Beetroot and spinach couscous salad

Serves 1

zest and juice of 1 blood orange
70g couscous
15 g walnuts
1 handful of fresh baby spinach leaves
2 small cooked beetroots, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper
50g fresh goat cheese

1. In a small saucepan, combine the orange zest, juice and 50ml cold water and bring to the boil. Pour the mixture over the couscous, stir well, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork to separate grains.

2. In a medium bowl, mix couscous, walnuts, beetroot and spinach leaves. For the dressing, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pour over salad. Top with crumbled goat cheese.

from Cooking Your Dream

cottage cheese cornbread

(adapted from Closet Cooking)
1 c cornmeal
1 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 T brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 c cottage cheese
1/4 c canola oil
1 c frozen corn

Preheat oven to 375F. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cornmeal through to the salt and set aside. In another bowl, mix up the sugar, buttermilk, cottage cheese and oil and then blend it with the dry ingredients. Stir in corn. Pour batter into a buttered baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the centre comes out clean.
from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Channa Palak (Chickpeas with Spinach)

"This dish, I made under 15 minutes, with canned chickpeas and triple washed spinach. I resort to such dishes for packing lunch box too! Makes my mornings much easier! You can make this as simple or as special you want. I have added different spices but just some Garam Masala and salt would be perfect too!"

Ingredients
1 cup cooked chickpeas, or used canned after draining it well
1-2 bunches of spinach, coarsely chopped (you can use as much or as little, as per taste)
1 red onion.chopped
2-3 medium tomatoes,chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 stick cinnamon
2 bay leaf
pinch of clove powder and cardamom powder (optional)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp mango powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1-2 green chillies, thinly sliced (or as per taste)
salt to taste
* I usually add cinnamon, bay leaf and turmeric while cooking chickpeas and then discard the cinnamon and bay leaf once the chickpeas is cooked.
Method:
In a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil. Add cumin, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom powder, bay leaf in that order. The second the aroma starts wafting, add the onion and then ginger garlic paste. Saute until onion get soft.
Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies along with the rest of the seasoning including salt. Add about 1/4 cup of water and increase the heat. Cook until the tomatoes break down and become like a gravy. Reduce heat and discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick.
Add the chopped spinach on top. Let it wilt slightly. Add the chickpeas and close with the lid. Cook until the spinach wilts completely. Stir to combine , add more seasoning if you required. You can add more water and mash few of the chickpeas to create a thick consistency. Serve hot. It works well both with plain rice , pulao and roti.
from Chef In You

No Knead French Bread

3 cups of lukewarm water

1.5 tablespoons active dry yeast
1.5 tablespoons coarse salt

6.5 cups all-purpose flour

Grab a very large mixing bowl, or a large container that you can cover. In it, mix the water, yeast, and salt. You don’t have to heat up the water to a precise optimal temperature for the yeast. I’ve even used just regular tap water, and it’s worked well for me. Just let that sit together for a while (you don’t have to wait for the yeast to dissolve completely), then dump the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon. You don’t need to knead this, and you’re not looking to make it come together into a dough ball. You just want everything mixed well, with no streaks of flour left, and you’re done.


Leave it in your container, covered (but not airtight, or it’ll pop), for a few hours. When it has risen and then deflated a bit, your dough is done. It’s ready to be used or stored in the refrigerator.

To bake the bread, just grab a chunk of dough, about the size of a grapefruit. Dust your hands with flour to help prevent sticking, and gently pull the sides of the dough toward the bottom, rotating the dough, until you get a roundish shape with a smooth surface. It should only take you about a minute or less to do this. The dough won’t be entirely in the bottom, where it may look bunched up, but don’t worry about it.


Put it on a cutting board that’s been dusted with cornmeal to prevent sticking, and let it rest for at least 40 minutes. No need to cover it. If the dough has been refrigerated, it helps to let it rest a little more, until it’s no longer chilled.


Twenty minutes before you are ready to bake, put a cast iron skillet (or a pizza stone) in the middle rack of your oven, and put a broiler pan (I used a cookie sheet) in the bottom rack. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Dust some flour on the top of your loaf, and slash the top, about 1/4-inch deep.

