Cauliflower Cake with Flax Seeds

Cauliflower Cake is a very fresh idea for serving your vegetables for dinner. This dish looks impressive on a plate and goes well with any seafood combination or roasted chicken. I really liked it the next day, we had it for breakfast with some avocado slices. If you decide to make it I promise you'll enjoy this rustic cake.

Mushroom Risotto with Coconut Milk

I started my risotto only with garlic, mushrooms and rice. The rest of the ingredients I was choosing during the process.  The coconut milk proved to be an excellent idea for the taste and touch of turmeric has given risotto a nice bright color. The end result - exquisitely tasty 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.

Turkey Soup with Mushrooms - Simple but Flavorful Recipe for Leftover Turkey

In our time the turkey is generally served on holidays, and I think this practice is very wise. The meat is lean, low in fat, high in protein, delicious in flavor, and terrible versatile. You are probably just as good as I am at thinking up ways to use leftovers, but I really do like this simple but flavorful solution to using turkey "again."

Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque with Almonds

Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque with Almonds is a fragrant, creamy and delicately flavored soup. I hope you will enjoy this soup as well as we are.

Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice & Mushrooms

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

Pan-fried Basa with Tomato & Mango Sauce

I love cooking with fruit, especially mango, and Basa cooked like this is fantastic. I am thinking about Caribbean Islands. Where would you like to go on your next vacation? Hopefully, this recipe will bring a little sunshine to your table -)

Spicy Cream of Pumpkin (Red Hubbard) Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

"September is like no other
It's days change color and weather
No other month can say quite the same
For every day, I can feel the change

It's cool breezes start out warm, 
Changing to cold throughout every storm
The leaves change and fall 
As the Summer leaves and Autumn kisses us all

September maidens feel the change
Like the blue of the sky
Yet the color so deep
Unbelievable beauty..."

by Jessica Millsaps



Red Hubbard, Orange Hokkaido or Uchiki Kuri. A great sized mini Hubbard weighing 4-5 pounds. Deep orange colored skin and sweet, smooth, dry flesh. Originally from Japan.  Last year I posted Blue Hubbard Jam with Raisins and Vanilla Bean recipe, take a look. This year I have cream of pumpkin soup with crispy prosciutto from Hubbard family. I hope you will enjoy my photos and the recipe!



Ingredients:

• 6-8 slices of prosciutto
• 1/2 medium Red Hubbard pumpkin, about 2 lb ( Big thank's to Styer Orchard Farm)
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4-5 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
• 1 tsp curry
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp orange zest or valencia orange peel
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• fat free Greek yogurt for serving (optional)
• dry dill for garnish

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F.

Arrange the prosciutto slices in a single layer on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the prosciutto cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat add the Red Hubbard, carrots, onions and the broth. Add the spices. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 -20 minutes.

Using a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add more broth if needed to reach the desired consistency, adjust the seasonings. Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve with Greek yogurt and the prosciutto. Garnish with dry dill and spices.

Four Grains Soup and Potato Stuffed Flatbread (Aloo Paratha) and Mint, Yogurt Dressing

"He who controls the spice, controls the universe. Such were the words uttered by the main character of the movie Dune based on the Frank Herbert science fiction epic of the same name. In the story, the spice was the lifeblood of a vast empire. For the leaders of this empire, it was essential that at all times the spice must flow.

The spice trade of the Dune movie was no doubt inspired by the historical trade in aromatics from ancient times to the present. At various periods in history, spices have been as valuable as gold and silver. According to a 15th century saying: No man should die who can afford cinnamon."

I love to cook with spices lately. Here is a perfect lunch or dinner, full of exotic ingredients and yet healthy, vegetarian dishes.


Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 1/2 cup green split peas
• 1/2 yellow split peas
• 1/2 barley
• 1/2 lentils
• 1/2 alphabet pasta bits made from wheat flower, spinach and tomato (or pasta of your choice)
• 6 cups of water
• 1 potato, diced into small cubs
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp sunflower or olive oil
• 1/2 tsp black or brown mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 fresh green chiles, chopped (seeded if you like)
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 fresh tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

For the potato stuffed flatbread:
For Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour  
• 1/4 tsp salt  
• 3 tsp oil 
• 1/2 cup water
• more flour in a plate, for rolling

For Filling:

• 2 large potatoes, boiled and peeled
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp or to taste red chili powder 
• salt to taste
• 5 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
• oil for pan frying

For the yogurt dressing:

• 1 small cucumber
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• fresh mint, to taste, finely chopped

Directions:
For the soup:

Put the grains into medium saucepan. Add the water and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and skim of the foam. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the grains do not stick to the bottom of the pan as they  thicker. Stir in the salt and potato. (If you add salt too soon to the grains, they will take longer to cook.) Let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When hot, but not smoking, add the mustard seeds, followed by the cumin seeds. Add the shallots and chiles and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, then add the turmeric and ground cumin. Add the tomato and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Fold the shallot mixture into the cooked grains. Stir in the cilantro, remove from the heat, and serve.


For the flatbread:

If you are planning to cook Aloo Paratha for the first time, please visit the very helpful video of this recipe here. That's what I did-)))


For the yogurt dressing:

Peel the cucumber and scoop out the seeds. Cut the flesh into bite-size pieces and set aside. Put the yogurt in a bowl and beat with a fork until smooth. Add the sugar and salt and mix well. Add the cucumber, garlic, mint and paprika. Mix well and serve over flatbread.

Coho Salmon and Autumn Vegetables Soup with Turmeric

The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, (from the Russian кижуч kizhuch) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers".
Ocean caught coho is regarded as excellent table fare. It has a moderate to high amount of fat, which is considered essential when judging taste. Only Spring Chinook and Sockeye salmon have higher levels of fats in their meat.
From Wikipedia



Ingredients:

• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 small carrots, cut into flowers
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
• 1 lb. skinless boneless salmon filet, cut into 1" cubes
• 1/2  small pumpkin, peeled and cubed
• 1 leek (white parts only), thickly sliced crosswise and washed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1⁄2 tsp. turmeric
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black
• pepper, to taste
• tarragon and lemon mint for garnish

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, leeks, cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, pumpkin, bay leaves and 6 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat.



Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.



Add salmon to soup; simmer until just cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Add turmeric and season generously with salt and pepper.

Divide soup between bowls; garnish with tarragon and lemon mint.