Wednesday 29 July 2015

Spicy vegan curry

Serves 3

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- garlic, crushed
- ¼ onion, diced
- 1 tbsp garahm masala powder
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 2 tbsp ginger powder (or fresh ginger)
- 1 chili pepper, chopped
- 400g tinned tomatoes or passata
- 200g spinach
- 1 cup split red lentils
- 1 glass cocunut water
- ¾ cup couscous
- parsley, finely chopped


Directions
Cook the lentils in cold water for 20 minutes. When they are cooked drain them.
In the meantime, in a large frying pan heat the oil, then add the onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the garahm masala, cumin, ginger and fry for another minute. Add the passata and the chili pepper, cook for a few minutes then stir in the spinach, lentils and cocunut water. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Pour boiling water over the couscous and cover for 5 minutes, then mix in the parsley.
Serve the curry over the couscous.


Monday 27 July 2015

Zucchini and potato quiche

Serves 4

Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry
- 1 potato, sliced
- 1 small zucchini, diced
- 2 eggs
- 100ml cream
- 80g cream cheese
- 40g blue stilton, crumbled
- salt
- pepper

Directions
Steam the potatoes, or lightly fry with some onion and garlic for more flavour. Let the potatoes cool and in a bowl mix the zucchini, eggs, cream, ccream cheese, salt and pepper.
Unrol the puff pastry and place it on a baking tray. Place the potatoes flat on the pastry covering it entirely. Add the crumbled stilton. Pour the remaining ingredients on top and bake at 140C for 30 minutes.

Sunday 26 July 2015

Shrimp and pineapple curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 fresh chili pepper, finely chopped
- juice of ¼ of a lemon
- 100g canned pineapple, chopped
- 200ml coconut water
- 200g shrimp
- 200g basmati rice

Directions
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garam masala, cumin and chili powder and fry for a minute. Then add the fish sauce, pineapple and cocunut water. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the shrimp, chooped chili pepper and lemon juice. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
Cook the rice in water separately. You can add some cocunut water to the rice to give it a cocunut flavour.
Serve the curry over the rice. 

Friday 24 July 2015

Goat cheese and salmon quiche

Serves: 8 (starter) or 4 (main course)

Ingredients:
- 1 roll puff pastry
- 1 leek
- 180g smoked salmon cut into small pieces
- 3 eggs
- 150ml milk
- 100 ml cream
- 130g fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- black pepper

Directions:
Thinly slice the leek and lightly fry it.
Unrol the puff pastry and spread it over a baking tin.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and then pour into the puff pastry.
Bake in the oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes until the crust is slightly brown


The math of baking

It turns out there's some basic rules to make sure cakes have the right consistency. If the basic math is there, you can play around with the other ingredients. So, the rules are:


1. Sugar = flour. weight (not volume!) should be the same.

2. Eggs = fat (oil or butter). An egg weighs about 50 grams.

3. Eggs + liquid (milk) = sugar.

Also good to know: for every 140g flour (1 cup) use 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Tuesday 7 July 2015

Carrot and spinach flan

It tastes better than it looks!
Serves: 2

Ingredients
- 200g spinach
- 2 medium size carrots
- 2 eggs
- 30g cheddar chees
- 90g cream cheese
- pepper





Directions

Steam the spinach, slice and steam the carrots.
In a blender mix spinach, carrots, eggs and cream cheese.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the cheddar cheese cut into small cubes and pepper to taste.
Pour into a tin and bake in the oven at 120C for 20 minutes.

Sunday 5 July 2015

Stuffed avocado

Serves 2

Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 tomato
- a spoonful of feta cheese
- a spoonful of capers 
- olive oil
- salt

Directions
Slice the avocado in half longitudinally and remove the pit.
Cut the tomato in small cubes, and in a bowl mix the tomato, crumbled feta cheese, capers, olive oil and salt.
Pour the stuffing over the avocado halves and serve.