Gazpacho

Gazpacho andaluz.  The real deal: my grandma's recipe.

INGREDIENTS 

5 large red, ripe tomatos (or 8-9 medium sized tomatoes)*
1/2 cucumber (mediterranean type)

1 green bell pepper

a little less than 1/4 onion (medium sized)
1 garlic clove
1 slice of bread**
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tbsp vinegar (red wine vinegar or balsamic are the best choices)
salt to taste
cold water (if needed)

*This is the key ingredient.  Get the best tomatoes you can find!
**Skip bread for GLUTEN-FREE.

PREPARATION

Wash all vegetables.
Place the slice of bread in a bowl and add 1/2 cup water.  Reserve.
Peel the cucumber and cut in half (you'll only need one half).
Remove stems and cores from the tomatoes.  Cut the tomatoes in quarters.
Peel the onion and cut in quarters.
Remove stem and seeds from bell pepper and cut in halves.
Peel and mince garlic.

Place tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, garlic, bread, olive oil, vinegar and salt in a large bowl -or food processor- and blend until smooth.  It will take a few minutes.
Add cold water if needed, or if you prefer a lighter texture.
Taste, add more salt or vinegar if necessary and blend.

Strain the puree to remove tomato and pepper peels (trust me, it's worth it).

Place in a proper container and keep in the fridge (3 days).
Serve cold!

How to serve it:

1) in a bowl: you eat it with a spoon. You can garnish it with finely chopped cucumber, pepper, onion, tomato and croutons.  The garnishes are served in small bowls so you can add whatever you prefer (or not).

2) in a glass: add cold water to get a lighter texture and drink it!

Falafel

My favorite fast-food... homemade.

Ingredients (for approx. 20-25 falafel)

3 cups dried chickpeas

1 large onion

3 cloves of garlic

2 cups fresh parsley leaves

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour*

3 tablespoons of chickpea flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Vegetable oil (for deep frying)

*Use a different kind of flour for GLUTEN-FREE (chickpea, rice...)

PREPARATION

The day before the preparation of falafel, place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl with cold water for 24 hours.

Once the beans have absorbed the water, the next day, drain and reserve in a bowl (without water).

Cut the onion and garlic in small pieces.

Pour all ingredients, except flour, in a food processor. Grind until you get a crumbly and loose texture.

Add flour and stir well with a spoon.

To fry: use plenty of light olive oil, corn or sunflower oil, over medium-high heat.

To form the falafel, the ideal is to have an aleb falafel! (falafel scoop / spoon / shaping tool).

Otherwise, you can use two tablespoons and shape the dough between them, pressing and giving the desired shape. It is not difficult, just requires a little practice. 

Once formed, drop into the hot oil, carefully, so they don't fall apart.

Fry on one side until golden (few minutes), flip and fry the other side.

Remove from heat and place on paper towel to remove excess oil. 

Place on a plate to serve.

Traditionally, falafel is served with sliced ​​ripe tomato, cucumber, raw onion slices, pickles, and Arabic bread (or "Pita" bread), along with tahini sauce (sesame paste) with garlic and lemon juice.

Guacamole

I LOOOVE guacamole...  Who doesn't? 

But, do you know how to make a good one? 

Authentic Mexican recipe, courtesy of my husband.

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe avocados

1/2 garlic clove 

2 green onions

3 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves

1 lime juice

1/4 ripe tomato (or 3 cherry tomatoes)

Salt to taste

1/2 red chili (optional)

PREPARATION

Cut the avocados in halves.  Discard pits.
Scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon.  Place in a food processor or blender.
Peel and slice garlic, add.
Wash and chop onions, add.

Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth (or blend for as long as you like, if you prefer the chunky consistency).

Serve immediately on a bowl, with corn chips or corn tortillas for dipping.

You can NOT keep this in the fridge!  You'll have to it all of it... but don't worry, it won't be difficult.

Hummus

The most popular Middle Eastern dip ever!

INGREDIENTS

425g cooked garbanzo beans (= 15 OZ canned garbanzo beans)

2 garlic cloves (or just one, depending on how "garlicky" you like it)

1 lemon juice

3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 cup spring water
Salt to taste

Extra virgin olive oil
Ground paprika
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Ground sumac
1 ripe tomato (optional)
Fresh coriander leaves (optional)

PREPARATION

Wash the garbanzo beans with cold water, rinse and place them in a food processor (or blender).
Peel and chop the garlic cloves and add.
Add lemon juice, tahini, water and salt.
Blend it until smooth.

