A Cooling Combo: Chilled Mango and Cucumber Soup & Brazilian Quinoa Salad for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Warm days have me craving lots of fruits and veggies and low effort cooking. I found this recipe for a cold, no-cook Chilled Mango and Cucumber Soup in the weekly Gourmet Magazine email newsletter I subscribe to and thought it sounded good. A bonus, I had everything I needed to make it from the farmer's market this week. Wanting something light but still filling and full of veggies to pair with it, I found a recipe for a Brazilian salad in The Tropical Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein. The recipe is for a rice salad but swapping out the rice for some quinoa gives a much bigger boost of protein and other nutrients. With the quinoa and black beans the salad becomes a good source of protein and a great veggie meal, but if you, or someone in your household must have some meat, some grilled shrimp or chicken would pair perfectly for a still light summer lunch or dinner. Notes/Results for both dishes are at the bottom.

Chilled Mango and Cucumber Soup

by Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez, Gourmet Magazine
(Makes 7 cups)

"A chunky mango-cucumber soup spiked with lime juice and cilantro is a light first course that requires no cooking."

2 mangoes, peeled and pitted (2 pounds total)
2 seedless cucumbers (usually plastic-wrapped; 1 1/2 pounds total)
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Finely chop 1 mango and 1 cucumber and set aside. Coarsely chop remaining mango and cucumber and purée with 1/4 cup water in a blender until almost smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in finely chopped mango and cucumber, onion, lime juice, and 2 cups cold water. Place bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir until cool.
Just before serving, stir in cilantro and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt.

Cook's Note: Soup can also be chilled in the refrigerator until cold, but it will take about 2 hours.

And the salad:

Brazilian Rice Quinoa Salad

Adapted from The Tropical Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein

(Makes 6-8 Servings)

2 cups long grain rice (I used quinoa)

2 1/4 cups water

1 3/4 cups light coconut milk

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt, plus additional to taste

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped red, yellow and/or green bell pepper

2 large plum tomatoes (about 3 oz each), chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice. or to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium deep-sided skillet with a lid, bring the rice, water, coconut milk, turmeric, cumin, sugar and salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed, 17 to 20 minutes. Fluff with fork and set aside to cool about 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the rice with the remaining ingredients, tossing well to combine. Season with additional salt, as needed. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours, and return to room temperature before serving.  

Notes/Results: First the soup; sweet but tangy and a little savory, it is cool and refreshing and wonderful on a hot day. The flavor is like a mild, mango salsa and it would be a good starter for a Latin-inspired party in little shot glasses. A keeper recipe. The salad is tasty and filling, the quinoa takes on a creamier texture when cooked with the coconut milk and that contrasts nicely with the crunchy veggies. I added a diced jalapeno for a little more heat and some extra lime juice too. A great healthy salad that would be perfect to take to a potluck, I liked it best at room temperature. 

Let's take a look at who is in the Souper Sunday kitchen this week:

I am happy to welcome Chaya from Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog to Souper Sundays this week. Chaya hails from New York and is a fairly new blogger who teaches 5th grade and hangs out with her family when she isn't cooking and blogging. Chaya has a healthy, gluten-free, veggie filled Zucchini Spinach Soup to share, the recipe sent from her daughter. She says; "it tasted like the richest, creamiest soup and yet it was all vegetable – no cream." Gotta love that!

Welcome back to Christine from Kit's Chow, here this week with a Baby Cuttlefish Salad. Finding packages of cleaned and ready to stir-fry cuttlefish, Christine grabbed a bag and turned it into this tasty salad based on a Vietnamese squid salad called "Goi Muc". With its spicy, tangy, slightly sweet dressing and bed of cucumber, it is a great summer meal.

Joanne from Eats Well With Others has what she declares is "The best fruit salad ever!" to share this week; a Strawberry Peach Salad with Basil adapted from Cooking Light. The recipe originally called for kiwi, but being allergic Joanne substituted peaches instead to mix with the strawberries, chopped basil and white balsamic vinegar. Joanne says, "Be warned, it's very addictive." 

Our dynamic duo, Crystal and Amir from The Duo Dishes, are at it again, putting their own creative spin on a classic, (this time the BLT), with their Cinnamon Cranberry BLOTA. The Duo says: "It may seem a little weird to slather mayo on your cinnamon bread, but please trust when we say that it was totally fantastic. Buttery avocado, salty bacon, crunchy onions and sweet, tart cranberries in one bite is a great taste bud overload."

