The wave heat is still hear so eating meat in this heat is to much for me. This is a lovely alternative to traditional chili con carne. It’s packed with good stuff so is a great choice for veggies and meat eaters alike.  

Ingredients:

• 500 g potatoes
• 600 g tinned red kidney beans
• 500 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• a bunch of fresh coriander
• 1 fresh red chili
• 1 fresh green chili

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas 6. Peel the potatoes and cut into bite-sized chunks. Sprinkle with a pinch each of cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat, then spread out on a baking tray and set…

Pumpkins are so versatile. The things you can do with pumpkins are endless. If you’ve never cooked one before, you’re in for a real treat.

Ingredients:

– 1 pumpkin

– 5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in small pieces

– olive oil

– 1 red onion peeled and chopped

– salt

– pepper

– 1 tablespoon turmeric

– 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

– 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

– 200 g bacon cut in small pieces

– 200 g porcini mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Cut the lid off the pumpkin and reserve it. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and keep them to one side.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Pour in a splash of olive oil, then add the chopped onion, chopped garlic, bacon and turmeric . Cook gently for 10 minutes until bacon is made. Add the mushrooms, the nutmeg and cinnamon…

This recipe is an adaptation of this Baked pumpkin with porcini mushrooms recipe. I saw brown sugar pumpkins in the shop and I thought about this recipe I made a while back.

Simple and tasteful this recipe goes great as a side dish or a main dish. We ate it with meat cooked on the grill and it was great. The combination is so versatile.

Ingredients:

• 1 brown sugar pumpkin
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in small pieces
• Olive oil
• 1 red onion peeled and chopped
• Salt
• Pepper
• Red chili pepper
• 100 ml sour cream
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 100 g coral mushrooms
• 200 g porcini mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat the oven at 450º F. Cut the lid off the pumpkin and reserve it. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and keep them to one side.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Pour in…

Those are the last days of fall. To celebrate the end of a beautiful season I prepared pumpkin. I found it at sales at the store and a recipe came in my mind. This pumpkin is named Queensland Blue and is the first time I am using it in a recipe and first time to eat it.  Queensland Blue Pumpkin is native to Australia and can be cooked in a variety of ways and will complement sweet and savory recipes.

Two years ago I made this amazing dish Baked pumpkin with porcini mushrooms and I started loving pumpkins. For decorations or for food. It always feels like fall when I see or taste a pumpkin.

The recipe I used for this Queensland Blue pumpkin is my own creation. I just checked the time to bake a pumpkin and the temperature.In the end it went so great with the mushrooms and…

Ratatouille in a pumpkin

I did my Ratatouille recipe a few years back. It was Julia Child’s recipe from her book. Yesterday I tried my recipe because my little boy don’t like red sauce this time. It is just a phase. So, for him, I made it with white sauce and for adults I made Ratatouille in a pumpkin.

Why? Because I had one hanging around and I didn’t know what to do with it. We say Sunday the movie Ratatouille and my son wanted what “The small cook” served. So here is our recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant
• 1 zucchini
• Olive oil
• 2 red onions
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 5 cloves mashed garlic
• 10 small tomatoes cut in two
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chili pepper
• Thyme
• Basil
• 500 ml tomato juice homemade
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 pumpkin

Directions:

Preheat the oven at 450º F or 200ºC. Cut the pumpkin in…

Baked leek and onions

Last night I was in the mood for baked onion. I love grilled or baked onion, so, with this in mind I went to the store near our home and bought a leek and red onions. The recipe is simple and you can make it without the egg and milk if you are vegetarians.

Ingredients:

• 1 leek
• 2 red onions
• 1 egg – optional
• 100 ml milk – optional
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Red chili powder
• Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 220°C/ (200°C for fan assisted ovens). Cut the onions and the leek in 1-2 cm slices. At the bottom I put the green parts of the leek and on top I arranged the slices so it looks good in the tray.

Add olive oil and spices on top of it and bake them with the tray covered till the vegetables are done. I like them…

As you know, I have been taking intensive german course for the last 3 weeks and I try to bring my own lunch box that is easy and no need to warm up, because there is no microwave at the place where I study. This is the perfect healthy lunch, can be served cold, and easy to make. The key to this salad is the sauce, so I actually prepared for about 4 servings the salad and 2 servings for the sauce, so that I can make fresh sauce the next day when I am ready to eat. So feel free to adjust.. 🙂 Enjoy and happy spring!

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving: 2-4

What I put in the salad    (Serving: 4)

250 g          Vermicelli – soak in hot boiling water for about 3-4 minutes (please check the instruction on the package), then wash…