Peppers Roasted with the Haloumi Cheese

Summer is about bright colors and beautiful fresh and aromatic vegetables. So today, after summer's best tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs, it is time to try peppers. I bought mine at the local farmers market. This time I used red but next time I intend to try this dish also with the new, purple kind, which I saw at the market.

I recently tested this Mediterranean dish on a friend who is very familiar with Mexican cuisine. And maybe because it was made with peppers, he loved it. When I made the dish and the house was filled with an aroma of roasted peppers it reminded him the aroma of the roasted Mexican poblanos, which is one of the most memorable aromas of his childhood.

It is simply a wonderful summer dish when locally grown peppers are sweet and full of flavor. Peppers are filled with the Haloumi cheese, originally to be found in the traditional Middle Eastern food stores, but now becoming quite popular and pretty widely available. A little bit of oil, lemon juice, spices and the dish is ready. It can be served with a warm white baguette or fresh pita bread, as a dish in itself, or as a starter.

Peppers Roasted with the Haloumi Cheese
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 bell peppers,
1/2 lb Haloumi cheese,
1/4 cup roasted pine nuts,
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
juice from one lemon,
a couple of branches of fresh thyme,
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped,
one tbsp caper fruits or seeds to serve with (optional),
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Wash peppers and cut them in half (you can leave stems) and remove seeds with white membranes. Rub the skin of peppers with oil and place them on a baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl mix remaining oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and half of thyme leaves. Spread the mixture inside the peppers.
4. Slice the Haloumi cheese and divide it among peppers. Toss the rest of the thyme leaves and pine nuts on top.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes until the peppers turn brown and Haloumi melts and becomes slightly gold.
6. Serve immediately, as Haloumi will harden as it cools.

Mexican Style Potato Salad with Avocado Salsa

Avocados are one of those fruits that, like grapes and bananas, I almost always have at home. Everyone in my family likes them, and since they are also very nutritious and healthy, why not always have them handy? Philip, my younger son likes them, as i call it, the American way, accompanied by cottage cheese with chopped chives on top. I like them plain with lime or lemon juice, cilantro and fresh tomatoes. Sometimes if they are about to go bad I chop them and add to arugula salad, sprinkle with walnuts or pumpkin seeds, lemon juice and walnut oil. An excellent salad to be served after any light dinner.

The only trick with avocados is to catch them at the right moment. I prefer to buy hard avocados and let them ripen at home than buy them soft, already touched by too many hands, and often blackish inside. When avocados reach the perfect soft state they can be stored for a couple of days in a refrigerator where they will not go bad too fast.

My new discovery has been this potato and avocado salad. It seemed a bit of a strange combination since both avocado and potatoes are mild in taste, but the addition of tomatoes and crispy pepper make this salad rather refreshing.

Potato Salad with Avocado Salsa
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes, peeled off,
1 large ripe avocado,
1 yellow bell pepper,
1 medium onion, chopped,
4 medium tomatoes, sliced,
1 garlic clove, minced,
1 tbsp olive oil,
2 tsp lime or lemon juice,
3 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves,
1 green chili, if you like it spicy,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Slice the potatoes and cook them for about 15 minutes, until tender. Drain them and let them cool down.
2. Prepare the salsa. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit. Place the avocado in a medium bowl. Using fork mash the flesh.
3. Add olive oil, chopped onion, lime juice, garlic, and chopped chili, if used. Mix well.

4. Slice the tomatoes and and cut the bell pepper into thin strips. Mix them together.
5. On a large serving plate arrange a layer of potatoes, follow with a layer of tomato and yellow bell pepper slices, Top with avocado salsa, chopped coriander, and season with salt and pepper.

Rich Quinoa Salad---Mexican-Inspired

I have been very much into quinoa recently. I buy it by pounds at Whole Foods, most often red or multicolored variety and serve it at least once in two weeks. It has a very neutral taste and I was able to convince my kids to eat it sometimes instead of rice.

Last couple of days in DC have been again very hot. On days like these, salad is all I often serve for dinner. For quite some time I have been thinking of making a salad with quinoa, similar to the Mediterranean salads with bulgar wheat or cous cous, but dressing it differently.

Quinoa is an ancient grain coming from South America, so I thought that its very delicate taste could be enhanced by adding some Mexican ingredients. I used still slightly warm quinoa and tossed in all the ingredients. I have started with tomatoes. First time I used roasted tomatoes but recently I made it also with fresh tomatoes. I also added pablano peppers, which I roasted and peeled off. Than I added avocado cut into chunks and red onion. I seasoned everything with lime, sprinkled with cilantro and, at the end, with roasted unsalted peppitas--pumpkin seeds. Finally, salt and pepper and my salad was ready. It is a particularly good idea to make it when you have some quinoa leftovers.

I did not add any oil to this salad but at the very end I put a dollop of Mexican cream. Maybe it added some calories but tasted really good.

Rich Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup multicolored or red quinoa, uncooked,
3 pablano peppers,
3 Roma tomatoes,
1/2 medium onion,
1 avocado,
juice from one lime or lemon,
1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves,
2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds,
2 tbsp crema fresco (Mexican crème fraîche) to finish (optional),
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Cook quinoa (one cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water) until water evaporates. late it cool to room temperature.Transfer to a medium bowl.
2. Roast the pablano peppers under a broil, let them cool and peel them off. When cold, cut them into strips and add to the quinoa.
3. Cut tomatoes into small cubes. Toss them into the salad. Cut an onion in half, cut in thin slices, and add to the salad.
4. Peel off avocado, remove the stone. Cut each half in two and then cut into thick slices. Add to the salad.
5. Squeeze juice from one lime. Pour over the salad. Add chopped coriander, pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper. Gently mix all the ingredients.

Decorate with crema fresco and serve.