TACCONELLE E FAGIOLI, a traditional pasta dish

I can't believe that I have never published on my blog my favorite
pasta dish coming from the culinary tradition of my region.
I love this easy home made pasta blended with tasty beans
and tomato sauce.
I suggest that you prepare it during the dark and cold days
of late autumn and winter to warm up your spirit.
Of course it goes very well with a nice glass of red wine
(a good quality Chianti would to it).

TACCONELLE E FAGIOLI

Ingredients for the beans sauce:

400g of Borlotti or Kidney beans
(you are allowed to use canned organic beans, but I prefer to cook them myself)
400g tomato puree
( any Italian canned tomato sauce is fine, but I prefer the De Cecco one)
2 TBS olive oil
1 onion
100g thinly sliced bacon chopped(opcional)
salt and chilli powder or chilli oil

In a hot frying pan cook the bacon for few minutes, then add olive oil and chopped onion.
Cook onion till translucent then add tomato puree.
Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, then add beans with their cooking water.
Let it cook for other 15 minutes, then adjust salt and sprinkle with a pinch of chilli powder.

Ingredients for the pasta:

200g flour
100g semolina or durum flour
1 egg white
half glass of water or less

Make a fountain with flours on a wooden board, add in the centre
the egg white and a bit of water and start mixing with the flours.
And enough water to get a soft but firm dough.

When done form a ball and let it rest under a ceramic bowl for 5 minutes.
Flatten the dough with your hands first and then make it very thin
with a rolling pin.
With a knife cut 2 cm stripes and then cut them again in small squares.


Bring water to boil in a big pot, add coarse salt and cook the pasta
for 5 minutes.
Drain it and add to the beans. Mix well and let it rest for few minutes.

Add a handfull of grated parmesan and serve.

FRESH MUSHROOMS RISOTTO

I went to the market yesterday and the smell of fresh mushrooms
reminded me of a nice earthy risotto.
Mushrooms are rich in selenium, potassium and antioxidants...
all good stuff!
The cold and grey weather is inviting to be in the kitchen, take
my time and enjoying cooking.
The slow cooking of the risotto is relaxing and warming.
So here I go!

MUSHROOMS RISOTTO

Ingredients:
1 lt vegetable broth
400 g arborio or carnaroli rice
1 handfull shitaki mushrooms
1 handfull champignon mushrooms
3 chanterelle mushrooms
3 oysters mushrooms
3 dried porcini mushrooms
1 small onion
2 TBS butter
1 tsp cream
parsley

Soak dry porcini mushrooms in one cup of warm water.
In a cast iron pot sautee onion in 1 TBS butter till translucent.
Add all the cleaned and sliced mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
Add salt and pepper and remove them from pot.
Add 1 TBS butter in the pot and sautee rice for few minutes.
Add sauteed mushrooms and soaked porcini with their water.
Mix with a wooden spoon for 1 minute.
Add two ladles of vegetable broth and stir.
When the water dries out add other 2 ladles of broth and stir.
Repeat operation for around 20 minutes.
Taste rice and add salt and pepper.
Switch off, add 1 tsp of cream and stir.
Let the risotto rest for 5/8 minutes before serving.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

WARM, RESTORATIVE CHICKEN BROTH

When the cold season arrives what makes you feel better than a nice broth?
I personally prefer the vegetable broth but the benefits of a chicken broth
are unique.
Besides its amazing taste and culinary uses, chicken or bone broth is
an excellent source of minerals and is known to boost the immune system
and improve digestion (the gelatin part is the healing agent for the guts).
Rich in calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, it is great for bone
and tooth health.
Bone broth in general supports joints, hair, skin, and nails because of
its high collagen content.

Here I share with you the chicken broth recipe of my teacher Melanie
at the Academy of Healing and Nutrition.

