Root Vegetable Tagine

Tagine is the national dish of Morocco.  The word is both a meal and the name of the traditional vessel that tagines are made in.  Even without a tagine vessel, you can still make it using an oven safe Dutch oven pot.  It is basically a stew that can be made of a variety of vegetables, dried fruits and/or meats.  Here is a vegetarian one that everybody can enjoy.

Root Vegetable Tagine

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs. orange fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces (2 large sweet potatoes)
1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces (2 small potatoes)
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into bite size pieces (2 carrots)
1/2 cup pitted dates, quartered
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Heat oil.  Add onion and saute until translucent.  Add vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.
Add dates, stock, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
Add fresh herbs and stir to combine.

Serve immediately over couscous or with pita bread.

This recipe is being served at Nayna's Flavours of Morocco, hosted here by me , my own Taste of the Tropics - Cinnamon & Anu's Cook with Spices - Cinnamon hosted by Kaarasaaram




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Chermoula Shrimp Salad

Chermoula is a Morrocan spice paste that is used with many foods, especially fish and seafood.  Here is a Morrocan shrimp salad using this flavorful spice paste.  The chermoula spice paste recipe was taken from The African and Middle Eastern Cookbook.

Chermoula Shrimp Salad

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 garlic cloves
1 chile
large handful of parsley
large handful of cilantro
1 teaspoon olive oil
9 oz. shelled shrimp
15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 English cucumber, quartered and thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

To make chermoula, combine the 5 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, garlic, chile, parsley and cilantro in a food processor and process well.
In a saute pan, heat the teaspoon of olive oil.  Saute scallions for 1 -2 minutes.  Add spice paste and cook for 1 minute.  Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink, about 3 minutes.  Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, cucumber and tomato.  Add cooled shrimp with all of the chermoula.
Add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.  Toss to combine.

Serve with toasted pita or flatbread

This recipe is being served at Nayna's Flavours of Morocco, hosted here by me.

Just a gentle reminder, just a few more days before August's blogging events are over ------

Did you put up any recipes this month that used cinnamon?  Simply add the logo and linkback here and all Morrocan inspired recipes can be linked up here.  I look forward to a few more recipes coming up in the next few days.  THANKS in advance!!!

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Instant Fig & Tomato Pizza

So you are in the mood for pizza, but not in the mood to make dough or defrost it and then it has to be prebaked before you can add your toppings to finish cook it...well, here's an easy solution done in a jiffy.
Just a few basic ingredients are needed!

Instant Fig & Tomato Pizza

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 multi grain flatbread
1/4 cup pasta sauce
1 fig
a few grape tomatoes
1 ball of buffalo mozzarella cheese, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat toaster oven to 400 F.
Take a flatbread and spread the pasta sauce on top.
Arrange slices of the buffalo mozzarella on top.
Add slices of tomato and fig.
Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top.

Pop in the toaster oven for 8-10 minutes.

Pizza is done...what could be easier than that!!!

This recipe is being sent to Srivalli's 30 minute meal mela

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Cafeteria

Silver Dollar Pancakes

It's been a while since I have eaten out, but recently I met my friend who I had not seen in about 6 months for lunch.  Life can get so hectic and it was so great to catch up with her and we tried this popular place for lunch.  2pm on a Saturday afternoon it was crowded, but we got seated within 5 minutes.

Since I had gone out the night before and had a few drinks, I was not in the mood to be drinking alcohol again, but that did not mean I missed out on anything.  They have a great selection of mocktails, especially appropriate for a hot summer day including flavored lemonades and aloe vera juice based ones.  I decided on the Blueberry Basil Soda.  It was so delicious - fresh berries, citrus juice, soda and the basil mixed with the other flavors tastes more like a sweet mint.  It was refreshing and perfect with the heat of the day.

The food is standard American fare, with a modern twist including a few global influences.  My friend had a classic American breafast - silver dollar pancakes, while I opted for the Roasted Beet Salad and Mac & Cheese Spring Rolls.

Mac & Cheese Spring Rolls with Smoked Gouda Dipping Sauce

The Spring Rolls were nothing special.  The Mac & Cheese was quite ordinary and I needed some hot sauce to add some flavor to it, but the Beet Salad was wonderful, paired with spicy greens, green beans and absolutely heavenly candied hazelnuts that really heightened the flavor of the salad. The fig balsamic dressing was the perfect balance of sweet and acid and they did not overdress it so the leaves were not soggy.  I really LOVED this salad!

