Tag Archive | ingredients

Talin’s Spinach, Mushroom, Red Onion, Whole Wheat Spaghetti in Mushroom Sauce

I have not written a recipe in a while, so I decided that today is all about a healthy recipe. My new years 2012 resolution is to get more healthy, eat well, have regular physical activity and have a well-balanced diet. Eat everything of the food groups, but everything has its limits. Now today, I’d like to start with Spinach, Mushroom, Red Onion Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Mushroom Sauce.

Ingredients needed:

Basil,

Oregano,

Salt (Mushroom Sauce will have Salt in it, but just add a little bit more into it)

10-15 Mushrooms(Regular and cutting them until each mushroom becomes 4 Pieces),

2 Red Onions Chopped,

Fresh Bagged Spinach — One or Two Bags

Whole Wheat Pasta — 750 g or 900 g —– Serves 3-5 people.

Mushroom Soup Sauce — 1-2 cans

Olive Oil

To Prepare the Sauce: Remember to wash the spinach, then wash the mushrooms and the onion before chopping.

you put olive oil into the Spaghetti Sauce Pan — make sure its deep enough to then put the whole wheat spaghetti to mix together….

Put in the chopped red onions to cook, but do not overcook the red onions as it will lose its colour…. cook on medium heat.

then quickly put in the mushrooms after the onions cook just a bit

then put in the basil, a dash of salt and Oregano into the pan and start mixing….

then after without chopping the spinach, just put it all into the pan and it will shrink in size. you do not need to cut the spinach.

then your done….. make sure the onions are still red to make it look good and the nutrients from the onions will not go away….

Then you will put in the Mushroom sauce and let it all cook until warm to hot….

To Prepare the Whole Wheat Spaghetti

In a pasta pot put water, but just enough and keep an eye on it so it wont overflow when it boils… add salt and olive oil into the water.

after the water has completely boiled put in the whole wheat spaghetti and let it cook for 10 minutes to 12 minutes MAXIMUM until its al dente. don’t overcook spaghetti or any type of pastas.

Remember to mix the pasta in the water instantly after putting it in and keep mixing the whole wheat spaghetti so it wont stick together every 3 minutes until its cooked

————————————————

Then you drain the water from the spaghetti and you mix in the spaghetti with the sauce and your done…

—— Eat Immediately. You can put Parmesan cheese on top or feta cheese, but make sure the feta cheese is not so salty… there are different types of feta you can buy from a specialty grocery store or a cheese factory or something.

Then your done!

BON APETIT!

Talin’s Healthy Avocado Apple Spinach Salad.

Mar15

I have not written a recipe for sometime now. Today is the day I want to share with you all a recipe I came out with this past week. My Healthy avocado, apple, spinach Salad with other healthy ingredients. Since I am on the path of weight loss and getting fit, I has to do with the food consumption and what you eat as well. Remember to have a balanced diet and as well as exercise incorporated into it. I have been eating with smaller portions and have been incorporating a lot more greens, veggies and fruits. It’s very important to have when losing weight. without further delay, here is my recipe:

Ingredients & Amount Needed

1 or 2 bags of Fresh Baby Spinach — Wash them really well. – Do not get rid of the stems as the stems have a lot of nutrients in them as well.

3 Avocado’s —- Cut them into medium cubes — Put them aside in a bowl— Add this one last on top then toss — Avocado’s do not last for a long time, so you must consume it when you cut it.

2 Green Apples — Washed really well — Sliced then stack them together and cut the slices into long pieces — then toss

1 Red Onion — Medium Sized — Chop it in the middle, then make 2 – 3 slices on each side horizontally, then cut 3 times vertically. then toss

1 cup of Almonds — With the skin on top — Non Salty Non Seasoned – then toss

15 Fresh and Very red Cherry Tomatoes or as desired — Washed well— then toss

Dressing Ingredients All Mixed into a separate bowl before adding to Salad.

3 tbsp of Dijon or Regular Mustard

2 tbsp of Olive Oil

half to 1 teaspoon of salt – flattened

sprinkle of cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons of balsamic Vinegar

1 teaspoon of ground powdered Mint – OR Mint Leaves

1 tablespoon of squeezed Lemon.