CHICKEN BROTH


Ingredients:

1 whole organic pasture-fed chicken, including feet and head
4 quarts water
2 TBS raw apple cider vinegar or white wine (to bring out calcium from bones)
1 large onion
2 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 bouquet garni made of parsley, bay leaf,peppercorns, sprigs of fresh thyme

Cut the chicken in several pieces and place them in a large pot with water,
vinegar and vegetables.
Bring to a boil and remove scum that rises to top.
Reduce heat and cook at very low heat for 6 hours.
Add salt to taste at the end.
Remove chicken meat and strain the stock in a large container
that can be stored in the fridge.
Serve by itself with a piece of chicken or use it as a stock for other recipes.

"Jordskokker" soup

Not long time ago I went to have lunch with a dear friend in a friendly,
casual restaurant here in Aarhus, and for the first time ever I ate
a "Jordskooker soup" or in English a " Jerusalem artichokes soup".
I had never seen this kind of tuber, that is commonly found in the
local supermarket.
I loved the soup and I got curious about the good properties of
this ugly looking tuber.

I found out that it is rich in soluble fibre, it contains small amounts of
Vit C, A and E, but most of all it contains a fair amount of Potassium.
Of course I had to prepare the soup again in my kitchen.
I did it with good result and compliments from my official tasting expert,
my husband.

Here is the recipe for you!

Jordeskokker soup

Ingredients for 4 people:
1 kg of jerusalem artichokes
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
2 celery stalks
1 small potato
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
vegetable stock or salted water (around 4 cups)

Peel the jerusalem artichokes using a carrot peeler and dice them.


Heat the oil in a soup pot and cook the onions and celery for few minutes.
Add garlic and saute' for 1 minute.
Add the diced potato and the jerusalem artichokes, then cover it all with water or vegetable stock.
Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook till tuber starts to break, around 30/45 minutes.
Using an immersion blender , puree the soup.
You can serve it with bread croutons
(just sautee for few minute diced bread in olive oil)
or with crunchy bacon.

My special JAM CROSTATA

After my previous post, I realized that I have never published
my special crostata recipe.
This is my signature recipe that has been in my kitchen since
I started baking.

CROSTATA DI MARMELLATA


Ingredients:

300g flour
100g white sugar
150g butter
1 pinch of salt (if butter is unsalted)
1 egg
2TBS of Martini liquor (it can be replaced with another egg)

1 pot of strawberry jam (or any other flavor jam)

Switch on oven and warm it up at 180 C or 350 F.

On a wooden board, make a fountain with the flour then add, in the middle,
sugar, egg and liquor and mix them with your hand ( I love using
my hands!)or a fork. Add softened butter
(you can either leave it out of fridge for few hours or soften it in
the microwave for 20 seconds straight from the fridge) and mix all the
ingredients together to obtain a nice soft dough.
Make dough in a ball shape , cover it with film/foil and refrigerate
for ten minutes.
Sprinkle wooden board with flour.
Return the dough on it and cut it in half.
Make a thin round disc with one part of the dough using a rolling pin.
Transfer the dough disc in a 18 cm tart baking tray previously buttered.
With a spoon, spread a layer of jam on the disc (you will use 3/4 of the jam).
Flatten the left over dough with the rolling pin and cut thin stripes
out of it to decorate the top of the tart. Use the stripes to make a grid like
pattern on top of the tart.
Bake it in the oven for 30 minutes or till the top is golden.

You can slice the crostata in squares and keep it for a week in a tin.

Korean savory pancakes

The other day me and my Korean friend decided to meet for a cooking class.
I would teach her how to make an Italian tart and she would prepare lunch.
It was a fun day!
She taught me how to make Korean Seafood and chives pancakes.
I went to the nearby fish shop and found fresh seafood skewers
with squids, calamari and shrimps. Then, at the supermarket, as I couldn't
find chives I bought fresh Danish onions/scallions, instead. And as I can't
eat spicy chili peppers, at the moment, I bought a long thin red pepper to
replace the chilies.
The pancakes were delicious so I am going to share the recipe with
the rest of the world....
(I hope Isabelle doesn't mind!!!).


