I made these ages ago. Way back in April, I think. They went over super well and everyone loved them. But things were pretty hectic and I never did get around to doing the write-up for it. So, finally, here it is!

Cucumber Toasts with Radishes

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 125g cream cheese, softened
• 60g feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 slices bread (preferably whole wheat), toasted
• 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. broccoli sprouts¹

Directions

1. Combine cream cheese, feta cheese, green onion, and garlic and mix well.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Spread the cheese mixture over the toast.
4. Top with cucumber, radishes, and sprouts.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

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¹ The recipe calls for alfalfa "or other" sprouts. And I had some lovely fresh broccoli sprouts from Noki Farms, so I opted to use those. I think the slight spiciness of the sprouts complemented the radishes nicely! ^Back

Based on the ingredients it looks like this recipe was aiming for a galbijjim sort of vibe, only with less fruit in the marinade, no veggies in the stew, and made with steak instead of short ribs.

Personally, I found the finished dish a little too sweet for my tastes. I think I'd be inclined to cut back on the brown sugar and/or omit the honey next time. But it was quite good. And the meat was very tender. I did kind of miss the veggies though. I'd be tempted to toss in a carrot or two next time, just to lighten it up a bit. It's very nice overall though.

Korean-Style Beef Bowls

Slightly adapted from Healthy Instant Pot by Alexis Mersel

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, coarsely choppsed
• 1/2 c. soy sauce¹
• 1/2 c. brown sugar²
• 1/4 c. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2-3cm piece of fresh ginger³, peeled
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. honey⁴
• 1 Asian pear
• 1kg stewing beef
• 1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
• 6 radishes, sliced thin
• seasoned rice vinegar⁵
• cooked brown rice, to serve
• 2-3 scallions, sliced (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Add the yellow onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, mirin, garlic, ginger, pepper, and honey to a blender.
2. Peel, quarter, and core the pear and add it to the blender as well. Purée until smooth.
3. Pour the marinade over the beef, turn to coat, cover, and marinate (in the fridge) for 4-24 hours.
4. Meanwhile, place the red onion and radishes in a bowl and pour in enough vinegar to cover them. Cover and store in the fridge for at least 15 minutes and as long as 2 weeks.
5. When the meat is done marinating, transfer it and the marinade to the InstantPot and pressure cook on high for 35 minutes followed by a 15-minute natural release.
6. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the sauce, then switch the InstantPot to sauté medium for ~10 minutes to thicken the sauce a bit.⁶
7. Serve the beef over rice, topped with sauce, pickled veggies, scallions, and sesame seeds (if using).

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¹ I used a mix of dark and light soy sauce. ^Back
2 I actually used 1/4 c. of this Splenda brown sugar blend stuff which is supposed to be equivalent to 1/2 c. of brown sugar. I might try cutting it back to 1/3 c. of brown sugar or 3 Tbsp. of the Splenda stuff next time though, just to cut the sweetness a bit. ^Back
3 I used 2 Tbsp. of ginger paste in place of the fresh ginger for this. ^Back
4 I would consider omitting the honey next time. ^Back
5 The original recipe calls for white wine vinegar with a pinch of salt added to it. I already had some nice, vinegar-y cucumber and onion salad on hand, so I just used that in place of the onion and radish blend this time around. That said, if I were doing it again and didn't have any appropriately prepared veggies already on hand, I think I'd be inclined to just use seasoned rice vinegar here. ^Back
6 I was very, very tired by the time the beef was finished yesterday and I actually completely forgot this step. So we have very saucy beef indeed. Whoops! ^Back

I had originally planned on trying out a celery salad recipe from "The Cookbook" this week, but I didn't quite get around to it and ended up giving this celery and herb salad a go instead. Sadly none of us really liked it. Now, to be fair, I did deviate from the recipe a bit. This was partly because I couldn't find all the ingredients and partially because I got mixed up about what we had on hand and a little bit because I was trying to make it a bit healthier and I know that I normally find most vinaigrettes too oily anyway. But perhaps if I'd been able to follow the recipe more closely it would have come out better.

I've chosen to relay the original reicpe below, not my franken-version. I've included notes detailing what changes I made so that you'll know what NOT to do. Good luck!

