Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

We are spending more time in the kitchen this winter.  Usually we are in Florida this time of year.  But we sold the Florida house last spring and this is our first year experiencing winter in North Carolina. Granted we don’t have the brutal weather of the north, but it has been snowy, bleak and cold.  We’ve had fires in the fireplace, cooking some of our meals there.  There have been roasts and grilled poultry, lots of soups and casseroles.  All of this heavy cooking makes me hungry for something light and nutritious.

This winter salad utilizes canned black beans and chickpeas along with easily found winter vegetables like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onions and celery.  It keeps well in the refrigerator and can be turned into several different dishes.  Served on its own it is delicious but you could also:

1. Serve it over ground beef tacos.
2. Mix it with couscous or tabouli.
3. Add to a green salad.
4. Add canned tuna and serve it in a pita bread.

This bright salad is getting us through the dreary weather.  One bright spot is that we will be leaving soon for 6 weeks in a rental house in Florida.  It is in a different small town for us and we are looking forward to it.

WINTER SALAD

1 Can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 English cucumber, stripes peeled and diced
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients through the chopped parsley in a large bowl.  Combine the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Add to salad and toss well.  Store in the refrigerator for up to a week and use as you please.

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I would be curious if any of you have tasted Panamanian cuisine.  I have just been introduced to this  flavor profile. Panamanian cuisine is similar to other Caribbean locales and has been influenced by the Native Americans, Spanish and African immigrants who populate this land bridge between two continents. It includes tropical fruits, coconut, herbs like cilantro, rice and beans and seafood, pork and poultry.

I recently met Smith Anderson, founder of 980 Panama Gourmet Sauces. With his partner Alexis Gallardo, he conceived the idea of manufacturing sauces with ingredients straight from the fields of Panama.  All of their sauces are natural and gluten free. Alexis Gallardo, a native of Panama, had studied chemical engineering and was a part of his family’s manufacturing and distribution company that is the top exporter of natural vinegars in Central America.  Smith and Alexis formed their own company to produce flavorful sauces with an emphasis on freshness and quality ingredients.

Imagine adding Pineapple Coconut sauce to your caribbean rice dish or as a marinade for your favorite chicken.  The Wild Cilantro sauce adds just the right heat and flavor to tacos.  The Smoky Chipotle sauce would be great on ribs.  One of the newer sauces, not pictured above , is Caribbean Lime.  I used it in addition to the Wild Cilantro in the recipes I developed here. It has a bit of heat and a piquant flavor.

I marinated the pork cutlets in a mixture of the Wild Cilantro Sauce and the the Caribbean Lime Sauce with olive oil and vinegar before breading and frying.  The black beans were coated with a vinaigrette of olive oil, lime juice and the Wild Cilantro and Caribbean Lime Sauce. The Mango Salsa or Chatini comes from Dory Greenspan and is part of the cuisine of the island of Mauritius.  This is a meal worthy of sharing with friends and family with unique flavors and bright taste.

Smith Anderson has graciously offered to donate a four pack of sauces to one of my followers.  All you have to do is leave a comment below and like 980 sauces on Facebook. I will pick a winner by random drawing.

CARIBBEAN PORK

4 Tenderized boneless pork cutlets
1 Tablespoon Wild Cilantro 980 Sauce
1 Tablespoon Caribbean Lime 980 Sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

3/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg beaten with a little water
1 cup Panko crumbs

2 Tablespoons oil for frying

Combine the 980 sauces with the olive oil and white wine vinegar.  Place pork cutlets in shallow rectangular bowl.  Spoon sauce over them, turn and cover both sides of pork evenly with marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Place flour in bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Place egg and water in another bowl.  Put Panko crumbs in a third bowl.  Dip pork chops in flour, then egg and then in Panko crumbs being sure that the chops are well covered.  Place chops and on large plate and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to set crumbs.

Heat oil in large skillet and brown chops on both sides.  Place in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes to be sure that they are cooked through.

