Bread salad with Gorgonzola cheese

This crunchy salad is a great way to begin a meal.

Ingredients:

3 thick slices ciabatta or other rustic
country-style bread, toasted and cut into
bite-sized chunks
2–3 tbsp olive oil
handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
1⁄2 x 7oz (200g) jar roasted red peppers,
drained and sliced
4 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
handful of toasted pine nuts
4oz (115g) Gorgonzola, Dolcelatte, or blue
cheese, cut into small cubes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Put the bread in a large bowl,and drizzle with the olive oil. Add the basil, and season with salt and
pepper. Toss together; then let stand for about 10 minutes to develop all of the flavors.
2. Add the peppers, tomatoes, pine nuts, and cheese, and toss gently to mix. Serve on its own or with cold cooked meats.

Amigdalota (Greek Almond Macaroons)

Ingredients: 

1 pound ground almonds
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons toasted bread crumbs
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rose water
Confectioners’ sugar

Preparation:

Beat egg whites with salt until stiff, then add lemon juice. Add almonds, sugar and crumbs to egg
whites, folding them in gradually. Add vanilla extract.
Cut a brown paper bag to fit a cookie sheet and grease the paper. Drop teaspoon−size macaroons onto
paper and bake at 275 degrees F about 20 minutes, checking after 15 minutes so that Amigdalota don't
burn.
Brush cookies with rose water when they come out of the oven. Loosen them from paper by moistening
the paper slightly and lifting off macaroons. Sift confectioners' sugar over them and let cool.

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

900ml/11⁄2pt chicken stock
1 bay leaf
4 spring onions, sliced
225g/8oz button mushrooms,sliced
100g/4oz cooked skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
50g/2oz soup pasta such as orzo or ditalini
150ml/5fl oz dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
salt and ground black pepper

Preparation:

• Put the stock and bay leaf into a heavy pan, and bring to the boil.Add the spring onions and mushrooms to the simmering stock.
• Add the chicken to the soup, and season with salt and pepper. Heat through for 2–3 minutes.
• Add the pasta, cover and simmer for 7–8 minutes.
• Just before serving, add the wine and parsley, heat the soup through
for 2–3 minutes, then check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Serve hot.

Brinjal Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

300g/11oz aubergine, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
75ml/3fl oz vegetable oil
a little salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
20 curry leaves
1 teaspoon skinned and split urad dal
150g/5oz onions, finely sliced
200g/7oz tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1⁄2 teaspoon chilli powder
1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander
1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Preparation:

• Soak the aubergine in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry with
kitchen paper.
• In a large frying pan, heat 4 tablespoons of the oil over a medium heat.
Add the aubergine and a little salt, and cook for 10 minutes or until the
aubergine is brown and soft. Drain the aubergine on kitchen paper, and
set aside in a warm place.
• Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Add the mustard seeds and, as
they begin to pop, add the curry leaves and urad dal. Cook, stirring, for
a few minutes or until the dal is golden, then add the onions and a little
salt and cook until the onions are starting to colour, stirring occasionally.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, chilli powder, coriander and turmeric,
and mix well. Add the aubergine and cook for a further 5 minutes,
stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down. Transfer the mixture
to a serving dish, and serve immediately.

Batter-dipped Tofu Recipe

Ingredients:

225g/8oz firm tofu
125g/41⁄2oz plain flour
2 tablespoons toasted wheatgerm
1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
1⁄4 teaspoon dried dill
1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄4 teaspoon paprika
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

For the ginger dipping sauce
100ml/31⁄2fl oz rice vinegar
50g/2oz granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh root ginger

Preparation:

• To make the ginger dipping sauce, put the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and
175ml/6fl oz water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce the
heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cornflour and 1 teaspoon
water, and stir into the sauce. Keep stirring until the sauce is clear and
thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the ginger. Keep
warm until needed.
• Cut the tofu into 2.5cm/1in squares about 8mm/1⁄4in thick. Set aside.
• Combine the flour, wheatgerm, thyme, dill, garlic powder, paprika and
pepper in a medium bowl.
• In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the egg using a fork. Add the milk and
hot pepper sauce, and whisk again to combine.
• Heat the oil in a large wok over a medium-high heat. Piece by piece,
dip the tofu in the flour, then in the egg mixture, and again in the flour.
Fry the pieces of tofu for about 3 minutes on each side until golden
brown (if necessary, cook in batches so that the temperature of the oil
does not drop). Drain on kitchen paper.
• Serve immediately with a bowl of the ginger sauce for dipping.

