CousCous With Smoked Chicken Ham And Melon Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of plain couscous

1 pack of smoked chicken ham, cut in stripes

Handful dried apricots, chopped roughly

2 tbsp pine nuts

1/2 fennel bulb, sliced thinly

Bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped finely

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

salt&pepper

1/2 small galia melon, cut in cubes

1/2 pack feta cheese, crumbled

Bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped finely

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

salt&pepper

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Couscous is such a versatile staple that can be prepared in hundreds of different ways. This time she used what she had in the fridge and this very taste mix came out of it. Put the couscous in a bowl and pour boiling hot water over it, cover with a lid or a plate and let raise up. Roast or fry the smoked chicken breast ham on a saucepan. Once couscous ready, throw all the ingredients in the bowl, stir and season with olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mint leaves, salt and pepper. She had a bunch of mint leaves left so she wanted to try this melon salad recipe she saw on Jamie Oliver show. His recipe was with watermelon but that one was not sold in the Netherlands anymore, so she tried with Galia. Very tasty, easy, new flavor combintation.

Bon Appetit!

Potato And Cauliflower Curry Beef Pot

Ingredients:

200-300 g minced beef meet

5-6 big potatoes, pre-boiled (with or without skin)
1/2 head of small cauliflower, divided into smaller florets and pre-boiled
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 pot creme fraiche
2 eggs
50 g Gouda cheese, grated
2 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinaigrette
bunch of fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely
Pinch of cumin seeds
salt&pepper
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Autumn is here and with it comes a number of vegetables that are quite missed out from our dietary regimes for the rest of the year. One of them is cauliflower, a vegetable that is cheap, low in fats and carbohydrates yet high on vitamin C and compounds that might protect against cancer.
Pre-boil potatoes until soft and cauliflower florets al dente. Cut the potatoes into thin slices. Prepare a sauce by mixing creme fraiche, eggs, grated cheese, olive oil, curry powder, mustard, chopped parsley leaves, balsamic vinaigrette,cumin seeds, salt and pepper together. Or buy an already made curry sauce for meats :)
Fry finely chopped onion on a little bit of olive oil until golden colored and add minced beef. Stew the beef until cooked with a pinch of salt and grounded pepper. Dispose of any fat that might arise from the meat. Towards the end add cauliflower florets and mix together.
Drizzle bottom of a baking pot with a bit of olive oil and place a layer of potatoes circles. Afterwards layer the minced meat with cauliflower and top it up with another layer of potatoes. Depending on the size of the pot repeat another layer if you can. At the end pour the sauce over and place it into 180C pre-heated oven for about 20 mins. Top it up with more cheese for a cheese crust if you like.
Bon Appetit!

Prawn Skewer With Avocado Puree

Ingredients:

Pack of shrimps, pre-boiled or fresh, peeled
1 ripe avocado, peeled
Bunch of fresh coriander leaves
1/4 small chili pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
skewers
salt&pepper
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Last kiss of summer. The prawn skewer was barbecued on a disposal set on a deserted island and was liked by everyone. Such a simple thing to cook. Just marinade the prawns in a mix of olive oil, dash of lemon juice, finely chopped coriander and chili pepper, salt and ground black pepper. Stick them onto the skewer and grill, bake or fry on a pan for a few minutes. Prawns do not take too long, especially if already pre-boiled. Avocado pure is made by mixing the avocado with chili pepper, lime juice, drop of olive oil, salt and pepper with an immersion mixer. Easy peasy. Serve with whatever you like. Could be couscous, rice, bread, tortilla chips.
Bon Appetit!