Celery and Herb Salad

From Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

• 1 shallot¹, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard²
• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 olive-oil packed anchovy fillets³
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt⁴
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. olive oil⁵

Salad

• 1 head of celery⁶, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh tarragon⁷
• 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh dill⁸
• 4 large eggs, hard-boiled
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine the shallot, mustard, lemon juice, anchovies, salt, and pepper in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth and then, with the blender running, gradually add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Set aside.
3. Combine the celery, radishes, parsley, tarragon, and dill in a large bowl.
4. Add ~1/2 the dressing and toss to coat.
5. Peel and quarter the eggs and add them to the salad.
6. Drizzle with a little more dressing.
7. Serve, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and additional dressing.

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¹ I used 1/2 of a small red onion instead. I usually find this to be an acceptable substitute for shallots, but it now occurrs to me that I probably should've tossed a clove of garlic in as well. ^1
2 I used home-made Roman mustard as I generally use to two interchangeably and don't bother keeping store-bought mustard on hand anymore. (Unless I want a bit of yellow mustard for hotdogs or something.) ^Back
3 I used 4 whole anchovies packed in olive oil and chile flakes. Again, I've never had any issues with making this substitution and I find that the whole anchovies generally break down much better than the anchovy fillets. (Plus they're much cheaper!) ^Back
4 I think I may have forgotten to add the salt. I don't think the salad tasted particularly under-seasoned, but perhaps a bit of extra saltiness would have helped the overall flavour, I don't know. ^Back
5 I only used 1/4 c. of oil to make my dressing. That said, TF and I both tasted it after mixing and thought that it tasted fine and didn't need the rest of the oil. I know that this will have resulted in a smaller overall amount of vinaigrette, but there still seemed to be plenty enough to dress the salad. So, if neither the flavour nor quantity of dressing was an issue, then I don't really think reducing the quantity of oil was a problem. ^Back
6 I think the celery is actually probably the most likely culprit for the less-than-optimal results. I used an heirloom "leafy" celery variety. It was lovely, but the flavour was definitely a lot stronger than your bog standard celery. I'm used to celery tasting more-or-less like crunchy water. It has a lot of texture, but not much flavour of its own. That was definitely not the case for this celery! It actually tasted distinctly celery-y (like celery seed, but in the actual vegetable). This is great for things like soups and stir-fries, but maybe the flavour was a bit too much to blend harmoniously with the other salad components in this recipe. If I try it again, I'll make sure to use a blander variety of celery. ^Back
7 Sadly, I wasn't able to get any tarragon this week, so I just had to leave it out. I'm sure that won't have helped the final results. ^Back
8 Our old dill plant isn't doing so hot right now and the new one is still too small to harvest much from, so I could only get ~1 Tbsp. of fresh dill. I tried adding a little bit of ground dill seed (a scant tsp.) to compensate, but this doesn't work as well in salads as it does in soups and stews. That and the missing tarragon probably didn't do any favours for the success of this salad. ^Back

I ran across the suggestion of making breakfast tostadas on... some blog somewhere. It was from a blogger who focused on weight loss and had a lot of Weight Watchers recipes. This one, surprisingly, wasn't a WW recipe; it was from another food blog. I didn't end up using the recipe provided, but I took inspiration from it.

I ended up using ready-made, canned refried beans, but you could easily make your own at home if you prefer. I did make my own baked tostadas for this, but you could use store-bought tostadas if you wanted to shave a little time and effort off the prep. The store-bought ones will be more Points/calories, of course, but sometimes that's a trade-off worth making. And it should still reasonably healthy (and low-Points) overall.

You can dress these up however you like. I did mine with refried beans, tomato salsa, cherry tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, fresh cilantro, avocado, and a fried egg. You could also try fresh or pickled onions on them, shredded lettuce, various types of cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, feta, cotija, etc.), bacon, chorizo, tempeh, smoked tofu... You could swap out the fresh avocado for guacamole. Try cooking your eggs a different way (scrambled, poached, or boiled come to mind). For a vegan take, you could go for scrambled tofu in place of the egg. There are lots of options!

