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.

Simple Friday Night Meal

I try to give my kids a variety of foods, lots of vegetables and different flavours. I don't want them to grow up being picky eaters. But, they're still kids, and sometimes don't want to try a new curry, or a different looking stew. They can sometimes be a bit picky, and still enjoy the kid friendly fare. One of my boys' favourite things to eat is chicken nuggets (with BBQ sauce). I on the other hand am not a fan of the store bought pre-processed chicken nuggets. Who knows exactly what they contain? Most have added salt, and other unhealthy preservatives. I like making my own chicken nuggets. It is so easy and so quick, and I know exactly what's in them. My boys love them too! When I make the chicken nuggets, I also make some sort of vegetable side dish to accompany it.

Chicken nuggets

1-2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

~1/2 cup plain/natural yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

Other herbs and seasonings of choice to taste: i.e. paprika, minced garlic, dried herbs with

dried or fresh bread crumbs seasoned with salt & pepper.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/170 C. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper. Pound the breasts flat to about 1/2 inch thickness (you could use a rolling pin, the flat side of a meat tenderizer, a rubber mallet, or the bottom of a glass). Cut the chicken into pieces of desired size, about 2 inches, and set aside.

2. In a bowl or bag, mix together the yogurt salt, pepper, and other seasonings of choice. Place the chicken pieces in the bag and marinate for at least one hour if possible.

3. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish, cover each piece of chicken in the bread crumbs, and place on a greased baking sheet (or covered with baking paper). Place in oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Minted Carrots: slice a couple of peeled carrots, place in saucepan, cover with water, cook with some chopped fresh mint until water evaporates and carrots are soft. Add salt and pepper, and honey to taste. You could also add a little knob of butter if desired.