Iced Coffee

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am a tea drinker. I may have coffee once or twice a year if a social circumstance demands or if the tea is really awful, but it is not my beverage of choice. Last summer I had a couple of Tim Hortons iced coffees and really liked them. Unfortunately, I had no choice of milk or sweetener as they use a base mix for the drink.

I found a couple of recipes for iced coffee on Pinterest and modified them for the quantities we would use in our household. This recipe is well worth making on a hot holiday weekend. The cold water brew eliminates any bitterness in the coffee.

Put 3/4 cup medium grind coffee in a jar and add 3-1/2 cups cold water. I used an empty 1 litre olive jar. Let the mixture sit for 12 hours.

Strain the coffee in a very fine sieve, a coffee filter or some cheesecloth. ( I used a coffee filter). You now have your coffee concentrate.

You can now make your iced drink according to your preference for coffee flavour and sweetness.

In a 10 ounce mug I added:

1 tbsp sweetener (agave nectar, sugar, sweetener)
2 tbsp milk (or cream, soy milk, chocolate milk)
1/4 cup coffee concentrate
Ice cubes
Fill the rest of the glass with water

This was enjoyed by everyone in the family!

Here are ratios for different quantities of coffee concentrate ~
1-1/2 cups ground coffee to 7 cups cold water
1 cup ground coffee to 4.5 cups cold water
3/4 cup ground coffee to 3.5 cups cold water
1/2 cup ground coffee to 2.25 cups cold water

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I made this pasta salad for dinner with ingredients on hand in the kitchen and garden. It was good enough to make again.

2 cups dried pasta cooked according to package directions
2 tins tuna, drained and flaked
1-1/2 cup black beans
5 large stuffed olives, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
3 scallions, sliced
5 leaves fresh basil, ribboned

Dressing: 2 tbsp olive oil
                2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
                fresh ground pepper

Put salad ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk dressing with a fork and pour over salad.
Other vegetables such as sliced fresh or roasted peppers, celery, carrot, etc could also be used.

White Chili

I cook dried beans in a small crockpot and do not bother to pre-soak them. After rinsing and sorting the beans, I cover them with boiling water, salt, peppers or onions (optional, depending on their intended use) and then put the crock pot on high until the beans are soft. Black beans, peruano beans, red beans and white kidney beans cook the fastest of the legumes I have tried. Today I cooked a pot of white kidney beans for Pasta e Fagioli soup. After mentioning this to my daughter on Skype, she suggested I try making white chili, a dish I have never heard of before. I had cooked chicken on hand and the chili came together quickly. A vegetarian version is included. Adjust the seasonings and hot peppers to your taste.

1 tbsp oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
2-4 finely chopped jalapeno peppers, seeds removed (could use poblano peppers instead)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 -1 tsp dried oregano
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Heat oil in large pan. Add onion, peppers and spices and cook until softened.

Add:

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups cooked white kidney beans
2 cups chopped chicken breast (can use ground turkey or chicken instead) OR
2 cups chopped mushrooms or vegetarian "chicken breast"

Simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened. I added 1/2 cup mashed white beans to thicken it faster.

Add 1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro and serve with salsa verde and grated cheese.

I made burritos with the chili using 10" whole wheat wraps. It can also be served with tostadas or tortilla chips

Potato Asparagus Salad

This dish was so very tasty that I had to post it right away. I saw the recipe* on Oh She Glows (a great vegan blog) but modified it somewhat with the ingredients I had on hand. My husband said it was the best potato dish he had ever eaten.

1 lb mini potatoes washed and quartered

2 tsp olive oil

Mix oil and potatoes, spread on baking dish in a single layer and roast at 425F for approximately 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender

1 lb fresh asparagus, washed and cut in 1-2 inch pieces

2 tsp olive oil

Heat oil in a pan, add asparagus and stir fry until tender-crisp- about 8 minutes. Combine the potatoes and asparagus in a bowl.

Lemon juice from one lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp coarse salt

Whisk lemon juice, oil and salt together and pour over potatoes and asparagus. Serve warm. 

Makes approximately 4 servings.

*the original recipe includes garlic, dill, mustard, scallions, and a few optional ingredients which would add to the flavour.