—————

Mix the dressing ingredients very well before adding it to the Salad —- Then toss the salad with the dressing mix.

You can serve this with grilled chicken breast with natural seasonings, with Brown Rice.

Or you can eat it just like that.

Then Voila! you have a healthy and great salad

BON APETIT!

Armenian Pizza — Laghmajoun – MesaShod – Armenian Style

Dec15

Hello All, this is my last Delicious week recipe.

Armenian Pizza

Enjoy the recipe

Printed from THEGUTSYGOURMET.NET

INGREDIENTS: Makes 10-12

Dough:**See Note

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

• ½ tsp sugar

• ½ cup lukewarm water

• 3 cups all purpose white flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

** NOTE: You can use medium sized fluffy flour tortillas and skip the dough making. Be sure when

you bake the lahmajoon/lahmacun, that you oil the baking sheet when you bake them.

Topping:

• olive oil for the brushing the dough before the topping

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 2 cloves crushed garlic

• 1 large onion, grated

• 1 tomato skinned and chopped – put tomato in a deep bowl and cover with boiling water for 2

minutes, remove and peel. Leave seeds and juice with the tomato, do not discard.

• salt to taste

• 1 – 2 teaspoons sugar

• 12-16 oz ground lamb – can use 85% fat ground beef.

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 large lemon, juice of

• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced

• 1 pickled Jalapeno pepper finely chopped

• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

• 1 cup fresh spearmint, finely chopped

• 1 tsp. cumin

• 1 tsp. paprika

MAKING THE DOUGH:

** NOTE: You can use medium sized fluffy flour tortillas and skip the doughmaking. Be sure when you bake the lahmajoon/lahmacun,

that you oil the baking sheet when you bake them.

In a small bowl mix yeast and the sugar. Add 1/2 cup of warm water, stir well, cover the bowl. Keep the mixture in a warm place

for about 15 minutes to full activate the yeast.

Add the yeast mixture to the remaining flour and water. Knead well until the dough is soft and smooth.

Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover and let sit in a warm area of your kitchen for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled

in size.

Take the dough out and punch down. Divide the dough into 10-12 balls just slightly smaller than a tennis ball. Roll and set aside

on a floured surface and cover with a damp towel. Set the oven at 450º F.

MAKING THE TOPPING:

Add the onion, garlic and butter to a skillet and sautè until translucent. Take off the stove and let cool.

Take all your prepared vegetables and place them all in a large bowl. If you have a food processor, this would be the time to

give all the vegetables a few pulses to get them all into a fine spreadable size. DO NOT PROCESS TO AN UNIDENTIFIABLE MUSH!

Add pepper flakes, salt, sugar, paprika, cumin and lemon juice into a large bowl with the other ingredients and mix well by hand

until you have well mixed, spreadable topping.

Take balls of dough and roll into a round, circle or an oval measuring up to 1/16 to 1/8 inches in thickness. Place on a baking

sheet that has been oiled with olive oil, canola oil or cooking spray. Brush each round with olive oil (Extra Virgin is best). Top

with 2-3 tablespoons of the topping and spread the topping very thinly. Make sure you have an even layer.

Each baking sheet will hold two lahmajoon/lahmacun. You should have 3 or 4 baking sheets to keep things moving. Keep your

eye on the sheets in the oven to make sure they bake evenly. You may have to move things around the oven.The oven should

remain at 450°F – not too high and not too low. Since you are going to be constantly opening the oven, the temperature ideally

will stay between 400º F and 350ºF. Cooked Lahmajoon/Lahmacuns are crispy at the edges and pliable in the center. You can

stack your finished lahmajoon/lahmacun topping side to topping side and bottom to bottom. Cover them with a damp towel to

keep them from getting too brittle.

You are now ready to fill them with fresh parsley, cucumber slices, sweet onion slices or other fresh veggies and a drizzle of

lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, roll them up and enjoy these Anatolian delights.

