Dates are extraordinary fruits. They contain impressive amounts of vitamins and minerals. Therefore they are wholesome food and one of the best sweets you can get. Dates are very popular in the Middle Eastern countries where they have been cultivated for centuries. The date jam is really sweet, even though it's made with tart orange juice and no sugar is added. It is great with bread, pancakes, waffles, toasts, and more.
I like arabic cuisine for its simplicity and the way how different ingredients are combined to create unusual flavours. Just look at this recipe: a rice dish made with lentils and carmelized onions. This is so simple! Mujadarra is also inexpensive, quick, and filling. You can season it with cumin or some fresh herbs like mint or coriander, or parsley.
The first dish, that comes to my mind when I think of the Middle Eastern cuisine, is houmous. But it is too obvious to publish houmous recipe during the Middle Eastern week. I found this delicious dish instead. Three main ingredients of this puree are: baked eggpalnts, tahini paste, and lemon juice. Baba ghanoush can be seasoned with garlic, olive oil, mint, parsley, onions, tomatoes, and other vegetables and herbs. It is great as an appetizer or sandwich paste.
This tarte is: easy, quick, aromatic, sweet, and it melts in the mouth. The bitterness of walnuts used for the crust make the taste of the tarte more interesting and rich. Giving this dessert to your children can be a great way to introduce these healthy nuts into their diet. I like the combination of apples and spices, especially cinnamon. But if you're not a fan of apples, you can put a different fruit on top of your tarte.
Cottage cheese with radish and chive always was my favourite sandwich paste. There is an easy way to make this delicious spread without dairy products. Blended cashews are an ideal vegan replacement for cottage cheese. To be honest, you probably won't even notice the difference between the vegan and the traditional version of the radish paste. Maybe if you're a connoisseur, you can say they differ in texture. I adore it.
When I was a small girl my grandma had a beautiful vegetable garden. I didn't work in the garden at all as I was too busy playing in my sandpit. Just a few weeks ago I started my own veggie garden with five plants in it for start. I had a problem with snails-terrorists but I managed to save my patch (both the gluttons and the veggies survived). Carrot and coriander didn't sprout at all but broad bean is bigger and bigger, I had a good crop of raddish and there is one courgette still growing. Here are the photos of the results.
Silesian potato dumplings are very popular in Poland, they are also known in Germany. Silesian dumplings are springy, soft, and filling. They are a great idea for cheap and easy dinner. You can serve it with your favourite sauce or as a side dish with caramelized onion on top. I love them with mushroom sauce.
Summer is the best season for pierogies. They can be filled with fresh fruit that are available everywhere in reasonable prices. You can fill your pierogies with one kind of fruit or mix two or more kinds - they are always delicious. Don't worry if you can't eat all of them. Put the pierogies in a freezer and cook them later.
Mini pizza is an ideal dish for pizza, chocolate and fruit lovers. I'm sure all your family, including children, will adore it. It's sweet, fancy, colourful and filling. This is a great idea for dessert or even dinner. It's especially nice to cook mini pizzas during summer using seasonal fruit such as strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. I cant't believe I thought sweet pizza was a stupid invention. It's brilliant!
Jam can be bought in every single grocery for just few pennies. However, it tastes so great when you prepare it at home. Firstly, you can make jam from any fruit you like and add your favourite herbs or spices. Secondly, the whole house smells wonderful when you cook it. Thirdly, you can be sure it doesn't contain any harmful ingredients, such as glucose-fructose syrup. Moreover, fruit is the main component of your jam, which is not a rule in a store-bought one.
Kissel is a dessert made of fruit and thicken with potato flour or cornstarch. It can be served hot or cold. You can eat it on its own or along with pancakes or ice cream. Popular flavours are: strawberry, cranberry, gooseberry, cherry, lemon, orange, apple, and peach. Kissel looks similar to compote but it's much thicker. It's very common to prepare kissel from instant mixes but I prefer the traditional way.
A blog about plant-based diet, cooking, veganism, ethical lifestyle.
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian. - Paul McCartney
Animals are my friends...and I don't eat my friends. - George Bernard Shaw
Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. - Albert Einstein
If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them. - Dalai Lama