Breakfast Tostadas

Ingredients

• 1-2 tostadas per person
• ~2 Tbsp. of refried beans per tostada
• 1-2 Tbsp. of grated or crumbled cheese per tostada (optional)
• ~1 Tbsp. of salsa or salsa verde per tostada
• ~1/8 of an avocado, sliced or 1-2 Tbsp. of guacamole per tostada (optional)
• 2-4 Tbsp. of veggies per tostada (lettuce, tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, bell pepper, radishes, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp. of crumbled bacon, tempeh, smoked tofu, or chorizo per tostada (optional)
• 1 egg per tostada (scrambled, fried, poached, or boiled) or ~1/4 c. of scrambled tofu
• ~1 Tbsp. of chopped fresh cilantro per tostada

Directions

1. Make sure your refried beans are nice and hot.
2. Spread the beans on your tostada.
3. Top with cheese (if using).
4. Top with salsa, avocado or guac (if using), and veggies, bacon/tofu/tempeh/chorizo (if using).
5. Top with egg or tofu.
6. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

I've been in a breakfast rut lately. Usually dressing up some ramen with some extra veggies and protein is a good go-to breakfast for me when I don't know what else to have. But that hasn't been appealing to me lately. Yesterday I had some left over pork chop and brussels sprouts for brunch. Now we're all out of pork chops and I'm faced with the breakfast question again.

Initially I was thinking that maybe I'd just have some ramen anyway, even if it didn't appeal. But I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a few minutes staring at breakfast inspiration to see if anything sang to me. What this revealed was that I wanted a eggs and toast sort of breakfast. I thought about making a croque madame, but we didn't have either the gruyère or the ham. Then I stumbled across this salsa verde baked eggs recipe... I even had an unopened jar of salsa verde in the pantry! I'd gotten it just in case I my mole de olla ended up needing some extra tomatillos/sauce, but didn't end up needing it in the end.

This is an incredibly simple recipe: Just put some salsa verde in a pan and bake some eggs in it. Then top with cheese and veggies as you see fit and serve with a starch of your choice. I topped mine with Cheddar cheese and a sort of cabbage-carrot-radish salad that we had on hand and served it with toasted sourdough and it was delicious. I don't have salsa verde on hand that often, but I definitely want to keep this recipe in mind for when I do!

Salsa Verde Baked Eggs

Slightly adapted from The Modern Proper

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. butter, oil, bacon grease, or lard
• 1 c. salsa verde
• 4 large eggs

Toppings & Accompaniments

Choose as many or as few as you'd like.

• cheese: cotija, feta, Cheddar, and/or monterey jack
• veggies: sliced radish, shredded cabbage, grated carrot, sliced avocado, corn, and/or shredded radicchio
• other: lime wedges/lime juice and/or chopped fresh cilantro
• starches: toast, corn tortillas, and/or flour tortillas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease a 25cm (10") pan with a fat of your choice. (I like using pork fat here, but follow your heart.)
2. Pour the salsa verde into the greased pan.
3. Crack one egg into each quadrant of the pan. Season with a little salt and pepper if you like, but I didn't find mine really needed it.
4. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 12-15 minutes¹.
5. While eggs are cooking, toast your bread and/or warm up some tortillas.
6. Serve eggs on (or alongside) toast and/or tortillas and topped with cheese(s) and veggies of your choice.

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¹ I baked mine for the full 15 minutes because TF and I really can't stand undercooked egg whites. This turned out to be a bit too much though and left the yolks cooked hard. I think next time I'd try cooking them for only 12 minutes. Or possibly separate the whites and yolks so that they can be cooked for different amounts of time. I might try putting a white in each quadrant, baking for 3-5 minutes, and then adding a yolk on top of each white and baking for another 8-10 minutes or something. Not sure what the best timing would be, but it may be worth experimenting with. ^Back

I never would have thought of radish in a fruit salad, but it works really well with the orange! This salad is sweet and refreshing. The recipe calls for a pinch of cinnamon; I went fairly light on it, but after trying it symbol thinks it would benefit from a heavier touch with the cinnamon next time.

Orange and Grated Radish Salad with Orange Flower Water

From The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert (p.64)

Ingredients

• 225g (~8 oz) red radishes, trimmed and coarsely grated
• 1½ tbsp sugar
• 2 navel or temple oranges
• 2 tbsp juice (from the oranges)
• 2-3 tsp orange flower water
• 1½ tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• a pinch of cinnamon
• 3-4 mint leaves, shredded

Directions

1. Toss the grated radishes with the sugar. Let stand 15 minutes, then cover and store in the fridge. (The recipe calls for draining them; we forgot to and the resulting salad was still tasty, but very soupy!)
2. Peel the oranges. Cut away all the pith, leaving bare flesh. Cut the flesh into discs; squeeze the pith bits to get 2tbsp of juice for the dressing. Store in the fridge.
3. Whisk together the orange juice, orange flower water, lemon juice, and salt in a serving bowl.
4. Unwrap the radishes and toss them with the dressing. Add more lemon juice to sharpen the flavour if needed.
5. Top with orange slices, cinnamon, and mint.

