Fresh Food Fast – Page 17 – My Life Runs on Food

Green Salad with Feta Cheese and Herbal Dressing

June 29, 2010January 5, 2022Sanura

The temperature has finally started to climb down from extreme humidity. During those days, the oven has been left cold. I miss it, dearly. Most of all, I want an air conditioner. Not to have an Arctic cold house, but it would be use to get rid of the damp heat. However, I will adapt to my current circumstances. Meals will be vegetarian, for cooking meat causes more unbearable heat in this top floor apartment. Surprisingly, a classic green salad was recently made; for it was so hearty that the meat wasn’t missed. Good fats, such as avocado, feta cheese and a yogurt-based dressing made a typical boring salad into an exciting feast. It was served with a rosé and whole-wheat pita bread. Read more →

Asian-Inspired Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Peanuts

June 5, 2010January 4, 2022Sanura

When a chicken was roasted on a hot day earlier this week, the planned side dish of sauté greens would’ve been overwhelming. Thanks to a weekly menu plan, Napa cabbage and carrots were shredded a few days prior. A quick vinaigrette of ginger, savory soy sauce, sweet lime juice and fresh lemon balm was tossed with the shredded vegetables. Like most large heads of cabbage, there was plenty of salad left over. It became another side dish that completed a fast and effortless weekday meal of saute fish. Read more →

A Pantry Staple Salad: Black-eye Pea and Chickpea Salad

May 20, 2010January 4, 2022Sanura

The sun played with us this past weekend. When it hid behind the clouds, the temperature would drop to a slight chill. When it decided to become the center of the world, we basked in its warmth. What can one say to the sun, us being mere mortals? Alas, the survival of the fittest adapts to change. Wearing a sundress and sandals, a scarf and a jacket were stuffed into a bag. It was a lovely time that started on a Friday. Despite all the weekend activities, Sunday evening arrived slowly. With little time to cook a traditional Sunday meal, a few pantry staples of lemons, canned beans, cornmeal and milk were placed on the counter. A Black-eye pea and Chickpea salad was made with tomatoes, mint and cilantro. Salmon, brought earlier in the morning, was steamed with the juice and zest of a lime, onions, garlic, butter, olive oil, salt and pepper. Milk was turned into buttermilk by adding one tablespoon of white vinegar to one cup of room temperature milk* to make cornbread. It was a nice dinner that ended a chill weekend.

…FYI, the salad and the cornbread is a great lunch, and it makes a nice breakfast with cheddar cheese eggs, scrambled or in an omelet.

*Let “buttermilk” curdle for 15 minutes.

Cream. Chicken. Corn. It Makes a Delicious Chowder.

May 10, 2010January 3, 2022Sanura

This is a delicious, quick meal that could be made within an hour on a weekday, including prepping time*. In place of chicken use any seafood to make shrimp, fish or crab chowder**. Unlike chicken, add the seafood to the pot after the potatoes are cooked to keep the meat tender. Using fresh corn will enhance the sweetness of the cream and the meat. During the off-season months, use organic frozen corn, for it has a better texture and taste than the non-organic and canned versions. If using fingerling potatoes, slice them. Baby potatoes should be quartered or cut in half, depending on their size. Some people like to peel their potatoes, but this is a weekday meal. Such details can be overlooked in place of saving time. Besides, the visual appearance of red-skinned potatoes provides a nice contrast in a creamy soup. A simple, green salad and a Chardonnay will complete a well-meaning meal.

*Clean and cut chicken on a weekend. Place it in a freezer and defrost before using.
** Buy shrimp raw, clean and devein. Fish should be cut into chucks. Use precooked crabmeat sold in the seafood section.

An All-Season Tortilla Soup

April 19, 2010January 3, 2022Sanura

Tortilla Soup

Last winter, instead of serving a sick boyfriend bland chicken soup, he ate a sultry Vitamin C filled Tortilla Soup. Actually, this soup is a good choice to serve between seasons. The potatoes and the chicken give the soup the hearty weight of winter. The sweetness of the corn and the tomatoes has the reoccurring flavors of summer. When the weather abruptly switches from warm to cold to rainy, the spiciness of the soup reminds the soul that summer is on the way. Now, on those warm spring days, in which time outside is preferred to the indoors, this recipe is quick to make when the warm sun finally gives way to the coolness of moon. Read more →