CHICKEN AND NOODLE SALAD

It looks like I haven't published new recipes in a long time.  It's been very busy lately.  I hope you like this recipe.  You can say it is a meal in itself.  My favourite for lunches!  Most of the ingredients are basic stuff which I pay attention to when I publish recipes.  I try to keep speciality stuff to minimum.  This recipe has pomegranate concentrate as an exception but it is optional.  You don't really need it.

1.5 cup orzo or very thin noodles. 

3 cups water

1 small chicken breast (boiled or barbecued)

1 small can of corn

1 barbecued (or baked in the oven) red or yellow pepper

1 bunch green onions

1/2 cup thinly cut dill pickles

1/2 chopped bunch parsley

1/2 bunch chopped dill

Salt 

1 lemon juice

1 tablespoon sumac

1/4 cup olive oil

Optional: pickle juice and pomegranate concentrate

• Boil or barbecue the chicken breast and set aside to cool enough to handle
• Bake or barbecue the pepper.  Take the skins off when it is cool enough to handle.  Chop small.
• In a pot, lightly brown orzo in olive oil
• Pour the water on the orzo cover and cook at reduced heat until soft stirring occasionally (just like rice).  Be sure all the water is gone.
• Drain and rinse the corn
• Wash and chop parsley, dill and green onions
• "rip" by hand or cut chicken into small pieces
• Mix all your ingredients together
• Add salt, lemon juice 
• Add pomegranate juice and pickle juice to your liking.
• Enjoy!

EASY APPLE CRUMBLE

Apple crumble is a good way to use the old apples in your fridge.  Best part is, it is extremely easy to make.   This is my husband's favourite desert.  Best served with ice cream of course.

2.5 cups peeled and cut apples

2 - 3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons water

Topping

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

4 tablespoons of oat meal

2 tablespoons of flour (whole wheat flour is best)

• Preheat oven to 375
• Peel and cut apples and put in a pan with 2 tablespoons of water
• Add sugar.  If you are using sweet apples, use 2 tablespoons but if they are more sour, use 3 tablespoons of sugar
• Add cinnamon
• Cook apples for 5 minutes at medium temperature (until soft)
• Transfer apples to an oven proof dish.  This recipe is for 4 servings so I used a mid sized pyrex bowl
• Mix all of the topping ingredients with your hands or a fork.  These are your "crumbs"
• Cover the apples with the crumbs
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown
• Enjoy them warm with ice cream
• 

MOUSAKKA

Mousakka has many varieties.  Some have potatos others don't.  Some have yogurt or milk etc.  This is a basic recipe.

2 large eggplants

1/4 cup olive oil

1 kg. ground beef or lamb

1 teaspoon allspice (or cinnamon)

salt

1 medium sized onion

1 large (800 gr) canned crushed tomatos

1/4 cup thinly sliced parsley (optional)

Sauce:

2 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons flour 

1.5 cup milk 

1 egg

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

• Wash and dry the eggplants.  Slice them thinly
• Preheat oven at 350
• Lay the sliced eggplants on a pan single layer, brush with half the oil.  Turn them over and brush the other side with oil.  Cook until they are soft. 
• In a separate pan cook chopped onion and ground meat until the meat is browned and separated..  Add salt, allspice and cook at low heat until all the juice is gone.
• Spray a small glass pan and layer eggplant, ground meat and curshed tomato then another layer of eggplant.  Last layer must always be eggplant.  Some people have multiple layers but I prefer a single layer.  
• Prepare the top layer by melting the butter in a pan.  Add in the flour.  Cook flour until the color changes to brown.  Add in milk and continue to cook making sure flour is mixed through without lumps.  Add in the egg making sure to continually stir.  Cook until the sauce thickens.  
• Pour the sauce over the last layer in your pan
• Sprinkle all the cheese
• Cook in the oven for 45 minutes
• Let it rest for half hour after its cooked before serving

VEGETARIAN FRESH ROMANO BEAN STEW (TAZE BARBUNYA)

I normally cook this dish from dried Romano beans but from fresh is bit more work but well worth the effort. When they are in season, I freeze them so we can enjoy fresh beans through the winter time.  This dish is made with olive oil.  Very healthy!  It makes a meal on its own or a side dish for any kinds of meat or fish.  The lemon wedges are shown as decorations here but I like squeezing them on the beans when I am eating because it adds a really nice flavor (in my opinion of course).

