Red Pepper and Kidney BeanTagine

My creative pot (metaphorically speaking) was placed on the back burner the past few days in favour of a relaxing few days away with friends. We wallowed in the hot springs, made liberal use of the waterslides, putt-putt and trampolines and spent our nights braai-ing. If you've ever contemplated a midweek break but was unsure if you should go ahead: wonder no more!

We came back refreshed, energised and steamy from the inside out and was welcomed home with wintry Cape weather - cold, overcast and drizzling.

This type of weather lends itself to such a wide array of comforting foods though, that it's impossible for me not to be at least a little bit glad when waking up to the beating rain. Apart from the culinary possibilities of cold weather, I think few things beat snuggling up under a duvet with your man/a good book/your adorable little kitten. Some form of hot beverage on standby goes without saying of course...

This is strictly speaking not a tagine as it's cooked on the stove top in a plain old saucepan, but tagine sounded a hell of a lot better than stew or hotpot. Besides, I'm allowed some artistic license, right? Whatever the name though, this is one seriously comforting mix of vegetable goodness and smoky heat from the spices used. It is both delightfully light and deliciously filling - the perfect rainy day meal for you and your man. Or cute little kitten...

Red Bean and Red Pepper Tagine

Adapted from food24 (originally sourced from Ideas magazine) 

Serves 6

1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 red bell peppers, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) cumin seeds, finely ground

2 tsp (10 ml) smoky hot paprika

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tins (410g each) peeled and diced tomatoes

125g baby marrows (zucchini)

salt, to taste 

2 tins (410g each) red kidney beans, drained

1/4 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and peppers, saute until softened. and add peppers, onion and garlic. 

2. Add cumin, paprika and cinnamon and cook for a few seconds or until fragrant.

3. Add tomatoes and babymarrows, season to taste with salt, cover and cook for 15 minutes over medium-low heat.

4. Add beans and gently reheat until simmering. Sprinkle with coriander and mint and serve with couscous.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 200.5 , Total fat 3.3 g, Saturated fat 0.5 g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.7 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.8 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 633.9 mg, Potassium 908.2 mg, Total carbohydrate 35.7 g, Dietary fiber 12.4 g, Sugars 4.0 g, Protein 10.0 g 

Good source of: Vitamin C 243.0 %, Vitamin A 79.3 %, Manganese 33.8 %, Folate 26.5 %, Iron 22.7 %, Vitamin B6 22.4 %,

Grilled Green Chef's Salad

Summer seems to have made a brief comeback as we're approaching May. Hey I'm not complaining. Okay I am, but just a little bit. You know how I feel about summer, but I'll admit it's nice to have an excuse to whip up a deliciously crunchy meal in the midst of all the soups and stews we've been having.

I encountered this salad on fellow South African blogger's site, Jamie Who. And it looked absolutely fantastic. So when the sun shone down in what was surely the sensory equivalent of surround sound yesterday, I knew this would be the perfect foil to the warmth.  Layers of crunchy fresh leaves, salty cheese, nutty seeds, char-grilled babymarrow (zucchini) and lightly steamed broccoli was just the ticket. The best part? Feeling incredibly sophisticated as we ate this beauty of a salad, even while we were barely out of our pj's and lounging on the couch. Yes, that's how we roll and let me tell you, it is highly recommended. Fancy salad + Couch potato style = Pure awesomeness.

Grilled Green Chef's Salad 

Adapted from Jamie Who

Serves 3

1 tbsp olive oil

200g babymarrow (zucchini), sliced lengthways

1/2 head broccoli, broken into florets

1 pillow bag herb salad

1 handful rocket (aragula)

a few basil leaves, roughly chopped

a few mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup blanched almond slivers

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

3 tbsp shaved pecorino

salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper

mixture of balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil, to dress

1. Toss babymarrow with one tablespoon of olive oil. Heat a griddle pan over high heat, then place the babymarrow slices onto the griddle. Grill for a few minutes, turning once, until cooked through but not soft, and with clear griddle marks on both sides. 

2. Steam broccoli briefly, until just cooked, then quickly place under cold running water to stop the cooking process and fix the colour.

3. Mix leaves and herbs in a large bowl, then divide evenly among the plates. Arrange broccoli and babymarrows on top and scatter with almonds, pumpkin seeds and slivers of shaved pecorino cheese. 

4. Sprinkle with salt and grind some black pepper on top, then dress lightly with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Puree with Tomatoes

  
Boy it really must seem like I'm a negative Nellie, but lemme have just this one more gripe. And then I'll be perky & positive for a few days. Pinky swear.

So you get two types of people: 

a) go-getters
b) lazy asses



I am not afraid (but a teensy little bit ashamed) to admit that I fit neatly into the last category. Of course I sometimes kick into gear, but mostly the laziness takes over and wrestles me down. I like to call it the path of least resistance... Having said that though, I also understand that if you want to be a lazy ass, you also give up your rights to complain when things are done by someone else. You need to pick your poison I think. 

Which is why it grates me so when I have to take care of something that is actually supposed to be someone else's job (am I talking about my dear colleague again? Perhaps...), and then that person has the audacity to point out everything that is wrong with the completed task. Bite me!

*Breathe in, breathe out*

Let's move on to more pleasant subjects though, shall we? Like food. Specifically Moroccan food. More specifically Moroccan mezze. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm you know you want some. This zucchini puree is about as easy as they come. Boil/steam your babymarrows, mash them up roughly with a fork and toss with a garlicy tomato sauce. Lovely as a dip or thickly scooped onto crusty bread. Can be made ahead and kept in the fridge (covered) for a few hours or even a few days. Low maintenance. Perfect for lazy asses.

I'm submitting this to Regional Recipes (February's theme is the Middle East), hosted by Joanne of Eats Well With Others and created by Darlene from Blazing Hot Wok. 

Zucchini Puree with Tomatoes

(Slada Bil Gharaa Wal Tamatem)

Adapted from Arabesque (Claudia Roden)

Serves 3 - 4 as part of a mezze selection

250g zucchini, cut into thickish slices

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tin whole peeled tomatoes (with juice)

salt & black pepper, to taste

fresh parsley or coriander to garnish (optional)

1. Steam the zucchini until tender. Remove from heat and roughly mash with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook over medium heat until sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Gently combine tomatoes and zucchini and spoon into a serving bowl. Allow to cool down, then garnish with fresh herbs and serve with crusty bread and other mezze.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 36.8, Total fat 1.9 g, Saturated fat 0.3 g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.3 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.1 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 43.1 mg, Potassium 443.9 mg, Total carbohydrate 4.0 g, Dietary fiber 1.2 g, Sugars 0.8 g, Protein 2.5 g

Good source of: Vitamin C 52.4 %