Having joined us with soups and salads, Graziana from Erbe in Cucina is here this week with some lovely sammies, her Roast Ham Sandwiches with Chervil. Graiziana says: "I'm growing chervil for the first year and it's surprising me. After a few weeks after the sowing it was ready to be harvested and from a small pot like this I harvest 2 cups of leaves every week. It has a delicate, tangy taste and can be used in salads, cold sauces, sandwiches."

Is it a mini pizza or a sandwich? Is pizza a kind of sandwich? Natashya at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies says it is and offers up her Melanzane Baby Pizzas on Whole Wheat Crust for Souper Sundays this week. Featuring lots of veggies; eggplant, pepper, onion; even carrots in her homemade marinara sauce, Natashya says, "With a whole wheat crust and vegetarian toppings, this one comes fairly close to being virtuous." Virtuous and it looks delicious too!

Yum! Another week of delicious, creative and fun recipes! Thanks to everyone who joined us. If you have a soup, salad, sandwich or combo of any of the above that you would like to share, click on the Souper Sunday logo on the side bar for all the details.

Have a great week and don't forget you have until midnight HST to enter my Betty Crocker Gluten Free Dessert Mixes "Sweet Treats" Giveaway.  Get the details here. 

Pineapple-Cucumber Frappe, A Refreshing "Simple Saturday Sipper"

I tried a new "Sweet Gold" pineapple today, on sale at a local grocery store. The tag says these pineapples "are pure Hawaiian hybrids that were selected for their super-sweet taste and lower acidity" and are grown only in Hawaii and available in limited quantities. Using my handy-dandy pineapple slicer-corer, I cut up the fruit and enjoyed how juicy and incredibly sweet it was. I ate some, set a bit aside for a salsa tomorrow and decided to blend the rest up into a refreshing "Simple Saturday Sipper". Thinking that a frappe; blended fruit and ice, would be perfect for the warm weather, I decided to add a locally-grown, English-style cucumber picked up at the farmer's market to temper the sweetness. The pairing of the sweet pineapple with the cooling cucumber sounded good, along with some mint and a pinch of salt. I used my hollowed out pineapple to serve my frappe, but a tall glass would work equally as well. 

Pineapple-Cucumber Frappe

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes about 2 1/2 cups)

1 cup chopped pineapple with juice

1 cup English cucumber, peeled & chopped or regular cucumber, peeled, seeded &chopped

1 cup ice

1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

1 tiny pinch sea salt 

Blend all ingredients in a blender until foamy and well mixed. Pour into glasses and serve garnished with mint, straw and a plastic monkey or two! You can also garnish with pineapple chunks and/or cucumber. Enjoy!

Notes/Results: Cold, creamy and delicious. Made with fruit and ice and blended, a frappe has a thickness to it like a milkshake but without all the fat from ice cream and it's non-dairy too. The mint and the touch of sea salt really enhance the flavor of the pineapple and cucumber which pair nicely. An excellent thirst-quencher on a hot day and a make-again recipe. 

Enjoy the Weekend!

Giveaway!

Just one more day to enter a giveaway of the "Sweet Treats" prize package below from the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free Dessert Mixes. The deadline is Midnight (HST) on Sunday. You can find all the details for entering here. 

Hong Kong Salmon Cakes with Baby Bok Choy for Tyler Florence Fridays

I was looking for something on the lighter side for my TFF selection this week, but still with a big punch of flavor so I chose Tyler's Hong Kong Salmon Cakes with Baby Bok Choy. I think of all the TFF recipes I have posted (can you believe this is #41?!), my favorites always seem to be the Asian inspired ones as Tyler does a great job combining the ingredients and flavors. This recipe looked like it would be delicious and it's always good to get some salmon and its boost of healthy Omega-3s into your diet!

The recipe can be found at the Food Network site here. 

