Ingredients

Dough

 11/2 cup (225g) pastry flour, sifted

 ½ teaspoon baking powder

 80g butter, chopped and chilled in the fridge

 ¼ cup (60g) confectioner’s sugar

 1 egg, lightly beaten

 Approximately ¼ cup milk, as needed to form the dough

 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, to sprinkle

 Apple Filling

 4 medium red apples, peeled and chopped coarsely

 4 medium green apples, peeled and chopped coarsely

  ½ cup brown sugar

 1 teaspoon cinnamon

 ½ teaspoon nutmeg

 ½ teaspoon ginger powder

 To prepare the filling

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the chopped apples in the baking dish and mix with sugar, spices and butter. Cook for 45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

 To prepare the dough

Grease a 20 cm round lamington pan, and line the base with parchment paper.

Place the sifted flour in a medium bowl and mix with baking powder. Add the butter and rub with hand or standing mixer. Stir in sugar, egg, and enough milk to make firm dough. Stop adding more milk if the dough has started to come together. Knead wit h hand or standing mixer until smooth and soft. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spray your working space with water and place a wrapping plastic selefon over the sprayed area. The plastic will stick to the surface. Roll half of the dough to cover the base and sides of the pan. Scrape off the extra and shape the edges with hand. Spread the baked apples over the dough. Roll the rest of the dough, and cut it into strips. Then place them in a knit pattern over the pie, making it look like a basket. Brush the surface with some milk and sprinkle the coarse sugar over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan.

Serve with love and a bit of vanilla ice cream if it is handy!

Greek Pasta Salad

I love the simplicity in making and richness of taste in this salad. I originally learned this recipe from Whole Foods Market. It looked perfect every time I passed the salad bar. I decided to make my own version.

Ingredients

1 large red onion, coarsely chopped

Sweet green pepper, seeded and chopped

2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped

2 medium English cucumber, coarsely chopped

150 g feta cheese, cubed

1 teaspoon dried oregano

250 g dried penne pasta

½ cup kalamata (black) olives

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoon red wine (grapes) vinegar

Salt and pepper

 Cooking Directions

 Bring a large saucepan of water to boil.  Add salt and penne pasta. Cook according to the package cooking directions, until cooked tender but firm to the bite. Drain and let cool.

Mix all the chopped vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add the olives, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Toss well.

Mix in the cooled past. Transfer to the serving dish and garnish with the cubed feta cheese.

This salad serve 6-8 people.

Ingredients

4 medium garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)

3 tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons water or liquid reserved from the chickpeas
8 dashes hot sauce, optional

Directions

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Crème Caramel

This classic recipe is perfect for an afternoon light tea party or a great nutritious substitute for a ruched breakfast; off course if you make them a head of time.

Ingredients

100g sugar for caramel

75g sugar for the egg mix

4 eggs

500g milk

1teaspoon vanilla extract or 2 vanilla strings

Directions

 1. Heat the oven to 325F. Bring 1 liter of water into the boil and put aside.

2. To make the caramel topping, mix 100g sugar (3/4 cup) with two table of spoon of water in  a sauce pan and boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel turns golden brown and fragrant. Pour the caramel into individual small cake pans, and swirl to coat the bottoms evenly. Set aside.

3. Pour the milk into the same saucepan used for making the caramel. Add the vanilla extract or vanilla bean (split the bean and scrape the seeds into the milk). Heat until nearly boiling, and turn off the heat. Cover for 10 minutes to infuse with vanilla.

 4. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with 100g sugar. Remove the vanilla rods from the milk and gradually add the milk into the egg mixture.

5. Strain the custard (egg mixture) over the hardened caramel in baking pans. Fill up to ¾ of the pans. Place the pans in a deep and larger pan, and pour the hot water to cover halfway up the sides of the caramel pans. Transfer to the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

6. Remove the caramel pans from the water bath. Using a sharp knife, loosen the edges of the caramel to loosen. Place in the fridge to cool completely. To serve, flip the pan onto a plate, and pour over the remaining in the pan. Enjoy!  

Sun-dried Tomato Spaghetti

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time 15-20 minutes

 Spaghetti’s popularity is out of question. This dish has passed geographical boundaries of its origins and has become an international food favorite. It is easy-to-cook-, versatile, nutritious, and most importantly inexpensive. It is best if you keep extra packages of pasta in your pantry. It comes handy when time is short and you would like to eat healthy and fresh fast.

Ingredients

Sauce

2tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, finely sliced

 ½lb extra lean ground beef (optional)

 2 garlic cloves, chopped

 1 can (1L) diced tomatoes

 1 cup drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes

 1tablespoon sugar

 ½ cup red wine vinegar

 Salt and pepper

 Dried basil and parsley to season

 Cooking Directions

 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic and meat and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in all diced and sun-dried tomatoes, sugar, and red wine vinegar. Season the sauce with parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes.

 2. Meanwhile, bring water into a boil in a large saucepan. Add two tablespoons salt. Cook the spaghetti as package directions. Remember count the spaghetti cooking time from the time water comes back to boil. When the spaghetti is ready, drain off the water. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.

