This is a fun, delicate and exotic appetizer made with zucchini blossoms filled with creamy ricotta and baked to perfection. 

I got these zucchini blossoms when visiting the local farmer’s market…they were so beautiful therefore could not resist them…isn’t this an awesome way to celebrate the first day of summer?

One thing I knew…I did not want to fry them, and searched for a baked recipe…came across this recipe which I pretty much followed it with some changes.

These are so easy and very attractive little bites. By stuffing the flowers with ricotta, every bite is a combination of creamy ricotta with the crunchy panko…heavenly delicious! So if you come across zucchini blossoms, do not hesitate in getting them and try this simple recipe.

Ingredients:

• Approximately 12 zucchini blossoms
• 1 cup ricotta
• Freshly chopped parsley to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• Panko

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a baking try with parchment paper or aluminum paper.

Mix in a medium bowl ricotta, parsley, salt and pepper. Taste after mixing adjusting for more salt or pepper as desire.

Spoon the ricotta mixture to a small plastic sandwich, seal and make a small cut off by the corner.

In another bowl or deep plate beat the egg slightly and on the second bowl or deep dish place the panko.

Stuff the zucchini blossoms from the opening of the flower and after filling with the ricotta mix, twist gently the flower at the tip to hold the stuffing in.

Dip the filled zucchini flowers first in the egg and then into the panko, making sure that the whole flower is covered.

Place the coated flowers on the tray. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining zucchini blossoms and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve warm.

Did you know that zucchini blossoms are edible flowers? All the squash flowers are edible.

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Simple and easy daikon and carrot pickle recipe inspired by Vietnamese cuisine.  Great to have available in the refrigerator as it goes well in salad, sandwich and as a side dish.

I am sharing with you today a simple a versatile recipe for Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikons. I love to have them handy in the refrigerator. I usually add to sandwiches, on salads or as a side dish. They are crunchy and so flavorful. It is a balance between sweet and tart. This pickled vegetable is great in sandwiches especially when you have rich and fatty meats in it. Another option is to top your favorite salad with it, they add color, flavor and serves as a dressing as well.

I hope you get to try this simple and quick pickled Vietnamese inspired daikon and carrot.

Ingredients:

• Approximately 1 lb daikon, cut into matchstick thickness
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchstick thickness
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ C sugar
• 1 C vinegar
• 1 C water

Simple and easy daikon and carrot pickle recipe inspired by Vietnamese cuisine.  Great to have available in the refrigerator as it goes well in salad, sandwich and as a side dish.

Method:

In a bowl place the carrot and daikon and sprinkle with the salt. Toss and gently knead with your hands the carrot and daikon until they are slightly soften and liquid will pool at the bottom of the bowl. Drain the carrot and daikon in a colander and rinse with water. Press gently to remove all the extra water. Place the vegetables in a quart size jar.

Mix sugar, vinegar, and the water. Stir well so all the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the vegetables, making sure that all the carrot and daikon are covered with the sugar and vinegar mixture. Let the vegetables marinate in the refrigerator. Best when consumed in within 4 weeks.

Serve in sandwiches or as salad.

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This is a recipe for a very healthy salad…it can be served as a side dish or as a main dish.  The combination of the nutty farro and roasted tomatoes is just amazing.

This is such a simple and yet tasty salad, farro is used as a base grain. It is loaded with delicious oven roasted grape tomatoes marinated with olive oil, garlic and thyme. This can be served as a meal by itself or as a side dish.

I love the idea of adding roasted grapes tomatoes; they are naturally sweet which gives this farro salad a touch of sweetness. I think this salad will be very suitable during summer months along with any BBQ.

Now back to farro…farro is a kind of wheat, it was a staple food in ancient Rome and it’s believed that this was a grain of choice for the Roman soldiers thousands of years ago. In spite of having low gluten content, farro is chewy and has a nutty flavor.

