Leek "à Brás"

The original version is made from Bacalhau (Salted, dried codfish), potatoes, eggs, onion.
Bacalhau a Bras is one of the 1001 ways to cook codfish! You'll find this dish in most portuguese restaurants!

My recipe is a vegetarian alternative to this typical portuguese dish!
I used leek as codfish replacer, along with all the original "co-ingredients."

Ingredients:
500gr Leek (finely cut)
250gr store bought potatoes fries (finely cut)
2 eggs
1 small onion
Olive oil
Olives 
Parsley

Step 1- Heat olive oil and sauté the onion until translucent color! Add leek and stir to mix with olive/onion mixture.

Step 2- Add potato, stir once again.

Step 3- In a separate bowl whisk egg (as if scrambled eggs), season with pepper and pinch of salt (not much, as potatoes are salted).

Step 4- In medium/low heat involve whisked eggs with the potato/leek mixture, allowing the eggs to cook!

Step 5- Serve with black olives and sprinkled with fresh parsley!


Enjoy

Zucchini/Carrot "Pasta" with homemade Tomato sauce

This is the pasta dish you can eat without worring to count calories!!! awesome, hun?

Guess what? I replaced actual "pasta" by zucchini, topped it with homemade tomato sauce and sharannn, a beautiful dish- scale friendly ;-)

This recipe is as versatile as cooking a normal pasta, tomato sauce can be replaced by pesto, bechamel, simple drizzle of olive/sesame oil...play with it!!!

Served as side or main dish, again...play with it!

Here's how I did: 

Pasta

1 green zucchini 

1 yellow zucchini and/or 1 carrot (optional)- makes this dish colourful

2 garlic gloves (unpeeled)

1 tsp olive oil

Tomato sauce 

250 gr fresh cherry tomato

1 small carrot (diced small cubes)

1 small onion

2 garlic gloves

Salt, Pepper

Vegetable stock (powder)

Fresh and/ or dry herbs: basil, oregano

Cut vegetables lengthwise (use a vegetable peeler or a mandolin).

In a non stick shallow pan heat oil, add garlic and vegetables (sauté for a couple of minutes, until tender).

Tomato sauce:

Sauté onion, garlic until soft. Add carrot, chopped tomato, vegetable stock, dry herbs (if used) salt and pepper.

Simmer in medium/low heat for about 30 minutes. Correct seasoning if needed, add fresh herbs.

Serve this "pasta" with sauce and grated Parmesan cheese (optional)!

Bom apetite!

Passion Fruit Mousse

I had a dozen of Passion fruits laying on my fruit bowl for almost one week that when Sofia and Alain where coming for dinner I decided to use them to make this fresh, easy, and super tasty tropical dessert!

In this recipe I used: 1 Cup Passion Fruit pulp (6 pieces), Alpro Soya whipping cream, 1 dl condensed milk, agar-agar gelatine, lemon zest

Step 1- Cut passion fruits in half, scoop out the pulp. Combine it with whipping cream, condensed milk, lemon zest and agar-agar.

Step 2- Divide the mixture in to glasses or bowl, top with fresh pulp. Keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving!

Bom apetite!

Salmon, Cauliflower Purée with Cherry Tomato, Balsamic Reduction

Paul asked me to create a healthy yet, non vegetarian (for a change) recipe! Here's what I came up with!
Steamed Salmon steak, Cauliflower Purée with cherry tomato/balsamic reduction as a final touch!

Tip: while cooking make sure the cauliflower is nicely seasoned. It will have a good impact in the final result!

You can play with the purée, try adding spinach, sweet potato, green peas to to base recipe! I'm telling you the result is amazing!
In this recipe I kept it plain, feel free to recreate your version! (I love cauliflower/sweet potato purée- Salmon combination). 

Here's how I did:

Salmon:
200 gr. fresh Salmon steak
Salt

1/2 Lemon (juice and zest)
Garlic powder

Marinate the fish in lemon juice and zest; salt and garlic powder (couple of hours). Steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender (don't overcook it!!!)

Cauliflower Purée

500 gr Cauliflower

1 Onion (medium size)

4 Garlic gloves

1 Tbsp Vegetable stock powder

1 Tbsp Olive oil
Nutmeg to taste

Cook cauliflower in a medium pan with water and vegetable stock until soft.

Drain and transfer it to a blender.

Heat oil in medium heat and sauté onion, garlic until golden brown. Add it to cauliflower and purée it.

