Cherry Tomatoes and Mushroom Salad

There was a sudden kick of inspiration to cook and to take photos today. I was really feeling good. On Saturday I finished all my cleanup tasks and had an 8 hour sleep, so I woke up well rested, and with a clean house. The feeling is just great and positive (and it lasted for a day, hurray!).

I love fresh salads, especially easy to prepare ones. So here's my quick cherry tomatoes salad with bits of mushroom.

Ingredients:
- a bunch of fresh greens. This one looks like alfalfa (but I'm not sure). I love flavourful leaves.
- 5-10 pcs cherry tomatoes, depending how much you want to consume.
- slices of fresh or preserved mushrooms. (White button or baby portabello)
- a dash of extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Vinaigrette (optional)

1. Toss them together and give it a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. That's pretty much it. You can also use vinaigrette to dress it. In my case, I used my own favorite dressing - mixture of olive oil, white wine vinegar + a teaspoon of honey. Then drizzle dizzle!

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Candied Tomatoes Salad Topping

Yes! I'm still alive!

I actually missed cooking and blogging. Lately I've been consumed by the demands of work and has been neglecting cooking - specifically healthy eating. No, not good.

During my dark kitchen days (that's still actually on-going, can you believe that?!) I find my comfort from as usual, my favorite blogs, Tika's savory dishes,  Natalie's flavorful vegetarian delights, and Dulcie and Sarah's mouth-watering recipes. These girls should share their secrets in time management :). Oh well, it's really hard to be a working woman and a single mom of 6 cats at the same time :P.

OK enough of the excuses.

I did a simple recipe a few weeks ago because I felt special and wanted to reward myself a healthy lunch for the first time in 2 months. Meh, it's not really that special. It's just some boiled baby potatoes, poached egg and a bed of arugula. What made it kick up a notch from a mediocre salad to a special one was the candied tomatoes!

How To Make Candied Tomatoes ala Lekkericious

I'm pretty sure a lot have already thought and executed this (and probably a lot better), but sorry I feel like claiming it :P I swear I thought about it!

Ingredients
- some ripe tomatoes
- olive oil
- honey
- salt

1. Wash the ripe tomatoes thoroughly.
2. Slice vertically in half and remove the seeds. Then slice it the halves in 3 parts.
3. Sprinkle some salt on the tomatoes and toss. Let it sit for a few minutes to let the excess water come out.
4. Drain the tomatoes.
5. Drizzle some olive oil and toss again.
6. Coat it with generous amount of honey.
7. Add another dash of salt for grand finale.
8. Lay it evenly on your oven toaster pan. Do not over crowd.
9. Heat at 400w for 20 minutes or until wrinkled up but not burned.
10. When cooked, let it cool down so it gets stiff and chewy.

If you are making a lot, feel free to use your oven. I'd recommend low heat since tomatoes are quite delicate and they tend to get burned quickly. Check on it often if necessary.

I topped these beautifully delicious candied tomatoes on baby potatoes and arugula leaves with a poached egg (I need some protein). You'll be surprised you don't need dressing, the candied tomatoes carries the dish. If the arugula and baby potatoes feel dry for your taste, toss it in extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Then you are set!

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Homestyle Tomato Tartare

Since I know that I will never have the guts to eat beef tartare (I'm not a fan of raw meat), I thought of making tomato tartare that I once saw on TV. It's refreshing for first course. It does look special too for something that's quite simple to prepare. In this recipe, I only made a small portion since I'm the only one to eat. Double the recipe to serve 2.

Ingredients:
- 3 big, ripe, juicy, fleshy tomatoes, peeled and deseeded
- 1 tbsp. of minced chives
- 1 small minced scallion (or a small red onion)
- 1 tsp. finely chopped tarragon
- 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- a small can with both ends removed for molding

Peeling fresh tomatoes:

a. Remove the stalk.
b. slice a cross on top.
c. Blanch in boiling water for 30-40 seconds (be careful! Do not overcook) until it blisters.
d. Shock it in ice water.
e. Peel away!

1. Slice the tomatoes in 4 parts and remove the seeds. Finely chop the tomatoes. Let it sit in a colander or strainer for about an hour to drain out the excess water.

2. Transfer the tomatoes in a mixing bowl and toss in the rest of the ingredients.

3. Add salt and pepper according to you liking. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

4. Place the mold on top of your serving plate and stuff it with the tomato mixture. Pack it tightly. Then remove the mold.

I didn't realize that molding is challenging. I suppose my tomatoes weren't drained enough that the excess water kept it loose. It kept on collapsing. I even tried to use an ice cream scoop because I thought i could never keep it together using my can mold. Eventually, the tomatoes drained more water and there, I got to keep it together :).

Taragon and chives. Be careful in the amount of taragon, the taste is easily over powering.

My attempt to plate the dish. I'm not too happy with it :P

I think I got carried away once I started eating. I get this icky feeling every time I take a bite, thinking it was meat but then realizing it's just tomatoes :P. I'm so weird.

I served it with toasted bread sticks, but it's best served with slices of baguette.The greenish thing there is avocado cream cheese which I still yet to share.

Smakelijk eeten!

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