food and beverage

Ingredients
Dried pinto beans (soaked overnight in water to cover) - 350g
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Onions - 2, sliced
Garlic cloves - 2, finely chopped
Red pepper - 1, deseeded and sliced
Yellow pepper - 1, deseeded and sliced
Chopped tomatoes - 2 400g tins
Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
Fresh basil - 1 tbsp, torn
Fresh thyme - 2 tsp, chopped
Fresh rosemary - 2 tsp, chopped
Bay leaf

Methods
1) Drain the beans. Place in a large saucepan, add enough cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 and a half hours. Drain, reserving 300 ml of the liquid. (I found that I had to add more water to the pan about 45 minutes in to stop the beans drying out).
2) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and peppers and cook for 10 minutes.
3) Add the tomatoes and their can juices, the tomato puree, the reserved liquid, herbs, bay leaf and beans. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. At this point you can add some black olives if you like and cook for another 5 minutes. (Serves 4).

The orange colour group provide alpha- and beta-carotenes. Foods in the orange colour group include carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, winter squash, cantaloupe melons, mangos and apricots (but not oranges!).

Of these, carrots and sweet potatoes can be considered "star foods" from a health-perspective. Carrots are high in antioxidants and protect the body from certain types of cancer. They boost the immune system and are useful in treating a range of ailments, from poor night vision to stomach ulcers. I shall write a separate post about the sweet potato another time.

Greek Baklava Recipe - Learn how to make the best Greek Baklava with greek phyllo pastry.

Ingredients

Filling
500 gr walnuts, coarsely chopped
60 gr sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pastry
500 gr fyllo pastry
180 gr unsalted butter, melted

Syrup
230 gr. caster sugar
300 ml water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
some lemon peel
2 tablespoons honey

Preparation
Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl.

Liberally butter the base and sides of an elongated or round baking dish. Measure the length of the fyllo against the baking dish roughly and, allowing 2 cm extra approximately for shrinkage, cut to length with a sharp knife.

Brush each layer of fyllo with melted butter and spread over the base of the container as evenly as possible. Once you have used 5 layers of pastry, sprinkle a thin layer of filling all over the surface and add 3 more layers.

Sprinkle a thin layer of filling and place 2 more sheets of fyllo on top. Sprinkle on all the remaining filling, spreading it evenly, and cover with 7-8 more layers of fyllo, brushing individually with butter. Fold any excess pastry on either of the sides over the filling and brush it with butter.

Brush the top layer liberally with butter in order to get it crisp and golden. Trim any excess pastry with a small sharp knife, keeping in mind that it will also shrink. Cut the top layers of fyllo carefully, either diagonally into diamond shapes or straight, which will result in square or elongated pieces. Be careful not to cut right down to the base, but only the top layers. This is done in order to make cutting and lifting the pieces out, once it is cooked, much easier and efficient.

Using the tips of four fingers, sprinkle drops of water all over the surface and cook it in a preheated oven, gas no.5/ 375 grades F / 190 grades C, for 15 minutes; lower the heat to gas no.4/ 350 grades F/ l80 grades C and cook for a further 20 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup. Place all the syrup ingredients, apart from the honey, in a saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 6-8 minutes, add the honey and simmer for a further 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Let the baklava cool down then pour the hot but not boiling syrup slowly all over, through a strainer. Let it stand and absorb the syrup.

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How to make best baklava dessert - so easy traditional baklava recipe. Become a baklava chef & teach others this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.

Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.

Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

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Recipe for falafel hot sauce. Falafel hot sauce can be drizzled into a falafel pita sandwich or used for dipping.

Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
3/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon harissa or hot sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preparation
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 15 -20 minutes. Sitting frequently.

Serve falafel hot sauce immediately as a dip for falafel or drizzle onto falafel pita sandwich. Falafel hot sauce is great at room temperature and even cold!

Store in refrigerator for up two weeks.

Try
Falafel Recipe from Scratch
Make Best Falafel Balls Recipe
How to Make Perfect Shape of Falafel?
Falafel Maker
Falafel Nutrition facts

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Khoubiz (Flat Bread) is a staple in Arabic food. This Khoubiz recipe is simple, quick and makes perfect Khoubiz every time! Learn how to make Khoubiz (Flat Bread) the easy way!

