Ingredients :

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vegan red wine vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• grated lemon peel
• water

Directions:

Wash the head of lettuce and break into bite size pieces. Press the garlic and place in a bowl. Add balsamic and vegan red wine vinegar and mix well. Add three Tbsp of water and the lemon juice. Grate some lemon peel and add to dressing. Mix in with lettuce and serve.
Serves: 4

Preparation time: 8 mins

Nutrition Information: The recipe is very low fat, if any. Make sure that you have your breath mint though if you have a date after dinner!

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Fat per portion: 7 g
Calories per portion: 260 Kcal

Ingredients

450g (1lb) minced British turkey
1 tbsp grated root ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
20g (3/4 oz) chopped fresh coriander
4 tbsp low-fat yogurt
1 tbsp oil
2 wholemeal baps, sliced in half
4 spring onions, chopped
Mixed salad leaves
1 tomato, sliced
Sweet chilli sauce

Method

Place the turkey, ginger, garlic and 3 tbsp chopped coriander in a bowl and mix. Season and shape into four burgers. Mix the remaining coriander with the yogurt and season. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the burgers for 3 min each side over a medium heat until golden and cooked through.

Grill the bap halves to lightly toast. Place some spring onion, salad leaves and tomato on one half. Add a burger and drizzle with yogurt and sweet chilli sauce. Repeat with the other bap halves and serve.

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With its steamy broth, hearty meatballs, and chunky vegetables, one would hardly know that this Italian soup is ready in under half an hour. So go ahead, tell your family/roommate/ husband/boyfriend/kids you slaved away all afternoon. Using pre-made meatballs, pre-made broth, and beans makes this a quick fix meal. Full of flavor, this soup is comforting and delicious.
Italian Meatball Soup
From Gourmet magazine

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup frozen chopped onions (about 6 oz)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 celery rib, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
5 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (42 fl oz)
2 1/2 cups water
20 refrigerated or frozen precooked meatballs (15 to 20 ounces)
2 (14-oz) cans small white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (5- to 6-oz) bag baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated for garnish

Serves 4.

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For me, baked apple is a comfort food. Regular recipes are full of sugar and raisins. This is sort of a cross between baked apple and an individual apple crisp, but it’s done in the microwave, so it isn’t crispy. Sometimes I top it with yogurt, or mascarpone cheese mixed with the flavored sugar-free syrup. This snack/dessert isn’t super low-carb, so you wouldn’t want to use it for a very low carb diet phase.

INGREDIENTS:

• About 2/3 cup chopped apple (70 grams)
• Sugar-free syrup, such as Da Vinci’s caramel, or water and sugar substitute
• About half a teaspoon of cinnamon
• About 3 Tablespoons almond meal
• About a teaspoon of butter
• Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

PREPARATION:

Note that the measurements above are approximate, although the Nutritional Information is based upon it.Put the chopped apple in a microwave-safe bowl or other container. Sprinkle the cinnamon over it, and pour the sugar-free syrup over the top to about half an inch.

Cover. Microwave about 1½ minutes.Remove the cover. Sprinkle the almond meal over the top, and just a sprinkling of salt. You can add chopped walnuts or pecans if you like. Dot with butter. Microwave, uncovered for another 1½ minutes.

Nutritional Information: Each serving has 9 grams effective carbohydrate plus 4 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, and 169 calories.

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I felt inspired from the recent issue of Food and Wine and decided to prepare a variation on their suggested Harissa recipe. Harissa is a garlicky sauce from North Africa that compliments a simple bowl of cous-cous or a roasted vegetable. A garlic sauce offering so much flavor and flexibility, I couldn’t simply turn the page-I had to tear it out.

Soon after, I added it to roasted butternut squash and red potatoes.

4 Garlic Cloves Sliced
2 Teaspoons of Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Cup Olive oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

If you are using Harissa sauce with a vegetable, toss vegetable with sauce, top off with salt, pepper and a touch of olive oil.

I roasted the following for an hour at 375 degrees until the veg was tender and even crispy burnt in a good way here and there.

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1 3.5-lb organic chicken, split (see above)

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms

1/2 tsp dried Thyme

1/2 tsp freshly chopped parsley

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 lemon

1. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. On your stovetop, heat a large fry pan on high heat(big enough to fit the bird, and one that can withstand high heat in the oven). Add 2T canola oil to the pan. While the pan heats up, make sure your bird is patted as dry as possible. When the pan is smoking hot - gently place the bird SKIN side down in the pan. Season the top of bird with salt and pepper. Immediately place the entire pan in the 475 degree oven for 10 minutes.

2. Carefully remove hot pan from oven. flip the bird over. The skin should be beautifully golden and crisp. Generously season the skin side with salt and pepper. Return pan to the oven. Roast another 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, place chicken on a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.

3. Put the hot pan (careful! the pan is very hot still!) on the stovetop. Discard all but 3T of the pan drippings. Add mushrooms and fry until softened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, dried Thyme, lemon. Reduce the sauce by half, about 2 minutes more. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Serve chicken with sauce. Eat. Enjoy. Eat more. Can you tell I REALLY love this recipe?!

Fresh Artichokes

I’m so frugal-minded that I have a hard time purchasing a large, heavy artichoke and after trimming, end up with a tiny, 3-bite bit. My preference is to steam the whole thing, and slowly savor each and every leaf with a dipping in home made bagna caulda. But today, I was determined to use it in my Roast Chicken sauce. Here’s a step-by-step on how to trim, complete with photos to teach you.

