Meena of Hooked on Heat is a new kid on the blog, and that she should instigate a whole new series of blogging events is quite admirable. You would think that after giving numerous IMBBs and SHFs (not to mention Paper Chefs), a miss lately, I would again grace this foodblogging event with my absence.
Not so. To me, the words "spicy" and "beans" have an intriguing stickiness ever since I lived in Mexico. Although I never had kidney beans there...
When I thought about what to make for this day, chile con carne (my fingers still shy away from spelling the Spanish "chile" with a double "l" and an "i") sprang to mind. But I shy away from supermarket minced meat and have never tried a veggie alternative, so that wasn't an option.
Then I remembered a starter Jeanne of Cooksister! made when she invited us for a Braai last month. The perfect thing to adapt for the purpose! Salsa verde is normally made with green tomatoes and chile, but the salad dressing is green, so I figured I could get away with the name. Coriander, lime and chilli make for a very refreshing combination. Great, healthy starter or lunch, if you're not on an Atkins diet...
I also made some spicy bean nibbles to keep the family amused while I was cooking well after 9 in the evening: so here are my spiced bean tostaditas, whipped up in no more than 2 minutes, I swear - Chris liked them so much that he nibbled away while he was cleaning the partridges - I didn't get a single one! But in the end, what better compliment could I possibly get?
Three-bean salad with spicy salsa verde dressing
(serves 2 as a starter or light meal)
2 handful broad beans
100 g mange-tout beans
120 g canned kidney beans (drained)
For the salsa verde dressing:
1 medium green chilli (deseeded)
1 handful fresh coriander leaves
4 tbsp olive oil
juice of ½ lime
Take the broad beans out of their pods and cook them in salt water for 5 minutes. Refreash immediately in some ice-cold water. Snip them out of their thick white shells and place in a salad bowl.
Meanwhile, cook the mange-tout in salt water for 3 minutes, drain and refresh. Add to the salad bowl, with the rinsed kidney beans.
To prepare the dressing, put all the ingredients in a food processor to produce a smooth paste. Toss the beans in the dressing and serve with some crusty bread on the side.
Spicy kidney bean tostaditas
200 g canned kidney beans (drained)
6 cherry tomatoes
1 handful coriander leaves
1 squeeze lime juice
salt, pepper
tostaditas, tortilla chips or other dippers
Blend the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Serve on tostaditas or in a bowl, with tortilla chips and/or vegetavle dippers on the side.
Yum!
Posted by: Rachel | Oct 02, 2005 at 08:55 PM