Oh! Before I share with you the recipe, I just want you to know that I will be off for a couple of weeks…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup farro
• 2½ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 16 oz grape tomatoes, washed and cut into half
• 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Fresh thyme to taste, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8-12 oz of mixed frozen vegetables, I used Trader Joe’s soycutash (mixture of edamame, corn and red pepper)

This is a recipe for a very healthy salad…it can be served as a side dish or as a main dish.  The combination of the nutty farro and roasted tomatoes is just amazing ~ Color Your Recipes

Method:

Place the water in a medium pan and bring to boil with salt. Add farro and lower the heat to low and let it cook for approximately 15 minutes. You can cook it more or less depending on how soft or chewy you like.

Drain all the water once the farro is cooked. You can cook it more or less depending on how soft or chewy you like.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 375F. In a medium bowl toss together the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix gently until all the tomatoes are cover with oil.

In an oven safe tray, lay the tomatoes cut side down in a single layer. Roast for 40 minutes, and then increase the temperature to 425F if you want to caramelize them.

Turn off the oven and leave the tomatoes inside the oven until completely cool.

Follow the instruction on the package of the frozen vegetables.

When all the ingredients are ready and cool, toss them together. Drizzle more olive oil and taste for salt and pepper and add as necessary.

Serve slightly warm or cold.

Did you know that farro is high in fiber and a very good source of protein and iron? Half cup of farro has more fiber and less calories than brown rice.

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This is simple salad recipe using mainly blanched celery and tossed with San-J organic soy sauce.

This is a very simple and easy recipe using mainly blanched celery, yes blanched celery…this way the celery still crunchy and yet somehow delicate.

I accepted the invitation to try more San-J sauces, they were sent to me without charge, and I did not receive any compensation for this post and all the content and opinion in this post are solely mine. I decided to use the gluten free organic tamari soy sauce in this recipe, and I love it, especially because this is a reduced sodium version of soy sauce. You can look for more San-J sauces here and pick your favorite one.

In Asian cuisine, salad is not very common, most of the so called vegetable “cold dishes” are either blanched or somehow pickled. Therefore I used similar method to make this celery salad. I hope you get to try, because the texture of this blanched celery is very different from the fresh cut ones. The addition of soy sauce and sesame oil gives this salad an Asian twist.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 celery stalks, cut into strips
• San-J Tamari organic soy sauce to taste
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• Chili oil, to taste
• Cilantro, chopped

Method:

Boil water in a medium pot. Add the celery and blanch for approximately 1 minute.

In the meantime prepare a bowl with cold water and ice cube.

Drain the water from the celery and immediately place the celery into the ice bowl of water.

Once the celery strips are ice cold drain well and place them in a bowl.

Add on the celery strips San-J soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil. Toss gently until all the celery strips are coated with the sauce.

Finally toss in the chopped cilantro. Serve cold.

If you enjoy this simple recipe of celery salad you might want to check on Spinach Salad with Ponzu Sauce.

Did you know that celery is an excellent source of vitamin K in spite of its low-calorie content?
Moreover, celery contains sodium, therefore the slightly savory flavor.

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This is a simple recipe which by just adding a bit of miso you will find yourself indulging a simple roasted delicata squash with a hint of umami flavor.  

Have you ever tried Delicata squash? If you have not, please check this post to see how this squash looks like.

Anyway, this is a twist on the roasted Delicata squash recipe, miso is added almost at the end to give the squash an umami touch. I grew up with miso, therefore I never thought much about it, until recently I realized that I like the taste of miso and could not explain why…here is why, it is the now well accepted UMAMI taste which is known as the fifth primary taste.

This is such a simple and easy recipe that can be easily added to your Thanksgiving table as one of the side dishes…you will be surprise what a little touch of miso can do to your squash. I choose the Delicata squash due to its delicate texture and the pretty shape, please feel free to adapt this recipe to any kind of squash of your preference.

