As promised, the last week I tried daily a new recipe from Flavors, by Donna Hay. The recipes were very easy to prepare, healthy (even good for a detox kind of diet I had in mind for various reasons) not too expensive. In most cases I added more flavors and spices the initial recipe being used mostly as a guidance. The preparation time was within 30 minutes and the results delicious. I did not try any cake, but I still have the book and already spotted some tempting recipes.
The first try: the basil roasted tomatoes (p. 146). This recipe can be prepared so easily that I tried three times in a row. The most difficult part is to half the tomatoes on a baking tray. I roasted as the recipe said in a preheated 200C oven for around 20 minutes. The initial recipe recommends to sprinkle with basil leaves, olive oil and pepper. I did something more: added my latest spice addiction za'atar, coriander, plus walnut oil. The next day, I also added some special chilli salt. One day after, I diversified with sunflower seeds, a touch of lemon and za'atar again. I preferred to add the basil leaves at the end because I love their fresh smell and taste. It can be eaten very as an individual meal, or with potatoes and a fresh salad. It is very delicious and flavored.
The next recipe is included too at the section dedicated to basil, but did not get very easy from the beginning. It is called 'Basil and Parmesan wafers' (p. 147). The first time, I followed the recipe that includes: 2 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese, with a bunch of basil leaves (again, I opted for the fresh ones, instead of the initial recommendation of shredded basil). I placed it on a baking tray and spread the mixture as a flat disk, baking it in a preheated oven (200C) for 5 minutes. Unfortunately, the first try was extremely unpleasant, and ended up with a kind of cheesy pasta. My first mistake was that I apparently let the mixture to warm for more than 5 minutes - more than 10, I think.
The next day, I tried my luck again, but this time not only I respected the initial recipes, but placed the parmesan mixture (to whom I added za'atar, sunflower seeds, a drop of walnut oil) on small matzo waffles. Mission accomplished: the recipe succeeded and combined with the basil tomatoes, brought on my dinner table a lot of pleasant smells and tastes.
I also wanted to try something sweet, but together with some of the sweet spices I have in my secret box. The best recipe that suited my wishes was 'Vanilla and Saffron Pears'. I did not have any kosher vanilla at home so switched to a lot of saffron. As I was cooking only for myself, I peeled only 3 pears instead of 8 as recommended in the book (p.20). I placed them in a pot with 4 cups of water, 1/2 cup of white sugar (brown can be a good choice as well) instead of 1 1/2, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder - as did not have solid one, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, a little pinch of my precious saffron. Out of my creative mind I added: 1 pinch of mixture of Oriental coffee salt, 3 pieces of cardamom, and one pinch of cinnamon. It's impossible to imagine the beautiful smell in my kitchen during the 20 minutes of boiling. From time to time I turned the pears from one part to another till they went smooth entirely. It is the perfect treat for an autumn afternoon. With a mint tea or an spicy coffee, you may not want to go out of the house.
For the next dish (coming soon, in the next picture), I needed something fresh and full of vitamins so I had a look in my veggie closet and found out exactly what I needed for something really good: one avocado sliced in various 3D shapes, around 15 fresh small tomatoes, a healthy bunch of basil leaves and a big pinch of Cayenne pepper, an ingredient that recently returned into my kitchen after a long absence.
The following recipe (p.133) requested a little bit of research, as I needed some very small new potatoes. Their best time is in spring, but nowadays you can easily find them in autumn so it was not such a challenging research. I sprinkled as much salt that my stomach can take on both sides of the small potatoes, plus - from my mind: date vinegar, one drop of walnut oil for each potato, a sprinkle of za'atar, a sprinkle of Cayenne pepper and finely sliced garlic on taste. I put the pan in a preheated oven (200C) and roasted for 20 minutes. Every 10 minutes I turned the potatoes from a part to another. The result, delicious, very delicious.
My plan was to have a semi-diet week - without the pasta - but when I saw a recipe in the book including one of my favourite dishes, I considered it is my duty to try it. Another pasta I wanted to try - the very simple pepper pasta (p. 132 - simple side dish of hot pasta tossed with butter, freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt) left for another day, maybe tomorrow. I wanted to try corn spaghetti for a long time and I matched it with basil and lemon. (p. 38) After the pasta are boiled, I added 3 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoon veggie margarine, 1/2 tablespoon Cayenne, 1 pinch of kosher salt, 2 tablespoon walnut oil. The tomatoes and avocado were added for colours. It is quite heavy, but with a fresh apple juice the digestion is easier.
The last recipe I prepared for Shabbat and was a success. I am not sure how to deal with beans, but I've found enough recipes for finding a successful formula. And the result was very delicious. It included: 250 gr. white beans from the can, soaked for 5 minutes. In a pan I added garlic on taste, 250 gr. brown champignons, 1 tablespoon of walnut oil, 1 tablespoon za'atar, 250 small tomatoes sliced. After frying for around 15 minutes. I added a fresh bunch of basil leaves and sprayed with figs vinegar. It matched my flavoured salmon but also a very fresh snack in the morning.
I am still trying to find out what will be this week cooking challenge. Will probably continue with some recipes from Donna Hay and some low carb/low fat alternatives.
Bon Appetit!
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