My Twist on the Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern traditional salad made of bulgur wheat and fresh cukes, tomatoes and aromatic herbs, has gained a lot of attention in my kitchen a few years ago.

I love health foods and this one seemed to cover this base at least. Tabbouleh turned out to be my hero: easy to make, delicious and healthy, low in fat and rich in dietary fibers and vitamins that are not easy to get on a daily basis from just eating your regular meals and without help from the Vitamin Shoppe.


Here is my latest twist on the classic tabbouleh:

My twist on the classic tabbouleh

Ingredients

• 1 box of cream of buckwheat (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 boxes of cherry tomatoes
• 2 medium cukes
• 1 bunch scallion
• 1 kohlrabi
• 1 long red pepper
• 1 bunch parsley, 1 bunch fresh mint
• 1/2 cup of red quinoa
• Lemon marinated anchovies (you can find them at Mediterranean Foods of Astoria)
• juice from one lime
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt, pepper to taste
• Mexican tostadas - optional

I love the combination of colors of buckwheat and red quinoa. The buckwheat is slightly on the pink side, as compared to bulgur wheat, more of a yellow.  I prefer the red quinoa for the nice contrast, but you can use the white or black one as well. Both Quinoa  and buckwheat are a good choice for gluten and wheat-free diets. 


Boil buckwheat using the amount of water and salt indicated on the box, until it becomes tender but still crisp, you do not want it mushy. Your purpose is not to make a cream of buckwheat. Wash immediately in cold water so you stop the cooking process. Boil quinoa following box instructions. Wash in cold water.

Chop pepper, cukes and kohlrabi. Slice the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Finely chop scallions and aromatics. Gently mix everything together using a fork so that every ingredient is mixed well, but salad does not become mushy. Add lime juice, oil, salt pepper to taste.



My choice for mexican tostada was totally random, but I love the result:  It gives tabbouleh the crisp element it needed.


Place tostada on a plate and lay spoonfuls of tabbouleh, garnish with anchovies and parsley.


Bon appetit!

DanaTina

Too Much of a Good Thing

So your friendly neighborhood farm gave you one too many cherry tomatoes and you are tired of eating everything with cherry tomatoes? Having that many that they start going bad and don't fell like throwing them out?

Throw them in the food processor instead! Add some red and green peppers, onion, garlic, spices and cook.

Put in a jar while still hot and store in the fridge, preferably. Since you haven't used any preservatives and haven't taken out the seeds off the tomatoes, it will most likely ferment. To be on the safe side store in the fridge. Use when you need a delicious tomato sauce. This will definitely make your next dinner faster to cook. Done and done! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of cherry tomatoes
• 2 red peppers
• 1 green pepper
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• thyme, salt, pepper, paprika, hot pepper
• 1 hot pepper if you like a punch
• 2 tbsp canola oil

From 4 cups of processed tomatoes you get this much sauce.
If you want more than this, increase quantities.

Throw your tomatoes in a food processor. Process peppers separately from tomatoes, different consistencies.  Use processor for onion and garlic as well, it will be fast and tearless. 

Put oil in a sauce pan, cook onion and garlic together until soft, add the rest of the veggies and thyme in and cook to medium heat. Cover with lid, stir from time time. Add salt pepper paprika and any other spices you feel like adding. Add a hot pepper, turmeric or curry powder. Make it Indian, why not?

Be creative! It will be a great sauce if you add a sprinkle of passion too.

Have fun with it!

DanaTina

Lemon Mint Ricotta Cheese Pie

A few weeks ago I got hit with a lot of creativity in the desert area. I was pretty surprised at myself. I don't do much deserts but this time a friend in need triggered my mommy instinct to feed her. I shared the pics with my Instagram-ers and Facebook-ers and it got a good response.

I decided to share it with everyone interested. Please note that I don't measure ingredients much, or count the minutes things need to get cooked. I do everything by instinct, so be forgiving:).

  
Ingredients for pie

• 1 box of ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• lemon zest from 1 lemon
• fresh mint leaves finely chopped
• raisins (optional)
• sugar to taste. I used about 5 tbsp.
• oat meal flakes
• butter 

Ingredients for chocolate syrup

• 1tbsp cocoa powder
• 1tbsp agave nectar 
• 1tsp of Irish cream whiskey

Garnish

• Red currants
• Gooseberries
• Mint leaves 

Separate the egg whites and beat with  sugar until they become stiff and sweet to your liking. Mix in the yokes, ricotta, lemon zest and mint, and optional raisins.

Coat the bottom of a round pan (i used a glass pan, 8inch diameter)

with butter and then pour the oatmeal flakes until the pan is covered evenly. Pour the pie composition into the pan. 

Preheat the oven at 400F, bake for about 10 min, then lower temperature to 300F until cooked. watch it so it doesn't get burned.

For the chocolate syrup - mix all together until homogenized and pour on top of the pie. 

The amount given makes enough for 4  slices of the pie. Eyeball it. 

You can add the syrup on all the pie or individual slices. 

Enjoy!

DanaTina