Strawberry Kiwi Salad

Summer heat calls for something light and refreshing. This salad fits the bill with its simple blend of sweet and sour flavors. Juicy slices of strawberry and kiwifruit are dressed with tangy lime juice and fresh basil. The perfect treat for a hot summer day!

Ingredients 

1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced

3 kiwifruits, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons chopped basil

zest and juice from 1 lime

Instructions

Mix strawberries and kiwi slices in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk lime juice, lime zest, and basil. Pour lime and basil mixture over fruit and toss.

Day 153! Samoa - Masi Samoa - Coconut Cookies - Up Next, San Marino

The credit for today's Samoan confection goes entirely to a wonderful blog I discovered while looking for recipes to represent the island country of Samoa. As so often happens, the foodie Goddess must have been hovering over my keyboard when I clicked on Panipopos' Kitchen, a blog devoted to Samoan cooking, recipes and culture. After spending an hour scrolling through a whole range incredible recipes and videos, I settled on Masi Samoa, Coconut Cookies -- partly because I love coconut, but also because they were described as simple street fare that would make my kitchen smell like Willy Wonka's cookie factory  while baking - so how could I resist!?

Located in the South Pacific Ocean, the Independent State of Samoa is made up of two main islands, Upolu and Savai'i, plus nine smaller ones. Long before European whalers and explorers discovered the islands, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji were considered Pacific Ocean superpowers. But starting in the 1700's, an influx of explorers and traders, as well as missionaries flooded the island, exploiting Samoa's cocoa reserves as well as imposing their religious beliefs on a people who worshiped Gods of the sun, earth, heaven and the sea. Despite the indigenous peoples' best efforts to fight to keep control of their land, the islands spent centuries being ruled by Germans until New Zealand took control  in 1918.  Not until 1962 did Samoa finally gain independence when a Friendship Treaty was signed with New Zealand, making Samoa the first country in the Pacific to become independent.

Owing to it's temperate tropical climate, Samoa has large plantations of bananas, taro, coconut and tropical fruits. Fresh seafood such as crayfish, snapper, mahi-mahi, octopus and tuna are abundant. Food is not generally spicy, but great attention to detail and enjoying meals together is part of the Samoan culture. For the best possible overview of Samoan cooking traditions as well as outstanding recipes, I highly recommend visiting Panipopos's Kitchen to further explore this beautiful country's bounty.

Masi Samoa - Samoan Coconut Cookies (Recipe Courtesy of Panipopos' Kitchen)
(Makes 24 cookies)

 butter, softened
 sugar
 eggs
 can coconut milk
 vanilla
 flour
 baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.
Add eggs and beat well.
Add coconut milk and vanilla and beat until well blended.
Add flour and baking powder until it forms a dough.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly, then roll dough out thinly (less than 1/4-inch thick)
Cut into 3x3-inch squares.

Transfer to the cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on a rack.

Optional: spread with jam

Final Assessment: I love these cookies! They're easy to make, as rich as shortbread, and have a heavenly, delicate coconut flavor and scent. My kids had them for breakfast right out of the oven. I think I should have let them brown a little more, so next time I make these (and there will be a next time), I'll leave them in the oven a tad longer. And, yes, my house definitely smelled like Willy Wonka's Cookie Factory!

(C) 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World?/ Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved 

Day 152! Saint Vincent and The Grenadines - Guinness Bottle Chicken Stew - Up Next, Samoa

This was one of those weeks where life got in the way of cooking much of anything. Between spending a full day in the emergency room with my son, following up with an ear, nose and throat doc who informed my happy 16 year old that he'll probably have to get his tonsils out, our elderly cat disappearing, as well as various other commitments, this flavorful and spicy Guinness Chicken Stew from Saint Vincent and The Grenadines had to go on the way back burner. But now it's Sunday and I'm not letting another thing get between me and my kitchen. Peace at last.

An Island country in the Lesser Antilles, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines is a Windward Island that sits on the southern end of the eastern border for the Caribbean Sea. The main island is Saint Vincent, the northern portion of the smaller chain of islands stretches from Saint Vincent to Grenada. To Saint Vincent's north is Saint Lucia and to the east, Barbados. This beautiful tropical tisland was originally inhabited by the native Caribs, who fought mightily against European colonization, until 1719 when the French over powered their resistance efforts. Once established, the French developed coffee, tobacco, indigo, cotton and plantations that were largely worked by African slaves.  From 1763 until 1979, the island changed hands many times from French to British rule and back again, ultimately gaining independence to become its own parliamentary democracy. The country's mountainous terrain and tropical climate create ideal conditions for volcanoes, and hurricanes which have caused many deaths as well as environmental and agricultural devastation over the years. Despite unforeseen natural disasters, however, the island is offers visitors gorgeous beaches, exotic plants and wildlife, wonderful food and warm hospitality and a strong and vibrant culture. 