After trimming the artichoke, I sliced thinly and placed in a bowl with lemon wedge to prevent browning while I heat up my pan. In a small fry pan, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 tsp minced garlic, fry for 20 seconds until fragrant. Add artichokes and 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Turn heat to low and cook until artichokes are softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside until you are ready to make the pan sauce. Then, just add the sauteed artichokes to the pan sauce in place of the mushrooms in above recipe. Enjoy!

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This quick and easy appetizer from Sophie Grigson is addictive to eat - and a real winner with drinks before dinner!

Ingredients
Main:

Method
1. Set the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Now simply take a spear of asparagus, wrap a slice of Prosciutto ham around it and lay each one on a baking tray, brushing them lightly with butter to ensure they do not stick.

2. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the asparagus is nicely roasted and the ham is crispy.

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1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 lb asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut diagonally into 2-inch slices

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp Dijon mustard 

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 tbsp finely chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, oil, and salt. Set the dressing aside. In another medium bowl, combine the parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. Add the shrimp, toss to coat. Set aside to marinate while the grill preheats. Spray the grids with non-stick cooking spray or brush with a light oil. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Tear off a 24-inch length of heavy-duty foil and fold in half to form a 12 X 18 inch rectangle. Place the asparagus and 2 tbsp of water in the center of the rectangle and seal the packet. Place the packet on the grids and cook for 10 minutes or until the asparagus is crisp-tender. Add the asparagus to the dressing. Grill the shrimp on the grids, turning once, for 3 - 4 minutes or until the shrimp are just opaque. Add the cooked shrimp to the asparagus, tossing to coat thoroughly. Transfer the mixture to a platter, sprinkle with the bell pepper and pecans, and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. (If you are serving the salad chilled, you can prepare it up to 8 hours in advance).

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Want to surprise your guests with something healthy,but also delicious (it is not always the same:)? Or you are tiered from cooking whole turkey on Thanksgiving Day and would like to substitute it? Here you go:
Ingredients
*4 turkey breast steaks, approximately 100g (4oz) each
*Freshly ground black pepper
*Juice from 1/2 lemon
*1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon or 1 pinch dried
*4 slices Parma ham, approximately 75g (3oz)
*25g/1oz butter or margarine
*2 - 15 peppercorns in brine, crushed
*2 tbsp sherry
*150ml/1/4 pint single cream
*Lemon slices to garnish
Method
To make escallops, place each turkey steak between two pieces of cling film. Beat out with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer until approximately 3-5mm/1/8-1/4 inch thick.
Season turkey with black pepper. Sprinkle with lemon juice and tarragon. Wrap each escallop in slice of Parma ham. Heat butter in heavy based pan. Sauté escallops over medium heat for 3 minutes each side. Add crushed peppercorns and sherry, cook for 1 minute. Remove escallops, keep warm. Stir in cream, heat through. For thicker sauce, bring to boil, cook until sauce thickens.

You will get probably 4 portions.Enjoy!

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Yeh! I know I know, that I’m going on diet…but only tomorrow:)

Today is the COOKIE DAY!

I love these biscotti, coz they are the same as tasted on my Italy trip,so they remained me about vacation.So go and get some piece of Italy!

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup oat flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used Alter-Eco, unrefined ground cane sugar)
2 large organic eggs
zest of one medium/large orange (optional)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/3 cup slivered almonds (more if you like)
3/4 good quality semisweet chocolate chips (or chunks shaved off a bar)

Preheat your oven to 325.

Combine (most) of your dry ingredients into a medium bowl and set aside: whole wheat pastry flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, wheat germ, salt, and baking powder.

Either by hand or using a mixer cream the butter and sugar together until creamy, and slightly lighter in color than when you started - roughly a minute or so. Add the eggs, zest, and almond extract. Mix until well combined. You will need to scrape down the sides of your bowl a couple of times if you are using an electric mixer - you want an even distribution of the eggs.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. I pulse the mixer on low a couple times so I don’t end up with a flour cloud, and then leave it on low for a few seconds - just until the dough becomes stiff and the flour is pretty well incorporated (you will know because there won’t be much flour left in the bottom of the mixing bowl). Stir in the slivered almonds and chocolate chips.

Now it is time to shape and bake your biscotti. The dough should be pretty stiff, and easy to work with but you may want to powder your hands and counter with a bit of flour if you are worried about sticking. Flatten the mound of dough into a flat log shape roughly 4-inches wide by 10 or 12-inches long. It doesn’t have to be perfect - rustic looking biscotti taste just as good and I like a little character in my baked goods. Place the dough on an ungreased baking sheet and place in the oven for 25 minutes, you want the dough to get firm and start to brown a bit. This is just the first of two rounds in the oven.

Remove the biscotti from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300F. Allow the now-baked dough to cool for about 10 minutes - you need it to firm up a bit so it doesn’t just crumble when you go to cut it.

Cut the loaf into individual biscotti roughly 3/4-inch thick (I cut diagonally across the loaf so that I have a nice range of sizes/lengths on hand). This biscotti doesn’t do particularly well sliced thinly (because of the gooey chocolate - so err on the thicker side), if you want to go thinner try letting the loaf cool longer. Arrange the slices cut side up on the baking sheet and return to the oven for a second time around. You want to bake the biscotti until they are dry and firm, roughly 30 minutes. Don’t underbake or you won’t get the satisfaction of a nice crunch. It is tricky because, they might be slightly soft coming out of the oven, but will firm right up as they cool off on the counter. I look for golden brown color on the bottoms before I pull them (see picture).

Makes about 12 big biscotti.

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p.s.picture is from this page.If you are lazy, but still want to have some reaalyyy sweeeet thing,go there!He makes awesome Italian biscotti!