Place the puree in plate and spread it out with a spoon.

Garnishing: pour some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some spices on top.
You can decorate the hummus with the spices and it will look very pretty
(but as you can see, I was VERY hungry when I made it and took the photo, so I just threw everything on top of it!)

It's really good if you chop a tomato into small cubes for garnishing, as well as some fresh cilantro leaves.
You can also squeeze more lemon juice if you prefer it more lemony.

Serve with warm pita bread (or corn tortillas or chips for GLUTEN-FREE) for dipping.

You can keep this in the fridge in a proper container for 3-4 days.

Mint Chutney

This is just ridiculously good.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup fresh cilantro

2 tbsp vegan tofu cream cheese*

1 tsp sugar

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 lime juice

1 tbsp tamarind paste or pomegranate molasses**

* I used Trader Joe's non-dairy spread.

** If you don't have this it's ok, but it gives the chutney that special sourness...

PREPARATION

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you get a smooth texture. 

Serve with pakoras, veggie burgers...  It's a great dip/sauce that you can serve with many dishes, but it -obviously- goes very well with Indian food. 

BIBIMBAP (Korean Rice With Vegetables)

A)

B)

Two versions of the same dish, one with fresh vegetables (A) and the other with tempura and cooked spinach (B). Both have fried tofu and avocado (I know... I'm kind of obsessed with avocado)

INGREDIENTS (for 2)

1 cup Japanese rice

Tofu:

- 1/2 block firm tofu

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 tsp sugar

- 1 tsp sesame oil

Vegetables:

- A) Fresh version: salad greens, lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber, red pepper, avocado, onion...

- B) Cooked version: fresh spinach leaves, carrots + green onions for tempura 

  If you are making this, you'll also need:

  - 3 tbsp chickpea flour

  - 1/3 tsp baking powder

  - cold water

  - 1 tbsp sesame oil

  - 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

"Chojang" spicy sauce :

- 1 tbsp Korean hot pepper paste

- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 tbsp vegan sugar

- 2 chopped green onions

- 1 shredded garlic clove

- 1 tbsp sesame oil

- 1 tbsp shredded fresh ginger

Vegan Kimchi (or Kimchee)*

*You always serve Kimchi with a Korean meal!

I specify "vegan" because you have to read the label: sometimes it has fish sauce or dried shrimp in it...

PREPARATION

"Chojang" spicy sauce:

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and reserve.

If this is not spicy enough for you, add more hot pepper paste!

If it's too spicy, add more soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.

How to cook the rice:

Wash rice in cold water, stirring the pot and drain the water until it run clear (about 10 washes).

Leave the washed rice in the pot and add 1 1/2 cups of cold water. Bring water to a boil over medium/high heat, and when it starts to boil, cover the pot and keep it cooking for about 4 minutes.

Reduce heat to low/simmer and cook about 10 minutes. DO NOT UNCOVER the pot at any time!!! Turn off heat and let stand 15 minutes. 

(Only if you are not sure if the rice is well cooked, grab a teaspoon and take a little rice so you can taste it. If by any chance rice is not well done, add a little more water and cook for a few more minutes. Sometimes it depends on the rice type or brand, but I always cook it this way and it's always perfect!).

After 15 minutes, you can uncover the pot. 

How to cook the tofu:

You can prepare it while the rice is cooking.

Wash it with cold water and dry it gently with paper towels. 

Cut it in cubes (bite size) and reserve.

Place a skillet with 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat.

Add tofu and cook until golden, turning the cubes with two forks (that's what works best for me) when the first side is done. 

When it's ready, turn off heat and add: 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp vegan sugar and 1 tsp sesame oil. Stir the tofu carefully to mix it with the sauce and reserve.

Fresh or cooked version?

A) For the fresh version, you just have to cut the vegetables into thin strips (julienne) and reserve.

B) For the cooked version: 

Wash spinach with cold water and drain.

Place a skillet with 1 tsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Add spinach, add 1 tbsp water and cover with a lid. Cook for a 3-5 minutes until spinach is soft. 

