Category Archives: Recipes

Summer Quinoa Salad

Posted on November 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

I realize we’re almost into winter here, and no, this post isn’t outdated. It’s merely a reminder of the denial I’ve been in since I gawked at the first round of flurries for 2011. Although, admittedly the cold front’s running a little behind schedule this year – still, it’s always the right season for a quick summer salad.

What I love most about salads is the flexibility with ingredients. Got some left-0ver cucumbers? Toss ‘em in. Don’t know what to do with the rest of that tomato? Dice it up and throw it in the salad bowl. I’d grown tired of using run of the mill ingredients like lettuce and spinach as the base of my salad, so I did some digging around and discovered the funny sounding ingredient from the title of this post: quinoa. What exactly is quinoa? Pronounced “keen-o-wah”, this grain is  a great source of protein for any salad, or can even be used in place of couscous, rice, or other carbs in case you’re watching your diet. It’s also gluten-free: great for anyone with allergies.

Do keep an eye on the amounts being used – the quantity triples in size when cooked. Make sure to wash the grain thoroughly before either boiling or roasting on a stove top. This recipe, again, is very flexible: feel free to play around with the veggies being added.

Summer Quinoa Salad

  • 1 cup Quinoa grains, washed
  • 1/2 cup diced cucumbers
  • 1/2 cup diced bell peppers
  • 1/2 cup chopped spring onions
  • 1 tin sweetened corn
  • A fewsprigs each of parsley and mint
Dressing
  • 2 tbsps olive oil
  • 2 tbsps lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp honey (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Red chilli pepper flakes (if you like it hot)
Boil quinoa grains in approximately 3 cups water, keeping an eye on them. Once boiled, they will balloon to about 3 times the initial amount. Allow to cool and dry completely before combining in salad. I spread the grains out on a flat dish, on top of some paper towels.
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl till well combined. In a large bowl, mix together all the vegetables. Stir in quinoa grains. Finally, pour over salad dressing and toss together till well-coated. Et voila, quick and easy, very tasty and oh-so-healthy!
Bon appétit :)

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Posted in Recipes

Lemon Squares/Tarts

Posted on June 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

So I decided to step out of my chocolate-y world and experiment with a new ingredient today! Lemons are such an easy way to add life to any food; I find myself adding a dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice to most of meals on a daily basis, just to give them that extra zing factor.

Kudos to the lovely Barefoot Contessa (aka Ina Garten) for this recipe. The original was designed for lemon bars, but I couldn’t help tweaking it up a bit and made my very first lemon tarts.

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

  • 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup flour
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. (Taken from the Food Network)

I must add here, I found it easier to knead the dough with my hands as opposed to using an electric beater – besides, you’re going to get your hands messy pressing it into the baking tin in any case, so why not? The batter can be used wholly for squares or tarts, but in my case, I wanted a bit of both, so I used half the batter and crust dough to fill a standard loaf-tin; the other half was divided out to make little tarts in a cupcake baking pan.

For garnishing, you can top off the bars with a dollop of fresh whipping cream, ( or vanilla ice-cream) and sprinkle some grated lemon zest just to give your guests a teaser of the tangy flavors to follow!

Happy  Baking!

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