2.  Put the chicken drumsticks into the marinade and seal the bag. Leave to marinate in the fridge for atleast 2-3 hours. ( I marinated the chicken for close to 6 hours)

3.  Preheat the oven to 220deg C. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. 

4.  Shake off the excess marinade and arrange the drumsticks onto the baking tray. Cook in the oven for about 30-45 mins - till the chicken is tender and slightly scorched in parts. Enjoy along with the Salad and Garlic bread.

GARLIC BREAD: 

For garlic butter -

2 tbsp softened Salted butter + 1 Garlic clove - grated + 1/2 tsp Extra Virgin olive oil + 1/2 tsp Pepper powder + 1/2 tsp Oregano flakes + pinch Salt.

Mix all the ingredients well and spread onto a thickly cut slice of bread (fresh or grilled) of your choice. Happy Eating!!