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.