Yellow Pepper Mushroom Pate

The perfect party appetizer. Quick and easy to make, can be made ahead of time, full of flavour, a total crowd pleaser. Perfect for the holidays. Serve with crackers or crusty bread.

Makes 1 & 1/2 cups


2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more if you need
1 medium sweet onion, sliced into thin half moons
1 box (8 oz) button mushrooms, cleaned and chopped into medium chunks
1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow sweet pepper, chopped into medium chunks
1/4 cup lightly packed sun dried tomatoes (I used Bella Sun Luci sun-dried tomatoes with Greek oregano and garlic), cut into thin stripes
1/3 cup white wine, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and black ground pepper to taste
garlic powder (optional)

pomegranate seeds, parsley or cilantro leaves for garnish

Usually I lightly rinse the mushrooms with cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Please do not soak the mushrooms. Just before use using clean hands, I squeeze mushrooms over a bowl to remove excess water.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 5-7 minutes until onion is lightly browned. Then add chopped mushrooms and lightly sprinkle with salt and black ground pepper. Saute for 3-4 minutes, add butter and mix everything very well until butter is melted. Rise the heat, add yellow pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and sugar. Saute for a couple minutes and pour white wine into mushroom mixture. Low the heat and saute for 6-8 minutes. Check for salt and pepper. If you like garlic, please add garlic powder to taste. In the end, all ingredients except pepper will be caramelized and pepper will be just a little bit tender(not fully cooked). Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave for 3-5 minutes to cool.

Add the mushroom-pepper mixture to the food processor. Process stopping to scrape the sides as needed  until you reach a pâté texture. Check again for salt and pepper. Press pâté into a container for serving using a spatula to smooth it, and let it chill completely in the fridge before serving, about 8-10 hours.

Green Monster Salad

1 head of lettuce
1/3 cup fresh herbs, such as mint
1 cucumber
1 cup green grapes
1/2 cup crumbled feta
croutons (store-bought or homemade)

Dressing

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey

Prep the lettuce, herbs, cucumbers, and grapes. Place all but the grapes in a large bowl.

Put the salt, mustard, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey in a Mason jar, screw on the lid, and shake until well blended. Taste and adjust, if needed.
Pour half the dressing on the salad and toss. Taste, and if needed, add more dressing. Top with the grapes, feta, and croutons.

Очень зеленый салат с виноградом

1 головка салата
1/3 чашки свежей зелени, например, мяты, петрушки
1 средней величины огурец
1 чашка зеленого винограда
1/2 чашка раскрошенного сыра фета
сухарики (купленные в магазине или домашние)

Соус
1/2 чайной ложки соли
1 чайная ложка дижонской горчицы
2 столовые ложки бальзамического уксуса
4 столовые ложки оливкового масла
 2 чайные ложки меда

Для салата смешать зелень, огурцы и виноград в большой миске.

В небольшой стеклянной баночке смешать все ингридиенты для соуса: соль, горчицу, бальзамический уксус, оливковое масло и мед. Плотно закрутить крышкой и встряхнуть до полного смешения. Попробуйте соус и если нухно добайте соль и перец.

Вылить половину соуса на салат и перемешать. На вверх выложить фету и хлебные сухарики. Полить второй половиной соуса.

Recipe comes from Family Fun

Beet Tapenade

Makes 1 & 1/2 cups

1/4 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
2/3 cup pitted green olives (I used canned ones. I also rinsed and drained them)
1/4 cup packed basil (I used 1 & 1/2 tablespoons minced basil from tube)
1 clove garlic
4 oz beets, cooked, peeled, and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

I also added a dash of sugar to intensify beet flavor

If you serve on bread or crostini, sprinkle with pine nuts, pomegranate seeds or feta cheese.

Put zest and juice from lemon, green olives, basil and garlic to food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add beets, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse until just chopped. Refrigerate up to 1 day.

Тапенада из красной свеклы

На 1 & 1/2 чашки

1/4 чайной ложки свежей цедры и 2 столовые ложки сока из 1 лимона
2/3 чашки зеленых маслин (я использовала консервированные маслины. Я также промыла их холодной водой и отцедила хорошо)
1/4 чашки листьев базилика, плотно утрамбованных (я использовала 1 и 1/2 столовые ложки измельченного базилика из тюбика)
1 зубчик чеснока
120 грамм красной свеклы, отваренной или испеченной в духовке, очищенной и нарезанной на средние куски
1/4 чашек оливкового масла
1/8 чайной ложки соли
1/4 чайной ложки молотого черного перца

Я также добавила щепотку сахара.

