Crispy Vegetable Fritters with Spicy Balsamic Sauce

Sometimes amazing things happen out of nothing! I created this recipe completely from scratch. I actually ran out of eggs and everything I had was onions, carrots, potatoes and lots of seasonings. Is it possible to make anything out of these few ingredients?? No cheese, no butter, no eggs..Yes! What I made is super simple and quick. But the crazy mixture of seasonings, small size of the fritters and the fantastic balsamic sauce made this simple dish outstanding. I basically shredded all the veggies I had and mixed in a variety of spices. Together they created an amazing combination and what I liked most was cinnamon! There was just a hint of it, you may not even notice it, but it did add some nice flavour. These were super crispy and yummy. I dipped them into my favourite balsamic sauce and enjoyed them all day long. Will be definitely making these again and again!

Crispy Vegetable Fritters with Spicy Balsamic Sauce

Olive oil, for frying
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, shredded
2 small potatoes, shredded
pinch salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
60g flour

1) In a bowl, combine together all the ingredients.

2) In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat some olive oil to coat the bottom (don't be afraid to add a LOT, you want tour fritters to be crispy!)

2) With your hands, form little balls (4-5cm) and flatten them a little, place onto the hot oil and fry a few minutes until golden brown on both sides.

Spicy Balsamic Sauce:

1 cup water
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1) In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients and cook on low heat until the quantity is reduced by half. Strain through a sieve to discard the garlic. Let cool completely.

Enjoy!!

Recipe by collecting memories

Chocolate Banana Avocado Pudding

I was so curious to try making raw pudding made with avocado! The internet is full of amazing pictures of this healthy alternative to the ordinary chocolate pudding. What can I say - this was really delicious. The texture was creamy and you almost can't taste the avocado. I just added a pinch of salt to enrich the flavour a little. I added 100g of honey but if you prefer it less sweet of if your banana is really ripe, first try adding less. There's nothing that could make you feel bad after eating this. Come on, what could be better than a healthy chocolate pudding?! I feel like I'm falling in love with raw food. 

Chocolate Banana Avocado Pudding

1 ripe avocado
1 ripe banana
10g dark unsweetened cocoa powder
70-100g honey
pinch salt

1) Place all the ingredients into your food processor and process until smooth. Voila!

Recipe by collecting memories

Pumpkin Fritters

Pumpkin Fritters 

400g pumpkin, grated

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp chili powder

1 egg, lightly beaten
100g flour

olive oil, to fry

sour cream, to serve

1)  In a large mixing bowl, mix together pumpkin, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and chili powder. Mix in the egg. Stir in the flour and mix just until combined.

2) In a skillet, heat olive oil. Cook fritters on both sides until nicely golden brown. Serve with some sour cream.

Makes 2 servings

Recipe by collecting memories

Brie Quesadillas

Brie Quesadillas

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped into thin strips
1 onion, chopped into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp sugar
pinch salt
100g soft brie cheese, sliced
2 wheat tortillas
tomato sauce, to serve

1) In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and bell pepper. Cover and cook until softened and a little bit browned, stirring occasionally.

2) Add balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and ginger. Stir to combine, cover, and cook until the liquid has been absorbed.

3) Remove cooked mixture from the saucepan into a bowl. Place 1 tortilla in the saucepan. Spread half of the cooked mixture on one half on the tortilla, arrange half of the cheese and cover with another side of tortilla. Press gently. Cover and cook on both sides until the cheese has melted and the sides are golden brown. Repeat with the remaining tortilla.

4) Remove from heat and slice. Serve warm with some tomato sauce.

 

Recipe by collecting memories

Balsamic Mushrooms

Balsamic Mushrooms

Olive oil for cooking

8 extra large or 400g mushrooms, chopped into medium chunks

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

100ml balsamic vinegar
100ml light cream
Salt, to taste

Pepper. to taste

1) In a saucepan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil. Add mushrooms and garlic, toss to coat, cover and let cook until mushrooms release their liquid. Uncover and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. 

2) Pour in the balsamic vinegar and cook uncovered until it almost evaporates. Slowly pour in the cream and cook a few more minutes. You may want to increase the heat at this time. Season with salt & pepper and turn off the heat when there's still some liquid left in the pan.

Serve warm on toasted bread.

Makes enough for 4 slices of bread.

Recipe by collecting memories