Broccoli Quinoa

Broccoli,a vegetable which is available throughout the year was originally cultivated in Italy. The best way to cook this is stir-fry or steam because heavy cooking might destroy some of the anti oxidants in it. However it emits a sulfuric odor just like the cauliflower and cabbage while cooking so, for few people its not a favorite vegetable untilof course they are fully aware of the health benefits.
I don't want to go on and on with the amount of vitamins and minerals in it because I am sure every one knows that eating broccoli is good for health and its vibrant green color is a major clue that tells you how good it is for that body. But some of the interesting facts that I read about broccoli is the amount of calcium in one bunch is equal to one glass of milk. And looks like it also helps in promoting weight loss because its rich in fiber content and works wonders for digestive system. Now that's something to take note of. Just like the cauliflower, broccoli is a gas producing food so to reduce it, its is suggested to eat along with ginger or garlic.

Quinoa (pronounced as keen-wah) is not a grain; its a seed related to the spinach family which was originally from South America. It was a regular Incas diet. It is a delicious whole grain that's easy to digest and an excellent replacement for rice. Some of the nutritional fact about Quinoa are; they are high in amino acids, protein and calcium. It is found to be more satiating than wheat or rice, so helps in weight loss.

The coating of the saponin on the seeds gives it a bitter taste, so it needs to be washed before cooking. Basic method to cook is to boil 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water for 15 minutes. It absorbs all the water and the size of the seed will increase, with a tender and springy texture. Quinoa can be enjoyed as porridge for breakfast or salad with vegetable and many other items.

Ingredients:
2 cup Quinoa, cooked in 4 cups of water.
1 tbsp oil
1/2 lb broccoli floret
2 tsp dry or fresh oregano
1 tbsp chili paste
1/2 cup mint leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup roasted almond
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Method:
1. Heat oil in a wok and add chopped broccoli and cook until soft or for about 10 minutes.
2. Add oregano and chili paste.


3. In a food processor grind mint,garlic, Parmesan cheese and roasted almonds. Add water if needed.4. Add the grind paste to the wok and cook for another 5 minutes and finally add the cooked Quinoa. Sprinkle salt and pepper before serving.

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NOTE: Taste before adding salt because most cheese have salt in it.

Baklava

Baklava a famous Turkish pastry originally from the Ottoman cuisine. The original name of baki-halva translates as "Lenten sweet". Originally the baklava had forty sheets of pastry sheet. Each for the days of Lent. There are so many versions in preparing this dessert, resulting in a rich and sticky pastry studded with assorted nuts and oozing butte and drenched with sugar syrup.

I always love to prepare things from scratch. When I was looking for recipes for Baklava online I found Farida's recipe, which was simple and the step by step pictures were very helpful. Some times its not lot of fun to follow the same steps so I modified a few and gave a little twist. And the result was yum. The quality of the home made pastry was equal and tasty to the ones made with the store bought sheets. So take advantage of this simple yet tasty recipe. I am sure you wont be disappointed.

Ingredients:
For the Dough:
3 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
8oz/2 sticks butter,
1 cup sour cream
2 egg yolks
For the Filling:
1 cup sugar
2 egg whites
1 cup walnuts,chopped
1 cup pistachio
To brush:
1 egg yolk
Sugar Syrup:
200 ml water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Method:
1. In a large bowl,combine flour,baking soda and butter. Press the butter and mix it with the dough until it crumbs.
2. Add sour cream and the yolks. Combine until you get a soft dough. Wrap in a plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for an hour or 2.

3. For the filling, whisk the egg whites until fluffy. Combine the sugar and the nuts.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a rectangular pan with oil.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. The dough will be very easy to work. I din have to dust my work pad either. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each one into a rectangular shape sheets. Shape it in such as way that it should fix your pan.
6. Layer one sheet then spread a small portion of the filling then layer another.
7. Repeat until you cover the top with the finally pastry sheet. Cut the baklava into diamond shapes using a knife. Brush this layer with egg yolk.
8.Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the top turns golden.
9. Meanwhile make the sugar syrup by boiling the water, then add sugar and cook until it dissolves. Then add cinnamon and lemon juice.
10. Strain the syrup; arrange a pistachio on each baklava and pour the syrup on top.
11. Serve them warm or cold.
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THINGS THAT I WOULD CHANGE: I might skip using egg white for the filling and substitue it with 1/2cup honey.
NOTE:Baklava are lot more softer when stored.
VARIATION: I prefer using unbleached flour. But you can use the normal one too.

Cauliflower Omelet

Wide range of book collections, a coffee shop with good amount of sitting space and wi-fi access. What more you need to spend a silent evening?? A and I have developed an interest in spending most of our Sunday evenings at Borders. Borders a book store with well organized sections of books offers a nice reading space. The cookery section is where I spend most of my time.That is where I came across a book on Lebanese Cuisine by Madelain Farah, this is due to my recent interest on Middle Eastern cooking. One of the recipe that interested me in this book was Ijjit Qarnabit otherwise known as Cauliflower Omelet. Cauliflower!! with eggs and milk ??? sounds different. Cauliflower doesn't find its way to my kitchen very often. We both are not a big fan of cauliflower so its often missing from most of our meals. Since its been a while I cooked cauliflower. I decided to try it out. The ingredients suggested were more on the sweet side, personally i did not like the sound of a sweet cauliflower omlette. So I made few changes according to my taste.

