Strawberries in Syrup With Cardamom & Rose Water

Sweet and fragrant, a strawberry in syrup nourishes the soul as well as body. Ideal for relaxed weekend mornings when the family wanders in for breakfast, just serve over crispy waffles or fluffy pancakes with rich cream and your favorite coffee.

Spicy Orange Honey Quick Bread

Whenever the holiday season comes around, I'm always in a yearning mood for a Spicy Orange Honey Quick Bread.

There is something about the aroma that fills the house on a cold night, and the combined savory and delicate sweetness of the buckwheat honey, cinnamon, star anise and the nutmeg that compliments just about every hot drink -  from a cup of tea or coffee, to a cup of cocoa or even a steaming glass of sangria - to be enjoyed alone or better yet, with your friends and loved ones by the crackling fire.

Gingery Pumpkin-Apple Soup with Roasted Carrots (Dairy-Free, Vegan)

With its sweet, earthy taste, butternut squash soup with apples and ginger is my favorite for the month of October. I like to play with spices when I am cooking pumpkin soup, but you can use your favorite seasonings and herbs. The roasted carrot chips are a perfect addition to this soup.

Apple & Pumpkin Strudel Parcels with Fall Spices & Coconut Oil (No sugar)

When fall comes, what makes us want to bake so much? I wonder...

Is it the changing colors on trees, or the cool evenings, or the orange pumpkins sticking out from the ground? Or the kids coming home from school and you like to surprise them with aromatic sweets? Or maybe everything together: the new beautiful season is born and you like to bring it into your home - mixing spices, honey and chocolate. The magic of the fall makes the feeling at home even dearer.

Szechuan Eggplant & Aromatic White Rice - Happy Lunar New Year!

This simple, but very tasty, Asian-style dish can be prepared and cooked in just 15 minutes.

Cardamom Semolina Cake with Rosewater Syrup

Yes, I have to admit, I do have a sweet tooth and bake something sweet quite often. In my family 4 o'clock afternoon tea is a cherished tradition. Tea and coffee is something we all drink a lot of. Sometimes I crave Middle Eastern desserts, sweet and syrupy, with ton of nuts and exotic herbs. That is why on my kitchen shelf I always keep handy a bottle of rosewater and cardamon seeds.

Almond-Rice Cream Pudding

Blanched ground almonds contribute crunch and subtle sweetness to this creamy rice pudding.

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with Honey Glaze

A good, quick dessert cake for a family supper. Hazelnuts add an unusual nutty texture to this moist and delicious cake. Honey makes sweet and smooth glaze. Can you resist the temptation?

Millet Fritters with Spiced Red Wine Plum Sauce

Warm dishes with spices are coming back in style with the changing season. Millet Fritters with Spiced Red Wine Plum Sauce is a lovely way to start.

Sesame Oat Square Bars with Pear Compote

Some things always turn out well, including these wonderful little desserts - Sesame Oat Square Bars with Pear Compote. This healthy version uses the coconut oil and no eggs. Excellent treats/snacks for any time of day. Enjoy and have a good weekend!

Guinness Stout Ginger Cake for St.Patrick's Day

"An invitation to tea in Ireland is no small matter of a simple cup of tea and biscuit! You sit down at the table in the dining room and the usual everyday tea stars with slices of brown Irish soda bread and slices of homemade white bread lavishly buttered, a pot or two of jam for the bread, hot crusty scones, a plate of cookies, a "sponge sandwich" cake (two layers of sponge cake, jam between and sugar sprinkled on top) and a chocolate cake with thick, creamy, chocolate icing - or warm gingerbread full of spices. Cups of hot tea all around three or four times and you"ll last till suppertime."

Honey Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

There is something special about home-baked cakes. It's not just that they are really delicious, nor even that they are delightfully different from those you can buy. Homemade cakes and slices turn any occasion into a special one, whether served with morning coffee, or an old-fashioned afternoon tea party, or as a luxurious dessert at the end of a celebratory meal. Honey Spice Pumpkin Bars with Cream cheese Icing make great after-school snacks and any-time-of-day nibbles.

