Baked Sweet Potato Roses with Fresh Thyme

If you’re run out of ideas for sweet potato appetizers/snacks/side dishes, these potato roses are a very pretty and easy to make. It takes only 25 minutes to cook it and just few ingredients.

Fettuccine with Roasted Pumpkin Puree & Walnuts

The season of pumpkins is behind us, but this is the vegetable my family and I can eat all year round. Before the farms close their doors for picking late fruits and vegetables, I always make sure to have enough pumpkins in my refrigerator for at least three months. Luckily, in cool place this vegetable can stay fresh for a while and we have a pleasure to cook sweet and fantastic dishes all winter. Usually we have pumpkin madness around Thanksgiving holiday and this dish should give you very sweet and pleasant déjà vu. Nice garlicky roasted pumpkin with quinoa fettuccine will delight you with earthy and nutty flavors, but you can switch pasta to any other of your choosing. This is absolutely stunning dish which is very simple to cook.

Roasted Chickpeas with Ginger, Spices & Sesame Seeds - Tasty Snack/Appetizer

These crispy and spicy roasted chickpeas conceal a mouth-watering collection of flavors and make a delicious appetizer. You could make this dish any time of year, and I think they make a wonderful New Years Eve party snack.

Crispy Sautéed Green Beans with Pumpkin Seeds, Hemp Seeds & Lemon

These green beans are crispy on the outside and tender, but still have a bit crunch on the inside. Another idea for Thanksgiving dinner side dish.

Roasted Cauliflower Bites with Spices, Garlic & Lemon

Roasted Cauliflower Bites are so simple to make, yet your quests will always be impressed by them. They have a wonderful flavor and can be given quite a "kick" too by including the cayenne. The spicy bites are great snack at any time of the day, so don't just make them for parties.

Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice & Mushrooms

Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice and Mushrooms makes a pleasant lunch dish or an attractive accompaniment to main dishes.

Wild Mushroom Beef Stew

Here is a beef stew with the added complexity of wild mushrooms to give it some extra body and flavor. Neither the type of meat nor the choice of vegetables is vitally important, because this dish is very flexible. Add some celery if you like or potatoes, or other vegetables of your choice.

Gazpacho with Lemon Thyme and Smoked Paprika

"Soup," declared the French gastronomer, Grimod de la Reyniere, "is to a diner what a portico or a peristyle is to a building… not only the first part of it, but must be made in such a manner as to set the tone of the whole banquet, in the same way as the overture of an opera makes known the subject of the work."



Tomatoes, both row and cooked, play such a tremendous part in our diet that it is hard to believe that they have been in the general category of edible vegetables for only about a hundred years.

Note: If you wish to peel tomatoes, hold them over a gas flame, turning constantly, or blanch them in boiling water for minute. When cool, the skins will slip off without any trouble. Remove the stem ends. If you are planning to use the tomatoes for seasoning a dish, cut in quarters and remove the seeds.This means that you will have the essence of the tomatoes without the additional liquid that results from the cooking of the seeds.

Tomatoes, cucumber and peppers from the basis of the classic, Gazpacho soup. Add a spoonful of lemon thyme and chunky roasted cherry tomatoes for a refreshing summer appetizer. This is quite a substantial soup, so follow with a light main course, such a broiled fish or chicken.



Ingredients:

• 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 purple onion, finely chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1 sweet red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh lemon thyme
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• few drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
• 2 cup tomato juice
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until mixed but still chunky. Season well. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.

Hot and Juicy Shrimp with Spicy Garlic and Ginger Sauce

Possibly one of the most popular seafood dishes in the entire world, shrimp can be found on menus all across North and South America as well as in the markets of West Africa and India. It's been said that no restaurant or market is too far from the sea to offer shrimp to its customers. The name in one of the more practical ones in the world of seafood, since it comes from both the English description of a puny person, shrimpe, and the Swedish skrympa, to shrink.

There are hundreds of varieties of shrimp with a vast assortment of names but all are interchangeable in recipes. Although higher in cholesterol than most other seafood, shrimp are low in fat, very mild, and quite firm in texture. They are, perhaps, the prime example of  seafood that takes very little cooking to make them ready for the table.



The shrimp marinate for two hours in a tangy mixture of cool and hot spices, impairing a full flavor to them. Then they simmer in an onion and lemon sauce.

