Sun dried tomato dip with cream cheese and yoghurt

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you will need:

200 gr cream cheese
6-7 slices of dried tomatoes
2 tbsp sheep yoghurt full fat or plain greek yoghurt
2 tbsp of chives
1/2 cup of dill
1/2 cup of parsley
1/2 small onion
juice of 1/2 lemon
some drizzles of olive oil
freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)

put all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until the mixture has acquired an homogenous texture and you can see only miniscule bits of them.


you can dip crackers, breadsticks, potato chips or toast some bread and spread it on it.

also it is fantastic on cucumber and carrot slices or basically any kind of raw vegetables.

another idea is to boil some potatoes, cut them to pieces and use 1-2 tbsp of the dip and mix them all together.

it has a great full taste

Banana bread cupcakes

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for 8 cupcake molds

2 bananas
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoom baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

optional: half cup of whole unsalted hazelnuts
and half cup of unsalted skinned almonds

no need for  mixer for this recipe! (one less thing to wash later!!)
preheat the oven at 350 F or 175 C
with a fork mash the bananas and add the butter in them.
mix in the sugar and egg.
sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix .
lastly, add the flour and oats.
pour mixture in 8 medium silicone cupcake molds.
bake for about 40 minutes.
cool.
serve.

ENJOY!!

greek style pumpkin pie rolls with phyllo

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This is a pie i made yesterday. I know it is not a pumpkin season, but i had to clean my freezer, so i found some packets of cooked pumpkin saved since Xmas. I had phyllo in my fridge and all the other ingredients i had in my mind that would be needed to create a pumpkin pie. So, i can say now that this new experiment was a complete success. 

Try for yourself and tell me what you think! 

These rolls are light with delicate flavor and you can have them as a snack or as a meal anytime.

1 packet of phyllo country style
5 cups of cooked in a non-stick pot pumpkin squares (with a pinch of salt and fresh pepper)
1 egg
5 tbsp greek yoghurt for tzatziki (strained) 2% fat
200 gr feta cheese with less fat (or full fat according to taste, i used feta light)
some melted butter or margarine

grease a big oven pan and preheat oven to 180 C.
in a big bowl add the cooked pumpkin pieces, the egg, feta, and yoghurt with salt and freshly ground pepper.
take 1 phyllo, brush it well with melted butter and put about 3 tbsp of filling and put it in alongside on the smaller length of phyllo.
start rolling till the other side so you form a pipe like tube with filling.
continue the same rolling with the other phylla making sure to brush with the butter the areas that are not greased, placing the the one next to the other.
when all the phylla are rolled and ready brush them with melted butter and put them in the oven.
bake for an hour or so, or till the rolls are golden brown.

enjoy!

homemade caramel pop corn with chocolate

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1 cop of corn kernels
2-3 tbsp sugar granulated
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 tbsp shaved chocolate milk and dark (or chopped thinly)
some butter (about 1 tbsp, optional)

1. In a large saucepan, add the oil, 1 tbsp of sugar and popping corn. Turn the heat to medium, cover the pot with a lid left slightly ajar, and shake once or twice.

2. The corn kernels will begin to pop within a minute or two. Once the popping slows to an almost stop, remove the pot from the heat.

3. Sprinkle them with the rest of the sugar adding little by little, while they are very hot, tossing them constantly, so the sugar gets caramelized. (at that point you can add the butter)

4. Sprinkle them with the chocolate bits, ensuring that they are all covered well by mixing them all together.

homemade pop corn (salty)

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for 2

1 cup kernels of corn
1 tbsp olive oil (or corn oil, sunflower oil)
salt to taste

Add the oil, salt and popping corn to the pot. Place the pot over medium heat.
Give the pot a little shake to make sure all of the kernels are coated with oil, and then put a lid on the pot, leaving it slightly ajar so that steam can escape.
Once the popping has slowed to an almost stop (about 5 minutes), turn off the heat. 
Add more butter or salt, if preferred.

whole grain salty crackers with a hint of garlic

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this is a great recipe i have found browsing cooking sites and today i thought to myself that it was high time to taste them.
they are quite easy, although you have to roll them paper thin so they become crispy and nice.
the recipe called for regular flour but since i prefer whole grain i thought i'd try them the second way.
they are a great party snack, especially accompanied with a nice dip of your choice, or maybe just have them in your kitchen when you crave for something to nibble on.
i have used my pasta maker to roll them thin, i found it less messy and time saving.
if you have a pasta maker, just use the lasagne side and start passing it through the rollers from thick rolling it thin, going from number 9 to number 1 and you are done.
then you place the thin dough on a baking paper or a greased tin, cut them with the pizza cutter and bake them for 10' and you are all set.

