Quinoa Salad with Roasted Eggplant and Chickpeas

A hearty and wholesome savory salad to enjoy for lunch or dinner. This is a meal in itself, or it pairs really well with grilled meats, sausages, and other barbecue foods.

For 4 servings, you will need:

• 150 grams of quinoa
• 1 eggplant
• 1 can (400 grams) of chickpeas, drained
• 1 medium-size red onion or 2 small-size red onions
• A handful of fresh cilantro
• Some olive oil to roast the eggplant and chickpeas

For the dressing, refer to our sweet and spicy dressing recipe.


Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Resting Time: At least 1 hour if you'd like your salad cold


Start by pre-heating your oven at 220 C ( 430 F).

Drain the liquid out of the can of chickpeas, then rinse and drain them.

Rinse the eggplant, then shop it into small cubes.

Place the chickpeas and eggplant pieces in a large bowl. Add some olive oil and toss the chickpeas and eggplant pieces to have the olive oil coat your veggies.

Cover an oven rack with foil or parchment paper, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil.

Spread the chickpeas and the eggplant pieces on the foil, and place the oven rack in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, keep your eyes on it.

While the chickpeas and eggplant are roasting, prepare the quinoa per the packet's instructions - mine says one part quinoa for two parts water, and heat it up for about 15 minutes.

While everything is roasting and boiling, finely chop the red onion and roughly chop the coriander.

Once the chickpeas and eggplant are roasted and the quinoa is cooked, let them cool down for about 20 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients together.

Prepare the dressing by referring to our sweet and spicy dressing recipe.

Now, you have another decision to make!
If you would like to eat the salad warm, serve it right away after adding the dressing.
If you would like to eat the salad cold, which is my preference, cover the salad and place it in the fridge for at least one hour. Before serving, add the dressing, or simply let everyone help themselves to however much dressing they want to add.

Enjoy!

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Sweet and Spicy Dressing

The combination of the sweet honey mustard, paprika, and cumin make this dressing sweet with a nice spicy kick.

It is super easy to make and will be wrapped up in five minutes.

This dressing will be perfect to flavor the roasted eggplant and chickpeas quinoa salad, and will  also be an ideal addition to empanadas (recipe to come very soon), or as a sauce in a vegetarian wrap.


For 100 milliliters of dressing:

• 2 tablespoons of honey mustard
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin

Preparation Time: 5 minutes


Start by grinding the cumin seeds in a mortar. If you don't have a mortar, you can smash them with a rolling pin, or use pre-ground cumin.

Once the cumin is ground, all the ingredients are ready to be combined.

Add all the ingredients in a salad shaker, and shake them well together.

That's it, the dressing is ready! Reserve in the fridge until serving.

Enjoy on your salad, as a condiment with empanadas, as a sauce in a grilled eggplant-avocado-red onion-feta panini, or inside a chicken-grilled-cheese sandwich, or anything else you might think of.

Feel free to add any suggestions, which could beautifully accommodate with this dressing.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Chicken Enchiladas

Sometimes, when I crave something a little south-of-the-border and I do not have the time to make pork carnitas, I find that these enchiladas tend to hit the spot. As an added bonus, they fulfill the main weeknight dinner criteria: Easy to make, easy to eat, easy to clean up. For one person, you can even skip the plate and eat straight out of the baking dish. And this recipe is really more of a guideline, because you can customize the flavors as much as you like, to suit your taste. Oh, did I mention this can be done in about 30 minutes?

I will make the following disclaimer: These are my version of enchiladas and I am well aware they are not "authentic", but they serve me well.

For 2 servings, you will need:

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 300 grams of salsa*
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• About half of a 435 gram-can of refried beans, or any other beans you like.
• 1 tablespoon of paprika
• 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander
• About 100 grams cheddar
• 1 Chili
• Hot sauce (Optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 large tortillas

The paprika, coriander, chili and hot sauce are variables for you to adjust, depending on how you would like your enchiladas to turn out. Feel free to add other spices as well.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes - Count at least 10 more minutes if you're making the salsa the same day
Cooking Time: 10 minutes


First, pre-heat the oven to 200 C (390 F) and let's prepare the chicken.

In a hot skillet, add some oil and then the chicken.

Add the paprika, coriander, a dash of salt and pepper, and the diced up chili.

Mix everything well and keep tossing the chicken to brown.

Once the chicken has browned, add the chicken stock, bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat until the stock simmers.

Cook until the liquid has evaporated and the chicken is fully cooked, approximately five minutes.

And now we are ready to assemble the enchiladas. I have already grated my cheese here, but you can grate the cheese directly over the enchiladas if you prefer.

So, the first thing I do is to add some refried beans on my tortilla.

Then I add the chicken, and some hot sauce.

Add a little bit of cheese, and wrap up the burrito.

Repeat for the number of burritos you want to make, this recipe is for two burritos.

In an oven proof dish, add a little bit of salsa.

