Cook with me: 2010

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Dear cookwithmeq8,

Hope you like the recipe !!

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted

1/4 cup sliced almondstoasted

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs1

1/4 cups sugar1

1/2 sticks butter melted

1/3 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F(180 C).

Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

Combine the whole almonds and 1/4 cup pine nuts in a food processor.

Pulse the machine until the nuts are finely ground.

Transfer the nuts to a medium bowl.

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Stir to combine and set aside.

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer beat the eggs and the sugar until the mixture becomes thick and pale yellow.

Add the butter, and milk.

Stir in the almond extract and apricots.

Gently stir in the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with sliced almonds and remaining 1/4 cup pine nuts.

Bake until the cake is cooked and a toothpick comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack.

Use a knife to loosen the edges.

Turn the cake out, slice, and serve.

Thanks & Regards

E.T

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Roasted Brocoli with Garlic

Simple, Quick and Light...

Ingredients:

Brocoli
Diced Garlic 3 - 4 cloves
Lemon 1
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce 1 table spoon
Pepper for flavoring

Method:

Preheat oven at 180
Drizzle small amounts of olive oil on to the tray
In a bowl mix in diced garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, brocoli and pepper for flavor.
Once all is mixed, put in the oven and let it roast for approximately 20 minutes.

Dear Cook with Me..

It has been a while since I've last cooked anything interesting…. As of the next 20 days ill will be on a detox diet, actually trying to follow Dr. Joshis 21 Holistic 21 Day diet.
What is the Dr. Joshis Holistic Detox..? Well it not just a weight loss diet it is an all “alkine” method of living! Well at least for 21 day you will be eating mostly natural non preserved food.. Basically no fried, potatoes, ketchup and no COFFEE!!!!!! This is meant to detox your body and balance your Ph to your natural state... it is said so ... :S lets see

Anyways my first day was yesterday and I decided to make Hammour with Asparagus in lemon juice.

Dish: Hammour with Asparagus in lemon juice.

Ingredients:
2 Lemons : 1 squeezed, the other sliced.
1 Hammour Filet
Salt & Pepper
1 Table Spoon Olive Oil
Species (Oregano, Dill)

Method: Oven cooked for 25 – 30 minutes
1. Marinate the fillet with lemon juice and spices.
2. Add Salt and Pepper
3. Place the filed in the pirex, add a spoon of water.
4. Slice the left over lemon and place it around the filet and just toss in the asparagus on the side.
5. Cover the pirex with tin foil, make so incisions with a fork or knife.
Remember just one table spoon of oil and one table spoon of water is all you need.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Meat Shawerma & Falafel Spring Rolls/ Sambosa

We truly enjoyed this yesterday, give it a try!

Ingredients:

Veal meat, cut into slices
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp clove powder
1/2 tsp mixed spices
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp apple vinegar
1/2 cup yogurt
salt and pepper

When marinating the meat rub the salt and spices first then place the meat in a Ziploc or Tupperware and add the remaining ingredients. place it in the fridge for a couple of hours or over night.

Drain the meat from the marinate and grill it in a grilling pan with a little of cooking oil, let it grill until meet is dry and tender

Then add 1tbsp of butter, long thin red onion, and chopped parsley, stir all for 1 min then let it cool down.

In the meantime, prepare the sambosa pastry and in a small bowl add 5tbsp of flour and 7tbsp of cold water to glue the ends of the samboosa together wile rolling.

Mix the shawerma with a little of fresh red onion slices and fresh chopped parsley, so when you fry you get the fresh crunch.

Roll it into a spring roll or sambosa shape.

Freeze the spring rolls for 30min or more just so its easier to fry.

Then you can either deep fry, bake, or what i personally do is grill them on the pan with a little of oil.

Tahini Dipping Sauce

1cup sesame paste (harda)
1cup water
1/2 yogurt
4tbsp mayonnaise
2tbsp lemon
2minced garlic
2tsp sumac powder
1tsp cumin powder
salt

Mix them all together and enjoy dipping your shawerma rolls :)

I did some with Falafel it turned out great too!

Do the same processes of the rolling with mashed falafel mixed with onions, mint leaves and some parley.