Armenian Cheese Boreg

Dec14

Hi Everyone,Tomorrow will be the last of my Middle Eastern Armenian Recipes week, then I will resume to the regular blogging. Enjoy the last 2 recipes of today and tomorrow.

A phyllo dough turnover filled with cheese and parsley and baked to a golden brown. Similar to the Greek Spanakopita, but a bit more cheesy and lighter in texture. They can be served hot or at room temperature Like many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipes, the phyllo dough co-stars with the feta cheese to make this a spectacular snack. The packaged phyllo dough available today makes recipes like this a cinch, compared to the exhausting and time consuming drudgery of rolling out sheets and sheets of tissue paper-thin phyllo dough.

RECIPE PRINTED FROM: THEGUTSYGOURMET.NET©

INGREDIENTS: Makes 2 dozen

●   ½ pound, or more,  butter melted,  or better yet Clarified Butter.

●   Purchase 1 box phyllo dough at your supermarket (Athens or Apollo brands are the best).  You will
     need the whole box.

FILLING: 
●  1½ lbs. Jack cheese,  or ricotta,  or Armenian or Greek (Feta) cheese. Mix or take your choice.  Feta is
    the most authentic.  I like to mix feta and jack cheese ½ and ½.
●  1 cup chopped Armenian or Italian parsley,  Flat leafed.
●  2 eggs [beaten well]
●  ½ teaspoon salt
●  ½ teaspoon white pepper
●  Mix the above ingredients for the filling

DIRECTIONS: 

1.  Preheat oven to 400°F

2. Cut your phyllo dough sheets into 4 inch wide strips and the length of the longest dimension of the
    sheet of phyllo.

3. Brush a strip with butter and place another strip on top of that strip.  Butter that strip and add
    another until you have stacked 4 buttered strips.  

4. Place a tablespoon(s) of filling on the end of the strip and fold over the end into a triangle.  Now as
    you would fold a flag,  fold the filling and strip into a successions of triangular folds until you reach
    the end.  Brush butter on both sides and place on a baking sheet.  Do this until all the phyllo or the
    filling is used up.  Should come out pretty close to even and approximately two dozen triangular
    turn-overs..**SEE COOK'S NOTES**

5. Bake the cheese boreg triangles in a 400°F oven for approximately 20-25 minutes until they are
    golden brown.

6. As soon as they are cool enough to handle,  serve as an appetizer or a side dish

**COOK'S NOTES** 
1.  If you only need a dozen, you can now put a tray full in the freezer and freeze.  When frozen,  you
     can store them in your freezer in plastic zip-lock® bags and bake them,  without thawing,  at a later
     date.

Almond Baklava with Rosé Water

Dec13

Almond Baklava With Rose Water..

Ingredients.

1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup honey
2 cinnamon sticks
8 2×1/2-inch strips orange peel
2 teaspoons rose water*

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3 cups coarsely chopped almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

15 fresh phyllo pastry sheets or frozen, thawed

Plain yogurt

Stir 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, honey, cinnamon sticks, and orange peel in saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; bring to boil. Remove from heat. Mix in rose water. Chill until cold.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Brush 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with some of melted butter. Mix almonds, ground cinnamon, allspice, and 1/3 cup sugar in medium bowl.

Fold 1 sheet of phyllo in half to form 12×9-inch rectangle. Place folded sheet in prepared pan. Brush with melted butter. Repeat with 4 more folded sheets, brushing top of each folded sheet with butter. Sprinkle half of nut mixture over. Top with 1 folded pastry sheet and brush with butter. Repeat with 4 more folded sheets, brushing top of each with butter. Sprinkle remaining nut mixture over. Repeat with 5 more folded sheets, brushing top of each with butter. Using sharp knife, make 5 diagonal cuts across phyllo, cutting through top layers only and spacing cuts evenly. Repeat in opposite direction to form diamond pattern. Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Strain rose syrup. Spoon 1 cup syrup over hot baklava; cover and chill remaining syrup. Recut baklava along lines all the way through layers. Let stand 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.) Serve baklava with yogurt and remaining syrup.

