brown rice risotto with fennel and leek

this is my first post since moving back to europe. it has been quite busy the past couple of months.. i am loving switzerland so far and the food quality here is amazing. i buy local and organic produce at the farmers market, there is also some good lamb and other meats in small butcher shops i have found in town. certainly meat is quite pricey here, but i am not really into eating meat daily, anyways.... thus a vege recipe for a sunday dinner :)
this dish is actually my second personal encounter with fennel (in my own kitchen). i have to say that i was always a little suspicious of the licorice taste, which i am not a big fan of.. however, after making it roasted with olive oil and balsamic vinegar a couple of days ago, i realized, that when it's cooked the taste is not overpowering at all and quite pleasant. i made this risotto with short grain brown rice, you could do it with long grain (adding some more cooking time) and also substitute any veggies or mushrooms you have. i basically used whatever veges i had left in the fridge.

ingredients:
2 1/2 cups short grain brown rice
6 cups of water
1 medium leek, green part removed
1 fennel bulb
1 yellow pepper
4-5 cloves garlic
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tbs Butter
3 small thinly sliced onions
5 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cup of dry white wine (or marsala)
1/2 cup grated or shredded parmesan


directions:
IMPORTANT: do not wash the rice prior to cooking it, as it will not achieve the sticky/creamy texture caused by the starch.
Put the rice into a pot with the water. After it boils bring down to a simmer. Simmer about 20-25 minutes-until most water is absorbed. Drain and set aside.
Saute the chopped fennel, leek, and pepper until tender. Make sure you cook them until tender, because they won't soften much more when cooking in the risotto.

In a large pan sauté the thinly sliced onion in the olive oil and butter. Caramelize the onion on low heat and towards the end add the chopped galic cloves. Add the precooked rice, vegetables, 1 cup of the broth, and the wine. Stir until the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup of broth and continue this adding/stirring until you use all of the broth.
When the last 1/2 cup of broth is absorbed, season the risotto with salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, add the parmesan. Serve very warm, with mâche salad.

berry buttermilk cake

i made this with a mix of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. however it will be just as yummy with any berry on its own, fresh or frozen. the 2 cakes i made were gone in a couple of days so it was a success ;)the recipe is for 2 9-inch cakes.

ingredients:
2 cups pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened sweet cream butter
1 plus 1/3 cup cane sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
2 cups mixed berries
first, preheat the oven to 400F. line 2 9-inch round pans with parchment paper, spray the sides with nonstick spray.
in a large bowl beat butter with 3/4 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. add vanilla and eggs and continue beating. mix in flour until just combined. spoon the mixture onto the pans, sprinkle evenly with the berries and the remaining sugar on top. bake the cakes until they're golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted (20-25min) it's deliciousss ;)

rainy chococoatmeal pepita cookies

this is what i made yesterday. it happened as a result of being stuck inside with the baby, while outside rained all day long.... my husband went to a rock concert after work so i had a good chance of devouring half of the cookies before he got back :) thank god it's not raining today (i might need a jog or some other fitness activity)....
nevertheless, the cookies were amazing, and as my dear hubby said when he tried them late last night "seriously, the best cookies i have ever tasted!"
here are the ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup grated unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup or less chocolate chips (i used about 1/3 actually, because i don't like when the cookies are overwhelmed by the chocolate-y taste)
1 1/4 cups regular rolled oats (i prefer the texture of these, as opposed to quick cooking oats)
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

the making: preheat oven to 375°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper

put butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat with mixer until fluffy. add the egg, vanilla and salt and beat again just until combined. stir in coconut and pepitas. in another bowl, combine oats, flour and baking powder, mix well then add to butter mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined.

drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them about 1-2 inches apart. bake about 10-11 minutes for softer/chewy cookies. then set aside on a cooling rack.wait!for them to cool before eating (if you can).serve with a nice latte.. store in an airtight container.