Hong Kong Salmon Cakes with Baby Bok Choy

Food 911, Tyler Florence

(Makes 2-4 servings)

Salmon Cakes:

1/4 cup peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 to 2 red or green chiles, minced
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless salmon fillets, cut in small cubes
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (4 slices white bread with crusts removed pulsed in the food processor)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lemon, juiced
1 large egg white
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bok Choy:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2-inch piece fresh ginger
2 heads baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro leaves, and sliced green onion, for garnish

To make the salmon cakes: Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, ginger, and chiles; saute for a few minutes to release the flavor. Remove from heat to cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, combine the salmon, bread crumbs, cilantro, mayonnaise, lemon juice and egg white. Scrape the garlic/ginger oil into the salmon mixture; season with salt and pepper. Fold the ingredients together gently but thoroughly, taking care not to mash the salmon too much. Using your hands, form the mixture into 4 salmon cakes, they should be moist and just hold together.

Coat a non-stick skillet with the 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and bring it to a slight smoke over medium heat. Fry the salmon cakes until brown, about 4 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula. Keep warm on a plate lined with paper towels.

To make the bok choy: Return the skillet to the heat and coat with the 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and heat until almost smoking. Split the piece of ginger open with a knife then whack it with the flat side of the knife. Lay the ginger pieces in the oil, cut-side down to let it start to perfume. Pan-fry the bok choy, cut-side down, for a couple of minutes to give it some color. Add the water and cook another minute to steam the bok choy; carefully remove it to a plate. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Cook and stir for 3 minutes until the sauce is the consistency of syrup.

Serve the salmon cakes with the bok choy, and drizzle the brown sauce over the whole thing. Garnish the dish with the toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and green onion.

Notes/Results: Tyler does it again! The salmon cakes are a great combination of flavors with the ginger, garlic, shallot, green chili and cilantro. The syrupy sauce, drizzled over the baby bok choy and salmon cakes is delicious. I used a beautiful piece of wild sockeye salmon and the cakes turned out really moist. I am used to breaking up cooked fillets for my salmon cakes and I loved the difference in texture that came from starting with the little cubes of raw salmon. A couple of small changes--I used an oat & wheat hamburger bun instead of white bread for the breadcrumbs; it is what I had on hand, gets me a bit more fiber and the hamburger buns are soft so they work well texturally. Then, as is my usual habit, I cut down the amount of peanut oil used to cook everything by a bit more than half. Definitely use the low sodium soy-sauce as Tyler calls for as this recipe is pretty sodium laden. It is very tasty and makes a good, not too heavy meal with the bok choy and some rice. 

If you happened to notice the round of rice underneath the salmon patty and wonder about the color, it is Lotus Foods Bhutanese Red Rice. I like the rich, red color and the nutty flavor it has. In keeping with the ginger theme that permeates this recipe, I prepared the rice by sauteing some fresh minced ginger and garlic in a just a little bit of peanut oil, then added the rice and stirred it to coat it with the oil and spices for a few minutes before adding in the water and cooking it for about 20 minutes. Yum! This is a keeper recipe, and my leftover salmon cake will become a delicious sandwich tomorrow. 

Go visit the Tyler Florence Fridays site here to see what recipes the rest of our group selected and what they thought of them.

Don't Forget The Giveaway!

You have until this Sunday to enter my giveaway of a great "Sweet Treats" prize package from the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free Dessert Mixes. You get 4 full-size mixes to try, 2 coupons for free mixes and other goodies. Get all the details for entering here.

Cherry-Thai Basil Sorbet: Refreshing, Unique & Delicious

Much as I try to eat as locally as possible, sometimes I have to cave in. For example when Whole Foods had big bags of beautiful Washington cherries for sale, I had to buy one. I ate a bunch and decided that I needed to make a sorbet out of the rest of them. Still enamoured by the pairing of strawberries and basil in this lemonade and watermelon and basil in this soup, cherry and basil seemed like a perfect pairing. The Thai basil I had on hand looked fresh and beautiful and because Thai basil is a bit stronger and more pungent than sweet basil, a little goes a long way. These were some very sweet cherries and I wanted to cut down on the processed sugar to make this a healthier option so I used a bit of agave nectar instead. I wasn't sure whether to cook the cherries or not, so I consulted the resource on all things ice cream, The Perfect Scoop to see what David Lebovitz had to say about cherries: "...their characteristic flavor really becomes pronounced when warmed, so I saute them first to deepen their luxurious flavor. Be sure to start with full flavored, very dark cherries, like plump Burlat cherries or blackish red Bing's."

