Month: October 2011

Carrots and raisins muffins

On By felisrecipesIn Muffins and other sweetsLeave a comment

This week one of my co-workers made me such a wonderful surprise and brought me a muffin …so kind of her, thanks Merilyn !!!

I had to ask for the recipe, I needed to make them because they were so delicious and full of cinnamon and nutmeg flavor ….Next day she brought me the recipe with another muffin 🙂 and so said so done …next day I was ready to hit the kitchen to make them …

Ingredients for a dozen

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups grated carrots ( about 3 medium carrots )
  • 1 cup grated peeled apple
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes ( optional )
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ( optional )
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Make it :

 

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.

Stir in carrots, apples, raisins coconut and walnuts if using. In another bowl beat eggs. Add yogurt and oil. Stir into flout mixture just until combined. Batter will be pretty thick.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups filling almost to the top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 45 minutes in the tray and then trasfer them to cool completely  on the cooling rack .

 

Bon Appetite !!!

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Four layers pumpkin and cream-cheese cake

On By felisrecipesIn CakesLeave a comment


Thanksgiving’s cake for 2010 : Pumpkin cream-cheese cake ! It’s a four layers cake filled with pumpkin cream-cheese filling and pumpkin cream cheese and chocolate  filling and frosted with chocolate icing and sprinkled with harvest colored sprinkles. It was a present for a birthday as well 🙂

 

Ingredients for the cake :

  • 8 eggs
  • 8 tbsp oil
  • 8 tbsp flour
  • 8 tbsp sugar ( I used brown sugar so I add 2 extra tbsp )
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 of a large can ( 790 ml ) pumpkin puree ( the other half you are going to use it for the filling )
  • 1 1/2  tsp pumpkin pie spices ( or 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg )
  • 1 of cup milk ( you can substitute with condensed milk or yogurt )

Ingredients for the filling

  • 2 pkg (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature
  • 1/2  of  a large can  pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups sugar, better to be powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spices ( or cinnamon and nutmeg )
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Ingredients for the syrup

  • 4 tbsp brown sugar  sugar
  • 1 cup of water
  • few drops of almond extract

Ingredients for icing

  • 1 pkg. (226 g ) Dark Chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tub sweet cream
  • 3-4 tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, 1 cup pumpkin puree , yogurt, vanilla extract. Whisk together  in a large bowl flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Add the flour to the egg mixture and mix until well combined. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9-inch round pan. Bake it for about 30 min, or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool it in pan for about  10 min then remove it from pan  to a  wire rack to cool completely. In a bowl, using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add sugar, pumpkin puree and spices and mix well. Gently stir in whipped cream.  Take apart 1/3 of the filling. In a pan melt 1 cup of dark chocolate and add the third part of the filling. Cool the fillings in the fridge until using. From water, sugar and almond extract make a syrup on a medium heat and let it cooling down at room temperature. Cut the cake in 3  layers with a serrated knife and pour with a tablespoon the syrup on each layer. Start spreading cream cheese filling between layers. Do not frost the top layer. Cover the cake with an icing made from  melted chocolate chips, sugar and sweet cream. Drizzle with colorful sprinkles.

Bon Appetite !!!

Eggplant pizzette ( second version )

On By felisrecipesIn Vegetarian2 Comments

“‘Eggplant pizzette” —  it was love at first sight when I discovered this dish  … easy to make, not bad when thinking about calories, you eat 3-4 of those is like you lunch is done !!!

A different versions this is eggplant pizzette can be : Eggplant – Asparagus Pizzette

Ingredients ( 3 servings)

1 large eggplant

1 tomato

1/4 bunch fresh asparagus

mix of 4  grated cheeses

salt, pepper, dried or fresh basil

extra virgin olive oil

Let’s get started:

Wash the eggplant and tomato and cut them in round pieces.

Wash and cut the asparagus

Oil a tray with extra virgin olive oil and place the eggplant pieces on the tray.  Drizzle them with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Add the tomatoes, asparagus  and the cheese mix.

Bake them for about 20 minutes or until a nice brown crust was formed.

Bon Appetite !!!

Asparasgus with dill-potatoes and lemon honey glazed salmon

On By felisrecipesIn FishLeave a comment

Sunday lunch … family together … feeling so  good and enjoying a delicious meal …

Ingredients (4-6 servings )

8 small pieces of pink salmon ( skinless, boneless )

2 bunches of fresh asparagus

8 medium white potatoes

fresh dill

3 lemons

3 tbsp of pure  honey

olive oil

salt , pepper and vegeta ( dried food seasoning ) – optional

Let’s start :

Peel, wash and cut in 1/2 inch size cubes the potatoes.

