Rice Crispy Treats with Peanut Butter and Nutella

Since it's Saturday and even though I still don't feel well at all I decided to make Ramsi some treats.
These are delicious and very easy to make..

Ingredients:

12 dl Rice Krispies
200 g marshmallows
1 dl peanut butter
1 dl Nutella
200 g dark chocolate chopped

1. Melt the marshmallows in the microwave on full effect for 45 second to one minute.
2. Mix in the dark chocolate and whisk until it melts.
3. Add the peanut butter and Nutella and whisk till all is mixed well.
4. Melt the mix into the microwave on full effect for another 30 seconds.
5. Add the Rice Krispies and mix well (you might need to use your hands)
6. Press the mixture into a pan and let cool for 30 mins.
7. Chop into small squares and enjoy :)

Vegetarian Oven Baked Rice

4,5 dl Jasmine rice
1 yellow onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
200 g frozen haricot verts beans chopped into 2 cm long pieces
1 can chickpeas (410g) drained
0,5 dl chopped fresh coriander (or parsley if you prefer that)
1 cube of vegetable broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp dried coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp turmeric (for colour)
8 dl boiling water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter (you can use vegetable oil instead)
A pinch of salt and freshly grated black pepper

1. Melt the butter in an iron cast pot then add the oil and fry the onions and paprika till the onions are golden. (If like me you don't have a stove you can fry it in the oven for 10 minutes 250 degrees Celsius)
2. Add the haricot verts, chickpeas and crumble the vegetable broth cube and add the spices and fresh coriander.
3. Add the boiled water and rice and stir.
4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes on 200 degrees Celsius. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

You can either serve this as a side dish to some spicy meatballs or eat it as a complete meal served with a simple yoghurt salad.

Yoghurt Salad:

2,5 dl Turkish yoghurt (balady yoghurt)
1 garlic clove minced
Salt and pepper

1. Mix all the ingredients and serve.

Saneyet Batatis / Potatoes in the Oven with Chicken

A few days ago our stove went dead. It's one of those fancy glass top stoves and the glass top broke (though we can't figure out how). This unfortunate incident left me with a big challenge, cooking for a few days (till the new one arrives) without a stove. The first thing that came to mind was the beautiful saneyet batatis, which is a very traditional Egyptian dish. We usually eat it with cooked white rice as well, which is weird for the western world, eating carbs with carbs, but in Egypt this goes very well and tastes amazing I might add :)

Anyway, so I cooked the potatoes without the rice due to the lack of stove and it turned out very delicious!!



Ingredients:

600 g (yukon golds or fast potatis) potatoes peeled and sliced in 0,5 cm discs
2 green bell peppers sliced in rings
1 yellow onion sliced in rings
1 big carrot sliced in in discs
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts (you can use chicken thighs if you prefer them)
1 big tomato sliced
30 g butter


Sauce:

3 garlic cloves minced (if they are big use only 2)
4 tbsp tomato paste
2 tomatoes peeled (you can leave the skin on if you don't mind it or you can use 1 dl crushed tomatoes instead)
1/2 tbsp dried coriander (kosbara nashfa)
1 tsp cumin
a pinch of chilli
1 cube of vegetable broth
1 tsp paprika
0,5 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 dl hot water
Freshly ground pepper and after tasting the spice mix add salt if needed




1. Mix all the ingredients (but leave out the water) in a food processor.  Take one table spoon of the mix and smear the deep oven pan with it.
 2. Layer all the chopped vegetables on top of the sauce. Then massage the chicken breasts with a a bit of the spice mix.
3. Add the water to the rest of the mix and pour it on the vegetables then lay the chicken breasts on top.
4. Chop the butter in small cubes and lay them over the chicken and the vegetables.
5. Cook for 35 minutes in a 200 degrees Celsius oven. Put the top grill on and grill for 5 minutes at the end if the chicken have not taken colour!

Enjoy!!

