Oh my god. These are the kind of dishes I risk becoming overweight for! Melts in your mouth, tastes like heaven & is so easy to make! Takes a little longer than the normal lamb chop dinner but it is soooo worth it. Trust me.
Time: 1.5 hours & time for marinating
Ingredients:
- 1 lamb loin with ~6-7 chops (trimmed & pre-cut)
- 1.5 tbsp of Harissa
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 mint leaves, chopped
- Salt/pepper to taste
Recipe:
- Remove the thyme leaves from the stems & combine with the chopped mint & black pepper if you are using.
- Make a paste with the seasonings & the Harissa.
- Spread Harissa mixture all over the lamb (this is why you might not need salt, Harissa is very salty!).
- Place the seasoned loin in a basin & add the garlic & bay leaf. Let sit in the fridge overnight (or for 2 nights if you have time!) to marinate.
- When you're ready to cook the loin, remove it from the fridge & let it sit & get to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Pan-sear the lamb (in an oven safe dish if you have one!), fat side facing down first, to give it a nice char. Flip so it browns on each side for about 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the lamb to an oven safe dish & seal it tightly with foil wrap.
- Cook on 275 for about 1 hour or until desired doneness.
What a delightful vegetarian appetizer!! Stuffed mushrooms are so easy to make & so impressive to serve. I came up with this recipe based on ingredients I had on hand, so feel free to adjust the ingredients for stuffing based on what you have!
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 10-12 large stuffable mushrooms (can also use smaller ones for variety)
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 8-10 green olives
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
- 1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1-2 tablespoons diced jalapeño
Recipe:
- Carefully rinse the mushrooms or wipe them with a damp paper towel.
- Pull out the stems & dice them, set them aside in a bowl.
- Dice the olives & add them to the bowl with the mushroom stems.
- Add to the bowl the cheese, fresh sage, bread crumbs, & jalapeño.
- Carefully place enough of the mixture into the mushrooms so that it doesn't spill over but are well-stuffed.
- Place the mushrooms on a cookie sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper.
- Sprinkle the smoked paprika on top & bake on 350 for ~20 minutes depending on the size of your mushrooms.
Tip: when the mushrooms start to form a little moisture underneath, they're ready!
Holy flavor explosion! If you just started getting sick of chicken, pump up the bland & give this recipe a try.
Time: 2.5 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 whole young chicken
- 1/2 cup grated fresh ginger (I peeled the ginger first then used a cheese grater)
- 3-4 whole star anise
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 habanero pepper, sliced thin (optional)
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Veggies to roast under the chicken
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Recipe:
- Grab a 13x9 Pyrex & start laying out your veggies for roasting. I used sliced potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, snap peas, & mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt & black pepper.
- Place a rack over the vegetables & spray it with cooking spray.
- Rub the lemon juice over the chicken & inside. Pat dry.
- Use your fingers to peel the skin away from the flesh & fill it with the butter, habanero slices, & fresh ginger. Do this all around the chicken under the skin.
- Fill the cavity with the garlic cloves & any remaining ginger pieces.
- Pour the olive oil over the vegetables & chicken & bake uncovered on 375 for 2 hours or until the chicken is golden brown.
Dim Sum at home! One of my fave Asian appetizers is soup dumplings. If you've never had them, get on it! Picture dumpling dough steamed & filled with incredibly delicious soup! The first thought is, how do they get the soup in there without the dumpling dough breaking?! So I looked up a bunch of recipes & came up with my own, based on my favorite flavors. Not the fastest recipe but it is easy & delicious. You'll feel really accomplished after, I promise. Enjoy!
Time: 30 minutes for the soup, 10 minutes for the dough, 15 minutes to steam the dumplings, & about 4 hours for everything to set
Ingredients:
- 1 pack ground meat, I used lamb
- 1/2 diced red onion or shallots
- 1 teaspoon chopped chives
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon grated or chopped fresh ginger
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 2 cups water
- 1 chicken boullion cube
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 chili pepper finely chopped (optional)
- salt/pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce + more for dipping the dumplings in
Dough ingredients:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1.5 cups warm / almost hot water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Recipe:
- In a large basin, combine the flour, some salt, vegetable oil & hot water to make the dough. Knead well then cover it with plastic wrap & leave it to set until use.