* Available at Middle Eastern markets and specialty foods stores.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Almond-Baklava-with-Rose-Water-106124?id=106124

Recipe Credits found from website above.

Armenian Nutmeg Cake

Dec12

Recipe Credits and Website go to

http://www.dishesfrommykitchen.com/2012/04/armenian-challenge-daring-bakers-april.html

Ingredients For The Armenian Nutmeg Cake:

Milk – 1 cup

Baking soda – 1 tsp

All-purpose – 2 cups

Baking powder – 2 tsp

Brown sugar, firmly packed – 2 cups

Butter – 3/4 cup (preferably unsalted, cubed)

Walnut pieces -1/2 cup you may need a little more

Ground nutmeg – 1 to 1 1/2 tsp (5 to 7 ½ ml) (5 to 8 gm) (try to grate it fresh yourself; the aroma is enchanting)

Egg – 1

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to moderate 350°F/175°C/gas mark 4.

2. Mix the baking soda (not baking powder; that’s for the next step) into the milk. Set it aside.

3. Sift together the flour and the baking powder into a large bowl. One sift is fine

4. Add the brown sugar. Go ahead and mix the flour and brown sugar together.

5. Toss in the cubed butter.

6. Mash the butter with a fork into the dry ingredients (you can also use your fingers if you want). You’ll want to achieve a more-or-less uniform, tan-colored crumbly mixture.

7. Take HALF of this resulting crumbly mixture into your spring form (9”/23cm) pan. Press a crust out of it using your fingers and knuckles. It will be easy.

8. Crack an egg into a mixer or bowl.

9. Toss the nutmeg in with the egg.

10. Start mixing slowly with a whisk attachment and then increase to medium speed, or mix with a hand whisk if you’re doing it manually. Once it’s mixed well and frothy (about 1 minute using a standing mixer, or about 2-3 minutes of vigorous beating with a whisk), pour in the milk and baking soda mixture. Continue to mix until uniform.

11. Pour in the rest of the crumbly mixture. Mix that well, with either a paddle attachment, or a spatula. Or continue to use the whisk; it won’t make much of a difference, since the resulting batter is very liquidy.

12. Pour the batter over the base in the spring form pan.

13. Gently sprinkle the walnut pieces over the batter.

14. Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 30-40 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the top is a golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

15. Allow to cool in the pan, and then release. Enjoy!

Talin’s Top Kitchen Gadgets & Machines

May24

Hello! Today I am here to talk to you about my favourite and top gadgets and machines to use in the kitchen. The kitchen is one of my favourite spots in my house. I love to cook, I love to organize, I love to invent my own dishes and use spices, herbs and different types of food to create something new. I love cooking something different everyday for my family to have a variety of foods every week. I don’t like to make a lot because I am not a left over person.. I am a perfectionist when it comes to great tasting food. I am one of those people who take time to cook, and keep my area clean of debris and mess. These gadgets and machines help me do so. Now, here are my gadgets and machines starting from #10

10 — My Vegetable and food puree — that mashes up my mashed potatoes and other foods for soups, sauces and more.

09 — My T-fal Non-Stick pan which I use to cook eggs, bacon and hash browns in the mornings. — I use the smaller one to fry almonds, cashews, walnuts, pine nuts, for rice and other dishes…

08 — My Lagostina or T-fal Wok — Non Stick where I cook my stir fry, chilli, noodle stir fry, much more.

07 — My Hamilton beach toaster — it toasts 4 at one time and you have an option to toast frozen toast or breads and defrost it. Its pretty neat.

06 — My Garlic Grater, My Lemon Zester, My Slicer — I love these ones. It saves me so much time and energy… I slice anything on it and it does a fabulous job. It was one of those As seen on TV things.

05 — My Moulinex Deep Fryer — My Moulinex deep fryer, I use canola or extra virgin Olive oil to fry my Fries, and other things and it does such a great job and cooks evenly. I use low caloric oils and non-fat always. I stay away from corn oil, vegetable oil. those are the worst you can use in the food.