Roasted Beet Salad

The menu is quite varied, with everything from Fish Tacos to Truffle Parmesan Fries.  Opened 24 hours a day, they have something for everyone at any hour.

It was only my first visit.  It was good.  I enjoyed my meal without breaking the bank, however, I think I need to try a few more things off of the menu before I can really give it a fair rating.  I would suggest trying it.  Depending what your order, you probably wont be blown away by anything, but you will enjoy your meal.


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Matcha Chai Tea Cake

Blogging Marathon #19
Theme: Cooking with Tea/Coffee

Using tea, especially Matcha, in desserts has become fairly common.  Matcha is a green tea that is processed to a fine powder so easy to add to recipes, as opposed to tea leaves.  It also has 10 times the antioxidant power of regular green tea so is very healthy to add to your food.  Additionally, there is a natural sweetness in matcha that works well in sweets.  I combined this tea with spices commonly used in Masala Chai to come up with this perfect spiced tea cake.

Matcha Chai Tea Cake

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoon Matcha tea powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a loaf pan.
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.
Add almond extract and sour cream and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients, in two batches and blend well.
Bake for 55 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Wait for 10 minutes and then remove from pan and cool, before slicing.

This cake is barely sweet, perfect for those who don't like really sweet desserts but just want a little after dinner treat or tea time snack.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19

...linking to Sumee's Baked Goodies and Bake Fest hosted by Foodomania

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Coffee Peach Cobbler

Blogging Marathon #19
Theme: Cooking with Tea/Coffee

I know my regular readers are a little sick of peach recipes at this point, but that's what happens when you go peach picking at a local farm and come back with many pounds of peaches.  Other fruit can easily be substituted in this recipe, like mango, nectarines, raspberries or blueberries.

Cobbler is a classic American dessert, especially popular in the regional cuisine of the southern United States.  Peach and blueberry are the most common flavors.  Fruit is topped by biscuit dough and baked until fruit is all bubbly and thickened.  Usually served with ice cream or whipped cream, it is a decadent dessert usually reserved for holidays, especially popular at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This unique cobbler is made with a coffee biscuit dough.

Coffee Peach Cobbler

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
4 cups peaches, pitted and sliced (about 6 peaches)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar +1 tablespoon, seperated
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons instant expresso coffee powder
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a bowl, combine peaches, flour, nutmeg and the 1/4 cup sugar.  Toss and let sit while you prepare the biscuit dough.
In a bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons sugar with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, coffee powder and mix well.  Add oil and sour cream and mix until a soft dough is achieved.
Place the peaches in a casserole dish.
Drop the dough onto the peaches by the spoonful. There will be gaps and that is alright.
Sprinkle remaining tablespoon of sugar on top.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes.
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

This can be served warm or cold, although I prefer it warm.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19

...linking to Sumee's Baked Goodies and Bake Fest hosted by Foodomania



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Chef Mireille 
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Apple-Kiwi Tisane Milkshake

Blogging Marathon #19
Theme: Cooking with Tea/Coffee

Green, black and white are the most common tea types.  However, there are two other types of  "tea" not actually made with tea leaves.  Tisanes are "teas" that are not actually made with tea leaves but are commonly referred to as a type of tea.  They are made with dried fruits, herbs and spices.  Rooibus is also another type of "tea" which I love.  It comes from South Africa and is a type of red bush that is brewed to a tea.  It really has an amazing flavor and is often sold blended with sweet things like chocolate and coconut.  Both tisanes and rooibus are wonderful options for iced tea.

For today's tea based recipe, I used a tisane.  Although I have a specific tisane listed in the recipe, I only used that one because it was what I had, however it can be easily replaced with your favorite blend.

Apple-Kiwi Tisane Milkshake

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups brewed Hibiscus Ginger tisane, chilled
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (from the refrigerator)
2 kiwis, peeled and chopped (from the refrigerator)
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar, or more according to preference

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend well.  Serve immediately.
If fruit was not cold from the refrigerator, you may want to chill before serving or add a few ice cubes.

