Chez Darren Andrew

Tag Archives: vegetables


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Quinoa, Black Bean and Sweet Corn Salad

For the Salad:

  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 small red onion, finely diced
  • 4 green onions, chopped finely
  • 1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
  • 1 cup quinoa (2 cups cooked), cooked as per package instructions (in chicken or vegetable stock) and cooled
  • 2 cups of frozen sweet corn, blanched in hot water
  • 500 ml can of black beans , rinsed and drained
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced

For the Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon, or a tbsp of bottled lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp of ground cumin
  • Salt and Black Pepper

Instructions:

Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add the jalapeno, red onion, green onion, cilantro and let sit while quinoa cooks and cools. Cook the quinoa in chicken or vegetable stock as per the package instructions, and when it is ready cool it by either placing the pot in cold water and frequently string and changing the water out until cool. Another option would be to make extra the day before to have leftovers to make salads like this one, rice or other grain like barley or millet could be used instead of quinoa. Mix all reaming ingredients in the bowl to distribute the dressing evenly throughout the salad.

This salad is best if left to mingle in the fridge overnight, but it’s great right away also. Enjoy!

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Summer Time Chicken and Veg Soup

On warm summer evenings soup may not be the first thing that comes to mind to make for dinner. But this chicken vegetable soup is light, tasty and will actually help cool you down and re-hydrate you after spending a day in the sun. Hot liquids actually work to help your body naturally kick into high gear and start sweating, which helps to lower your body temperature. Cool liquids actually do the opposite and make your body work hard to warm your core back to normal, making you feel hotter than before consuming the cool beverage.

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 3 ribs of celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1/2 red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • 1/2 zucchini, diced
  • 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn
  • 2 cups of cooked chicken, leftover from a whole roasted bird
  • 1 litre of home made chicken stock
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about five minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and chili flakes, for about ten seconds. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for about five more minutes, continuing to stir frequently. Add the cooked chicken, stock, Italian seasoning and soy sauce, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes before serving.


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Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Seeing as I’ve all ready typed this recipe out, I thought I’d better keep it in a safe place! This was probably one of the best soups I’ve ever made.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of whole milk
2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of shredded extra sharp cheddar
4 cups of broccoli florets, pulsed 12 times in a food processor
Salt and Pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper

Heat the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and sautee until softened. Add the garlic, cayenne pepper and flour. Whisk constantly for about two minutes to cook the rawness out of the flour. Whisk in the chicken stock and milk until it begins to thicken. Add the chopped broccoli. Whisk in 1/2 a cup of cheese at a time until it melts smoothly into the soup.


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Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad

Dressing

  • 3/4 cup of Mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s  1/2 Fat)
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 tbs Dijon Mustard
  • dash of hot sauce
  • 2 shallots, finely diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 dill pickle, finely diced
  • Black Pepper

Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl, until sugar is dissolved and dressing is light and creamy.

Salad

  • 1 box (375 g) of whole wheat elbow macaroni, boiled and drained
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1/4 red pepper
  • 1/4 yellow pepper
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 8 radishes
  • 1 green onion

Add pasta to the dressing, stir and set aside. Dice all veg into pieces about the size of a cooked macaroni noodle. If you decide to use a different kind of pasta, adjust the size of your veg accordingly. Mix together and refrigerate to let the flavors combine. Add any veg you have to this recipe, some chopped cabbage or broccoli would be great! You can even add rinsed drained canned chickpeas to give it a protein kick!

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