Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Mexican Food for Game Night

This is the dinner I took to my mom’s for an evening of watching baseball. It wasn’t a particularly spectacular or memorable meal. Oh, it was yummy, all right. And it was quick and easy to make each dish, and it definitely hit the spot on a 100 degree day. The beauty of this meal was the recipes I put together. It had perfect mix ‘n match-ableness. Here’s what I made.

Corn Soup
from Vegan Fire & Spice


Soup when it’s 100 degrees? Yes! This soup is made with fresh corn and potatoes and served at room temperature. My mom loves corn soup and she loved this recipe. It was very good.


Carrot Ribbon Salad
Adapted from a recipe by Dr. Ben Kim

Makes 6 small servings

Ingredients:
6 medium carrots, washed and peeled
Large handful of fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of one orange
1 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 avocado, peeled and diced
Directions:
1. Slice carrots into thin strips using a mandolin or vegetable peeler.
2. Combine carrot strips and cilantro leaves in a salad bowl.
3. In a separate bowl combine the orange juice and lime juice. Whisk in the olive oil. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and whisk again.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Gently stir in the avocado.

This simple salad was really really delicious. Of course I love cilantro, and Dr. Kim says:
Cilantro is particularly good when combined with carrots and citrus juice - we were introduced to this recipe by an old family friend, who learned it from celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver.
Wild Rice Salad with Mango, Onion, and Red Pepper



This was simply a box of wild rice, cooked and cooled. Then I added chopped mango, onion, and red bell pepper. I served it at room temp too. It was a wonderful way to use that box of rice I’ve had in my pantry forever.


Tipsy Soft Tacos
I bought burrito sized spinach wraps and just made the bean part of Lisa’s recipe, so I will call these Beer Bean Wraps. These beer braised beans were terrific! I think they may have tasted even better the next day. Is it just me or does everything taste better when you add alcohol to it? Oh, I made the toasted pepitas too. Fabulous idea, Lisa!


Like I said, the mix ‘n match aspect of this dinner was the best part. The rice salad and the carrot salad could remain a side dish, or they could go in the wraps or garnish the soup. The toasted pepitas got sprinkled over everything.


For dessert, fresh strawberries on top of a Sweet Freedom treat which I will reveal on Sweet Freedom Saturday.



A refreshing and delicious meal to go with a victory for the Longhorns!

17 comments:

Jes said...

I definitely think everything has a bit more pizzaz when cooked in/with alcohol. The tacos look great! And I'm love the carrot salad!

Andrea said...

What a great combination of dishes. The colors, textures and flavors are so complimentary. I agree with your mom that corn soup is good - especially if it's spicy.

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Unknown said...

This meal looks fit for a vegetarian king. I liked the look of that carrot ribbon salad; can't wait to try it.

peace,
mike
livelife365

Oraphan said...

What a fantastic post! Everything looks really good and it does sound quick and easy to make. Thanks so much for the recipes, I can't wait to try to make them all.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

The carrot salad looks awesome!

P.S. I had a huge bowl of broccoli with pasta (notice how "broccoli" came first in my description?) the other day, and I thought of you.

nora said...

Those carrot ribbons are gorgeous!

Carrie said...

that all looks amazing and i really want that burrito!!

Morgan said...

alcohol = sugar when cooked or digested, am I right? perhaps therin lies the tastiness!

Lisa said...

The corn soup sounds so good! I should check out that cookbook. And I'm glad you liked the tipsy beans!

Hannah said...

I can't wait until corn is in prime season... I'll have to buy tons of extra ears and make a soup similar to this, it sounds so good!

Alicia said...

The whole meal looks great! I hope to make that carrot salad soon.

Amy said...

I am loving that carrot salad!! And after recently discovering my love of beer in cooking, I'm definitely making those beans!!

Beautiful dessert too :)

JENNA said...

What a delicious looking meal! I'm going crazy for the Carrot Ribbon Salad. I'm going to have to give it a try!

Meg Wolff said...

Wow, I wish I could've been at this dinner! I think you outdid yourself this time. Yum! Beautiful presentations, too.

Lisa said...

Diann, VeganCowgirl posted that a site is publishing her posts without permission or credit, and I noticed your posts are there too. Don't know if you gave permission. Here it is if you want to check it out: http://duckducksoup.com/

Em said...

this all looks so good, love the raw carrot noodles!