Oatmeal with Apples and Cinnamon - Perfect and Healthy Breakfast

An early-morning breakfast needs to be fresh and calming. This is the meal that will set your tone for the day. By keeping everything easy, you allow yourself to enjoy the first few hours of the day.

Carrot Spice Scones with Lemon-Cranberry Icing

Wishing you all the Blessings of this happy Christmas Season!

Homemade Marshmallows with Honey and Spiced Almond Coating (Gluten, Corn, Egg, Diary Free)

It was fun to make this luscious marshmallow, I like the flavor of the honey and consistency of it. Easy enough and amazingly delicious recipe. I bet it makes great S'mores brownies and topping for cupcakes! Or you can enjoy a nice warm cup of hot cocoa with a big huge marshmallow on top.

Mulled Wine - Perfect Drink for a Holiday Season

We have many beautiful holidays a head of us, Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. For these occasions, nothing is too beautiful. Once a year, one can indulge in an accumulation of crystal, silver, china, an abundance of light and reflections, without fear of criticism. But as always, good taste will keep the display within bounds. A successful holiday party can be an enchanted memory for a whole year.

Portobello Mushrooms in Curried Coconut Milk Sauce over Pumpkin Puree

A little history about pumpkins from "the Frugal Gourmet Cooks American"

"We received the gift of the yellow gourd from the Indians, of course. When European explorers hit the New World they found the Native Americans eating all kinds of squashes, but pumpkin was a favorite. The white men thought the pumpkin to be a form of giant melon. They were partly right, as the pumpkin belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae, which also includes cucumbers, gherkins, and melons. The wild ancestor of the grate orange vegetable goes back to the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayan peoples, who enjoyed eating the rich seeds. The pumpkin spread north and was common by the time of European exploration, and the seekers of New World took the squash back to Europe with them. But it remains an American vegetable, absolutely American.

The uses that we found for pumpkin in the old days where wonderfully varied and formed a basic part of our diet. The pumpkin was among the most common foods of the settlements and an old verse proves their indispensability:

For portage, and puddings, and custards, and pies,
Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies. 
We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon;
If it were not for pumpkins, we should be undoon."



There is something exciting about food cooked in coconut milk. Typically, the effect comes from the edition of several assertive spices - such as coriander, cumin, and cardamom - in conjunction with this rich liquid. Ginger and hot peppers are added to give zest and dimension.



Hint: Save the pumpkin seeds for the kids! Wash the seeds and dry them. Place them in a large heated frying pan along with some olive oil, and toast until they begin to show a few very tiny brown spots on the husk. Add a bit of salt and cool. These are great snacks and they are good on salads or in soups.

Ingredients:

For the mushroom sauce:

• 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 jalapeños or any hot chiles of your choice 
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cardamom 
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 pound baby portobello mushrooms (or any other variety)
• sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

For the pumpkin puree:

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

For the roasted pumpkin:

• 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and diced
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Direction: 

For the mushroom sauce:
Place the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they begin to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chiles, and sauté for another minute. Add the curry, coriander, cardamom, and cumin and stir for another minute. Add the mushrooms and the coconut milk and stir well. Simmer for 15 minutes.Remove from the heat when thickened. Season to taste and add the cilantro.

For the pumpkin puree:
Bring about 3 quarts (or more if need it to cover the pumpkin) of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the butternut squash, cover, and cook until the squash is soft when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain the squash , place in a food processor, and proceed until well pureed. Add the milk and blend until the mixture is smooth. Place the puree in a saucepan and reheat, stirring. Add salt and pepper to taste and keep it warm.

For the roasted pumpkin:
Preheat an oven to 400°F.
Spread the diced pumpkin out on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until all the cubes are cooked through and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Evenly divide the warm butternut puree among plates. Arrange the coconut mushrooms sauce in the middle, top with roasted cubes of pumpkin. Serve immediately.

September Dessert - Cardamom Pear Compote over Vanilla Tapioca with Meringue and Pistachio

Ingredients:

For the vanilla tapioca:

• 2/3 cup large tapioca pearls
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp  ground cardamom
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

For the pear compote:

• 4 firm, but ripe pears, peeled, halved, cored, cut into thick slices
• 1 1/5 cup water (or for adult version you can use sweet white wine)
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom pods
• 2 cloves
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• lemon zest from 1/2 lemon

For the meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup pistachio, crushed

Directions:

Prepare the vanilla tapioca:
In a medium bowl, soak the tapioca pearls in the water for an hour. Drain and discard the water. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the tapioca, milk, almond milk, honey and cardamom to a boil. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into saucepan; add bean. Lower the heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until the tapioca looks translucent. Remove from the heat, discard vanilla bean and place a piece of plastic wrap right on top to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.

