What I've been cooking in February

Paprika baked cauliflower 

Cauliflower is a one of my regular vegetable I cook and eat in many forms, so when my mother in law asked me if I can prepare something veggie for the party she was going to have for her husband's 75th birthday I came up with a whole roast couli as a main and grated courgette and chickpeas as a side dish. 

For the cauliflower I mixed up minced garlic, red paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil. Rubbed it onto the cauliflower and roasted for 30 min on 180 C.

Add the tomatoes with some more olive oil and roast for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile grate two small courgettes and fry with very little olive oil for ten minutes, than all drained tin of chickpeas.

Before serving sprinkle some toasted and chopped cashew nut and parsley ….

Beans on toast with eggs, avocado and tomato salsa

This is my typical weekend breakfast, cooked a bit later then usual because I've been for a run 🏃.

The kids would of been fed by then so this is kind of "It's a date meal" for me and my husband .

I made a very quick chili by frying a raw chopped hot chili followed by some garlic and 300g mixed cooked beans. I halved a handful of small tomatoes and added some olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. I fried eggs, toasted some sourdough bread and dished up with avocado and lime juice..

Roast butternut squash baked with macaroni cheese, yum 

This was served with broccoli and green salad , perfect mid-week meal for five of us ..

 Cherry compote porridge topping

I used bag of 350g frozen cherries, I cooked it with juice of half a orange and a stick of cinnamon for 30 minutes. The taste is not so sweet but very fragrant and morish , it makes me want to eat porridge twice a day :) 

Store in a clean jar and keep it in your fridge for up to two weeks ….

Дип од грав и спанаќ / Beans and spinach dip

Dips are part of my healthy diet, I made them from  pretty much anything I have in my fridge but the base is always beans, lentils or chickpeas. I eat them for snack or I spread on sandwiches for lunchboxes, yum.......

Потребни состојки:

400 гр бел грав, сварен

100 - 200 гр свеж спанаќ или рукола

маслиново масло

лук по желба

сол и бибер

Топлиот грав се става во блендер, му се додава свежиот спанаќ,маслиновото масло (околу 3 лажици ) сол и бибер и лук ако користите.

Смесата се блендира додавајки вода од гравот.

И тоа е тоа, сервирање веднаш или оладете го дипот, посипете со маслиново масло (за да не фати кора ) и чувајте го во фрижидер до три дена.

Уживајте го со свеж зеленчук или домашни интегрални соленки.

Може да се користи и конзервиран грав за побрза подготовка.

Ingredients: 

400 gr white beans, cooked or caned 

100 - 200 gr fresh spinach or rocket leaves 

olive oil

garlic ( optional )

salt and pepper

The beans should be warm.

Put the beans in a food processor, add the spinach, garlic,salt,pepper and good splash of olive oil.

Blitz all together adding the warm water from the beans.

You can serve it straightaway or cool it down, pour some olive oil over it and keep it in the fridge up to three days.

Enjoy it with fresh vegetables or crackers.

Грав со домашна тестенина / Pasta fagioli

 

One of my favorite dishes, beans stew, home made pasta with added fresh rosemary ....

Потребни состојки:

За тестенините: 200 гр брашно,2 јајца, малку свеж рузмарин и лажичка маслиново масло.

Друго ке ви треба:

1 шоља неварен грав

1 кромид

1 црвена пиперка

1 лажица доматно пире

магдонос

сол и бибер

маслиново масло

Гравот се остава во ладна вода преку ноќ.

Следниот ден променете ја водата и сварете го гравот со исечен на четвртини кромид и пиперка.Додајте и малку ким.Варете то гравот 1 1/2 час или додека не се свари.

Во меѓувреме направете ја тестенината 

- замесете тврдо тесто од брашно, јајца и маслиново масло,додајте го и ситно сецканиот рузмарин.Поделете го тестото на 4 дела,секој дел сукајте го со сукало за да добиете тенка јуфка.

Исечете ја јуфката на парчиња или неправилни траки.

Кога гравот е сварен, додајте го доматното пире,сол, бибер и тестенините.

Варете кратко време.

Магдоносот се става пред сервирање како и маслиновото масло.

What you need:

for the pasta you need 200 gr pasta flour, 2 eggs , fresh rosemary and teaspoon of olive oil

the rest of the ingredients are: 

1 cup of dry beans

1 onion

1 red pepper

1 tbsp tomato paste 

parsley 

salt and paper 

oil

Method:

Soak the beans over night.When you are ready to cook, drain the water off, put some fresh water on a big pot, add the beans,the onion,chopped in quarter and the chopped pepper .

Cook the beans adding a teaspoon of caraway seeds ( helps with digestions )

cook it for 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are cooked.

In a meantime make the pasta: put the flour, the eggs and the oil in a food processor adding the chopped rosemary ,blitz it until you get crumble texture.

Now put the crumble into floury surface and knead it until you get a smooth ball. Divide the dough into smaller balls 

Roll each ball with rolling pin until you get really thin dough.

Cut the dough into thick strips .

When the beans are cooked,add the tomato paste, salt and paper and the pasta strips.

Cook it short time or until the pasta is al dente.

Sprinkle with some chopped parsley and some olive oil.

***************************************************************************

I would like to share this recipe with Chris from Thinly Spread  and the co - host  Tinned Tomatoes