Same dipping sauce but add chopped tomatoes :)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients:
 1 pack Betty Crocker yellow mix cake.
 1 box Butter Scotch (Brand Jell-O) from Sultan Center.
 ½ cup poppy seeds.

Procedure:
First, mix the Betty Crocker yellow mix cake as mentioned on the box with oil and eggs.
Then, add to the mixture the Butter Scotch Jell-O.
Mix well and then add the Poppy seeds.
Prepare the baking tray, and spread some flour so it will not stick
Follow the baking instructions on the Betty Crocker box.
After baking, keep it a while to cool, then sprinkle it with icing sugar to perfect it.

Enjoy Shushu

Monday, July 5, 2010

Kitchen Activities

My little one and I have been doing loads of fun kitchen activities.

She loves it! The fact of letting her mix, experiment and taste the results always carries the element of surprise

So let me share the basic fun kitchen activities that you can do with your toddler :)

STUFFED APPLES

1 apple, cored but not peeled

Then stuff the apple with peanut butter,and any of your favorite toppings raisins, drizzle with honey, sprinkle coconut or crushed cornflakes.
(use whatever is available and your little one likes)

Dig in with a spoon or have fun trying to eat with your hands!

My little one enjoyed preparing it more than eating it to be honest, filling up the apple with peanut butter was a challenge! Its a great activity, give it a try!

will be posting more of our toddler kitchen experiments :)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Fatayer Cheese balls

I always had a thing for Fatayer, especially they way they smell while in the oven baking, to me I always wanted my house to smell like Fatayer, might sound wierd really but it gives the house a very warm, fun and inviting felling! it truley does:)

Those cheesy warm fatayer balls are to die for. They are perfect with tea after a good evening nap :)
This dough reciepe is the same one that i have previously posted for the "Arugla Pizza"

Ingredients:

1 Kilo brown flour
8 tablespoons powder milk
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 cup water

Cheese spread:
Feta Cheese
Tomato
mint
zatar

mash the feta cheese with the rest froming a spread

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, powder milk, salt, white sugar, yeast, baking powder, and water; stir well to combine. Knead the dough with your hands pushing and folding. Knead just long enough for the dough to take in a little more flour, and until it no longer sticking to your hands.Cover and rise until doubled in volume, at least 8 hours in a warm room, for best results leave over night.
Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out, place the feta cheese mix in the middle and close it forming a round ball, place it in an oven plate brush egg yolk on the top of the balls and sprinkle seasme seeds on the top of the balls.

Preheat the oven, place the dish in the oven for 35min until the balls have golden color

very simple onceyou have the right dough you can do all the differant stuffings and shapes :)

enjoy a good dough recipe, as i have said in an older post, you can fridge the dough for 1 week.

Sahuaro: Mexican Cuisine @ your Steps

Time for some Mariachi!

Sahuaro ... authentic Mexican cuisine in town! and I am not talking about nachos and burritos here.. I'm talking about enchiladas, mole, ceviche.... if you are not really familiar with Mexican cuisine this would be the right place to start!

Fortunately enough I came across this amazing team of Mexican ladies known as Sahuaro.Saguaro or Sahuaro is a majestic species of cactus most commonly found in the “Sonoran dessert” which includes the state of Baja California and state of Sonora in Mexico and in the U S States of California and Arizona.

Ive tried them personally and its a must!!! but word of advice make sure you specify how spicy you want your food because those jalapeno's are deadly!!!

Enjoy and ARRIBA ARRIBA !!!!

Visit them @: http://www.sahuarokw.com

Baked eggplant with a hint of pesto sauce.

As a guest writer I try to learn as much as possible form "Cook with Me Q8" and let me tell yo that my cooking skills have improved in deed!!!

Tnnnxxx.. here we go another one on trial.

Ingredients

Cherry Tomatoes
5 baby Eggplants
Home Made Pesto Sauce (check older post Pesto)
Home Made Pasta Sauce (or again.. i prefer Ragu when Im on a hurry)
Salt & Pepper
Oregano
Parmesan Cheese (i prefer Almarai Mozzarella shredded cheese )

Method

Wash eggplants and cut into slices Cut the tomatoes into slices Brush the baking tray with a small portion of Olive oil, not more than a tea spoon. (The pesto sauce will make it oily). Place the sliced Eggplants into rows, add a tea spoon of pasta sauce and pesto sauce to each. Top it up with the sliced tomatoes.
Let it bake for over 10 minutes, on low fire. Before we are done.. you should add the cheese on top and change the oven to bake from the top level until the cheese becomes golden .
We are done... place them on a flat plate and enjoy our mini eggplants with pesto sauce.

