Tag: pita chips
Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad with Tamarind and Mango Vinaigrette
I love this salad simply because it is so colorful and beautiful to look at. I love how food gets me so excited- I guess that is why I do what I do and love every minute of it.
I made this salad for the book club meeting. Since I was making some chicken tikkas, I wanted to make a salad to balance the dishes out. I also wanted the salad to have Indian flavors. I thought of a corn salad my sister in law makes all the time. She uses regular corn and a tamarind chutney. The tamarind chutney is made out of lots of dried tamarind, sugar, salt, cumin and cayenne pepper. It is a bit laborious to make but I always have it in the fridge. It has so much sugar and salt that it lasts in the fridge for ever. It is great to have it on hand and serve it with tikkas and actually a lot of Indian street food is served with this chutney.
When I thought of posting this recipe- I wasn’t sure how people would make the chutney at home- I guess you can buy it at the Indian stores- but I prefer to make it at home. I thought of tamarind concentrate which is available at Whole Foods and other grocery stores. I made a vinaigrette with the tamarind concentrate, olive oil and this time I used some mango lemonade from Trader Joes. It gave the dressing a sweet, tangy, mango flavor which complemented the sour tamarind really well. It was very delicious.
I paired the vinaigrette with roasted corn (my favorite ingredient from Trader Joes), cherry tomatoes, green onions and lots of cilantro. I topped it with pita chips- they provide a great crunch and some substance to the salad.
It was a big hit- everyone enjoyed it. Next time you are looking for a party appetizer, make the roasted corn and tomato salad.
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Smoky Hummus
I really enjoy hummus, especially all the different flavors that are out there. It a delicious accompaniment with vegetables, chicken, fish or even with some pita and a salad- it’s a complete meal! My husband loves it with a warm tortilla or on a piece of toast for breakfast. In the past I have always purchased it from the super markets but since I was hosting a book club, I decided to make it at home. I already had plenty of tahini leftover from the baba ganoush I made last week and I had plenty of canned chickpeas as well- so I was all set. A neighbor had offered her Mom’s recipe and I was thrilled because you know one can’t go wrong with a Mom’s recipe! I modified it to my taste, of course! I like things spicy, especially if they have a smoky aspect to them. When I was thinking about making hummus, chipotle in adobo came to mind. I love the flavor the smoked jalapenos impart in all the dishes. I decided to pair it with smoked paprika- which I consider a magic ingredient- it brings any ordinary dish to another level. It is great in stews, soups and potatoes. I make a citrus chicken where the main ingredient is smoked paprika- it’s delicious. The smokiness reminds me of eating tapas!
In this case, I served the hummus with pita chips. Mostly we have it with fresh veggies or spread thick on a nicely toasted piece of baguette topped with a fresh ripe tomato- it is out of this world.
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 5 garlic cloves
- ½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
- Juice of 3 lemons
- Zest of 3 lemons
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil- plus more for drizzling
- 4 tablespoons water or liquid from chickpeas
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (use more if you like it more spicy)
- Sprinkle of sweet paprika
Process all the ingredients in a big processor until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Add more liquid if needed.
Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.