Recipe Endorsement: Saumon aux Lentilles

After my trip to the Italian Market in Chelsea Market I bought three kinds of lentils and I've been trying out different ways to prepare them. I also happened to have some salmon filets in the freezer so this recipe was perfect. *All I had to buy was the "grany mustard" (I'd recommend Inglehoffer full strength stone ground mustard) and the tarragon. The tarragon adds a slight fennel-y flavor but it is by no means over-powering lest the licorice-leery be deterred. Indeed, as the recipe says, the mustard-herb butter adds a "lemony pop" and it's simply delicious.

Enjoy!

Click here to view recipe

* I used shallots and green onions instead of leeks and chives.

Egg Salad! (Beat the Heat recipe 4)

Ingredients:

5 hard boiled eggs
½ a Claussen dill deli pickle
1 tablespoon mayo
1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Directions:

Dice up the dill pickle
Use an egg slicer to slice the eggs
Add mustard and mayo
Mix- don’t mash.
Enjoy on wheat toast

You can get creative- try adding curry powder or chipotle!

Easy, delicious.

3 Bean and Shrimp Salad (Beat the Heat recipe 3)

Ingredients:

1 can green beans drained
1 can pinto beans drained
1 can red kidney beans drained
1 ½ cups cooked shrimp (peeled/de-veined and for less fuss buy pre-cooked frozen shrimp)
Your favorite vinaigrette

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a bowl.
Allow to chill for a few hours.
Enjoy.

A new Hanout and Saudi Arabian coffee

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No Sugar Necessary Frozen Yogurt Pops! (Beat the Heat recipe 2)

Ingredients:

*1 frozen kiwi
**1 Asian Pear
a drop of vanilla extract
a sprig of fresh mint
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Directions:

Put ingredients into a blender.

Pour mixture into either popsicle molds or into an ice cube tray with toothpicks.

After freezing the pops, enjoy!

* The consensus is that Kiwi seeds add a bit of grit which you may or may not like.

** Feel free to replace Kiwi and Asian Pear for your favorite fruit or fruits

Beat the Heat Recipe Series

It's summer in DC, which means humidity that justifies multiple showers in one day. The last thing you want to do is cook or eat something hot. The recipes that follow are a series of low to no-cook dishes perfect for summertime.

The first one of the series being Mango Lassi

Mango Lassi (Beat the Heat recipe I)

If I want to make something I've never made before, but have eaten, I usually read several recipes and then make up my own version. I try to approximate what I saw as the most common ingredients to all of the recipes I consulted. I adjust as need be (i.e. using sugar substitutes) and include what I like the best (cardamom).

Mango Lassi is a delicious drink from India which is very easy to prepare. Here are some of the recipes I consulted before preparing it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mangolassi_74038

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassi#Mango_lassi

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/mango-lassi-recipe/index.html

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mango_lassi/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mango-lassi-ii/Detail.aspx

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mango-Lassi-107038

I put the mangoes in the refrigerator beforehand so I didn’t have to add ice.

It was basically 1 yellow/champagne mango, sugar or splenda to taste, and a ¼ cup of plain yogurt. I sprinkled cardamom on top. This made for a rather thick blend. I might add a bit of whole milk next time to thin the liquid.

Yum!