Homemade Almond Milk

On December 11, 2016 By felisrecipesIn Breakfast, Vegetarian5 Comments

Since we got the new blender I was thinking of trying to make almond milk or cashew milk. I was browsing the internet and this time my inspiration was Pastryaffair.com.

I never thought this will be so simple to make. So I went got the almonds and just did it:)

Now you can also add flavor to it. There was a funny thing that happened to me. I was so sure I got vanilla extract at home. I was just buying some extracts the day before. I just opened it and I was ready to pour it when a strong lemon ( very nice lemon ) flavor hit my nostrils . I checked my shelf. I got every flavor there but vanilla. 😦 I decided to go ahead and to add a pinch of almond flavor.

Ingredients:

2 cups of almonds ( I got slivered almonds )
5 cups of filtered water
1 teaspoon pure organic almond extract
3 table spoons of maple syrup ( I skip it this time )

Put the almonds in a bowl and cover with 3 cups filtered water. Cover and soak over night or for about 8 hours. Strain and rinse with fresh water. Add the almonds to the blender and 5 cups of filtered water. Add the extract and maple syrup if using. Blend on high for about 3-4 minutes. Using a cheese cloth strain the milk to remove the pulp.

Keep it in the fridge for up to 7 days.

I enjoy it with my morning coffee 🙂

Green smoothie

On December 8, 2016 By felisrecipesIn BreakfastLeave a comment

I am still ” playing” with my new toy. Today’s dinner was ( well at least for the girls in the family 🙂 ) green smoothie with apple, banana, frozen mango and spinach.

Ingredients:

1 hand baby spinach
1 medium cored apple ( granny smith )
1 medium banana
1 1/2 cups frozen mango
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew milk

Add all the ingredients in a blender and mix until until smooth and well mixed.

Yummy 🙂

Green Olives Focaccia

On November 30, 2016 By felisrecipesIn Breakfast, BrunchLeave a comment

Focaccia is flat bread that is oven-baked. Focaccia dough is pretty similar to pizza doughs.

You can serve Focaccia as an appetizer, snack or just table bread. Focaccia can be topped with herbs, onion, and cheese or even meet. Focaccia with Rosemary is a common focaccia style in Italian cuisine.

The main difference between pizza dough and Focaccia dough is that focaccia contain a higher quantity of yeast causing the dough to rise significantly. Also this higher quantity of yeast permits the dough to absorb a large amount of oil.

After you rolled out the dough, you need to dot the dough by creating multiple wells in the bread just by using your fingers. Spread olive oil on top either by hand or with a pastry brush before rising and baking.

Ingredients for about 10-12 servings

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more
1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for
5 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp kosher salt, some extra for the top
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion (this time I used onion flakes)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (I had only dry one handy)
1 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
4 tbsp. of green olives (I used stuffed ones)
Freshly ground black pepper

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a medium bowl. Wait a few minutes for the yeast to proofing. Add the yeast mixture and two tbsp. of olive oil to the flour and start working the dough. Add more flour if needed. Work the dough for about 5-10 minutes until is coming off your hands.

Transfer the dough to a oiled bowl. Cover loosely (with plastic wrap) and let stand in a warm area until dough has almost doubled in size. (approximately an hour)

Lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it with 2 Tbsp. oil. Stretch and press dough on sheet into a rectangle slightly smaller than the sheet. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil.

Preheat the oven to 475. Remove plastic wrap and dot the dough with your fingertips. Scatter onion flakes, rosemary, and oregano and stuffed mushrooms over dough; season with salt and pepper.

Bake focaccia until golden brown, 10–15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before slicing it and enjoy it 🙂

Savory muffins

On November 26, 2016 By felisrecipesIn Breakfast, Brunch, Muffins and other sweets5 Comments

After we ‘overloaded’ on the Overloaded Muffins I was just craving for some savory ones for a change. Personally, I love both. These goodies are called Grab and Go Muffins. I had two for breakfast and two for lunch at work. I could have another two for dinner, no problem if I wouldn’t have to share them 🙂

Ingredients:

1/2 chicken breast cooked and chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1 cup frozen spinach, (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
4 free run eggs
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp Parmesan flakes ( save a few cheese flakes for the muffin’s top )
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup cashew milk ( you can use any milk of your choice )
3 strings green onion ( I would say that green onion is highly recommended in savory muffins. However, I had no green onions handy so I substitute them with 1/4 red onion diced )
Himalayan salt
pinch of sweet paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lined a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin papers.

