black bean mango salad

 

SERVES 3

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cubed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed, or fresh corn off the cob

3 cups cooked black beans or 2 (15-ounce) cans no- or low-salt black beans, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

dash chili powder*

9 cups chopped romaine lettuce

If using fresh corn, water sauté for 5 minutes or until tender.** Mix all ingredients except the lettuce in a bowl. Let stand for at least 15 minutes. Serve on top of the lettuce. Note: The vegetable mixture without the mango can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Add the mango and a splash of lime juice just before serving.

* You can use a chili powder that’s suited to your taste, e.g., cayenne, ancho, a mix of those two, or even others — whatever pleases your palate and desire for heat.

** I’ve grown to love raw corn, particularly when sweet, tender, and nicely in season. I don’t really see the point of water sautéing delicious, fresh corn for this recipe, but it’s certainly your call.

Recipe copied from “Eat to Live: the amazing nutrient-rich program for fast and sustained weight loss”

Copyright © 2003, 2011 by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Photo © 2014 Veggie Recipe Archives 

[PERSONAL NOTE: This is one of my all-time favorite Eat to Live recipes because it’s so simple, fat-free, delicious, and it infuses my body with an instant feeling of clean, wonderful energy. I highly recommend it is a staple salad recipe for healthy living.]

 

 

roast red pepper and chickpeas

3 red [bell] peppers, cut into thick strips

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

juice of 1 lemon

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped*

1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.** Toss the red pepper strips in 2 tablespoons olive oil and roast for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with clingfilm.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan and add the chickpeas. Toss in the olive oil and heat through for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until the spices start to lose their raw aroma. Season with salt and pepper as you go, and taste.

Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl, add the pepper strips and season with lemon juice. Add the parsley and scallions and toss.

* As this recipe originates from Ireland, bunches of parsley there tend to be smaller than what you’d buy in American grocery stores. Perhaps half of a larger bunch would be sufficient, unless you’re a big fan of parsley and think more means better!

** 180C = 350°-375° F

Recipe copied from “Avoca Salads”

First published in 2007 by Avoca Ltd

Text © 2007 Hugo Arnold

Photography © Georgia Glynn Smith

[PERSONAL NOTE: Since I wanted to make more of a meal of this salad instead of just having it as a side dish, I included a bed of arugula, which complemented all the other flavors quite nicely. I also only used two large peppers because three seemed like too much, but you could use three smaller peppers, and even have one each of red, yellow, and orange for some color variety.]

mai serrallach’s gazpacho with sweet, ripe tomatoes

This recipe is dedicated to the memory of Dervila Serrallach Giblin, to her husband Cesc and their family. Dervila, who died far too young, was a great friend to Avoca and is hugely missed in Dublin, Barcelona and beyond. This is her mother-in-law’s fantastic recipe for gazpacho.

INGREDIENTS

serves 4-6

2kg* large ripe tomatoes

1 slice stale artisan white bread

150ml good quality extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

For the garnish

1 red onion/2 shallots

3tbsp white wine vinegar**

croutons

1 red pepper

1 cucumber

sprig of mint

Gazpacho is best served for lunch on a hot summer’s day. Make it in high season with ripe or slightly over-ripe tomatoes that are a deep red and heavy with flavour. Small greeny orange tomatoes won’t work. Use 1/2-2 large tomatoes per person. Choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil.

To make

Cut the bread into cubes and gently soak. Skin the tomatoes*** and discard the skins.

Place the flesh of the tomatoes in a food processor and blitz. Add plenty of sea salt, freshly ground black peppery, soaked bread and garlic and blitz again. Transfer into a bowl and add the olive oil in a slow trickle, whisking all the time. Chill in the fridge for a few hours.

To make the garnish

Chop the red onion or shallots very finely and marinate in white wine vinegar for as long as possible. Dice the red pepper. Peel and dice the cucumber. Fry or grill the croutons until they are golden.****

To serve

Serve cold and place all or as many of the garnishes as you are using on top of the soup before serving. A sprig of mint will give aroma, taste and colour.

