Summertime salsas is what it’s all about. They’re fresh, flavorful, fun, and fantastic! They’re festive too because make me think of South-of-border fiestas.

I made some peach mango black bean salsa

as a topping for tacos and taco salad. I made the pineapple mango salsa

as a topping for some blackened salmon.

These salsas are also perfect ... [read more]]]> Summertime salsas is what it’s all about. They’re fresh, flavorful, fun, and fantastic! They’re festive too because make me think of South-of-border fiestas.

I made some peach mango black bean salsa

as a topping for tacos and taco salad. I made the pineapple mango salsa

as a topping for some blackened salmon.

These salsas are also perfect as a baked potato topping. Salsa and sour cream on baked potatoes is definitely the way to go!

They’re great on top of nachos, and they’re perfect for omelets.

I also enjoy eating salsas like this straight from the bowl. It makes a healthy snack or a wonderful light lunch.

You can also add heat to your salsas by dicing up some jalapeno or habanero peppers and throwing it into the mix.

I love my salsa hot and spicy, but sometimes hot peppers (as well as fresh cilantro) gives me really bad heartburn.

What about you? Do you prefer your salsa mild, medium, hot and spicy, or set-your-mouth-on-fire hot?

Peach Mango Black Bean Salsa

Adapted from: Savoring Every Bite

Ingredients:

• 2 larges peaches, finely diced
• 1 large mango, finely diced
• 1 yellow ear of corn (corn cut off the cob)
• 1/2 can black beans
• 1/2 large Vidalia onion, finely diced
• 16 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
• 1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped parsley
• zest of 1 lime
• juice and pulp of 1 lime
• dried cilantro to taste
• salt to taste

Instructions:

• Wash the peaches and cherry tomatoes, and then finely dice it all up.
• Peel and finely dice the mango and onion.
• Wash the ear of corn, and then cut all the corn off the cob.
• Wash and finely chop the parsley.
• Wash the lime, and then use a fine grater to zest the lime.
• Mix together all the vegetables, the parsley, the lime zest, and 1/2 can of black beans.
• Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture, then chop up the lime pulp and add it to the mixture.
• Stir in dried cilantro and salt to taste.
• Serve chilled.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

Recipe Source: Whole Foods Market (I saw some pineapple mango salsa in the produce section, looked at the ingredients, and then tried to replicate it at home

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a fresh pineapple, finely diced
• 1 fresh mango, finely diced
• 2 green onions, finely diced
• 16 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
• lime juice to taste
• salt to taste
• dried cilantro to taste

Instructions:

• Cut and core the pineapple, and then finely dice about half of it.
• Wash the tomatoes and onions, and then finely dice them.
• Peel and finely dice the mango.
• Toss all the ingredients together, and then stir in lime juice to taste.
• Mix in salt and dried cilantro to taste.
• Serve chilled.

Last week while craving a bulgar salad, I found myself with no tomatoes, cucumbers, or peppers in my fridge. Luckily I had fresh mint and parsley. So I tried something ... [read more]]]>

Last week while craving a bulgar salad, I found myself with no tomatoes, cucumbers, or peppers in my fridge. Luckily I had fresh mint and parsley. So I tried something different. Since I love the sweetness of tomatoes in my salad but didn’t have any, I thought maybe strawberries would be a good substitute. Turns out I was right. It was fabulous!

I also added some ajvar and pomegranate molasses.

This salad was the perfect way to begin my morning. It gave me a lot of energy, and the fresh parsley and mint revitalized me.

Is there a food or a meal (other than coffee) that seems to revitalize you in the morning?

Strawberry Bulgar Salad

Adapted from: “The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking by Ghillie Basan”, (page 77 Bulgar Salad); published by Hermes House, an imprint of Anness Publishing Ltd.

I adore Mediterranean food and cooking, and Kemal, who’s from the Mediterranean, naturally loves it as well.  We don’t follow any particular diet in that we eat whatever we want; however, our eating patterns and lifestyle basically follows the Mediterranean diet pyramid.

Most of our meals are centered around vegetables, beans, bread, fruits, and whole grains. ... [read more]]]> I adore Mediterranean food and cooking, and Kemal, who’s from the Mediterranean, naturally loves it as well.  We don’t follow any particular diet in that we eat whatever we want; however, our eating patterns and lifestyle basically follows the Mediterranean diet pyramid.

