Crustless Quiche

This recipe makes a great breakfast or handy snack food if you're on a low-carb diet such as the Neris & India diet or Atkins. It's easy to prepare, keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and tastes great.

Ingredients:

* 4 eggs
* 1.5 metric cups (375mL) of whole milk, cream, unsweetened soy milk or a combination; I used 150mL of double cream and 225mL of unsweetened soy milk.
* 1 large tomato, sliced
* 3 rashers of thick-cut streaky bacon, diced
* The crisp parts of three spring onions (green onions), sliced
* About 6 button mushrooms, sliced
* ½ red pepper (capsicum), diced
* 6 tinned asparagus spears
* ¾ metric cup grated cheddar cheese
* Oregano and marjoram, to taste
* Paprika, salt, pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 190C / 375F

2. Prepare a pie dish or alternative (I used two small round cake tins lined with greaseproof paper)

3. Arrange tomato slices over the base of the pie dish.

4. In a saucepan, gently fry bacon, pepper (capsicum), spring onion and mushroom until just soft.

5. Arrange bacon & fried veggies over the top of the tomato, and scatter grated cheese on top of the veggies. Sprinkle oregano and marjoram over the cheese.

6. In a large bowl or blender, beat eggs and milk/cream together with a good dash of paprika, some salt and some pepper, to taaste. When thoroughly blended, pour into the pie dish.

7. Arrange asparagus spears in a star shape on top.

8. Place pie dish in preheated oven and bake for 35-50 minutes. Start checking after about half an hour as times will vary. If you're making more than one you may need to rotate them in the oven. Cook until golden on top. It's ok if the centre is still a bit gooey as it will finish cooking from the heat of the rest of the quiche after it's taken out. Mine took about 35 minutes in a fast oven - I accidentally slightly overcooked one of them but it still tastes great.

9. Store well-wrapped in the fridge and eat within a few days.

I've only eaten this cold, but I imagine it's tasty hot as well! It went down a treat with my 3-year-old stepson too :)

You can vary this recipe a thousand ways - any combination of meats, vegetables, cheeses, seasonings etc will probably work. Experiment with it!

Semolina Halva

This is an amazingly delicious dessert, and husband-proof to boot :). Recipe from my mom's notebook.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil
1 cup semolina
1 cup sugar
3 cups water
raisins, nuts to taste

Directions:

Stir sugar into cold water until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
In a saucepan heat oil.
Sautee semolina in oil, stirring constantly. You want the semolina to turn golden, but not brown.
Start adding the sugar syrup little by little. Stir until incorporated.
Once the whole syrup has been incorporated, remove from heat.
Add walnuts, raisins, dried apricots or whatever else you feel like.
Stir well, then put warm mixture into a suitable dish (muffin pans or baking pan).
Let it cool.
Then flip on a plate...
Cut in slices...
Sprinkle with cinnamon...
And enjoy :)

Sweet Salami

A childhood favorite from socialist times. Recipe from my mom :).

Ingredients:

100 g butter, room temperature
250 g sugar
75 g powdered cocoa
200 g walnuts
250 g graham crackers (cookies, biscuits or whatever those are called in your part of the world)
2 eggs

Directions:

Beat butter, sugar and cocoa together.
Dice walnuts, crush crackers, making sure there are a few larger pieces in there.
Add walnuts and crackers to butter mix.
Beat eggs and stir them in.
Put the sticky mess on a piece of wrapping foil and form it into a roll.
Cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
Store in fridge.

Ham and Cheddar Soup

Very delicious :). From here.

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed potatoes
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen peas
3 cups water
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cubed ham
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put carrots, potatoes, peas and water in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes).
In a separate dish melt butter and whisk in the flour.
Stir in milk.
Bring to a boil, then simmer stirring continuously until the mix starts to thicken (about 2 minutes).
Add the grated cheese and stir until it melts.
Finally, add the ham and the vegetables with their water.
Bring to a boil again, then take off heat and enjoy.

Parmesan Crusted Cauliflower

A fast and easy side dish :).

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower

2 eggs

1 tablespoon grated parmesan

1 tablespoon flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 F (260 C).

Separate cauliflower into fairly large florets and boil (or steam) them until soft but not mushy.

Beat egg with flour. Stir in parmesan.

Dip each cooked floret into the egg mix and arrange them on a baking pan.

Season to taste.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until golden.

And serve:

Home-made Pesto

It's cheaper and more delicious than the store-bought stuff. East to make too :) Recipe from somewhere on the internet, but I haven't written down the source.

Ingredients (for about 1 cup pesto):
~ 2 cups fresh basil leaves (one bouquet of store-bought basil)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Separate basil leaves from stems.
Wash leaves in a collander under running cold water.
Put nuts, olive oil and garlic in food processor and chop them.
Add basil leaves, little by little and process them until you get a somewhat smooth paste.
Blend in the parmesan cheese.