KEY TO SUCCESS

A purist would suggest grating the tomatoes with an old-fashioned cheese grater, pushing the flesh through and discarding the skins.

* 2kg = roughly 4.5lb

** It’s my understanding that grape wine vinegar is one of those items that might not be vegan-friendly; I’ve used rice wine vinegar in this recipe before, and it was just fine. Feel free to use whichever one works for you.

***  Here are instructions on how to quickly peel a tomato.

**** The photo is of last night’s leftovers, and because I had run out of pan-fried croutons, I crumbled some Mary’s Gone Crackers in the bowl for a toasty crunch.

Recipe copied from “A Year at Avoca: A Cookbook”

Published in Ireland in 2010 by Gloss Publications Ltd

Text © Avoca

Photograph is my own

pea and parsley soup

Using parsley instead of the more conventional mint gives this summer soup a deeper, slightly less sweet flavour. It’s great hot or cold. I like it garnished with a few whole peas – especially really small and sweet raw ones. If you have some pea shoots, they look beautiful scattered over the finished soup too.

SERVES 4

1 tablespoon olive oil or rapeseed oil, plus extra to trickle

20g butter*

1 medium onion, finely chopped

A few sprigs of thyme, leaves only, chopped

1 litre vegetable stock

500g** fresh shelled peas, or frozen peas

20g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

A few mint leaves, shredded, to finish (optional)

Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and sweat the onion with thyme until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the stock, peas (reserving a handful to finish the soup if you like) and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the peas are very tender.

Cool slightly, then purée the soup in a food processor or blender, or with a stick blender, until very smooth – you may need to do this in two batches if you are using a processor or free-standing blender. Return the soup to the pan, adjust the seasoning and heat through.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. If you have some fresh, raw peas, scatter a few on top (or you could use blanched frozen peas). Add the mint, if using, trickle over a little olive oil or rapeseed oil and serve.

Alternatively, you can let the soup go cold, then chill it lightly before serving – add the scattering of peas and mint, if using, and trickle oil at the last minute.

* If you use vegetable butter or just more oil, this recipe will be vegan.

** Here’s a gram converter for equivalent in tablespoons, and in cups.

Recipe copied from “River Cottage Veg Every Day!”

First published in Great Britain 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Text © 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Photography © 2011 by Simon Wheeler

vegetable stock

A good vegetable stock, built around the deep savoury notes of bay and celery and the delicate sweetness of onion and carrot, is invaluable for giving body to many soups. You’ll also find it indispensable for stews, risottos, gratins and curries. I always try to keep some of this in the freezer – though it can be rustled up in no time if you have the ingredients to hand.

MAKES ABOUT 1.5 LITRES

2 large or 3 medium onions

3 large or 4 medium carrots

3-4 celery stalks

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon rapeseed oil

1 or 2 bay leaves, roughly torn

A sprig of thyme/and or some parsley stalks, if you have them

A few black peppercorns

1/2 small glass dry white wine (optional)

Coarsely grate the onions, carrots, celery and garlic – or chop them, if you prefer, but in fairly small pieces. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and tip in the vegetables, garlic, herbs and peppercorns. Sauté, stirring from time to time, for about 5 minutes or until the veg have softened slightly (you’re largely doing this to mellow the raw onion).

Add the wine, if you are using it, then 1.75 litres boiling water from the kettle. Bring back to the boil and simmer, uncovered. If all your veg were grated, the stock will be ready in about 10 minutes. If they were in larger chunks, give it 20-30 minutes. Either way, strain the stock and use straight away, or cool, then refrigerate or freeze.

VARIANTION

Mushroom stock

This stock has an extra kick of ‘shroomy flavour. It’s ideal for a mushroom soup, or in a mushroom risotto. However, you can use it in almost any veg soup to give a good deep, earthy base. Make the stock as above, but add about 200g* fresh, sliced mushrooms to the other veg – use well-flavoured types such as chestnut, shitake or big open-cap varieties. In addition, if you’re including any dried mushrooms in the dish the stock is to be used in, be sure to add the soaking liquid to the stock, first straining it through muslin (to remove any grit).