spanakopita/ banitsa with spinach

this might be either a greek or a bulgarian recipe, but regardless of the nationality- it's a tasty and hard to mess up dish..it's also something rather quick you can make if you have unexpected visitors. i'm not claiming it's healthy by any means though....
here's what products you'll need:


- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 stick butter
- bunch green onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb package frozen spinach (use organic, spinach is one of the "Dirty Dozen" )
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup crumbled sheep's feta cheese (Bulgarian vs Greek, I make it with Bulgarian)
- pinch of nutmeg
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup yogurt
- 12 sheets phyllo dough
- more olive oil for sauteeing the spinach and oiling the baking dish

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9x9in baking pan (or use 4qt pyrex baking dish, also works)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute green onions and garlic, until soft. Mix in the thawed spinach and parsley, and continue to saute about 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together eggs, yogurt and feta. Stir in spinach mixture.
Melt the butter. Mix it in with the 2tbs of olive oil. Lay a sheet of phyllo dough in the baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil mixture. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with oil mixture, and repeat process. After 6 sheets pour in and spread the spinach/cheese/yogurt mixture. Then layer remaining 6 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil mixture. PRIOR to baking cut the spanakopita into squares- this will allow for the filling to spread and cook evenly.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into the pre-cut squares and serve warm. Yum!

chicken ceasar salad with yogurt dressing

a simple salad with a healthy twist on the dressing and minus the anchovies.. i made this for dinner together with the kale soup ;)


ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 head of romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
6 cloves garlic
1 cup greek/strained yogurt
1 bunch of cilantro (i know people either love or despise this spice so if you are of the latter group of people omit or substitute it using common sense..)
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
few pitted kalamata olives
2 tbs shredded parmesan (to sprinkle on top)
1 tbs grated parmesan or asiago cheese (for the dressing)

how to cook chicken:
blend cilantro in food processor or blender with half of olive oil, half of the lemon juice, 3 garlic cloves, adding some black pepper and salt. marinade chicken in this mix for 1+ hours in the refrigerator. then grill on a stovetop grill pan or broil chicken until done. set aside.

how to make dressing:
mince the remaining 3 cloves garlic. whisk them in the yogurt with the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, grated parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. if desired add more lemon juice for tartness..

now the salad is almost ready:
stir dressing into lettuce, top with shredded parmesan, chicken breast and kalamata olives. enjoy!

creamy kale soup

kale is sooo good for you, vitamins, minerals and all that makes it a wonder veggie! yea, tell that to my husband.. but with this easy and yummy recipe i had him asking for seconds and thirds ;)


here's what you need:
1 bunch of kale, washed, chopped, stems removed
4-5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
600ml chicken bouillon
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper

how to make it:
saute the green onions in some olive oil (use as much as you need, i didn't measure). when they become soft add the minced garlic and cook a few minutes longer. set aside. meanwhile bring the bouillon to a boil. saute the potatoes in some olive oil. add the onions, garlic, potatoes and kale to the bouillon. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. puree soup in blender until smooth and creamy. add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy with a fresh salad :)

the flourless, sugarless, eggless, butterless cookies

i've meant to post these last week when i made them, but didn't have time. the two dozen i made were gone in just a couple of days! so they must have been good :)
here is what you need:
2 cups rolled oats
3 large ripe bananas
2/3 cup almond or hazelnut meal ( i used hazelnut this time); alternatively if you have neither you can use whole wheat flour, but then they won't be flourless :)
1 ts pure vanilla extract
1/3 coconut oil, warmed until liquid
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 ts baking powder
1/2 ts sea salt
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (you can adjust the amount depending on your preferred sweetness, i omitted entirely and the cookies were still sweet enough, because of the ripe bananas)
how to make them:
preheat oven to 350F. place racks in the top part of the oven.
in a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork and combine with the vanilla, honey/maple syrup and coconut oil. in another bowl mix the oats with the almond/hazelnut meal/flour, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, salt and baking powder. combine the wet and the dry ingredients and mix well. drop spoonfuls of the dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. bake about 15 mins. enjoy with your tea or latte; for me they're perfect in the morning. i guess they're also perfect for vegans :)