Monday, March 3, 2008

Got to love that pome!


No, I'm *not* talking about any fabulous device from that AAPL :)

A couple of days ago, I stumbled upon An Apple A Day hosted by Rosella. Her story is incredibly poignant - after having a stroke at 30, she seems to be doing well now and totally enjoying writing about her life and travails on her blog. And this event is extra special to her - she wants March 3rd, the day she had a stroke last year to be a celebration of healthy living and eating. It isn't any surprise that she chose to focus her event on apples along with a variety of other ingredients.


Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.
- Martin Luther King


And I'll be totally fine with that - can't quite imagine life without apples - guess that's one of the best things about living in Washington :)

Apples, to no surprise, are way up there in terms of being a tasty source of goodness. They're full of soluble and insoluble fiber, the skin has a ton of Vitamin C, the pulp contains phenolic compounds ... and they're super delicious to boot!

It didn't take much effort to find a fun recipe showcasing apples and a couple of other ingredients from Rosella's list. I was initially thinking of a dessert, but figured a salad was a much healthier idea. This Moroccan salad seemed like the perfect option, brimming with sweet and tart flavours and some spice.


Pepper Apple Tomato Salad
- adapted from Traditional Moroccan Cooking: Recipes from Fez

Servings: 2 as an entree, 4 as an appetizer

1 Granny Smith apple - coarsely chopped
1/2 Gala apple - coarsely chopped
6-8 black cherry tomatoes - halved
20 sugar plum tomatoes - halved
1/2 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
3-4 pepperoncinis - drained and chopped
10-12 almonds - coarsely chopped or ground
3 cloves garlic - crushed
2 T lemon juice
1 T chopped fresh curly parsley
1 t dried mint
1/2 t dried thyme
3 T red wine vinegar
1 t olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper

Toss the tomatoes and apples with the lemon juice in a mixing bowl and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a wok and saute the onions.
Once browned, add the garlic and bell peppers and saute for another 3-4 minutes.
Add the contents of the wok into the mixing bowl and toss with the tomatoes+apples.
Add the chopped banana pepper and almonds and toss again.
Season with parsley, mint, thyme, salt and pepper.
Add the vinegar, 1 T at a time, checking the flavours before adding more.


Opinion?

*yum*! Those moroccans know how to fix a mean apple salad. This was fabulous. And is fabulous (as I struggle to type while feeding my face) :)

Off this goes to Rosella - hope you feel better and may the good times roll!

22 comments:

amna said...

such pretty bowls!! and beautiful pictures :)

Lavanya Raj said...

great salad..i love the way you have presented..

sunita said...

KK, that is one pretty looking salad...great pics :-)

A Cook @ Heart said...

Love the bowls! Not a very salad person, but I'll sure take it in that bowl!

FH said...

Oh, look at that!! :))
I added Pears and you have added Apples, great minds think alike Kay!:D
Looks delicious, I love the photos. Great entry for that event.

Vaishali said...

Lovely-looking salad, Kaykat. What a mouthwatering explosion of sweet, tart and salty flavors!

Sig said...

That is Lovely Salad... and love your cute bowls too :)

Laavanya said...

This salad looks beautiful and such interesting flavour combinations there.

Rina said...

Love your pictures Kaykat. Lovely Salad too..

sunita said...

KK,thanks for offering to share the hosting of Think spice...would you be interested in hosting for the month of June...please do let me know :-)

A, mama of twins said...

i think its high time i comment on your blog before i get flogged tomorrow. :)

beautiful bowls, lovely salad.

Good? :)

DK said...

Luv that bowl KK! I never went so far as to include an apple in my salad! This one luks a must try!

Anonymous said...

OMG I loveeeee the plates and bowl . So cuteeeee. Lovely salad.

Unknown said...

Looks enticing, love the bowls. In the first couple of pix, they look flat, and they reminded me of ears.

Anonymous said...

ooh!!! I love those bowls.. the shape is quite sassy!!

Sagari said...

beautiful pica with healthy salads kaykat

TheCooker said...

Lovely bowls, delicious-looking salad, great pictures....running out of adjectives.

Anonymous said...

I'm not a v salad person, but these pictures are tempting me a lot!! Guess i will give it a try!

www.zaiqa.net

Deeba PAB said...

Its a beautiful pome salad...& presented beautifully too. I love the idea of Moroccan cuisine. YUM!! The ceramic bowls are very pretty as well!

reshma said...

sweet, tart and spicy- great combination. And the tempering with garlic and onion sounds intriguing.this one makes me want to color outside the lines in mhy kitchen:)

LisaRene said...

What a unique salad. Apples prove over and over how versatile they are. I would never think to combine these ingredients but they sound like a hit!

srikars kitchen said...

Fantastic pics. looks great.i will try.