Shrimps and Pesto Quinoa ....Carrots, Zuchinni and Pesto Salad....and the Contest List!

Please review whether you are on the contest list......

These are two simple dishes.....Almost no recipe!

Probably, you understand that I love pesto. Every time I have fresh basil leaves, I end up making pesto.....

 Shrimps and Pesto Quinoa

1 cup of cooked quinoa (warm)
Colorful carrots (sliced)
Shrimps
Garlic
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Pesto Basil

In boiling water, cook the carrots for 1 minute only. Just to make them tender, but no fully cooked. Thus, you will add some texture to this dish.

Add salt and pepper to the shrimps, and cook them in olive oil.

Mix the cooked quinoa with pesto (at your taste), the carrots, and the cooked shrimps......ENJOY!!

Carrots, Zuchinni and Pesto Salad

Rainbow Carrots

Zucchini

Pesto

Parmiggiano Cheese

Olive oil

Salt

With a potato peeler, slice the rainbow carrots and the zucchini.

In boiling water with, immerse the carrots for 1 minute only, take them out and put them in cold water with ice. Strain them. Thus, they will be tender and the color will be fixed.

I use the same water, but to avoid color mixing, I did this order: white carrots- yellow carrots-orange carrots-zucchini-purple carrots.

Mix them as they were pasta. Seasoned them with olive oil. Distribute some pesto on top. Add some parmiggiano cheese......Mix it...and ENJOY!!......it is delicious!!

Prawns with Lime with Mint and Cilantro Chutney.......

Carmela is celebrating her Second Anniversary of the blog, and I promise her that I will contribute with a recipe......I hope you like it!

Prawns with Lime with Mint and Cilantro Chutney (adapted from Spice Goddess)

Prawns, peeled and deveined

Olive oil

2 garlics (grated)

1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves

1 teaspoon Spanish paprika

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (crushed)

1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds

2 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Mint and Cilantro Chutney

Metal or wooden skewers. I have used wooden skewers that have been previously soaked in water

Mint and Cilantro Chutney

2 cups mint leaves (washed)

1  chile pepper (I used the green one)

1/4 cup red onion (chopped)

1  cup cilantro leaves (chopped)

1 teaspoon garam masala

Salt

1/2 cup water

Introduce the shrimps in each skewer (4-5 depending on the size). Set aside.

On a cast iron skillet (medium-high heat), put oil and add the garlic, fenugreek, paprika, cumin seeds, and cardamom seeds. When garlic is golden, add the shrimp skewers and cook the shrimps in both sides on the spices. Take the shrimps out, sprinkle some lime juice and serve with the chutney.

Chutney:

In a food processor or a blender, put the mint leaves, cilantro, garam masala, chile pepper, red onion, and salt. Add water until you have a paste like the consistency of pesto......ENJOY!!

Causa Peruana.....Easy and Tasty!

Peruvian food is one of our favorites. I was lucky to grow up with those flavors at home....

Peruvian food is a mix of cultures that comes from immigrants of Spain, Italy, Japan, and China, but cooked with wonderful local products.

 Causa Peruana or Causa Limena has many variations (you can google some pictures of it). You can use as a filling chicken, tuna, shrimps, boiled eggs, olives, avocados, crab meat, octopus, corn with mayonnaise, fresch cheese, and so on....It is a tasty and creative dish.

Causa Peruana de Camarones

1 kg of white potatoes
Lemon juice
1/4 cup of olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Paste of aji amarillo (2 teaspoons) or aji amarillo (5 chilis) chopped (it MUST be this type of chili)
Optional: Garlic (1 clove) and/or Onion (1 tablespoon) finely chopped

Filling and decoration
Avocados (slices)
Boiled shrimps (alone or with mayonaisse)
Olives
Mayonnaise
More aji amarillo (if you want)

Peal the potatoes and boil them. Make a puree. Seasoned with salt, pepper, lemon, olive oil, garlic, and aji amarillo. It has to be slightly acid and spicy. Let it cool.

With a food ring, put a layer of cold potatoes pure, a slice of avocados, more potatoes pure, a layer of shrimps, another layer of potato puree. Decorate it with mayonnaise, olives, and more aji amarillo. ENJOY!.

This dish is very simple, but it is difficult to show the proportions of spices because they are used according to owns' taste.

This is the aji amarillo I use (I have not connection with this company....is just to show the kind of Chili)

Tel Baingan (Eggplant Masala)....Tasty and Healthy!