KOREAN SEAFOOD PANCAKES


Ingredients for 4 pancakes:

80-100g chives or green onion
200g sea food (small shrimps squid, calamari)
Half green chili and half red chili
(they can be replaced by a sweet
red pepper)
250g all purpose flour
1 cup water or enough to make mixture thin
2 eggs
Salt & pepper

vegetable oil (sunflower/canola)for cooking

Soy sauce for serving
(Mix together:
2 TBS soy sauce
half tsp sesame oil
1 tsp lemon juice)

Slice green onions and red pepper very thin lengthwise.
Bring to boil 2 cups of water with a splash of white wine and
cook seafood for 2 minutes, then drain them.
In a ceramic bowl mix water with the eggs, then add flour
little by little and stir well.
Add salt and pepper.
Then add the vegetables and seafood.

Cover the bottom of a medium size frying pan with vegetable oil
and warm it up. To check that the oil has reached the right
temperature, sprinkle a bit of flour into it. If the oil spurts
then it is ready.
Pour one full serving spoon of mixture in the pan and spread mixture
around. Let it cook till the down side of the pancake is golden then
turn it upside down with the help of a spatula. Cook for few more
minutes then dish it in a plate.
Repeat operation with the rest of pancakes mixture.

The pancake must be served warm and should be eaten with chopsticks,
dipping small pieces in the prepared soy sauce.

ROSEHIP SYRUP

I walk very often by the sea, and for the all summer I have been welcomed
by the fragrant smell of roses.
All along the path there are lots of Rosehip bushes full of flowers and now,
at the end of the season, full of bright orange and red seeds buds.
As I am attending a course in Medicinal Plants and Herbs
by David Crow, I got inspired to check the benefits of this plant.
I discovered that the petals make a beneficial tea and that with
the Rosehip seeds I could make a syrup to sweeten the gloomy winter.
Petals and seeds are both rich in vitamin C and flavonoids, which
are responsible for antioxidant effects.
I have been collecting rose petals and I have been drying them in the sun.
Yesterday I finally decided to make the syrup.
Not as easy to dry petals, it requires more time and it can be messy.
But I did it!
I am going to share here the process to prepare it.

ROSEHIP SYRUP

Collect around 1 kg of Rosehip seeds buds;
Rinse them and remove the dry parts;
Cut them in halves;
Bring to boil around 1lt water;
When the water boils, add Rosehip seeds buds;
After the water starts boiling again, switch off and let it rest for 15 minutes;
After 15 minutes, mash Rosehip seeds buds in a tomatoe sifter in order to
obtain a pulpy sauce without seeds (it will look like tomatoe puree);
Pour pulp back in a pot, add 700g of sugar per 1lt pulp, and bring to boil;
Simmer for 30/45 minutes;
Sterilize small glass bottles or jars in boiling water for 10 minutes or
in the dishwasher;
Bottle syrup up when it is still hot and close lid tight as soon as possible.

If you want to store the syrup safely at room temperature for months,
you have to process filled jars/bottles in boiling water for 10 minutes.



Enjoy a tsp of syrup to sweeten tea or yogurt during winter so to boost your
vitamin C intake!

Greek summer heritage

Last July we spent few weeks on the island of Paros, in Greece.
Me and my family really enjoyed the clear blue sea and the sunny sky.
But most of all we liked the vegetarian food made with tomatoes,
eggplants, zucchini and peppers.
Our favorite dish was the famous Greek salad that we have been honoring,
also here at home, during our sunny days.
The basic ingredient is tomatoes that are a rich source of vitamins A and C
and folic acid.
Tomatoes contain a wide array of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants,
including alpha-lipoic acid, lycopene, choline, folic acid, beta-carotene
and lutein.

Here is my recipe!