Ingredients:

• 2 Delicata squashes, sliced and seeds removed
• 1 ½ teaspoons white miso
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon sake
• 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil plus extra

Method:

Preheat oven to 425F

In a bowl add the sliced Delicata squash and toss a little sesame oil. Spread the squash on an oven safe tray in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes or until the squash are soft.

In the meantime in a small bowl mix the miso, sugar, sake, sesame oil until a thin paste.

Brush the roasted squash with the miso mixture and place it back to the oven.

Broil for 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve warm or cold.

If you enjoy this miso, you my want to check on this exotic Miso Caramel Sauce recipe.

Did you know that miso is made from fermented soybeans? Miso is part of Japanese cuisine and presently has been getting very popular worldwide. There are many type of miso which can vary depending on the region that it is produced.

Oh…before I go…

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Have you ever try shishito peppers? They are a lot of sun as you never know what you are going to get…mild or hot. This recipe call for simply roasting in a cast iron pan until blistered.

When I saw these finger long peppers at Trader Joe’s I had to get them regardless of how they taste…by the way, this is one of my “normal” behavior when shopping…by husband will ask me if I know or have ever eaten something new and I would answer…I don’t know, but I will find out. Well, after searching in the internet “how to cook Shishito peppers”, it was to my surprised that it could not be easier and simpler than this…and yes, they are so good, not hot at all, a touch of sweet. Apparently in every batch of these peppers there might be a very spicy one…so far we have not encountered one…luck or not…you can be the judge.

These peppers make great appetizer, and you can have then ready in no time…dipping sauce? Whatever your heart desire…I served this with Ponzu sauce, which is a lighter version of soy sauce with a touch of citrus…I would prefer to serve this charred Shishito peppers with a light sauce so the sauce does not “cover” the flavor of the pepper.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 oz Shishito peppers, rinsed and dried
• Dipping sauce of your preference

Method:

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the peppers and turn occasionally so the peppers do not burn.

Make sure that they blister on all sides.

Remove from the pan and serve immediately with your favorite sauce

I hope you enjoy this simple and easy recipe. For more appetizer recipes, you might want to take a look HERE.

Did you know that Shishito pepper are native of Japan? In spite of its mild peppery flavor, approximately 1 in 10 has a really spicy flavor.

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If you love rice and worry about calories you should try this method of cooking rice. It is simple and easy…

Yes, you can lower the calories in rice by changing how you cook it!

For the longest time I wanted to share with you about a method used to lower rice calories…not long ago a team of scientists from Sri Lanka have developed a simple way to cook rice that could reduce the calories absorbed by the body by up to 60%.

A little background…rice contains two types of starch: digestible and resistant. The digestible starches can be quickly broken down by our bodies, turn into glucose and store as fat if we do not burn it (increase weight or obesity). The resistant starch cannot be digested, they just pass through the large intestine therefore not absorbed by our body. Resistant starch shares some of the benefits of soluble fibers. The scientist developed a method of cooking rice which changes the digestible starch to resistant starch.

Why lowering the caloric content in rice is so important? Rice is the staple food for more than half of the world’s population, contains a lot of starch and it is used to make all kind of dishes savory as well as sweet, but worldwide obesity is increasing dramatically, therefore to be able to enjoy rice dishes without guilt, a simple addition of coconut oil can change its caloric content.

The original paper recipe is the following…

Ingredients:

• ½ cup white rice
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 ¾ cups water or enough to cook the rice

Method:

In a pot, bring water to a boil.

Add coconut oil to pot, followed by the rice.

Cover, lower heat, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Let rice cool, then chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

Reheat as necessary before serving using.

As for me, I love using my rice cooker, therefore I added into the cooking bowl, well rinsed rice, coconut oil and the appropriate amount of water according to the instructions of the rice cooker.

If you enjoy this simple method of cooking rice to lower its calorie, you might want to check on some of rice dishes such as Egg Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage.