And we continue with Indian recipes. This is a dish that I really like, and it is from Sumana Ray Chef.

Tel Baingan (Eggplant Masala) adapted from Sumana Ray

1 big eggplant (in thick slices)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Turmeric
For the curry:
8 tablespoons of mustard oil
1/2 teaspoon of onion seeds
3/4 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
6 tablespoon of yogurt
60 ml of water
1 green chili (in slices). I did not use it. For me it was hot enough with the chili powder only, but it is included in the original recipe
1 teaspoon of toasted and grinded cumin seeds (jeera)

Rub the eggplant slices with salt and turmeric. Leave on it for 30 minutes. Wash it and dry the eggplants with paper towel.

In a big pan,  heat the oil and fry the eggplant. Place the eggplant in paper towel.

In the same oil, place the onion seeds until they "sing". Add the turmeric, chili powder, salt, sugar and yogurt. Leave it for 1 minute. Add the water, the eggplant, and the green chili (I did not add it). Sprinkle with the jeera. Serve it with basmati rice. ENJOY!!

Nohutlu Ispanak......as Delicious dish from Turkey (Chickpeas with Spinach )

After a long week away from the blog, I'm back again. We had one of the worst snow storms that I have seen. We had three days of non-stop snowing, and we have to clear the sidewalk 6 times in a day!.......life becomes very slow when it snows......but I enjoyed it!!

I love chickpeas, lentils, and beans. I can eat them just cooked from the pot. I can't buy them in cans, they do not taste good for me.

I love just boiled chickpeas; specially when they are warm just with olive oil and salt.....It is heaven for me!!.....and my daughters likes them too.....when I have chickpeas, she always asked for more. Here you have our favorite recipe.

Nohutlu Ispanak (Chickpeas with Spinach from Turkey)


1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas
1 onion (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 cup of diced tomatoes (or 3/4 can of diced tomatoes)
300 grams of frozen spinach (defrosted and drained)
3 tablespoons of parsley (chopped)
3 tablespoons of mint (chopped)
1 teaspoon of cumin (fresh grounded)
Salt
Olive oil

Place chickpeas in cold water, and soak them overnight. Drain and rinse them. Cook them until tender.

In a pot, heat the oil, and at medium heat cook the onion along with the garlic (about 5 minutes). Incorporate the diced tomatoes, cumin, salt, parsley and mint. Add the chickpeas, correct for salt and cumin. Incorporate the spinach, cover and simmer for 15 minutes at low temperature.

Serve with olive oil on top. ENJOY!!

Pesto!!......In Breads and Glass!!....

We love Genovese Pesto.......it is aromatic, healthy, and delicious!!

From a dear friend, I have received a book "Espumas" from Mastrad, and we have been enjoying these recipes!!.....Thank you my Dear!!

Red Bell Pepper Foam, Goat Cheese Foam , and Pesto with Goat Cheese and Shrimps

Red Bell Pepper Foam

2 red bell peppers

1 garlic

Cayena pepper

30 cl whipping cream

Peel off the bell pepper, and clean the seeds. Cut it in stripes, and cook it along with the garlic in a microwave for 5 minutes in a microwave (700 W).

Blend it, and add the cayenne pepper. Add the cream, and pass it through a fine strainer. Put this mix in a siphon, add a gas. Shake it two or three times, and leave it in the refrigerator.

Goat Cheese Foam 

100 grams of Goat Cheese (soft)

10 cl whipping cream

Salt

Pepper

Mix the goat cheese with the cream, and add salt and pepper. Pass it through a fine strainer. Put this mix in a siphon, add a gas. Shake it two or three times, and leave it in the refrigerator.

Pesto with Goat Cheese and Shrimps

Shrimps

70 grams of goat cheese

60 grams of basil leaves

8 tablespoons of Parmiggiano Cheese

2 garlics

1/2 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

salt

Blanch the basil leaves. In a mortar (or food processor), crush the basil leaves along with the garlic. Add the olive oil, and pine nuts. Incorporate the Parmiggiano cheese and salt. Set aside.

In a pan, add olive oil and heat it. Add clean shrimps and cook it. Mix the shrimps with pesto and the goat cheese.

Plating:

In a glass, first add the Pesto with Goat Cheese and Shrimps, then the Red Bell Pepper Foam, and on top the Goat Cheese Foam .......ENJOY!!

and the Bread??

