And more apologies to be made, this time about my amateur photos - they are from my phone as I have somehow misplaced my camera :(
This Mexican salad recipe is made up of five parts; polenta, salsa, beans, veggie salad and then the yoghurt dressing.
Polenta - probably about a cup uncooked
One large can of red kidney beans (or two standard size cans)
2 limes
2 cloves of garlic
chilli flakes
cumin powder
cayenne pepper
1 cup of Greek or natural yoghurt
1 can of diced tomatoes, or about four fresh
2 onions
1/2 capsicum
Fresh coriander, oregano and thyme, about a handful all together.
As for what you will need for the salad, use whatever takes your fancy, I used about 2-3 florets of each broccoli and cauliflower, the rest of the capsicum, 1 medium carrot and zucchini, as well as about 1/2 a pear. I really enjoyed the pear in with the rest of the veggies, even if your not a fan of fruit with savoury meals, just try it, it adds a bit of extra crunch and flavour.
This recipe probably made about four to five serves.
Polenta:
Firstly, simmer about four cups of water, then add a cup of polenta (i.e. 1 part polenta should be cooked with 4 parts water). Stir continuously for about five minutes, and then leave it to continue simmering away.
I don't cook polenta very often, so I find it difficult to gauge when it is actually cooked enough and at a good consistency. Supposedly the best way to cook polenta is to stir it continuously over simmer for 25 minutes. But if you are like me, and don't have the patience, stir it every now and then. I cooked my polenta for about forty minutes, stirring it about every five minutes or so. Also, I find once it has been taken off the heat the polenta soaks up most of the excess fluid, so keep this in mind depending on the consistency you want. If anyone has any tips for me when cooking polenta, they would be helpful!
Polenta is traditionally a corn-based dish, and gluten free.
Yoghurt dressing:
Finely dice one clove of garlic and some fresh herbs. Fold this as well as the juice of one lime through the yoghurt. If you like a bit of cracked pepper, as I do, add liberally. Preferably, get this done early on, even a few hours before, the meal prep so the flavours have time to infuse through the yoghurt.
Salsa:
Fry the two onions in a pan with an appropriate oil. After browned, add the garlic, capsicum, chilli flakes and cumin. Add to taste. After about three minutes, then add the tomatoes (can or diced fresh) and the rest of the fresh herbs. Let simmer on low heat for ten to fifteen minutes. If you prefer a very rich tomato-y taste, you may also want to add some tomato paste.
Don't you just love our kettle in the background?
Beans:
Mash or use a hand mixer to make a smooth consistency of the red kidney beans. You can make it as smooth as you like, or you can leave it a little chunky (see pic below). Add the juice of one lime, and some cayenne pepper, or Moroccan mixed spice ad lib.
They don't look particularly appetizing, but believe me these beans packed a punch! They were probably my favourite element to this dish.
Veggie Salad:
Dice all the veggies into little cubes. Easy-peasy!
Putting it all together
The dish is made up of firstly of the polenta as the base, then the salsa, the beans, and the veggies sprinkled right over the whole thing. The yoghurt can then be drizzled over the top. The tricky part is trying to fit all this into your bowl!
Stage 1: The undergarments
Stage 2: The saucy salad and dressing
Who knew Mexican food could be so titillating?
Leaving some elements of the meal, such as the beans, the veggies and the yoghurt, cold/room temperature I find contrasts with the heat of the salsa and also gives off the salad vibe.
Its an extremely fresh, spicy meal that packs a punch, and is surprisingly filling! I was not able to get through a whole bowl of this when I made it, and I'm a guts!
Que tengan un buen día!!
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