This was okay. I used fancy buckwheat and sweet potato soba noodles for it and I wasn't super thrilled with how they came out. I think it'd be better with regular soba noodles.

Soba Noodle Salad

Slightly adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 350g dried soba noodles
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ginger paste
• 1/8 tsp. wasabi paste
• 1 watermelon radish, peeled and shredded
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• nori, cut into matchsticks, to garnish

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the noodles and salt.
2. Boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
3. Drain noodles and rinse under cold water.
4. Toss with sesame oil.
5. Add soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger paste, and wasabi paste to noodles and toss noodles to coat with sauce mixture.
6. Top with radish, green onion, and nori and serve.

I've made chicken chilaquiles before and they were delicious. I figured I'd try a vegetable-heavy meatless version this time. I think this worked as written, but I'd probably try tweaking it a bit next time just to try to punch up the flavours a little more. The Kidlet absolutely loved this version. I thought it was alright, but could've done with a little more umph.

Vegetarian Chilaquiles

Slightly adapted from Feasting at Home

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. corn (or other neutral) oil
• 2-4 c. veggies¹
• 1 c. salsa or salsa verde
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder² (optional)
• 1 chipotle in adobo, minced
• 1 (350g) block "Texmex" tofu, diced (optional)
• 2 c. cooked black beans (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 bag tortilla chips
• 1 c. grated Cheddar and/or crumbled feta (or cojita if you can get it)

Garnishes & Toppings

• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Scallions, chopped
• Avocado, diced
• Radish, thinly sliced
• Quick pickled onion
• Pickled jalapeños
• Fresh tomatoes, diced
• Sour cream
• Lime wedges
• Hot sauce
• Fried egg(s)

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add veggies and cook until softened. If using aromatics like onion and garlic, add them first and allow them to cook a little before adding other vegetables.
3. Add salsa(s), broth, cumin, and oregano.
4. Stir in chili powder, chipotle, tofu, and black beans (if using). I recommend using at least one of the protein options (tofu or black beans) to keep the meal somewhat balanced. Feel free to use both if you like!
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for a few minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and tortilla chips.
7. Sprinkle cheese over top and transfer to oven.
8. Broil on low until cheese is melted and just starting to brown (~5 minutes).
9. Serve with garnishes and toppings of your choice.

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¹ I used:

• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 c. corn
• 1 c. frozen chopped kale

^Back
2 I didn't use any chili powder this time, but I think I'd toss a bit in next time. Likewise with the chipotle in adobo. ^Back

I've been deep in the madness place trying working on kitchen renovation stuff lately and haven't exactly been keeping up with the blog(s). I've hit a bit of a lull for the moment though and figured I really should write this up.

This recipe seemed a bit unusual, but it produced delicious results. I do feel that the soy sauce somewhat overpowered the curry powder though. Next time I think I'd try it with just half the quantity of soy sauce. The original recipe calls for 1/4 c., but I think 2 Tbsp. would be plenty!

Seitan Curry Pot Pie

Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
• 1 delicata or 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small daikon or 6-7 red radishes, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium or 2 small russet (or other floury) potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 250g cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 6-7 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1-2 bay leaves (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 450g seitan, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 400g puff pastry
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Melt butter over medium heat in a 12" braising pan or shallow pot.
2. Add onion and apple and cook for 8-10 minutes.
3. Add squash, carrots, radish, potato, mushrooms, garlic, and bay leaves (if using) and cook for another 12-15 minutes.
4. Add ginger, curry powder, and flour and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
5. Whisk cornstarch into broth until smooth.
6. Add broth mixture to vegetable mixture.
7. Stir in soy sauce.
8. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently until thickened.
9. Add seitan and cilantro and mix well.
10. Set aside to cool for 20-30 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
12. Roll out pastry to slightly larger dimensions than the pot.
13. Place the pastry over the pot with ~2cm overhang on all sides.
14. Seal the edges and brush with egg.
15. Cut a few slits in the pastry and transfer the whole assembly to the hot oven.
16. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 18-22 minutes.
17. Reduce temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 30-45 minutes.

Mooli Raita (Radish Raita)

I wanted a raita to go with the potato curry I made the other day. It was tempting to go with the familiar cucumber raita, but I decided to opt for something a little different and give a radish raita a try. Ideally this would be made with daikon radish, but other radishes if you don't happen to have any daikon to hand. I used small red radishes. They imparted a pretty pinkish hue to the yogurt.

