OAT AND CHIA PANCAKES

Good Morning!!!

Today I´m posting a recipe of my own that I tested this weekend and turned out quite tasty:
Oatmeal and Chia Pancakes.
They yield about 14 pancakes, but it will depend on the amount of batter you put in the frying pan. 
 
Pancakes can be a great choice for breakfast, especially if made with nutritious and quality ingredients. 

On to Recipe:

Ingredients:

•     2 Cups of oat flakes
•     3 eggs
•     1 Cup of milk
•     1/2 Cup of water
•     1 teaspoon chia seeds
•     1 teaspoon olive oil for the batter
•     1 teaspoon olive oil for frying pan
•     1 pinch of salt
•     Honey to taste.

Preparation:

Place in a jar, the oats, eggs, milk, water and salt and blend well.

Add the chia seeds and the olive oil.

Turn on the stove and heat a frying pan. When hot, on medium heat, place a tsp of olive oil in the frying pan, greasing it and pour a ladle of the batter in shaping it into the pancake.Let it cook for a few minutes on each side.

The pancakes will be ready when they have a golden colour!

Serve with honey or other ingredients to taste.
 

Enjoy your food!

FISH AND SHRIMP SOUP

Ingredients:

•      1,200 Kg Frozen or fresh hake (7 to 8 hake slices)
•     10 Medium Shrimps
•     3 Large onions
•     5 Medium ripe tomatoes
•     3 Carrots
•     8 Potatoes
•     1 Small pepper
•     7 cloves of garlic
•     3 to 4 Tablespoons of olive oil
•     Coriander leaves to taste
•     1 Chilli pepper
•     Salt and pepper to taste
•     1 Bay Leaf
•     3 to 4 litres of water (If you use cooked fish water or a fish broth the soup will be tastier).

 Preparation:

Place the hake slices to cook for 15 minutes in a saucepan with salt, water and 2 cloves of garlic. In another pot, add the potatoes and carrots, seasoning with salt and letting it cook for 15 minutes.

Add in a mincer the onion and remaining garlics, mincing everything well. Add the ripe tomatoes to this mixture and grind again.

In a soup pan, place the olive oil, the crushed mixture, salt and pepper to taste and stir, allowing to braise a few minutes.

Remove the seeds of the pepper and cut it into thin strips. Then chop the coriander. Add the peppers to the braised mixture, adding the water and the fish stock and leaving the heat at medium temperature for a few minutes to cook the pepper. Turn off the stove.

Suggestion: You can add prawns to this soup to turn it more tasty, letting it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the stove.

Remove most of the water from the potatoes and carrots and cut into cubes or mash them with a blender until mashed (Children will love the soup this way).
Put the puree in the soup, season with salt and add the coriander.

Cut the fish into cubes and place in the soup at serving time.

When the soup in the pan is warm or cold, you can add the remaining cubbed fish. This way, the fish will not be undone, keeping its shape. 


Enjoy your food!!!

BEAN CLAMS

Ingredients:

•  1 kg of Bean clams;
•  3 tablespoons olive oil;
•  5 Garlic cloves;
•  Chopped coriander leaves;
•  Juice of 1 lemon;
•  Salt and pepper to taste;
•  1 or 2 Chilli peppers.

Method:
 
Wash the shells and soak in salted water for about 12 hours.
 
Add in a pan, garlic cut into slices and let them fry in the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and chilli (s) and let simmer on a low heat mixing occasionally.

Remove from the heat immediately (so they stay juicy) and sprinkle with chopped coriander and season with lemon juice.

Serve on a tray with lemon segments.


They are a delight as a snack in the summer !!!!

 
Enjoy your food!!!

SWEET POTATO AND TURNIP GREENS SOUP

Hi everyone! Today´s recipe is SWEET POTATO AND TURNIP GREENS SOUP.

Sweet Potato is very healthy and a great option to reduce the amount of potatoes in soup besides giving a new and tasty flavour to them.

The are many benefits we can achieve from Sweet Potatoes: anti inflammatory, source of beta-carotene, protection of the stomach and anti-aging, energetic, increase of the immune system, detoxifying the body, regulator of blood glucose and blood pressure and relaxing.


RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 5 potatoes
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 turnip
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 carrots
• 400g turnip greens
• 6 slices chourizo ( If you´re vegan just discard this ingredient)
• 1/2 leek, 
• 2 to 3 litres water, 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Method:

Put the water in a large saucepan and turn the stove on high heat. 

Wash, peel and cut the vegetables. 
Put them in the water (only half the turnip greens) and season. Let them boil for 15 min. 

Mince the vegetables and add the remaining turnip greens, diced chourizo and verify the seasoning. 
Boil another 5/10 min. 

Pour the olive oil and it's ready! 


Enjoy your soup!

FISH SOUP

Fish gives us several health benefits, such as: prevention of cardiovascular disease, relief of arthritis symptoms, is a source of vitamin D and protein for the body and improves memory and prevents Alzheimer's.

