Corn and Bean Salad

Last night we had our Relief Society birthday party at church, complete with potluck refreshments. I always like to bring something healthy, to balance out all the delicious sweet cakes and puddings. This time, inspired by a Mexican style dinner we had over the weekend, I used one of my favourite recipes: a Corn and Black bean salad. However, it's rather difficult to get black beans in England, so I used black-eyed peas instead. The lime juice and fresh coriander really bring a freshness to this dish, and the chili powder and chili pepper give it a nice kick. After several people asked about the ingredients, I promised them I would post the recipe on my blog.  So here it is:

Corn and Black Bean Salad

1/4 cup apricot preserves/jam
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder (or to taste, I think I used less)
3 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp salt (I used less)
1 can (about 2 cups) black beans,
1 can corn, drained
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (or a green chili)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbs fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

Tortilla chips to serve

Mix the apricot preserves, olive oil, chili powder, lime juice, and the salt together in a medium/large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, and mix until well combined. Serve with tortilla chips.

Note: I would suggest starting with less chili powder and salt, then taste once all the ingredients are mixed together, and add more chili powder or salt as needed.

For those of you in England, I really like Aldi's tinned corn the best. It is inexpensive, yet very fresh tasting. Also, it is packed only in water. I bought a tin of corn from Tesco, which was packed in "sugared salt water," because I needed it in a pinch, and it was no good. The kernels were starchy and mushy, and not much flavour. I couldn't bear to use it in the salad, so made an extra trip to Aldi to get the good stuff.

Southern Black-eyed Peas with Greens

This is a simple recipe. Although probably not authentic southern, it's got black-eyed peas, greens, and molasses, so close enough. As usual, I didn't measure out the ingredients I used, so it's an estimate. I also cooked up some dried beans (with chili flakes and bay leaf), but you could use tinned. I also used savoy cabbage, but I suspect that any type of green would work well.

Southern Black-eyed Peas with Greens

1 Tbs and a small knob of butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 head savoy cabbage (or about 2 cups of another type of green)

3 cups cooked black-eyed peas

1 Tbs molasses, or to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Heat up oil and butter in a pot or large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, and cook, covered for 5-10 minutes (until soft). Meanwhile chop cabbage or greens. Add garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes, and then add cabbage. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until all veggies are soft.

2. Add the peas and molasses, stirring, cook until heated through. Season to tastes.

This works well as a side dish, but also as a main over toast, rice or maybe even potatoes. I used the leftovers the next day to make open face baguette sandwiches with cheese on top. They were really tasty.

Smothered Burritos

I do like trying new recipes and when I do, I usually follow the measurements. However, most of the dishes I make are ones that I have made up, or have tweaked from recipes that I have made a lot. Therefore, I don’t really measure things out. Most of my cooking is done by eye and palate. I usually add a little bit of this and that. I guess that’s why I haven’t posted many of my own recipes; I just don’t have time to figure out specific measurements. So, I’ve made a decision to post them anyway, and do my best to put measurements to them. Just keep in mind that most of these recipes are not exact, and feel free to change the amounts of just about anything according to what you have on hand, and your own palate.

Baked beans are practically a staple in the English household. They are basically white beans in a slightly sweet tomato sauce. When looking for the tinned beans in the supermarket, you’ll find half an aisle full of baked beans, and one small section devoted to all the other types of beans. You’ll see baked beans with an English breakfast, beans on toast, beans over a baked potato (jacket potatoes), among other things. I have tried to branch out a bit, and Smothered Burritos is just one of several uses I have found for these culinary gems. If you can’t find baked beans, you could use pork and beans, or any other tinned beans plus extra tomato sauce.

Smothered Burritos is a recipe that I have made quite a lot, and my boys love it! They are similar to Enchiladas, but the sauce I use is a simple tomato sauce and not a proper red chilli sauce. I usually make extra burritos and freeze them; which make a great quick lunch and easy to send to work with my hubby. Just pop them in the microwave for a few minutes, and you’ve got a healthy filling lunch. It’s also a great use for leftover rice.

Smothered Burritos

Filling

~1/2 pound lean beef mince/ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 400g/14 oz tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 400 g tin baked beans

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp dried oregano

Chili powder to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

~1 to 1 ½ cups cooked rice

1/3 cup natural/plain yogurt

Tomato sauce

1 Tbs oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 chili pepper, minced (deseeded for less heat)

1 400g/16 oz can diced tomatoes

500 g sieved tomatoes/tomato sauce

1 handful chopped fresh coriander leaves/cilantro (or 1-2 tsp dried cilantro)

Tortillas

Grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. In a large frying pan, brown the beef, remove from the pan. Add a little oil if necessary, and sauté the onions and bell pepper until soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the beans, cumin, coriander, oregano and chili powder, and cook on medium, stirring occasionally until warmed through (about 5 minutes).

2. For the sauce, heat the oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Sauté the garlic and chili for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes , tomato sauce, and coriander/cilantro. Continue to cook until heat through. Season to taste.

3. In a large bowl (or in the frying pan if you have room), combine the meat mixture with the rice and yogurt. Add a bit of the red sauce for extra moisture.

4. Warm the tortillas to prevent them cracking when folding. Fill the tortillas and wrap them up. Place in a greased baking dish. Smother the burritos with the red sauce, and cover with grated cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.