Note: If you shell shrimp before cooking, don't throw away the shells, for they're filled with flavor. Rinse them under cold water and cook them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Then strain the liquid and use it to cook the shelled shrimp or make a sauce of your choice.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed dried mint, or fresh
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 2 tsp finely minced ginger
• 1 to 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 small red onion, diced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 green onion scallions, chopped, for serving
• lettuce for serving

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the shrimp with the mint, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, sweet paprika, red onion, salt and pepper until well coated, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for two hours, stirring once during this time.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil (optional). Add the shrimp with spice mixture, and cook, stirring and turning the shrimp, until they just become opaque, about one minute. Lower the heat to simmer and add the lemon juice. Cook over low heat for about 3 minutes more. Sprinkle with the scallions and serve over lettuce leaves.



I just got summer issue of Sweet Dreams delicious looking magazine from Germany with my photo of Blackberry No-Bake Cheesecake in it. Take a look-))

Cream of Rice Soup with Curry, Mushrooms, and Roasted Red Pepper Puree

You may substitute any fresh herb for a Parsley Sauce. Other dried mushrooms can also be used, but none will give the intensity of porcini. You will simply have a milder flavored soup.

When buying mushrooms leveled "cepes" or "porcini", let your nose lead you. The mushrooms should have a rich, woodsy character with overtones of leather. Dried ceps or porcini are very easy to use. Just pop them into a long-cooking stew and let them cast their magic. Or cover the mushrooms with water, bring to boil, simmer them, and watch the liquid become black with richness. Use that liquid as the base of a soup or sauce. This will  make the liquid much more flavorful. Remember, the magic is in the liquid, not the reconstituted mushroom.

The recipe from A Cook's Book of Mushrooms



Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed well
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini or any other mushrooms you prefer
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 cups milk
• 3 Tbsp Red Pepper Puree

For the Red Pepper Puree:

• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• salt to taste

For the Parsley Sauce:

• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Vietnamese fish sauce (available in Asian markets) to taste

Directions:

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the rice while stirring, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, place 2 cups of water in a small saucepan. Add mushrooms, salt, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, curry powder, and paprika. Bring to boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

To make the Pepper Puree: preheat the broiler. Place the pepper in a pan and put in broiler. Broil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the skin shrivel and begin to blacken. Place in a paper bag and let cool. Peel the skin entirely from the pepper, then slit it open and remove the stem, seeds, and veins. Place the roaster pepper in a food processor and add the lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Blend to a smooth puree. Set aside.

To make the Parsley Sauce: in a food processor, combine the parsley, 2 tablespoons water, and the vinegar until pureed. Pour into a medium saucepan and add the cream. Bring to a simmer and add fish sauce to taste. Keep warm.

Combine the cooked rice with its liquid, the mushroom mixture with its liquid, and the milk in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding more milk if necessary and adjusting for salt. Stir in the red pepper puree.

Put into bowls and swirl a teaspoon of herb sauce in each.

Purple Deviled Eggs

Brunch (breakfast and lunch combined) is American in origin, and the English have adopted it because it fits in well with the modern way of life without upsetting their traditional eating habits too much. Morning tea, breakfast, luncheon, tea and dinner cut up the day too much. Brunch is a good idea for a quick synthesis of two main meals.

Brunch is an ideal Sunday formula for those who like to lie abed, or for week-ends and holidays in the country. It can be served like breakfast from ten onwards and enables the hostess to receive a number of friends almost without effort. As it can nearly all be prepared the day before, the hostess is free of too much preparation in the kitchen and, being substantial, it allows guest time to enjoy their day in the sun, by the sea or in the country, without returning for lunch. Here is a perfect brunch dish - Purple Deviled Eggs. Perhaps for the Easter? -))



Ingredients:

• 6 peeled, hard-boiled eggs
• the juice from a jar of picked beets (store-bought or homemade)
• 1/4 cup of mayo (I like homemade mayonnaise and it's easy to make)
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• paprika to taste
• cilantro, minced

Directions:

Soak hard-boiled eggs in beet juice for 30 mints (if you like your eggs be perplex a lot, leave it for a few hours or overnight). Remove and drain, then slice the eggs in half and gently remove yolks. Combine yolks in a bowl with mayo, mustard, minced cilantro, season with salt and pepper. Then stir until mixture is smooth.



Scoop the mixture into the plastic bag, then snip off a bottom corner and pipe the spiced yolks into the whites.



Sprinkle the eggs with paprika and garnish with cilantro or slice of beet.