Most of our meals are centered around vegetables, beans, bread, fruits, and whole grains. Legumes, nuts, spices, and olive oil, as dairy products centering around cheese, yogurt, and eggs, are also an integral part of our meals.

Fish and meat make up the smallest part of our diet, and that suits us fine because we both prefer more plant-based foods versus animal-based.

Neither one of us can get enough veggies. We both constantly crave them and enjoy preparing (and of course eating!) meals centered around vegetables.

One such meal is a Greek dish called dolmades which are grape leaves stuffed with rice, veggies, fruit, and nuts. The dolmades I made were were stuffed with arborio rice, fresh mint, fresh parsley, raisins, sunflower seeds, onions, and spices.

Dolmades are extremely easy to make, but they do take just a bit of time to stuff and roll all the grape leaves. Then after they’re rolled and stuffed, they’re simmered in a pan with either vegetable or chicken broth for about 45 minutes. Then they’re chilled and eaten cold.

They’re great both plain or dipped in tzatziki sauce. I also enjoy eating them served on top of a Greek salad. They’re excellent that way!

If you’ve never tried them before, I highly encourage you to make them sometime and see for yourself just how wonderful they are. They can be eaten as an appetizer or for the main course.

There are many recipes out there on the web, but I found mine in a cookbook I have here at home called “Tastes of the Mediterranean“; the recipe for Dolmades is on page 37.

Making a Greek salad is also very easy. Just toss together some spring mix, sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced green olives, crumbled feta cheese, crumbled goat cheese, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and some salted sunflowers. I also sometimes toss in some raisins, diced green onions, and fresh mint.

My mom found a recipe online for a Greek salad dressing that’s out-of-this-world delicious. It’s so easy to make, and to learn how to make it, just go to allrecipes.com (recipe submitted by Danielle M.

Instead of using Dijon mustard which is called for in the Greek salad dressing, I just used my mortar and pestle to grind up some mustard seeds to make mustard powder. Worked great!

Anyway, after you make the salad and drizzle on the dressing, just place some dolmades on top of the salad, and there ya go!

Couldn’t be easier!

This morning I wanted something light and refreshing for breakfast so I decided to make a cucumber mango soup which is made with yogurt and served chilled.

It’s terribly easy to make, it’s healthy, and its spring colors are cheery and beautiful.

Best of all, it tastes so good!!!

Do you like cold soups? If so ... [read more]]]> This morning I wanted something light and refreshing for breakfast so I decided to make a cucumber mango soup which is made with yogurt and served chilled.

It’s terribly easy to make, it’s healthy, and its spring colors are cheery and beautiful.

Best of all, it tastes so good!!!

Do you like cold soups? If so what kind?

Cucumber Mango Soup

Slightly adapted from: www.worldcook.net and Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez, Gourmet Magazine as seen at www.wellsphere.com

So last night we finally gave ... [read more]]]>

So last night we finally gave it a try. I just placed the salmon on the plank, brushed the salmon with some olive oil, and then because I was in the mood for something kind of spicy, I sprinkled some chili powder on top of the salmon. I then put the plank on a large, ceramic baking dish so the juices would have a place to overflow onto and baked uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the salmon was done (had an internal temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit).

When the salmon was done, I placed the plank on a serving plate and photographed it for you so you could see what it looked like immediately after cooking. Here’s what it looked like.

The salmon comes off plank easily with a spatula. You can transfer it to a serving plate(s) and then top it with some citrus salsa that can be prepared quickly while the salmon is baking. Here’s a couple of pictures of the salmon topped with the citrus salsa which is made with fresh pineapple, clementines, cherry tomatoes, green onions, lime juice, chili powder, and sea salt.

I made some tabbouleh to accompany the salmon, and here’s a couple of photos so you can see the salmon and tabbouleh together.

And here’s a couple of pictures of the bread that I made to accompany the meal.

The bread is based on Megan’s ( of What Megan’s Making) French bread rolls, (Megan credits Mel’s Kitchen Cafe as the recipe source). But I shaped the bread differently than Megan did. I wanted bigger pieces of bread that could be used for sandwiches the next day.

The bread was quite tasty, and I oooohed and aaaaahed while eating it! Kemal also expressed his appreciation for bread and enjoyed it immensely. Just click on the links above for the recipe if you’re interested in making the bread.