Season with nutmeg and salt/pepper if needed.

Cherry Tomate and Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

100 gr. cherry tomato (red, orange, yellow)

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper 

In a non stick pan sauté tomato until soft, add salt and pepper and finally balsamic vineger

Cook in a medium heat until "caramel" texture.

Serving: in a plate put the purée, salmon on top and drizzle the tomato/balsamic vineger.

Smaklijk!

Vegetarian Cachupa

There's so much to say about this post that I don't even know where to start! I will KIS (keep it short) otherwise... I don't even know!

I've been planing it for quite some time but I needed mom's assistance! She cooked it for me when she came for my bday.

I'm so happy for finally having it published!

I'm pretty sure more than 90% of my "page viewers" don't know what Cachupa (Catchupa- in creole) is, so first things first!

Cachupa is one of my childhood's favourite dishes! It's a Capeverdian (where my roots are from) tipic dish! 

It's a kind of stew which base ingredient is dried Corn (not to be mistaken with caned sweet corn). Before being ready to be cooked corn goes through a pre preparation process to eliminate the "skin". It would take me ages to explain you the whole process, so see below the final product ready to be used (first picture).

As most of African food, this is a heavy dish, made with "heavy" ingredients!
(If you're planing on cooking Cachupa, unless you have an african stomach- as I do, I suggest you to have it for lunch! You'll thank me later for the advise!)

This dish also calls for different types of Beans (Stone, Red Kidney, Congo, Fava, White...), Vegetables, Sausages and meat or fish. 
Depending on the variety of ingredients you cook a rich or poor Cachupa.

This particular post is all about "my Cachupa".

When I quit eating meat my mom started cooking Cachupa de Peixe (Fish Cachupa) but eventually, when I also quit fish she came up with the vegetarian version! My mom is the best mom from this world and the other!

Basically she replaced the animal protein by the vegetal option!
In this specific recipe we used : Veggies (Carrot, Cabbage, Tomato, Bell Peppers, Garlic, Onion) Yellow dried Corn, Beans, Smoked Tofu and Soy Sausages...

Step 1- Cook Corn together with Beans for about 45 min. (I like it "al dente" texture)

Step 2- In a separate pan cook onion and garlic until golden brown, add chopped tomato, carrot, cabbage. Cook in medium heat until tender texture.

Step 3- Combine vegetables with corn and beans, add cubed tofu and diced sausage, let 
simmer for a couple of minutes and serve!

Note- stay tuned for the "next day Catchupa" tip ;-)


PS- full credit goes to my mom

Coconut, Almond flour Muffin (GF)

Since I became more and more interested in Gluten Free diet I am reading a lot about wheat free flour and cooking technics.

I have quite a few of these flours in my pantry, but this one is new: Coconut flour!

I've been reading that working with this flour might be a bit tricky.
So, I wanted a KIS (keep it simple) recipe to start with my experience on baking with it.
The result was so amazing that after trying one Muffin (straight from the oven) I immediately baked a second batch.

This Muffin has a soft texture, the nutty flavour is everywhere due to both Coconut/Almond flours and there's also a touch of citrus from orange zest and juice. 

For this recipe (6 Muffin) I used: 3/4 cup Coconut flour, 1 cup Almond flour, pinch baking soda and salt, 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (+ zest 1 orange), 1/4 cup Coconut/Rice milk, 1 tsp Coconut Oil (bio), 1/2 Vanilla bean (seeds), 1/3 cup Agave

Step 1- In a bowl combine flours, salt and baking soda.

Step 2- In a separate bowl combine eggs, orange zest and juice, milk, oil, vanilla and agave.
Whisk until well incorporated.

Step 3- Combine dry ingredients with the wet, place it Muffin paper tins.
Bake in medium heat temperature until cooked (180C, 15 minutes my oven- Fan).

Coconut Kiss

Yesterday Alex and I were discussing this recipe, super easy to make and goes perfectly with a cup of bitter or sweet coffee.

I had all the ingredients available at home, so I decided to prepare a batch of these marvellous Coconut Kiss!

Ready in two steps and it calls for only 4 ingredients.

For this recipe (16 units) I used: 100 gr shredded coconut, 2 eggs, 10 gr sweetner and lemon zest (optional)

Step 1- combine all the ingredients in a bowl, form small size balls 

Step 2- Bake medium heat for aprox. 10 min or until golden brown.

Allow it to cool before serving!

Bom apetite!