Makes 8 loaves Oven temperature: 260 C (500 F)
Cooking time: 4-5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients
6 cup plain flour
1 package active dry yeast
2 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil

Preparation
Sift flour into a large mixing bowl and warm in a low oven.

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, add remaining water and stir in salt and sugar.

Remove about 2 cups flour from bowl and set aside. Pour yeast liquid into centre and stir in some flour to make a thick liquid. Cover with cloth and leave in a warm place until frothy.

Stir in rest of flour, adding oil gradually, then beat until smooth, either by hand for 10 minutes, or on electric mixer using dough hook for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle some of the reserved flour onto a board, turn out dough and knead for 10 minutes, using more flour as required. Dough is ready when it is smooth and satiny with a slightly wrinkled texture. Shape dough into a ball.

Oil bowl, put in dough smooth side down then turn over so that top is coated with oil. Stretch plastic wrap over bowl and leave in a warm place to rise until almost doubled in bulk -- about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Preheat oven.

Punch down dough and turn out onto lightly floured board. Knead for a minute or so, then divide into 8 equal pieces, rolling each into a ball.

Roll each piece into a 25 cm (10 inch) round and place on a lightly floured cloth. Cover with another cloth and leave for 20 minutes.

Heat a large baking sheet or flat griddle on the lowest shelf in an electric oven; in a gas oven select the section of the oven with the most heat, probably near the top.

Place a round of dough on a lightly floured baking sheet with one flat edge or on a piece of plywood, spreading it evenly. Shake to ensure that it will slide off easily.

Rub heated baking sheet or griddle with wad of paper towel dipped in oil then slide dough onto it. Bake in hot oven for 4-5 minutes until it puffs up like a balloon. If you would like it browned on top, turn quickly and leave for a minute. Remove bread and wrap in a cloth to keep it warm and soft. Bake remaining loaves.

To bake in an electric frypan (a good alternative if your gas oven does not heat evenly):
Preheat frypan on highest setting with metal lid on, vent closed. When heated, oil base quickly and slide dough onto base. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, remove lid, turn bread over, re-cover and cook further 2 minutes.

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If you like Shish Taouk you are invited to try it with White Rice.

Ingredients

For the shish taouk marination:
750 g chicken breast fillets, cut into medium size cubes
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup yogurt or 125 ml
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cubes MAGGI® Chicken Less Salt Bouillon, dissolved in ¼ cup or 65ml hot water
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon white ground pepper
2 small green capsicum peppers or 200 g, cut into medium cubes

For the rice:
2 cups basmati rice or 400 g, washed
3½ cups water or 875 ml
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cubes MAGGI® Seasoning for White Rice

Preparation
In a bowl, combine and mix all shish taouk marination ingredients. Cover and marinade in fridge for at least 12 hours.

In a wooden skewer, arrange chicken and capsicum.

Grill the shish taouk on medium heat for 5-7 minutes from all sides or until it’s cooked and golden brown in color.

To prepare the rice:
Add the water to a large saucepan. Add the rice, oil and MAGGI® Seasoning for White Rice cubes.

Stir constantly until it boils, cover and cook over low heat for 15- 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.

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I ate my first ever figs last week. According to Ian they weren't anywhere near as tasty as the ones he had in Africa (fresh from the tree), but I enjoyed them nonetheless.

We made this without the cheese and it still tasted very good.

Ingredients
Mixed nuts (e.g., walnuts, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, almonds, cashews) - 250g
Shallots - 100g
Chopped tomatoes - 400g tin
Egg - 1, beaten
Cheddar cheese - 100g, grated
Dried thyme - 0.5 tsp
Dried sage - 0.5 tsp
Dried mint - 0.5 tsp
Parsley - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Marmite or other yeast extract - 1 tsp blended with 1 tsp boiling water
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Black pepper
Butter / margarine for greasing tin

Methods
1) Dry fry the nuts, stirring gently, until golden fragrant, taking care not to burn. Remove to a bowl and leave to cool.
2) Blend in a food processor until thoroughly ground.
3) In a large bowl, combine the ground nuts with all remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
4) Preheat the oven to 180° / gas mark 4. Grease the loaf tin with butter/margarine.
5) Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until firm and golden. Cool slightly, then turn out.

