Tag Archives: lime

Gazpacho, Morelia style

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The gazpacho we encountered in Morelia was unlike anything we had tried before.  Certainly not cold tomato soup.  We loved that each bite hit all the notes we were looking for; sweet, sour, spicy, salty and refreshing.  Versatility is key here, and in my opinion, so is hand chopping the fruit and vegetables.  Sure, a food processor would make short work of it all, but you might not get such great flavour in every spoonful.

mercado-frutas

We first tasted this in Morelia, Mexico – where everything is fresh and delicious!  Even at home though, we have loved the refreshing dish.  Try serving it in small dishes as a palate cleanser for a Mexican fiesta ….

Everything finely diced:

2 cups jicama

2 cups cucumber

1 cup watermelon

1 cup mango

1/2 – 2/3 cup red or white onion

I say 1/2 – 2/3 cup of onion because it will depend on how pungent your onion is, and how much you love onion flavour, play with it.

1 tsp chile flakes

1/2 tsp salt

juice of 1 lime

juice of 1 orange

Stir this all together, and taste!!!  Every little bit of fruit and vegetable should be in each bite and you should love the way it all comes together.  If not – adjust!

gazpacho-morelia-style

As you can tell, this is no small bite!  – Small version in the market in Morelia.

 

 

Thai Noodle Salad with Chicken and Peanut Lime Dressing

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This refreshing salad is delicious! A total meal in a bowl, but you will also find this to be the perfect salad dressing or dipping – go crazy and try it with sate also!

This refreshing salad is a meal in a bowl, so delicious and complete with crunch, salad and protein.

This refreshing salad is a meal in a bowl, so delicious and complete with crunch, salad and protein.

Peanut Lime Salad Dressing

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 -2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

In food processor – blend all ingredients, with the exception of the cilantro – taste and adjust for seasonings. I can’t say this enough – every brand of each ingredient is different, and will have a different profile. I start with the ingredient amounts listed above, and then continue to adjust as I taste. When smooth, creamy and you LOVE the taste, blend again with the cilantro. You want to see little bits of the cilantro.

SALAD

cooked, shredded chicken

spinach
red leaf lettuce
grated carrot
slivered coloured sweet peppers
slivered snow peas
cucumber – halved, seeds removed and sliced into half moons
bean sprouts
toasted cashews, peanuts and sesame seeds

Cooked, cooled noodles, either rice or wheat – (toss with a little sesame oil when cooled to prevent them sticking)

When cooking for a crowd, I like to place the salad in one bowl, shredded chicken in another, and the nuts, green onions and bean sprouts in separate bowls. Everybody can create their own, and drizzle the dressing over. If working with a smaller group, just blend it all and mix the dressing in.

Try serving this with my Thai Chicken Wings, and leave out the chicken from this recipe.

Thai Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Chicken

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All Thai dishes should have a balance of hot/sour/salty/sweet. Whatever recipe you use, keep tasting and adjusting until you get that balance just right. I do a lot of Thai cooking, and we love it all – but this is the first recipe that our Thai student Ping claimed was exactly like chicken he eats at home.

hot-sour-salty-sweet Gotta get that balance in Thai cookery!

hot-sour-salty-sweet
Gotta get that balance in Thai cookery!

MARINADE:
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp asian fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper (white if you have it)
1 garlic clove, minced
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate

Blend all ingredients together well – then add chicken.

This is enough to do 4 chicken breasts, or 8 chicken thighs. If using breasts I like to pound them lightly first – just enough to make them equal thickness which is easier to grill. Allow to marinate for whatever length of time you have – I have made this with only 1/2 an hour to marinate, and up to overnight.

Grill until cooked through – slice into strips and serve with dipping sauce.

DIPPING SAUCE
2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
1/4 cup asian fish sauce
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 minced clove garlic
1 small Thai chile – seeded and minced
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients except cilantro – TASTE!! Adjust to your preference, and if you like it really spicy, drizzle in a little chili oil. I have also drizzled on sesame oil to finish it. Once you have a good balance of flavour (which means you can’t stop yourself from continuing to taste) then stir in the cilantro.

Corn Salad with Mint, Parsley and Cilantro

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In a word – Yummy!!!  I have tried this with leftover steamed corn on the cob or grilled corn – either way it is so fresh and delicious you will love it.  Serve as a side dish/salad/grilled meat or fish topping or even try it served over greens for a change to your green salad.

4 cobs of corn – grilled or steamed

Remove corn from cob, and if you want a warm dish, mix everything together and serve.  If you are looking for a cold or room temperature side, just allow corn to cool first.

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Combine the onion and lime juice – let stand for at least 10 minutes – this will mellow out the flavour of the onions

1 tsp maple syrup

1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced

3 tbsp each of minced or torn mint, parsley and cilantro leaves

Combine all of the ingredients – and taste.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Tomatillo Corn Salsa/Relish

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Are you wondering what to do with a prolific crop of tomatillo plants??  We make lots of Salsa Verde to can for the winter months, and love it in a fresh cilantro salsa also, but this dish is incredibly good – serve with taco chips or as we did – over grilled steaks that have had an ancho chile rub applied before grilling.  It would be equally tasty served with grilled chicken or fish.  My husband loved it just as a salad!  

8 medium tomatillos, husked and chopped

2 tbsp red onion, finely diced

1/2 jalapeno – seeded and diced (use the seeds if you like it really spicy, but taste before adding them!)

3/4 cup of corn, removed from cob (for extra flavour grill the corn first!)

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients and toss to blend.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary – you won’t believe how fresh and delicious this is.

Asparagus with lime, feta and almonds

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There is nothing like asparagus season!  During that brief time we eat it most days … for our Fathers Day Mexican Fiesta I wanted to give it a Mexican twist – complimented our main of Pork in Salsa Verde –  just the way we wanted it to.

Asparagus – break off woody parts at the end

lime

feta cheese

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

juice of 1/2 a lime

Asparagus is best if you dress it after it has been grilled or roasted.  If you are able to grill it – so much the better.  Just grill on the surface of your grill until just fork tender.  This does, of course, require a grill master – someone who actually stays with the grill and looks after it!  If you don’t have either that luxury or the weather – preheat an oven to 375 and then roast it for about 20 minutes – just until fork tender – do not overcook.

When you take it off the heat, arrange on serving dish, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, then sprinkle toasted almonds and feta cheese over top – finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Delicious!

Peanut Chicken Wings

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Image

In large bowl blend:

1 cup smooth peanut butter

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup light soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 limes, zest and juice of

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Blend all ingredients well, until smooth and creamy – add:

40 chicken drumettes ( or 20 chicken wings)

Toss well and turn onto baking tray (works really well if you cover baking tray with parchment paper, and you also reduce your clean up time!)  Reserve the sauce.

Bake @ 400 for 30 minutes, turn and bake another 10.  Return wings to sauce and toss once more – baking for another 15 minutes until they start to crisp up.

Delicious!  Make sure to have extra napkins handy …