They are a must and it wont take you more than 12 minutes :) great for appetizers as well.

Regards ... S.B

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Question from a Blogger

HELP !!!! I need a good easy quick healthy vegetarian meal!!!

Hi .. I'm trying to have healthier choices at home.. therefore vegetables and fruits are my new main ingredients. My first attempt was roasted veggies: green beans, mushroom and tomatoes ... I placed them on a baking tray with some olive oil and garlic... however it turned out not to be so "Dietetic" as I would of liked. Do you have nay suggestions on how to truly have a Dietetic vegetarian meal, or snacks too with fruits if possible?

Thank you

Garlic Bread

A bowl of spaghetti is just perfect while watching a movie, but I always feel that it is missing a crunch. A garlicy, moist, crisp crunch to bite whith every mouthful spaghetti... Garlic bread just completes it all dont you think? As my friend once said Spaghetti seems lonely without garlic bread! It's so easy to make, so there is no trouble in having it on the side!

There are a lot of ways making garlic bread, the easiest way that I do:

crush a couple cloves of garlic, mix it with softened butter, add salt and pepper, I usually add chili flakes and parsley and form a spread. Spread it over slices of French bread, wrap it with foil and heat in the oven for 10-15min depending how you like it either toasty or soft. I like to wrap it with foil and toast it cuz it makes the bread moist with the garlic spread when removeing the foil later I add the parmesan cheese then put it back in the oven for a couple of minutes for the cheese to slightly melt, and crisp golden color.

Garlic Bread Recipe

1 French bread

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

4 large cloves of garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

grated parmesan cheese

Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients

2 carrots diced

2 onions chopped

2 cloves of crushed garlic

2 sticks celery diced

10 chopped tomatoes

3 tabelspoons of tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1 tabelspoon cumin powder

1 tabelspoon mixed spices for meat

1 tabelspoon oregano
250ml beef stock
large glass water

worcester sauce
tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
olive oil
grated parmesan cheese.

Directions

Heat a large saucepan and add the minced meat. Brown the meat then drain off excess fat.
Add olive oil to cover the base of the pan, low fire add the onions, for a few minutes until they are golden brown. Add the celery and garlic, Season it with salt and pepper, spices and bay leaves. return the drained meat to the pan, add the oregano and water.

Let the sauce heat then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, worcester sauce and tabasco, after a couple of minutes add the stock and the carrots, stir well and let the sauce cook for 1 hour and a half, covered and on a low heat.

Boil the spaghetti according to the instructions on the box, when ready add the spaghetti quickly to the saucepan, drizzle of olive oil to the spaghetti.

serve with grated parmesan cheese.

yuuummm! 3awafiiiiii

Sunday, June 20, 2010

BEST FALAFEL RECIPE FROM SCRATCH !!! MUST SEE FALAFEL RECEIPE

Saturday, June 19, 2010

falafel try-outs!

Its been exactly 5 days of the try outs and i have tried everything but cant seem to get it right!!

I have tried 3 different batches
1 adding flour to the mixture of veggies, spices and chickpeas, and other with baking soda, baking powder, and the last trial was mixed with sesame spread, Tahini "harda" and surprisingly that was the only one that didn't break into tiny little pieces when fried (meaning just 2pieces were in a good round crunchy condition ;p)

Ive literally tried everything, freezing, refrigerating, letting it rest before frying. cant seem to get it right ;(

Ingredients:
1 cup chickpeas
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons flour
Salt
Pepper

Preperation:

Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper in bowl, and add flour. Mash all ingredients or use a food processor. Result should be a thick paste

Form the mixture into small balls, then flatten.

