Arugula Salad with Sweet Potato and Wild Rice

I seldom use arugula. There are different reasons for it. Mostly because it is harder to come by then the usual lettuce varieties. It's also more difficult to store it at home. (On Pinterest I found something that could help with that problem. You have to put some of the arugula in a small plastic bag, blow air into it until it's completely inflated, twist the bag close and secure it with a plastic clip. That way the salad should stay fresh for a few days. The drawback is that it occupies a lot of space in the fridge. I didn't have the chance to try it out yet. But there is always a next time.)
But taste definitely isn't one of the reasons it's a rare visiter in my kitchen. It has it's own distinct flavour. Even a little arugula in a simple mixed salad can give the whole dish some spice. I'm sure I will use it more often in the future.

I think this was the first time I ever used sweet potatoes. It's not an ingredient that was common in my family. And even now that I live alone, I still use most of the same ingredients that were more or less standard while I grew up. It's not that easy to change some habits, even when you're open to new things (like I actually am).
Now back to the potatoes. In combination with the arugula I quite liked them. And I think I would use them again. But more as a part of a dish, then as the actual main ingredient.

The original recipe asked for pure wild rice. I substituted it with a long grain and wild rice blend. For one it's cheaper, really wild rice costs almost three to four times as much as the blend. And personally I think it tastes a little grassy. It just would be to much.

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Arugula Salad with Sweet Potato and Wild Rice

Dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 small lemons, zest
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp agave syrup
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp salt

1. Wash the lemons and dab them dry. Grate the zest of the lemons.
2. Squeeze the juice out of the lemons.
3. Peel the garlic cloves. Mince them finely.
4. Combine all the ingredients in a high slender bowl.
5. Use a blender to puree them all together.

Salad Ingredients

1/3 cup long grain and wild rice blend, raw
1 sweet potato, small
3 cups baby arugula 
1/3 cup cashew, salted
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt
pepper

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions. Drain it in a sieve.
2. Add a little of the prepared dressing to the rice. Mix it well together and let it cool down completely. That way the rice will absorb the flavour.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 175°C/350°F.
4. Put baking parchment on a baking sheet.
5. Peel the sweet potato. Cut it into cubes, about 1cm high. Spread the potato cubes on the baking sheet.
6. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and season it with cayenne pepper, pepper and salt. Stire the potatoes until they are evenly coated with the oil and the seasoning. Afterwards evenly scatter them out on the baking sheet.
7. Roast the sweet potatoes for about 20-25 minutes. Stir them once or twice to keep them from burning.
8. Let the potatoes cool down a little.
9. Wash the arugula and dab it dry. Cut it in half, that way it will be easier to eat.

To Assemble

1. Combine the rice, the roasted sweet potaoes, the cashew and arugula in a big bowl.
2. Add the remaining dressing to the salad and toss everything together.

The salad tastes best if you serve it when the potatoes are still lukewarm.
 

Bon appétit!!

Crock Pot Mandarin Chicken Legs

And here is another Crock Pot meal. This time with chicken, mainly because I had some in my freezer.
They asked for molasses in the original recipe, but I've never seen that in german stores and I don't know with what to substitute it. So I just left it out. I liked it.

I really need some more different dishes. I think I already used this plate in four other pictures.

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Crock Pot Mandarin Chicken Legs

Chicken Legs

4 chicken leg quarters
3 red bell peppers
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1. Skin the chicken leg quarters.
2. Spread the legs at the bottom of the pot.
3. Wash and dry the bell peppers.
4. Cut off the top of the peppers and clean them out. Quarter the bell peppers and cut the pieces into stripes afterwards.
5. Evenly spread the peppers over the chicken.
6. Mix the broth, the juice, the ketchup, the soy sauce, the mustard, salt and garlic powder together.
7. Pour the mixture over the chicken.
8. Cook everything on LOW for 6 hours.

Sauce

1 cup juice from the chicken legs
2 tbsp cornstarch
ca. 330 g mandarins, drip-off weight
1 tbsp mandarin juice
1 cup peas, frozen
2 scallions

1. Wash and dry the scallions.
2. Cut them into rings and put them aside for later.
3. Drain the mandarins. Reserve 1 tbsp of the juice.
4. Take the chicken and the peppers out of the pot and measure out 1 cup of the juice
5. Bring the juice to a boil.
6. Mix the mandarin juice with the cornstarch. Stir it into the boiling juice.
7. Add the peas and the scallions and stir everything.
8. Let the sauce boil for about 3 minutes, so it can thicken.
9. When the sauce is ready add the mandarins and mix everything together.

Serve the chicken, the bell peppers and the sauce with pasta or rice.

Bon appétit!!

Risotto verde with cherry tomatoes

This recipe is perfect for a supper in the summer. The parmesan makes it a little heavy. That's why I reduced the amount of the original recipe. It should be better now.
I really like that the preparations for this risotto are quite simple. The most work you have is the cutting of the scallions, broccoli and sugar snaps.

As I started to eat I got the idea to leave the tomatoes on the branch. It would have looked great on the photo. Of cause that's just for the aesthetics.

Apropos aesthetics, it's quite annoying that I always have to make the picture before I can actually eat what I made. It's alright if it's something you eat cold or lukewarm. Like cupcakes, cake, salads and so on. But a supper that should be eaten hot or at least warm? Just annoying.
I am doing this out of my own free will, so I really shouldn't complain. Especially because I like to have these picture of my dishes.
So it's not all bad.

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Risotto verde with cherry tomatoes

Rice

130 g peas, frozen
a bunch of scallions
2 garlic cloves
ca. 250 g broccoli
120 g sugar snaps
250 g risotto rice
100 ml white wine, dry
1,2 l vegetable broth
80 g parmesan
2 tbsp butter
olive oil
salt
pepper
nutmeg

1. Let the peas thaw.
2. Wash the scallions. Cube the white part. Cut the green part into 5 mm thick slanting rings.
3. Skin the garlic cloves and mince them.
4. Wash the broccoli and cut it into small florets.
5. Wash the sugar snaps and cut them into 2-3 cm big slanting pieces.
6. Heat the oil in a big sauce pan. Braise the garlic and the white scallions lightly in it.
7. Add the rice and braise it briefly.
8. Deglaze it with the white wine. Simmer it until it's thicker. Season it with salt and pepper.
9. Gradually add the hot vegetable broth. Stir frequently.
10. From the first time the broth was added it should be let to simmer for about 25 minutes.
11. 10 minutes before the cooking time ends add the broccoli, peas and sugar snaps. Stir everything together.
12. Grate the parmesan.
13. In the last minute add the green scallions, the parmesan and the butter. Stir everything together and take the pan of the stove.
14. Season the rice with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. 

Tomatoes

500 g cherry tomatoes
olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Wash the tomatoes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan.
3. Roast the tomatoes for a few minutes in the pan.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the tomatoes with the rice.

Bon appétit!!