Grilled corn & quinoa super salad

Hello August, the season of corns, tomatoes, figs and other yummy fruits and veg. Usually in August I am in Macedonia, my homeland, visiting my family. Mainly I can be found in my parents garden, sitting under their fig tree and just chilling. Not this year though ..
Although quinoa it is not something I eat when I am over there, the flavour of this salad transports me back home ......If you haven't seen the post Macedonia yet, here is a link 

Ingredients:

serve 4

1 cup of quinoa

1 avocado

4 medium size tomatoes

100 - 150 gr feta cheese

2 corn on the cob

green leaves such as rocket, parsley or basil

salt and pepper

olive oil

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a saucepan and add dry unwashed quinoa. Stir couple of times until the quinoa starts to change colour, then add 

1 1/2 cup of boiling water. 

Cook the quinoa covered with lid for a 12 - 15 minutes on a low temperature. 

I love cooking quinoa in this way, it's got a nice and nutty flavour.

In a meantime, heat up your griddle pan and place the corns on it. Turn it occasionally until the corns are nicely charred, then slice off the kernels.  This will take about 30 minutes. 

Dice the tomatoes and avocado, crumble the feta cheese and combine everything together with the cooked quinoa and grilled corn. Season it well with salt and pepper and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil. 

In the end mix in the green leaves. 

Enjoy!!!

note:  for the tea, place 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds in you favorite tea cup, pour in hot water and leave it to infuse for 5 minutes. Add slice of lemon and enjoy this tea, it is good for your digestive department :) 

Buckwheat and courgette balls with pasta sauce

We absolutely love spaghetti with tomato based sauce. I usually make the sauce using RED LENTILS and other yummy ingredients but this time I enriched the sauce with these little balls made of courgettes and I add some leftover cooked chick peas. Grated cheese on the top is compulsory.....

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced 

1 big carrot, grated

2-3 Tbsp oil

1 tin of chopped tomatoes + 200 gr chopped fresh tomatoes

salt

pepper

dry oregano 

pinch of brown sugar

pinch of chili flakes

3-4 minced garlic cloves

2 handful cooked chick peas

fresh basil

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for the courgette balls:

1 medium size green courgette, about 150 gr

1 egg

50 gr buckwheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

little salt and pepper

fresh basil leaves, torn apart

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500 gr wholewheat spaghetti 

+ 

cheese for topping

+ 

more fresh basil leaves

+

good olive oil 


Heat 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan on a medium to low heat and add the diced onion. Cook until soft. Add the carrots and continue cooking.
Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar, chili flakes and oregano.
Bring to simmer for about 45 minutes. Add the minced garlic and fresh basil right in the end of the cooking as well as the balls and the cooked chick peas.
In the meantime make the courgette balls:
- grate the courgette in a small mixing bawl, add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a medium size frying pan . 
Using two teaspoons, form a ball shapes and drop them in the frying pan.
Fry them on medium to low temperature until they get a nice and deep colour.
Place them on a kitchen paper to get rid of some excess oil before you add them to to sauce.
Cook the spaghetti according to the packet and add them to the sauce. At this stage I always drizzle some good olive oil.
Serve immediately with some garlic bread on a side and green leaves salad.....

Super tasty vegan cookies

School holidays has started and we are on week one. The weather is not too bad so lots of outings and picnics are involved. I am still doing a lot of baking especially in the evening when I have more time for myself. I am slightly obsessed with this cookies, I bake them every second day so I always have then for a healthy snack alongside a savory crackers and carrot sticks.. 

Ingredients:

150 gr ground porridge oats

50 gr ground almonds

4 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp cocoa powder 

50 gr cocoa nibs

handful of currants (optional )

4 Tbsp melted coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

85 ml water

Combine everything in a mixing bawl , using your hands form a 16 cookies .

Place them on a baking tray covered with a baking paper. 

Bake the cookies for 20 minutes on 170 C . 

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

One pot magic pasta

Inspired by Italian PASTA CRUDI, meaning raw pasta or pasta cooked together with the rest of the sauce ingredients. I have been making Spaghetti crudi cooked with fresh and ripe tomatoes but this is something different. The taste has blown my mind completely and now I am back to eating pasta like crazy. Try with parmesan on the top - it's bonkers !