- In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil, garlic, ginger & onion for 1 minute. Add the ground meat & let it brown, breaking up the meat.
- Add the water, chicken boullion cube, celery & chives. You can also add the salt & pepper at this time, and the chili pepper if you like.
- Let simmer for another 15 minutes then turn off the heat & let it cool.
- Put the soup in the fridge for at least 4 hours, you want it to turn jelly-like in texture.
- After the soup is the right consistency, you can start breaking off the dough for the dumplings.
- Use a large, clean, flat surface sprinkled lightly with dry flour. Break of pieces of dough, slightly smaller than a golf ball.
- Roll out each piece to about 1mm thick, and round.
- Fill each dough round with about 1.5 teaspoons of the jelly soup mixture.
- Fold up the edges to close the dumplings, twisting & pinching the top so they seal well.
- Place them on a lightly floured cookie sheet so they won't stick to the pan, & put them back in the fridge so the soup mixture doesn't melt. This is very important or your dough will get soggy!
- Use a large pot filled 1/4 way with water. Cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil, poking it with a fork to create holes for the steam. Ensure the foil is securely tight around the edges of the pot so it won't sink in when you add the dumplings. Spray the foil with Pam or cooking spray.
- Bring the pot to a boil, and place a few of the dumplings on the foil. Cover the pot with the pot cover & let them steam!
- Enjoy with a mixture of ginger soy sauce.
Tip: Freeze the extra dumplings for a quick dim sum another night!
Here we have a 5 ingredient dinner that you can basically forget about after throwing it in the oven! I usually love duck when it's curried but this roast is so crispy, tender, and flavorful. The best part: it tastes like a lot of work but it is so easy.
Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 whole 5 lb duck, cleaned, skin on
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Recipe:
- Wash the duck with cold water (and lemon juice if you like).
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle the salt, pepper & paprika on each side, rubbing it into the skin.
- Place it chest-side up in a 9x13 Pyrex on top of a rack if you have it (so the fat drips off the duck while it cooks).
- Bake for 1 hour uncovered, then take it out, drizzle with the butter, and put it back into the oven for another 30 minutes.
Garlic, olive oil & bread = happiness! It seemed a little ambitious to make my own garlic knots but it turned to be really easy! I used my standard pizza dough recipe & tweeted it to be more garlicky!
Time: 20 minutes + time for the dough to set Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 packet yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Recipe:
- Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup warm water, the packet of yeast & sugar
- Stir & set aside in a dark place for 15 minutes (I put mine inside the microwave & closed the door)
- Put the flour, garlic powder, salt, & 1/4 cup olive oil in a basin.
- After waiting 15 minutes for the yeast to rise in the measuring cup, pour the mixture into the basin.
- Mix with your hands & knead into a dough. You might need to add some more warm water.
- Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel & put a plate over it to keep it dark. Set it aside in a warm place for at least 1 hour so the dough can rise.
- After the dough rises, break 2-3 inch pieces of the it & roll it into a log with your hand, then tie it into a knot shape.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Place the knots on a greased cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the garlic knots are baking, mix the 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the minced garlic & dried parsley.
- Take the knots out of the oven & brush on the olive oil mixture.
- Sprinkle salt over the garlic knots if desired. Enjoy!
Goodbye Halal Guys cravings!! First time trying to make shawarma & I'm really excited to say it came out delicious! Warm spices marinaded over a leg of lamb for 4 hours then slow-roasted in the oven for 3.5 hours... this easy, no fail recipe will have you drooling after just smelling it!