* 200g is 0.84 of a cup

Recipe copied from “River Cottage Veg Every Day!”

First published in Great Britain 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Text © 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Photography © 2011 by Simon Wheeler

chargrilled summer veg

I learned the joy of chargrilling veg over 20 years ago when I was working at the River Cafe. I still come back to it every summer. Vary the vegetables as you like here, bumping up the courgettes [zucchini] if you have lots in the garden, or adding some quartered [bell] peppers, aubergine [eggplant] sticks or slices of red onion. I like to toss the veg with chopped herbs, though they are very good just as they are. They’re also delicious trickled with the tahini dressing [found here].

SERVES 2

4 courgettes

2 fennel bulbs, trimmed

A generous bunch of spring onions, trimmed

4-6 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, very finely sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

A small bunch of parsley or basil, plus a few sprigs of chervil, tarragon or thyme, chopped fairly finely (optional)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

20g* Parmesan, hard goat’s cheese or other well-flavoured hard cheese, to finish (optional)

Light the barbecue well in advance if you are cooking the veg outside. If cooking indoors, heat the griddle or grill [broiler] until hot.

Cut the courgettes and fennel lengthways into 5mm** slices and set aside with the whole spring onions.

In a small bowl, lightly mix together the olive oil, garlic and lemon juice with some salt and pepper.

Cook the vegetables in batches. Brush them lightly with a little of the olive oil mixture (try not to get any bits of garlic on the veg at this stage, as it will burn on the grill). Cook on a medium-hot barbecue or griddle pan, or under the grill [broiler], until marked with scorch lines on the outside and tender right through. Courgettes and fennel should take 3-5 minutes per side, spring onions 1-2 minutes per side, but be vigilant as a hot barbecue can burn them very quickly. As you bring each batch off the grill or griddle, put into a large serving dish and toss with a little more of the seasoned lemon and oil dressing.

When everything is cooked, toss it together with the chopped herbs, if using, and finish with cheese shavings if you like. Serve either warm or at room temperature.

* Here’s a gram converter for equivalent in tablespoons.

** 5mm = roughly 1/4 inch

Recipe copied from “River Cottage Veg Every Day!”

First published in Great Britain 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Text © 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Photography © 2011 by Simon Wheeler

oven-dried tomatoes

I find commercially produced ‘sun-dried’ tomatoes are often lip-pursingly intense, sharp and sometimes a little leathery. Home-dried ones are altogether different. The beauty of drying your own is that you can control their plumpness, sweetness and chewiness. Here I’m aiming for a semi-dried state – intense but still a touch juicy.

This is also, I must concede, a good way to use out-of-season or less-full-flavoured tomatoes, as the seasoning and drying will bring out the best in them. Dried tomatoes are delicious stirred into salads, pasta or couscous, or just served as a piquant nibble with a selection of other dishes. Try them also in a sandwich with goat’s cheese, in a frittata with potatoes and onions, or even stirred into scrambled eggs.

SERVES 4-6

1kg tomatoes

A few sprigs of thyme, broken up

3 bay leaves, each snipped into 2 or 3 pieces

2-3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for storage

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Halve the tomatoes, or quarter particularly large ones. Scoop out and discard the seeds, if you prefer. Stand a wire rack over a double sheet of newspaper.

Combine the sugar with 1/2 teaspoon fine salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of this mixture over the inside of each tomato half, then put the tomatoes upside down on the rack. Leave for 1 hour for the juices to drip.

Preheat the oven to very low, about 100°C*/Gas Mark 1/4. Transfer the tomatoes, turning them cut side up, to a large baking tray. Scatter with the thyme, bay, some black pepper and the olive oil and place in the oven. Check after an hour or two – just in case your oven is hotter than it says! It should take 4-5 hours to get the tomatoes ‘semi-dried’: ie considerably reduced but still quite tender and plump. This is how I like them. However, you can leave them in the oven for 7-8 hours – to become much more like commercial ‘sun-dried’ tomatoes.

