Feels like Summer :D

Watermelon Juice!
Love, love, love it! It's all the rage but I've been making it for the last couple of summers. Super easy

Blitz a bunch of watermelon flesh in a blender.
Run the juice through a sieve to strain out the lumps and crushed seed
Pour in glasses, and enjoy!
Add a splash of lemon or lime if you want or turn in into a mojito ;)

Mango salsa! I just adore mangoes, they've been some of my favourite fruit since my early days growing up in Pakistan.
They've consistently maintained their delicious taste even when other fruits have become tasteless these days *sad*

Easy mango Salsa, perfect to accompany some chicken or beef tacos!

2-3 mangoes, peeled and flesh cubed

juice of 1 lime

1/2 red onion, finely diced

A big sprig of cilantro, chopped

Salt 

It's that easy!
Add some strawberry in for a variation.

A delicious trick for Lasagna is to throw on some blue cheese, I used Blue Haze here from Country Cheese Company and the tang really balances out that richness from all the cheese and sauce, just what I've been looking for!  Inside this lasagna is a layer of oven roasted zucchini and eggplant between red meat sauce and creamy white sauce with layers of smoked fontina. So good!

Roasted vegetables:

 (chop zucchini and eggplant in medium sized cubes, toss with salt, let it sit for about 30 minutes, squeeze out excess liquid, drizzle with EVOO from Olive That! and bake on 400 until nice and roasted)

Cilantro Dressing:

This is perfect on ANYTHING

Lots of fresh cilantro

Lemon Juice

EVOO

Salt
Fresh garlic

Blitz! And enjoy on warm boiled or roasted potatoes or for a "Fancier" option, fish!
A couple of drops of Styrian Gold Pumpkin Seed Oil. MMMM... 

.. and last but not least, the humble Celery, I forget how perfect (and healthy) a snack if can be.

Dip in some Lebneh turned into a quick little sauce with the addition of lemon juice and fresh garlic, sprinkled with Aleppo peppers, healthy and delicious!

Zucchini pizza crust (Gluten Free and Paleo)

I'm sure you've heard of the cauliflower crust, it's been a bit of a craze lately.  I've had it bookmarked for ages but then when I came upon this zucchini crust I just had to make it, of course I had a bunch of zucchini on hand so here we go... 

Now there are a couple of recipes out there I'm sure and I followed a general guide but really this is my own method. 

For 2 plate size pizzas you need: 

7 medium zucchinis, grated. Remove ends and grate on the large side of the box grater. 

Add 1 tbsp salt and mix using a big spoon or hands. Now add it to a colander over top a big bowl or over the sink to drain the liquid. You could weigh the top down by placing a bowl inside the colander over the zucchini and placing another heavy item inside the bowl. 

In the meantime make the sauce: 

1 can whole tomatoes, san marzano are the best. Drain the tomatoes out of the liquid and chop. 

In a saucepan heat 1 tbsp olive oil, Add chopped garlic (as much as you like) and add tomatoes. Season and saute then put on medium low with the lid off until all the water evaporates and it's a nice chunky dry sauce. 

(refer to the pic below to get an idea) 

Now squeeze out all the water from the zucchini using your hands by squishing a half a cup at a time between your palms and letting the liquid drip away.  Place the squished zucchini into a small saucepan or microwave safe dish. 

Now you either microwave on high for 3 mins or you can steam in a saucepan on high for 3-4 minutes. 

I don't really like using a microwave so I went the stove top method. Now again place the zucchini back in the colander and let it cool.  Once cool squeeze out more juice. Taste and it should be nice and flavourful not too salty. 

Add 1 egg

5 tbsp almond meal (ground almond or almond flour) 

3 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese (The real deal!) 

1/2 cup grated mozarella cheese. 

Black pepper and a dash of granulated garlic

Mush it all up and roll it into 2 balls. Place on a baking sheet and bake. Some recipes say to grease/spray the pan but honestly with all the cheese I didn't want any extra fat and surprisingly it does brown up from the cheese so you don't need to. 