Recipe 

Ingredients:

•    Remains of heads and fish bones (eg Sea Bass, Gilthead seabream, Hake, etc.)
•     4 Hake slices (or other fish you enjoy)
•     3 large tomatoes
•     1 Carrot for broth
•     2 Carrots for the soup
•     5 Potatoes
•     5 cloves of garlic
•     1 medium / large onion
•     1 Bay Leaf
•     1 or 2 Chili peppers
•     3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
•     Salt and pepper to taste
•     1 bunch of coriander leaves
•     1 bunch of parsley
•     1 Piece of green or red pepper in strips (optional)
•     200ml White wine
•     1 liter of water

 

Method: 

Add in a large pot 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cut into pieces or mince the onion, garlic and tomatoes, bay leaf and chili peppers and let them heat until the ingredients are soft. Stir and cook for 10 minutes.

Place in the pan the leftover heads and fish bones, carrot, parsley and 1 Liter of water, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 40 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cut the potatoes and 2 carrots into cubes.When the broth is ready, strain it and add it to the potatoes, carrots, white wine and cook for 10 minutes. 

Add the hake cut in cubes, the pepper strips and finally the chopped coriander.Let it simmer for another 15 minutes. 
Check the seasoning and the water of the soup.

This soup is delicious!


Enjoy it!

TURNIP GREENS SOUP

Turnip greens are the leaves of the Turnip, which are rich in potassium, vitamin A, C, folic acid, calcium and have few calories. They also have analgesic, laxative and diuretic properties.

Ingredients:

•      400g Turnip greens
•      4 Carrots
•      4 to 5 Potatoes
•      500g Aubergine
•      1 Small Leek
•      1 Small Onion
•      3 tablespoons olive oil
•      3 Liters water
•      Salt and pepper as desired
•      A little parsley and coriander

Preparation:

In a large pot, place the water with zucchini, potatoes, carrots, leek, peeled and cut into pieces. Then place 1/3rd of the turnip greens, parsley, coriander and season with salt and pepper. Let it boil for about 15 minutes.

With a hand blender, blend everything well and place the remaining turnip greens with the olive oil, seasoning the soup and adding more water if necessary. Let it cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.


Enjoy it!

GREEN BEANS AND FENNEL SOUP

Soup has a very high nutritional value, containing many vitamins and minerals. Here we find a great amount of fibres that reduce sanguineous glucose and cholesterol, improving even the intestinal function

Green beans are diuretic, tones the heart and are hyperglycaemic. Fennel is anti-inflammatory, stimulant, anti-spasmodic, vermifuge, digestive, diuretic and expectorant.


Ingredients:

•     6 to 7 Large potatoes
•     1 Fennel bulb
•     3 Carrots
•     3 Garlic cloves
•     1 Onion
•     1 Bay leaf
•     2 Big and ripe tomatoes
•     1 coffee spoon of Cumin
•     200g Green beans (1/2 whole and 1/2 in smaller squares)
•     1 Branch of Parsley
•     2 Branches of Mint
•     Salt
•     1 to 2 Litres of water

Preparation:

In a mincer, chop the fennel, onion, garlic, carrots, tomato and parsley. Then, place in a large pan and season with the bay leaf, cumin and enough salt. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. 

Peel the potatoes. Put water in the pan half way and combine the potatoes and half of the whole beans, letting them cook on medium heat for 15 min.

After cooking, blend everything with the hand blender. Turn the stove on and place the remaining green beans cut into small pieces with the mint , letting it cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. 

Your soup is ready!


Enjoy it!

PORTUGUESE STUFFED CRAB

This species is found along the entire Portuguese coast. The male reaches 35 cm and the female reaches 20 cm. The female has a wider base than the male, while the male has very low and wide lobes. The spawning usually takes place from September to January, when the female crabs are full and tasty. It´s a great source of vitamins B12 and E, and has a good amount of zinc. 

It can be bought alive, where one must choose the heaviest and more energetic crab, or bought frozen. The female is usually tastier because of her spawns. This is a recipe takes some time and should be started early.

Ingredients:

Crab

•  1 Live or frozen crab (female)
•  1 Onion
•  2 Garlic cloves
•  1 Bay Leaf
•  3 or 4 tablespoons full of salt for each litre of water
•  Enough water to cover the crab

 Filling

•  4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
•  1 to 2 tablespoons of Mustard
•  1 tablespoon of Beer or Whiskey
•  1 egg
•  120g Pickles
•  1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
•  Salt and Vinegar for seasoning
•  Toasted bread or toasts with butter

 Preparation:

Soak the crab with vinegar in the mouth and eyes so it becomes `sleepy´ and doesn´t loose it´s fluids or legs as it enters the boiling water. In a large saucepan, add the water, salt, onion, garlic and bay leaf until it begins to boil and then add the crab. It should boil for 12 min. for each kg of crab, after the beginning of the boil. When cooked, turn off the oven and let it cool down. Boil an egg. 