GREEK SALAD


Ingredients for 4 people:

6 round ripe tomatoes
1 small cucumber
1 cup Calamata olives
half red onion
1 tsp capers
1 cup cubed feta cheese
few basil leaves
1 tsp dried origanum
a splash of lemon juice
2/3 TBS olive oil
salt

Rinse and slice tomatoes in big chunks and put them in a salad bowl.
Add cubed cucumber, thinly sliced onion, capers, pitted olives, cubed feta,
chopped basil and origanum. Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and mix well.

Serve with fresh pita bread.

SWEET BALLS FOR ME

As at this moment I can eat only few foods I just invented a dessert
that is really super healthy, but at the same time super delicious:
sugar-free, gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free!
WOW...so many "free"!

Here it comes the recipe!

DATES BALLS

Ingredients for 12 balls:

half cup pumpkin seeds
8 dry dates
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp coconut flakes
2 tsp raw cocoa powder
2 tsp of goji berries covered with warm water (less than half glass)

Put pumpkins seeds in a small blender and grind them.
Add sliced dates and all other ingredients.
Blend to obtain a soft mixture.
Take half tsp of mixture and make a ball with your hands.
Repeat operation till all mixture is used.
Sprinkle the ball with coconut flakes.

Keep refrigerated.

Summer Light Food

Although not so hot as the rest of Europe it's summer also here in Denmark!
It is the time for a light meal with fresh ingredients.
FoodMatters inspired me again with this Mexican Quinoa Bowl.

WHAT YOU NEED


Serves 3
For The Cashew Cream
1 cup cashews
juice of half lemon
Half tablespoon tamari
salt and pepper

For The Quinoa
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1tsp coarse salt
juice of half lemon

For The Guacamole
2 avocados
half lemon juice or 1 lime juice
half teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper

For The Salsa
3 tomatoes
juice of 1 lime or half lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

For The Black Beans (optional, I didn't use them)
two 15-ounce cans black beans
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
olive oil

For The Cashew Cream
Soak the cashews in a bowl of cold water for 4 hours.
Drain the water that the cashews have been soaking in.
Blend the nuts in a food processor with the lemon juice, tamari,
1 or 2 TBS fresh water, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.
For The Quinoa
Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse with cold water until the water that comes through is totally clear.
Place the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups water and a little salt.
Let the quinoa boil for a minute or 2, then simmer for another 10–15 minutes, covered, until all the water
has been absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy, but not mushy. Add lemon juice.
For The Guacamole
Cut the avocados in half and scoop out their flesh, placing it into a bowl.
Add Lemon juice, salt and paprika. Use a fork to mash the avocados.
You can also use a blender.
For The Salsa
Slice the tomatoes into quarters, then finely chop these into small squares. Place the tomatoes in a bowl,
pour over the lime juice and olive oil and add a little salt and origanum or fresh basil.


Dish all the ingredients in a plate....

....and eat happily!

Super delicious CACAO MOUSSE

Thanks to FoodMatters I have discovered this super delicious Cacao Mousse made with very healthy ingredients.
Avocado contains lots of vitamins, C,E,K, magnesium and potassium and healthy fats; raw cacao contains flavonoids,
that are a type of antioxidant that promotes general health; coconut oil contains lauric acid that is antioxidant,
antiviral and antibacterial.
So are you ready for the recipe?

RAW CACAO MOUSSE

Ingredients for 2 servings:

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup maple syrup
1tsp raw (brown) sugar
half tsp vanilla essence
half tsp balsamic vinegar
1 TBS coconut oil
2 TBS raw cacao

Blend all the ingredients, except cacao, to make a smooth cream.
Add raw cacao and mix well.

Serve it chilled and topped with strawberries.