Asparagus Cashew Stir Fry Recipe

Ingredients:

225g/8oz raw cashew nuts
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
450g/1lb fresh asparagus
4 spring onions, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
900g/2lb freshly cooked brown rice, to serve

For the sauce
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornflour
350ml/12fl oz water
1 tablespoon minced fresh root ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation:

• Spread the cashew nuts over a baking sheet. Toast under a hot grill until
golden, turning them frequently. Set aside.
• To make the sauce, combine the soy sauce and cornflour in a small
bowl, stirring until smooth. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients, and
set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. Stir-fry the asparagus,
spring onions, pepper and garlic until the vegetables are tender. Stir the
sauce mixture, pour it over the vegetables and stir-fry until the sauce is
thickened and glossy. Reduce the heat and fold in the cashew nuts.
• Cover and cook for 1 minute until the cashews are heated through.
Serve immediately with the hot brown rice.

Celery and Stilton Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

4 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
50g/2oz butter
45g/11⁄2oz plain flour
1⁄2 glass white wine
900ml/11⁄2pt chicken stock
300ml/10fl oz milk
225g/8oz crumbled Stilton cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

• In a heavy saucepan over a low heat, gently sweat the celery and onion in butter until soft. Add the
flour and remove from the heat.
• Pour in the wine and stock, stirring continuously. Return to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring
until the mixture thickens. Simmer for 25 minutes.
• Add the milk, simmer for a further 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Whisk in the Stilton.
• Purée the soup in a blender or food processor, then push through a sieve into a clean pan. Season with salt and pepper.
• Reheat gently and serve.

Egg Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

8 eggs, hard-boiled and
chopped
50g/2oz butter
4 tablespoons chopped celery
2 tablespoons small capers,
rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons grain mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh
tarragon
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

Preparation:

• In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients thoroughly, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve on a bed of crisp lettuce.

Medium Balti Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
900g/2lb skinless chicken breast
fillets, cubed
1 onion, sliced
225g/8oz green beans, cut into
5cm/2in lengths
350g/12oz tomatoes, chopped
15g/1⁄2oz fresh basil, roughly torn
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
For the sauce
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
root ginger
4 fresh green chillies, chopped
15 cloves
seeds from 10 green
cardamom pods
1 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon mustard powder
400g/14oz tinned chopped
plum tomatoes
600ml/1pt vegetable stock
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed
lemon juice
pared zest of 1 lemon

Preparation:

• To make the sauce, heat the oil in a heavy pan, and fry the onions,
garlic and ginger for 2 minutes. Add the chillies and cook for a further
2 minutes. Add the spices and stir-fry for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add
the tomatoes, stock, lemon juice and lemon zest. Bring to the boil and
simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Discard the lemon zest.
• Heat the oil in a large balti pan or wok, and stir-fry the chicken for
5 minutes until golden. Add the onion and green beans, and continue to
stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Pour in the sauce and simmer gently for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the tomatoes and basil, and cook for a further 2 minutes or until
the chicken is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Catalan Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
900g/2lb beef mince
2 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
25g/1oz plain flour
1.2 litres/2pt hot vegetable stock

Preparation:

• Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Sauté the beef until it is just cooked, then remove and keep to one side. Sauté the carrots, onions and tomatoes in the same pan for a few minutes, stirring continuously to prevent sticking.
• Blend in the flour using a wooden spoon, and cook for a few more minutes. Return the cooked mince
to the casserole.
• Cover the mixture with the hot stock, and simmer the soup gently for about 45 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken with Ciabatta & Parma Ham Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
800g/1lb 12oz leeks, trimmed and
cut into 1cm/1⁄2in slices
150ml/5fl oz dry sherry
200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
400ml/14fl oz cr?me fra?che
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
700g/11⁄2lb skinless chicken breast
fillets, cut into 1cm/1⁄2in strips
100g/4oz Gruy?re cheese, finely
grated
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
For the topping
200g/7oz ciabatta breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
75g/3oz Parma ham, roughly torn
2 tablespoons chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the leeks and cook over
a gentle heat for 15–20 minutes until softened. Remove with a slotted
spoon and put to one side. Add the sherry and stock, bring to the boil
and bubble until reduced by about a quarter. Allow to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.
• In a bowl, mix the crème fraîche, flour, mustard, sage and parsley
together with some salt and pepper,. Mix in the reduced stock and leeks.
• Put the chicken into a 2.3 litre/4pt ovenproof dish, and pour the sauce
mixture over. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
• To make the topping, put the breadcrumbs in a bowl with the oil, ham
and parsley. Toss together and sprinkle over the chicken.
• Cook the chicken in the oven for 50–60 minutes or until bubbling at the
sides. Serve hot.

Khara Masala Balti Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

3 curry leaves
1⁄4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1⁄4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1⁄4 teaspoon onion seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon crushed dried red
chillies
1⁄2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon crushed pomegranate
seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shredded fresh
root ginger
3 garlic cloves, sliced
50ml/2fl oz corn oil
4 fresh green chillies, slit
lengthways
1 large onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
700g/11⁄2lb skinless chicken breast
fillets, cubed

Preparation:

• In a large bowl, mix together the curry leaves, mustard seeds, fennel
seeds, onion seeds, crushed red chillies, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds
and crushed pomegranate seeds. Add the salt, ginger and garlic.
• Heat a wok until very hot. Add the oil and, when the oil is hot, add the
spice mixture, then the green chillies. Stir-fry for a minute or so. Add the
onion to the wok and stir-fry over a medium heat for 5–7 minutes.
• Add the tomato and chicken pieces to the wok and cook over a medium
heat for 7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce
has reduced slightly.
• Stir the mixture over the heat for a further 3–5 minutes, then serve hot.

Garlic and Nut Butter Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

225g/8oz roasted salted mixed nuts,
roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
450g/1lb butter, softened
4 tablespoons chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
2 lemons
225g/8oz puff pastry
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
12 small skinless chicken breast fillets
900ml/11⁄2pt hot chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

• Combine the nuts and garlic with the butter, parsley and 2 tablespoons
of lemon juice, and season well with pepper. Cover and chill.
• Roll out the puff pastry thinly. Prick well and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Brush the pastry with
beaten egg and, using a small cutter, stamp out shapes. Sprinkle with
the poppy and caraway seeds, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
• Arrange the chicken breasts in a roasting tin, and half-cover with the hot
stock. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
• To serve, melt the nut butter mixture. Drain the cooked chicken breasts
from the stock, and put on a heated serving dish. Spoon the melted
butter over, and garnish with the pastry shapes.

Boston Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

850g/13⁄4lb canned cooked pinto
beans, drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 celery stick, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
450ml/3⁄4pt beef stock
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

Preparation:

• Put the beans, tomatoes, celery,onion, bay leaf and stock in a medium saucepan. Cover the pan, and bring the mixture to the boil over a medium-high heat.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are quite soft. Leave the soup to sit, uncovered, for a further 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
• Pureé half the soup in a blender or food processor. Mix into the remaining soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve

Cranberry Chicken Recipe

This cranberry chicken recipe is one of an easy recipe to prepare at home. It has some sweet and sour flavor hence become more delicious. It is usually served with boiled rice.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Salt to taste
1 tsp chicken powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 chicken breast halves (boneless)
2 2/3 tbsp butter
2/3 cup fresh cranberries
2/3 cup water
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp white vinegar

Preparation:

1. Sift together flour, salt, chicken powder and pepper.
2. Dust each chicken piece with the dry mixture.
3. Heat butter in skillet and cook chicken pieces for at least 5 min at medium heat until become crispy brown from both sides.
4. After that prepare sauce for the chicken, for that use the same skillet and cook together cranberries, water, brown sugar, red pepper, nutmeg and vinegar at low heat until cranberries become tender, it would take 4-5 min.
5. Now add chicken pieces to the sauce and simmer for 15-20 min until every chicken piece would become tender and cook from inside.