Super Chocolaty Cookies!!

Now, this is a recipe that will change your life.. these cookies are my secret weapon against PMS! They are so delicious, so sinful.. you will want to eat them while all alone with a glass of milk.. or crumble them over a luscious vanilla ice cream.. either way they are unforgettable!

Ingredients:

Oven 180 Degrees Celsius

150 normal salted butter

2 dl granulated cane sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1,5 dl cocoa

1,5 dl flour

0,5 baking soda

250 g high quality 70% baking chocolate chopped roughly 

1. Cream the sugar, egg and vanilla extract with a hand mixer. 

2. Mix the cocoa, flour and baking soda in a separate bowl then add to the egg, sugar and vanilla extract mix. Blend with a spoon then with the hand mixer.

3. Add the chopped chocolate then blend with a spoon.

4. Spoon the mixture onto plastic wrapping paper and form into a log and wrap then put into the fridge for at least 2 hours, or the freezer for 30 mins. At this stage you can freeze the dough and get out whenever you have a craving for chocolate ;) 

5. Take out the log of chocolate dough and unwrap then chop into 0,5 cm thick discs and spread on a baking sheet (make sure there are spaces in between) then bake for 6 minutes.

6. Take out and let cool before you move them. The cookies only firm up when cooled down. 

Now try to eat just ONE!!!!! :D 

Home Made Pita Bread

This recipe, is one that never fails.. I have made this pita bread at least a 100 times in the last couple of years. ALWAYS a success! Nothing beats fresh bread coming out of the oven :)



Ingredients:

50g fresh yeast
4 dl water (37 degrees Celsius warm)
1 dl milk (37 degrees Celsius warm)
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
12 dl baking flour (vetemjöl special)


1. Crumble the yeast in a baking bowl then add the milk and water and mix till the yeast is dissolved.
2. Add the honey, salt and olive oil. Stir till the sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the flour bit by bit while mixing till you get a dough that does not stick to the sides of the bowl.
4. knead for at least 10 minutes. Preferably 15 minutes, then cover the bowl with a towel and let proof somewhere warm. 30 minted!!

I use my sauna though not turned on. It's perfect!!

5. After proofing, take out the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead the air out. 

6. Roll the dough into a long loaf then cut into 16 equal pieces. Best way is to cut it in half then cut each in half and so on till you achieve 16 pieces (you can also weigh them for the sake of perfection!!)

7. Turn those 16 pieces into round balls then roll them out with your rolling pin (wipe your rolling pin with flour so it'd not stick). Lay them out on a baking sheet an cover them with a towel to proof for another 20 minutes. (leave a bit of space in between the bread, as it will get bigger while proofing then while baking as well). Set your oven on 225 degrees Celsius.

(After the second proofing you can brush the bread with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds for extra flavour)

8. Bake your bread for 8-10 minutes, then take them out and serve warm.. YUMMMY!!!

A Vegetarian Lasagne That Will Convert You!!

The problem with vegetarian food for the non vegetarian people is that it does not taste "meaty" enough.. That meatiness can be easily achieved with adding umami agents and creating the right textures. This recipe achieves both  ;)

Please note that all ingredients are ecological!!

Filling:

2 tbsp butter or olive oil (I prefer butter)

3-4 shallot onions (70g) chopped finely

300 g button mushrooms chopped in small cubes 

(or you can use 150 g mushrooms and 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts) 

2 medium carrots (130g) pealed and grated

2 big garlic cloves minced

450g frozen chopped spinach

125g ricotta cheese

125g mascarpone

1 tbsp dried oregano

1,5 tsp dried marjoram

1.5 tsp dried thyme
(you can use a pizza, or Italian spice mix if you can't find these spices, 1,5 tbsp)

1,5 cubes veggies broth (you might need only one depending on which brand you use, I use Knorr eco)

1 tbsp mushroom soja sauce ( 1tsp if using the chicken)

black pepper and salt if needed

Béchamel Sauce:

25g butter (about 3 tbsp)

4 tbsp flour

750 ml - 1 litter milk  NOT skimmed (depends on how much béchamel you want on your lasagna)

1 dl shredded shedder (or taco ost) 

salt and pepper to taste

12 plates lasagne (you might need more or less depending on your oven pan)

Topping:

1 dl shredded shedder

1 dl freshly grated grana padano

Filling:

1. Melt the butter in a hot pan then add the chopped shallot onions, grated carrots & garlic and sauté till they are wilted.

