Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tex-Mex Salad


Apologies for the few days of absence, but our thoughts have been occupied with this little cutie:

The newest addition to our household, JD has already been embroiled in a sex change scandal although we've only had her for a week.



How so?

Well, dear reader, that is what happens when two non-cat experts adopt a little kitten from a friend who proceeds to inform said non-cat experts that the little ball of fur is of the male persuasion. Of course these two non-cat experts get so caught up in the "brand-new-kitten!"-euphoria that they don't even bother to make sure that the kitty is indeed a rough and tumble little boy or whether a dainty little girl is hiding inside there.

Suffice to say, when we took her to the vet yesterday, we felt pretty darn stupid when the vet told us that she has to be a girl because only females come with this particular colouring (something about the x chromosomes - she kinda lost me halfway). That and the very obvious matter of female genitalia...

So, for the past week's gender confusion - a sincere apology my lovely little JD!

The irony of her name of course is not lost on us... JD was originally named after Dr Dorian from Scrubs and, as all Scrubs fans will know, Dr Perry frequently teases JD about being a girl. Ne'er a truer word spoken in jest!

Anyyywhoo, let's get back to the food (because let's face it, that's what  you're here for!), shall we?

This tex-mex salad is supertasty and best of all, it's quickly assembled out of (mostly) storecupboard ingredients. The perfect accompaniment for grilled meats (perhaps these beef skewers?), it also makes for a very satisfying light lunch. Keeps well in the fridge.

Tex-Mex Salad
Serves 4 - 6 (as a side-dish)

2 x 400g tins red kidney beans, drained
1 x 360g tin sweetcorn kernels, drained
2 or 3 tomatoes, diced (optional)
1/2 large cucumber, diced
200g pack black olives in brine, drained and halved
1/2 red bellpepper, diced
1/2 green bellpepper, diced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1 tsp salt

1. Toss, beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes (if using), cucumber, olives and bellpeppers together in a large salad bowl.
2. Add oil, lemon juice & spices, then toss again.
3. Refrigerate, covered for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the flavours to mingle, then serve cold.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 169.6 , Total fat 4.6 g, Saturated fat 0.6 g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.9 g, Monounsaturated fat 2.8 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 1063.6 mg, Potassium 481.6 mg, Total carbohydrate 28.3 g, Dietary fiber 9.1 g, Sugars 0.6 g, Protein 7.3 g

Good source of: Vitamin C 66.6 %, Vitamin A 33.1 %, Iron 20.6 %, Folate 19.9 %

3 comments:

Jeanne @ Cooksister on January 27, 2010 6:57 pm said...

Oh, I am in love with your gender-bender kitten! And yes, I have also been told by a vet that all calico (tabby, ginger & white) cats are genetically certain to be females - has always fascinated me.

Love the salad too - you are certainly on a TexMex roll!

Joanne on January 27, 2010 11:36 pm said...

What a cutie! I can see why you have been distracted. I could explain the X chromosome thing if you want...basically girls have two X chromosomes (one from mom and one from dad) and boys have one X and one Y. So if the gene for hair color is on the X chromosome, then the girls have two genes and the boys only have one. Thus, the girls could have two different hair color options while the boys only have one.

That salad looks delicious! I could use a big bowl of it right now. I hope you're going to keep participating in Regional Recipes now that I'm hosting!

Marisa on January 28, 2010 9:59 am said...

That's right Jeanne - watch this space for some more of that Tex-Mex vibe!

Joanne - No doubt about it, busy working on some delicious Middle-Eastern flavours. Watch this space!

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