Magic DANDELION

Do you know Dandelion (in French "Dent de Lion", Lion's tooth)?
It is an herb very easy to find in sunny fields or on the side of the road.
I have started using it in my green salads.
I particularly like to add the dandelion leaves to a dark, wild leaves salad
together with cranberries and pumpkin seeds all dressed with a simple
balsamic vinegar vinaigrette (2 part olive oil, 1 part vinegar, 1 tsp honey,
1 pinch of salt).

And did you know that this humble herb it is magic because of its numerous good properties?
Check the chart below!

Il baccala' di nonna Carmela

My love for Baccala', salted cod fish, brings me closer to the
Norther Countries, where I now live.
Yes! Cod was fished by the Vikings in the cold North Atlantic
seas almost 3000 years ago and it was for centuries the center
of their trade.
In Italian it is called "baccala'" after the cod it is cured
with salt, when it is air dried its name becomes "stoccafisso".
Today it is appreciated for its versatility and as a source of
proteins, minerals, unsaturated fats and Omega 3.
It is a better source of protein than the meat and contains no fats.

When I was a child, I was often staying at my "nonni"'s house and
I still remember now, the nice smell that would announce a dinner
based on "baccalà alla napoletana".
Baccalà needs to be soaked in clean fresh water for at least 48 hours,
changing the water every eight hours or so. Once the merchants used
to do all this preparatory work for you, but today it’s much more rare.
In my childhood, it was a common scene in Venice, Naples and Rome
to see huge buckets of salted cod, with a hose stuck inside, the
water overflowing all over the street.

Here is the instruction of how my grandmother would prepare it.

BACCALA' DI NONNA CARMELA (alla napoletana)

Ingredients:

400g of baccala' fillet
1 big onion
olive oil
1 can of tomato sauce (400g)
1 tsp capers
4/5 black olives
half tsp dry origanum
1 small potato

After soaking baccala' for 2/3 days, changing water at least twice a day,
rinse it and cut it in 4cm pieces.
Add 2/3 TBS of olive oil in a frying pan, add sliced onion
(cut onion in half and then slice it thinly) and cook for 5 minutes or
until it starts being transparent.
Add cubed potato, capers and tomato sauce.
After cooking for 5 minutes add the baccala' pieces (skin down), let
it simmer for 5 minutes, then turn baccala' over and add the pitted olives.
Cook for other 5 minutes, taste if it is salty enough and check with a fork
if baccala' is tender.
Add salt if necessary (almost never), then switch off stove and let it rest.

You can serve it with toasted bread and a glass of red wine
(this is the only time I serve red wine with fish).

A new discovery: ramsløg

I have discovered a new herb at the supermarket: "Ramsløg" in Danish, translated as "Ramson" in English
or "Allium Ursinum" in Latin.

It is part of the garlic family therefore it has got a strong taste.
Ramson lives in the damp moist forests under the shade of trees.
Now when you’re wandering around in the woods and smell garlic you will know that there is some ramson
growing nearby. Now I understand, where the funny smell I get during my morning walk in the forest comes from!!!!
In olden times they used it as a cleanser of the digestive tract, a spring tonic and as a blood cleanser.
Ramsons are very good for the stomach and the intestines.
It is real great bowel tonic if you are constipated and even if you have diarrhea.
It is also good for pimples, acne or rough dry skin or any kind or chronic skin disorders.
Ramsons is a great blood purifier. It will help to overcome herpes, eczema,
scrofula, and even rheumatism.
It will purge cholesterol and plaque out of the blood veins and helps
to increase the flow of blood to all parts of the body.
This will help to overcome hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure,
dizziness, worms and parasites and even help the memory......Wow!
What an amazing plant!
I found an article where they suggested to make a pesto with it, so today I gave it a try.
It is super tasty and very garliky, I think it goes well as a base for a cheese
and salad sandwich or to spice up a soup.

RAMSONS PESTO

Ingredients:

a bunch of ramsons
a handful of almonds and walnuts mixed together
half cup olive olive
a handful of grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Transfer all ingredients in a grinder and mix to obtain a smooth paste.
Store in a glass container topped with olive oil and keep refrigerated
(it can be in the fridge for a week).
Use it as a base for sandwiches or to give more flavor to soups or pastas.