Time: 4+ hours to marinade, 3+ hours to cook
Ingredients:
- 1 leg of lamb
- 1.5 - 2 tablespoons of the following: ground cumin, ground coriander, ground allspice, ground tumeric
- 1 teaspoon each of ground cloves & ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- Salt to taste
Recipe:
- Butterfly the leg of lamb using a sharp knife, set aside in a large basin.
- Put all the rest of the ingredients into a food processor (including the onion) & pulse until a paste forms.
- Rub the paste all over the lamb, getting it completely marinaded. Cover the basin with clear wrap & put it in the fridge to marinate for 4+ hours (overnight is best).
- Let the lamb get to room temperature for about 20 minutes, then lay it into a pyrex flat. Cover it tightly with foil & roast it on 300 degrees for at least 3.5 hours.
- Serve with yellow rice spiced with cumin seeds, salad or in a pita!
Try my homemade white sauce! Mix mayonnaise, a dash of white vinegar, salt, black pepper, & a splash of water together. Balances out the hot sauce if you're using it on this shawarma!
A little twist on the classic Vietnamese soup! Perfect for a cold, rainy night - just the right amount of spice, heartiness, and warm broth. You can substitute most of these ingredients for what you have on hand - I'm sure it will still come out delicious!
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pack ground lamb (or meat of your choice)
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (can sub 2 cups water + 1 bullion cube)
- 1 pack rice noodles (whatever noodles you have on hand will work)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 thumb ginger, peeled and minced or sliced thin
- 2 baby bok choy, chopped or broken apart with the leaves whole (can sub spinach or other greens)
- 1 jalapeno (optional)
- 2 scallions, chopped into small rounds with the white parts separated from the green
- 1 lime (optional)
- 1/4 cup panko
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped red onion
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt to taste
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish
Recipe:
- Use a large basin or mixing bowl to combine the ground meat with the onion, garlic cloves, cumin, chili powder, panko and salt. Mix just well enough to combine, don't over-mix.
- Form meatballs out of the mixture and lightly sear them in a wok or pot with the vegetable oil.
- Add the ginger and sautee for about a minute, then pour in the broth and noodles.
- Let the noodles cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the bok choy and the white parts of the scallions. You can also add the jalapeno slices now if you're using them.
- Once the noodles are cooked through (about 5-7 minutes), serve hot garnished with the fresh mint leaves and green parts of the scallions!
Someone was feeling a little ambitious today! I took a stab at creating a recipe for my most favorite Indian dish: paneer makhani. Paneer Makhani is made with an incredible, creamy, spicy tomato sauce surround cubes of cottage cheese. It's amazing with basmati rice or with naan! There are a lot of ingredients in the sauce, but it doesn't take a long time to make & it is sooo worth it.
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pack paneer, diced (or how much you prefer)
- 1 can tomato sauce (no flavor, just plain puréed tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped onion or sliced onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 chili peppers, diced
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons tumeric
- 1.5 teaspoons ginger powder
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried methi leaves (fenugreek leaves)
- 2-3 whole chili peppers if you like it extra spicy
- Salt to taste
Recipe:
- Use a large pan, wok, or pot to heat the the onion, garlic, chili peppers & all of the spices just until lightly cooked (about 30 seconds). Mix to combine.
- Pour the tomato sauce or purée & the methi leaves into the pot. Let simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream (room temperate). Mix well to combine.
- Add salt as desired then taste & add more spices if needed.
- Important: turn off the heat! Then add the paneer & toss until it is well coated. Leave the stove on for just a few minutes so the paneer heats up.
Serve with naan or over basmati rice.
Time for all the hearty, filling dishes! The holidays are around the corner & if you're on a diet like me, you'll be craving like crazy! I made a low-fat meatloaf recipe that does the trick!
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 pack ground chicken
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 3 gloves garlic, roughly chopped
- A handful of shishito peppers, diced (can sub bell peppers)
- 1 habanero pepper, diced (seeds removed)
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt & pepper
- 1/2 breadcrumbs
Recipe:
- In a large basin, put the ground chicken & all other ingredients together & incorporate with your hands. Careful not to over mix.