Cauliflower, just like broccoli and cabbage is known for containing nutrients that fights against several diseases. 13C( indole-3-carbinol) present in Cauliflower acts as an anti-estrogen and helps to lower the chances of tumor growth. Vitamin C in cauliflower acts as an antioxidant and helps in keeping the immune system strong. Other benefits would be the fiber and low calories. While buying this flower make sure the tops are white. The best way to consume it is by steaming them by which all the healthy components are intact.
However, Cauliflower is considered as a gas-producing food because they are rich in carbohydrates and that causes gas and bloating. So people suffering from bloating,belching or heart burn should avoid this vegetable. As for eggs, which are high in protein and cholesterol. I prefer substituting 1 egg white for every egg yolk because, whites are free from cholesterol and fat. They are loaded with protein. Calorie count of egg white in one large egg is 17. Where as in yolk its 60.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 Eggs ( I used 3 whites and 1 yolk)
1 cup milk ( I used 2%)
required amount of salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp chili paste
2 cups cauliflower, cooked
1/4 cup parsley,chopped
1 cup onions,chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup zucchini or cucumber, chopped
2 tbsp butter


Method:
1. Beat eggs and milk thoroughly.
2.Add seasonings, parsley, cooked cauliflower and rest of the vegetables.Mix well.
3.Melt margarine in 8" square pan in oven and pour the mixture in the hot pan. The omelet will be 1 inch thick.
4. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until firm.
5.Cut into squares and serve hot with any sauce of your choice.
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NUTRITION FACTS: Per serving: 292 Calories; 22g Fat (65% calories from fat); 11g Protein;15g Carbohydrate; 189mg Cholesterol; 312mg Sodium
NOTE: The omelet crust should turn golden.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
This book offers a good amount of Middle Eastern cuisine, such as Arabic Bread, Hummus,Falafel etc. It contains a complete glossary of Arabic terms and suggested menus. All the recipes are well described with simple steps.

Sandwich with Avocado

A great snack for long trips. Does not require cooking and takes no time to prepare. A healthy choice by consuming fresh vegetables. There no reason to regret it.

Ingredients:
For Avocado spread:
1 ripe avocado
1/4cup mint leaves
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
salt to taste
1 tsp white pepper
For assembling:
2 sets of sandwich bread
1/2 lb deli smoked turkey (anything of your choice)
1 lettuce leaves
1 tomato, sliced
1/4 medium zucchini / cucumber, sliced
1/2 cup broccoli sprouts
2 tbsp mustard sauce

Method:
1. For the spread, grind all the ingredients to paste in a food processor.

2. Set all the sliced vegetables and sauce ready and stack the bread by applying the avocado spread to the base of the bread.
3. Then arrange lettuce followed by few slices of tomatoes and zucchini, deli, avocado spread again and finally broccoli sprouts.

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NOTE: You can choose any vegetable of your choice.

Hurmasice

Hurmasice a Bosnian dessert, shaped like a rectangular pastry soaked in a sugar syrup. This was the only recipe I could find online. The pastry batter is suppose to be firm, but mine turned out soft. I baked mine in a 9 inch pan and sliced it after it was baked. A simple recipe with juicy results.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time:20 minutes
Cooking time:20 minutes
Makes: 24

Ingredients:
200gm butter
2tbsp granulated sugar
200gm (7oz) creme fraiche
100ml oil
1 egg
2cups flour
2tsp baking powder
For the syrup:
1liter water
2-3cups sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
24 walnuts, for garnish

Method:
1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Add creme fraiche,oil,egg and mix well.

3. Combine the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Then add it to the wet mix.
4. Pour the batter in a greased 11 inch baking pan. Bake for about 20 minutes at 300F or until it turn golden.

Hurmasice soaked in sugar syrup (Insert:After baking)

5. Meanwhile for the syrup, heat the water in a pan. Bring it to a boil and add the sugar. Combine until the sugar is well dissolved.

6. Remove the hurmasice from the oven and like it stand for 15 minutes. Then pour the warm sugar syrup over it. Let them soak in the syrup for atleast 1-2 hrs or overnight.
7. Serve them cold along with syrup and top with walnut.

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NOTE: Make the syrup during the baking time. If not make it in advance and get it to a warm temperature. The syrup should be warm while pouring it on top of Hurmasice.
TIP: I prefer overnight in the refrigerator. They will be soaked in the syrup and plump.
GLOSSARY: Creme Fraiche, pronounced as Crem Fresh is a thinner version of sour cream. The closest substitue for 1 cup of creme fraiche would be 1 cup of whipping cream and 3tbsp of buttermilk. Whip both;cover and let it stand over night.