Выложить лимонную цедру и сок, зеленые маслины, базилик и чеснок в кухонный комбайн и пропульсуровать до мелких кусочков. Добавить свеклы, оливковое масло, соль и перец.

Пропульсировать до получения мелких кусочков. Поставить в холодильник на 1 день.

При подачи посыпать гранатовыми зернами, брынзой или поджаренными кедровыми орехами.

Recipe comes from Red Book Magazine

Cinnamon Ginger Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Set a bowl of these delectable spiced pumpkin seeds on your bar or hors d’oeuvres table and watch as they magically disappear.

2/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tsp olive, avocado or coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground black pepper more or less to taste
2 tbsp maple syrup, agave or honey (if not vegan)

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and toss well

Transfer the spiced pumpkin seeds to a medium nonstick pan and cook over medium-low heat for about 7-10 minutes or until golden. Watch carefully and stir often to prevent them from burning

Spread the spiced pumpkin seeds on a piece of parchment paper and let them cool (do not touch spiced pumpkin seeds with bare hands while hot, they can really burn!)

Our cinnamon-ginger spiced pumpkin seeds are also a great topping for:

• Soups
• Salads
• Roasted Vegetables
• Oatmeal
• Overnight Oats
• Ice Cream
• Smoothie Bowl
• Yogurt Parfaits

You may want to try experimenting with other spice combinations like:

• Cumin, Coriander, and Cinnamon
• Sweet Paprika, Turmeric, Cumin, and Coriander
• Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Thyme and Rosemary
• Cinnamon, Cloves, and Ginger
• Oregano, Garlic, and Hot Pepper Flakes
• Sumac and Zaatar

Recipe comes from May I have that recipe

Cheese roulade with chicken filling

It's not very Jewish dish, because of mixture of cheese and poultry, but for those, who don't keep kosher, it's going to be a very tasty and quite presentable delicatessen. Initially, the recipe was posted by Russian lady and I had to add some spices to Americanize this recipe.

Make 1 roulade enough for 8-10 servings

Cough

300 g cheese, grated on large holes of grater (I used 2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers + 1/2 cup sharp cheddar)
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling

1 pound chicken breast meat, cut into medium chunks
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-large yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dry parsley
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
salt, pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Place a parchment paper on 15 by 10 by 1-inch jelly-roll pan, which is a shallow rectangular pan with one-inch-deep sides. Coat the parchment paper with cooking spray.

To make filling, coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the chopped onion and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take onions from the heat and cool for a couple minutes.

Place chicken into food processor and process for 30 seconds. Using slotted spoon, add sauteed onions to chicken and process until smooth. Add dry parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.

To make a dough, mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Spread the dough all over the parchment paper and bake 10-12 minutes. Take the pan out of oven and thinly spread filling all over of baked and hot dough. Starting from the one long side, roll the dough with filling into a roulade, using the parchment to help you roll. Place seam down the roulade on the same parchment paper, tightly cover with aluminum foil and bake more 25 minutes. Uncover the roulade and bake more 5 minutes to get golden brown color on a top.

Remove from the oven and give 10-15 minutes to cool off. Cut into 1/2-inch slices and serve. You don't have to cut a whole roulade immediately after baking. Use a couple slices and refrigerate for later. Can be refrigerated in aluminum foil for a couple days and used as an appetizer or even cold lunch.

Russian version: Chicken Roll recipe from Olga Matvey

Herring butter with Home-Made Marinated Fish

4 ounces oil-packed smoked herring or sardines, drained (recipe below)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper

Crushed flaky sea salt, such as Maldon or Jacobsen

Place the fish, butter, shallot, mustard, and cayenne in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed until the mixture is homogenous, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed, 1 to 2 minutes total. Taste and season with salt if needed; set aside. (Different fish have different saltiness levels, so it's important to taste before salting.)

Recipe comes from book "A Boat, a Whale & a Walrus: Menus and Stories" by Renee Erickson, Jess Thomson, Jim Henkens the Kitchn

Pickled Marinated Fish

10 oz. light salted mackerel cut into 2-3” pieces

For brine

1 cup water
1 ½ tbs kosher or sea salt
½ tbs sugar
3-4 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3-4 allspice seeds
1 tbs olive oil
Cut the fish and set aside

Start by making the brine. In a saucepan combine all ingredients except for the oil Bring to a boil and let it cool down completely

Arrange the fish in a medium plastic or glass jar, pour the brine over to cover the fish completely , add in olive oil and set in the fridge for 24 hours

Ready pickled fish needs to be kept in fridge .

