Recipes

Turkey meatballs in Mediterranean sauce with grilled polenta

September 30, 2015 by Sheila Smith

A healthy and delicious meal in less than an hour.

Ingredients:

2 + 1 + 1 tablespoon
olive oil
250 g of ground turkey
1 small onion
2 + 3 cloves garlic
handful of fresh chives or parsley
5 large tomatoes
100g mozzarella
handful fresh basil
oregano, salt, pepper
cups instant corn grits
3 cups water

Preparation:

Start with the polenta. Cook it according to the instructions on the bag (the ratio of water and polenta is 3: 1), then pour it in an oil-coated mold and align the surface. Cool down to room temperature and place in the refrigerator for two hours.
After two hours, cut into pieces if desired, and coat each piece with a little olive oil. Bake on a hot grill pan for about 3 minutes on each side, ie. until the appearance of “grill lines”.
Wash the tomatoes and blanch for 1 minute in boiling water. Peel the rind and cut the tomatoes into small cubes.
Put the ground turkey in a bowl, mix with finely chopped onion, two cloves of finely chopped garlic, chives or parsley and season with salt and pepper. Create a walnut-sized balls and place them on a plate. Let them stand for 20 minutes.
Then fry on all sides in two tablespoons of olive oil, about 5-7 minutes. When they are fine and crispy on all sides, remove them and put them on a plate.
In a pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil and then fry the three cloves of garlic cut into slices. Be careful not to burn the garlic, add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add salt and pepper and add the oregano (dried or fresh).
Add the meat in the pan and cook all together for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes are completely soft. Finally, add the basil and mozzarella sliced . Serve the polenta and meatballs in sauce while they are still hot, with a green salad. Good apetite!

Ginger Carrot Soup Recipe

September 24, 2015 by Amy Brown

Perfect soup, or cream of carrots& ginger. Of course with one condition, that you love carrots and that you love ginger. This recipe is great for fall, because it boost our immune system, for the incoming weather.

What is needed:

1 tablespoon of olive oil, or 1 tablespoon of butter,
5-6 large carrots,
1 -2 young onions (or one onion)
1 piece fresh ginger (the size of the thumb on the hand)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar,
1 bunch parsley leaf,
salt, pepper and a little cayenne pepper (to taste).

Wash the carrot and the ginger , clean them up and slice them and then grind in a blender or grate it. It is essential that ginger slices are small, so we avoid strings in the soup.

The pan with oil or butter, briefly fry a chopped onion and add the carrots. Sprinkle some salt and pepper, pour the vinegar or lemon juice and pour water. You do not have to pour a lot of water, you need just enough just water to cover the vegetables. Cook over low heat, covered, until the carrots are just cooked. Depending on how old is the carrot (and how much is chopped), it may take 15 to 45 minutes. Of course the older carrots cooking takes longer, that’s why this soup is most beautiful in the spring period, when we have a young carrots. But anyway, the taste, more or less is the same.

Chop up the cooked carrot in a blender, mixer or machine for mashed potatoes. Put the blended carrot back into the water in which you used to cook him, if desired, add more spices, chopped parsley and if necessary add a little water to thicken the way you want it, let it boil and serve it immediately.

As a great addition to this soup of carrots I recommend a little diced toasted bread with cheese.

Roasted pumpkin soup

September 21, 2015 by Sheila Smith

Sprinkled with sesame or pumpkin seeds, with cream or pumpkin seed oil, roasted or cooked vegetables – it is always good, and can serve as a meal if you add a little rice or millet. Kids love it, and the main advantage is that it is extremely healthy and nutritious.

Ingredients (2 servings):

half hokaido or butternut pumpkin (about 700 -800 g uncleaned)
1 large potato
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
500 ml of water
salt
half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
tablespoon of fresh or dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
pumpkin seeds for serving (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200 ° C, and line a large baking pan with baking paper. Clean the pumpkin from seeds, peel and cut into cubes. Do the same with the potatoes and onions. Clean the garlic. Put all ingredients in a bowl, add the oil, thyme, salt and pepper and mix all ingredients. Put them in the baking pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the squash and potatoes are tender.
When the vegetables are done, put them in a blender or bowl, add water and mash them (you can use a hand blender). Boil for 5 minutes and add seasoning if necessary. Serve with pumpkin seeds and, if desired, with a little sour cream. Bon appetit!