BLACK BEAN SALAD

1 15 Oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
1 large celery stalk, diced
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 scallions chopped

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon Wild Cilantro 980 Sauce
1 teaspoon Caribbean Lime 980 Sauce

Combine black beans with celery, celery leaves, tomatoes and scallions.

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients and pour over black bean mixture.  Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to combine flavors.  Serve as is or over a bed of watercress.

MANGO CHATINI ( Dory Greenspan )

Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, or to taste
1 large ripe but firm mango, peeled, pitted, and finely diced
1 spring onion, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne

Stir the lime juice and ginger together in a small serving bowl.  Add the mango, onion, and cilantro and season with slat, pepper and if you’d like, a pinch of cayenne.

Serve over Caribbean pork cutlet.

Printable Recipe

We did not need another kitchen gadget.  But the concept was too good to ignore.  To be able to make thin ribbons from zucchini, sweet potatoes, potatoes or any myriad of vegetables appealed to me.  The Spiralizer was on sale at William Sonoma.  I am glad that I spent the $29.00 for it.  We have used it many times already. Spiralized zucchinis are called zoodles.

While on Facebook one day, this recipe for a salad with spiralized zucchini and other raw vegetables popped up.  It was one of those streaming videos with all of the instructions delineated. I made it.  We loved it.  I just made it again.  It is easy and uses all of my favorite raw vegies.  The only ingredient that I cooked was the corn.  I bought two ears of corn and blanched them briefly.  But the other ingredients are raw.  It has a light mustardy vinaigrette dressing that gives just the right amount of flavor.

The cottage has some new lights.  Originally, we had some inexpensive Lowe’s pendant lights hanging over the sink area.  I have been wanting to replace them with more industrial wire cage pendants with Edison light bulbs.  While shopping at a furniture store in Black Mountain, I found these.  I love them.  Convincing David was another matter.David is all about energy efficient bulbs.  I am not sure that these Edison light bulbs are that bad.  After all, they are only 40 watts each.  His other argument against the lights was that  he loved our old fixtures. Some husbands don’t notice or care about design elements.  He is not one of them.  Sometimes I love that, other times . . . not so much.

I prevailed because it was Mother’s Day and I promised to turn the lights on only when necessary.  Mother’s Day holds much power.

I hope that you will love this salad as much as we have.  It is something that makes you feel good about what you are eating, but is so good that you would eat it even if it wasn’t good for you.  One night we had it with salmon . . . one night with ribs. Either way you can feel righteous.

ZOODLE MIXED SALAD

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Juice of 1 lime
3 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 to 2 Tablespoons grainy mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Zucchinis spiralized or shredded
3/4 cup red cabbage sliced thinly
2 ears of corn, blanched and cut from cobs
1 cup of broccoli florets cut small
15 grape tomatoes cut in half
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

In a large bowl mix the olive oil, lime, vinegar, honey, mustard and salt and pepper until emulsified.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss until coated with dressing.  Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour for flavors to meld.  Serve.  Leftovers will keep in fridge for a few days.

Printable Recipe

We have been enjoying warmer weather this week.  David has been working on the boat, getting it cleaned of cobwebs, and checking the engine.  The lake is glistening and quiet.  There is not much boat traffic this early in the season.  I took our kayak out for the first time.  I was sure that I would capsize it, but found my balance quickly.  The alternative would be a dunking in frigid water.  It was relaxing paddling by lakefront houses seeing the improvements that neighbors have made to their properties over the winter.  The Ellis’s have finished their party dock and lakeside cabin. There is a new house going up a few doors down.  Hanging baskets adorn many docks and the dogwoods and azaleas are in bloom.

This was a day calling for a special lunch.  I found a can of pinto beans and Italian tuna packed in olive oil in the pantry.  From the fridge I pulled a jar of peperoncini, lemons, cherry tomatoes, celery and red onion.  The recipe was inspired by one made by Kalyn’s Kitchen; one of my favorite healthy bloggers.  We polished off the whole thing.  David said we should eat lunch like this every day.