04 — My Spatula — Its such a great tool to clean out the cake batter bowl and other types of liquids. I love my spatula. Its flexibility, and the way it’s made is incredible

03 — My non-stick cookie, cup cake, and cake pans — I just put a little bit of the Cooking spray and I take my batter and put them in and it bakes so evenly and it never sticks when I take it out. I am always afraid of that, but it comes out successful all the time

02 — My Lagostina Cookware — My pasta cooker, my pots, I like the way my food cooks and instantly. Normally rice takes about 30 minutes to cook, but the pot I use is fraction of that. it takes about 15 minutes. Its such an incredible tool to have in the kitchen.

01 — My Kitchenaid Stand Mixer — My Kitchen Aid stand mixer is above all in anything in the kitchen. I love that tool so much. I use it so many times now and the way it beats the batter, the way it beats other things, the way this machine works is incredible. Its a beautiful machine and it hardly makes any noise in the house. I am so glad to have it. It looks so beautiful on my kitchen counter. This thing is super heavy. i cannot put it in my lower cabinets, because its very durable and heavy so I just left it on the counter top. It looks so nice and adds something amazing to my kitchen.

There you have it. My top 10 gadgets and Machines in the kitchen….

Talin’s Specialty Cinnamon Cake

May20

One of my favourite things is to bake and to cook. I LOVE Making cakes. I am here to tell you about a basic cake you can make and its so simple. It takes less than 15 minutes to prepare everything. Here it is. for something so simple, easy and fast.

Ingredients

2 Table spoons of Cinnamon

1 table spoon of vanilla extract

1 to 2 table spoon of baking powder

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

half cup of canola oil

1 cup of Milk….

6 Eggs.

How to prepare:

First you beat the eggs in the stand mixer, then you put in all the liquid ingredients, and beat them very well, then put in the dry ingredients. beat them very well together…

then you grease the pan with the cooking spray and then preheat the oven to bake mode to 350 c, then you put the cake batter into the pan, then you put it into the oven once its preheated.

Baking time takes about an hour to an hour and 10-15 minutes…

Talin’s Healthy Avocado Apple Spinach Salad

Mar28

I have not written a recipe for sometime now. Today is the day I want to share with you all a recipe I came out with this past week. My Healthy avocado, apple, spinach Salad with other healthy ingredients. Since I am on the path of weight loss and getting fit, I has to do with the food consumption and what you eat as well. Remember to have a balanced diet and as well as exercise incorporated into it. I have been eating with smaller portions and have been incorporating a lot more greens, veggies and fruits. Its very important to have when losing weight. without further delay, here is my recipe:

Ingredients & Amount Needed

1 or 2 bags of Fresh Baby Spinach — Wash them really well. – Do not get rid of the stems as the stems have a lot of nutrients in them as well.

3 Avocado’s —- Cut them into medium cubes — Put them aside in a bowl— Add this one last on top then toss — Avocado’s do not last for a long time, so you must consume it when you cut it.

2 Green Apples — Washed really well — Sliced then stack them together and cut the slices into long pieces — then toss

1 Red Onion — Medium Sized — Chop it in the middle, then make 2 – 3 slices on each side horizontally, then cut 3 times vertically. then toss

1 cup of Almonds — With the skin on top — Non Salty Non Seasoned – then toss

15 Fresh and Very red Cherry Tomatoes or as desired — Washed well— then toss

Dressing Ingredients All Mixed into a separate bowl before adding to Salad.

3 tblsp of Dijon or Regular Mustard

2 tblsp of Olive Oil

half to 1 teaspoon of salt – flattened

sprinkle of cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons of balsamic Vinegar

1 teaspoon of ground powdered Mint – OR Mint Leaves

1 tablespoon of squeezed Lemon.

—————

Mix the dressing ingredients very well before adding it to the Salad —- Then toss the salad with the dressing mix.

You can serve this with grilled chicken breast with natural seasonings, with Brown Rice.

Or you can eat it just like that.

Then Voila! you have a healthy and great salad

BON APETIT!

Talin’s Roast / Marinade

Feb11

Today I will be discussing on how to cook Roast with great Marinading sauce.

