Colonial Chicken (Galinha Crioula)

This recipe is so good!!!!!
1- Colonial Chicken (Galinha Crioula)

ingredients:

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 8 pieces
2 medium onions, chopped in big pieces
1 8 ounce can diced tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped in big pieces
1 cup long-grain rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups chicken broth
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

directions:
1- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a heavy-bottomed or cast iron frying pan over medium heat for 30 to 40 seconds. Add the chicken and brown on both sides. This will take about 15 min. Remove pieces to a clean plate and remove oil leaving 1 tbsp in pan.
2- Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the onions and bell pepper, and saute for 2 min. Return the chicken to the pan.Turn the heat to medium-high, and add the tomatoes and the 2 cups of broth. Season with salt and pepper.
3- Once the pan comes to a boil, cover it leaving the lid slightly ajar, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 min. After 20 min, add the rice, gently stirring it into the liquid. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Once it boils, cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for an additional 20 to 25 min. or until all the liquid is absorbed. Turn on the broiler. Remove the lid from the chicken and evenly sprinkle the grated cheese over the top. Place the chicken under the broiler for 1 min., or until cheese melts and turns golden brown.

Chicken Soup (canja de galinha)

Chicken Soup (Canja de Galinha)

ingredients

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 8 pieces
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1 medium onion
1 large carrot
1 bay leaf
black pepper to taste
8 cups water
1/2 cup long-grain rice
5 sprigs fresh mint

Directions:

1- wash the chicken pieces, pat them dry with a paper towel, and lay them in a large bowl. Add minced garlic and salt to the chicken pieces.Refrigerate for up to 2 hours to marinate.
2- Just before the chicken has finished marinating, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Wash and peel the carrot and set aside.
3- Remove the chicken form refrigerator. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan large enough to hold all the ingredients. A dutch oven or soup pot will work best. Once the oil is hot, brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Remove the browned pieces to a clean platter, drain the fat from the pot. Leave the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, they will add additional flavor to the soup. Return the chicken to the pot along with the onion, carrot, bay leaf, black pepper, and the water and bring it to a boil over high heat (15-20 min). Once it boils, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot leaving the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender. When chicken is done, remove chicken and carrot from broth and lay them in a plate to cool. Discard the onion.
4- Return the broth to a boil over high heat, then add rice, and salt to taste. As soon as the broth boils again, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 15 min. or until the rice is tender. In the meantime, slice the carrot and chicken into small cubes then, add them to the pan. Heat soup through for 5 min. Wash the mint, and tear the leaves in half. Serve the soup hot and garnish each bowl with a few of the mint leaves.

Brazilian Fish Stew

I made today another type of Brazilian fish stew. very good!

1- Fish Stew

Ingredients:
1lb boneless white fish fillets no skin
salt to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 ripe plum tomatoes,chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 limes (take the juice out of them -about 1/3 cup)
8 to 10 sprigs cilantro
3 to 4 green onions
2 1/2 extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup clam juice

Directions:
1- Rinse the fish fillets then pat dry.Cut it in 3 pieces.Lay the fish pieces in a bowl, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and refrigerate them while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2- Remove fish from refrigerator. Heat 2 tbsp. of the oil in a frying pan for 30-40seconds over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking add the garlic and saute for 1 min. Add 1 cup each of the chopped tomatoes and chopped onions. Saute for 2 to 3 min. Lay the pieces of fish on top of the onions and tomatoes in a single layer. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon over fish. Pour the lime juice over the fish, then spoon the remaining tomatoes and onions to form and even layer over the top. Sprinkle the cilantro over the tomatoes, add the green onions, and then pour the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp of oil evenly over the fish. Add the clam juice. Don't stir the ingredients. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 to 15 min or until the fish is cooked through and tender.
3- Serve the stew hot with rice.

ravioli with homemade tomato sauce / Brazilian Fish Stew / lettuce goat cheese olives salad

We ate brazilian fish stew yesterday for dinner!we finished the ravioli yesterday for lunch. Today we ate salad.
1- Brazilian Fish Stew( moqueca de peixe):

1lb skinless white fish fillets
1 clove of garlic peeled
1 jalapeno
4 tbsp fresh cilantro
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
pepper to taste
juice of 1 large lemon
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup coconut milk

directions:

1.Rinse fish under cool running water and pat dry. Cut into roughly 2 inch square pieces and place in a large mixing bowl or baking dish.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, a half of the tomatoes and onion. Process until smooth.
3. Poor the tomato mixture over the fish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add fish, processed tomato mixture, remaining tomato and onion, and half the coconut milk.
5. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and add remaining coconut milk. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Serve hot with rice.

