i like it hot in here

The weather has been HOTT and I'm not complaining. I like an early summer which means only good things like popsicles, bbqs and hanging out at the beach. Last night I had a friend over and I didn't want to turn on the oven or do anything that would increase the already HOTT temperature in my kitchen, so I made a meal out of 2 dips and a very hearty salad. As my friend Kristen can attest, the meal was flavourful and delicious and can definitely stand up to repeat makings in the HOTT summer weather.

simple hummous
Dip number one was my simple hummous recipe, which is simply a drained and rinsed can of chickpeas dumped into a blender along side 3 plump cloves of garlic, 3 heaping T of tahini, 2 T cumin, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a few large drops of hot sauce, juice of 1 lemon, salt & pepper, 1-2 T water and 1-2 T olive oil. Blend. If it's too thick, add a bit more water. Done!

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Dip number two, was the very delicious white bean dip posted by poco-cocoa. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except that I used less oil and more garlic. Beyond tasty!!

white bean dip
2 T plus 2 T olive oil
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt, plus more to taste
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c (loosely packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 T fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
4 garlic cloves

In a blender, combine beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add in the olive oil until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Season the puree with more salt and pepper to taste.

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The salad I conjoured up was a bit unusual since I never use pearl barley except in soups. Here, it's the main grain and works nicely. Colourful, a bit different and so good.

white, red & green barley salad
6 c water
1 2/3 c. pearl barley
1 red pepper, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1/4 of a red onion, choppped fine
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1/2 c raisins

Dressing:
1 lemon, juiced plus grated rind
3 T olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 T cumin
1 t dried dill

1. Boil water in a large pot and add barley. Turn down heat and cover until barley is tender about 45 minutes. Drain and rinse barley until water runs clear. Barley should still be warm to help absorb the dressing.

2. Add barley to large bowl and add red pepper, red onion, apple, raisins.

3. In a small bowl, mix dressing ingredients together until thickened. Add to salad and mix well.

Serve at room temperature or chill until ready to eat.

oh, couscous!

It's been one of those weeks where take-out seems to be the only way to go. I've resisted the urge to dial for pizza or order in Indian food, yet despite my resolve to cook what we had out of our cupboards, I wasn't really inspired. After browsing through cookbooks and dreaming about all the ingredients I didn't have at my immediate disposal, I decided that I'd have to just make do and make the best of a really bad situation. I had just read a restaurant review for a new Morocan restaurant and that, my friends, gave me true inspiration! I had cinnamon and spices, raisins and couscous! I could do anything!! So I tossed a few ingredients together in my trusty cast iron stewing pot and came up with something truely delicious.

Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Stew

I'm not very good at measuring, but I think you'll get the picture.

Ingredients: a can of chickpeas, a large can of tomatos, 1 small onion diced, 1 green pepper diced, olive oil, 1/2 a lemon, cumin, corriander, cinnamon, hot pepper flakes, salt, pepper.

In a large heavy pot, heat a small amount of olive oil and add the diced onion and green pepper. Add a dash of salt to the vegetables and let them get wilty but not mushy -- about 4 minutes. Stir in about a teaspoon each of the cumin and ground corriander (I didn't measure, but I'll assume that this is close). Add the can of tomatoes and crush them if needed. Normally, I chop them roughly before adding them to the pot, but this time I mashed them with a potato masher while in the pot. Next time I think I'll stick to chopping them beforehand, as the tomatoes were a bit too stringy. Next, I added the chickpeas and about 2-3 large handfulls of raisins, along with about 1/2 a teaspoon of hot pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspon (or more) of cinnamon. Mix everything together and cook over a low heat with the lid on until everything gets nice and soft, about 40 minutes. 10 minutes before serving, squeeze half a lemon into the stew for a bit of tang and mix well. Serve over couscous.

♥ This meal was great when we ate it on Saturday night with a nice glass of wine. It tasted even better tonight with some whole wheat bread spread with cold sweet butter. tasty!!

Sometimes you really can make something out of nothing.