After twenty minutes of preheating, it’s time to bake. (You can put the bread in after 20 minutes, even if your oven hasn’t reached 450 degrees yet.) Slide the loaf onto the baking stone, and then quickly pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler pan. Then quickly shut the oven door to keep the steam inside.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until you get a nice brown crust. Remove and let cool completely, if you can wait that long.
from Honey & Jam

Oven Roasted Broccoli

1 1/4 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into florets (about 8 cups)

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli and 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

from Honey & Jam
Also, try with lemon juice.

Quinoa with Mushrooms and Spinach

1 cup of uncooked quinoa (prepared with vegetable stock according to the directions on the package)

1 package of crimini mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 handfuls of fresh spinach, sliced
6 or so leaves of basil, sliced


While the quinoa is cooking, saute all the ingredients except the basil in a small pan with some olive oil. When the quinoa is done, toss with the mushroom mix and stir in the basil.
from The Dainty Vegetarian

Breakfast Toast

Barely toast a couple slices of bread. (till they are just starting to turn barely golden) Smear with some ricotta cheese and top with some blueberries (bananas are also excellent for this!) Then drizzle with some honey and place under the broiler for a minute.

from The Dainty Vegetarian

Crockpot Refried Beans

3 cups of dry pinto beans (rinsed)
1 onion, diced
9 cups of water
5 t salt
1 3/4 t pepper
2 T minced garlic
1/8 t ground cumin

Put all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for about 8 hours.
After they are done, drain all of the liquid out and SAVE THE LIQUID!!
Mash beans with a potato masher or whatever you mash with. Add liquid, a bit at a time, to desired consistency, but remember you want them a little runny because they thicken over time. (makes about 6 cups)
from Real Mom Kitchen

RASPBERRY WINE SORBET

Makes 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 cup raspberries

½ cup orange

1 tablespoon of orange zest

½ cup strawberries

3/4 cup fruity red wine – I used a Beaujolais

½ cup sugar

½ cup of water

1¼ cup Cointreau

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse and cut fruit in small pieces.

2. Boil water and sugar in a small saucepan. Turn heat down to low. Add wine and fruit and cook over low heat for three minutes.

3. Remove from heat and add the liqueur stirring until combined.

4. Add the fruit mixture and zest. Let steep overnight or for a few hours at minimum.

5. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender pulse until fruit has a puree consistency.

6. Use a chinois or a fine mesh sieve to pour and push mixture through. This will catch all seeds and pulp for a nice smooth texture.

7. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and follow the machine’s sorbet instruction.
from Bakers Royale

Baked Ziti

This recipe serves 4 (you can easily double and bake in a 9x12 dish)

1/2 lb. of ziti

1/2 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes

tomato sauce

1 cup ricotta cheese

a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

a few leaves of fresh basil, roughly sliced

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
a handful of grated parmesan cheese
a sprinkle of dried oregano

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Make your tomato sauce. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box until very al dente (chewy) The noodle will cook more in the oven and you don't want them to get too limp. When the noodles are done, toss them in some tomato sauce to coat. (this will prevent sticking) Lightly saute the eggplant cubes in some olive oil with a pinch of salt till they just begin to turn golden. Now for assembly. Spread some tomato sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. (so the pasta doesn't stick)Put a couple spoonfuls of pasta down, the eggplant, the roughly chopped spinach, some chopped basil and the ricotta cheese. (for an extra surprise, sprinkle in some toasted pine nuts)  Add another layer of ziti, then a little more sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and sprinkle with just a little dried oregano.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden. Serve with some extra tomato sauce for people like me who love tons of sauce!

from The Dainty Vegetarian

Margarita Cake

Note:  I use lemon cake mix and lime juice.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package orange cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tequila

2 tablespoons triple sec liqueur

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon tequila

2 tablespoons triple sec liqueur

2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.

2. In a large bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, water, lemon juice 1/4 cup tequila and 2 tablespoons triple sec. Beat for 2 minutes.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to rack and pour glaze over cake while still warm.

4. To make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar with 1 tablespoon tequila, 2 tablespoons triple sec and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Mix until smooth.