Stuffed peppers with bulgar

Courgette and mint soup

This soup is very light and refreshing - well needed for summer days.It's also perfect for using any leftover vegetables that you may have at the back of your fridge.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 leek, sliced

2 cloves of garlic

2 celery sticks, sliced

2 medium size courgettes or more, also sliced

pinch or two chilli flakes 

1 litre veggie stock 

salt and pepper

fresh mint

feta cheese for garnish + mint leaves as well as olive oil

In a large cooking pot heat up the oil, add the leek and garlic and sauté for five minutes.

Add the celery and courgettes, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to the boil.

Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

Blend the soup until smooth. Stir through the chopped mint.

To serve scatter some mint leaves, feta cheese, pepper and olive oil if you wish.

Enjoy !!!

I am sharing this recipe with Veghog and Eat Your Greens

Green gazpacho and other favorites ........

Ah... heatwave …. it feels like home and instantly I remembered how we used to eat cucumber-based salads with ice cubes added to it. So this cold soup is not far from it, it's also heathy, refreshing, nourishing and even show-stopping served as a starter or a light lunch. 

 

 you will need:

80 - 100g washed spinach

1 slice of old white bread, crusts removed

3 Tbsp olive oil

handful of ice cubes

1 large cucumber, chopped

6 green  onions

1 green chilli pepper, mild

2 cloves garlic

handful of basil leaves

salt 

Tip all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Add some cold water if is too thick.

Transfer to the fridge to chill for 1 - 2 hours before serving.

Serve the chilled soup in cups drizzled with a extra virgin olive oil, sliced green onion and ice cubes.

I was watching Nigel Slater traveling around Lebanon, Iran and Turkey visiting the most remote villages, exploring their food and the way they preserve it for winter days.

The  very next day I stuffed aubergines, peppers and tomatoes with bulgur/veggies mixture. I cooked it authentically in earth casserole dish - heaven !!!

Courgette, chickpeas & tomato pasties

Feed hungry children as part of a picnic - yummy !!

Avocado on toast topped with pan fried  chickpeas and courgettes

Crumble topped summer cake

Home-made vegan mince

This vegan mince is must try. You don't have to be vegan, just give a go and you will be surprised by the taste as well as the texture. Only few ingredients needed …..

Ingredients:

1 small cauliflower

100g walnuts 

3 - 4 Tbsp olive oil 

 1 tsp garlic powder 

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 Tbsp tamari or any soy sauce

Blend the cauli + nuts in a blender until rice-look-like.

In a large bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, add the cauli&nuts mixture and mix it all up.

Spread the mixture onto a baking paper on a baking tray.

Bake on 180 C for 45 minutes tossing every minutes to ensure the whole lot browns.

I serve mine with risotto and salad.

Use it in tacos, pizzas or sprinkled over anything......

The recipe is from I quit sugar by Sarah Wilson 

note: once the mince is cooked don't add it to a sauce, it will dissolve 

Roast vegies & giant cous-cous med style

Every Sunday evening I create a menu for the following week, I then make a shopping list making sure I have all ingredients in the kitchen so I don't need to go shopping mid week. Sounds very straight forward and easy ?! The shopping happens on Monday morning but some days it takes me long time to complete it as I tend to turn my nose up on some of the produce. I than storm out of my first choice supermarket only to end up on my nearest high street where I have more choice of small shops, supermarkets and even green grocer. I admire those people with ability to do online grocery shopping and be happy with it. Anyway ...

Comes mid week I change the menu and we all end up eating something like this beautiful dish full of flavours. Some of my family will ask for bread, tin of sardines or glass of drinking yogurt, the youngest one always ask for baked beans and why not :)) 

Ingredients:

1 aubergine

1 or 2 courgettes

1 or 2 peppers

Handful of small tomatoes

Any odd potato

Wholewheat giant cous cous

 Feta cheese

Olives

Pumpkin seeds

Parsley

Olive oil

Slice the aubergine, courgette, peppers and potatoes.  Season with little salt and pepper, rub some olive oil into and place it onto a baking tray covered with baking paper. Roast the veggies on 190 C for 20 min. Add the tomatoes and roast for further 10 minutes.

In the meantime cook the cous cous according to the package.

Serve the veggies with the cous cous adding some parsley, olives and seeds.

For non vegan option add some feta cheese.

Note: whatever vegetables and fruit I bring home I soak it into cold water mixed with cider vinegar. It kills the pesticides !!!

I share this post with eat your greens hosted by VegHog

Broc-bites 🥦

My daughter and I made these super yummy mini scones. She’s been showing some interest for cooking and half terms are perfect time for baking and cooking ...
Recipe inspired by Simplicious I quit sugar by Sarah Wilson 

I used:
350g broccoli, cooked and chopped
150g cheese
3 eggs
125g flour of your choice
1tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together make sure the broccoli is not hot when you add it to the egg mixture.
Using your hands form around 16 round scones and place them on a baking tray .
Bake for 20 minutes on 180 C

Needless to say they’ve been hoovered  by the boys within ten minutes 😀

Roasted veggies with chickpeas + current hobby

Rainbow on a plate 🌈 

In the end of the week I throw all the veggies I can find in the fridge to create a nice looking, healthy meal for everyone in the family. 

I cooked the risotto using onions, pepper and carrot, usually I throw a cup of frozen peas in the end of the cooking however I did not have any this time...

Once knitter forever knitter !!! 

Yes it's true, I used to knit as a child and than I find myself knitting again in my late teens . Around three years ago I introduced knitting to my then 8year old daughter and she loves it. 

Now we both knit different things and we both finding it very relaxing, almost like yoga for your mind...

Please let me know if you knit, I would love to see any of your creations ...

What I've been cooking in February

Paprika baked cauliflower 

Cauliflower is a one of my regular vegetable I cook and eat in many forms, so when my mother in law asked me if I can prepare something veggie for the party she was going to have for her husband's 75th birthday I came up with a whole roast couli as a main and grated courgette and chickpeas as a side dish. 

For the cauliflower I mixed up minced garlic, red paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil. Rubbed it onto the cauliflower and roasted for 30 min on 180 C.

Add the tomatoes with some more olive oil and roast for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile grate two small courgettes and fry with very little olive oil for ten minutes, than all drained tin of chickpeas.

Before serving sprinkle some toasted and chopped cashew nut and parsley ….

Beans on toast with eggs, avocado and tomato salsa

This is my typical weekend breakfast, cooked a bit later then usual because I've been for a run 🏃.

The kids would of been fed by then so this is kind of "It's a date meal" for me and my husband .

I made a very quick chili by frying a raw chopped hot chili followed by some garlic and 300g mixed cooked beans. I halved a handful of small tomatoes and added some olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. I fried eggs, toasted some sourdough bread and dished up with avocado and lime juice..

Roast butternut squash baked with macaroni cheese, yum 

This was served with broccoli and green salad , perfect mid-week meal for five of us ..

 Cherry compote porridge topping

I used bag of 350g frozen cherries, I cooked it with juice of half a orange and a stick of cinnamon for 30 minutes. The taste is not so sweet but very fragrant and morish , it makes me want to eat porridge twice a day :) 

Store in a clean jar and keep it in your fridge for up to two weeks ….