Make homemade ginger beer – refreshing drink that cures many symptoms!

September 20, 2015 by Amy Brown

Ginger is very popular and useful in many ways. It is rich in essential vitamins and minerals. It is best known for its anti-inflammatory action specifically suitable for rheumatic diseases, and it’s also the best remedy for nausea.

Its presence felt in the composition of many products, and among the most popular is ginger beer (Ginger ale). However, the store version is not as good as homemade beer that can exceptionally be used for health, because of that today I share with you a recipe for the preparation of ginger beer at home.

As it’s mention ginger is rich with nutritive composition. It contains potassium and manganese, which is why it’s good for heart diseases and prevention, and vitamins A, C and B complex.

Due to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect is used to help treat pain and inflammation. It helps with muscle pain an, back pain and menstrual pain.

The healing properties of ginger include:

– Helps digestive health.
– It relieves nausea.
– It lowers bad cholesterol and blood sugar.
– It is used for respiratory problems and cough.
– Lowers temperature.
– It stimulates the circulation of blood.

Preparation of ginger beer at home

With preparation of ginger beer you’ll get super healthy fermented beverage. The benefits of fermented foods are countless, including the balance of digestive health which is important for a good immune system.

Ingredients:

– 5 centimeters minced fresh ginger root
– Half a cup of brown sugar
– Half a cup of lime juice (or lemon)
– ¼ tablespoons of sea salt
– 8 cups water
– Half a cup of ginger culture (recipe for ginger culture is at the bottom)

Preparation:

– Boil 3 cups of water, ginger, sugar and salt.
– Let it boil for about 5 minutes, the sugar has to be dissolved.
– Add the remaining water and allow to cool to room temperature.
– Add the lime juice or lemon and ginger culture.
– Pour the beer into a glass jar and close the well is not to come up.
– Leave for 2-3 days until aerated and sparkling if you want it without alcohol (if left longer it will become an alcoholic beverage)
– Strain into bottles and store in the fridge.

Speed fermentation of beer depends on the outside temperature, the type of sugar and the strength of the culture. The final product should have a taste of ginger with a special aroma of yeast. Do not let the beer ferment long as it could happen mini explosion.

Store the beer into a refrigerator.

How to make a ginger culture?

Culture ginger is actually a type of fungus like kombucha that you can do at home.

You will need:

– 1-2 ginger root
– Half a cup of sugar
– 2 cups filtered water

In the larger jar, combine 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger and 3 tablespoons sugar. Mix with a non-metallic spoon and cover with gauze. Every day for 5 days per stir 1 tablespoon minced ginger and 1 tablespoon sugar. Depending on the temperature of ripening it can last up to 8 days. When culture is finished you will see a light at the creation of bubbles, sweet yeasty smell of muddy color. If there is a mold, just remove it. If the mixture does not have these characteristics after 7-8 days, discard it and try again.

In order to grow crops, keep the same feed with sugar and ginger. You can keep it in the refrigerator, and once a week she add sugar and ginger. When you want, activate it at room temperature on a daily basis, adding ginger and sugar.

Culture ginger can be used for the preparation of fermented drinks and carbonated drinks in proportion ¼ cup per quart of liquid.

Cheers!

Raw Blueberry Cake

September 10, 2015 by Amy Brown

Blueberry cake that does not sting? Is there a better summer sweet!
Cake:
2 cups peeled almonds
1 cup dried figs, previously soaked in water
1 banana
1 pinch of salt
2 tablespoons honey

Put all the ingredients, along with the water in which are the soaking figs, in blender and chop to get a thick mixture of which will easily shaped biscuit. If necessary, add a little water.

Cream:
1 avocado
2 cups cashew nuts
2 cups blueberries
1 cup dates, previously soaked in water
2 tablespoons honey

Put all ingredients in blender, if necessary, add water in which are the soaking dates, blend it and you will get a nice creamy mass. The resulting cream apply to a biscuit which are well put into the mold for the cake. Decorate with the blueberries. Then again put a layer of cream, and add the blueberries.