- Use a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place the mixture in the middle & form it into a loaf with your hands.
- Bake on 375 for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the loaf is brown on the outside & deliciously moist on the inside.
Nothing better than a savory pie on a cold, rainy, NYC evening! Spiced ground lamb with peas & carrots smothered with garlic mashed potatoes. Need I say more? Recipe below, try it. Your tummy will thank you.
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 packet ground lamb or meat of your choice
- 2 large rustic potatoes, chopped into large chunks
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup peas & diced carrots mixed (I used frozen kind, canned will work too)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1.5 teaspoons of chili powder, ground cumin, & cayenne pepper
- Salt/pepper to taste
- Chives for garnish (optional)
- 1 handful cheddar cheese (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk or lactaid
Recipe:
- Submerge the potato chunks in water in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil & leave it for about 25 minutes or until they are soft enough to mash.
- Heat the oil on medium heat in a skillet or pot. Add the onion & garlic.
- Brown the ground meat in the pot with the garlic & onion (include the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt & pepper.)
- Use a deep Pyrex dish to scoop the browned meat into.
- Using the skillet or pot the meat browned in, sauté the carrots & peas with a little salt & pepper. Pour these over the ground meat in the Pyrex.
- Strain the potato chunks once they're soft & then pour them back into the pot they boiled in (without the water).
- Mash the potatoes with salt, pepper & milk. Spread them on top of the carrots & peas.
- Sprinkle on the chives, handful of shredded cheese & smoked paprika & bake for 15 minutes on 350 degrees.
How many of you are jumping on the spaghetti squash bandwagon? It's wonderful until you sadly realize that it's never really going to have the same flavor profile as spaghetti. I started experimenting ways to make spaghetti squash pop on its own. Think fresh ginger slices, coriander & cumin, tossed with crunchy bites of zucchini... yes, you need this recipe!
Time: 15 mins + time to soften/bake the spaghetti squash
Ingredients:
- Filling from 1 spaghetti squash, seeds removed
- 1 zucchini
- 1 small piece fresh ginger (~ 2" length)
- 1.5 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- Salt/pepper to taste
Recipe:
- Peel & dice the zucchini into small cubes.
- Peel the outter skin off of the ginger & slice it into thin strips.
- In a medium frying pan, heat oil to medium heat & add the zucchini, ginger, cumin, & coriander.
- Toss for a few minutes (~3) so the ginger infuses the zucchini.
- Add spaghetti squash, salt & pepper. Toss to incorporate all ingredients.
- Enjoy cool or warm, up to you!
On these newly chilly New York days, you want a light, healthy soup to warm you up. Try my Kale & Ground Turkey Soup! With creamy diced potatoes, hearty barley, swimming in a light vegetable broth... is your mouth watering yet?
Time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
- 1 pack ground turkey
- 1 medium potato, diced small
- 1/4 cup barley
- 1 cup chopped kale
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Recipe:
- In a large pot, heat the 1st tablespoon vegetable oil on medium heat & add the garlic & onion. Let simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the diced potatoes & barley, sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth & the water, bring to a boil. If you don't have vegetable broth, you can use more water with a whole vegetable bouillon cube.
- While the soup is boiling, heat the remaining vegetable oil in a large skillet to medium heat & add the ground turkey, salt & pepper.
- Once the ground turkey is browned, you can shut off the skillet & leave it on the side.
- After the potatoes are boiled in the soup (~20 mins tops), add the kale. You can now serve the soup as a vegetarian meal or add the ground meat to the pot & enjoy!
Ok so this is pretty much Asian-flavored stuffed cabbage... But calling them dumplings is way cuter! And makes me feel fuller somehow :) it's Glutenfree, low in fat, carbless & delicious!