2- Lettuce goat cheese olives salad

few grape tomatoes , cut in half
few black olives
goat cheese ( I finished with what I had at home at the time)
few shredded swiss cheese
1/3 of spanish onion , cut in circles

dressing:

2 tbsp. olive oil
2tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp mustard

tomato sauce/ cinnamon doughnuts (bolinhos de chuva)

Yesterday we ate Ravioli (bought ready from sobsey) with tomato sauce (ready also). So, there are still some ravioli left. But, today I made the tomato sauce! I also went to post office to mail an international package and after that I went to the library to return the DVDs and pick up 2 books about brazilian cooking I have ordered before. I made this cinnamon doughnut from one of the books!my grandma used to make those. They taste just like hers!

Tomato sauce with Basil (my recipe)

1 can whole tomatoes
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
2 tablespoon ollive oil
7 basil leaves
fresh black pepper to taste
red flake pepper to taste

directions:

heat olive oil in small pan, add chopped garlic, cook for about 1-2 min or until light brown. Add tomato can (everything). Then, kind of break it in small pieces with a big spoon. Then, add black pepper, red flakes pepper (if desired) and basil and let it simmer for 15min.

2- cinnamon doughnuts (bolinhos de chuva)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp. sugar
pinch salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk, warmed slightly to room temperature
vegetable oil for frying
3 tbsp. cinnamon

directions:
1- in a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Mix well. While stirring, slowly add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and milk.
2- pour 2 to 3 inches of oil into a deep skillet or stockpot. heat to 350 F, or until a drop of water flicked into the pan jumps out.
3- carefully drop several spoonfuls (teaspoon) of batter into the oil. Each piece of batter will make a bite-sized doughnut. Fry 3 to 4 min. or until evenly light browned on all sides.Use a slotted spoon to remove doughnuts from oil and drain on paper towels.
4- combne cinnamon and remaining sugar(3 tbsp.) in a small bowl. When cool enough to handle, roll each doughnut in cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat and serve warm.

Macaroni Salad

Yesterday I made this salad. It's very good. I changed a little the recipe. Don't add too many olives if you don't like too salty food. I stayed home all day yesterday. I just went out to walk the dog. I watched some videos, slept (because Kailua woke us up in the middle of the night again to go out!) . So, the day yesterday wasn't good as I was all sleepy from not sleeping well at night.

1-Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. MACARONI
• 1 stalk CELERY
• 2 HARD BOILED EGGS
• 1 GREEN ONIONS
• 7 BLACK OLIVES
  
• MAYONNAISE (amount depends on your preference)
• GARLIC POWDER (to taste)
• no SALT (to taste)
• PEPPER (to taste) (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil MACARONI for about 12 minutes
2. Drain MACARONI
3. Rinse MACARONI with cold water
4. Add CELERY, chopped very fine
5. Add HARD BOILED EGGS, chopped
6. Add BLACK OLIVEs
7. * MAYONNAISE (to taste)
8. Some GREEN ONION, chopped

Tarragon Chicken Salad

This salad is very good. I totally recommend. I dropped a package in the mail today. Then, I went to the bank to see why they're charging me maintenance fee in my saving account.Finally, I went to garden of eden to buy the salad ingredients. I saw the fishes over there but they didn't look good. So, I bought the chicken breast. Last night Kailua woke us up to go out at 3 am! So, my husband took her out and she really needed to go...

Here's the recipe I made today:

Ingredients

* 1/2 lb diced cooked chicken
* 1 small tart apple, cored and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
* 1/3 cup diced celery
* 1/4 cup diced red onion
* 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
* NO SALT NEEDED
* freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 1/3 cup lightly unsalted, roasted cashews, roughly chopped
* lettuce, washed
* Olive oil, for dressing lettuce

Directions

Combine the chicken, apple, celery, and onions in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, tarragon, parsley, chives and pepper. Pour dressing over the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, lightly dress lettuce with olive oil. Serve chicken salad on a bed of lettuce and top with cashews.

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

I don't know. The salad today was ok. The dressing is a little too sweet for me. My husband ate everything! I don't have a picture though. The battery in the camera finished and I need to recharge it.

that's how i made it:

1-Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

ingredients

· 1/4 cup white sugar

· 1/4 cup lemon juice

· 1 teaspoon diced onion

· 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/3 cup olive oil

· 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

· 1/2 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

· 2 ounces shredded swiss cheese

· 1/2 cup unsalted cashews

· 1/8 cup dried cranberries

· 1/2 apple- peeled, cored, and sliced

· 1/2 pear-peeled, cored, and sliced

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds, and process just a few seconds more to mix.

