Insalata di Ceci, Peperone, Cetriolo & Sedano al Curry & Yogurt
Curried Chickpea Salad with Pepper, Cucumber & Celery with Yogurt Dressing
This evening was seriously too, too hot to be cooking anything in the kitchen... I mean, it was so hot, I swear that the minute I put the food I was about to prepare in the counter, it began to sizzle!
All kidding aside, I really do not feel inclined to turn on the stove, but was also more hungry than to be able to be satisfied with a leafy green salad... And so I made something a little more filling instead!
How does my little salad sound to you? Or more to the point, how does it look? Well, considering it was improvised from next to nothing... Which was about all that I had left in the fridge and my cupboard!
But as you know, having to magic something together out of thin air is one of my favorite things to do... And so do it I did! And this was the result!
So, what do we have here then? Well, most importantly, we have a can of chickpeas of course... And please- let's not start discussing soaking the dried ones overnight! wink emoticon
And to transform this simple staple into a wonderful salad, I needed just 1/2 of a cucumber, 1 spring onion, 1 small red pepper (or half of a bell pepper), about 1/3rd of a stalk of celery, some fresh mint and parsley, the juice of 1 lime, a little sesame oil, 2-3 tablespoons of plain yogurt and 1-2 teaspoons of your preferred curry powder. if you have all of those things... and some salt and pepper... Then you can have this for supper in 10 minutes! Just sayin'...
Yes it tastes delicious, yes it looks terrific and yes you should make it... Right now!
This was an absolutely perfect summer supper... Satisfying, filling, yet basically light and definitely healthy! But best of all it is so easy to make and unpretentious, yet it gives those super-sophisticated and trendy pieces of beautiful food-foolishness a run for their money! Because this is something that is pretty, but that is a real meal that is actually worth eating! Not just looking at!
Have a sharp knife and a good vegetable peeler? Good! Then let's begin!
Cut the cucumber into quarters, lengthways, remove the seeds with a diagonal cut and then take off shavings, using your peeler... Simple.
The rest... Chopped as finely as you like! All of it! Without exception! Which is even easier still! No?
Now comes the complicated and difficult part. Set aside a little of the finely diced pepper and herbs, set aside the sliced cucumber, grab yourself a bowl, put in all of the other ingredients and add your yogurt, curry powder, sesame oil, lime juice, salt and pepper... And stir. I know it's difficult, I'm sorry.
And it already looks delicious, doesn't it?
Obviously, this is a great dish to prepare in advance, because as those flavors and spices and juices marinate together, things just get tastier and tastier! If you decide to do that, leave the cucumber till later...mid you don't, look at the next picture and see how it looked when it was finished!
Add the strands of cucumber decoratively and scatter with the remaining pepper and herbs. An absolute joy to behold... Even if I do say so myself!
Scatter with a few of the tiniest of the mint and parsley leaves for a finishing touch... That is not only pretty but delicious!
And yes, it still looks nice, even after being tossed together!
Another new favorite salad is born... Sigh! And I hope you love it as much as I did! Try it and see!
Curried Chickpea Salad with Pepper, Cucumber & Celery with Yogurt Dressing
This evening was seriously too, too hot to be cooking anything in the kitchen... I mean, it was so hot, I swear that the minute I put the food I was about to prepare in the counter, it began to sizzle!
All kidding aside, I really do not feel inclined to turn on the stove, but was also more hungry than to be able to be satisfied with a leafy green salad... And so I made something a little more filling instead!
How does my little salad sound to you? Or more to the point, how does it look? Well, considering it was improvised from next to nothing... Which was about all that I had left in the fridge and my cupboard!
But as you know, having to magic something together out of thin air is one of my favorite things to do... And so do it I did! And this was the result!
So, what do we have here then? Well, most importantly, we have a can of chickpeas of course... And please- let's not start discussing soaking the dried ones overnight! wink emoticon
And to transform this simple staple into a wonderful salad, I needed just 1/2 of a cucumber, 1 spring onion, 1 small red pepper (or half of a bell pepper), about 1/3rd of a stalk of celery, some fresh mint and parsley, the juice of 1 lime, a little sesame oil, 2-3 tablespoons of plain yogurt and 1-2 teaspoons of your preferred curry powder. if you have all of those things... and some salt and pepper... Then you can have this for supper in 10 minutes! Just sayin'...
Yes it tastes delicious, yes it looks terrific and yes you should make it... Right now!
This was an absolutely perfect summer supper... Satisfying, filling, yet basically light and definitely healthy! But best of all it is so easy to make and unpretentious, yet it gives those super-sophisticated and trendy pieces of beautiful food-foolishness a run for their money! Because this is something that is pretty, but that is a real meal that is actually worth eating! Not just looking at!
Have a sharp knife and a good vegetable peeler? Good! Then let's begin!
Cut the cucumber into quarters, lengthways, remove the seeds with a diagonal cut and then take off shavings, using your peeler... Simple.
The rest... Chopped as finely as you like! All of it! Without exception! Which is even easier still! No?
Now comes the complicated and difficult part. Set aside a little of the finely diced pepper and herbs, set aside the sliced cucumber, grab yourself a bowl, put in all of the other ingredients and add your yogurt, curry powder, sesame oil, lime juice, salt and pepper... And stir. I know it's difficult, I'm sorry.
And it already looks delicious, doesn't it?
Obviously, this is a great dish to prepare in advance, because as those flavors and spices and juices marinate together, things just get tastier and tastier! If you decide to do that, leave the cucumber till later...mid you don't, look at the next picture and see how it looked when it was finished!
Add the strands of cucumber decoratively and scatter with the remaining pepper and herbs. An absolute joy to behold... Even if I do say so myself!
Scatter with a few of the tiniest of the mint and parsley leaves for a finishing touch... That is not only pretty but delicious!
And yes, it still looks nice, even after being tossed together!
Another new favorite salad is born... Sigh! And I hope you love it as much as I did! Try it and see!
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