You can store it in a glass jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks (oil acts as a conservant), but better make as little as you need for one use.

Daal Curry

This is, of course, vegetarian though my husband adds sausage on the side. Recipe from my favorite Indian recipe book.

Ingredients (for about 4 servings):

250 g (about 1 1/2 cups) red lentils
3 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 chilli pepper
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander (cilantro)
1 teaspoon salt
25 g (~ 3 tablespoons) coconut milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

In a saucepan heat ghee and sautee onion, garlic, chilli pepper, bay leaf, cumin, coriander for 30-40 seconds, stirring continuously.
Add lentils, rest of spices.
Add enough water to cover the lentils and cook until lentils are done (about 15-20 min).
Remove from heat and discard bay leaf and chilli pepper.
Stir in coconut milk (you can skip it, it makes the spices milder).
Before serving, stir in lemon juice.

Not that you haven't seen cooked lentils, but here's a pic:

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Those are chocolate cupcakes with a cream cheese middle - what's not to love about them :D. Recipe from the Joy of Baking website.

Ingredients (for 12):

For the cream cheese filling:
8 oz (227 g) cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup (65 g) white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)

For the chocolate cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 cup (210 g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (30 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed, and definitely not one of those hot cocoa mixes!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 ml) water
1/3 cup (80 ml) unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).

For cream cheese filling:
Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and smooth.
Set aside.

For chocolate batter:
In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl mix the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until smooth.

Divide the chocolate batter evenly among 12 oiled muffin cups.
Spoon a few tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cream cheese filling is a little brown and a toothpick inserted into the chocolate part of the cupcake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Quiche

This is yet another dish I use for cleaning my fridge because there are very few things that can't be put into a quiche. If you want to stick to the authentic quiches, check the Wiki article for the ingredients that go into each type.

Ingredients for one 9-inch quiche (6 servings):

For the crust:
200 g flour
100 g soft (not melted) butter
3-4 tablespoons icy cold water
A pinch of salt

For the filling:
3 eggs
200 g sour cream
100 g grated hard yellow cheese like gruyere or emental
+ whatever else you feel like - more cheeses, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, sausage, tuna, chicken breast, etc. Even Roquefort and pears :).

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).

For the crust:
With a fork or in a food processor mix butter and flour until they form a mix of buttery crumbs.
If mix is too dry, add water, tablespoon by tablespoon until it gets to the desired consistency.
Pour the mix into a 9-inch pie pan and press it to the bottom and sides with your palm.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until crust turns golden brown.

For the filling:
Beat eggs, sour cream and grated cheese together.
Add whatever other fillings you are using (cook all meat beforehand).
Pour into baked crust and bake for another 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Serve hot or cold, but cold is better!

Caprese Salad

We had that in Italy a few years ago and really liked it, so I make it once in a while when we get mozzarella on sale.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

2 large tomatoes
~ 6 oz (120g) fresh mozzarella
2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil
olive oil

Directions:

Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch (1 cm) slices.
Cut mozzarella into 1/2 inch (1 cm) slices.
Layer tomato slices and cover each with a mozzarella slice
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle basil on top.

Or go with the even lazier version, cherry tomatoes and cilengini:

Panna Cotta allo Yogurt

Or panna cotta with yogurt, but you knew that! An insanely easy but elegant light summer dessert.

Ingredients (for two portions):

200 ml heavy cream*
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
7 g gelatin + 4 tablespoons cold water for dissolving it.
150 g yogurt

* Or substitute cream with half-and-half, or milk, or any combination of those.

Directions:

Dissolve gelatin in cold water.
In a saucepan on medium heat mix cream, vanilla and sugar, stirring continuously until sugar melts.
Add gelatin and stir until it dissolves.
In a separate bowl stir the yogurt to get rid of any lumps.
Slowly pour the hot cream mix into the yogurt, whisking constantly.
Pour mix into two glass bowls or ramekins or whatever suitable bowls you have.
Refrigerate for about 4 hours or until firm.

To serve:

Flip onto chilled plate, and garnish with warm raspberry preserves, or cranberry sauce or fresh fruit or any combination of those.

Cod Pakistani Style

A friend sent me this recipe with very high recommendations. We don't eat tilapia at home, but I tried it with cod. It turned out delicious just the same.

Ingredients:

1 lb (450 g) cod fillets
1/4 cup olive oil
14.5 oz (400 g) canned diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons ginger
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves (skinned)
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek seed
the juice of one small lemon
2 teaspoons salt
2 jalapeno peppers slit in half, length-wise. I used 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder instead - we cannot tolerate that much spiciness :).

Directions:

In a food processor blend tomatoes, garlic and ginger into a smooth paste. Add oil and pulse a few times.
Put the paste in a skillet and simmer on low heat, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until the oil begins to separate from the liquid.
Add the bay leaves, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek seed, salt and the jalapenos.
Stir well and allow the mixture to cook for a few more minutes.
Poke a few holes in each cod fillet, and add them to the paste.
Add the juice of the lemon.
Simmer for 10 more minutes or until fish is cooked through.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve over white rice (or, with a lot of bread).