 3. When the sauce is ready, add the sauce to the pasta in a warm serving dish. Toss well with forks until pasta is completely coated in the sauce.

Enjoy.

This dish serves 4-6 people

The Original Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is a classic cake that is a expected favorite for both adults and kids. It is relatively easy to prepare and makes a perfect homemade birthday cake. I prepared this recipe with whole-wheat flour, which along with raisin and carrots adds extra fiber to this cake without sacrificing the taste. The photo I took from my carrot cake makes my children’s mouths to water!

Ingredients

200g whole-wheat pastry flour150g unsalted butter, softened

120g light brown sugar

4 large eggs

1tbsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

1tsp cinnamon

1/4tsp salt

120g walnuts, chopped

 75g raisin, preferably small ones

 150g carrot, finely grated

 Cake cooking Instructions

1.     Preheat the oven to 350F °. Grease a 20 cm baking dish, which is about 8cm deep. Line with baking paper.

2.     Sift the flour twice with baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda

3.     In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and pale in color. Add eggs one at a time and mix well before adding next egg.

4.     Add the flour mix in two portions at a time. Blend with a baking spatula until just incorporated.

5.     In a spate bowl, combine carrot, chopped walnuts and raisin. Stir in through the mixture. Spoon out the cake batter into the baking bin. Bake for 45-50 minutes in preheated oven. Insert a fork to the cake and take out. If the fork is clean, the cake is ready.

6.     Leave the cake in the bin for 15 minutes to cool down. Then run a knife around the inside edges to separate the cake from the bin; turn upside down onto a wire rack to cool down completely for another hour or so. During cooling period, you can make the icing, directions given below!

7.     When the cake is completely cool down, place it on a serving dish or baking rack. Cut the cake in half horizontally and lift the top part carefully and set aside. Ice the bottom layer and put the top part back. Spread the ice through the top and sides of the cake. Put back in the fridge for another 2 hours to stay cool.

Please note, it is very important to cool down the cake completely before you cut the cake horizontally and spread the icing. If the cake is still warm, it causes the fragile icing to melt and losing its original texture.

Cream Cheese Icing

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

350g icing sugar

75g butter, softened

150g light cream cheese, softened

 1tbsp honey

Directions

1.     Sift the icing sugar twice and set aside.

2.     In a separate bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy and whitish is color. Add cream cheese and beat for another minute.

3.     Add 1/3 of icing sugar and beat on a low speed. Add the rest of icing sugar and mix.

4.     Add the honey and beat until you get a creamy texture. Keep in the fridge to firm and stay cold.

 Enjoy!

Tropical Green Smoothie 

Ingredients

1cup Kalamata black olives, seeded

1cup cherry tomatoes, halved optional

1 large cucumber, diced

1 medium red onion, diced

1 cup fresh or canned artichokes, cut

½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

¼ feta cheese, diced

1lb romaine lettuce, sliced

1 tablespoon pesto

¼ cup red wine vinegar or white balsamic

2 tablespoon olive oil

Pinch of salt

Directions

1.     Mix the sliced lettuce, cucumber, artichokes, onion, olives, and tomatoes. Add the parmesan cheese and mix well.

2.     Mix pesto with vinegar and salt and add to the salad mix. At the end add olive oil and feta cheese. Toss well.

3.     To serve, transfer into individual dishes or a large serving bowl.

This salad is full of taste because it has all yummy and flavorful ingredients in one bowl. It is like a gathering for celebration of “taste”. I have made this salad in many occasions, and believe it or not, there has not been a single time when there is been a left over!

Since this salad is very easy to mix and makes a lot, it is a great choice for big family barbeque and parties. Or, just simply add some chicken grill and turn it into a dinner for two!

This salad serves 10-12 people.

This is a simple and quick recipe that taste delicious. If you have friends coming over and you want to have a real treat for them, this is the one recipe.
The preparation time is 5-10 minutes and cooking time is only 20 minutes.
As well, unlike the commercially prepared muffins, these muffins do not contain any shortening and trans fat. I used almond oil, which is among the healthiest plant oils. Feel free to use any vegetable oil that you have available at home.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil, extra for greasing
• 1 and half cups butter milk*
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 and half cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup raisin

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees.   grease 12 large muffin cups with Oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, honey, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
3. Mix all the wet ingredients with fork or an electric mixer. Sift the flour and add salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in the wet ingredients. Make sure not to over mix.
4. Fold in the mini chocolate chips and raisin. The batter will look a little chunky which is totally fine.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 F and then turn the temperature down to 375 and bake for 15 more minutes. Do not open the oven door in the first 12 minutes!

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Lemon Ginger Drink

Ingredients

1tablespoon Honey

1tablespoon fresh ginger, finely shredded

2 Fresh lemons

Directions to make this yummy and curative drink:

Shred ginger (1tablespoon) and mix with fresh lime juice and honey. Add warm water. Adjust sweetness and sourness to your personal taste! Add few lemon slice for extra zest and texture.

Lemon Ginger Drink is a healthy home remedy for cold and flu!I made a big jar in the morning and it was my fuel for all day. 

Note: you can make this drink with soda water, add ice cubes and turn it into a punch for your parties. That definitely will do!