Healthy granola bars with dried fruit

September 10, 2015 by Sheila Smith

If you eat a lot of granola bars, making your own from the assortment of oats, nuts, and dried fruits that are always in the cupboard is a natural next step. Try these extreme delicious and super easy granola bars with dried fruit.

Ingredients:

100g almond pulp
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 tablespoon ground flax
2 tablespoons of oat flakes
a handful of hazelnuts
a handful of raisins
6-8 dried plums
1 tablespoon almond milk
You can also add cinnamon, honey, dark chocolate…

Preparation:

Put all ingredients (amounts are arbitrary, according to your taste) into the chopper and chop finely. From the resulting mixture, form bars and bake them in the oven (on baking pan lined with parchment paper) at 120 ° C for about 60 minutes.
When cool, you can decorate the bars with dark chocolate: Melt 2 rows of dark chocolate in the microwave and decorate. Chill in the refrigerator, wrap in parchment paper and store in a cool, dry place up to 4 days. Bon appetit!

Goji Berry Energy Bites – Raw and Vegan

September 9, 2015 by Amy Brown

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds or walnuts (soak in water 6-8 hours)
¼ cup of raw cocoa (pieces)
¼ cup of hemp seeds
¼ cup of dried goji berries
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
pinch of Himalayan salt
7-8 dates, soaked in water and cleaned

Preparation:

Put all the ingredients in a blender grind, and blend them. From the resulting mixture make small balls and enjoy them!

Farmhouse stew with vegetables

September 9, 2015 by Amy Brown

Do not know what to make for lunch? Try this easy but taste meal!

For serves for 6 you will need:

1 and half cups (250g) dried white beans
2 waxy potatos
2 carrots
9 oz (250g) green beans
3 tomatoes
3 small zucchini
2 onions
3 garlic cloves
3/4 cup (160 ml) olive oil
6 oz (150 g) thin noodles
1 bunch basil
salt an paper
1 cup (100 g.) grated Gruyere

Standing time: approx. 1 hour

Cooking time: approx. 90 min.

Preparation:

Put the dried white beans in a saucepan. Cover with water, bring to boil, turn off the heat, and soak for 1 hour. Then simmer over medium heat for about 1 and a half hours.

Then peel and slice the potatoes and carrots. Trim and wash the green beans. Peel, seed and roughly chop the tomatoes. Wash and dice the zucchini. Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic.

Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan, and saute the onions and garlic until transparent. Add the tomatoes, pour over the cooking water from the beans and another 3 pints 1.5 liters of water and bring to boil. Add the potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the zucchini, white beans, and noodles and cook for further 15 minutes.

Wash the basil and shake dry, pull off the leaves and put in a blender with the cheese, garlic and 3 tablespoons of stock. Gradually add the remaining olive oil or enough to blend into a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper and serve in warmed soup bowls. Pour the basil sauce into a sauceboat and serve with soup.

Delicious Squid and shrimp Pasta

September 2, 2015 by Amy Brown

Hope you are one of the seafood lovers! Yes it is hard and a bit smelly to make nice dish of sea food, so lets share a simpler and easier recipe, that I hope will motivate you to cook sea food often. The home cooked sea food pasta is more rich and believe me it is really healthier and more delicious if cooked properly.

Ingredients:
(4 servings)

500 g tagliatelle pasta
400 g frozen squid
500 g frozen shrimps
1 red onion
5-6 cloves garlic
500 g tomatoes
1 tbsp concentrated tomato
400 ml tomato puree
olive oil
Himalayan salt
a little sugar (if necessary)
some dried rosemary
For the serving:
1 tablespoon capers
1 bunch parsley leaf
1 red onion
some olive oil
little Himalayan salt