Jazz up tuna with Moroccan spices for a super fast meal

Ready in 10 minutes

Ingredients - serves 4
20g pack coriander (leaves and stalks)
3 garlic cloves
½ tsp each paprika , ground cumin and chilli powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
150ml extra-virgin olive oil
4 x 8oz/200g fresh tuna steaks, each about 2.5cm/1in thick

Method
1. Put the coriander, garlic, spices and lemon juice into a blender and blitz to a purée. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until you get a smooth, thick sauce. Set aside.

2. Sit the tuna steaks in a non-metallic dish and cover with two-thirds of the sauce. Cover with cling film, then leave to marinate in the fridge for about 20 mins (or for up to 4hrs).

3. Heat a griddle pan or grill. Shake off any excess marinade, season the tuna steaks, then cook for 2-4 mins, depending on thickness for medium rare, turning once (cook 2 mins more for well done). Drizzle over the remaining sauce paste to finish. Try serving with new potatoes; for a Moroccan twist, toss melted butter, harissa spice mix and chopped coriander leaves through the potatoes.
Nutrition per serving
623 kcalories, protein 54g, carbohydrate 1g, fat 45 g, saturated fat 8g, fibre 0g, salt 0.29 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2006.

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Lesley Waters’ rich chicken dish has vibrant North African flavours and goes fantastically with rice or couscous

Preparation time 20 mins
Cook time min 1 hr 40 mins
Freezable
Super healthy


Ingredients - Serves 2 adults and 2-3 children
2 tbsp olive oil
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs
2 garlic cloves , crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 large onion , finely sliced
50g split red lentils
400g can chopped tomato
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
700ml chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick
200g whole dried apricots
handful mint leaves, to serve (optional)

Method
1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Rub 1 tbsp olive oil into the chicken thighs. Mix the garlic, cumin, coriander and paprika together, then rub all over the chicken thighs on both sides.

2. Heat a large flameproof casserole, add the chicken thighs and cook over a medium heat for 5 mins until golden on both sides. You might need to do this in 2 batches, depending on the size of the casserole. Set the chicken aside. Turn down the heat, add the remaining oil and fry the onion for 5 mins until softened.

3. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, apart from the mint and bring to the boil. Place the chicken thighs on top and pour in any juices. Cover and cook for 1½ hrs, until the meat is tender and the sauce thickened. Can be cooled and frozen at this stage for up to 1 month. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge, then gently warm through. Scatter with fresh mint leaves and serve with couscous or rice.

Nutrition Per serving
461 kcalories, protein 48g, carbohydrate 40g, fat 13 g, saturated fat 3g, fibre 6g, salt 1.45 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2006.

Easy Moroccan chicken tagine recipe
Moroccan Chicken Drumsticks

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This hearty and healthy stew is perfect to share with your friends and family

Ingredients - serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
550g lean lamb , cubed
1 onion , chopped
2 garlic cloves , crushed
700ml lamb or chicken stock
grated zest and juice 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp clear honey
175g ready-to-eat dried apricots
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
25g ground almonds
25g toasted flaked almonds
steamed broccoli and couscous , to serve

Method
1. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Add the lamb and cook over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until evenly browned, stirring often. Remove the lamb to a plate, using a slotted spoon.

2. Stir the onion and garlic into the casserole and cook gently for 5 minutes until softened. Return the lamb to the pot. Add the stock, zest and juice, cinnamon, honey and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 1 hour.

3. Add the apricots and two-thirds of the mint and cook for 30 minutes until the lamb is tender. Stir in the ground almonds to thicken the sauce. Serve with the remaining mint and toasted almonds scattered over the top.

Nutrition per serving
441 kcalories, protein 34g, carbohydrate 23g, fat 24 g, saturated fat 6g, fibre 0g, salt 0 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2002.

Try
Moroccan Lamb Recipe
Moroccan Lamb Curry Recipe
Moroccan lamb cutlets recipe

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If you usually serve meatballs with spaghetti, try this summery Moroccan version with couscous for a casual dinner party

Ingredients - Seerves 4
500g lean minced lamb
1 red onion , grated
2 garlic cloves , crushed
2cm chunk root ginger , grated
a pinch dried chilli flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
olive oil
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
200ml chicken stock
½ bunch coriander , chopped

HERB COUSCOUS
200g couscous
50g butter
350ml chicken stock , boiling
½ bunch coriander , chopped
½ bunch parsley , chopped

Method
1. Put the lamb, onion, half the garlic, half the ginger and half the spices in a bowl and season well. Mix (clean hands are best) and form into little meatballs (you'll make around 30).