Fry until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

anyone knows the secret for homemade falafel?

strawberry smoothie :)

10 strawberries fresh or frozen
2 low fat yogourt
One orange
Honey
A blender!
Ice cubes

How?
Squeeze the orange juice and mix it with the honey. Throw in the strawberries, the two yogourts, ice cubes and the orange with honey juice. Blend till it becomes "smooth". ( If not sweet enough just add a spoon of vanilla estract or honey - no sugar)

Presentation

I prefer short glasses, either small short glasses or even modern estiqanas!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

a true refreshing salad!

I jut reached home starving from a long day at work, so hungry and the heat is just unbearable! I bet a lot of people know exactly what mean.

I was planning to have my salad first, because I had to wait longer for the family lunch, so I was expecting a basic, one of the daily salads.

and to my surprise! I felt so special, it was a salad that I have taught my house helper a while ago and its just perfect, absolutely a taste that fulfilled every sense, its simply:

Ingredients:

Arugula
1 orange
2 tablespoons orange zest
olive oil
salt
pepper
1 handful of fresh walnuts

Method

mix the washed arugula with orange juice, olive oil, salt&pepper, and orange zest, top it with crushed walnuts

I guarantee you a refreshing feeling after that bowl of salad! it was absolutely yummy!

and for those who hate mixing fruits with veggies.... your missing out BIG time!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Surprise! out of the box ;)

White Cake cupcakes.

Betty Crocker White Cake Mix
1/2 Water
1/3 Vegetable Oil
3 Egg Whites
mix it all .....

Frosing
Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting

Just mix the ingredients as the pack says, once they are done just wait for about 20 minutes to spread the icing & the end just sprinkle some "flake chocolate" on them to make them look like on TV...

For those who like it simple, those cupcakes look Yuuuuum!
Thank you for sharing S.B :)

nana banana fun

Banana Octopuses
by Curtis Rist

Give a banana a deep-sea life of its own with one of the simplest creations of artist/coauthor Saxton Freymann ("Play with Your Food").
Ingredients
FOR EACH OCTOPUS:
Banana
Toothpick
2 black-eyed peas
Plastic knife

Instructions
Cut the stem off the banana. "It doesn't have to be an especially ripe banana; any banana will do," says Freymann. Then peel it halfway down from the top, in 4 sections.

Eat the top half of the banana. "After all, you'll need that extra energy to finish your task," says Freymann. Leave the bottom half of the banana in its peel.

To create 8 arms, use a plastic knife (or a real knife with parental supervision) to split each of the 4 sections of the peel in half. "You can also do this without a knife, just by separating the peels with your fingers," says Freymann.

For the face, choose the flattest side of the banana. Make the eyes by pushing a toothpick into the skin and wiggling it around to create 2 holes, then insert a black-eyed pea into each hole

I personally tried it with my daughter and it was absolutly very simple and fun to do together, give it a try!

Thank you for sharing this idea :)

Friday, June 11, 2010

World Cup Fever

The World Cup starts today! A big event for everybody!

Fun food and easy recipes is whats needed while watching the games. Snacks and Nibbles, thats what i like to call it. I will be sharing and posting what i will be preparing to eat while we watch the games. So, if you have any ideas, recipes, suggestions or any fun take out experience go ahead and share!

Write it up, snap a picture and email it to cookwithmeq8@gmail.com

my mud pots

In Srilanka they don't use the normal pots in cooking, they use the mud ones, whether for the oven or on the fire they have two types.
When i first saw them it was in the hotel for breakfast they serve all the food in the mud pots and i fell in love with them immediately! they were perfect!

So the 2 nights that we stayed in Colombo that was the only thing that i wanted to find so while driving and exploring we found the place that sells them in all their shapes and sizes

It was a must buy!!! we wrapped and packed them and i just couldn't wait to reach home to start using them!

I love them :)

Im back!

This has been one long break! Due to my trip to srilanka and comming back and facing technical difficulties with home internet connection and laptop ;( i finally managed to get everything under control and start blogging again! so hello to you all! i have missed posting and sharing those simple meals :)

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Flavored Water

Its summer, its hot and unbearable! you know you need to drink more water, I personally have to force myself to drink water, I just get bored of drinking it.

I have just recently noticed myself through my daughter, she just loves flavored water she's always excited wanting to know what flavor is in the water today! She chooses her flavor sometimes for her school water bottle.
Keep a few flavors in your fridge at all times, that way you'll always have a bit of variety and never get bored. Because I only like a hint of flavor in my water, find what works best for your taste buds though!