2. Add the mushrooms and spinach, stir every now and then till the spinach is melted. Then add the spices and crumble the broth cubes, stir till all is mixed.

3. Now add the ricotta and mascarpone and stir. Finally add the spoon of soma sauce and taste. Add black pepper and salt if it feels like it needs any salt.

Béchamel:

1. Melt the butter in a hot pot then add the flour and stir (medium heat) till the flour starts to be golden. 

2. Lower the heat and add the milk bit by bit while stirring. Keep stirring every now and then till it starts thickening. 

3. Finally add the cheeses and salt & pepper and stir till the cheeses have melted ( don't let it get too think, you want it to have a bit of liquid in it for the lasagna plates to cook)

Plating:

1. Add some béchamel to the bottom of an oven pan then add the lasagna plates covering the whole pan then add a layer of the filling adding a few scoops of the béchamel.

2. Keep repeating the process till you run out of filling. 

3. after the last layer of lasagna plates add all the béchamel you have left then sprinkle the cheeses on top and put into 200 degrees Celsius oven for 20 minutes till the tops is all golden and lovely. (follow the instructions on the lasagne plates box)

ENJOY!!!

Bread Sticks "Grissini" with Sun-dried Tomato Puré

25 g fresh yeast

2,5 dl warm water 37 degrees

6-7 dl flour

1 tbsp honey

2.5 tsp salt 

5 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp sundried tomato puré 

1 tsp cayenne pepper 

3 tbsp finely chopped tarragon



 1. mix the warm water with the fresh yeast till completely dissolved then mix in the honey, salt, and oil in. 

2. Add the flour and kneed for 10 mins. Leave it to prove for 20 minutes then mix in the flavouring (here tomato puré, tarragon and cayenne pepper) 

3. roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1 cm thick, then slice into 1 cm wide strips.. 

4. twist and lay on a baking form then bake in a 200 degrees oven for 15 minutes till crisp and golden.

5.Leave to cool before serving.

Red velvet , white chocolate chip cookies!

This last week has been very hard for me, as Ramsi has gotten the chickenpox. And though he is actually doing great for being ill. He has been super bored, which means a lot of baking since he LOVES baking! :)

This morning we decided to make red velvet cookies with white chocolate chips, because we had all the ingredients at home..

The outcome has been very very good.. I just would rather use some colour paste the next time to make the colour more intense!!


Oven temperature:
180 degrees Celsius

Ingredients:

100 g butter (room temperature)
1,5 dl cane granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp red paste colour
1 tbsp cacao
1 egg
0,25 tsp salt
0,5 baking soda
1 tsp white wine vinegar/ apple cider vinegar
3 dl flour
100 g white chocolate chips

1. Mix the butter and sugar until creamy and light in colour.
2. Add the vanilla extract, cacao and red paste and mis till you have an even bright red colour.
3. Add the egg and vinegar. In a separate bowl mix the salt, baking soda and flour then add to the mix.
4. now you should have a nice cookie dough. turn off the electrical mixer and add the white chocolate chips  then mix into the dough with a spoon.
5. Take a tablespoon of the tough and roll it then place it on your baking sheet. Repeat the process but make sure to leave enough space between the cookies. Press each cookies ball a little bit with your hand.

This dough makes 28 cookies. Bake for 9 minutes then leave to completely cool before taking off the baking sheet.

Enjoy!!