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan and add the meatballs in batches, frying until browned all over. Scoop out, then add the rest of the garlic, ginger and spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stock and season. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add back the meatballs and cook for another 20 minutes until sauce is thickened. Stir in the coriander.

3. To make the couscous put in a bowl with the butter and some seasoning. Pour over the chicken stock and cover with clingfilm. Leave for 10 minutes. Stir the herbs through and serve with meatballs.

Nutrition Per serving
544 kcalories, protein 30.2g, carbohydrate 36.7g, fat 31.7 g, saturated fat 15.2g, fibre 2g, salt 1.67 g

Recipe from olive magazine, July 2009.

Try
Moroccan meatballs

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The white/green colour group includes garlic, onions, spring onions, celery, pears, white wine, endive and chives. Plants in the onion family contain allicin, which has been shown to have anti-tumour effects. Foods in this group are also rich sources of flavonoids, which when consumed result in a reaction by the body involving an increase in the antioxidant capacity of the blood. This in turn plays a role in the prevention of cancers and of cardiovascular disease.

Ingredients
Butter (or margarine) - 1 tbsp
Bananas - 2 large, slightly under-ripe
Dessicated coconut - 1 tbsp
Soft light brown sugar - 2 tbsp
Lime juice - 2 tbsp

Method
1) Dry-fry the coconut in a frying pan until lightly browned, and reserve.
2) Heat the butter in the frying pan and fry the bananas for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until they are lightly golden in colour.
3) Sprinkle the sugar onto the bananas, add the lime juice and cook for another 3 minutes.
4) Arrange the bananas on a plate and sprinkle the coconut over the top. (Serves 2)

The red colour group (see the 7 colours of health) contains no vegetables and only five fruits. However, it is probably one of the easiest groups to eat every day as it contains what is often a staple food in cooking: the tomato. Also in the red group are watermelons, pink grapefruits, red papayas and guava.

Each of these fruits contain the powerful antioxidant lycopene. Lycopene has been considered a potential agent for the prevention of some types of cancers, particularly prostate cancer. It is more available from cooked tomato products and juices than raw tomatoes and over 80% of lycopene in the American diet comes from just four products: tomato soup, pasta sauce, tomato ketchup and tomato juice. Lycopene is now also available as a dietary supplement.

I bought a book entitled "What color is your diet?" several months ago and though I've yet to read it from cover to cover have dipped into it countless times and read and reread a few of the key sections. The book, written by the director of the UCLA center for human nutrition, contains lots of useful information on the properties of foods and how they impact the body. It explains the major differences in diets across the world and how these influence the incidence of cancer, heart disease and other health problems.

The book suggests that to stay healthy and reduce the risk of cancer etc we should eat not 5, but at least 7 portions of fruit and veg each day. It presents 7 colour categories and provides a list of fruit and veg that fall into each category. Each colour is important for a different reason and the book recommends that we eat at least one item of each colour every day.

At present I do not eat the 7 colours or even 7 portions of fruit and veg each day, but I do consider this to be my goal. Even ignoring the possible health benefits it will make for a varied and interesting diet and encourage me to grow some more unusual fruit and vegetables in the garden and on our land when we get some.

I shall blog the 7 colours, why each is good for you and a list of foods of each colour over the next couple of weeks. I shall also state in brackets how many colours each recipe I post contains.

Imam bayildi (also known as Imam bayouldi) is a lovely vegetarian Turkish dish. It is both sweet and healthy, which pleases Ian as he has a very sweet tooth.

Ingredients
Aubergine - 2
Olive oil - 6 tbsp
Garlic - 3 cloves
Onions - 2, chopped
Canned chopped tomatoes - 2 400g cans
Red peppers - 2, deseeded and chopped
Celery stick - 1, sliced
Raisins - 1 tbsp
Sultanas - 1 tbsp
Flat-leaf parsley - 1 tbsp

Method
1) Cut each aubergine in half lengthways. Scoop out the flesh, leaving 1 cm of flesh around the inside of each shell. Chope the flesh. Sprinkle the flesh and shells with salt and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
2) Heat half the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until slightly softened.
3) Rinse the aubergine and drain well, then add the flesh to the saucepan with the tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add the red peppers, celery, raisins, sultanas and chopped parsley to the saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
4) Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas Mark 4. Put the aubergine shells in an ovenproof dish. Spoon the tomato mixture into the shells. Drizzle with the remaining oil. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Serve hot or cold with rice or quinoa. (Serves 4)

Enjoy cooking and learn how to prepare wonderful Sumac chicken & hummus wraps sandwich.