Finally, for dessert, we enjoyed a citrus vodka martini

that matched the citrus salsa we made. We just blended some fresh pineapple, clementines, and tangerine juice together. Then we let it chill and poured it in our cocktails glasses. When it’s time to serve the drinks, just pour in a cocktail glass, stir in a shot of vodka, and enjoy!

Anyway, we had a wonderful meal last night from start to finish!

As far as the cedar plank is concerned…well…neither one of us  felt like it flavored the salmon. Perhaps all that chili rub on the salmon overpowered the subtle cedar flavors? I guess next time we try salmon made on a cedar plank we’ll have to season the salmon with something milder (like Old Bay) to see if the plank adds a smoky, cedar flavor to the fish. I’m curious to find out!

Have you ever used a cedar plank before? If so, did you notice a difference in the flavor of the fish?

Note: The recipes for the salmon, salsa, tabbouleh, and the martini can be seen below. You’ll notice that there are no amounts listed for the salmon, salsa, and the maritini, and that’s because I didn’t measure anything. It’s really not necessary. How much chili powder you put on your salmon depends on your tastes.

As far as the salsa is concerned, don’t worry about how much fruit to use. It’ll depend on how many people you’re cooking for, as it also depends, again on your tastes. When you season the salsa, just add a little chili powder, sea salt, and lime juice at a time. Then taste it and adjust by adding more seasonings if needed. If you ended up adding too much chili powder or salt, you can always add more fruit or vegetables.

And you can’t go wrong on the martini. Just use however much fruit you want and enjoy your drink.

Chili Rubbed Cedar Salmon

Ingredients:

• fresh salmon
• olive oil
• chili powder

Instructions:

Note: The directions imprinted on our cedar plank said to submerge the plank in water for several hours before using it and then to place the salmon on the wet plank to bake it. Please follow the instructions that come with your plank as directed before baking the fish.

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place the salmon on the cedar plank, and then brush the salmon with olive oil.
• Sprinkle the salmon with chili powder.
• Place the plank on a baking pan/dish, and then bake it uncovered in the center rack of your oven until it’s cooked to your liking. We like ours well done so we cook it until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Use a spatula to remove the fish from the plank.
• After the plank cools, discard it.

Citrus Salsa

Ingredients:

• fresh pineapple
• clementines
• cherry tomatoes
• green onion
• lime juice
• chili powder
• cilantro
• sea salt

Instructions:

• Cut and core a fresh pineapple, and then dice some of it into small pieces.
• Peel some clementines, and then dice some of into small pieces.
• Wash and dice the green onion and cherry tomatoes.
• Mix the diced fruit and vegetables together, and then stir in dried cilantro, salt, and chili powder to taste.
• Squeeze lime juice over the mixture and stir.
• Refrigerate until needed.

Tabbouleh

Adapted from: Shiraz Mediterranean Grill

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
• 1 1/2 qts. water
• 1/2 of a bunch of fresh parsley (don’t discard the stems)
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 green onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 of an English cucumber
• sea salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• lemon juice to taste

Instructions:

• Boil 1 1/2 qts. of water on high heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium, and then add the bulgur wheat, vegetable bouillon cube, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, the parsley stems you cut off, and about 1 tsp. of salt.
• Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the buglur wheat is soft but still somewhat firm (similar to cooking pasta).
• After the bulgur has cooked, remove it from the heat and remove the parsley stems. (I used a slotted spoon to remove the stems.)
• Now you want to find a glass bowl and a sieve to drain the liquid off the bulgur.
• Hold the sieve over the bowl to drain the liquid off the bulgur. You’ll be left with a parsley vegetable broth that you enjoy immediately or freeze for later. Here’s a picture of the broth.

Just add a little bit of salt and pepper to it if you like and enjoy!

• The next thing you want to do is run cold water over the bulgur wheat.
• Let the water drain off it.
• In the meantime, wash and finely chop the parsley.
• Wash and dice the tomatoes and the English cucumber (no need to peel it).
• Peel and dice the onions.
• In a large bowl, mix together the bulgur wheat, parsley, onions, cucumber, and tomatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Stir in 1 tbsp. of olive oil and lemon juice to taste. However much lemon juice you use is up to you. I think I used 2-3 tbsp., but use however much you like.