there you go:

Salty crackers
2 cups flour (whole grain)
1 tblsp sugar
1 tblsp salt
2 tblsp butter (i used the one with the yoghurt in it)
2/3 cups milk (i used evaporated diluted with water 50-50)
freshly ground pepper (optional)
some sesame seeds

1. preheat oven to 425F (180C).
2. in a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, sesame (and the pepper). add butter and start rubbing it with your fingers working it into the flour till they become one, and there are no butter lumps in the flour.
3. stir in milk. continue to knead.
4. divide the dough ball in half and then these 2 halves in another 2. (so you end up with 4 balls).
5. roll each ball thin with the rolling pin on a floured surface, or use the pasta maker as described above.
6. transfer paper thin dough to a greased pan and cut in pieces with the pizza cutter. (you can cut them small 3cm X 3cm or larger like 5-6 cm X 5-6, depends on you)
7. bake for 10 minutes. since they are whole grain and already brownish i can't quite say: bake them till golden brown :)

now you might ask: where is the garlic part? well, i always have a garlic oil (which is a small bottle with olive oil where i cut some garlic cloves in and it gets the right scent when i want a hint of garlic to my dishes)
so before i put the crackers to the oven i slightly brush them with some drops of this garlic oil, if you are not a garlic fan you can always skip this step.

enjoy!

Homemade Twix Candy Bar Recipe 2

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SHORTBREAD:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (85 grams) powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups (250 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• baking sheet

CARAMEL FILLING:

• 3 - 5.5 ounce bags (15.5 ounces total) soft caramels (or make your own)
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• dash salt (opt)

CHOCOLATE TOPPING:

• 12 ounces (240 grams) milk chocolate, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening if needed to make the chocolate softer for dipping

Preheat oven to 300^oF (150C) and place rack in center of oven.

With an electric mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add egg and beat until combined.

Beat in the vanilla extract.

Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together.

Refrigerate the dough until firm.

Roll out the dough or press onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet front-to-back half-way through baking.

Place your caramels, milk and salt in a microwaveable bowl and nuke for 1 minute at a time, stopping to stir, until nice and melty (3-4minutes)

If you're using homemade caramels, you can reduce the amount of milk and microwave time.

If you are using hard caramels, increase the milk.

Pour caramel over the baked cookie.

Once the caramel has set, cut into whatever size pieces you desire.

For best results, chill them in the freezer to firm up before dipping.

Temper your chocolate using this tutorial as a guide.

Add a teaspoon of shortening or butter to help make the chocolate thinner for dipping as needed.

Dip the bars in the tempered chocolate and place on waxed or parchment paper to set.

Do not attempt to move your Twix bars before they are set or they're liable to come apart.

Once they've set, you're ready to share and enjoy!  For best results, store in the fridge.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Twix-Candy-Bar-Recipe/step2/Making-the-shortbread/

Homemade Twix Candy Bites

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Yield: 40 bite size chocolates
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Cookie Layer:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
60 grams unsalted butter, refrigerator cold and cubed
1 tbsp vanilla
5 Tbsp heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour sugar and salt.
3. Cut the butter in with a pastry cutter or two forks until a fine crumb like consistency is formed.
4. Mix the vanilla and cream together and pour into the dry ingredients.
5. Mix until a dough forms (it may be crumbly, this is fine).
6.  Press into a greased 8″ square pan.
7. Prick with a fork to avoid puffiness and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a golden brown colour develops over the surface.
8. If it puffs up after removing from oven, push down gently with your hands.
9. Cool completely.

Caramel Layer:Adapted from David Leibovitz

3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 cup yellow sugar (or use granulated)
60 grams salted butter + 2 tbsp, cubed and at room temperature

1. In a small saucepan heat heavy cream and  two tablespoons of butter with vanilla and sea salt. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover it to keep warm.
2.  In a larger saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, heat the golden syrup with the sugar. Stir constantly until the sugar melts then stir only to avoid hot spots until it reaches 310°F.
3.  Remove from the heat and stir in the warm cream mixture (careful, it may spit at you.)
4. Return to the heat and cook to 260°F.
5. Remove from the heat, lift out the thermometer and stir in the cubes of butter.
6. Pour over the cooled cookie crust and allow to come to room temperature.
7. When it is cooled, cut into 1″ x 1″ squares.