It is so important to incorporate the Tomato Paste as that is the key ingredient as well as lots of Garlic.

Roast Marinade.

You get some roast, cut it up — wash it, clean it,

1. 5 Tablespoon full of Tomato Paste
2. 1 Teaspoon of All Spice
3. 1 Teaspoon of Salt
4. 1/2 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
5. 5 Cloves of Garlic Chopped into Fine Pieces .. Do not squeeze the garlic. You want to have the Garlic pieces everywhere.
6. 1 or 2 cups of water so it can cook— Remember Tomato Paste Absorbs a lot of water so add a bit more to your satisfaction to prevent from burning…

Cook for about half an hour — depending on the size of the roast. the smaller ones take about 15 minutes….

And your done!

Meatballs with Yogurt Soup (Matzounov Kufteh)

Feb8

I know in my previous article, i stated to write how to make mantee, but that will come up in next issue…

Meatballs with Yogurt is a favoured Armenian Dish.
Anyone can try it. It is a tasty dish, that is served at lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

Fine Boulgour
Ground Beef
Salt
Walnuts (OPTIONAL)

Yogurt
1 Egg
Lemon Squeezed
Dried grinded Mint

DIRECTIONS..

1. mash the ground beef together, adding 1 or 2 cups of Fine boulgour and a little bit of salt to the meatball ingredients, then roll the meatballs to bite sized pieces.

WARNING: Do not put tooo much boulgour as the meatballs will come apart while cooking. Make sure the meatballs are soft, but a little hard.

2. have half a pot of boiling water

3. Get a bucket or 2 of plain yogurt, crack 1 egg into the yogurt in a mixing bowl, and add some dried grinded mint, and then add quarter cup lemon juice so the yogurt sticks together and doesnt break in the water and with the meatballs. PUT THIS IN LAST.

4. Cook meatballs for 5-10 minutes as it wont take long.

5. add the yogurt mixture in.. cook for 5 minutes and serve.

FOR FUN — Add some walnuts into the meatballs for a game. who ever gets the walnut, can win a prize or something. HAVE FUN with your food…

BY: TALIN ORFALI

Zakhtari KEKHGEH – Zahtar Thyme Cookies

Jan25

2 Cups of Flour

1 cup of Zakhtar

1 cup of Mazola or Olive Oil

a little bit of Salt

1-2 cups of Water

1 teaspoon of Baking powder

Mix it up —– and make them into any shape you want

bake it until you see it get light golden brown.

take out, let cool

then serve…..

Healthy Hearty French Toast

Jan8

I know you may think french toast is full of carbs and calories, but really it isn’t… Not when you have 100% whole wheat bread…

My recipe for a great tasting french toast…

get whole wheat toast… People get 100% Whole Wheat and Multigrain mixed up….

Multigrain can still have a high amount of calories… 100% Whole wheat or Whole Grain is the way to go.

It depends how many you make for yourself. whether it is 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 of them…

Make sure you have enough eggs to cover it all…

If you make 3 toasts, cover them with 2 beat eggs….

If you have 4 french toasts, beat 3 eggs… Incorporate that with the yellow yolks too..

When beating the eggs, you have the option of adding cinnamon to add flavour or vanilla extract…

If you watch your calorie intake, then use low sugar syrup or add REAL PURE Honey (Not those billy bee imitation honey)…

With french toast you can cut up banana’s, apples, you can put blueberries, strawberries, rasberries to get your fruit intake…

You can have a glass of Orange juice or have a cup of coffee or tea to your preference, and voila!!! A HEART Breakfast!

Bon Apetit!

Talin’s Spinach, Mushroom, Red Onion, Whole Wheat Spaghetti in Mushroom Sauce

Jan3

I have not written a recipe in a while, so I decided that today is all about a healthy recipe. My new years 2012 resolution is to get more healthy, eat well, have regular physical activity and have a well balanced diet. Eat everything of the food groups, but everything has its limits. Now today, I’d like to start with Spinach, Mushroom, Red Onion Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Mushroom Sauce.