Time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
- 6 whole leaves of cabbage, washed & boiled ~2 mins to soften
- 1 pack ground turkey or ground meat of your choice
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ginger soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped scallions
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Recipe:
- In a medium sauce pan, pan-sear the ground meat in the vegetable oil with the salt, chili powder, & black pepper. Turn off when browned (~15 minutes)
- Let the meat cool for at least 15 minutes then stuff each cabbage leaf with 1.5 tablespoons of meat filling & about 2-3 pieces of chopped scallion.
- Fold each leaf from the two sides in, then from top to bottom, over (so it forms a cute little dumpling.)
- Place the stuffed cabbage leaves with the seal-side down in a small Pyrex bowl.
- Pour the soy sauce over the dumplings & place them in the oven on 350 for 10 minutes.
- Serve alone (eat like tacos) or with your favorite side.
One of my fave Guyanese meals - it tastes complicated but is easy to make! Just takes a little longer than my typical recipes. In my tastebud's & stomach's opinion, it is worth the wait!
Time: ~1.5 hours + dough set time
Ingredients:
Saltfish Stew:
- ~1.5 lbs of salt fish (can be purchased at a West Indian grocery store)
- ~1/2 a large tomato, diced
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 wiri-wiri peppers (or peppers of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Bake:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 teaspoon crushed red peppers
- 1.5 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1.5 cups vegetable oil
Recipe:
- Soak the saltfish overnight in water (to help get the salt out of it).
- Mix the above Bake ingredients in a basin & kneed the dough
- Cover the basin with a towel or plate & set aside to rise for at least an hour (can leave it during the day if you're making it before work)
- Boil the saltfish in ~3 cups of water. Strain then keep washing it under the faucet until most of the fishy smell goes away. I added lemon juice to help but it is optional.
- In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil with the onions & garlic for about 5 mins until the onion is transparent.
- Add the saltfish, let it simmer and brown, breaking it apart into small chunks.
- Add the tomatoes & mix to incorporate the ingredients.
- Throw in the peppers if desired & then let the ingredients simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes.
- While the saltfish is stewing, take the dough out & roll it down to about 1/4 inch thick.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the bake into triangular slices.
- Heat the 1.5 cups vegetable oil in a small pot to medium heat.
- Slowly add the bake slices 1 by 1 and fry each for about 20-30 seconds or until each bake is golden brown.
- Serve the saltfish stew with 2-3 bake & enjoy!
Here's another Guyanese dish for you: fish cakes! I love recipes that have multiple uses. Fish cakes can be an appetizer, side dish, part of a whole meal for lunch or dinner, or a light snack! It uses a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your home. This recipe can be multiplied for catering-sized trays or just stick to the portions below to feed a few family members.
Ingredients:
- 2 lb frozen whiting fish fillet, fully thawed
Seasoning tip: 2 portions of the below ingredients are needed (1 portion to season the fish to fry and 1 portion to add to the fish after you fry it) - 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoon chopped onion
- 3 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup veggie oil
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
Recipe:
- Heat oil in pan – medium heat
- Wash and pat the fillets dry
- Lightly season the fish with all of the above ingredients except the eggs and the bread crumbs
- Put fish in oil to fry until slightly brown on each side (about 2-3 mins)
- Take the fish out of the pan and put it in a medium-large basin
- Use a fork to break the fish apart, adding bread crumbs, egg and another round of the ingredients from above (then mix to incorporate)
- Form cake-like patties out of the mixture
- Re-heat the ¼ cup of oil to medium heat
- Place the fish cakes in the oil and fry until golden brown on each side
- Enjoy with brown rice, dhal, and mango chutney or pepper sauce of your choice!
Vegetarian, gluten-free, carbless & delicious! Basically no reason to not get up & make these right now.