Then add the burritos.

And cover with the rest of the salsa.

And finally, add the rest of the grated cheese on top.

You can make this in advance and keep it until dinner time. When you want to eat, pop it in the oven at 200 C (390 F) and cook for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the salsa has warmed up.

If it is just for you ... well, I enjoy eating it directly out of the baking dish, which keeps it nice and hot.

Of course, you can also plate it, with some of the hot salsa poured over the burrito, and a side of tortilla chips.

Buen apetito!


*Note: You could by store-bought salsa, but you could also save money and enjoy fresh, home-made salsa by using our salsa recipe.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Shyamal Addanki

Red Wine Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork is probably one of the best things you will ever make and - once you try this recipe and start spending your Sundays pacing the length of your kitchen and frequently stealing glances at the clock, all while soaking in the warm aromas of your boiling pork - you will wonder how you went this long without this dish in your life.

An added bonus is that the dish is made using pork shoulder, which is also called pork butt in some parts of the world, despite having nothing to do with a swine's posterior. Pork shoulder is one of the cheapest cuts of meat you can lay your hands on - but it creates such a strong impression in this dish, and it is easy to cook. Quite the opposite of a beef filet, which is very expensive and easy to overcook to ruin.

This dish takes time to prepare, but it is like taking the time to hike up a mountain or to write that short story you have been putting off, or to raise a child. You cannot beat the sense of satisfaction when it all comes together at the end. Especially when you see the facial expressions of your dinner guests as they spoon the tender, flaky, and moist pork into their mouths. And then you can casually remark that you spent seven hours - the whole day - on dinner, and soak in the compliments and praise.

Yes, I said seven hours. Make sure you are ready for the commitment.

For 4 to 6 servings, you will need:

For the rub:

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons of paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt (if you have it, use fine salt otherwise)
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of pepper

- Note that this is a strong, spicy rub. Feel free to reduce the amount for a milder pulled pork!


For the Mirepoix:

• 2 onions
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery

For the rest:

• 650g of pork shoulder, also called pork butt (but still comes from the shoulder)
• 120g of bacon or lardons
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1 bottle of red wine. Something rich and heavy, I used a shiraz-cabernet blend from South East Australia, but this dish is just has comfortable with a burgundy or Côte-du-Rhone, for example. 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 hours


First, add the dry rub ingredients to a mortar. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you can use a food processor, spice mixer, or any other creative means to make the paste.

Mash away with the pestle until you get a paste.

Rub the paste all over the pork and set aside while we do the rest.

Preheat your oven to 150C (300F).

Now to prepare the mirepoix. Dice up your carrot ...

... and your onions ...

... and your celery.

Now, a mirepoix is by ratio, two parts onion to one part carrot and one part celery. You might not have this exact ratio as your vegetables might be larger or smaller than mine. Check the diced amounts against each other and set aside any extras for use in another dish.

If you are using bacon strips instead of lardons, chop them up into bits.

Finally, time to start cooking.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan, which goes in the oven, over medium high heat and add your bacon or lardons with  a little bit of oil. Cook them up, and then remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add the pork to sear. If your pan is getting too hot, adjust the temperature. We do not want to burn the outside.

Turn the pork until all sides are seared.

Remove the pork and set aside. In the same pan, add your mirepoix.

Let the mirepoix cook for a few minutes, then add just a bit of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan; and with a wooden spatula, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom.

Continue to cook your mirepoix for about 5 to 7 minutes, and then add the cooked bacon.

Cook the bacon in with the mirepoix for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add your pork on top of the bacon mirepoix ...

... add the rest of the chicken stock and the bottle of wine and bring it to a boil.

Once the liquid is boiling, cover the pot and place it in the oven.

That's it.

No, seriously. Go and do something else for seven hours. You will smell that fatty pork render into the wine sauce and it will tempt you to open the oven and just reach for a serving. Don't touch it. You literally cannot overcook this. In fact, it could arguably be done in less time, but the longer it cooks the better. All those juices and fats are bubbling and boiling, and trapped inside the pot they are making a savory steam around the pork as it just relaxes and allows its tough muscles to give in and melt away. This is a spa day for the pork shoulder, let it relax and leave it alone. For seven hours.

And then, take it out and marvel at the transformation.

What was once a tough, cheap cut of meat from the wrong side of town, has blossomed into something so tender - you can see that part of it has voluntarily fallen away by itself.

With a fork, start pulling (get it? That's where the name comes from!) at the pork, allow it to fall apart into fibres naturally.

You should not need a knife for this, if you do then the pork has not cooked enough, or is not a shoulder cut.

Continue until you have completely separated your pork.

Now mix this in with the rest of the juices and return to the oven for 30 minutes.

Finally, remove and serve.

This can be eaten by itself, there is nothing wrong with that! It also goes well with bread, pasta, in a sandwich or burger, or as a filling for a burrito or enchilada.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Shyamal Addanki