Chocolate Coating

6 oz Semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz Semi-sweet chocolate

1. In the top of a double boiler set over gently simmering water, bring chocolate up to 115°F. Stir constantly.
2. Drop in last two ounces of chocolate, remove from heat and bring down to 80°F. Stir frequently.
3. Bring chocolate back up to 91°F (do not go over 91°F), remove the leftovers from the two hunks of solid chocolate and start dipping the squares into it. Try to keep the chocolate around 88-91°F. Rewarm when necessary.
4. Lay chocolates on a wax paper sheet and allow to harden. May also be cooled in the refrigerator.  Store in an airtight container.

http://guiltykitchen.com/2010/10/28/homemade-twix-candy-bites/

Onion Crackers

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Ingredients:

1. 2 cups of All purpose flour/maida
2. 1/4 cup warm water
3. 4 tsp sesame seeds ( I have toasted the sesame seeds very lightly on a skillet)
4. 1/3 cup oil
5. 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
6. 1.5 big onions, finely chopped ( I have used yellow onions here, but red onions would give it better zest)
7. 1 teaspoon baking soda
8. 3 green hot chillies, finely chopped (adjust amount to your taste)
9. Fistful of very finely chopped fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
10. 2 tsp Sugar
11. Some Coarse Salt to sprinkle on top

Preparation:


In a big bowl combine  flour/ maida, sesame seeds,  half the onions, salt, sugar, soda, chopped coriander leaves, green chillies and mix well. Add the oil  & the butter and spread it to the mix. Big and uneven lumps will form but that is ok.

(Note: I have used only half the amount of onions here, for the reason that the more onions added would release more water as the dough rested & the dough would be difficult to work with.Do not skip adding atleast some of the onions now, for the flavors to be infused)

Add the warm water and make thick dough. At this point if you feel there is too much onion, do not worry, the more the better taste. Knead well for about 2-3 minutes and cover this with a damp cloth. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 325 F.

Gently knead in the rest of the chopped onions. Do not worry if they are not mixed in evenly.

On a well floured surface roll out the dough like you would make a cookie dough. (If you find it difficult to do this, use Supriya’s method:  “So instead I took small balls on dough and placed it in between 2 greased plastic sheets. Apply pressure and make it into flat disc. Remove the top cover and with the tip of your hands flatten the dough and make it as flat as possible.”)

Take a round cookie cutter or a glass or small bowl with sharp edges & cut out cookie rounds. Repeat this process for the remaining dough as well.

Place the round cut outs on a greased cookie sheet. Poke holes on all of them with a fork, this way the cracker will not puff and also the air will go out while baking. Sprinkle some coarse salt on the cookies.

Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes until they are brown.

http://www.ecurry.com/blog/starters-snacks/onion-crackers/

ΤΥΡΟΠΙΤΑΚΙΑ ΚΟΥΡΟΥ - Η πιο ευκολη και πιο νόστιμη συνταγή που υπάρχει!

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Για τη ζύμη

1 συσκευασία φαριν απ

1 συσκευασία βιταμ (πακέτο)

1 κεσεδάκι γιαούρτι Total μπλε

Για τη γέμιση

φέτα τριμμένη

1 αυγό

πιπέρι (προαιρετικά)

1 αυγό επιπλέον

Σε ένα μπολ ανακατεύουμε όλα τα υλικά για τη ζύμη (προσοχή δεν προσθέτουμε τίποτε παραπάνω). Σε ένα άλλο μπολ ανακατεύουμε την φέτα με το ένα αυγό και προσθέτουμε αν θέλουμε λίγο πιπεράκι. Παίρνουμε μπαλάκια ζύμης, λίγο πιο μεγάλα από καρύδι, και τα ανοίγουμε στον πάγκο της κουζίνας με το χέρι σε στρογγυλό σχήμα. Βάζουμε περίπου ένα κουταλάκι γέμιση στην μέση και κλείνουμε την ζύμη σε σχήμα μισοφέγγαρο, πατώντας τις άκρες με ένα πιρούνι για να κολλήσουν. Βάζουμε τα τυροπιτάκια μας σε ένα ταψί με λαδόκολλα και τα αλείφουμε το αυγό με ένα πινελάκι. Ψήνουμε στους 200 βαθμούς στις αντιστάσεις και στο κέντρο του φούρνου, μέχρι να πάρουν ωραίο χρυσαφί χρώμα (ο χρόνος εξαρτάται από τον φούρνο)

Όσον αφορά την γέμιση μπορούμε φυσικά να βάλουμε εναλλακτικά μικρά λουκανικάκια προσθέτοντας λίγη κέτσαπ ή ζαμπόν και τυρί.