Bake on 450 F until it's bubbly and browned. 

Remove from the oven and spread the sauce over top and add more cheese and toppings. I used halloumi cheese which I've sliced and soaked in some warm water for about 30 minutes to remove the excess salt then drained it well and pressed it on a paper towel. Add fresh herbs like basil after baking or a nice handful of fresh arugula with a squeeze of lemon! MMMmmm. 

Moroccan inspired Haddock bowl!

Today I'm sharing a recipe that is super easy and elegant, it's perfect for summertime or Autumn!

.. it's basically just my lunch when I'm inspired to whip something quick and healthy...

As always I'll be using my favourite Highliner Flame Savours which are already pre-seasoned and just go directly from freezer to oven for 20 minutes on 400 F.  I use these so often that you may be wondering if Highliner is paying me to do these posts but the truth is they're not and I simply adore these!

Who would't love how easy, convenient and healthy without the hassle of thawing fish in the sink, seasoning and cooking.

I've highlighted key instructions that need to be prepared first with a (*) beside it so everything can run smoothly.

The elements of this dish are a saffron couscous with a lentil and vegetable medley and then the fish. Really super easy!

*Lentils: Use canned but I prefer to use dry.
1/4 cup lentils, washed and boiled in a saucepan in lots of water. Season water with salt and simmer until tender.  Drain and set aside.


For the vegetable medley: 

*1 zucchini, diced and salted in a colander for about 15 minutes, squeeze the excess liquid out with hands and rinse under cool water then squeeze again. Set aside

Olive Oil

1/2 large red onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 tomato diced
1 heaping tsp tomato pasta

Salt & black pepper

Turmeric

Paprika
2 tbsp water
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or sherry vinegar)

Heat the olive oil and add the vegetables all at once, stir and add the spices then tomato pasta and fry it around a bit. Add water, vinegar and cover then simmer on low.  Half way through remove all the veggies to one side of the pan and add the lentils to keep them warm. Cover and wait for the fish to be ready for serving.


At this point you can bake your Highliner Flame Savours Haddock fish according to instructions! 

Meanwhile.... prepare the couscous! 

Couscous:
Ahead of time I prepare the couscous, 1/2 cup serves 2 people.

In a bowl add:

(The rule of thumb is to add equal parts couscous and water, never mind the instructions on the box that says add double the amount of water - it's simply too much!!)

*Presoak (even the night before if you wish but about 15 minutes is ideal if you're in a hurry, want to extract as much flavour as Saffron is an expensive ingredient)

1 tbsp warm water and a couple of threads of saffron

For the couscous

1/2 cup dry couscous

1 tsp olive oil

Salt 

Lemon zest

Mix all this up with a fork and then add 1/2 cup of hot boiling water, cover with a cling wrap and set aside for 5 minutes.

Drizzle the saffron water over the couscous once it's done and after fluffing with a fork, set aside.

Serve!
To serve layer the couscous on a plate and add lentils and the veggies over top then a piece of fish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
You could garnish with cilantro or add cilantro into the chopped medley if desired.

Enjoy!

"Mac & Cheese" Arabic Style!

I always see this arabic cheese at the middle eastern grocer but never sure what to do with it but today I'm sharing a fantastic (and kid friendly) recipe courtesy of my Syrian friend!

- 1 package Macaroni or favourite pasta

- 1 package of Arabic Baladi cheese (which is a white salty fresh cheese similar to the Mexican queso fresco)

- 2-3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp parsley, chopped finely

- Salt & black pepper (remember the cheese is salty too)

Start by chopping the cheese into small cubes and soaking in some warm water to remove excess salt.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, adding salt to season and boil your pasta.

Chop parsley and set aside.

Drain the cheese well and then drain the pasta when al dante.
Add butter to the pot and fry the pasta in the butter for a couple of minutes. Taste and season.  Add the cheese and just as it begins melting add your parsley and stir for another 3 minutes or so. 

Serve immediately!

Enjoy!