Chicken Breast Fillet With Pear and Sage

Ingredients:

2 medium sized chicken breast fillets, pounded softly

1 big pear, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup pecan nuts, crushed finely

2 tbsp butter, soft

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

Dash of fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese, grated finely

Bunch of fresh sage leaves

Few fresh oregano leaves

toothpicks

salt&pepper

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Back to the good old chicken. This recipe was a great success and again the combination of sweet and salty flavors never fails. Start with preparing the filling by grating the Parmigiano cheese, chopping the fresh herbs finely (keep some of the sage leaves aside for later), crushing the pecan nuts and placing all of the above into a bowl with a tablespoon of soft butter, pinch of salt and pepper. Mix it all together until you have a firmer paste. Pound the chicken breast fillets so that you can roll the meat. Smear the paste on the inner side of the breast fillet and place a slice of peeled pear in the middle. Roll the breast so that the pear is in the middle, fasten with toothpicks. Preheat oven to 200C. Heat up the olive oil on a saucepan and place the chicken breast wraps on the pan. Fry from all sides quickly in high heat so that the meat seals. Remove from the frying pan and place it on roasting pan, put it in the oven and let it roast for about ten to fifteen minutes until done. Melt a tablespoon of butter on the frying pan you used before, add a dash of fresh lemon juice and place the rest of the pear slices in the pan. Add rest of the chopped sage leaves and a bit of honey. Cook the pears until they are soft. Once ready, place the chicken wrap and the cooked pears on the plate, serve with rice or potatoes. Don't forget to take all the toothpicks out from the wrap.

Bon Appetit!

Roasted Aubergine With Couscous Filling and Feta Cheese

Ingredients:

1 larger aubergine

50 g couscous
2 stripes prosciutto ham, chopped roughly
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Handful dried apricots, chopped
Handful pine nuts
Bunch of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Pinch of cinnamon powder
Pinch of grained nutmeg or powder
1 tbsp virgin olive oil
salt&pepper
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Tasty not only summer meal with a bit of exotic Arabic feel to it. Wash the aubergine and prick it couple of times with a fork, place it whole on a baking paper in a baking pan and bake in oven at cca 200C for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile place couscous in a bowl and pour boiling water over so that it just covers the amount, put a lid over and let it rise. Take out the aubergine and cut it in half. Scoop out the soft inside but be careful not the penetrate the sides. Chop it finely and add it to the already risen couscous along with chopped prosciutto ham, apricots, mint leaves, pine nuts, olive oil and season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir all together and fill the aubergine with the mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese, put back into oven and bake for another 10 minutes or so until the cheese starts to brown. Serve on a bed of salad leaves and optionally with white yogurt dressing which can be made from Greek yogurt with salt, pepper, dash of lemon juice, chopped fresh mint and coriander leaves. If you prefer vegetarian version, just omit the prosciutto ham.
Bon Appetit!

Spanish Gazpacho

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded

1/2 red bell pepper, cored and seeded

2 tomatoes, sliced and seeded

1/4 red onion

1 celery stalk

1 cup tomato juice

1/2 cup ice cubes

2 tbsp virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Bunch of fresh parsley

1/4 chili pepper

salt&pepper

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The best food in hot hot summer days. Period. She fell in love with this soup while living in South of Spain and truly, there was nothing else she could possibly eat during temperatures as high as 43C. Refreshing, healthy, light, super easy. Just chop roughly all the vegetable ingredients and put them into mixer along with the herbs, seasonings and tomato juice. Mix it well. The ice cubes will chill the soup immediately. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop. Serve with bread.

Bon Appetit!

Goat's Cheese And Pear Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag mix of salad leaves

1 pear, peeled and sliced

1/2 pack soft goat's cheese

Handful walnuts

Dressing:

1 tbsp pink pepper corns

2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp mustard

salt&pepper

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Salads are great anytime, but in this warm weather they are almost a necessity. This one is again super easy to make and the mix of sweetness of the pear with the sharpness of the goat's cheese a great combination. Simply place washed salad leaves on a plate or in a bowl, add cheese, sliced pear and walnuts. Prepare dressing in a separate container by mixing all the ingredients well together until you have a compact liquid. Pour over the salad and all is ready. Serve with bread.

Bon Appetit!