Ingredients (serves 4)
4 x 170g chicken breast fillets
1 1/2 tbs sumac (see note)
2 tbs olive oil
8 mountain bread wraps
200g mixed salad leaves
4 tomatoes, sliced
2 large avocados, sliced
1/2 cup coriander leaves
2/3 cup (160g) low-fat hummus

Method
1. Halve the chicken breasts through the center to make 8 thin fillets. Place in a bowl with sumac and oil. Season with salt and pepper and rub well into the chicken.

2. Heat a chargrill pan on medium-high heat. Cook the chicken, in batches, for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through and charred. Cover with foil and rest for 5 minutes.

3. Place the bread on a flat surface. Arrange the salad leaves, tomato, avocado and coriander in the centre of each. Dollop hummus over, then cut chicken into thin slices and place on top. Wrap to enclose, then serve immediately.

Notes & tips
Sumac is a lemony, Middle Eastern spice from supermarkets and delis.

Source
delicious. - June 2008, Page 132
Recipe by Louise Pickford

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As a "foodie"  (I really don't like that word!),  I am always on the search for new recipes.  Outside my collection of cookbooks, and fellow bloggers, as well as sites such as Epicurious (which I use several times a week) and Food Network, there are numerous places, both usual and unusual I have been looking for and finding great recipes that I'd like to share.

I am not sure how I found the site, but I subscribe to My Recipes.com, and they send me a new recipe everyday and so far, every one I have made has turned out great. It is a great site to explore, but I actually love getting the daily email recipe- it has often helped me break that "whadda you want for dinner" deadlock that happens in my house. And the price is right - you can sign up for free!

Looking into other people's family recipes isn't something you usually get to do, but I am fortunate that a coworker had a very fastidious cousin who wrote on recipe cards every recipe she ever tried.  When she passed away, this collection passed its way through her family, where relatives took the recipes they remembered most fondly out of the collection.  Since my friend knew I loved cooking, once family was done she gave the cards to me to peruse, and I am making my way through them . I have to admit I am taking my time browsing through them.  First of all, it is quite an experience to think of the time she devoted to writing these recipes down by hand and the effort put into developing a collection that she could share with her friends and relatives. In the today of copy and paste, and computerized recipe boxes, there is something really special about this and I actually want to savor this experience, since it is unlikely that I will have many such opportunities again.


Recently a Fresh Market opened across from Jefferson Lab (now there's a triple threat- one stop across from your work with a Costco, a World Market and a new Fresh Market!!), and while I do not buy my regular groceries there  I do shop their specials and to look for unique items I can't find anywhere else (it is Newport News, by the way!)  After trying a few of their prepared foods (including a very good shrimp and grits cake) it occurred to me to check their website to see if they had recipes there, and what a treasure trove! From appetizers to desserts, there are some amazing recipes just waiting to be tried and some have already found themselves into my menu planning.  Whether you are lucky enough to have a Fresh Market near you, you can enjoy the recipes and other great tips on their website, and they even offer shopping online!

Writing this post made me curious.  What places do you go to search for a good recipe or inspiration?  How many of you still have an old-fashioned recipe box or binder where you keep recipe favorites? Sharing of recipes is a great way to share your heritage, your ethnicity, your unique tastes, and your love... of food and friends!

I bought a book on soups from Otter Nurseries last year and on the whole have been disappointed. It's my own fault for not flicking through more before I bought it as I hadn't realised that most of the recipes were for meat or fish soups, neither of which I find particularly appealing.

However, there are a couple of wonderful vegetable/fruit soups. The tomato and chilli soup is divine and I shall blog the recipe another time. Yesterday I made the butternut squash and roasted garlic soup... very easy to make and I was very pleased to find that you don't have to peel the squash before you cook it. I find butternut squash quite annoying to peel, but scooping out the flesh once it has been cooked is easy. The only disadvantage was my fingers getting very messy when squeezing the roasted garlic out of the cloves into the soup, but it was definitely worth the mess.