Want to know more about it? The reason that rice cooked with coconut oil contain less calories are explained by the scientists…coconut oil enter the starch granule during cooking and changes the structure of the starch so they are no longer affected by the digestive enzyme from our body. Refrigerating the rice is important because it expels the digestible part of the starch, and once the digestible part is outside of the rice granule, these molecules form strong bonds turning them into resistant starch.

Interestingly, the amount of resistant starch did not change when the rice was reheated later. The cooling turns some of the digestible starches into resistant starches via a process called retrogradation. In order to cook lower calorie rice refrigerating it before reheating is crucial.

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This is an edible garden that can be accomplished by only a jar and water.  It is so much fun watching the seeds turn into sprouts and the sprouts finally on your plate.

First of all I want to apologize if I did not visit you this week…I have been very busy at work and I will try to come see as soon as things gets calmer.

This spring I have committed to do many new things and one of them is sprout seeds…I already sprouted chia seeds, which requires much more work as the seeds need to be in a terracotta dish.

The alfalfa seed, broccoli, mustard, radish and many other are much easier to handle…it is a lot of fun to watch the seeds turn into microgreens…

There is really no recipe for it…and the whole procedure is very simple, you just need patience as can take from 6 to 10 days according to the temperature of your home.

Soak approximately 2 teaspoons seeds (alfalfa or mix seeds) overnight at room temperature. Fill the jar with at least 2 inches above the seed with water.

Next day, pour out the water and let the seeds sit. Make sure to tap and roll the jar and the seeds lay on the side of the jar so the seeds are not all in the bottom of the jar. The seeds need air and moist.

Rinse the seeds at least twice a day and more is the temperature is warmer. Rinsing the seeds more often will assure that no other organism is growing together with your seeds.

As the seeds sprouts you might need to split them into another jar, allowing the sprouts to grow further. Please keep rinsing at least twice a day.

Eventually the jars will be full. Place the jars near sun for about 20 minutes, this will turn the leaves greener.

Most of the brown seeds coat will be off the beans. To remove them just submerge the sprouts in water and the brown coat will float to the top.

Place the sprouts into a salad spinner and spin until all the water is out. Place the sprouts in a plastic container and store in the refrigerator until you needed. The sprouts can be kept in the refrigerator for approximately 1 week.

I hope this post inspire you to start sprouting seeds, for more edible garden you might want to take a look in Sprouting Chia Seeds.

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This recipe is very simple recipe for hummus.  You can use store bought can chickpeas or be more daring and make all from scratch. The hummus is creamy and so smooth, great with vegetables, crackers or even chips.

This is my first time making hummus, and I am so proud to say that I really made it from scratch…It all started when I got the dry garbanzo beans or chickpeas.

The great thing about making your own hummus is that you can make it thinner, thicker, spicy, lemony…in another words, dress as your palate desire. This simple hummus is great on crackers, as vegetable dip, on top of salad, sandwich spread…there is no end to where you can add some hummus.

I end up with a lot of cooked chickpeas and froze them for future use after placing into small bags.

Ingredients:

• 300 g drained cooked chickpeas
• ½ cup tahini (approximately 135g)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 100 ml water
• 1 pinch cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

Wash the chickpeas and soak in water at room temperature overnight. Make sure that you use a slightly larger bowl as the chickpeas will expand and double in size.

Drain the water and rinse again before cooking.

Place the soaked chickpeas in a pan and cover with water, add salt if desire (I did not). Cook for 60 to 90 minutes until the desire texture.

Place the chickpeas and the chopped garlic in the food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, tahini, water, olive oil cumin and salt. Pulse until smooth and if still too think add more water. Taste for salt, add more if needed.

Serve at room temperature or chilled. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle paprika before serving.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for hummus…you might want to try making homemade crackers to go with it.

with this.check on Did you know that hummus is the Arabic word for chickpeas? Chickpeas are rich in protein, dietary fiber, folate and iron.

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