2. In a large serving bowl, toss together the romaine lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, apple, and pear. Pour dressing over salad just before serving, and toss to coat.

Spinach Salad with Baked Goat Cheese/Soft Oatmeal Cookies

So, we're trying to eat more raw food. I'll be making lots of salads I hope. If not for dinner (The dishes I have been making so far in this site are only the ones we eat for dinner, I'm not adding breakfast,or lunch), for lunch. I was at my father-in-law's house today with my husband and Kailua. It is still being painted. We brought home some cooking (mostly baking) utensils. I'm looking forward to use them.

How I made it:
1- Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and dried
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 6 ounces goat cheese, sliced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Arrange the spinach on plates.
2. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat, and add crushed garlic. Cook and stir until slightly golden. Stir in breadcrumbs. Drop the goal cheese slices into the breadcrumbs a few at a time, and turn to coat in the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Place two slices of goat cheese on each serving of spinach, and drizzle the salads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

2- Soft Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups quick cooking oats (old fashioned)
  

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.
3. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pork Paprikash

I made it today for dinner for me and my husband. I made exactly what the recipe asked for. The only difference was that I made 1 lb of pork tenderloin and 3/4 of a green pepper i had at home already. The pepper was very nice with the sauce and pork. I should have added more. well, next time! I'd make it again for sure!

I went out today to buy the pork tenderloin . I can't remember eating pork tenderloin before. I think it was my first time! I liked it a lot.

I also went to public library and got three books about cooking ("Julia's Kitchen Wisdom" - Julia Child, "The Sweet Life in Paris" - David Lebovitz , and "Mediterranean Summer"- David Shalleck with Erol Munuz) and I got three DVD about cooking as well ( "Cook Like a Chef" volume 1, "French Cuisine" - Julia Child, and "Foodmatters, you are what you eat ).

I saw the Foodmatters and half of the Cook Like a Chef. I recommend them!Oh last night I finished reading Julie &Julia. I liked it a lot! I recommend it also!

After dinner, my husband cleaned all the dishes, pots and pans.I cleaned the counter top.
After, I made some fresh whipping cream with the little heavy cream I had at home to put in the espresso. We have a very good espresso machine at home. It is Rancilio (Sylvia). We have also the grinder from the same company (Rancilio- Rocky). We have had the coffee machine for 4 years now and we use her everyday! The grinder we have had it for 2 years and we use it everyday as well!

that's how I made it:

1- Pork Paprikash

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil or bacon fat
• 1 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon flour
• salt to taste
  
• fresh-ground black pepper to taste
  
• 1 onion, cut into thin slices
• 1 large green bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup uncooked penne pasta
  

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Toss the pork with the flour, salt, and black pepper. Add about half the pork to the pot and brown for about 3 minutes. Remove. Repeat with the remaining pork and an additional tablespoon oil. Remove.

2. Reduce the heat to moderately low and add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the onion and bell peppers. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Stir in salt, black pepper, and the paprika. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the pork with any accumulated juices and the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, until the pork is just done, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to very low and whisk in the sour cream.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the egg noodles until just done, about 7 minutes. Drain. Remove 1/2 cup of the sauce from the stew and toss with the pasta Serve the stew over the pasta.

Curried Chicken with Spring Peas

The weather today was cold. It said 0 celsius, but when I went out to the supermarket to buy the ingredients for todays dish, it felt much colder! This dish was very good! easy too.I used Gala apple instead and came out nice. Here's the recipe the way I made:

Curried Chicken with Spring Peas

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3 cups chopped onion
• 1/4 cup minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder (west indian)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt ( a little less)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper ( I forgot to put black pepper!)
  
• 16-ounce chicken broth
• 3 cubed peeled red potato
• 1 diced peeled Gala apple
• 1 1/2 cups shelled green peas (I used frozen peas)
• 1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
• 1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
• 6 cups hot cooked basmati rice ( I didn't eat with rice because it has a lot of potatoes)
  

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 10 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Add the minced ginger, curry, cumin, cinnamon, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add flour, tomato paste, sugar, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly (mixture will have a thick, pasty consistency).

Gradually add chicken broth, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits, and bring to a boil. Add the cubed potato and diced apple, and bring mixture to a boil. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add peas, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until peas and potatoes are tender. Add the chicken to pan, and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from heat, and stir in the sour cream. Serve with rice.