Citrus Vodka Martini

Ingredients:

• fresh pineapple
• clementines
• tangerine juice
• vodka (we used Finlandia Tangerine Fusion)

Instructions:

• Cut and core a fresh pineapple, and then put some of the cut pineapple pieces into your blender.
• Peel some clementines and then remove any seeds from the segments.
• Place some of clementine segments into the blender with your pineapple chunks.
• Add some tangerine juice.
• Puree.
• Pour the mixture into a pitcher and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the cocktails.
• Pour the juice into your cocktail glass when you’re ready to serve the drinks.
• Stir in a shot of vodka.
• Optional: Garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge.

A few days ago, I came across a recipe for spinach Pkhali which is basically a Georgian spread, dip, or a salad.

Which is it? Well, basically it’s all three.

You can eat it as a salad. You can spread it on bread. Or you can eat it as a dip.

It’s made with spinach, ground ... [read more]]]> A few days ago, I came across a recipe for spinach Pkhali which is basically a Georgian spread, dip, or a salad.

Which is it? Well, basically it’s all three.

You can eat it as a salad. You can spread it on bread. Or you can eat it as a dip.

It’s made with spinach, ground walnuts, garlic, onions, and a variety of spices among other things. It’s also garnished with pomegranate seeds (anvils) that not only taste wonderful with it, but also give it a festive look. Reminds me of Christmas.

Georgian cuisine is not something I’m familiar with, but I enjoyed exploring one of its classic dishes. I must admit I changed the recipe just a bit. I used mango juice instead of water, and I used  a dry pomegranate powder (also called anardana powder) in the mix. Instead of cilantro, I used fresh parsley, and instead of white vinegar I used raspberry vinegar.

We had it with tequila lime rubbed tilapia and pomegranate mango salsa salad, and the salsa salad matched perfectly with the spinach pkhali and the fish.

This Georgian dish is quite tasty, and we really liked it a lot!

I adapted the recipe from The Traveler’s Lunchbox who adapted it from Anya von Bremzen’s Please to the Table. Go to the The Traveler’s Lunchbox for the recipe if you’re interested in making it. If you’re nuts about spinach the way we are, I’m sure you’ll love it!

The soup also has two eggs in it which, along with the chicken broth, adds a wonderful flavor.

It makes for a comforting, soothing ... [read more]]]>

The soup also has two eggs in it which, along with the chicken broth, adds a wonderful flavor.

It makes for a comforting, soothing meal, and it tastes so good! Give it a try sometime; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Italian Bread Soup with Veggies and Lentils

Recipe Inspired by and Adpated from: eat, live, run’s “Springtime Minestrone” and About.com’s “Simple Italian Bread Soup Recipe – Zuppa di Pan Cotto

Ingredients:

• 55 oz. chicken broth
• 1/2 lb. sugar snap peas
• 2 ears yellow corn-on-the-cob
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/4 of a bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 large, stale buttermilk biscuits
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 packets Sazon Goya seasoning
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. basil
• Vegeta to taste
• black pepper to taste

Instructions:

• In a large pot, mix together the chicken broth, 2 packets of Sazon Goya seasoning, and lentils.
• Add the 2 ears of yellow corn-on-the-cob.
• Bring the broth to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium.
• While the lentils are cooking, wash and finely chop the parsley, including the stems; stir it into the chicken broth with the lentils and ears of corn.
• Peel and dice the onion and garlic cloves, then fry it in 2 tbps. of olive oil until it gets soft.
• Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to the pot with the lentils and corn, stirring occasionally.
• When the corn is almost soft, use a pair of tongs to remove them from the soup, placing them on a plate to let them cool.
• While the corn is cooling, wash the sugar snap peas, cut them in half, cut the ends off them, and then add them to the soup pot.
• After the corn has cooled enough for you to handle, cut the corn off the cobs and add the corn back to soup, discarding the cobs.
• Beat the eggs, and then mix it into the soup.
• Crumble the 2 stale buttermilk biscuits, and then add the crumbled bread to the pot.
• Stir in the oregano, basil, black pepper, and Vegeta.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

What I am sure about is that every single bite is heavenly! We had ours with tequila limed rubbed tilapia, spinach pkhali, and lepinje, and it matched perfectly with everything.

But even though it made a ... [read more]]]>

What I am sure about is that every single bite is heavenly! We had ours with tequila limed rubbed tilapia, spinach pkhali, and lepinje, and it matched perfectly with everything.