Ingredients
Butternut squash - 1 large halved and seeded
Onion - 2 chopped
Garlic - 2 whole bulbs, outer skin removed
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Ground coriander - 1 tsp
Vegetable stock - 2 pints
Salt and ground black pepper

Method
1) Preheat the oven to 220°C / Gas 7. Place the garlic bulbs on a piece of foil and pour over 1 tbsp of olive oil. Fold the foil around the garlic bulbs to enclose them completely. Place the foil on a baking tray with the butternut squash and brush the squash with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
2) Roast the squash and garlic for 25 minutes then reduce the temperature to 190°C / Gas 5 and cook for a further 20-25 minutes (until the squash is tender).
3) Heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy-based pan and cook the onions and ground coriander gently for about 10 minutes.
4) Squeeze the garlic out of its skin into the onions and scoop the squash out of its skin, adding it to the pan. Add the stock, a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
5) Cool slightly and then process in a blender or food processor.
6) Reheat the soup and season to taste.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), is often described as a grain, but is actually a seed related to the spinach family. Quinoa is a complete protein because it contains all nine essential amino acids required by the body as building blocks for muscles. It has twice the protein of rice and is a good source of dietary fibre. Quinoa is easy to digest, contains no gluten and is higher in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc than wheat, barley, or corn.

Quinoa can be found in all the UK major supermarket chains that we've tried, although only Tesco seem to repackage it under their own brand name. When cooked it is light, fluffy and slightly crunchy.

Because of the health benefits and more interesting consistency and flavour quinoa has now pretty much replaced rice in our house.

Vegetable chilli with quinoa:

Until leaving my job at the University I've always considered myself too busy to play around with cooking and if asked I would say that I "couldn't cook properly" whatever that means.

I guess I've had a difficult relationship with food so far. As a child I was the awkward one who wouldn't eat anything. As an adult that changed a little, but I think it's only in the last three or four years that I've realised that I'm not awkward - I just don't really like eating and hate preparing meat. If meat couldn't be bought in non-animal shapes in tins or cardboard boxes in the freezer section of the supermarket I would have turned vegetarian years ago.

As it is I'm not currently vegetarian, but I eat meat probably at most once every couple of weeks. I don't know if I will become fully vegetarian and if I do what time scale that will be on - we will just have to wait and see. I'm creating this blog as a journey on the way to being healthier and more inventive with food, and in addition to posting recipes will be writing my thoughts on food in general, particularly 'new foods' that I've only just tried or starting cooking.

Tasty and easy Arabian gulf main dish - Quails with Spicy Red Sauce and Cumin Rice.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 quails, washed and cut into halves lengthwise

2 tablespoons ghee
2 medium onions or 250 g, sliced
1 medium carrot or 150 g, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
3 cubes MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon
4½ cups water or 1125 ml
2½ cups basmati rice or 500 g

For the spicy red sauce:
2 medium tomatoes or 300 g, peeled and pureed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 cube MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon
¼ teaspoon chili powder

Preparation

Heat oil in a large pan and fry quail pieces from both sides until they are golden brown in color from outside and cooked from inside (season quail with salt and black pepper before frying). Remove from oil and set aside.

Heat ghee in a pot and sauté onion slices until they become tender. Add carrot and cumin seeds and stir for seconds.

Add MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon cubes and water. Bring to boil with occasional stirring.

Add the rice and stir occasionally to boil again then cover and let it cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan, stir to boil then simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickens. Add the fried quail to the sauce and simmer for few minutes.

Place rice in a serving plate and the quails with the sauce on top.

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Try an easy recipe to prepare a spicy Saudi Lamb Stew - Gorsan dish.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions or 300 g, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup coriander leaves or 35 g, chopped
750 g lamb, cuts with bones
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 medium tomatoes or 300 g, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cups water or 750 ml
2 cubes MAGGI® Mutton Bouillon
1 medium potato or 200 g, cut into large cubes
1 medium carrot or 150 g, cut into thick slices
200 g pumpkin, cut into medium size cubes
2 medium zucchini or 150 g, cut into thick slices
1 green bell pepper or 150 g, cut into thick slices

Preparation

Heat oil in a large pot, add and cook onions over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, coriander, lamb cuts. Season with spices and cook with occasional stirring for 4-5 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, water and MAGGI® Mutton Bouillon . Bring to boil and simmer while covered on low heat for 1 hour or until the meat is almost tender.

Add potato cubes, carrot, pumpkin, zucchini and belle pepper, and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until vegetable are cooked.

Serve with Arabic bread or with cooked rice.

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