Prepare the pear compote:
Combine water, sugar, lemon zest, cardamom,allspice berries and cloves in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Add pears and simmer until tender, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to medium bowl. Boil liquid in saucepan until slightly thickened and syrupy, about 15 minutes. Pour over pears.

Prepare the meringue:
Preheat an oven to 275°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Place over simmering water and whisk until the mixture is hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the bowl to a mixer and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture is lukewarm, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a soup spoon, drop the batter in large mounds spaced 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with pistachio. Bake until crunchy outside and still chewy inside, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool completely before removing the cookies from the parchment.

When ready to serve the dessert, spoon the tapioca into the bottom of each of 6 glasses, dividing it evenly. When the pear compote is cool, divide it in between the serving glasses on top of the tapioca. Top with meringue cookies.

Bon appetite!!!

Spiced Apple Cider - Have a Sweet Weekend!

"It was the sight of apple blossom 
on the tree outside the kitchen window
that set me to begin a book.
I didn't know then what I saw
or what it was I did
but hope was there, full as buds.

and now I eat the apples
and the book feeds me.

Yesterday
I dragged the ladder out
and climbed the tree,
its branches circled my waist
as if we where about to dance.
I plopped the apples down,
they made the beat of music"...

Kate Llewellyn



Ingredients:

• 6 cups apple cider
• orange juice from one orange
• brown sugar to taste
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 whole cloves
• cardamom to taste
• 2 small pieces of peeled fresh ginger (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer mixture 15 minutes to blend flavors. Strain cider into mugs, and serve hot with a pie crust tops.

Yellow Tomato and Apple Chutney

"No spring, nor Summer Beauty
hath such grace,
As I have seen in one Autumn-all face".

John Donne

Chutneys are made from finely cut ingredients, cooked slowly with vinegar, a sweetener and frequently spices or other flavorings to make a thick, savory jam-like mixture. Onions and apples are often included in chutneys, but almost any fruits and vegetables can be used. Chutneys should be matured in cool dark place for at least 2 months before eating.

Important notes before you start making chutney:

• Chutneys are made from finely cut ingredients, cooked slowly with vinegar, a sweetener and frequently spices or other flavorings to make a thick, savory jam-like mixture. Onions and apples are often included in chutneys, but almost any fruits and vegetables can be used. Chutneys should be matured in cool dark place for at least 2 months before eating.
• Use malt vinegar for its intense flavor. Wine vinegar or cider vinegar are better for preserving colorful or light-colored vegetables because they will not spoil the color of the vegetables.
• The choice of sugar will affect the end result: brown sugar gives the richest flavor and color; row sugar and golden granulated sugar give a caramel flavor; and white sugar helps to retain the color of light ingredients.
• Never cover the pan when making chutney. Cooking the preserve uncovered allows the liquid to evaporate and the chutney to thicken. Towards the end, stir the chutney frequently to prevent it from catching and burning on the base of the pan.
• Always store chutney in a cool dark place: warmth can cause it to ferment, and bright sunlight can affect the color.

Ingredients: 

• 4 lb green tomatoes roughly chopped
• 1 lb cooking apples, peeled cored and chopped 
• 1 lb onions chopped 
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. pickling spice
• 1 Tbsp. ground cardamom 
• 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar 
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

Directions:

Place the tomatoes, apples, onions and garlic in a large pan and add the salt and cardamom.

Tie the pickling spice in a piece of muslin (cheesecloth) and add to the ingredients in the pan.

Add half the vinegar to the pan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until the chutney is reduced and thick, stirring frequently.

Put the sugar and remaining vinegar in a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then add to the chutney. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours until chutney is thick, stirring it occasionally.

Remove the muslin bag from the chutney, then spoon the hot chutney into warmed sterilized jars. Cover and seal immediately.