Recipe comes from Heghineh.com

Quick Pear Salad Mediterranean style

Yield: serves 4

2 ripe but firm pears
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 cups arugula, other baby lettuce or spring mix
4 Tbsp walnuts
4-8 Tbsp crumbled blue cheese, Gorgonzola cheese or goat cheese
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Dressing

1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar (you can use balsamic and white wine vinegars to make 3 tablespoons of liquid)
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/8 teaspoon sumac (Mediterranean spice available in ethnic stores)
1/8 teaspoon sugar (optional)
salt and black pepper to taste

To make the dressing mix together the mustard, olive oil, sumac and vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste and decide if you need sugar.
Slice on mandolin the pear into 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle the cut slices with the lemon juice to prevent browning, making sure all surfaces are covered.

Arrange arugula on 4 salad plates and top each pear slices. Scatter the nuts and blue cheese over the plates. Drizzle with the dressing and scatter pomegranate seeds all over, and season with fresh cracked black pepper.

Serve immediately.

Быстрый салат из груши по-средиземноморски

На 4 порции

2 спелые, но крепкие груши
сок 1/2 лимона
4 чашки рукколы или другух салатных листьев
4 столовые ложки грецких орехов
4-8 столовые ложки сыра горгонзола или козьего сыра
1/4 чашки семян красного граната

Соус

1 чайная ложка дижонской горчицы
3 столовые ложки белого винного уксуса (Вы можете использовать бальзамический и белый винный уксус вместе. Общее количество должно быть 3 столовые ложки)
1/4 чашки оливкового масла
1/8 чайной ложки сумака (средиземноморская специя)
1/8 чайной ложки сахара (по желанию)
соль и черный перец по вкусу

В маленькой миске смешать горчицу, оливковое масло, сумак и уксус. Добавить соль и перец по вкусу. Попровукте и решите, нужен ли вам сахар.

Нарезать на мандолине грушу на ломтики. Сбрызгнуть их лимонным соком, чтобы предотвратить потепнение груши.

Разложить салатные листья на 4 салатные тарелки и ​​сверху выложить ломтики груши. посыпать орехами и сыром. Полить соусом и посыпать семенами граната. Приправить свежо-натертым черным перцем.

Подавать тут же.

Tahini Cookies for Yoga Lovers

Makes 20-25 medium size pastries

2 cups (7 ounces or 200 g) ground almonds (also sometimes labeled almond meal; do not substitute almond flour)
1/2 teaspoon (2 g) fine sea salt
1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
Slightly generous 1/2 cup (7 ounces or 200 g) honey (or substitute maple syrup for vegan)
3/4 cup (7 ounces or 200 g) tahini (sometimes labeled sesame paste)
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons (22 to 30 ml) vanilla extract (yep, tablespoons)
1/4 cup sliced or roughly chopped almonds or pistachios (raw or roasted)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) if you prefer chewier, softer cookies or 375º F (191º C) if you prefer slightly crisper, more well-done cookies. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the ground almonds, salt, and baking powder.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the honey, tahini, and vanilla until everything is completely combined and the mixture has begun to thin a little, 4 to 6 minutes.

Pour the contents of the saucepan into the dry ingredients in the bowl and stir with a spoon or mix with your hands until everything is combined and a dough forms. The dough should come together easily and feel quite warm and soft and squishy. Refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes so that it firms slightly.

Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll it into a 1-inch (2.5-cm) ball. Place it on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the blobs of dough about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. If a flatter and somewhat crisper cookie is desired, use the tines of a fork to gently flatten the dough. Sprinkle with sliced or chopped almonds or pistachios, gently pressing the nuts into the dough so the don’t fall off during baking.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. The cookies will puff a little during baking but will flatten somewhat during cooling. Watch carefully so that the bottoms don’t overbrown. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets on wire racks. If you can, store the cookies in an airtight container.

Recipe comes from "The Yoga Kitchen: Over 100 Vegetarian Recipes to Energize the Body, Balance the Mind & Make for a Happier You" by Kimberly Parsons  (Author), Lisa Cohen (Photographer) (Leites Culinaria)