Bring a pot with water to a boil, seasoning with salt and add the potatoes. Boil them covered for about 15-20 minutes or until a fork goes easily in. Drain the water and put them back on the stove on low heat. Add 2-3 tbsp of olive oil 1 tsp of vegeta and fresh dill chopped. Keep them warm.

 

Wash and drain on paper towel the salmon pieces. Place them on a tray. Season them with salt, pepper and drizzle lemon juice and olive oil. Bake the salmon for about 10 minutes. Whisk together honey and lemon juice. Remove the salmon from the oven and glaze the pieces with the honey mixture, set the oven on broil and bake them for 10 more minutes or until a nice brown color set up on the top but be careful not to overcooked it .

Cut out the 1-1.5 inches of the asparagus ends and then cut them in pieces. place the asparagus on a tray and seasoning with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil and bake it for about 10-15 minutes until done but crispy.

Bon Appetite !

 

White and Yellow Cauliflower Salad

On By felisrecipesIn SaladsLeave a comment

This days I ended with a big and  nice white cauliflower in my fridge last week so I decided to make a salad, cauliflower salad. Said and done but when I was in the store looking for mayonnaise they just put out the yellow cauliflower so I thought ” wow  a bit of yellow in my salad will make a difference .” I hope you will agree with me …

Ingredients

1 white cauliflower

1 yellow cauliflower

1 cup mayonnaise

2-3 garlic cloves grated

salt and pepper

white and whole wheat small ciabatta bread

Brake the cauliflowers in small florets and wash them well. Bring a pot with water to a boil and add salt and the cauliflowers florets and cook them for about 15-20 minutes, until well done.

Drain and let them cool down, almost to the room temperature.

When cooled down add the grated garlic and the mayonnaise and using a manual mixer whisk them well until the desired consistency. I love it when is not really smooth  but I can feel some small pieces that gives the salad a bit of a crunchiness. Season it with salt and pepper ( you can use a white pepper here if on hand  ) and just enjoy it !!!

Bon Appetite !

 

 

Broccoli and tofu

On By felisrecipesIn VegetarianLeave a comment

This is one of the versions I am making for this dish. Sometimes I like to make it with curry powder and sour cream other times using soy sauce … but this time I just used lemon and olive oil.

Ingredients ( 3-4 servings )

1 bunch of broccoli

1 package or 400 gr firm tofu

2 leaks sticks

1 red bell pepper

1 large carrot

1 lemon

olive oil

salt and pepper

Place the tofu on a plate and drain it on kitchen towels until the vegetables are ready …

Brake the broccoli in small florets and wash them under the running water.

Walsh the leaks sticks and cut them in 1/2 inch pieces both white and green parts.

Wash and cut the red bell pepper into stripes.

Peel, wash and cut the carrot in 1/2 inch pieces.

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the carrot and leaks pieces and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice salt and pepper. Add the broccoli florets and cook for about 3 more minutes. Now add the tofu and red bell pepper seasoned with salt and pepper and add some olive oil if needed. Stir lightly and serve it !!!

Bon Appetite !

Spinach puree with hard boiled eggs …

On By felisrecipesIn VegetarianLeave a comment

Spinach puree – one of my mother’s favorites dish. Still I was not able to make it like she used to do it. Hers was the best but I do not give up easily and I think this is very close with hers.

What I still want to learn is how to make her small potatoes breads … but as I said I never give up so I still see there’s a hope that one day I will make them … 🙂

Ingredients for the spinach ( 3 servings )

2 bags – 350 g- of fresh spinach

4 garlic cloves minced

3-4 tablespoons of sour cream ( 5% )

150-200 ml warm water or milk

hard boiled eggs

salt

whole wheat fresh European bread ( optional )

Wash the spinach in running water for more minutes. Place a pot with water to boil. Add some salt. When the water is boiling add the spinach. Simmer it for about 15-20 minutes. Drain the boiled spinach and let it cool. Meanwhile prepare the garlic sauce. Heat 3 tbsp of canola oil ( or any vegetable oil you like ) and add the garlic and cook it for about 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/2 cup of warm water and stir well with a whisk. Add more water if it thickens too much until you have the consistency of a cream or very smooth puree. Now you can add the sour cream and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Set the garlic sauce aside and start prepare the spinach which should be cooled a bit.

Divide the spinach in two parts and place it on a wooden cutting board and mince it well . Add the spinach to the garlic sauce and bring it back on the stove to a low heat and cook it for about 2-3 minutes. Can be served with hard boiled eggs, fried eggs, sausages or whatever you think it works …

Bon Appetite !

