When I saw this recipe first at Saveur it seemed like a marvelous idea. Getting some green into your system in an unconventional way that cut back on all that waste we generally produce when we throw away the stalks and leaves from broccoli, radishes, kohlrabi and so on. It seemed marvelous in terms of a harmony between us and nature; and in terms of health I shouldn't even get started, it being so obvious.
But I postponed actually trying to make this until I saw the recipe again on a blog I really like: Andie's Veggies. :) Hopefully when you'll see it here it might give you an impulse to try getting a really good habit - for you and the world :).
P.S: If you imagine something yucky when you hear of a smoothie made with green and raw and conventionally inedible leaves, you couldn't be more wrong. :) Just try and see for yourself. And maybe you'll make a habit out of drinking this every morning.
P.P.S: In case you're wondering, "zmuti" comes from "smoothie", being a cute mispronunciation. :)
Last year: Thai chicken and crab curry.
Two years ago: Spaghetti with olives, basil, red pesto and yellow tomatoes, Salată de ardei copți (Roasted red pepper salad) (Romanian) and Pork salad (with olives, roasted peppers and Parmesan).
A healthy meal and a delicious way to catch up on your veggie intake :). Not to mention extremely easy and fast to make as long as you have some tortilla wraps on hand: just open a can of tuna in water, season it, mix with raw red onion and sesame seeds, wrap it up and serve alongside a generous serving of field salad sprinkled with a little virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. Delicious, you'll see.
Note: Some cooks recommend toasting sesame seeds before use for a more intense flavor. I prefer them raw to maintain all their nutritional qualities. But if you want a stronger sesame taste, just fry them for about 5 minutes, stirring so they don't get burnt, without oil, in a dry non-stick pan, until you can start smelling sesame :).
Last year: Crepes with macadamia cream and lychees.
Two years ago: Dulce de leche, Sweet tart crust and Mini tarts with dulce de leche and red currants.
Boulangère potatoes means literally baker's potatoes (in French). Historically, the local French folk would take their pots of potatoes to the bakeries at the end of the day, to cook them in those large hot ovens as they cooled down in the evening. As the night fell, the potato pots would turn into a lovely meal in the residual heat of those huge almost industrial ovens :).
The dish itself is a layered one - a layer of potatoes, one of garlic and onion and parsley, another one of potatoes and so on. All this slowly baked in chicken stock :).
It can be served with a fresh salad on the side (as shown above), but it's not mandatory. Enjoy.
Recipe source: here.
Last year: Grasshopper hot chocolate.
Two years ago: Veronique chicken salad (French), Semolina milk pudding with pear-cardamom puree and honey and Polenta with sour cream and cheese (Romanian).
Springy-tangy-fresh tasting and easy to throw together pasta. The avocado, rosemary and cherry tomatoes are just the thing to go with the lovely fresh and soft-textured goat cheese.
I confess this idea was born out of my smear-guacamole-on-everything fantasies, combined with my passion for pasta and my couple-of-years obsession with fresh goat cheese. And it was better than anyone might expect simply by looking at the final picture :). I shared them with my mom on a lovely spring morning a year ago, when Mira was only three months old and we had just put her in her room to nap. As we were having a break also, I wanted to throw together something fast and delicious, but healthy enough also, and what better solution could I find than pasta? Hence this dish was born. :)
The next time you feel like a quick, satisfying but healthy lunch, trying this recipe might be just the thing you're looking for. Enjoy :)
Last year: Turkey bites in Brie and walnut sauce with grapes.
Two years ago: Frigănele (Romanian savory French toast), Rosemary marinated and fried potatoes with lemon (vegan) and Thyme, pepper and lemon spicy olive oil cookies.