Remember those Spiral Breads with Fresh pesto and Cheese that I made from Caro?.....this time I made the same recipe, with basil, without cheese, in a different shape..... The shape is fantastic!!.....you can use your own recipe.....ENJOY!!

 Make a rectangle

 Add a very thick pesto

 Distribute it

 Close the dough

 Completely

 Roll it

 Leave it to rise for 15 minutes, and cook it....

 

ENJOY!!

Two Color Vegetable, Quinoa and Lentils Cream....Healthy, Delicious and Funny!

If you follow me, then I think you know that I love to eat food in colors. Also, you may know that I love lentils, quinoa, and vegetables......This is a cream that has my favorites ingredients....

With this recipe I participate in the primer concurso de recetas con verduras que organiza Margot (www.margotcosasdelavida.com), patrocinado por:

Two Color Vegetables, Quinoa and Lentils Cream

For the Pumpkin Quinoa Cream

2 1/2 cups of pumpkin (in cubes)

1 cup of quinoa

2 teaspoons of dehydrated vegetables powder (or seasoning for soups and cream)

Salt

Oregano

Olive oil

In a large pot, put the pumpkin cubes with 1 teaspoon of dehydrated vegetables powder, and cover it with water. Cook it until tender. When the pumpkin is cooked, blend it in a blender until you have a cream of thick consistency. Season it with oregano, olive oil, and salt if needed. Set aside.

Wash the quinoa. In a pot, put the quinoa with 1 teaspoon of dehydrated vegetables powder, and 2 cups of water. Cook it until is tender. Mix the cooked quinoa with the pumpkin cream. Reserve in a pot to maintain it warm.

For the Spinach and Lentils Cream

300 grams of frozen spinach

1 garlic (chopped)

1 cup of red lentils

Cumin roasted (fresh crushed)

Salt

Olive oil

In a pan, roast the cumin seeds. Crushed them fine.

In a pot, cook the red lentils with two cups of water. Add salt. When they are tender, add the cumin (to your taste), and olive oil. The red lentils are the ones that are in the middle.

In a pan, saute the spinach (defrost) with olive oil and garlic, until they are cooked. 

In a blender, mix the cooked spinach with the red lentils until they have a creamy consistency (you can add water....I did not needed)

Plating

In a white soup dish (or your color of preference), place a metal ring.

Fill it with spinach-lentil cream

In the exterior, put the quinoa-pumpkin cream

 Take the metal ring out......and ENJOY!!

Life is a Colorful Journey.......

Even though we have dark days in our lives, life is a journey in color.....from above the stars are watching us, and the wind brings us the affection of those who we love.......

even when they are gone ....

 Carrots of Different Colors

Colour Vegetables Wraps filled with Goat Cheese and Vegetables served with Avocado Goat Cheese Quinoa

 For the breads we need:
3 cups of all purpose flour
6 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of spinach powder
1 tablespoon of beet powder
1 tablespoon of carrot powder
Warm water

In three different bowls, put 1 cup of flour, 2 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/3 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of each vegetable powder. Add warm water until you have a smooth non-sticky dough. Let it rest for one hour.

Take a piece of dough, and roll it like an Indian bread (chapatis). I use the Indian technique to make this bread. Heat a pan at medium heat, and brush it with olive oil. Cook each bread for 1 minute each side. Set aside.

For the filling:

200 grams of goat cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
Salt
Basil leaves chopped
Tapenade
Warm milk
Carrots yellow, purple, and orange (very finely sliced)

Mix the goat cheese  with sun-dried tomatoes, and basil leaves. If it is too sticky, then add warm milk or cream until you have a creamy consistency (but not liquid). Correct for salt.
In a carrot bread, spread a fine amount of tapenade, and then the goat cheese mix. Roll it.
In a beet bread (same as in the spinach bread), divide the sliced carrots. In the center, place the carrot bread with the filling and roll it. Tie it with a chive. Cut it in two to place it on a plate.

Avocado Goat Cheese Quinoa

1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
Salt
1 1/2 avocado
120 grams of goat cheese
Chives
Olive oil

Wash the quinoa, and cook it in 2 cups of water with salt. Mash the avocado, add olive oil, add the goat cheese. When the quinoa is cook, mix it with the avocado-goat cheese paste. Add chopped chives, olive oil, and salt if necessary. Serve it warm decorated with colour carrots......ENJOY!!