1/2 kg. fresh Romano beans

1 medium size onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 medium sized potato

1 medium size carrot

2 medium sized tomato

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

4 cups boiled water

Salt

For decorations thinly chopped parsley and lemon wedges

• Peel the beans to take the beans out
• Boil the beans in sated water for about 25 minutes and drain
• Peel potatoes, onions and carrots and chop them as seen in the picture
• Peel 2 cloves of garlic and chop them very thin (some people use them whole but I prefer them chopped)
• Grate the tomatoes
• Sauté onion, carrot and potato in 1/2 cup olive oil
• Add garlic, grated tomato and the beans along with tomato paste, sugar, salt and water
• Cook in low heat until all the vegetables and the beans are soft
• Decorate with chopped parsley and lemon wedges when serving

CHEESE AND SPANICH PASTA BAKE

This recipe is light and delicious.  It is made with cottage cheese so it has less calories. 

2 cups ziti

1 bunch or package baby spanich (1/2 kg)

1 cup mushrooms

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 cup cottage cheese

1 large chopped tomatos with Italian seasoning or spicy pasta sauce

1 cup grated marble cheese

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 tablespoon thyme

salt and blackpepper

• Wash the baby spanich, and mushrooms and chop them
• Saute spanich, chopped onions, garlic and mushrooms.  If you like, you can drain.  I usually leave the juices in because we like dipping our garlic bread in it.
• Cook pasta normally in salted water and drain
• Mix together vegetables, pasta, cottage cheese, tomatos (or the sauce) and the seasoning
• Spray a glass pan with pam
• Add your pasta mixture
• Sprinkle grated cheese
• Preheat oven at 350
• Cook for 45 to 50 minutes
• Leave for 15 minutes before serving
• Serve with Garlic bread for dipping in juice and ceaser salad

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

First time I had this soup was when my husband and I went to Quebec City for the winter carnival. It was a very cold day. We found a small restaurant for lunch and went in to get something to eat and warm up. The soup of the day was this soup and we tried and really liked it. Later when we spoke with the chef, he told us that in summer months this soup is served cold. We tried it cold but we prefer it warm.

3 medium sized leeks
1 medium sized onion

3 tablespoon butter

4 medium sized potatoes

4 cups chicken stock

1 to 2 cups cream (or milk)

salt and black pepper

chopped watercress or chives for decorations

•  Clean and mince the leeks
• Clean and mince the onions
• Saute leeks and onions in butter until soft
• Clean and chop potatoes
• Add everything together with chicken stock in a big pot and simmer until all the vegetables are soft
• Put in the blender until smooth
• Add in cream, salt and pepper
• Warm to serve
•  Add chives for decorations

OVEN BAKED FILET OF SOLE

This is a basic recipe.  Nice thing about Sole is that it is easy to roll so, you can fill it with all kinds of things.  My favorite fillings are swiss cheese and asparagus or spanich and cheese.  This is a good healthy recipe especially if you are counting calories like me

Filet of Sole (if frozen thawed)

2 tablespoons olive oil per filet

1 tablespoon lemon juice per filet

Salt

Fish seasoning.  I used one from the grocery store but you can mix your own.  All it has in it is garlic powder, dried dill and blackpepper.

• Take the filet of sole.  Wash with salt water and let it dry
• Brush both sides with 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Lay on the lined pan flat.  Sprinkle salt and seasoning
• Roll and secure with toothpicks (see the picture below)
• Continue until all the fish is ready
• Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top and sprinkle more fish seasoning
• Preheat oven to 400
• Cook for 10-15 minutes
• Take the toothpicks out before serving
• Serve with cesar salad