Mooli Raita in small dish along side aloo masoor dal and vegetable-stuffed paratha.

Mooli Raita

Slighlty adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. grated radish, daikon or other radish of your choice
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 5 fresh curry leaves

Directions

1. Combine yogurt, salt, and radish and mix well.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until seeds stop popping (30-60 seconds).
4. Remove from heat and add cilantro and curry leaves.
5. Pour oil mixture into yogurt and mix well.

Veggie Sandwiches & Protein Salad Plate

I'm sick and I'm tired, but between the two of us TF and I actually managed to throw together a reasonably healthy, quick, and easy dinner this evening. The sandwich recipe came from... somewhere on the web... PopSugar maybe? And the salad is basically a copycat of my lunch at the Boathouse last week.

Veggie Sandwich
2 slices bread (I used a nice sprouted whole grain, but use whatever you enjoy)
2 Tbsp. hummus (I'd use a bit more next time)
2-3 slices of tomato
9-10 slices cucumber
~1/2 a carrot, grated
~1/4 of an avocado, sliced
alfalfa sprouts (if you have them; we didn't so we went without)

1. Toast your bread.
2. Spread 1 Tbsp. (or more) of hummus on each slice of toast.
3. Pile on the veg and close the sandwich.

Next time I might try adding a Tbsp. or so of tzatziki if I have any on hand. A little bit of cheese might also be nice. This is one situation in which I might make a case for a nice thin slice of "American" cheese or mild-medium Cheddar.

Another interesting variation might be swapping out the tomato for thinly sliced apple or pear and adding a bit of blue cheese. I'm thinking a nice Honey Crisp apple or Anjou pear would work well here.

Protein Salad Plate
2 handfuls mixed greens
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1 radish, sliced thin
6-8 slices cucumber
1/2 carrot, grated (optional)
2-4 Tbsp. vinaigrette (to taste)
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 tin tuna, drained
1-2 Tbsp. mayonaise
5-10 grinds black pepper

1. Combine all the veg, add the dressing, and toss.
2. Stir mayo and pepper into tuna
3. Place sliced eggs and tuna on top of salad and serve.

Chilaquiles

Did this a bit differently than the recipe called for due to lack of blender. The sauce was supposed to be smooth, but I actually really liked the chunky version. Might add a few more veggies and an extra chile next time.

Chilaquiles
Adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2015
5 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds discarded
1 (28 oz.) tin whole tomatoes, broken up
1 poblano chile, minced (seeds discarded)
1 jalapeño, minced (seeds discarded)
3 Tbsp. garlic paste
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
500g skinless, boneless chicken breast
10 corn tostadas, broken in quarters
100g feta cheese, crumbled
3 green onions, sliced
1 avocado, chopped

1. Toast the guajillo chiles until dark and fragrant. Cool and grind.
2. Combine tomatoes, guajillo, poblano, jalapeño, garlic, 1/4 c. cilantro, onion, and chicken broth in pot. Bring to a boil and add chicken. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done. (15-20 minutes)
3. Remove chicken and shred.
4. Increase heat and cook until sauce thickens. Return shredded chicken to pot and stir into sauce.
5. Stir in tostada pieces. Cover for a couple minutes until chips soften a bit.
6. Top with remaining cilantro, cheese, green onions, and avocado.
7. Serve with lime wedges and sour cream.

Here's how I'd change it up next time:

Better Chilaquiles
5 dried guajillo chiles
1 dried chipotle chile
2 (14 oz.) tins fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 jalapeño chile
1 poblano chile
3 Tbsp. garlic paste
1 onion
1/2 c. cilantro
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, bruised
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds, bruised
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. frozen corn
500g chicken
12 tostadas or equivalent tortilla chips
150g feta cheese
2 green onions
1 lime
guacamole
sour cream
radishes (optional)

Braised Spring Vegetables

This is a gently cooked dish of early season vegetables. They come out a bit soggy, but tender and flavourful.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 shallot, sliced into thin rings
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 10 radishes, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tsp grated orange zest
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2" lengths
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

Procedure

1. Heat oil, shallot, garlic, thyme, and pepper flakes in a dutch oven over medium heat until the shallot is just softened, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in radishes, lemon zest, orange zest, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, and 1¼ cups water. Cover and cook until radishes can be easily pierced with a sharp knife, 3-5 minutes.
3. Stir in asparagus and continue to cook, covered, until tender, 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Let stand, covered, until peas are warmed through, about 5 minutes.
5. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Stir in tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.