 

Butternut Squash day: soup and oven roasted ;)

On By felisrecipesIn VegetarianLeave a comment

 

Butternut squash: soup or oven roasted, the perfect options to warm you up on cold days to come. I recommend you make this again, and again, and again. It is simply delicious!

Ingredients ( 4-6 servings )

  • 1 squash
  • 2 carrots
  • 1/2 of root celery ( optional )
  • 1 parsnip
  • 4 white potatoes
  • 1 onion
  • salt and pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil

Peel, wash and cut all the vegetables in small cubes except the onion which I just cut it in half. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the veggies. Season with salt. Add 2 -3 tbsp of olive oil  and 2 bay leaves.

Simmer until the veggies are well done ( about 30 minutes ). Remove the bay leaves.

Place the vegetables in the blander. Add a cup of vegetable stock and puree them on smooth level until creamy. Add more stock until you get the desired consistency.

Enjoy 🙂

With the vegetables stock that was left, I made a brown rice hair pasta soup.

Ingredients for the oven vegetables( 6-8 servings ) 

  • 1 squash
  • 2 large zucchini
  • 1 large eggplant

Wash the squash, zucchini and eggplant. Peel the squash. Discharge the ends. Cut all the veggies in cubes, not very small; maybe about 1 inch cubs.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Season with extra virgin olive oil, salt and black  pepper and dried oregano ( optional ).

Place the vegetables in a tray and bake them for about 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 F.

 

If you like the butternut squash the same way I do I am sure you will enjoy a  butternut squash day as much as I did 😉

Bone Appetite !

 

 

Mushrooms and vegetables cream soup

On By felisrecipesIn VegetarianLeave a comment

After cooking the vegetables and meat, it was time for a soup. I love soup.

This time I tried something new, something I haven’t done as often,  only once or twice. But never with a “wow,mom so delicious” reply.

For this soup I got inspired from two blogs : adihadean.ro with Cream Garlic Soup and ” Bucataresele vesele ” with Mushroom Cream Soup.

What I used from this two blogs ? I combined the garlic idea from Adi with the list of ingredients from Bucataresele Vesele.

Here it is what it came out :

Ingredients  ( servings about 8 -10 )

400 gr of white mushrooms

5 piece green onions

2 carrots

1 parsnip

1/2 of root celery

2 white potatoes

1 onion

5 garlic cloves

olive oil

salt and black pepper

 

( for the soup I used only 2 potatoes )

I peeled and washed all the vegetables and boiled them in water with 1 tbsp of vegeta ( food seasoning ) until they were very well done ( about 30 minutes )

Drained the vegetables and let them cool but save the vegetable soup for later.

Peal and lightly wash the mushroom and green onions. In a skillet heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the green onion, mushroom salt and pepper and saute them for about 3-5 minutes.

Peel and cut the garlic cloves in small pieces. In a large pot heat 3 tbsp of olive oil and add the garlic cloves. Take away from the heat and add 2 tbsp of all purpose flour stirring well and add about 1 ladle of vegetables soup and stir very well with a whisk until smooth and creamy.  Add more vegetables soup  and place it back on the heat and simmer for about 2-3 minutes until thickens a bit. Set aside.

 

Using a blander smooth the vegetables adding a cup of vegetable soup. When smooth and creamy add the vegetables smooth to the garlic mixture and bring back to heat on very low heat.

In the same blander place the green onions,  mushrooms and some of the vegetable soup and smooth them well. Add the mushroom mixture to the soup and give a good stir. Add more vegetable soup until the desire consistency.

 

Bon Appetite !!!

 

 

 

Lemon-rosemary and tomatoes chicken tights

On By felisrecipesIn Chicken2 Comments

Vegetables are delicious, no doubt about it but I have days when I am craving for meat. So the second recipe of the last week is : lemon-rosemary and tomatoes chicken tights.

Ingredients ( 6 servings )

12 piece chicken tights ( 1. 1 kg casserole )

2 lemons

1 big tomato or 2 medium

dried rosemary

extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper

Let’s do it :

Wash and take most of the skin from the tights. Oil a tray with olive oil and place the tights in the tray.  Drizzle them with olive oil, lemon, rosemary, salt and pepper and cover them with lemon and tomato slices.

We served them just like that only with avocado aside. I know there are lots of proteins but as I told you before I was craving for meat …

Of course it does not mean you cannot serve them with whatever you like: rice, potatoes or vegetables …

Bon Appetite !!!