No new recipe

I didn't make any new dish today. We ate Greek Stew with Basil Biscuits for dinner and Vanilla Pudding for dessert.

During the day I rode the bicycle for 1 hour again. I kept most of the time 115 heart rate and reached 154 at one point.While I was riding Kailua started running in circles after her tail!

I went to the post office as well. I also have an ebay business. I need to go to the post office for international mails. Packages inside USA, I can ask the mailman to come to my house and pick up. That's very convenient. I also went to CVS.

Tomorrow the weather isn't going to be good. Snow!! So, I'm planning to cook tomorrow. I'll search some recipes now!

Purple Basil Parmesan Biscuits / Greek Garbanzo Stew

I still have spinach and feta.I need to use them or it will go bad. I had to throw away half of a cucumber because I just saw today it had a little bit of mold. I hate throwing food away.
I went to Garden of Eden to buy some ingredients (spices, eggs,and parmesan cheese). Then, I went to CVS to buy cereal, coke zero and cleaning product.

These two recipes are very easy to make. The stew is delicious. I added some cheese, but not a lot. I wanted to wait my husband come home , reheat and then throw in more feta cheese.
I didn't have 2 cans of 14.5oz of diced tomato. I used one can of diced tomatoes and one can of crushed tomatoes. The rest was exactly like the recipe.

The Biscuits are really nice with the soup. Light, but I didn't use purple basil. I used standard green basil and I used only (the most) 1/2 cup (all I had at home).

While the biscuits were baking, I decided to ride my bicycle. I did it for 1 hour. I started when the last biscuits were in the oven. So, I stopped riding 15 minutes after I started, took out the biscuits, drunk some water and went back to the bicycle again for more 45 minutes. During that time I went really fast to see the highest I could reach in my heart rate. It went up to 160. That was hard!!
Kailua was sleeping most of the time....

1- Greek Garbanzo Stew

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans drained
• 15-ounce vegetable broth ( I used 2 cubes for 15 ounces of hot water)
  
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning
• NO SALT NEEDED
• pepper to taste
  
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Crumbled feta cheese
  

Preparation

Sauté onion in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Stir in spinach and chopped parsley; cook 5 minutes. Top with crumbled feta cheese.

2-Purple Basil Parmesan Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt ( I used a little less and was great because the cheese is very salty)
  
• 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh green basil
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 baking sheet
  

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal ( I mixed it with a whisk until I could see butter pieces anymore) . Stir in basil and cheese. Combine milk and egg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist. I used a teaspoon to take the mixture out (a very full teaspoon) and molded it with my hand as i don't have cookie cutters. Place biscuits on a baking sheet (no need for a cooking spray). Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool.

Vanilla Pudding / Penne with Spinach, Feta, and Olives

This late morning I made Vanilla Pudding. It was easy to make, but way too sweet! I would put half of the sugar the recipe was asking for. I put more milk and cornstarch while cooking, but it was still too sweet. I didn't have more eggs to double all the other ingredients. It's ok to eat now, and I would make it again, but not as much sugar.

I went out to garden of eden to buy the ingredients for the pasta. So, I started making it 5pm. What a great recipe! easy to make and easy to clean! it's a little salty because of the capers, feta cheese and olives, but it was delicious! my husband liked it a lot ! oh! he liked the zucchini from yesterday a lot as well. He ate everything!

Kailua was so cute today. This picture I took today while talking with my mom in skype.

1- Vanilla Pudding

I made like the recipe, but included about 1/2 cup more of milk (1%) , and 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups 1% milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Pour ¼ cup of the milk into the sugar mixture, stirring to form a smooth paste. Whisk in the remaining milk and the egg yolks. Cook the pudding mixture over low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until thickened, about 15 minutes. Do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Scrape the pudding into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the surface to make an airtight seal and prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

2- Penne with Spinach , Feta, and Olives

I made 2 cups of uncooked penne ( half of the box). The rest was like the recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cups uncooked penne
  
• 2 cups chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Add pasta, spinach, olives, capers, and cheese; toss well.

Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups With Herbs and Cheese

Lets cook healthy! Those are great healthy snacks. Fast and easy. It's just a little difficult to cut the zucchinis the way the recipe asks you. I sliced them as thin as i thought it'll be good to roll afterwards and it came up great! It was the first time I ate goat cheese and I liked! ;)My husband went to work after 2 weeks at home in vacation. So, lets see if he'll like what I cooked. I went out today to buy the ingredients for this recipe and it was -1 celsius! that's cold ,but not like yesterday that was freezing! So, today we'll finish yesterday's beef stew and have the zucchini.Kailua didn't eat anything from the floor.lets see tomorrow...

today's recipe:

1-Grilled Zucchini Roll-ups with Herbs and Cheese

how I made it:

Ingredients

• 2 small zucchini (about 1/2 pound each), cut lengthwise as thick as I thought it'll be ok to roll afterwards
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt to taste ( be careful w/ the salt! just a little to taste. the cheese is salty)
  
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 ounces bagged baby spinach (2 cups lightly packed) ( I placed 2 or 3 spinach leaves in each roll it was perfect)
  
• 1/3 cup basil leaves ( I placed half basil leaf in each zucchini roll it was more than enough)
  

Preparation

1. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium.

2. Discard the outermost slices of zucchini; brush the rest with oil on both sides. Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 3 minutes per side. You can prepare the zucchini a day ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.( I made it same day and I'll eat it today. So, I don't know how it'll taste next day)

3. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parsley, and lemon juice, mashing together with a fork.( I smashed with a teaspoon and worked ;) )

4. Put 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about 1/2 inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and a small (or half of a large) basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices. You can make these up to a day in advance; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Classic Beef Stew / Lemon and Fresh Cranberry Scones

I was looking last night some recipes to make today to use fresh cranberries and beef broth because I had it at home opened. So, I found Classic Beef Stew and meyer lemon and fresh cranberry scones. It had great reviews.
The weather today in Hoboken, NJ is -6 Celsius and snowing! So, I needed few ingredients and my husband went out to buy. I started by making beef stew because it takes longer. It's fairly easy to make. Just some chopping, and stirring. If you make this recipe, don't forget to stir because it'll stick at the bottom of the pan as it happened with me. Also, I had to add a little more of beef stock. I made half of the recipe.

When the Beef was simmering I started to make the lemon and fresh cranberry scones. I don't know why I keep saying scoop instead of scones. Anyway, while I was chopping the lemon skin I took out with the vegetable peeler, two or three fell to the floor and my dog Kailua, a 2 year old labrador retriever ate it! She liked! She went then to the hallway and stayed at the rug watching me.

The Scones are easy to make and they came out very nice, light and delicious. I really would make it again. They look very pretty also with the fresh cranberries and not sweet. So, if you don't like sweet desserts you'll like these. I don't have cookie cutters. So, I just used two tablespoons. One to measure and the other to take out from the other and I would flat them with the spoon a little bit. My husband was saying that they would be very nice with coffee. By the way, my husband was at the bicycle watching american football while I was cooking. He reached 184 in his heart rate! and was all flushed!


Now for the recipes:

1- Classic Beef Stew

that's how I made:

Ingredients

* 1 pounds fat-trimmed boned beef for stewing
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/2 onion (8 oz.), peeled and sliced
* 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
* salt to taste (remember the broth is salty!)
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* pepper to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or ground allspice
* 1 cup dry red wine
* 7 oz fat-skimmed beef broth
* 1 potatoe, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
* 2 big carrots, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
* 2 stalks celery , rinsed and thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Rinse beef and pat dry, cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch chunks. Put flour in a paper bag. Add beef and shake to coat with flour.

2. Pour 3 tablespoons oil into a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the meat; and any extra flour in bag. turn pieces as necessary until well browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. and any extra flour in bag

3. Add sliced onion, minced garlic, bay leaves, lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt, sugar, paprika, pepper, ground cloves, wine, and broth to pan. Stir often, scraping up browned bits, until mixture is simmering. Cover pan tightly, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender when pierced, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

4. add 1/2 cup beef broth

5. Add potatoes, carrots, celery. Continue cooking, covered, until vegetables are tender when pierced, 1 hour longer.

2- lemon and fresh cranberry scones

how I made:

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons- I used from less than 1 lemon)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons additional if using fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped coarse, or 1 1/4 cups dried cranberries, if you insist
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400°F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

With a vegetable peeler remove the zest from lemons and chop fine, reserving lemons for another use.

In a food processor pulse flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl toss together fresh cranberries and 3 tablespoons sugar and stir into flour mixture. If using dried fruit, add to flour mixture.

In another small bowl lightly beat egg and yolk and stir in cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.

On a well-floured surface with floured hands pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round (about 8 inches in diameter) and with a 2-inch round cutter or rim of a glass dipped in flour cut out as many rounds as possible, rerolling scraps as necessary. Arrange rounds about 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden.(15 min. was enough)

Cooking

This is my first Blog. Today I decided to start this blog about cooking. Since I have been cooking a lot lately. So, I want to share my experience with the recipes I make.