Corn & Black Bean Salad

After a couple of weeks of awesome yet fatty cooking I found myself craving something a wee bit healthier this week. I may have mentioned this before, but I'm not generally a fan of salads - the ones that do appeal to me usually have about the same amount of calories as a cheeseburger, and I invariably find myself hungry again half an hour later!

I first made this salad for my friend's baby shower a couple of weeks ago and it was so popular I knew it would be making an appearance here before too long. The recipe below is a tweaked version of the one I found on my beloved seriouseats.com 

It was a great dish to make for a party as it was easy to double it up for a larger crowd, and it actually benefits from being made the day before, leaving you free to attend to other pre-party chores.

The black beans and avocado provide enough protein that you can eat this salad by itself for a fulfilling lunch or snack, or it makes a perfect side dish for many main meals. Using leftovers from the baby shower, it also made some really tasty quesadillas! Last night I chose to serve it with some rotisserie chicken for a quick and healthy dinner.

Anyhoo, here is what you will need for roughly 6 to 8 servings:

• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 ears of cooked corn, kernels cut from cob
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• zest of one lime, plus 6 tbsp of fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 avocados, chopped

1. Put beans, corn and bell pepper in a large bowl.
2. Whisk garlic, shallot, salt, cayenne, sugar, olive oil, lime zest and juice, and cilantro in a medium bowl to make the dressing.
3. Pour 2/3 of the dressing into the beans, corn and bell pepper and toss to coat well. Taste, and determine if you need to add more dressing. (The first time I made this I added all the dressing at once and found it a little wet for my liking. This time I added maybe 3/4 of the dressing and reserved the rest to use on a different salad this week)
4. Cover and chill salad for at least half an hour, and overnight if you have time.
5. Before serving, add avocado and toss gently to avoid squashing the avocado. Serve at room temperature.
   
   
   

Officially on Facebook!

Just a quickie to let you know that The Puuurple Kitchen now has its own Facebook page - hurrah!!

As well as being the new home for issuing Facebook notifactions about blog posts, I would love for the page to be a place for general foodie chat and nonsense, feedback on any recipes you may have tried, suggestions for changes you might have made, and also any challenges or recipes you would like me to explore.

If you would like to be a part of the fun, please click here and like the page.

Thank you! :-)

Chicken With Bacon & Sherry

Here's a favorite of mine that is so simple it is literally idiot-proof and never fails to impress. Using mostly ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge or cupboards (and if you don't, then I recommend stocking up!) this dish provides maximum taste for minimum effort!

I like this dish for casual entertaining as the rich flavor hints at something that requires a lot more effort, while the oven time lets you relax with your guests and not be running around in the kitchen at the last minute (which I usually am when I'm hosting a dinner party!)

I forget where I originally found this recipe or what it's official name is, so I'm just going to go with Chicken with Bacon and Sherry as that is basically what it is! The quantities below will make 3 hearty portions or 4 smaller ones, depending on your appetite.

Anyway, here is what you will need:

• 1/2 cup of flour
• 6 chicken thighs, boneless & skinless
• 4 slices bacon, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry or medium dry sherry
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1.  Heat oven to 350F (180C or gas mark 4)
2. Place flour in a bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper, dredge in flour. Set aside.
3. Heat a large ovenproof skillet or saute pan over a medium high heat and add bacon. Cook, stirring, until the fat renders, about 4 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Add olive oil to the pan then brown the chicken on both sides. Remove chicken and set aside.
5. Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Then add the stock and sherry, and return the chicken to the pan. Sprinkle with the bacon and parsley, then dot with the butter.
6. Cover and transfer the pan to the oven for around 40 minutes, removing twice to baste the chicken

This is definitely a meal to file under "Comfort Food" as between the bacon, bacon fat and butter it is not particularly healthy! To complete the comfort theme, I like to serve this with mashed potatoes and peas, but you could also serve it with some crusty bread - just make sure you have something to soak up all that lovely sauce!