Turn off heat and add 1 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds. Stir and reserve.

Tempura: 

Cut carrots and green onion into very thin strips (you can use a potato peeler for the carrot, it works very well).  Reserve.

In a separate bowl, mix chickpea flour and baking powder. Add cold water until you get a smooth egg-like texture (a little thicker). 

Add carrots and green onion to the tempura mixture and mix well. 

Place a skillet with abundant vegetable oil over medium heat (for deep frying). 

When oil is hot, use two tablespoons to place small amounts of the tempura mixture in the oil.
Cook until golden-brown and turn. Cook the other side (they cook pretty fast!).

Place the cooked tempura on a dish covered with paper towels to drain excess oil.

Keep adding tempura mixture to the oil and cook it until it is finished. 

Remove and discard the paper towels when all the tempura is cooked and drained. It should be crispy and light. Reserve tempura.

Serving the plates:

Place cooked rice in the middle of a large bowl (or large plate) and add all the other ingredients, forming a circle around it (just because it looks prettier than throwing everything on top... you see all the different colors and textures).

Pour some of the spicy sauce on top of the rice, but not all of it, because you might find it very spicy! You can always add more sauce while eating it. 

Serve it like this. 

Then you mix well all the ingredients, usually using chopsticks and a tablespoon, and... ENJOY!

I love eating it while taking some bites of kimchi and mixing it with the rice. If you have never had kimchi before, pick a mild brand or very fresh kimchi (it's usually lighter), and try a small bite with some rice. In my case, it was LOVE at first bite, but sometimes it takes a while to get used to new strong flavors.

Baba Ghanouj (Cold Eggplant Puree)

INGREDIENTS

2 large eggplants

2 garlic cloves (or just one, depending on how "garlicky" you like it)

1 lemon juice

3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (or 1-2 tbsp dry mint)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Salt to taste

Extra virgin olive oil

Ground paprika

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Wash the eggplant and cut in halves. 

Cover an oven tray with aluminum foil and place the eggplant on top, skin side up.
Pour a little olive oil on top and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the eggplant from the oven and peel it (discard the peel).
Let them cool down to room temperature.

Place the eggplant in a food processor.

Chop and slice garlic, add.
Add lemon juice, tahini, salt, black pepper and mint leaves.

Blend it until smooth.

Serve on a plate, spreading it out with a spoon.
Pour some extra virgin olive oil on top.
Sprinkle ground paprika and decorate with mint leaves.

Serve with warm pita bread (or corn tortillas or chips for GLUTEN-FREE) for dipping.

You can keep this in the fridge in a proper container for a couple of days.

Lentil Burgers

INGREDIENTS (8-10 burgers)

1 can cooked  black lentils (400g approx.)

1 onion

3 garlic cloves 

1 cup bread crumbs

4 tbsp chickpea flour

3/4 cup soy milk

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1tsp salt

Olive oil + sunflower (or corn) oil (for frying)*

*Olive oil will provide good flavor and sunflower/corn oil will make them crispier on the outisde and prevent that they fall apart when frying.

PREPARATION

Put the lentils in a big and tall container.

Mash wish mixer on low speed, only about 4-5 "touches" to crush some of the lentils and leave others whole (you don't want a smooth paste).

Chop the onion very small and add to lentils. Grate the garlic and add.

Add the breadcrumbs, all spices and salt and stir well with a fork. It should have a crumbly texture and rather dry.

In a separate bowl, mix the chickpea flour and soy milk, beating until egg-like texture, maybe a little thicker. Add this mixture to the bowl of lentils and stir well. 

VARIATIONS: You can add to the dough 2 tbsp mustard sauce, different spices (sage, thyme), nuts (walnuts, pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, cashews), herbs (cilantro, basil, oregano)... Improvise!

The burgers should have a solid texture and be compact enough to mold them with your hands and keep the form of a burger. Make them thick, so they don't break when frying.

Place a skillet with about 5 tbsp mild olive oil and about 5 tbsp sunflower or corn oil, on medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the burgers and brown on both sides. 

Once browned on the outside, lower the heat and let it cook inside (it may take 8-10 minutes per side), over low heat, so you don't burn the outside.

Check that they are well done inside using a fork or toothpick and remove from heat. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil, if necessary.