Preparation:
I thawed the squid and the shrimp, washed them well, cleaned them up (i cut the squid into rings.
At a hot pan with a little olive oil I added finely chopped onion (salted). when softened I added concentrated tomato and little bit later I added and tomato (chopped, peeled and cleaned of seeds). After 10 minutes stewing I added the tomato puree, a little sugar, salt and continued simmering until the sauce is thick enough.
In the second pan on a little olive oil fry 2 cloves finely chopped garlic and add the squid rings. Fry them a few minutes and then add the prepared tomato sauce and continue to simmer it for another 10 minutes.
In the meantime, I cook the pasta as directed on the packaging and in small pan with olive oil add 2 cloves garlic, and fry it on high heat with the squid tentacles, well salted and adding a little rosemary.
When the pasta is over add the sauce with the squids and then the prepared shrimp, half parsley leaf, one clove garlic (finely chopped) mix it nicely and serve!
While serving, add and capers, splash it with little olive oil and serve it with chopped fresh onion (salted and topped with olive oil).

Healthy oat biscuits with raisins

August 28, 2015 by Sheila Smith

Who does not like healthy biscuits – if they are delicious, of course? The preparation for these delicious biscuits is very simple, as you can see according to the recipe, and the results are very satisfactory – sweet, soft, crunchy and fragrant – you’ll love them.

Ingredients:

100 g of oat flakes
70 g of whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
150 g apple puree
100g raisins
30 g of honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum
50 g butter

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180 ° C, and put baking paper on the baking pan. Combine all the ingredients to make a mixture, make the biscuits using an ice-cream scoop and place them on the baking pan. Flatten each pile with a spoon. Bake about 15 minutes. Bon appetit!

Wholemeal cookies with apples and honey

August 25, 2015 by Sheila Smith

Try these healthy and extremely delicious muffins with no sugar and wholegrain flour!

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 teaspoon of rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100 g melted butter
70 g honey
100 ml yoghurt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
200g wholemeal flour
1-2 apples

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 180 ° C, and coat the muffin molds with butter. Whisk the eggs with the other liquid ingredients, then gently and briefly stir with the dry ingredients. Fill each mold with about 2/3 of the mixture. Wash the apples, remove the seeds and cut into slices 2 mm thick. In each muffin press about 10 slices of apple perpendicularly, so that parts of them will stick on the outside. Bake for 18-20 minutes, let them cool and serve. Bon appetit!

Veggie lunch! Millet with swiss chard and stuffed eggplant

August 14, 2015 by Amy Brown

Here is nice idea for lunch. Lets make healthy delicious veggie lunch. On summer days food like this feels good and it is recovering both soul and body. Here is recipe for Millet with swiss chard and stuffed eggplant

Ingredients needed:

(For 2 persons)

1 large eggplant
4 small, colorful, round courgettes

For the filling:

100 ml millet
1 bunch Swiss chard (or 2 if less)
1 onion
2 carrots
some olive oil
1 clove garlic
Himalayan salt, pepper

For the green salad:

few leaves of lettuce
1 small onion
1 large tomato
olive oil
Himalayan salt

Preparation:
Cut the eggplant in half and remove the interior, I scooped out the zucchini.Put the both t in a baking dish, salted, splashed with a little olive oil and put it into the oven to bake at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.

During that time prepare the filling. Put it in 200 ml of water and cook 15 minutes (over medium heat) ie. until softened and absorbed all the liquid.
Pour a little olive oil and wait for it to get hot. Put chopped onion and fry it a bit with a water, continue with the simmering. When it is well softened add finely chopped carrot (no peeling) and continued with the simmering. Parallel with this cook the Swiss chard (previously cleaned and roughly chopped) for about 5 minutes, i.e. until it withered. Then I spill it with cold water.

Mix the millet, steamed vegetables, chard and add one grated garlic clove, salt and pepper and all the thorough mixing.
Fill the eggplant and zucchini with this mixture,and pour over with a little olive oil. Then bake it for another 20 minutes.

Eggplant and zucchini should be served with lettuce alone made in the following manner: In a salad bowl put the torn leaves of lettuce, add some finely chopped onion, which is previously salted and splashed with a little olive oil and held and then add on that slice of tomato. All should be well salted and overflowing with a little olive oil, sprinkled with a little parsley and served.