cultivating me

I’VE MOVED

i finally got my rear end in gear and set up a new domain name and blog.  eventually, i will figure out what i want to do with this site but for now, if you’d like to keep reading my ramblings about my life, cooking, and books i’ve read, please visit me HERE (http://cultivatingme.com or http://blog.cultivatingme.com)

{emv} day 6: mexican bell pepper salad

101 Simple Salads, #25

Ridiculously good.  This is another salad I would like to eat every day for the rest of my life.  As you can see, I added some pinto beans to this salad even if the recipe didn’t suggest it.  I’ve been eating these salads for my lunch and wanted to round out the nutrition of this plate.  I did not, however, use the chili powder because the bit of jalapeno I used was spice enough for this girl. My son used the last of the tortilla chips to make himself nachos today so I went ahead and made my own crispy tortilla strips but, I used a flour tortilla because we were out of corn.  I put the cut tortilla in the oven while I chopped the veggies and by the time I was done chopping, the strips were nice and toasted – super easy! Oh and if i had some in my fridge, I would have crumpled some queso fresco on the top.

Directions from the article:

25. Combine chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, red onion, chilies and cilantro, then toss with corn tortilla strips, toasted in a 350-degree oven until crisp (or yes, use packaged chips; why not?). Dust with chili powder and lots of lime juice.

Here’s what I used to make a salad for one:

• red, yellow and orange bell peppers (1/4 of each), seeds removed
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1/4 tbsp chopped red onion
• 1/4 of fresh red jalapeno, seeds removed
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• one 8 inch flour tortilla
• salt to flavor

{emv} day 5: cucumber and red onion salad

101 Simple Salads, #3

I really like cucumbers and red onions and I go waaaaaaay back (in fact my dad’s favorite sandwich is peanut better and red onion – i know, it explains a lot of things, about both of us)  but I’m no so big on dijon mustard.  I was really unsure about this salad but determined to continue trying new things and determined to continue finding new ways of eating vegetables, I forged ahead.  And, I was glad I did.  This salad was very yummy and refreshing.  The only thing I would do differently next time is let the cucumbers and onions marinate in the salt for a bit longer.  I only let them sit for about 30 minutes and while the salt flavored both of them well and softened up the onion, it was not quite as soft as I would have liked it to be.  I am certain another 20-30 would have done the trick and perhaps saved me from a bit of onion breath – eeeek! The dressing was much better than I anticipated – the flavor of the cider vinegar cut through and sweetened up the dijon mustard.  This would have also been good if I had tossed a few tomatoes on top.

Directions from the article:

3. A nice cucumber salad: Slice cucumbers thin (if they’re fat and old, peel and seed them first), toss with red onions and salt, then let sit for 20 to 60 minutes. Rinse, dry, dress with cider vinegar mixed with Dijon mustard; no oil necessary.

Here’s what I used to make a salad for one – (It was a large portion since this salad was the main component of my lunch.  If I was serving this as a side dish, it would certainly have served two)

• 3 inch piece of large cucuber
• 1/2 of small red onion
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar

{emv} day 4 or tomato argula salad

101 Simple Salads, #10

today i made a salad which included a type of green – arugula.  i am again using tomatoes from my garden. i only planted 3 plants this year:  2 larger variety (champion and best boy tomatoes) and 1 cherry tomato plant.  i have learned this gives us more than enough tomatoes for our family and a few to share with the neighbors.  i did not however, plant enough corn or beans but we’ll leave that for another post.

i’m not quite sure how to describe arugula except to say that it is similar to spinach (at least it looks like spinach) but it has a more intense peppery flavor.  i have had it before mixed with other salad greens and on top of pizza which is i think is an excellent idea to do with the leaves i have leftover after making this salad.

this salad was very good although i was not quite prepared for the intense flavor of it.  the first bite really hit my taste buds.  if you find the arugula too strong of a flavor on it’s own, i bet this is just as good made with spinach instead or a mix of the two.    i am most certain this would also be fabulous with cooked bacon sprinkled on top.  i really wanted to add bacon to my salad but did not have any on hand

directions from the article:

10. Cook whole grape tomatoes in olive oil over high heat until they brown lightly, sprinkling with curry powder. Cool a bit, then toss with chopped arugula, loads of chopped mint and lime juice.

here’s what i used to make a salad for one:

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cooked as directed and sprinkled with a light coating of curry powder
• 1 cup arugula leaves, chopped
• juice from 1/2 limes
• fresh mint leaves, chopped (approx 1tbsp, from 2 sprigs of mint
• salt an pepper to taste

you can read this if you want more information on how/why i began the quest to make eating my veggies a habit over the next 30 days.

{eating my veggies} day 3

101 Simple Salads, #13

i feel perhaps i might be cheating by choosing another salad which contains fruit.  but i currently have a refrigerator full of ripe strawberries and tomatoes from my garden so i decided to use what i had on hand. it was delicious and i would have loved to have served this over a bed a spinach leaves and maybe used a balsamic vinaigrette instead of the just the vinegar. next time  i am excited about finding these new ways to include veggies in my diet without it being boring and a constant repetition of the same thing day after day

directions form the article:

13.  A red salad: Combine tomato wedges with halved strawberries, basil leaves, shaved Parmesan and balsamic vinegar.

here’s what i used to make a salad for one:

• 2 small tomatoes, sliced
• 6 strawberries, halved
• 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• balsamic vinegar – very little, maybe 1/4 tsp
• fresh Parmesan cheese, grated on top – again very little, just a light dusting on top