Dip με avocado

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2  μικρά avocados

χυμό μισού λεμονιού

λίγο αλάτι

ελάχιστη σκόνη σκόρδου

λίγο ελαιόλαδο

1 κ.γ. μαγιονέζα

Λιώνουμε τα αβοκάντο με το πιρούνι αφού τα ξεφλουδίσουμε.
Προσθέτουμε τα υπόλοιπα υλικά και ανακατεύουμε.

Το σερβίρετε σε ένα μπολάκι με κράκερς ή μπαστουνάκια λαχανικών.

Zucchini cupcakes

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• 3 medium zucchini grated-3 μέτρια κολοκυθάκια ψιλοτριμμένα
• 1 egg-1 αυγό
• 2 cups flour-2 κούπες αλεύρι (+-αναλόγως)
• 2 cups of grated parmezan or kefalotyri-2 κούπες τριμμένη παρμεζάνα ή κεφαλοτύρι
• dill and parsley-άνηθο και μαϊντανό κατά βούληση
• αλάτι, πιπέρι
• λίγο ελαιόλαδο

Ανακατεύουμε τα υλικά όλα μαζί-προσέχοντας όταν προσθέτουμε  το αλεύρι να γίνει μια μάζα όχι πολύ σφιχτή αλλά κρεμώδης απαλή.
Εγώ όταν έκανα την συνταγή για πρώτη φορά έβαλα τα υλικά στο blender
και έγιναν κρέμα.
 Οπότε χρειάστηκα και περισσότερο αλεύρι, αλλά βγήκαν υπέροχα...Θέλουν προσοχή στο ψήσιμο όμως. Anyway, στο θέμα μας. Λαδώνουμε ένα ταψάκι για 12 cupcakes και γεμίζουμε τις θέσεις προσέχοντας να μην ξεχειλίζει αλλά αντιθέτως να φτάνει λίγο πιο πάνω από την μέση, αλλιώς δεν θα ψηθούν. Τα ψήνουμε για καμιά ώρα αναλόγως τον φούρνο, σε χαμηλό φούρνο, στην κάτω σχάρα μέχρι να ροδοκοκκινίσουν όμορφα.
Μπορείτε άνετα να τα συνδυάσετε με cottage cheese ή με γιαούρτι.

Dip roquefort

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• 1 μέρος roquefort
• 1 μέρος γιαούρτι
• 1 μέρος μαγιονέζα

Ανακατεύουμε τα 3 υλικά με ένα πιρούνι να λιώσουν αρκετά καλά και σερβίρουμε σε ένα μπωλάκι για dips.

As simple as that!

Συνοδεύουμε με τα κριτσίνια ελιάς ή οποιαδήποτε κριτσίνια της αρεσκείας μας...αλλά κ sticks λαχανικών.

Κριτσίνια με ελιά

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• 5 κούπες αλεύρι
• 1-2 κούπες νερό
• 1 κούπα ελιές ψιλοκομμένες (της προτίμησής μας)
• 1 φλυτζανάκι ελαιόλαδο
• 1 φακελάκι μαγιά ξηρή
• αλάτι, λίγο ζάχαρη (και προαιρετικά μυρωδικά)
• σουσάμι (προαιρετικά)

Βάζουμε σε ένα λεκανάκι την μαγιά με λίγο χλιαρό νερό και το αλάτι και λίγη ζάχαρη. Αφού διαλυθεί η μαγιά, ρίχνουμε τα υπόλοιπα υλικά κ ζυμώνουμε καλά.

Αφήνουμε σε ένα ζεστό μέρος περίπου ένα μισάωρο για να φουσκώσει ελαφρώς σκεπασμένο με μια υγρή πετσέτα.

Πλάθουμε σε λεπτά μακριά sticks κ τα βάζουμε σε λαδωμένο ταψί-αν θέλουμε βάζουμε σε όλα ή σε μερικά σουσάμι-.

Ψήνουμε μέχρι να ροδίσουν ελαφρώς (αναλόγως τον φούρνο κ αναλόγως το πάχος), περίπου μισή ώρα σε προθερμασμένο φούρνο.  

Enjoy!

Ταιριάζουν τέλεια με dip roquefort...