Spinach Sesame Salad

5-minute Japanese style salad.  Healthy and very tasty.

INGREDIENTS 

2 bunches of spinach

1 tsp salt

water

Salad dressing:

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

4 tbsp mirin 

1 tbsp rice vinegar 

1 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

PREPARATION

  

Wash the spinach -DO NOT CUT ANYTHING YET!

Add 1 tsp salt to boiling water.  Cook the spinach for 2 minutes.

Prepare salad dressing (while cooking the spinach): 

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.  Reserve.

Turn off heat and strain spinach.  Rinse with cold water.

Squeeze gently with your hands, not too much.

Cut off the stem ends (1/2 inch).

Form a "ball" with the spinach and cut in 2-inch-long pieces.

Add salad dressing.  Mix well.

Enjoy!

VARIATION: Add tofu cubes to this salad... it's delicious!

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.

Muhammara (Red Pepper Dip)

"Muhammara" means "reddened" in arabic.  
It's also called "Acuka" in western Turkish cuisine.

INGREDIENTS

2 large roasted red peppers*

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp walnuts

1/2 lime juice

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1 slice fresh bread 

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

1/3 tsp ground cumin

*The canned ones also work for this recipe (use 1 cup and squeeze excess oil).

PREPARATION

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

Serve with pita bread.

Salmorejo With Avocado (Andalusian Cold Tomato Soup)

This cold tomato soup is typical from Andalusia, Southern Spain, the land of my ancestors. 

The traditional recipe does not have avocado in it, but I love the creaminess it adds to the already delicious soup.

INGREDIENTS

6 large red tomatoes (sweet, organic, flavorful  -forget about the other ones!)

1 avocado

1 slice fresh bread

1 or 2 garlic cloves (depending on how garlicky you like it...)

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (if you have Spanish olive oil, this is the moment to use it)

2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar, if you don't have the wine kind)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup cold bottled water

Salt to taste

PREPARATION

How to peel the tomatoes:

Prepare a big bowl with cold water and reserve.

Place a large pot with water over high heat and bring it to boil. 

Wash the tomatoes and make a small cut on every one (around the stem part) and throw them in the boiling water for a few seconds. Remove them quickly from the boiling water using a strainer and place them in the bowl with cold water (you don't want to cook them).

Now you'll be able to peel the tomatoes very easily!

Cut them in quarters and reserve.

Wash the avocado, cut it in half, remove the pit and peel it. 

Place the avocado and tomatoes in a food processor and blend. 

Add the bread, tearing it into pieces with your hands and blend.

Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Place it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.

Serve very cold!

You can keep it in the refrigerator in a proper container for two days.

Enoki Spinach Soup

10-minute light and tasty soup

INGREDIENTS (for 2)

Soup broth:

4 cups water (or vegetable stock)

1 1/2 tbsp vegetable boullion paste* (skip this if you are using vegetable broth)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 cup fresh spinach

1 green onion

1/2 pack enoki mushrooms

1 pack udon noodles**

*I usually use "Better Than Boullion".

**Use soy, sweet potato or rice noodles for GLUTEN-FREE.

PREPARATION

Place water and vegetable bullion paste (or vegetable stock) in a pot over medium heat. Mix well.

Add soy sauce and sugar. Stir.

Wash the spinach and remove the stems. Add leaves to soup.

Add noodles and cook for 5 minutes.

Cut the green onion into thin slices and add. Stirring occasionally.

Add sesame oil, enoki mushrooms and rice vinegar. Stir and serve immediately.

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.

Avocado Grapefruit Salad

5-minute delicious salad!

INGREDIENTS

1 avocado

canned grapefruit slices*

1 green onion

Salad dressing:

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1tbsp orange juice

1/2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

*You can find them in the refrigerated area of your produce section

PREPARATION

Cut the avocado in slices and place them in a salad plate.

Add the grapefruit slices.

Cut the green onion into very thin slices and sprinkle on top of the avocado and grapefruit.

Whip all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and add to salad.

Avocado Tofu Ginger Salad

This salad is incredibly simple and super tasty!

INGREDIENTS (for 2)

1 avocado

1/2 tofu block (soft or firm, whatever you prefer)

1 green onion (or 2, depending on how big the onions are)

1 tbsp shredded fresh ginger

1/4 sheet nori seaweed 

1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds

Salad dressing:

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp rice vinegar

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 tsp sugar

- 1/2 lime juice

PREPARATION

Cut the avocado into small cubes and place in 2 bowls.
Squeeze the lime juice on top of it.

Cut the tofu into small cubes and add.

Cut the green onion into very thin slices and add.

Cut out a quarter of a nori sheet (reserve the other part for future cooking). Then cut it in half, put the halves together and cut in half again. Put together and repeat again. You should have now layers of small rectangles together. Cut them into thin strips and add.
Add the shredded ginger.

Add the sesame seeds. (If you don't have the toasted kind, just put a skillet over medium heat -no oil- and toast the seeds for a minute or two. You'll know when they're ready because they will smell really nutty and good).

In a separate bowl, put all the ingredients for the dressing together and whip them until it's well mixed.

Add to bowls and serve immediately.

Corn Soup With Avocado

INGREDIENTS (for 2)

1 onion
2 cups sweet corn (cooked)*
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk (14 fl oz)
1 avocado (small)
lemon pepper (or black pepper)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp shredded fresh ginger
salt
6 tbsp olive oil

*Frozen sweet corn also works for this recipe!


PREPARATION

Cut the onion into fine strips.

Put the olive oil in a big pot over medium heat. Add the onion. 

Fry on medium heat until golden, stirring often. It can take about 10-15 minutes.

Add the sweet corn, stir, cook for 5 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth and cook for 10 minutes.

Place the soup in a different bowl where you can use a hand-blender, or place it in a big food processor or blender. Blend until you have a smooth puree.

Strain the puree mixture to remove corn peels. This is an important step for texture. 

Place the puree back in the cooking pot.

Add the coconut milk slowly while stirring, and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Turn off the heat, add ginger and sesame oil and stir. 

Serve on bowls.

Cut the avocado in strips and place it on the soup. It will remain on the surface.

Add lemon pepper and serve immediately.

Miso Soup With Shiitake, Tofu And Udon Noodles

INGREDIENTS (for 2)

6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 tbsp Japanese white miso
1 tbsp dried wakame algae
1/2 piece of fresh silk tofu (soft)
1 package udon noodles*
2 tsp vegetable bouillon paste**
1 green onion
4 cups water

*Use rice, sweet potato, or soy noodles for GLUTEN-FREE.
**I usually use "Better Than Boullion".

PREPARATION

Place shiitake mushrooms in a pot and add water. Bring to boil and then simmer on low for 15 minutes (or until mushrooms are soft).
Remove the mushrooms and cut out the stem. Slice mushrooms into thin strips. Reserve.
Add the vegetable bouillon paste to the pot.
Keep broth temperature on low.

Take 1/2 cup of the shiitake broth from the pot and in a separate bowl add white miso.
Mix well. Stir until smooth. Reserve. (This step is important because if the miso is added directly to the pot it does not mix well, thus affecting flavor and texture).

Add shiitake mushrooms, wakame seaweed and noodles to the pot.
Cut tofu into small cubes and add to soup. Cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the outer layer of the green onion. Cut into small thin slices and add to the soup.

Slowly add the miso broth prepared from bowl to the pot and stir well (miso should not boil at any time). Serve immediately!