I make tisanes often as an alternative to juice, which is high in sugar.  I usually have at least 3 or 4 varieties in my cabinet at any point.
*I hope I have inspired you this week to use tea for other things than just drinking.  Green tea especially is very high in antioxidants so it's good to sneak extra doses of this in sweets and other things.*

Kiwi is high in both Vitamin C and potassium, therefore making this an energy inducing, tasty beverage.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19


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Buttermilk Whole Wheat Bread

This is a very basic bread...perfect for everything from sandwiches to French Toast.

Buttermilk Whole Wheat Bread
(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups white bread flour
3 - 3 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons melted butter

In a saucepan, heat buttermilk, water, butter and honey to 120 - 130 F.
In a large bowl, combine yeast, salt, white flour and 1 cup of the whole wheat flour.
Add wet mixture to the flour mixture and blend well, until thoroughly combined.
Add another 2 cups of flour and start to knead by hand, until you have a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured work surface and knead in an additional 1/4 - 1/2 cup flour for about 10 minutes until you have a dough that is smooth and elastic.
Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
Punch down air and divide dough into four balls.

Spray two loaf pans with non stick spray.
Roll each ball into a 10x7 inch rectangle and starting at the narrow end, roll up rectangle.  Place seam side down in the prepared loaf pan.  Place two rolls side by side in each loaf pan.

Cover and let rise another 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until loaves sound hollow when tapped.
Immediately brush the top with melted butter.

Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from loaf pans.

This is a soft and fluffy bread, so make sure the bread is cooled completely before slicing.

...linking to Sumee's Baked Goodies and Bake Fest hosted by Foodomania

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Spinach Phulourie

Blogging Marathon #19
Theme: Cooking with Greens

My favorite green is spinach because I don't like bitter greens. That's why the most common vegetable on this blog is spinach.

A few months ago, I showed you the recipe for phulourie, yellow split pea balls, which is a very common street food item in Caribbean countries with Indian populations, like Trinidad and Guyana.  In line with my cooking with greens theme today, I decided to do a spinach version of phulourie.  With some whole wheat flour, here's a healthier version of the classic Caribbean street food with home made chutney.

Spinach Phulourie

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups yellow split peas, soaked overnight
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons roasted cumin powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Scotch Bonnet/Habanero pepper
2 cups spinach leaves, firmly packed
2/3 cup water

In a food processor, combine spinach, garlic and Scotch Bonnet. Process well.  Add split peas and process well, scraping the sides of the processor every few minutes, to ensure a properly processed spinach-split pea paste.
Transfer to a large bowl and add all other ingredients.  Mix well.

Heat enough oil for deep frying to 350 F.  Add spoonfuls of batter and fry until browned on all sides.

...and here's the Caribbean version of Tamarind Chutney, the most common condiment served with phulourie.

Tamarind Chutney

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
7 oz. tamarind pulp
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper
2 cloves garlic
5 leaves Shadoe Beny (1/4 cup cilantro can be used as a substitute)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups water
1 pinch salt

Boil water.  Pour over tamarind pulp and let sit for 20 minutes.  Strain the pulp, pressing out all of the liquid, until you only have dry pulp remaining and discard the pulp.
Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, grind the garlic, shadoe beny and Scotch Bonnet well.
In a saucepan, combine tamarind liquid, with grinded garlic, etc.  Add brown sugar and salt.
Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 20 minutes.
Strain and cool.
Serve with phulourie.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19

sent to Let's Cook Appetizers

12/15/2012 update:

linking to Cook n Bake with Spinach

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Pesto Potatoes

Blogging Marathon #19
Theme: Cooking with Greens

Gremolata is an Italian topping that usually consists of parsley, lemon zest and garlic.  It is often used on meats or bruschetta.  Inspired by gremolata and pesto, I created these spinach pesto potatoes.

Spinach Pesto Potatoes

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
2 lbs. potatoes, cut into evenly sized large pieces (my potatoes were small, so I only quartered them)
zest of 2 lemons, chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
3 cups spinach leaves
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a food processor, puree spinach, parsley, garlic and olive oil.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes with the spinach puree.  Add lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Toss well.
Transfer to a casserole dish.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Full of garlic and lemon flavor, these are a perfect accompaniment to any meal!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19

...linking to Sumee's Baked Goodies and Bake Fest hosted by Foodomania


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Chef Mireille 
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