Endive and apple salad with poppyseed vinaigrette (raw vegan)

Ever since discovering it, we're great fans of the poppy-seed vinaigrette. We're usually adding it to cucumbers or to more elaborate salads, like this one. 
We enjoyed this salad with a creamy dish of three cheese pan potatoes. Enjoy it any way you want. Bon apetit!

Last year: Dagaiku imo (Japanese honey and sesame sweet potatoes) (vegan).
Two years ago: Winter wheat berries soup with caper (vegan) and Endive and bacon pasta. 

British country apple cake

Traditional British apple cake, in country-style. Recipe taken directly from a regular British grandma's handbook. 

The cake it moist, cocoa and spice flavored, not too heavy, and studded with tiny apple pieces that make it taste and smell like heaven :)
P.S: We're proudly submitting this recipe for the second part of this month's Sweet Romania challenge. :)

Recipe source: here. 

Last year: Creamy potato and artichoke salad (very light).
Two years ago: Bacon and eggs breakfast with a fresh touch and Vegetable stock from scratch. 

Three cheese pan potatoes

Cheese and carbs is one of the most addictive combinations out there. In this dish, we combined potatoes with a most generous dollop of melted cheesy goodness, with combined flavors and depths: Emmentaler, Cheddar and Parmesan.
We were happy to submit this recipe to this month's Sweet Romania challenge, focusing on a local and healthy choice of ingredients: potato (this recipe) and apple (the recipe to follow) :).
 Enjoy! :)

Last year: Linguine alla Putanesca (Italian).
Two years ago: Red pepper and pesto pasta with smoked salmon and Fig salad with feta, rucola and cherry tomatoes. 

Cheddar and beer soup (British - Scottish)

A delicious soup that warms your soul especially in chilly days. Tastes like sweet-and-earthy brew with melted cheese and veggies. With an optional hint of smokiness from the bacon croutons (you can exclude those if you want to keep it vegetarian, but don't forget to also replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock in that case). Try to get your hands on British ale and cheese for it if you can, to add to the traditional flavor.
This is a traditional Scottish / British recipe. Which, if it were up to us, every cuisine should adapt. 
Enjoy :).
Recipe source: here.

P.S: We had it with slices of German sausage and cabbage bread. The match was made in heaven for cold days :)

Last year: Tandoori chicken skewers with field salad and lemon raita.
Two years ago: Ricotta and cinnamon pancakes with raspberry sauce and pomegranate seeds and Bavarian white radish salad. 

Kohlbrot mit wurstchen (German cabbage and sausage bread)

A traditional German bread that contains two of the cuisine's most loved ingredients: sausage and cabbage. It tastes smoky-intense and hearty from the sausages, while also remaining moist and chewy on the inside from all that cabbage in it. 
Pretty good on its own or with a spread, but also perfect for a soup that matches its earthy tones. For example, we had it with a British-Scottish cheddar and beer soup. The match was made in the heaven of pubs ;).
Anyway you'll have it, enjoy.
Recipe source: the Essen und Trinken magazine, No 2 / 2011.

Last year: Mini cheesecakes in ramekins, with lime and honey.
Two years ago: Easy Spanish tapas (with deli meats) and Kolokitho Keftedes (Greek zucchini fritters).

Ginger cake squares (crispy base, fudgy topping)

These were pretty easy to make, really crispy, really spicy from all the ginger (warning: it's for true ginger fans, not for the faint of heart :D) and kept very well for two or three days. 
As the title already states, the base was crisp, biscuit-like, while the topping was creamier, with a fudge-like texture. A perfect combination of chewy and crunchy :). And especially nice and warm for the cold weather that still lingers outside.
Recipe adapted from Baking Heaven (Germany, no 3/2012, p 49). 

Last year: Onion-tamarind soup with herb butter baguette.
Two years ago: Tortilla de patatas (Spanish potato omelet) with parsley and fennel and Red wine pears and Camembert.