Colorful crudités with red and white sauces

During the day we have some moments when we need a break!
We usually go straight to the fridge or the pantry, and we fall in temptation.
If this is not true for you, it is true for me!
I share with you a nice trick that avoids the uncomfortable feeling of guilt
that follows munching on empty calories.
Peel and cut in sticks different vegetables , put them in an airtight container
and keep them handy for the snack time attack!
Don't forget to buy also few healthy sauces, like hummus, pesto or tapenade
to stack your fridge with healthy nutrients.
I personally prefer to prepare my own sauces and my favorites are:
the white tuna sauce and the red pepper sauce.
I am going to add also the green arugola pesto recipe to complete the Italian flag.
To munch on vegetables and tasty sauce is fun, satisfying and guilt-free.

Crudités

2 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 fennel
1 red pepper

Wash vegetables well and slice them to make sticks.
I prefer to buy organic vegetables.

Tuna sauce

1 can of tuna in olive oil
2 anchovies
1tsp cappers
4 green olives
2 TBS chopped parsley
1TBS mayonese

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend them into a creamy sauce.
If necessary add 1 or 2 spoons of water.

Pepper sauce

1 jar of roasted red peppers
2 anchovies
half cup walnuts
2 TBS chopped parsley
1 garlic clove

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend them into a creamy sauce.
If it is too liquid add a bit of bread crumps.

Arugola pesto

2 cups of arugola
1 cup of cherry tomatoes (optional)
1 cup pinenuts or walnuts
1 clove of garlic (optional)
half tsp salt
2 TBS grated parmesan (optional)
2TBS olive oil

Rinse the arugola and tomatoes.
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend them into a creamy sauce.
If necessary add 1 or 2 spoons of water.

Welcome Spring!

And to welcome the beautiful, fresh, renewing Spring I have prepared
a STRAWBERRIES TIRAMISU, my son's favorite Italian dessert.
It is full of protein (that is why it lifts you up) and vit C, so don't feel
guilty for a bit of sugar and fat....to be healthy we need a bit of everything!

Strawberries tiramisu'

Ingredients:

2 cups of washed/sliced fresh strawberries
1 lemon juice
2TBS Martini Bianco liquor
1TBS sugar
1 packet savoiardi biscuits (lady fingers)
2 eggs
2TBS sugar
200g (or 1 container) of mascarpone cheese

In a bowl, mix strawberries with lemon and sugar and marinate
for 1 hour or until you have 1 cup of juice.

For the cream.
Separate egg whites and whisk them until firm.
Beat egg yolks with sugar, then add mascarpone and whisk well until creamy.
Add egg whites little by little and mix gently them into the cream using a spatula.

Drain juice from strawberries.
Add liquor and 2 TBS of water to the juice and put it aside.
Refrigerate the strawberries.

Soak biscuits into the juice and form a biscuits layer in a small ceramic/glass baking tray.
Cover biscuits layer with half of mascarpone cream.
Add another layer of biscuits and cream.
Cover tray with cling-film or thin-foil and refrigerate until ready to serve.
When serving tiramisu', add on top the strawberries.

Goodbye Winter!!!!

Today it has been such a beautiful Spring day: sunny and warm to the point
you feel winter is slipping away.
To celebrate I have prepared a nice, fresh dessert made with the queens
of winter: oranges and grapefruits.
This dessert is packed with Vit C and it is colorful and cheerful.