Cuisine in Saint Vincent and The Grenadines is generally hot and spicy. Meat stews, curries, shellfish, pickled and salted fish fish are typical to island cooking. Cassava, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions and bread fruit are staples as well. One of the island's specialties is Callaloo, a dish that is cooked with spinach or dasheen leaves and coconut milk. Arrow root, a thickening agent used in soups, stews and gravies is grown on the island, as well as a wide variety of tropical fruits such as bananas, citrus, mangoes, papayas and one of my favorites, passion fruit.

Guinness Bottle Chicken Stew (Recipe Adapted from Caribbean Choice)

2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 10 oz. can or bottle of Guinness Stout beer
1 cup chicken broth
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp. chilli powder

Combine flour, salt and pepper on a plate or paper bag. Toss cubed chicken to coat.
In a large pot, heat oil, then add chicken and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
Pour off oil until about 2 Tbsp. remains, then add onion and garlic and saute for 4 mintutes.
Add Guinness, then reduce by half, then return chicken.
Add broth, tomato paste, peppers, parsley and chilli powder.
Let simmer covered for about 15 minutes.
Serve over rice.

Final Assessment: This was a wonderfully satisfying and easy to make dish. The addition of Guinness gave the stew a rich, full-bodied flavor with a great kick from the chilli powder. Served over a bed of rice with a nice cold beer, this a perfect lunch.


(C) 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World?/ Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved 

Avocado Topped Bagels

This breakfast concoction is inspired by something I tried recently at a nearby coffee shop.  They had this interesting bagel covered with an avocado, cream cheese, and lemon pepper spread.  It turned out to be a killer combination!  Tangy and creamy, with a kick of spice from the pepper – At home, we prepare this with the ingredients separated, which makes the flavors really pop, as well as some fresh herbs on top. If you’re an avocado lover like us, we highly recommend trying this.

Ingredients 

1 everything bagel

1 avocado

cream cheese to taste

zest and juice from 1 lemon

ground pepper to taste

sea salt to taste

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro (or parsley)

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix lemon zest, ground pepper, and sea salt.  Slice avocado and drizzle slices with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Toast bagel and spread cream cheese on top.  Place the avocado slices on the cream cheese.  Sprinkle with lemon zest mixture and herbs.

When picking out an avocado:  If you are making this within a day or two, make sure it is slightly soft and uniform.  Too mushy, and it is probably bruised or going bad.  Too hard, and it is unripe and will take around a week to soften up.

Homemade Beer Bread

Beer bread is great, because it doesn't take hours to make, it has a nice subtle flavor, reminiscent of your favorite beer, and it has has that great pillowy inside and crusty outside you only get from fresh baked, homemade bread. Excellent with a sandwich, pasta, or best of all, on its own.

Ingredients 
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bottle of beer (we've enjoyed Newcastle and Blue Moon)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in beer. Place batter into greased loaf pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Brush on melted butter and continue baking for another ten minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Green Bean and Mushroom Pork Stir Fry

This stir fry has a delicious, unique flavor profile. Packed with umami, the flavors of hoisin, mushrooms, ground pork, and spice stand out right away. Supported by hints of garlic, sweet honey, rice wine, and soy, this dish surprised us with its complexity and richness of flavor, and has become a regular mainstay for weeknight dinners.

Ingredients 
½ lb ground pork
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ tsp white pepper
dash black pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon canola oil
splash sesame oil
3 cups chopped green beans
5 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces cremini ("baby bella") mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon honey
3 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon thick soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons chile paste

Instructions
Whisk cornstarch, white and black peppers, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon rice wine. Coat the ground pork with the cornstarch mixture. Heat oil in wok over medium high heat and cook green beans, mushrooms, and garlic for five minutes and the mushrooms have started to brown. Add the ground pork and cook until the pork is cooked through. Whisk together hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauces, and chile pastes and add to the meat and vegetables. Cook for a few more minutes.

Peach and Blackberry Cobbler

Is there ever an end to what you can do with fresh blackberries? Combine the sour of blackberries, the sweet of peaches, the creaminess of vanilla, and the spiciness of cinnamon and ginger to get this delicious, crumbly cobbler. Perfect for satisfying guests who know their sweets.

Ingredients 
2¼ cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 cup half and half
4 cups sliced peaches
2 cups blackberries
½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lime zest
½ teaspoon lime juice
1 tablespoon half and half
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger

Instructions
Whisk baking powder, 2 cups flour, and salt. Mix in the chilled butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumble. Stir in the half and half and form into dough. I like forming the batter into one large biscuit to place on top, but you can also form the dough into smaller clumps and place all of them on top.

Mix the fruit with ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup flour, vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour the fruit mixture into a greased baking dish and cover with the biscuit dough.

Brush half and half on the biscuit dough with a pastry brush. In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, ginger and 2 tablespoons sugar and sprinkle before placing the cobbler in the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.