Cherry-Thai Basil Sorbet 

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen (with cherry prep advice by The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz)

(Makes about 1 quart)

4 cups Bing cherries stemmed and pitted 

3/4 cup water

2 Tbsp agave syrup (or sweetener of your choice)

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp fresh Thai basil leaves, chopped

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, warm the stemmed, pitted cherries, water, agave and lemon juice. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cherries are very soft and cooked through. Remove from the heat and let stand until cool, about room temperature. Place cherries and chopped basil in blender and puree until very smooth, then place mixture in fridge to chill completely, (preferably overnight). Freeze in ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. Place sorbet in a freezer container and freeze until firm. Serve with a sprig of fresh Thai  basil and enjoy! 

Notes/Results: Refreshing and delicious! The sweetness and slight tartness of the cherries combines really well with the herbal taste of the basil; it is unique and really good. David Lebovitz is right, warming the cherries really brings out their full flavor. A scoop would be a nice, healthy and sophisticated way to end a summer's meal. A make-again recipe.

Giveaway!

Don't miss your chance to enter a great giveaway of a "Sweet Treats" prize package from the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free Dessert Mixes. 

You can find all the details for entering here. 

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Peppered Ahi Tuna on Soba Noodles with Creamy Avocado

Whole Foods put my beloved sushi grade ahi tuna on sale for a decent price, and it was fresh and local making it all the better, so I wanted to do something fun with it. I had picked up a used copy of Bread Tomato Garlic, by Jill Dupleix, (a favorite chef of mine). It is a book full of quick cooking recipes, each with 3 main ingredients and I found this recipe using tuna, soba noodles and avocado. It sounded like a simple and perfect summer dinner. 

Japanese Peppered Tuna, Served Rare on Cold Noodles with the Surprise of Creamy Avocado 

from Bread Tomato Garlic by Jill Dupleix

(Serves 4)

Main Players:

2 (9-ounce) trimmed lengths sashimi-grade tuna

7 ounces dried soba noodles

1 avocado

Supporting Cast:

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp Japanese sansho pepper 

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Tbsp mirin 

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil, plus extra to serve

Roll the tuna in the salt, pepper and sansho pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan until quite hot and sear the the tuna for 30 seconds on each side. Remove from the heat and let rest for 30 minutes.

Cook the soba noodles in a large pot of water for 6-8 minutes or according to the instructions on the package, until cooked but still firm, as for spaghetti. drain well, rinse under cold running water and set aside.

Mix the mirin, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil in a large bowl, add the drained noodles and toss well.

Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and twist the two halves apart. Hit the pit with the blade of a large knife, then turn the knife to twist out the pit. Peel off the skin and cut the flesh into small cubes and toss lightly through the noodles.

Arrange the noodles in mounds on four small dinner plates. Thinly slice the tuna and arrange 3 or 4 slices on top. Drizzle with a little extra sesame oil and serve.

Dupleix notes: "Sashimi-grade tuna is super-fresh and trimmed in neat blocks ready for cutting. It is available from specialty food shops, top-quality fish shops and Japanese food stores."  

Notes/Results: Delicious! The cold soba noodles and creamy avocado are a perfect match for the tangy, lightly spicy ahi. In addition to the local fish, I used the avocado and some green onion from my CSA box. I made a couple of changes, mixing in some black and toasted sesame seeds into the coating, adding a touch of lime juice to the dressing an garnishing with sesame seeds and chopped green onion for some color. I thought I had sansho pepper (actually a spice rather than a pepper), but found out it was shichimi, (a chili pepper blend with "seven flavors") in my pantry. Since shichimi is spicier than sansho, I thought using a little less and mixing the sesame seeds into the coating would make it the right spice level for me, and it did; spicy but not "burn your mouth hot". A great, healthy dinner for a warm night and a keeper recipe, that I will try with the sansho pepper at some point too. 

I am sending this one to Presto Pasta Nights, being hosted this week by the wonderful Joanne at Eats Well with Others. Check out the PPN round-up on her site on Friday for lots of amazing pasta dishes.

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Don't forget to enter my giveaway of a "Sweet Treats" prize package from the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free Dessert Mixes. Get all the details for entering here.

Review of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Dessert Mixes and a Great "Sweet Treats" Prize Package Giveaway

Although I do not have to eat or cook gluten free on a regular basis, I have good friends who do and I have a keen interest in learning to cook for different dietetic needs. Having recently reviewed the Gluten Free Everyday Cookbook, I was happy to receive an email from Laurie, one of the nice people doing PR for Betty Crocker asking if I would like to try the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free Dessert Mixes. They offered to send me a prize pack with the four new mixes, coupons and other goodies and even better, they generously offered to provide an extra prize pack to one of my blog readers. (More about the giveaway at the bottom of the post!)

