This cucumber, feta, and mint salad is not only tasty but also very refreshing. It is an ideal summer meal. This salad goes very well with pita bread.
Cucumber and feta salad
Ingredients
- 1 long cucumber diced
- 200 g feta cheese diced
- 1/4 bunch Fresh mint chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Some freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
- Some olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, feta, and fresh mint. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Toss gently. Cover and let stand in the fridge for at least a half hour.
Pan Fried Salmon
This Pan Fried Salmon has crisp skin and moist, tender flesh. It only takes salt and pepper to prepare this fresh salmon fillet.
The cooking time will vary with the fillets thickness.
Pan fried salmon
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter (or olive oil)
- 4 salmon fillets or salmon steaks
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet with butter over medium-high heat.
- Season the fish with salt and pepper.
- Place the salmon (skin side down) in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until fish turns golden brown.
- Carefully turn the salmon over with spatula and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- As soon as the fish is ready, transfer it to a flat plate and serve as desired.
Puff Pastry-Wrapped Shrimps
The reason I love making Puff Pastry-Wrapped Shrimp so much is the simple ingredients. And because I almost always have frozen shrimp and puff pastry left in my freezer!
Puff Pastry-Wrapped Shrimps
Ingredients
- 20 medium peeled shrimps
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season shrimp with salt, pepper and seasoning.
- Roll out the pastry dough and cut into 1 cm wide strips.
- Starting at the top, wind one pastry strip around one shrimp, slightly overlapping the pastry and ending just before the tail. Repeat with each shrimp.
- Place shrimp onto the baking sheet. Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork, to make egg wash. Brush the shrimp pastry with egg wash.
- Bake for about 12 min, or until golden brown. Do not overcook.
Chickpea salad with bell pepper
Cans are usually pretty handy at home or on the go; there is no need to go to a store and they are quick to prepare. This chickpea salad is a great example of the usefulness of cans. Just open a can and mix it with other ingredients available at home.
There are multiple recipes of salads with this legume: here is one of them with bell pepper, olives and fresh cilantro.
Chickpea salad with bell pepper
Ingredients
- 400 g (1 can) garbanzo beans drained
- 1 bell pepper cored and slices
- 80 g olives (black or green), drained and sliced
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- 1/2 red onion cut into thin slices
- Fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley), finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon
- 3-4 Tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all veggies in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle with freshly pressed lemon juice and olive oil. Toss gently.
Homemade Hummus
With or without tahini, homemade hummus made from scratch only takes 5 minutes to make. No needs to cook the chickpeas, just open a can and mix with garlic, lemon juice and olive oil! This delicious healthy snack can be serve for any occasion with pita bread or garden vegetables.
Homemade Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 can (400 g) garbanzo beans (chickpea)
- 1 lemon
- 2-3 cloves garlic chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp tahini (sesame paste) optional
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
- A few pinches chili powder (or paprika)
Instructions
- Drain garbanzo beans, keep half of the juice.
- In a food processor, place the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, salt, black pepper, tahini, chili powder and 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Mix until smooth. Add 1 or 2 Tbsp of the juice from the can (or water) to give a desired texture to the hummus.
- Transfer hummus to a serving bowl, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder or paprika.
Vegetable Tian
This is not a ratatouille, it is a “tian!” I often have to correct my guests when they ask me if this is a ratatouille. 😉
Tian is a french recipe of baked vegetables made with alternating rows of sliced eggplant, tomato, onion and zucchini. A tian itself is an earthenware dish that goes from the oven to table. Everything baked in this dish is called tian.
Vegetable Tian
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 7 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 eggplant
- 1-2 zucchini
- 1-2 summer squash
- 5 tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp herbs de provence
Instructions
- Peel and cut the onion into half moons. Peel and cut the garlic into 2-4 pieces.
- In a medium skillet heat 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil until hot, add onion and sauté until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spread the cooked onion on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Cut zucchini and summer squash into 1/4 inch slices.
- Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices.
- Core and cut tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Arrange the zucchini, eggplant, squash and tomatoes in alternating rows. Continue until the baking dish is filled.
- Sprinkle the vegetables with salt, pepper, Herbs de Provence and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and golden. If the vegetables are not ready, but the top is starting to burn, cover the tian with aluminum foil.
Seasonal Radishes Salad
Even with it’s simplicity, this seasonal radishes salad will look good on any table arrangement. You just need fresh radishes and fresh herbs for this recipe. These thinly sliced radishes create a colorful and delicious entree that will please any veggie-lover. Add your favorite fresh herbs, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with vinegar and olive oil. You can use any vinegar you like: white, apple or balsamic. I like to make this salad with white vinegar. This salad looks amazing if served in a white salad bowl.
Seasonal Radishes Salad
Ingredients
- 2 bunches radish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- fresh herbs (dill, green onion, parsley) chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
Instructions
- Wash and cut off roots from the radishes, slice thinly. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with vinegar and olive oil. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
Green Mango Salad (Кalawang)
Green and unripe mangoes can be eaten, and are often delicious. For example, this salad with shredded green mangoes is very popular in French Guyana, and if you like spicy food, you will love this salad! Serve cold, as an appetizer or as a side dish with fish, shrimp, or meat. For a pretty presentation, I serve the Kalawang in individual plates with shrimps.
Green Mango Salade (Кalawang)
Ingredients
- 2 green mangoes (unripe)
- 1/2 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and pressed
- 1/2 chili pepper seeded and finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon (or lime) juice
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Some fresh herbs (cilantro, green onion, parsley)
- 24 prawns (or shrimps) cooked and peeled
Instructions
- Peel the mangoes with a peeling knife. Shred the pulp and discard the pit.
- In the salad bowl, toss the mangoes, onion, salt and pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice and oil. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in a refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
- When ready to serve, transfer the salad on to the serving plates, embellish with fresh herbs, and prawns.
Tomato Tart
Who said that tarts are only for dessert? Fill a square of puff pastry with colorful mosaic of tomatoes, cheese, Dijon mustard, herbs de Provence. Then surprise your friends or family with this savory piece of artwork.
Tomato Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 1-2 Tblsp Dijion mustard
- 5-6 tomatoes
- 30 g shreaded cheese (parmesan)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- herbs de provence (optional)
- couple basil leaf (optional)
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes into thin (0.5 cm) slices. Put them in a single layer on paper towel. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. On the floured piece of parchment paper roll out the puff pastry and poke all over with a fork, to release the steam while baking.
- Evenly spread with dijon mustard.
- Arrange the tomatoes on top. Fold the edges of dough.
- Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with cheese and herbs.
- Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for about 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through and the cheese is softening and colouring at the edges.
- Cut the tart into quarters, garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Spring Egg Salad With Green Onion
Perfect simple and plain salad, of which I think every time I see bunch of green onion. You will only need 3 ingredients to make this salad. I normally use mayonnaise as a dressing, but you can use sour cream as well, or mix of sour cream with mayonnaise (50/50).
Spring Egg Salad With Green Onion
Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped
- 1/3 bunch green onion finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Stir eggs, mayonnaise and green onion in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with some paprika if desire.
