Salad for Breakfast: Layered Tex-Mex Salad

I just ate salad for breakfast. Because I can. Isn't being an adult wonderful? I've gone wheat-free and quasi-paleo of late and am loving it, feel like a new woman and this salad fits in well!

This isn't your average salad, it's salad I've been dreaming about all night because it is just that good. The combination of flavours and textures added to the aesthetic appearance is just fabulous. It's a whole meal and a healthy one at that, which would be perfect for dinner or to bring to picnics, potlucks or parties. It keeps well overnight and doesn't get soggy. I used grilled Mexican seasoned pork chops as the main protein, sliced thinly, but you could use a layer of seasoned taco beef or ground turkey, or some sliced grilled chicken or just leave meat out entirely! You may notice you don't see the corn in the pictures that the recipe calls for, but that's because when I went to get the corn, it turned out I had none. Although this was excellent without it, I think the crunchy sweetness would have added another fabulous layer of flavour.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 4 little gem lettuce, thinly sliced
• 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 large white onion, finely diced
• handful chopped coriander (cilantro)
• 2 avocados, thinly sliced
• lime, juiced
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 can black or kidney beans
• 1 can sweetcorn
• 4 roasted red peppers, sliced
• 2 cups meat choice (see intro)
• 1 cup sliced black olives
• 1 quantity of dressing (recipe below)

Mix the onions and coriander and add half the juiced lime. Season with salt and pepper.  Use the remaining lime juice to coat the avocado slices to ensure they don't brown.

Get a large glass bowl and begin assembling. Start with a big layer of lettuce, reserving about 1/4 then layer the rest of the ingredients in whatever way seems appealing to you, with the dressing on the top. Top with another thin layer of lettuce. You can add a bit of cheese and green onions and olives on top as a garnish if you'd like.

Serve 

For the dressing:

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp chill powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. 

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Winter Warmers: Italian Wedding Soup

When I lived in New York state, I worked for a major bank. During my training I was sent to a different part of town to work in a corporate branch in the business district. I hated every second of it, except for lunch time on Wednesdays.  I smelled it before I saw it, rich, warm, flavoursome and I asked what it was. Italian Wedding Soup they said.  Every Wednesday they had Italian Wedding Soup. It was so good, the only way I got through my few months in that job was knowing that every week had a Wednesday!

The whole family, even the picky ones have inherited my love for this soup and often beg for it after a long hike in the mountains. It really is a full meal in a bowl with protein, veggies and carbs all covered.

I've tried many recipes over the years and nothing has compared to that little canteen. Eventually I had to reconstruct my own version. Some recipes use kale, some use spinach, either would work fine, I use spinach because it's easier to find here, but go with whatever works for you.  If you can't get Italian sausage, use normal sausage and add some ground fennel seeds, chilli and Italian seasoning to the meatball mix and you will come pretty close! A perfect meal for these cold wintery days.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs-

• 1 lb Italian sausage meat (remove casings from alb of sausage)
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• handful parmesan
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• salt, pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and form small one inch meatballs. Brown in a 200C/400F oven for about ten minutes. 

For the soup-

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3-4 celery stalks, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3-4 litres chicken stock
• 1 cup small pasta shapes (orzo or risini work well, broken spaghetti is fine too)
• 2-3 handfuls torn spinach
• Meatballs
• Salt
• Black and white pepper
• Parmesan cheese to serve

Saute the carrots, onion and celery in the butter and olive oil until soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or so until fragrant. 

Pour in stock and add pasta, cook for about ten minutes then add meatballs. Allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes until pasta is cooked. Stir in the spinach and allow to wilt. Season with the salt and two types of pepper. Serve in big bowls with lashings of freshly grated parmesan.

The Ultimate BLT

A BLT is the ultimate sandwich, but with a few flourishes and top quality ingredients it can really go from standard to gourmet.  Of most importance is of course, the bacon.  Standard Irish back rashers just do not cut it.  Streaky rashers, smoked and without rind are better, but if you can find it, buy the Spanish brand Campofrio Bacon. It's beautifully smoked, the perfect blend of meat and fat and fries up delightfully crispy.  My kids call it American bacon because it's very similar to what we got back in the US.  I've found it at Supervalu's and Centra's mainly and when I see it, I buy it all so that they keep ordering it!  I just fry the bacon up in a hot pan or grill pan until it is crispy but not burnt and drain it.  The rest is easy.  I used a rosemary and apricot jam for my relish here and also frequently use a roasted garlic and fig relish, you can use anything you like. My husband claims this is the reason he fell in love with me! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 slices good white bread, lightly toasted
• 1/4 pound bacon, fried to crispy
• 2 leaves Baby Gem / Cos Lettuce
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• Good Mayonnaise
• Relish
• German mustard
• Black pepper

Thinly spread mustard on one of the toast slices.  Cover with a thin spreading of your relish or jam.  

Lather the other piece of toast with a hearty helping of mayonnaise.

Layer the lettuce, tomato and red onion on top and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.  Top with bacon and remaining slice of toast. 

Serve with chips (crisps) and a pickle for posterity! ;)

Baked Ziti

I first heard about Baked Ziti when I was watching The Sopranos.  I was immediately intrigued and have tried several recipes since.  This is the recipe I've cobbled together that everyone seems to love.  I tested it out on my sister-in-law who is Italian and she said it's better than her Grandmothers which was high praise indeed.  What I love most about this recipe is the cost, it's so cheap to make consisting of basic frugal ingredients.  If you're sick of the usual bolognaise based dishes like lasagne and meatballs, definitely give this a go.

Ingredients:


For the tomato sauce-

• Olive Oil
• 1 lb Italian Sausage, removed from casing*
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 500g of passata
• 1 can diced tomatoes

For the bechamel-

• 1/4 cup (2 oz) butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• grating of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

To assemble-

• 1lb (dry weight) ziti or penne pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 cups grated mozzarella

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F.

Cook ziti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions until slightly softened and add sausage, stirring to break up.  Once browned, add garlic, sugar and oregano. Stir in passata and tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and season with salt, pepper and/or sugar to your taste.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel.  Heat butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan.  Add butter and stir for a minute.  Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil.  Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in nutmeg and parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with butter and layer half the pasta, half the meat sauce and half the bechamel in it.  Repeat and top with mozzarella.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling.  Allow to stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

* If you cannot get Italian sausage, use normal Irish or herb sausages and add a tablespoon of fennel seeds, an additional tablespoon of oregano, teaspoon of basil and a quarter teaspoon of chilli flakes.