Saturday, May 28, 2011

Edamame Salad

Edamame Salad by nick young photo
© Nick Young 2011
This is a pretty quick & easy salad to put together, I hope you like it!

1 lb shelled edamame
2 ozs sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 large red bell pepper
4 spring onions
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sambal olek (chili garlic sauce)

Boil the edamame in salted water for about three minutes and cool. Lightly toast the sliced almonds and cool. Chop the spring onions, red pepper and herbs. Mix the sesame oil, vinegar, soy and chili sauce.

Once cooled, mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate once more before serving.

Enjoy!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Red Beans & Rice

Red Beans & Rice by nick young photo
© Nick Young
Traditional red beans and rice recipes use ham hocks and bacon grease for a lot of the flavor. Obviously I could not use any of that but I think this vegetarian version turned out pretty tasty.

I didn't refer to any of the conventional recipes, I just put together the ingredients I thought would work well for a vegetarian take this southern staple.


1 lb dried red kidney beans
2 cubes Knorr vegetable bouillion
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 chopped red onion
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic

Soak and cook the beans according to package instructions. After about an hour of cooking, add the bouillon cubes and half the onion to the beans and continue to simmer. As the beans and liquid start to thicken add the salt, paprika, garlic and red pepper flakes.

Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Once the beans have thickened, serve over the rice and garnish with some raw onion and chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Baked Mac & Cheese

Baked Mac & Cheese by nick young photo
© Nick Young 2011
This is an easy dish to prepare as you just mix all the ingredients together and bake. To make it a little spicier add some red pepper flakes.


8 ozs elbow macaroni
8 ozs italian blend grated cheese
4-6 ozs Gruyere cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tps salt
2 tps paprika
2 tps chili powder

Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF. Mix all the together in a baking dish that has a lid, or can be covered.

Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid, or cover, stir and bake for a further 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Crunchy Broccoli Salad

BroccoliSalad-001 by nick young photo
© Nick Young 2011
This is a pretty quick and easy vegetable salad. It's tasty, with a good crunch to it, and will keep well in the fridge for several days.

If you wish, you can blanch the broccoli first but I prefer it raw.

2 large heads of broccoli
2 tomatos
1/2 a red onion
1/2 a cup of raisins
4 ozs grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt & black pepper to taste

Roughly chop the broccoli, including the stalks. Finely dice the onion and tomato. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and serve.

Enjoy!