Romaine Salad with Couscous & Soft Boiled Egg

A galaxy of color and texture, with a soft boiled egg and couscous, will make this a favorite salad.

Vitamin Garbanzo Beans Salad - Healthy Lunch

Healthy and luscious this salad is great for light lunch. Garbanzo Beans is paired with garlic and other ingredients to make this tasty dish. This is a healthful, easy salad uses few ingredients, and will complement any meat or poultry dish if you serve it for dinner.

Lavender Cupcakes with Vanilla Lemon Marshmallow Topping

Lavender has a potent flavor, but that doesn't mean it has to be overpowering in dessert. In these beautiful Lavender Cupcakes with Lemon Marshmallow Topping, the vibrancy of lemon both brings out and helps temper the musky floral qualities of lavender. The flavors harmonize beautifully and make for cupcakes much more interesting.

Radish Salad with Greens From Our Garden

This is the first year when I can proudly say I am a gardener. Everything you see on this plate comes from my backyard veggie garden. Sweet peas and beautiful radish are fully ripened. Carrots are still very small but there are plenty of herbs. There is no real recipe for this salad. It is just whatever you desire to put on a plate, sprinkle it with lemon juice, add oil and a pinch of salt. My lunch today was very simple and healthy at the same time. Today I did not feel like cooking anything complicated, it was “take it easy” day. I wish you to have an adventurous weekend - spend more time outside, go to a park, bike, garden. The summer is here and weather is beautiful!

Tomato Salad with Mozzarella & Avocado

Here is another interesting version of spring inspired salad. Instead of spreading out pieces all over the plate or making a mix, you can assemble them into mini-tower. You family and friends at the table will be pleasantly surprised by this. Who said all healthy things can't be beautiful as well?

Pan Fried Sesame-Walnut-Crusted Orange Roughy

The mild flavor of the Orange Roughy is complemented by the sesame-walnut crust and the sweet-citrus sauce.

Red Velvet Cake - Happy 7th Birthday to My Precious Boy!

Sizzling Smashed Potatoes with Garlic, Dill, Curry and Smoked Paprika - Great Appetizer!

Inspired by White on Rice Couple

Note: To preserve the nutritional value of potatoes, they should be cooked in their skins, or scrubbed rather than peeled. When choosing potatoes, make sure they are firm and well-shaped with smooth tight skin, preferably organic.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. small white potatoes (Baby Yukons or other fingerling potatoes), washed and scrubbed 
• 1 tsp salt for boiling potatoes 
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp curry powder 
• 2-3 shallots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tsp dry dill or 2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup yogurt or sour cream, for serving
• fresh mint for garnish

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine together curry powder, dill, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Put the potatoes and salt in a medium pot, add water to cover the potatoes by 3 inches and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork, 15 minutes. Drain well and let it cool.

After potatoes have cooled enough to handle, smash them with the flat side of a chef knife. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté about 3 minutes. Gently arrange potatoes in hot pan, season well with curry-dill mixture and sear each side of the smashed potatoes for about 2-3 minutes, or until they are golden and crispy. 

Serve immediately with fresh mint leaves and sour cream or yogurt.

Happy 4th of July! Garlic Popcorn with Cayenne Pepper and Popcorn with ”Buffalo Wings” Red Hot Sauce - Hot Snack for Hot Summer Days

It is always a good idea to pop a bunch of corn when watching a movie with friends, the games or even all alone with your book. Adding some salt and butter is never a bad idea but, let’s get creative for a change.



Garlic Popcorn with Cayenne Pepper

Ingredients:

• I tsp sea salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp melted butter

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in the small bowl. Drizzle  the popcorn with a garlic mixture in a large bowl and toss to coat. Serve.



Popcorn with ”Buffalo Wings” Red Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 Tbsp Frank's RedHot sauce or any other Buffalo Wing Sauce

Directions:

Toss melted butter and hot sauce with popcorn in a large bowl and serve.

Gluten Free Hearty Whole Grain Bread

Usually, I don't buy ready-to-use bread mix, I cook everything from scratch. But, first time for everything. I got this bread mix from Bob's Red Mill company and actually it is good. This bread similar to pumpernickel with nuts and seeds that add to its nutritional value. I very much enjoyed it, it toasted well. Very good with jam. Only, I wish it didn't have caraway seeds, not a big fan.

Moist, delicious and bursting with whole grains and seeds. The flavor and texture are complex and deeply satisfying. Specially designed for those sensitive to wheat or gluten, this mix contains: whole grain buckwheat, garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, cornstarch, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, whole grain sorghum flour, tapioca flour, evaporated cane juice, cocoa powder, fava bean flour, molasses powder (molasses, maltodextrin, silicon dioxide), xanthan gum, caraway seeds, active dry yeast, sea salt, whole grain teff, potato flour, onion powder, guar gum and soy lecithin.



Makes: 1-1/2 lb loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg GF Hearty Whole Grain Bread
• 1 cup 3/4 Water
• 1/4 cup Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Cider Vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Dissolve enclosed packet of yeast in 1 3/4 cups warm (110°F) water and let stand for 5 minutes to foam. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Put dry mix in large mixing bowl (preferably use a stand mixer). Add eggs, oil, cider vinegar and yeast-water mixture.



With mixer on low speed, blend all ingredients until smooth. Turn mixer to medium and beat 15 seconds or until mixture thickens slightly. Pour into generously greased 9 x 5-inch nonstick pan. Smooth top of dough with wet spatula. Cover pan with plastic wrap and put in warm place (75° to 80°F) to rise for about 40 to 45 minutes or until dough is level with top of pan.

Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until internal temperature of bread reaches 205°F, covering bread with foil after it starts to brown. Remove pan from oven and cool bread in pan for 5 mintues. Remove bread from pan and finish cooling on wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.