Time: 30 min
Ingredients:
- 2 small/medium chubby eggplants
- 1 medium tomato (I used a deep red heirloom)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt/pepper to taste
- Glutenfree breadcrumbs (optional)
Recipe:
- Preheat oven to 450
- Wash the eggplants & cut them in half vertically
- Use a spoon to hollow out the middle of the eggplant, place them in a greased Pyrex with the hollow side facing up
- Slice the first clove of garlic & put a few slices at the bottom of each boat
- Drizzle 1 of the teaspoons of olive oil over each boat
- Dice the tomato & fill each boat with some
- Slice the other clove of garlic & sprinkle those pieces on top of the tomatoes
- Sprinkle each boat with some crumbled feta cheese
- Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the boats & top with breadcrumbs if desired
- Bake for 20-25 mins or until the tops are golden & the eggplant cuts through easy
Craving olives today so I made some olive bread! Super easy to whip up with some active dry yeast. I enjoyed it with some warm tomato-basil soup!
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup mixed olives, pitted
Recipe:
- Add the packet of yeast & sugar to the warm water, stir to dissolve then let it sit for 15 mins to bubble up.
- In a medium bowl, pour the flour, salt & Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Slowly mix in the yeast mixture & olive oil, mix with your hands slightly just to incorporate the ingredients.
- Chop the olives into smaller rounds, throw almost all of them into the flour mixture, leaving some for the top of the loaf.
- Knead the olive dough completely & form into a loaf with your hands.
- Set it on a cookie sheet & cut 4 small slits on the top.
- Garnish with the remaining olive slices, pressing them in so they stay put in the oven.
- Bake on 350 for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until golden brown on top, and cooked through the middle.
Here's another 20 minute meal for you! A delicious, light, soury soup that is loaded with tamarind paste, meaty trout, crunchy summer squash and daikon radishes - and my personal addition: sliced habañero peppers! You can tell I'm on a habañero craze :)
Sinigang is served even during summertime in the Philippines. It encompasses all of my favorite elements of a home-cooked meal: ethnic, healthy, fast, and delicious!
Time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
- 1 lb rainbow trout or fish of your choice (tilapia or salmon work well) (cleaned and de-boned - cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 2 packets tamarind stir-fry paste (or whatever tamarind paste you can find)
- 1/2 of a fresh diakon radish, thinly sliced
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup summer squash, diced
- 1 habanero pepper, thinly sliced with the seeds removed
- 2-3 cups water
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 2 tamarind strings, cleaned, seeds pulled apart (optional)
- Rice for serving (optional)
Recipe:
- Use a medium-large bowl to combine the tamarind paste and the water - you'll want to stir and have the paste dissolve a bit.
- In a medium pot, place the fish, squash, tomatoes and radish before turning on the heat. Then, pour the tamarind mixture on top and turn the heat on medium.
- Add the habanero and bring the mixture to a boil (you'll want to raise the heat for this). Cover the pot.
- Fish should cook in 5-7 minutes, then you can remove the pot from the heat and serve! Traditionally this dish is served over rice but you can drink it as a soup if desired.
Creamy with a kick! Hot habanero peppers, fresh garlic, meaty shrimp, young zucchini & tomatoes...I'm hungry again just thinking about it! This quick lunch recipe can serve as a dinner, snack, or appetizer too.
Time: 20 min
Ingredients:
- ~10-15 large shrimp (peeled & deveined)
- 5 garlic cloves (smashed)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 small zucchini sliced into thin rounds
- handful of cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 habanero pepper sliced thin (or more if you like it really spicy!)
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 3 broadleaf thyme leaves (minced)
- 1 tablespoon EVOO
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Recipe:
- Squeeze 1/2 lemon juice all over the shrimp.
- Heat EVOO to medium heat in a large pan, then add the garlic & thyme.
- Throw in shrimp and the rest of the lemon juice. Cook for 2 mins on each side.
- Add the habanero & zucchini slices halfway through, with a tablespoon of butter.
- Add cherry tomatoes & sprinkle on salt & pepper.
- Turn off the heat, pour mayonnaise over the ingredients & mix until well-coated.
- Enjoy over egg noodles, rice, or with steamed veggies! This would also go great in a sandwich.