SWEET SALAD WITH ORANGES, GRAPEFRUITS AND GOOSBERRIES


Ingredients for 4:

2 pink grapefruits
2 oranges
2 TBS liquid honey
1 TBS unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 TBS dried cranberries
1 handful of gooseberries

For the cream:

4 TBS Greek or Skyr yogurt
2 tsp liquid honey
half tsp vanilla essence


Peel oranges and grapefruits with a sharp knife so to remove peel and the white part,
then slice each segment so to get rid of the thin membrane that covers them.
This technique is called "citrus suprêmes" (I add instruction on how to do it at the end).
Mix the citrus with honey, then add cranberries, pumpkin seeds and gooseberries.

Prepare cream mixing yogurt with honey and vanilla essence.

Serve salad with a dollop of cream.

What's easier then that?



Instructions to peel citrus the "suprêmes" way:

1. Citrus Fruits - You can use this method to cut any citrus: oranges, grapefruits, even lemons.

2. Slice a little off the top and bottom - This gives you a stable cutting surface and will also make it easier to trim away the rest of the peel.

3. Trim away the skin and pith - You can use any knife you feel comfortable with for this step. Start at the top and slice downwards following the curve of the fruit. Try to cut away all of the skin and the pith without also taking too much of the fruit. We usually err on the side of caution and then go back afterward to trim up spots that we missed.

4. Cut into one of the segments - Use a paring knife for this step and have a bowl ready to catch the citrus juices. Slip the knife between one of the segments and the connective membrane. Cut until you reach the middle of the orange, but don't cut through any of the membrane. Go slowly and keep your fingers out of the way!

5. and 6. Scoop out the segment - Use a scooping motion to turn the knife back on itself, hook under the bottom edge of the citrus segment, and pry it away. The side that is still attached to a membrane will peel away, leaving you with a perfect wedge.

7. and 8. Repeat with all the other segments - Continue on with the next segment. Slide your knife between the membrane and the segment, and then pop the segment out. We find that the first segment is always the hardest to get out and the rest are a lot easier!

Rice with shrimps and chorizo

Yesterday was such a beautiful Spring day that I decided to prepare
a colorful and exotic dinner.
This rice dish, that I found on the Danish "MAD" cooking magazine,
reminds me of the Caribbean and it takes no time to prepare.
I really enjoyed it last night, and I happily ate the leftovers today for lunch.


Jambalaya with shrimps and chorizo

Ingredients for 3/4 people:

2 cups of basmati rice
4/5 dl hot water with vegetable bouillon
half red pepper
1 celery stick
200g defrost or fresh shrimps, peeled
100g of sliced chorizo (Spanish salami)
1 can of chopped or peeled tomato
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chilly powder
1/4 tsp freshly grounded black pepper
salt
coriander, parsley or basil

Mix spices together in a bowl and mix them with the shrimps.
Put them aside.
In a big frying pan, add sliced chorizo and cook for few minutes.
Remove from pan and put it aside.
Add 1 TBS olive oil in the same pan, add chopped onion and garlic.
Cook for few minutes, then add rice, hot water with bouillon and
chopped tomatoes. Add salt and cook rice for 15 minutes.
Add diced pepper and celery and cook for other 5 minutes.
Add more water if necessary.
Add shrimps and chorizo and cook for few minutes.
Serve rice decorated with the fresh herb of your choice.
As I am Italian I choose basil.

VEGAN CORN MUFFINS

I have discovered a very nice blog: "Veganosity", a vegan recipes blog.
Although I am not vegan and I firmly believe in a balanced diet, that
includes a bit of everything, I love looking around for healthy recipes.
I found this interesting recipe for corn muffins (I love to use corn flour!)
so I decided to reproduce it in my kitchen.
These muffins are very good for breakfast, but I made them for my afternoon
tea break.
They are ready now and my kitchen smells so good!!!

I paste the recipe as per Linda's blog.
Thank you Linda and Alex!

Enjoy it!