Quick bread recipe

This is the ultimate quick bread recipe, in my opinion. It's called "Zucchini Bread", but today I didn't have zucchini, so I decided to use applesauce instead. Figures I wouldn't have applesauce either, so I dug out some frozen mashed pears, peeled and chopped up a granny smith apple into it, and called it good enough. And it was good enough!

Oh, and your mouth will thank you to let the bread sit for a few minutes before devouring. Apple chunks get pretty hot... :-/

3 Eggs
1 c Vegetable Oil
2/3 c Sugar
2 c Grated zucchini (or whatever)
2 t Vanilla extract
1 t Salt
1/4 t Baking powder
3 c All-purpose flour
1 t Baking soda
3 t Ground cinnamon (optional, but strongly suggested)
Fresh-ground nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8X4 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, and sugar together. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into egg mixture. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few little crumbs left. Let cool as long as possible before you or a family member devour it.

You can ruin it with 1/2 c chopped walnuts if you absolutely must.

Waffles

Husband and I changed a lot of roommates during college and one of them left us a waffle maker. It is one of those super cheap versions and sat in storage for three years as I thought it is the most useless thing ever. A few months ago I dug it out and what do you know - it turns out that waffles make a great lazy Saturday brunch. The recipe is my own combination of a few different recipes, as I wanted waffles that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/6 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup milk

Directions:

In a mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
In a separate bowl beat egg with milk and egg.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingedients and mix.
The resulting batter would be very thick, but still pourable.
Follow the directions of your waffle maker for preparing the waffles.

Makes 5 small waffles (i.e. those on the picture plus two more):

Herbed Potato Wedges

I am fairly sure I got this from the Taste of Home website, but I can't seem to find the exact recipe right now. This is a quick and easy side dish that works with any type of potatoes but is best with the fresh potatoes that are in season right now.

Ingredients (for two servings):

2 medium potatoes
2 teaspoons thyme (or rosemary, or other spices to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons parmesan cheese
~ 1 tablespoon oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut potatoes in bite-size pieces.
Layer potato wedges in a microwave safe dish, cut side up.
Brush potatoes with oil.
Sprinkle with spices first, then with parmesan cheese.
Drizzle with a bit of lemon juice.
Layer a second layer of potatoes on top.
Brush with oil.
Sprinkle with spices and parmesan again.
Drizzle with lemon juice again.
* The dish that I use is small but tall, that's why I end up with several layers of potatoes.

Close the dish with its lid.
Microwave on high for about 10 min or until the potatoes are tender.

If your dish doesn't have a steam vent on the lid, be very careful when opening it, as the trapped steam comes out fast.

The potatoes on this picture are with red pepper only, but you get the idea:

Instant Tomato Sauce

There are NO exact measurements in this, it was truly "this is what we have and I need tomato sauce" It was really good and easy to make.

- Sun-Dried Pesto - 2tbs to 3tbs
- Can of fire-roasted tomatoes (15.5 ounces)
- Handful of black olives
- Fresh garlic (as much as you want)
- Oregano and Crushed Red Pepper (to taste)
- Roasted Red peppers

Toss it in a saucepan, put a cover on it, and wait till it thins. It's incredibly good and easy to make...and pretty low-fat.

Tofu & Peas/Chicken & Peas

This is an incredibly easy, delicious, and filling dinner to make. The recipe calls for garam masala, but I really hate the taste. I've made this so many times and it's always gotten rave reviews.

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Onion - chopped
  
• 1 Package firm tofu, cubed/2lbs chicken thighs, cut up/2lbs chicken breast, but up (I recommend thighs if you're using chicken)
• 2.5 Cups (or a regular sized bag) frozen green peas
• 3 garlic cloves (or however many you like.)
  
• 3 tbs. olive oil
• 15.5 ounces Canned Diced tomatoes
  
• 2 tps. garam masala if you're using it.

Instructions:

• In a large skillet heat the oil and garlic cloves. When it's heated, cook the chicken or tofu. If it's chicken, place it in the skillet and sauté it until it's golden brown. For tofu, keep flipping it until it's golden brown on all sides. The recipe originally called for frying it in 2 cups of olive oil...obviously not so healthy.
• After the chicken/tofu is golden brown, add in the onions and sauté until soft. Add in the tomatoes (undrained!), peas and garam masala, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

This is an incredibly hardy and filling dish, plus it's pretty to look at. Everyone who has tried has liked it, and my family is full of picky eaters who don't "that foreign stuff" I cook. When I cooked it with chicken I used bone-in thighs, which made it much heartier. Darker meat also tends to give more of a taste to the meal than white meat, however I'm prejudiced. No one in my family likes white.