But even though it made a wonderful accompaniment, I could eat this by itself for breakfast, lunch, or dessert!

Give it a try, and get ready to fall in love with the fabulous flavors of summer!!

Pomegranate Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. pomegranate seeds (anvils)
• 1 mango, diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1/4 of a bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• lime juice to taste
• salt to taste

Instructions:

• Wash the tomatoes, green onion, and parsley.
• Then dice the tomatoes and green onion, and finely chop the parsley.
• Remove the anvils from a pomegranate(s). (I’m not sure exactly how many pomegranates you’ll need to get 5 oz. of anvils because I was unable to find any pomegranates at the store. I was, however, able to find some fresh anvils for sale so I bought 5 oz.)
• Peel and dice the mango.
• Mix all the fruits and vegetables together.
• Add salt and lime juice to taste
• Serve chilled.

It’s also delicious with some fresh mint but I didn’t have any on hand unfortunately.

It’s a very healthy salad that Kemal and I very much enjoy.

And it’s also very easy and simple to make.

It makes a great ... [read more]]]>

It’s also delicious with some fresh mint but I didn’t have any on hand unfortunately.

It’s a very healthy salad that Kemal and I very much enjoy.

And it’s also very easy and simple to make.

It makes a great accompaniment to any meal, but it also makes a wonderful meal in and of itself.

Of course, if you’re like us, you’ll want some fresh bread from the oven to go with it. 

The other great thing about making tabbouleh is when I make it, not only does the recipe make the salad, but the water that was used to to boil the tabbouleh makes a lovely parsley vegetable soup.

So you have no waste and you get both a soup and a salad from one recipe. How cool is that!

Anyway, before I tell you how to make it, I just want to encourage you to use your produce scraps to make vegetable broths. Just throw them in a pot of water with some spices, let it simmer, and then either enjoy the broth immediately or freeze it for later.

Okay…you ready to do some cookin’?

Tabbouleh and Parsley Vegetable Broth (One Recipe Makes Both a  Soup and a Salad)

Recipe Source for the Tabbouleh: I based my recipe on the tabbouleh which is on the menu at Shiraz Mediterranean Grill. I don’t know how they make their tabbouleh nor do I have their recipe. But I do know the main ingredients of their tabbouleh and that’s what my recipe is based on.

Ingredients to make both the Tabbouleh and the Parsley Soup:

• 1/2 cup bulgur wheat
• 1 1/2 qts. water
• 1/2 of a bunch of fresh parsley (Make sure you keep the stems of the parsley. You’ll be using them for the parsley soup.)
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• lemon juice to taste

Instructions on how to make both the Tabbouleh and the Parsley Vegetable Broth:

• Boil 1 1/2 qts. of water on high heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium, and then add the bulgur wheat, vegetable bouillon cube, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, the parsley stems you cut off, and about 1 tsp. of salt.
• Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the buglur wheat is soft but still somewhat firm (similar to cooking pasta).
• After the bulgur has cooked, remove it from the heat and remove the parsley stems. (I used a slotted spoon to remove the stems.)
• Now you want to find a glass bowl and a sieve to drain the liquid off the bulgur.
• Hold the sieve over the bowl to drain the liquid off the bulgur. That’s your parsley vegetable broth.

Just add a little bit of salt and pepper to it if you like and enjoy! If you don’t want to eat it immediately, you can always let it cool and then freeze it in plastic freezer containers.

• The next thing you want to do is run cold water over the bulgur wheat.
• Let the water drain off it.
• In the meantime, wash and finely chop the parsley.
• Wash and dice the tomatoes.
• Peel and dice the onions.
• In a large bowl, mix together the bulgur wheat, parsley, onions, and tomatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Stir in 1 tbsp. of olive oil and lemon juice to taste. However much lemon juice you use is up to you. I think I used 2-3 tbsp., but use however much you like.

They’re melt-in-your mouth delicious…so soft, buttery, and garlicy…*sigh*

Trust me…they won’t ... [read more]]]> And I’m nuts about Greek seasoning sprinkled on just about anything. Suffice it to say these rolls I made the other day are to die for!

They’re melt-in-your mouth delicious…so soft, buttery, and garlicy…*sigh*

Trust me…they won’t last long!

“Greek” Garlic Butter Rolls with Fresh Parsley and Sesame Seeds

Adapted from: My Singapore Kitchen and A Little Bit of Everything