Its very simple you can do it per glass or jug, just pour water(add ice, if the water is not chilled) then add any of the following

palm water
rose water
adding fresh lemon/lime and mint leaves
adding oranges and cucumber slices
peeled cucumber slices alone
lemon grass

Play with it! be creative, see what you like! worth the try, it looks good and its absolutely refreshing, have it in a pitcher always ready for your family!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Guest Writer Recipe :)

Garlic Grilled Shrimps & A Hearty Salad...

Half a Kilo of de-vained Shrimps (not peeled but buterfly cut)
2 lemons
Salt & Pepper
5 Garlic Gloves
Olive Oil

Salad

Arugula
Cherry tomatoes
Feta Cheese
Pine Nuts
Artichoke
Alphalpha seeds

Dressing

Mustard, Olive Oil, Lemon and a spoon of italian dressing :) and just ad some oregano and salt and pepper.

1. Add Olive Oil to prawns while marinating them
2. To marinate the shrimps just rub them them with garlic and some lemon.
3. Grill them for just 2 minutes, you dont need more than that. If you dont have a griller at home use a similar frying (flat pan) available at IKEA with engraved lines... it gives you the same effect. Before grilling make sure pan is hot and with Olive Oil
3. Remove them and place them in a cover ed plate while you prepare the salad.

Salad

Simple just add all the ingredients and leave the dressing on the side .

Thanx S.B!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Pesto

I love pesto, its great to always have it ready in the fridge or even frozen. you can have it as dip, pasta sauce, a spread with grilled veggies, feta cheese or with roasted potatoes.

It is very simple

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh basil
3 cloves garlic (depending on taste)
¼ cup roasted pine nuts
1 small block Parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Place the pine nuts in the pan and toast them on the stove using a medium-low fire,
cut the garlic in quarters, chop the basil roughly, to make it easier to pound. Place the garlic, pine nuts(leaving 1 tbsp. aside) and a small pinch of salt in the mortar (hawan) and smash using a down and outward motion. Add some of the basil and a small amount of olive oil. Smash and pound until the basil has a chopped appearance. The oil is important because it helps to smooth the texture, continue to add more basil and oil, pounding and using all of the basil.

Finally, add the tablespoon of nuts and pound lightly, leaving the pieces slightly rough for texture, Grate the cheese until you have ¾ cup and add it into the pesto,add pepper and salt to taste.

Measurements may differ every time, add more or less olive oil according to texture of the basil leaves especially when you add the grated Parmesan cheese.

Storage:

Store the pesto in a small bowl in the refrigerator, topped with a thin layer of oil and plastic wrap to prevent drying out and it can remain fresh for around a week, you can also freeze it in the freezer for 2 months, although some of the flavors may not be as strong.

A lot of recipes mention to put all the ingredients in a grinder, or blender but i just don't like the texture if its done in that way, others chop and keep on chopping till they get the right texture, i found that pounding the ingredients gives the best result for a true thick pesto texture.

Try it out yourself and tell me how it goes :)

Inspired from Bobby Flay and Father Leo

I love watching Bobby Flay's show, its fun when he goes and surprises owners of restaurants when they do a perfect yummy tasty dish and try to compete with them with his own style, its absolutely challenging for them!

This week i was tired, sick with the dusty weather and wasn't able to cook any new dishes :/ So watching Food Network was the highlight of my lazy slouchy day.

Father Leo is also a great cook and has his own cook book he is a very cool vibrant priest, very FUN to watch, he loves to cook food that "brings family together" so he was cooking steak fajitas in his own way and recipe and then came along Bobby Flay surprising him with his crew to compete the best meat fajita wrap!

A little of inspiration from both mixed to mine and the available ingredients i had in the kitchen i came up with absolutely a simple yet YUMMMY results!

Ingredients:

1 bag of flour tortillas
3 slices of pounded meat steaks
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 white onion thinly sliced
1 handful shredded lettuce
balsamic vinegar
cheddar cheese
sour cream
jalapenos

* check the Guacamole recipe, on an older post "tacos" *

The meat:

Marinate the steak with:

2 cloves of minced garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons of apple vinegar
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

mix all together, put in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate it for at least one hour.