In a on stick skillet saute the onion, spinach and mushrooms for a few minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside to cool down.

In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Not too much as you have already seasoned for salt the veggies.

In a large bowl mix together the eggs and the milk. Add the chicken, red pepper, Parmesan cheese and veggies mix. Stir until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients over the wet ones and stir gently until well combined.

Scoop the mixture in the prepared tray. Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Let it cool in the tray for about 5 minutes and than place the muffins of a cooling rack and just enjoy them 😉

Frittata

On October 30, 2016October 30, 2016 By felisrecipesIn 30 minutes meals, Breakfast37 Comments

As per Wikipedia:” Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelette or crust-less quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta. The word frittata is Italian and roughly translates to “fried”.

There are a few rules to follow and mistakes to avoid. Here there are a few rules found in Bon- Appetit magazine, Dawn Perry, BA digital food editor:

1. “Dairy turns an ordinary omelet into a delicious, creamy egg cake.”

2. ” For every dozen eggs you use, you’ll need a half-cup of dairy. Six-egg frittatas get a quarter-cup.”

3. “Whatever oven-safe pan you choose, be aware of how well it conducts heat. Because it retains heat well, a heavy pan like a cast-iron will continue to cook your frittata after you remove it from the oven.

4. “A frittata makes use of fully-cooked leftovers like last night’s roasted potatoes or this morning’s leftover sausage. But if you’re starting from scratch, it’s best to fully cook any addition that might release moisture into the eggs—mushrooms, tomatoes, and summer squash or zucchini are common “wet” culprits than can water down your eggs. Sauté them separately.”

5. “A good frittata should have the texture of custard: trembling and barely set. An over-baked frittata, in contrast, will have all the textural appeal of a kitchen sponge (and its interior will look strikingly similar). “You may want a deep golden-brown top,” says Perry, “But the reality of it is, when the crust is golden, the interior is over-baked.”

6.” Be sure to season your eggs with salt and pepper before adding them to the pan. A surface-level sprinkling of salt won’t penetrate the rest of the frittata”

7. ” Choose your cheese wisely: Although all cheese is delicious, not all cheese is created equal. Know what function you want your cheese to perform. Best options are cheddar, gruyère, and fontina cheese.

Zucchini, Dill and Mushrooms Frittata:

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Oven Ricotta and Spinach Frittata:

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Ham, Spinach, Cheddar Cheese and Green Olives Frittata:

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Reg Pepper, Spinach and Mozzarella Frittata:

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Capers, Parmesan Frittata:

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Enjoy !

French Crepes with Peanut Butter and Apple Jelly

On October 15, 2016 By felisrecipesIn BreakfastLeave a comment

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French Crepes or how we would say back home: CLATITE.

A very quick version without milk ( just because I forgot I ran out )

This version of crepes you could also use it as a wrap. There is no sugar added and no particular flavor.

I don’t know about you, but I could have a wrap for breakfast, one for lunch and one for dinner. No problem at all. I don’t want to seem paranoid but I just don’t like the list of ingredients from the store wraps. Do I still buy them ? Of course! Sometimes there is not enough time to make them.

I will get starting as the people around me are already wandering what should they eat for breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups of milk ( I used water; I forgot I ran out of milk )
1/2 cup of water ( you can also use carbonated spring water )
1 large egg
1 pinch of salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make an indentation and add the egg. milk, water and oil and beat to a smooth , bubbly batter. The composition should have the consistency of a sour cream.

