Cheesy Carrot Lasagne
2 tbsp oil
3 (300g) onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 (470g) carrots, shredded
1 tsp salt
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes with juice
180g / 2/3 cup greek yogurt
200g / 6oz your favorite cheese, shredded
250g / 9oz no-boil lasagne noodles
1) Preheat oven to 200C / 400F. Line a 20x20cm / 8x8inch baking dish with parchment paper or prepare a silicone baking dish.
2) In a medium saucepan, heat oil and add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned. Add shredded carrots and salt. Stir-fry until carrots soften a little bit. Remove from heat and set aside.
3) Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/2 of chopped tomatoes (with juice). Top with 1/4 of the noodles. Top noodles with 1/3 of the carrot mixture and sprinkle 1/3 of cheese. Top with 1/4 of noodles, remaining chopped tomatoes and another 1/3 of the carrot mixture. Top with 1/3 of cheese. Spread 1/2 of Greek yogurt and top with 1/4 of noodles. Top with remaining 1/3 of the carrot mixture and remaining noodles. Top with remaining Greek yogurt and cheese.*
*You don't have to follow all these steps. This is what I did but you can arrange your lasagne the way you like it.
4) Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180C / 350F and continue baking, covered, for another 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for additional 10 minutes until the top is golden brown.
5) Let cool for a few minutes, slice and serve!
Recipe by collecting memories
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
1 cup liquid (preferably 1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup milk)
60g old-fashioned oats
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 carrot, grated
A handful of raisins
Honey or agave nectar, to serve
1) In a medium pot, bring liquid to boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low.
2) Add oats, flax seeds, cinnamon, brown sugar, and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add raisins and cook for another 2 minutes. Drizzle with honey or agave nectar and serve immediately.
Recipe by collecting memories
Vegetable Cake
1 large zucchini (370g), grated
1 carrot (150g), grated
1 small potato (130g), peeled and grated
1 medium onion (140g), grated
80g (1 cup) your favorite cheese, grated
5 eggs, lightly beaten
90g (3/4 cup) Spelt flour (any other flour would work)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp chili powder
Large pinch of salt
1) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Grease a 20x20 cm / 8x8 inch baking dish.
2) In a large bowl, mix together all the vegetables. Add cheese, eggs and seasonings. Finally fold in the flour.
3) Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake until golden brown on top and firm to the touch (it might take around 30-40 minutes; keep an eye on it and remove from the oven once the center is set).
4) Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm or cold.
Recipe by collecting memories
Peanut Noodles with Vegetables
1 tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
150g (5.3oz) frozen mixed vegetables, cooked and drained
65g (2.3oz) noodles
1 tbsp (16g) salted peanut butter
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp Teriyaki sauce
1) First, make the peanut sauce. In a small bowl, mix together peanut butter, Teriyaki sauce and water. Set aside.
2) Cook noodles according to directions. Drain and set aside.
3) Heat oil in a pan and add onions and garlic. Cook until soft and lightly browned. Add ginger, salt and vegetables. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Add noodles and peanut sauce and continue stir-frying for another 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 1
Recipe by collecting memories
Christmas time was crazy. I baked tons of cakes, cookies, pies and fudge and it feels like I didn't eat anything normal during this holiday period. After this baking marathon I feel like I need something a little bit healthier. I'm sure some of you have started eating healthier this year (I promise that to myself every year, but my healthy eating never lasts too long). Anyway, I wanted to stay away from sweets this time and cook some "real" food. Yes, this is fried rice and it doesn't sound healthy. But it just doesn't sound healthy because actually it's packed with veggies and traditional white rice is substituted with brown rice. The only bad thing about it is oil (but come on, it's just 1 tablespoon). So if you try to eat healthier, this shouldn't ruin your diet.
Oh and finally, I want to thank you for reading my blog for the past few years. I'm very happy to see your comments every day and I feel even happier when you leave feedbacks on recipes you try. I will continue publishing new recipes and sharing my cooking experiences with you this year and I'll keep growing this tried & tested recipe collection.
Chinese Fried Rice
70g (2.5 ounce) brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small carrot, julienned
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
A handful of bean sprouts, drained
Pinch salt
1 tbsp Teriyaki sauce
Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
1) Cook brown rice and allow to cool.