Tossed in a generous amount of olive oil, these oven-dried tomatoes will keep for a few days in the fridge. You’ll find endless uses for them.

* 100°C = 200-225°F

Recipe copied from “River Cottage Veg Every Day!”

First published in Great Britain 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Text © 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Photography © 2011 by Simon Wheeler

herby, peanutty, noodly salad

A bright and zingy dressing, handfuls of herbs and crunchy peanuts pack loads of flavour into simple, easy-to-cook noodles. If you can only find salted peanuts, rinse the salt off and pat them dry. When it comes to fresh herbs, the mint’s pretty much a must: the other two are desirable but optional.

SERVES 4

75g* raw or roasted unsalted peanuts

200g fine egg noodles or Thai rice noodles

150g French [green] beans or mangetout**, or a combination

1/2 cucumber***

6 spring onions, trimmed

About 12 basil leaves (ideally Thai), roughly torn

A small bunch of mint, roughly chopped

A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (optional)

FOR THE DRESSING

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Grated zest of 1 lime, or 1/2 lemon

1/2-1 small red chilli, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 teaspoon soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, plus extra to serve

If using raw peanuts, roast on a tray in the oven (at 180°C****/Gas Mark 4) for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool, then bash lightly to break them up a bit.

For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and rinse under the cold tap. Add to the dressing and toss until well coated. Leave to cool completely in the dressing.

Cook the beans and/or mangetout in a pan of lightly salted boiling water till just tender and still a bit crunchy, 3-5 minutes for beans, 2-3 minutes for mangetout. Drain, refresh in cold water and drain well.

Halve the cucumber lengthways and slice thinly. Finely cut the spring onions on the diagonal.

Toss the cold noodles with the peanuts, cucumber, spring onions, beans and/or mangetout and herbs. Serve with soy sauce on the side, for everyone to help themselves.

* Here’s a gram converter for equivalent in cups.

** mangetout = sugar snap pea or snow pea

** I recommend an English cucumber, but another kind will work

**** 180°C = 350°F

Recipe copied from “River Cottage Veg Every Day!”

First published in Great Britain 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Text © 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Photography © 2011 by Simon Wheeler

rocket, fennel, and puy lentil salad

Rocket [arugula] has become such a ubiquitous leaf, so often thrown into generic mixes of salad leaves, that it’s easy to forget how well it shines solo. Combined with the delicate aniseed note of fennel, some earthy lentils and a lemony dressing, it really comes into its own. Adding a few other peppery leaves also works well. With some good bread, this simple assembly is a supper in itself. It also makes a great starter.

SERVES 4

125g Puy [French, green] lentils

1 bay leaf

1/2 small onion

A few parsley stalks (optional)

1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs

About 75g rocket [arugula], or rocket mixed with a few other peppery leaves such as mizuna

FOR THE DRESSING

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

120ml rapeseed or olive oil

A pinch of sugar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the lentils in a saucepan and add plenty of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for a minute only, then drain. Return the lentils to the pan and pour on just enough water to cover them. Add the bay leaf, onion, and parsley stalks, if using. Bring back to a very gentle simmer, and cook slowly for about half an hour, until tender but not mushy.

Meanwhile, to make the dressing, shake all the ingredients together in a screw-topped jar until emulsified.

When the lentils are done, drain them well and discard the herbs and onion. While still warm, combine with a good half of the dressing. Leave until cooled, then taste and adjust the seasoning; you could add a little more salt, sugar, pepper or lemon juice if needed.

Trim the fennel, removing the tough outer layer (unless they are young and very fresh). Halve the bulb(s) vertically, then slice as thinly as you can, tip to base.

Pile about two-thirds of the lentils into wide serving bowls. Scatter over the rocket and fennel and trickle over the rest of the dressing. Scatter over the remaining lentils and serve.

Recipe copied from “River Cottage Veg Every Day!”

First published in Great Britain 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Text © 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Photography © 2011 by Simon Wheeler