In the meantime, roast orange, yellow, red bell peppers in the oven, wrapping each with 1 tablespoon of olive oil wrapped in foil for at least 2o min until they are nice smooth and tender.

Let it cool down, then cut them into strips and leave aside.

While the peppers are roasting start chopping 1 white onion into long thin strips, place them in a oven plate, add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a dab of olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper, pop them in the oven and let them caramelize.

NOW, the meat

place the grilling pan on high fire, then add the meat pieces and have it grill both sides until its cooked, cut the meat into thin slices on the pan, then on a separate bowl mix 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce and 1tablespoon of Ketchup, brush it over the meat strips and flip both sides just for anice quick saucy glaze, add the peppers and onions and mix all together on the grill.

on a separate pan, heat the tortillas on both sides and start filling in your wrap
1. spread the tortillas with sour cream
2. add the meat with veggies
3. top it of with Cheddar cheese
4. some lettuce
5. a couple of jalapenos
6. wrap it tight and cut it into two pieces

and there you go a yummy juicy wrap! with loads of flavor!

we had it 2wice already give it a try and tell me how it goes, a nice quick dinner/snack

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

A Recipe from a Guest Writer ;)

Rocca & Grilled Salmon Salad..

Ingredients:
Arugula
1 Salmon Steak
1 Eggplant
Feta Cheese
Pine Nuts
onions
Mint
sun dried tomatoes
onions (if u want)

Dressing:
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Half a lemon
( you can ad one spoon of Dijon mustard if u want as well)

How?
1. Grill the salmon steak till sides are white.
2. slice the eggplant and let it drain, once drained grilled them ( brush each slice with olive oil)
3. Mix the arugula with dice 1/2 onion and mint leaves.
4. Fry the pine nuts till brownish color
Mix all the ingredients but add the salmon and the eggplant at the end so your salad wont soak.

The dressing leave it separate so it can be added individually per person so the salad wont soak.

Enjoy!

S.B

Game Night Tacos

NOW I'm not testing my cooking abilities with the tacos for that they are extremely simple and there is nothing much to it! Tacos are fun, and easy especially when everyone gets to build their own. We usually have them when we have friends over on Big Game Nights like this Saturday.

For those who don't eat it much, start doing it at home because its a fun dish

To prepare you need a Big Trip to the supermarket, its not easy having all the ingredients in the house

Ingredients:

1/2 ground meat
1 pack old el paso hard taco shells
1 avocado
1 sour cream
2 onions
handful lettuce
3 tomatoes
1 bag of shredded Cheddar cheese
salsa

Directions:

2 ways the easy and MY WAY

Easy:

Brown ground beef in a medium skillet over medium heat. Make sure to drain out the fat. When ground beef is cooked then add the taco mix and the water. Mix it up all together.Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and let it simmer make sure you uncover. Cook about 15 to 20 minutes stirring occasionally. With it uncover it should come nice and brown that is what you want.

My Way:

Brown the 1/2 kilo ground beef in a medium skillet over medium heat. Make sure to drain out the fat, add 3 cloves of fresh garlic, and spices1/2tsp black pepper,1/2 tsp ginger,pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp cumin powder and mix. In another pan you add oil and fry the 2 chopped onions and 1 clove garlic, 2 fresh diced tomato's and 2tbsp tomato paste stir and simmer with the meat and let it cook, then add 1 glass of water, cover and let it cook 15- 20 min stirring occasionally until its brown and has some sauce to it on low fire..

Put taco shell's into oven on low heat, this is just to heat up shell's to serve.

Then when finish get your taco shells spread with sour cream, ground meet,then top it with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and the grated cheese, a little of mild or hot salsa and a couple of jalapenos if you like it spicy, mix in the taco shell how much you like.

Be creative! I like everything on my taco!

Guacamole

Cut avocados in half, remove the seed, scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Add the diced tomato when about to serve :)

muy delicioso !!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

what to order at work?

Casper and Gambini's Tomato Soup
If you fancy tomato soup its perfect! I am simply addicted to it whenever I feel like ordering at work. It would be soup, its not too light or creamy. It's just fulfilling, perfect to have lunch later with the family at 4:00.