Lightly grease a non stick crepes pan over the medium heat. Pour in enough batter just to cover the skillet,swirling to cover in a fairly thin, even layer. Cook until the underside is golden and turn with a spatula or palette and cook on the other side until golden brown spots are showing.

Repeat the process until you use all the batter.

I made a total of nine crepes.

For the filling I used peanut butter and apple jelly. dscn7096 dscn7099

Enjoy !!!

Black Olives Wholewheat Buns

On October 10, 2016December 31, 2016 By felisrecipesIn Breakfast, Brunch, VegetarianLeave a comment

Sunday morning breakfast.

Yummy!

White Buns

On September 23, 2016 By felisrecipesIn BreakfastLeave a comment

Ready for the oven:

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and 30 minute later, ready to indulge:

Enjoy 🙂

Cozy morning breakfast ideas

On January 10, 2016 By felisrecipesIn BreakfastLeave a comment

Last week when I woke up I was craving sandwiches for breakfast instead of my usual bowl of bran and milk.

I checked my saved recipes and what got my attention was:

Roasted Garlic and Tomato Cheese bread from “coupon clipping cook .com ” and
Spinach and cheese strata from “www.smittenkitchen.com“

I updated both choices with what I had in the fridge.

Garlic- cheese pita sandwich

I got ready a garlic head and baked it for 15 minutes. Once the garlic had cooled I mixed it two table spoons of cream cheese, 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan. I seasoned the mixture with salt, a pinch turmeric (optional) and half of teaspoon of dried dill.

I cut the pita in half and filled each half with the cheese mixture and grill it on a hot pan 5 minutes each side.

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Spinach and cheese Casserole

300 g frozen chopped spinach,
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion( half of a red onion )
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper – optional
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg – optional
5 slices whole grain pita. The recipe required French or Italian bread. I did not have and I used pita instead and it worked very well.
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1cup finely grated parmesan
3 cups milk
6 large eggs
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion and cook about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for about 5 -10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cut the pita slices in small pieces. Buttered gratin dish and add the pita pieces. Top with one-third of spinach mixture and one-third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice with remaining bread, spinach and cheese.
Whisk eggs, milk, mustard and the spinach mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese and half of parmesan. Pour evenly over pita. I used a soup ladle.
Sprinkle the remaining parmesan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 8 hours (the recipe asked) hours or up to a day. I chilled it overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and leave it at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Bake (uncover) for at least 45 to 60 minutes until golden brown. Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Bon Appetite!

“I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.”
― Mae West

eGGs

On December 31, 2015January 1, 2016 By felisrecipesIn Breakfast, Uncategorized2 Comments

Nowadays we can buy a wide range of eggs: from white, brown to free-range and organic. Whenever you buy eggs, buy them from the same supplier if you found a trusted one. But do not forget to always check the expiration date on the box.

You can also check the freshness of an egg by floating it in water. If it sinks to the bottom of the container horizontally, it is very fresh; if it floats to the top it is stale and you should throw it out; if it stays with its tip on the bottom of the container than it is less fresh but you can still use it. I was doing the test on the eggs I bought today and they seem very fresh. 🙂

Eggs are best cooked at room temperature, so you should remove it from the refrigerator 2-3 hours in advance. Sometimes time is not always on your side so taking them out of the refrigerator even a half hour before use should be enough.

There a lots of ways of cooking the eggs: scrambled eggs ( omleta ); boiled eggs, 4-5 minutes for soft eggs and 9- 10 minutes for hard cooked eggs. Don’t cook them longer than 10 minutes or dark rings will appear around the yolk. There is also fried eggs ( oua ochiuri ) which you cook over medium heat , occasionally busting with the hot oil to help the yolk set, for 3-4 minutes. And there is poached eggs. For this, you it’s best to use fresh eggs or they will break in the water.

One of our favourite breakfast meal is scrambled eggs. The combination I like most is with mushrooms, feta and olives. There are lots of variations that can be used when preparing them and most times, it also depens on what you have on hand in the fridge. It a very good way to use leftovers like grilled chicken and all kinds of veggies: mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, bell peppers.

Ingredients: