Category: Food

South, But Not Too South

Sadie2 Comments

When I was stopping at Cracker Barrel for lunch on my way out of Virginia (a tradition for me) I saw a shirt that said something to the effect of: Virginia: South but not too South.  An interesting concept.  Virginia is indeed below the Mason-Dixon line, but it would be inaccurate to lump it in with many of the states below it.  It is pretty diverse as a state with some serious and important urban areas near DC, then some western wilderness if you will, and my neck of the woods which is pleasant and residential and beachy out towards Virginia Beach.

There is, however, one difference I noticed when I moved there that has to be a Southern thing.  The salads.  I grew up with the concept of a salad being mostly composed of greens, plus a few accessories.  I have learned that greens (lettuce, that is), is not even a required ingredient in southern salads.  There are salads of many varieties that don’t involve lettuce at all: cucumber, chicken, potato, pasta, bean, tuna…  I’ve heard of and experienced some of these variations in the past, but have not experienced the pervasive nature of these dishes until moving to the south.  They are everywhere you look!

I’m torn because though there are some nutritious aspects to these dishes, I’m pretty sure that they remove a lot of the healthy benefits of the green salad.   I’m not so thrilled with the abundance of dressing and starch if I’m looking for a light option.

But as the saying goes: If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!  Below is pretty healthy version of a bean salad that was actually passed along to me by a nutritionist I’ve seen in the past.  Don’t quote me on the nutritional facts, but with the lighter dressing and several healthy components, it’s hard to go wrong!  It’s a great side dish for a backyard barbecue!

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 Tbs lemon juice
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 15 oz. can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 cup corn (frozen niblets is easiest)
  • 1 chopped bell pepper
  • 10 chopped cherry tomatoes
  • parsley to garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste

    Most of the characters in this story

Method

  1. Wisk together vinegar, oil, garlic, lemon juice, and sugar.
  2. Combine beans, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper.  Toss with dressing.  Garnish with parsley, and add salt and pepper to taste.

PS- My favorite summer commercial.  I can’t get enough of it!

Coconut Ice Cream

CarrieLeave a comment

I have told you about my love of coconut in the past.  Here is one of my most recent concoctions that I thoroughly enjoy.  This recipe for coconut ice cream is like eating a bowl of Coconut Froze Fruit Bars.

Coconut Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 can evaporated milk, 1 package instant vanilla pudding mix, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp coconut extract, 3 cups whole milk, 1 cup toasted coconut

Directions

In an 8-cup measuring cup with a spout, combine all the ingredients except for the toasted coconut.  Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.  Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the directions of your appliance.  Add the toasted coconut 10 minutes into the freezing process.  Enjoy your ice cream right away or save it for later!

Spring Cleaning

SadieLeave a comment

As I’ve mentioned before, when I want to bake with the ingredients I already have in my pantry, it usually ends up as shortbread.  I’m heading out of town for summer which means it would be nice use up some ingredients in the cupboard before I leave.  Among these ingredients: a stick of butter, unsweetened cocoa, instant coffee, and powdered sugar.  All leftover from past baking adventures.  What does that equal, you ask?  You guessed it:

Mocha Shortbread

From Martha (who else)

Yields about 8 cookie slices from cake pan

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbs AP flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter room temp
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar (plus more for dusting garnish)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt.
  3. Cream butter and sugar together then add flour mixture a little at a time.
  4. Mixture will be crumbly.  Make sure you mix it until it’s relatively uniform and all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
  5. Press dough into the bottom of a round cake pan (8 or 9 inches).  No need to prepare the pan, cookies with this much butter don’t stick.
  6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Allow to cool and slice like a pizza.
    Oops, I broke a couple. I guess I’ll just have to eat the rejects…

    These aren’t super sweet, I would say they’re more of a grown up cookie.  They would be great with some summer berries and a dollop of whipped cream, or paired with some after dinner coffee or tea.  I would even consider using this recipe as a cookie crust for a mousse/cheesecake/pudding type of cake.

    PS- I recently added this song to my workout playlist.  I am obsessed.