Vegan Chocolate Chip Pecan Corn Muffins

Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Total time
35 mins

A slightly sweet vegan muffin that is perfect for breakfast and afternoon tea.
Author: Linda and Alex at Veganosity
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Serves: 12
Ingredients
1¼ cups unbleached flour
¾ cups yellow corn meal
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange juice
2 bananas
½ cup pecans
½ cup vegan chocolate chips - I use Enjoy Life brand.
Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Place the pecans in the oven on a cookie sheet for seven minutes or until fragrant.
While the pecans are roasting, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk
to mix thoroughly.
Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
Place the bananas in a mixer and process the until they are nearly puréed.
Add the wet ingredients to the bananas and whisk to combine.
Those pecans should be out of the oven by now and cooling on the counter.
Grease a muffin tin with baker's spray before this last step.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold together just until fully moistened.
Lightly crush the pecans into the bowl, add the chocolate chips and fold until just combined.
Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, fill the wells of your muffin tin with the batter.
Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over the top of each and place on the center rack of your oven.
The muffins should take 15 to 20 minutes to bake. Test after 15 minutes with a toothpick.

Beetroots salad: a powerful liver detox!

As I told you in my previous post I am doing a liver detox.

Beetroot contains pectin, a fiber that can help clean
the toxins that have been removed from the liver, allowing them
to be flushed out of the system instead of reabsorbed by the body.
And as beetroot is a good friend of the liver I am using it in my diet
during this detox week.
Here is a tasty

BEETROOTS SALAD

Ingredients for 4 servings:

2 boiled and peeled medium size beetroots
(cover beets with cold water and bring to boil. Let it boil for 30 minutes
or till a knife cuts easily through the beets)
1 TBS sunflowers seeds
1 TBS dried cranberries
1 TBS chopped parsley
2 TBS vinaigrette
(see recipe in yesterday's post)

Cut beets in halves and then slice them.
Transfer them in a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well.
Let it rest for half an hour and serve it as a side dish or by itself with toasted
whole grain bread.

Wow! New post of the year?!? Detox!

I can't believe I am so late with my posts!!!
Oh well! This means that I take it easy, it is good to take your time:
no pressure, no stress!

For the new year I have committed to do a detox at least once a month.
The purpose of the detox for me is to get rid of gallbladder stones,
so the detox is always followed by a liver flush.
If you want to know more about the liver flush you can check what
Andre Moritz has to say about it on YouTube
http://youtu.be/sDJF3S-Kiqk

In this post I want to share with you what I avoid during the detox and
I want to give you a nice recipe with quinoa, a tasty seed full
of protein.
During the detox I don't eat meat, dairy products (except the light ricotta
cheese)and eggs. Then I avoid to drink alchool and coffee and I eliminate
refined sugar.
I will have some light fish and I pacify my sweet tooth with dry fruits,
nuts, raw honey and sugar-free jam.
Instead of coffee I drink green tea and "orzo coffee" (very Italian) or
other kind of fake coffee.

You can all do it for a week a month! You will allow your body to regenerate!

Here is the quinoa with zucchini and shitaki recipe


Ingredients:

1 cup of white quinoa
2 cups of water
half tsp salt

1 TBS olive oil
2 scallions chopped
4 shitaki mushrooms chopped
1 zucchini (eliminate white internal part and dice it)
1 TBS chopped parsley
salt and pepper

4 calamata olives
1 tsp cappers
1 TBS vinaigrette

Cook quinoa with water and salt till all the water evaporates
(around 10 minutes).
Cool it down.
In a frying pan sauté scallion for 2 minutes, add zucchini and mushrooms,
add salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring. When zucchini are soft add pepper.

Chop calamata olives and add them to quinoa together with cappers and parsley.

Prepare a vinaigrette beating together 2 TBS olive oil, 1 TBS vinegar
(you can use balsamic or applecider vinegar), half tsp salt, half tsp honey
or yellow mustard.

Add 1 TBS vinaigrette to quinoa.

Stir zucchini and mushrooms into the quinoa and serve it warm or cold as
a salad.
You can store it in a glass container and keep it in the fridge for 2 or 3 days.