The dressing for the salad includes some of the peperoncini juice, lemon juice, olive oil, taco seasoning and a hit of hot pepper sauce.

While shopping at Trader Joe’s last week, I picked up a small pot of tulips still in the bud stage.  Look at them now in my sunny living room.  Not a bad investment for $3.99.

I love how such a small pot of flowers can make me smile.  Something else that makes me smile is the Spring ritual that my friend Penny and I have formed.  Each Spring when I return from Florida, we get together in Asheville for antiquing and lunch at our favorite bistro, Fig.

It was a little cool last week, but we ate at our favorite table anyway.

Penny had the PEI Mussels with Pommes Frites.  I had Chicken Schnitzel with white beans, andouille sausage and a piquillo pepper coulis.  It was delicious and it was fun catching up after a dreary winter.  . . . But back to this week’s lunch.

I think this is a great recipe.  Thanks to Kalyn for the inspiration.

TUNA AND PINTO BEAN SALAD

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T peperoncini juice (brine from the bottle of peppers)
1/2 tsp. Tabasco Sauce, more or less depending on how spicy you like it
1 tsp. Taco seasoning
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 large peperoncini peppers, stem and seeds removed and finely chopped
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 cup chopped tomato, drained if the tomatoes are very juicy (I used cherry tomatoes cut in fourths)
4 or 5 basil leaves, chiffonade
1 can (5-7 oz) Italian tuna packed in olive oil

Add rinsed and drained pinto beans to a medium size bowl.  Mix together the lemon juice, peperoncini juice, tabasco, taco seasoning, salt and pepper and olive oil. Whisk until combined.  Add rest of the ingredients except basil to the pinto beans.  Pour dressing over and stir to combine.  Sprinkle basil over the top and serve.

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I know all of you have had a raw broccoli salad.  But I have to say that this particular recipe is a little different and, in my opinion, a real winner.  It comes from blogger Kathleen at Gonna Want Seconds.  What makes it so special is the addition of orange zest and juice to the dressing.  It also incorporates grapes into the mix.  It is beautiful to look at and even more refreshing when you taste it.

We have had company for the past week.  Our good friends were here for bike week.  David made ribs on the grill for the first night they arrived. Instead of the usual coleslaw, I made this broccoli salad to rave reviews.  This is something you need to add to your Summer repertoire.

I admire Jackie and Barbara for swimming in our frigid pool.  It is not heated and usually swimmable only after April.  We had spent the previous day at the beach and, as you can tell by the picture, Barbara overdid the sun.  I did also.

So with this preview of summer, I hope you enjoy the salad.  Thank you Kathleen for a great recipe.

BROCCOLI SALAD

• Salad:
• Broccoli Florets, Cut into Bite Sized Pieces – 4 Cups
• Red Seedless Grapes, Cut in Half – 2 Cups
• Pecans, Roughly Chopped – 3/4 Cup
• Red Onion, Chopped – 1/2 Cup
• Bacon, Cooked and Chopped – 12 Ounces
• Mozzarella, Cut Into Small Cubes – 1/2 Cup
• Dried Dates or Cranberries – 1/2 Cup
• Dressing:
• Mayonnaise – 1 Cup
• Orange Juice – 1/2 Cup
• Sugar – 1/4 Cup
• Apple Cider Vinegar – 2 Tablespoons
• Fresh Orange Zest – 1 Tablespoon
• Dijon Mustard – 1 Teaspoon
• Salt – 1/4–1/2 Teaspoon
• Black Pepper – 1/4Teaspoon

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, orange juice, sugar, apple cider vinegar, orange zest, Dijon, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.
2. In a large salad bowl, toss together the broccoli, grapes, pecans, red onions, bacon, cheese, and dates. Toss the salad with half the dressing. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper and dressing as needed. Serve.  (I used all of the dressing)

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