Ingredients:

serve 4 - 5 

400 gr fresh and ripe tomatoes, chopped

200 gr pasta

2 - 3 handfuls kale

3 cloves garlic, chopped

200 gr cooked beans

zest of one lemon

50 ml olive oil

salt and pepper

1000 ml water

Place all ingredients in a large cooking pot, bring it to boil and simmer for 12 - 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs, add some extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated parmesan.

Keep it vegan - sprinkle some nutritional yeast for cheesy taste and extra B vitamins.

Veggie caviar

I can't have enough of this, since I made it last week, I haven't eaten anything else for snack or lunch.
This spread reminds me of the Balkan's legendary ajvar, it's just the method of prep is different but still deliver a explosion of taste....

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp olive oil

1 aubergine, diced 

1 courgette, diced

1 red or yellow pepper, diced

1 - 2 hot chilies ( optional ) 

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, grated

3 big tomatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves

Heat the oil in a large frying pan.

Add the aubergines, courgettes, pepper, chilies and onions as well as salt and pepper and saute until lightly caramelised, about 20 - 25 minutes.

 Whizz all the caramelised veggies in a food processor then put them back in the frying pan, add the carrots and the tomatoes.

Cook over a medium heat for an hour, stirring from time to time until you have a thick paste.

Add the garlic right in the end. Add some more oil if is dry. Season it with salt and pepper .

Store this spread into a sterilized jar in the fridge for two weeks.

Ricotta, feta and watermelon bruschetta #2

I made this bruschetta for our Sunday brunch and I was so pleased to see the children happily munching them. My daughter made a comment about the combination as we don't really eat melon with cheese on regular days. However I grew up eating bread and fruit as a snack but then there was plenty of fruit growing in our garden and the cheese was saved for stuffing a peppers usually the shape of a cone, only to be served to the children as an ice cream....those were the days...

You will need:

french bread such as baggete  

ricotta cheese

watermelon cut into cubes

crumbled feta cheese

fresh basil and mint 

Slice the bread and spread with ricotta cheese.You can toasted if you wish.

Mix up the melon and the feta cheese and sprinkle some of the herbs.

Spoon it over the bread, sprinkle with some extra basil and mint.

note: balsamic vinegar goes really well drizzled over

Summer bliss bruschetta #1

Obligatory in summer when tomatoes are ripe and sweet. The taste is luxurious and each bite takes me back in the past... 

You will need:

1 long bread, sliced 

3 medium or big tomatoes as ripe as you can find

1 avocado

1 garlic clove

salt, pepper

cold pressed olive oil

fresh basil 

Peal the tomatoes and get the seeds out.

Chopped them up into a small squares.

Chop the avocado flash as well.

Mix up all ingredients and mash it up with a fork.

Toast the bread,sprinkle some oil on it before you spread the filling.

Homemade organic baguettes

Forget about super food, low carb diet,  buckwheat, quinoa, spelt, goji berries and what ever else is there these says. Lets go back to basics. A homemade white bread ! 

You will need:

450 gr flour*

1 tsp salt

about 300 ml water

pre-fermented starter ( 1/4 tsp dry yeast, 100ml water and 100 gr flour )

Prepare the starter a day before you want to bake the bread.

Pour the water in a small breakfast bawl, add the yeast and mix it up. Add the flour and combine everything using a spatula. 

Cover it up with plastic wrap and leave it to ferment for 24 hours.

The next day, pour about 260 ml of lukewarm water in a glass mixing bawl, add the starter and mix up to dissolve into the water. It is fine if you leave some lump in.

Add the flour little by little followed by salt and combine all using your hand , stand mixer with dough attachment or a silicone spatula. 

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Add more flour if needed.

Place the dough into a oiled glass bawl, cover with plastic wrap and leave it for 3 - 4 hours to prove. 

After that, transfer the dough onto a floured surface and half it to get two peaces of dough.

Shape each dough into a long shapes and place them on a floured tea towel .

Cover with tea towel and let them prove again for a good two hours.

Heat the oven on 200 C 

Transfer the baguettes onto a baking flat tray, quickly dust it with some flout and make a few cuts at the top.

Bake the breads for 10 - 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 180 C and bake for further 15 minutes.

* I used organic unbleached white flout .