Hold the crab and separate the legs from the carapace. Then open the carapace at it´s base and remove what is not edible, parts that look like furs, feathers, sponges, `hairs´ and grey viscous liquid. The edible parts are the white and orange flesh of the crab and its roe.

Edible parts of the Crab:

  

Hammer all the crab´s legs, but only remove the meat from the thinnest to use in the filling. I usually keep the 2 large legs, without removing the meat, to eat in the natural way served with the stuffed crab. 

Remove the edible meat and roe from the crab and discard the inedible parts. Shred the meat into small pieces and combine with the roe in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, mustard, beer or whiskey and a little Worcestershire sauce, mixing well. Finely chop the pickles and cooked egg. 

Add the pickles and the egg to the filling, mix everything very well and season with salt and a little vinegar. Stuff the crab and serve with the large legs. 

This dish can be accompanied by a salad of lettuce and small toasts or buttered toasts.


Enjoy!

CHICKEN SOUP

This soup is very nutritious and beneficial to our health due to cysteine  ​​(an amino acid that chicken meat releases when it is cooked) which helps for example in sputum. 

In addition to protecting against the symptoms of colds and flu and being a delight to be consumed on cold days, chicken soup is rich in well-hydrated proteins, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates.

RECIPE: 

Ingredients:

•     1/2 Chicken cut in pieces with skin
•     180g Tip-type pasta or letter
•     3 liters of water or chicken broth
•     2 Branches of Spearmint
•     Salt

 Preparation:

In a large pot, add water, clean chicken and the salt as desired. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. After cooking, turn off the stove and let the chicken cool down. Remove the chicken from the pan, taking the skins and bones off. Shred the chicken and strain the water and set aside.Then, place the pot with the water of the chicken on the stove and as soon as it comes to boil, put the pasta and Spearmint and let it boil for 8 min. Turn off the stove and add the shredded chicken.  

Your delicious soup is ready! 

Enjoy !

NAAN - Traditional Indian Bread

Naan is a flattened Indian bread baked in a Tandoor, a clay oven, originally used in North India and Pakistan. 
'Naan' is a Persian word meaning flat bread and it's a delight!

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:
- Active dry yeast: 1 teaspoon - 10g ( fresh baking yeast can be used but the amount    changes to 3 tsp - 30g) 
- 1 teaspoon sugar 
- 150 ml hot water at 40º C (100 to 110º F) 
- 1 Stirred Egg 
- 60 ml Greek Yogurt or Dahi Yogurt 
- 1 tablespoon Melted ghee (Ghee)
- 1 teaspoon Salt 
- 260 g Unbleached flour 
- 260 g White whole wheat flour 
- 20 g Melted clarified butter (Ghee) for cooking Naan 
- Flour for sprinkling
- Nigella Seeds (optional) 

Sauce (optional): 
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil or Ghee
- 1/2 cloves garlic 
- Salsa sauce / coriander
- Salt q.s. 

METHOD:

Dough: 
Add sugar and yeast to warm water. Wait 10 minutes.  
Add yogurt, ghee and egg and stir well. Mix all ingredients, including water yeast in a bowl. Continue to mix until the dough begins to detach off the surface of the bowl. 

Put flour on a kneading surface. Transfer the dough to this surface and knead the dough about 10 minutes until it looks smooth and shiny. Make a dough ball and place the dough into a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand for 1 to 2 hours until it doubles. The dough should not be leavened in a hot place, as its rapid growth will result in a strong yeast odor. The dough should not be leavened in a cold area, as it will take a long time to grow. The ideal temperature is around 26º C (78º F). 

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a surface with flour. Divide it into six servings. Wrap each portion to form a ball. Keep dough balls covered to prevent them from drying out. Let the dough covered for 30 minutes. 

Stretch a portion of Naan by hand on a floured surface (traditional method) or with a rolling pin until it is the size of a pizza or divide this portion into two and make a smaller Naan. Put some water on top of Naan.

In a large frying pan:  
Heat the frying pan. It will be warm as soon as you put some water and it bubbles. Grease your pan with olive oil. Place the Naan with the sprinkled water facing down and cook until bubbles form and it becomes toasted. If necessary, turn it to cook on other side. 

In the oven: 
Preheat oven to 200 °C (392º F).  Form Naan as desired and brush the top with melted Ghee. Sprinkle some Nigella seeds by pressing with your hand. Grease a baking tray and place Naan on it. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Naan can be eaten simply as if it were bread or as a snack putting some sauce.

Sauce:
Chop the garlic and parsley finely. In a pan or frying pan put 2 tablespoons of olive oil or Ghee, garlic, parsley and enough salt. Sauté slightly and it´s ready! 

Note: Naan is always best eaten warm!  

Enjoy it!!!