Since testing recipes for the cookbook review required me to buy a small (and not inexpensive!) arsenal of gluten free flours and ingredients, the idea of a mix, especially for someone who doesn't cook or bake gluten free on a regular basis is very appealing. Having gluten free friends and co-workers means having to think through meals, parties and potlucks to make sure they are included, so my interest was in finding out if these mixes were good enough to please not just the GF eater, but everyone else too. 

As the the Betty Crocker Baking Team says on the dessert mix boxes: "Why go gluten free? Not long ago, two of our co-workers found themselves in the gluten free world. Linc was diagnosed with Celiac disease, and Colleen's family switched to the diet for her son's well-being. Their experiences opened our eyes to the challenges families face following the diet. It's hard to be different, especially when it affects sweet moments with friends and family. No one wants to miss sharing a birthday cake or see their child have to turn down a homemade cookie from a buddy after a game. We hope we can help by bringing you these mixes for gluten free desserts that look and taste like the treats you've been longing to share."

There are four new mixes: 

• Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
• Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix
• Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix
• Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

All are made in a gluten free processing facility, and all are ready to go with the dry GF ingredients you need. After receiving my box of goodies last week, I chose to try two of the mixes for this review and I will try the other two mixes later on.

First up the Gluten Free Brownie Mix. Being a mix, they of course go together quickly and easily and are moist with a nice chocolate flavor. I was happy with the texture, which had that great slighlty fudgy / slightly cakey blend that I love. If I hadn't baked them and known they were gluten free, I don't think I would be able to tell, and they would be crowd pleasers in any brownie-loving household. They were great as they were and would also be fun with ganche on top or some GF chocolate chips or chunks to dress them up a bit. 

I thought about trying the chocolate chip cookies next, but since Reeni gave them her stamp of approval last week, I decided to go for the Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix. The box shows it as a cake with chocolate icing but to me yellow cake says cupcakes with fluffy white icing and coconut flakes. The cupcake mix uses rice flour and potato starch, giving it a lighter texture than the cupcakes I usually make, but that is not a bad thing. The crumb is tender and the flavor good. Frosted, with some dipped in coconut, I don't think anyone would be turning these down. Again, I didn't get a gluten free vibe at all from these, just a tasty cupcake. 

I liked both mixes and think they are perfect when you need a dessert that fits into the GF lifestyle quickly and easily without investing a lot of time and money into the process. I checked a couple of price points in the stores and although they are priced higher than the Betty Crocker regular dessert mixes, when you price GF ingredients or other gluten free baking mixes, they are quite reasonable. I am a total packaged food label reader and I was worried that these might have a bunch of hard to pronounce chemicals and ingredients in them to preserve them and make them taste better. I was pleasantly surprised to find the ingredient list to be shorter than I expected and containing just the necessary flours, stabilizers and leavening agents needed for baking.

The Giveaway!

Now how would you like to win your own Betty Crocker "Sweet Treats" Prize Pack and try the mixes yourself? The company will send one lucky winner a prize pack including: All four (4) samples of the dessert mixes, two (2) Free coupons for any of the varieties, a grocery tote bag, magnetic grocery list and pen to make shopping easier! This is a generous prize pack, with the 2 coupons, you are really getting 6 (full size) mixes for free! 

*Unfortunately, they can only send the pack to U.S. addresses at this time. (To my International friends, I am very sorry about this) ;-(  

How To Enter the Giveaway: (Up to three chances to win!)

• Leave a comment on this post telling me why you would like to win the prize pack and try the products.

• If you have a blog, you can get another chance or entry by mentioning this giveaway on your blog and linking to this post. Then leave a separate comment letting me know you did.

• If you Twitter, you can get yet another entry by "tweeting" about the giveaway and leaving another comment here letting me know you did and your Twitter user name. 

You will have until midnight HST on Sunday, July 19th to enter. I will randomly draw the winner from all of the entries on Monday, July 20th. Please make sure you that you leave me a way to contact you if you win so that I can get your mailing address. 

Good Luck to all of you! Mahalo to the lovely people at Betty Crocker and Coyne Public Relations for sponsoring the giveaway.