Vegetarian Tomato & Basil
Vine-ripened tomatoes puréed with fresh basil for a velvety smooth flavor, with a touch of balsamic vinegar and fresh oregano.

Order it with croutons on the side, so you keep the crunch for the office ;p

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Chicken Finger Lovers

This recipe always reminds me of Ramadan, when you get the fun food from the neighbors and every one wants to try what looks good from the other house. I got this recipe from a friend and it turned out to be great, with different trials I came up with those yummy results

Chicken Fingers with Mango Chutney Dip

Ingredients:

Fresh boneless Chicken breast (they usually come 3-4 pieces per tray)
Pound the chicken breasts until they are thin and flat and cut them evenly into finger strips, then marinate the chicken fingers over night in the fridge with
1 yogurt,
2 1\2 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoon sunflower oil,
black pepper and salt.

Coat the chicken fingers, with flour, dip them in beaten eggs and coat them with breadcrumbs. (either crushed cornflakes, toasted toast,or popcorn.)

my husband suggested the popcorn and it turned out to be so crunchy and nice!

Deep fry the chicken fingers and then place on kitchen papers to drain.

Meanwhile prepare the dipping sauce:

Mix the mango chutney, mayonnaise, mustard and one clove of crushed garlic.

Chicken Fingers Coated in Za'atr with Labna dip

Ingredients:

Fresh boneless Chicken breast (they usually come 3-4 pieces per tray)
Pound the chicken breasts until they are thin and flat and cut them evenly into finger strips, then marinate the chicken fingers over night in the fridge with

1 yogurt
1 tablespoon vinegar
black pepper and salt

Coat the chicken fingers, with flour, dip them in beaten eggs and coat them with za'atar.

Deep fry the chicken fingers and then place on kitchen papers to drain.

Meanwhile prepare the dipping sauce:

Mix the lebnah (small full pack) , yogurt (1/2 pack), mayo 1tbsp, 1 clove of crushed garlic, and diced sundried tomatoes.

Enjoy :)

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Pizza Pizza Pizza

Quick, warm, and just hits the spot when your hungry! here is a basic dough recipe that you can use for just about anything! i always have it ready in a Ziploc in the fridge for a quick morning lunch box snack ( my little one just loves it stuffed with labnah) or when i have the kids over to fix there own pizzas or when I'm just too lazy to think what to cook for a quick dinner! go ahead try it with any of your favorite toppings as on open pizza or stuff it like a calazone.

Ingredients:

1 Kilo brown flour
8 tablespoons powder milk
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 cup water

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, powder milk, salt, white sugar, yeast, baking powder, and water; stir well to combine. Knead the dough with your hands pushing and folding. Knead just long enough for the dough to take in a little more flour, and until it no longer sticking to your hands.Cover and rise until doubled in volume, at least 8 hours in a warm room, for best results leave over night.

Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

We love the Arugula Pizza

Once you have your dough ready:

roll out the dough into a pizza crust shape either using a round baking pan or cutting out round shapes and placing it on a baking tray.

spread the tomato sauce on it and have it bake in a preheated oven until its almost ready.

in the meantime, mix the arugula, red onion strips, crumbled feta cheese together and dress it up with a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and chili flakes. top of the pizza and pop it back to the oven for a couple of minutes

make sure you don't over dress the arugula so it doesn't sogg up in the oven!

Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

So Garlic! pasta

Ever hungry in the middle of the night and was just too lazy to go cook something? and all those yummy thoughts drive your head crazy while watching T.V??

Here is a simple yummy basic pasta that you can do in minutes! and its actually one of our favorites!

You start of by getting a full clove of garlic,Place the garlic head in a baking pan. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over, make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cloves feel soft when pressed,(if in a hurry and no time to roast the garlic, add 10 whole cloves of garlic with chili flakes on low fire and simmer.)

In a deep frying pan generously add olive oil, red chili flakes, and simmer until the olive oil is infused with the chili then add the roasted garlics, and some chopped parsley, let it settle for a while on low fire, then roughly mash the roasted garlics.

In the meantime boil the pasta in a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente, then drain and add the pasta to the pan with the olive oil sauce when ready.

add a bit of chopped parsley. Toss all together, along with crumbled feta cheese.

tell me what you think once you try it!