Borscht Easy Recipe

Ingredients:

900g/2lb large raw beetroot
225g/8oz onion, diced
225g/8oz leeks, sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
50g/2oz butter
600ml/1pt chicken stock
1 bay leaf
150ml/5fl oz soured cream
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

Preparation:

• Boil the beetroot whole in salted water for 15 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water. Peel and cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks.
• In a frying pan, gently sweat the onion, leek and celery in the butter until softened. Add the beetroot, stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, skim the surface, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Discard the bay leaf, and purée the soup in a blender or food processor. Return to a clean pan,season and bring back to the simmer. Remove from the heat, stir in the sour cream and serve.

Pumpkin Roll Easy Recipe

This is another pumpkin recipe which can be easily prepared at home. This pumpkin roll recipe is prepared with cream cheese stuffing, you may also mix whipped cream with the cream cheese but in that case you will have to reduce the quantity of cheese to half.

Ingredients:

For Sponge:

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
¾ cup pumpkin
1 tsp lemon juice
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
Icing sugar for topping

For Filling:

1 cup caster sugar
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until become fluffy.
3. Add pumpkin and lemon juice to the egg mixture and mix well.
4. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
5. Now combine dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture and fold them nicely using spatula.
6. Grease and dust the cookie sheet with flour and pour the prepared batter onto the tray. Place the tray in preheated oven for 12-15 min until become done.
7. Meanwhile prepare filling for the roll, for that beat cream cheese with butter and sugar until well blended and then mix with vanilla essence.
8. When the sponge becomes ready cool it to room temperature at wire rack and then spread the prepared filling over the whole sponge.
9. Then starts rolling the sponge from one side to other and in the end dust the whole roll with icing sugar from every side. Place the roll in fridge to chill for 30 min. and then cut into slices.

Fried Zucchini Easy Recipe

This fried zucchini recipe is very crisp and healthy snack for those who don’t like veggies. The batter used in this recipe can be used to make other fried vegetables like carrots, broccoli, capsicums, etc.

Ingredients:

For Batter:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil

500 gm zucchini (cut into thick long pieces)
Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

1. To make batter for fried zucchini, take a mixing bowl and beat egg just to mix yolks and white together.
2. After that add milk, oil salt and sift flour with baking powder, mix the mixture to make a smooth normal consistency of batter (not so thick or thin).
3. Now dip zucchini pieces into the batter. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and fry zucchini pieces until become light brown in color, it would take 3-5 mins.

Serving:

Enjoy this zucchini with Hollandaise Sauce.

No Bake Easy Cookies Recipe

The title of this recipe clearly specifies that there is no baking and extra effort or skill is required to prepare these cookies, the only thing which is not clear is its flavor these no bake easy cookies are prepared without flour so there is no baking method is used you just need to mix the ingredients after preparing the syrup and place in fridge to set.

Ingredients:

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 pack corn flakes
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup coconut flakes

Preparations:

1. In a sauce pan combine sugar and corn syrup and cook on medium heat until sugar melts completely.
2. When the syrup starts bubbling remove it from heat and mix with peanut butter, corn flakes, coconuts and almonds.
3. After that in a flat tray place butter paper and drop a tablespoon of peanut butter mixture on it keeping distance between them.
4. Now place the tray in fridge for at least an hour until the cookies set and easily take out from the tray. Delicious no bake easy cookies are ready to serve.

Chilled Avocado Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
600ml/1pt chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1⁄2 teaspoon chilli powder
salt
2 tablespoons sour cream, to serve

Preparation:

• Peel and stone the avocado. Blend or process the flesh into a purée. Add the remaining ingredients,except the sour cream, and blend until smooth. Allow to chill for a few hours before serving.
• To serve, add the sour cream, stir through and serve the soup chilled.