Black Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

This recipe is great served hot or cold, and goes well with grilled chicken or beef!! The lime really brings out the flavour so don't skip it!

Black Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

Ingredients
Salad:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
4 ears corn, kernels removed or 2 cups frozen and thawed corn kernels
1 dried bay leaf
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
6 ounces jicama, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Dressing:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons agave nectar or 2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lime zest
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions
Salad: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, salt, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper, if using. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until soft. Add the corn kernels and bay leaf. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the broth and black beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and jicama and stir until warmed through, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
Dressing: In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, lime juice, agave nectar (or maple syrup, if using), lemon zest, and lime zest. Whisk in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Remove the bay leaf and put the salad in a serving bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm or at room temperature.

Shepherd's Pie

So this is my absolute favourite shepherd's pie recipe ever. It's simple, and doesn't have a gravy sauce on it s0 it's much healthier than most!!

My Favourite Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

• 2 pounds potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 onions
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn kernels
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch dried sage
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions

1. Boil potatoes until tender. Mash with milk and 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Saute the onions with the paprika. Add the ground beef and sage, cook until meat is browned.
3. In a sauce pan, blanch frozen vegetables for 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain.
4. Spread a thin layer of potatoes in the casserole dish. Add half the peas and corn, then the ground beef and then the rest of the peas and corn. Top with mashed potatoes.
5. Dot top with flakes of butter, nutmeg, paprika, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Trinidadian Chicken Curry

Trinidadian Chicken Curry, taken from the Flavorista

Ingredients
2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 medium onion, quartered, divided
1 tomato, cored and quartered
8 cloves garlic
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and quartered
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
2 Tbsp. curry powder
2 tsp. turmeric
2 Tbsp. canola oil
6 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 4 cups of potatoes)
1 (14-oz) can regular or light coconut milk.

Directions
Add the salt, black pepper, mustard, half of the onion, tomato, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped like a chunky, fresh salsa.
Place chicken in a large bowl, pour the vegetable mixture over the chicken. Stir or mix with hands until the chicken is coated with the vegetables. Refrigerate the chicken and vegetables for at least 2 hours or as long as 6 hours.
When ready to start cooking, make the curry slurry: Add the curry powder, turmeric and 3/4 cup warm water to a mixing bowl. Whisk until blended. Finely chop the remaining onion and set aside.
In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Pour in the curry slurry and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. As the water evaporates, the curry slurry will darken slightly.
When the curry slurry has become a thick paste, add the remaining onion. Allow the onion to soften slightly, then add in the chicken and all the vegetables. Stir to coat the chicken and cook for five minutes. Add the potatoes and coconut milk. Stir until evenly blended.
Add 1 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork tender and the chicken is cooked through, 25 – 30 minutes. Before serving, taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Asparagus Soup

Asparagus Soup with Herbed Goat Cheese taken from the Food Network

Now, I'm not a huge fan of asparagus, but this recipe is delicious! Go easy on the salt, it needs very little!! Enjoy!

Ingredients

Goat cheese:

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) goat cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable Oil cooking spray

Soup:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large leek (white and light green part only), thinly sliced
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  
• 2 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Special equipment: a 1/2-ounce cookie or ice cream scoop
  

Directions : Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Goat cheese

Using a fork, in a small bowl, combine the goat cheese and basil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a 1/2-ounce cookie scoop or a round tablespoon measure sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray, scoop the goat cheese into balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Soup: In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring constantly until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broth, asparagus and basil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat.

To serve: Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and garnish with the herbed goat cheese.

Cook's Note: The soup can also be pureed by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

Introduction

I have come across a lot of fun little facts while nannying. Interesting recipes, great cleaning tips, excellent parenting advice! So what would be better than to share it all with the great wide world out there?

I also HATE meal planning. It's a pain! So why not put all of my favourite recipes up here so maybe somebody else can get something from all of that work?

Everything I put in this blog will be tried and true!

So, if you are listening, whoever you are, here are my tips, secrets and stories.

Enjoy!