Breakfast pizza with bacon and egg

Take the classic breakfast of champions one step further: make it a pizza. 
We used a Lehman-style (New York style) pizza crust, but you can make it on your favorite base or pre-made pizza dough. Just top it with the goodies and start your day with enough energy and good mood to move mountains. :)

Last year: Dukkah-coated turkey wraps. 
Two years ago: Sweet pumpkin strips and Simple wellness salad with potatoes, apple, feta and egg. 

Puffy and thin pizza crust (New-York style pizza crust) (vegan)

We usually go for a thin and crispy pizza crust, but we decided to give the fluffy (and still thin) one a go. Also known as a New-York style crust, this kind of dough is pretty easy to make. It's not instantly ready, as it must rest in the fridge for quite a while, but definitely not much sweat involved. 
The example picture above is in our Breakfast pizza with bacon and egg. 
Enjoy :)

Recipe source: Lehmann.

Last year: Dukkah (Egiptian and generally Middle Eastern).
Two years ago: Simple chicken stock and Risotto with chicken strips and bell pepper.

Authentic carbonara (Italian)

We have a confession to make. The pasta alla carbonara that we already presented here (among the first things we ever cooked, so we were rookies :D) wasn't precisely the real deal, since we also used some cream.... and since then we became wiser and more knowledgeable and now we wouldn't dream about making carbonara with cream. That doesn't mean our old recipe isn't delicious, but it's not authentically Italian.
So, ladies and gents... here's the true version of Carbonara, using nothing but pancetta, egg and Parmesan. Enjoy :) And all apologies for misleading you in the past.

Last year: Tuna and clementine creamy spread.
Two years ago: Lapte de pasăre (Romanian "Bird's milk", my mom's recipe).

Kedgeree (Anglo-Indian or Scottish)

The Kedgeree is a disputed dish, consisting of curried rice with fresh herbs, mixed with flaked haddock, often smoked, and served with hard-boiled egg slices on top. A traditional solution for serving left-over rice. The disputed part comes in deciding whose cuisine does it belong to: some say it's British, borrowed from India in their colonial period, others say it was actually traditionally Scottish all the time, and older than the colonialism in India. 
Considering this isn't what I'm an expert in, I won't express any opinions as to that, but I'll resume myself to saying that whatever the precise origin, the dish is delicious. :)
Of course, you can make it with smoked salmon as well, but this is the more traditional version. Enjoy. :)

Last year:  Tapenade (Olive paste) bread rolls.
Two years ago: Tabbouleh (Middle eastern parsley and bulgur salad) and Simple wellness salad with clementines, feta, endives and pumpkin seeds.

Peanut butter cookies (American)

If you like peanut butter (which I think is among the most addictive creamy things out there) you'll love these cookies, because unlike other recipes I've worked with, you can actually taste it strongly in the final product and not just waste it through the cookie mass. So if you want crunchy-chewy cookies which are easy to make, maintain shape in the oven fairly well and really taste like peanut butter in a more solid and sweet version, these are for you :). Enjoy.
Recipe adapted from Trish Deseine via Delicioasa.

Last year: Cranberry and walnut scones (Southern style).
Two years ago: Zucchini and caraway salad with parsley-lemon cream salad.

Mint and carrot tzatziki (raw)

This mint and carrot version of the classic Greek tzatziki sauce is perfect as a spread for crusty bread or as a dip for other raw veggies. You could also have it inside a wrap, with some roasted veggies or your favorite meat strips. Anyway you plan to use it, it will be nice. :) 
I thought of it at a point when I felt the need for more fresh goodies into our diets and have become addicted to it ever since. 
Enjoy :)

Last year: Eggplant croquettes with spicy-sour yogurt sauce. 
Two years ago: Fast baby pasta with creamy Parmesan and pea sauce and Simple tomato sauce pasta (pasta con pomodoro).

Spinach and chickpea soup with chorizo

A hearty soup with rich tasting chickpeas, fried onion and garlic, lots of greens and a touch of smokiness from the chorizo strips that top it. Very nice for cold days like these and fast to throw together. Enjoy.
Recipe adapted from the Romanian Good Food.

Last year: Pollo alla cacciatora (hunter's chicken stew) (Italian).
Two years ago: Moldavian fried carp with polenta and garlic sauce.