2) In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook until translucent and lightly caramelized. Add garlic and carrot and stir-fry over medium heat until carrot has softened a little bit.
3) Add egg and stir with a wooden spoon, breaking it into small bits as it scrambles. Add bean sprouts, salt and rice. Finally, add Teriyaki sauce and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes.
4) Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Serves 1
Recipe by collecting memories
A hearty, filling and healthy vegetable skillet is what I call a perfect dinner. This recipe is completely from scratch. You can use any veggies you have in your fridge, but this combination of carrots, zucchini and cauliflower is my favourite. The addition of chickpeas and spices makes it a perfect meal for a cold fall evening. And this makes quite a lot, definitely enough for three people. Or.. two?
Chickpea & Vegetable Skillet
2 tbsp oil
2 small onions (170g), finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 chili pepper, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/3 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 carrot (120g), sliced
325g cauliflower, chopped into small florets
250g zucchini
190g leftover boiled potatoes, chopped
70g chickpeas, cooked
2 tomatoes (200g), chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1) Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Add onions and cook, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and all the seasonings, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook, covered, for a few minutes. Add more oil, if needed.
2) Add zucchini and cook for 5 more minutes. Finally, add cauliflower and cook for another 2 minutes.
3) When all the veggies are cooked, add potatoes, chickpeas and tomatoes. Stir-fry until tomatoes release liquid, just a few minutes. Garnish with some fresh parsley.
Recipe by collecting memories
Going to Chinese supermarkets can be a fun experience. Despite tons of different foods which definitely don't look edible and I'd never know what to do with them, and a strange smell which I find in most Chinese supermarkets, I really love shopping there. It's super fun to explore the shop full of unusual stuff. But I'm kind of scared to buy something I'm not familiar with so I usually choose something I know. Bean thread noodles, Bean sprouts and Teriyaki sauce is what I really love. And here's a simple dish with these 3 awesome Chinese ingredients. If you're not used to Chinese food, don't be scared. This recipe is super simple. Aaand it's probably my favourite dish now. Really, after I made this, I fell in love with mung bean noodles even more!
Bean Thread Noodle & Carrot Stir-Fry
2 tbsp oil
100g bean thread noodles
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot (140g), thinly sliced
1/2 chili pepper, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground ginger
A handful of bean sprouts
salt, to taste
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp Teriyaki sauce (I used this)
1) Pour some boiling water over the noodles and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Remove from hot water and rinse through with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain completely.
2) In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add onion and cook until lightly browned and softened. Add garlic, carrot, chili pepper, ground ginger and salt. Cover and cook for a few minutes, over medium heat, until carrots are softened. Add bean sprouts, sesame seeds and noodles. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add Teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds.
3) Serve immediately and enjoy!
Serves 2
Recipe by collecting memories
Stir-frying has always been my favorite method of preparing food. You can experiment while you're cooking which is not possible when you fry or bake something. It's ridiculously easy and quick too, right?
And, yeah, vegetables again! I'm a real veggie person so I always have a variety of vegetables in my fridge. It's something that I could not live without. I simply need vegetables. Every day.
So this is another idea of a quick dinner which is ammmazingly delicious and filling. At the end of cooking, I added some teriyaki sauce and I loved it. It's good without it as well cause dried basil, oregano and thyme gives a nice flavor so you can try them without the sauce first. This makes enough for 2 people. Enjoy!
Stir-Fried Vegetables
2 tbsp oil (use olive or I sometimes like using sunflower oil)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
400g cauliflower, chopped into florets
400g zucchini, diced
2 small carrots (110g), thinly diced
1-2 tbsp thinly sliced chili pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp each: dried oregano, basil and thyme
Pinch black pepper
Pinch salt
1-2 tbsp teriyaki sauce (optional) (I love using this one)
1) Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add onion and saute until softened, browned and fragrant. Add garlic and saute for another minute or two.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients (except for teriyaki sauce), cover the pan and let simmer over medium heat until carrots are cooked throughly, stirring occasionally. The cooking time is up to you. (The whole process including sauteeing onions took about 30 minutes for me). You can cook them less but I like my veggies very soft. When they're cooked throughly, add 1-2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce. Serve immediately.
Recipe by collecting memories
