Garlic Hummus
100g dried chickpeas*
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 small lemon
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp tahini paste**
1/2 tsp salt
water, as needed
sunflower oil, to serve
smoked paprika, to serve
*Soak chickpeas overnight and cook in a pot for 1 hour.
**To make tahini paste, place sesame seeds in a small saucepan and roast, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant. Don't let them brown too much. Grind them in a coffee grinder or a small food processor until turns into paste. It will take time to get a smooth paste so add a splash of water or oil to add some moisture.
1) In a small saucepan, heat a teaspoon of oil. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and fragrant.
2) Add cooked chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, sunflower oil, tahini paste and salt into your food processor and pulse to make a smooth paste. Add as much water as you want to achieve a preferred consistency (start with 1 tablespoon).
3) Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle some smoked paprika on top and drizzle with sunflower oil. Serve with pita, flatbread or veggies.
Recipe by collecting memories
Green Olive Hummus
250g cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Tahini paste*
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
70g green olives
Salt, to taste
Smoked paprika/cumin/olive oil, for topping (optional)
*To make Tahini paste at home, roast a small handful of sesame seeds in a skillet stirring constantly until lightly browned. Don't brown them too much or they will become bitter. Remove from heat and add to your food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, adding a splash of olive oil, if needed.
1) Add all the ingredients into your food processor and process until smooth. Scrape down the sides. You may want to add more lemon juice/water to achieve the desired consistency.
2) Serve on a slice of your favorite bread. Store in refrigerator for up to one week.
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
I'm obsessed with falafels. Seriously. I'm obsessed with food in general but falafels have always been my favourite thing. It's strange I've never made them at home before! I guess I didn't want to spend a lot of time soaking chickpeas, grinding everything, refrigerating, frying etc. But, surprisingly, it didn't take as much time as I thought. The only time-consuming thing was making the Tahini sauce but I wanted to make everything by myself and not use store-bought products. Another reason why I've never tried making them is that I try to avoid deep-frying food. But for falafels, I can make an exception. It's worth it!
Falafels with Tahini Sauce
Falafels
1 cup (220g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 small onion
4 cloves garlic
3 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp flour
pinch black pepper
Oil, for frying
Tahini Paste
100g sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 tbsp oil
Tahini Sauce
Tahini paste (recipe above)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp honey
3 tbsp (45ml) lemon juice
4 tbsp (60ml) water
1 tsp salt
lettuce, chopped
tomato, sliced
onion, sliced
1) First, make the Tahini paste: add sesame seeds into your food processor and process until it starts turning into a paste. Add oil and pulse for a few minutes until it's smooth.
2) To make Tahini sauce, add all the ingredients into your food processor and pulse a few times until smooth. Set aside.
3) To make Falafels: put all the ingredients into your food processor and process until chickpeas look like tiny grits. You don't want to turn this mixture into a paste. Test if the dough is fine by taking a piece of dough and trying to form it into a ball. If it holds together, stop mixing. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.
4) Heat oil in a pot or a saucepan. If you have a thermometer, make sure the temperature is 180C (350F) degrees. Form little balls and fry for about 4-6 minutes or until nicely brown. Drain on paper towels.
5) Serve with tahini sauce and salad (and some pita bread, if you like). Enjoy!
Recipe by collecting memories
Cabbage has never been my favourite veggie. I guess that's just because I've never tried making anything with it. All I've tried was a raw cabbage in a salad, pickled cabbage or a filling in an empanada...
So when I bought a cabbage a few days ago I didn't want to make the same - too boring. I had to think of something more impressive. Hmmm..What about... baking a cabbage? Seasoned with spices, roasted in butter and baked in a sour cream sauce. Sounds good. The smell while I was roasting it was great and I knew it was going to taste great, too. It was nicely browned, fragrant and reminded me of roasted brussels sprouts.
And then I took it out of the oven. Wait a moment. Am I eating a cabbage? A cabbage??? Can a CABBAGE taste SO good? Noo way. Try this recipe, especially if you don't like cabbage.
Baked Cabbage
1 head cabbage
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp cumin seeds
pinch sesame seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
8 tbsp vegetable stock
5 tbsp sour cream
1/2 tbsp butter
1)
Cut the cabbage into 8 equal wedges. Place in a salted boiling water
and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from water, pour on some cold tap water
and leave to drain.
2) In a large saucepan, melt 1 tbsp
of butter. Place the cabbage on one side and roast until little browned
on both sides. Add cumin, paprika, salt and 4 tablespoons of vegetable
stock. Cover and saute for about 15 minutes on medium-low heat.
3) Preheat your oven to 220C.
4)
Pour the remaining vegetable stock into a large oval baking dish so all
the bottom is coated. Place cabbage wedges and spread sour cream on
top. Sprinkle some butter on top. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until tops
are golden brown.
Recipe by collecting memories
I recently discovered a new obsession - roasted vegetables. With a dash of brown butter or olive oil and a blend of my favourite spices they can be a perfect and a quick meal.
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
200g brussels sprouts, halved*
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp sesame seeds
25g butter
salt and pepper, to taste
a dash of olive oil
*I had some leftovers brussels sprouts so in this recipe I used them already cooked. I'm sure this doesn't make a big difference (only takes more/less time) and you can use both raw brussels sprouts or cook them in advance.
1)
Place butter in a pan and and melt over medium heat. Reduce the heat,
cover and let brown a bit for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown and
fragrant. Add the sesame seeds and let them brown also, stirring
occasionally. Add minced garlic and stir again.
2) Place brussels sprouts into a pan cut side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover, and let saute over medium-low heat. Once they begin to brown, keep your eye on them so they don't burn. Flip them over and brown the other side. (If you notice that the brussels sprouts need more butter, add some more or drizzle with a dash of oil.)
3) Serve as a side with anything you like. I served with rice as a light vegetarian dish.
Serves 1 - 2.
Recipe by collecting memories.