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

Pasta bake

Favorite ingredients put together = delicious, tasty, hearty and healthy dinner for a hungry family...

Ingredients:

1 onion

4 carrots

2 cloves garlic

1 onion squash

350 gr broccoli 

400 gr pasta

1 small jar pasta sauce 

cheese

oil

salt and pepper

Dice the onion, carrots and squash ( you don't need to peal it ).

In a cooking pot add some oil and add the vegetables. Stir around until they get a little softer and add the garlic as well as the tomato sauce.

Add some water and seasoning. 

Place the lid on and cook the sauce for 20 minutes or until the veggies are soft and mushy.

In a meantime cook the pasta al dente and add the broccoli into the pasta pan right in the end. Drain and set a side.

Mash the sauce with potato masher and mix it up with the pasta and broccoli.

Spoon it up into a ovenproof dish and 1/2 cup of water if it feels dry and sprinkle some cheese. 

Bake in a hot oven pre-heated on 190 C for 20 minutes.

Serve with some garlic bread and seasonal salad.

note: click here for recipe for home-made tomato sauce 

Тулумби на Мексички начин /Mexican Churros

Churros !! I have first heard about them on TV, then I saw them in a market in London on the Mexican stall and I have to admit,  I fall in LOVE with them.
They remind me of a Balkan tulumba,  which is a big Churro soaked in sugary syrup but  without the chocolate.
These churros are my version and they are a perfect treat !

Потребни состојки:

250 мл вода

2 лажици шеќер

пола лажичка сол

130 гр брашно

70 гр путер

2 јајца

************

50 гр шеќер

1 лажиче цимет

масло за пржење

Во сад за варење ставете ја водата, додајте шеќер. сол и путер. Варете додека не зоврие.

Тргнете го садот од оган и додајте го брашното.

Мешајте силно, смесата треба да се `одлепи` од садот.

Додајте ги јајцата едно по едно и мешајте со дрвена лажица се додека не добиете изедначена смеса.

Ставете ја смесата во специален шприц за тулумби.

Загрејте го маслото за пржење да се загрее во плитка тава.

Шеќерот измешајте го заедно со циметот.

Со помош на шприцот притискајте ја смесата и веднаш пржете во топлото масло.

Пржете кратко или додека не добијат златна боја. 

Вадете го на кујнска хартија и веднаш посипете ги со мешавината од шеќер и цимет.

По желба послужете ги со чоколаден сос кој ке го направите на овој начин:

во помал сад ставете 100 гр чоколадо, 50 мл млеко, 20 гр путер и 1 лажиче какао .

Мешајте ги состојките на оган додека не добиете чоколаден сос.

Ingredients:

250 ml water

2 Tbsp sugar

half tsp salt

130 gr flour

70 gr butter

2 eggs

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50 gr sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

oil for frying 

In a cooking pot pour the water, add the salt, sugar and butter.Cook it all together until the water boiled.

Take the pan off the heat and add the flour.

Beat the flour with a wooden spoon until smooth and lump free texture, the dough should come off the sides of the pan.

Now add the eggs one by one and mix it all with the wooden spoon until the dough is smooth.

Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a fitted star nozzle.

Heat the oil until hot but not too hot.

Pipe out the dough straight into the oil and fry the churros for a short time or until they are golden colour.

Repeat until you use all the dough.

Coat them in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

Serve the churros with chocolate sauce: 100 gr milk chocolate, 50 ml milk, 20 gr butter and 1 tsp cacao powder, place all ingredients into a small pan, heat it up until you get a smooth melted chocolate.

Bio - boosting okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a type of Japanese egg pancake that is perfect for a super - quick and healthy supper. 

Ingredients:

50 gr flour of your choice 

2 eggs

one large handful of shredded kale

1 grated carrot

half stick of leek, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds

half chili pepper, optional

50 ml water 

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp oil for frying 

Mix the flour, eggs, water, kale, carrots, leek and flax seeds together in a large mixing bowl.

Season with salt and pepper and add some chopped chili pepper.

Heat a large non - stick frying pan and add the oil.

Place several large spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and press down to form a pancake.

Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, then turn it over and cook for further 3 minutes.

Serve the pancake with salad .

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

note: the recipe is from the book The medicinal chef but this is my version