RECIPE: Tomato and Mozzarella Stack Salad

I have recently learnt how to make one of the easiest, the most delicious and very impressively presentable salads on earth! Thank you so much for sharing the original recipe of Like a Breath of Fresh Air, my friend, Shirley. Originally, it was made using the ingredients of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, asparagus, basil and balsamic vinaigrette, and I must say, it looked amazing in their photo but we made it using the ingredients we had at home at the time and it was still fabulous!

Here is our ingredients list for you:

- Tomatoes (I wish I could say from the garden but unfortunately store-bought just like all the others on the list)
- Mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
- Some salt (we lightly salted each layer of tomatoes)
- Pomegranate sauce
- A drizzle of olive oil

Enjoy something delicious today!

HANDMADE POTHOLDER

I have been pretty quiet recently as I have been even busier than usual and also had some temporary health issues. The exciting Melbourne weather continues to be surprising and it is almost inevitable to be not sick during these extremely inconsistent weather conditions. So, we have been having our share of the cold and flu as a family as well for a while now. 

I hope to write about the beautiful story of the top two fat quarters in the picture below as well as many other fabrics that will make your mouth water in another post in the future. Today, it is about a little quilting project of mine.

Since I was at home with a sore throat and was unable to do much, I thought it was a great opportunity to work on a new project to distract my attention from the pain and also do something that did not require using my voice. So, that is how I decided on working on a potholder. 

The inspiration came from the little pretty potholders by NanaCompany. Just like almost everything else she makes, Amy's potholders looked too pretty not to be inspired by. Her tutorial is pretty easy to follow even for a beginner. I changed a few details about it though to suit my needs better (made it smaller as I found the measurements used in Amy's tutorial to be too large for my liking and also used a lace instead of a ruffle. I also changed the back fabrics to calico and skipped any extra decoration as I love the blue floral fabric and wanted it to stand out). 

I don't have a walking foot to use for quilting. If you are like me, you can just sew straight lines in both directions as seen in pictures (they make diamonds) to hold the batting in place well. It also looks pretty in my opinion.

It was an enjoyable project for me. The most challenging part was adding the binding around it (not where the pocket to put your hand is, I am talking about the long one that covers all the raw edges around it).

I cannot wait to make more potholders as soon as I get my hands onto some insulated batting in the near future!

Have you ever quilted before? If yes and if you have it online, send us a link. Looking forward to seeing your quilt!

TUTORIAL: Rolled Stuffed Leaves

Just recently, I was talking to someone about what we stuff. We stuff, zucchinis, zucchini flowers, capsicums, silverbeet, dried eggplants and vine leaves. I am now looking forward to trying my hand at stuffing cabbage and leek. I wonder if there is anything else that we could stuff that we haven't tried yet.

The last time, I shared with you a tutorial to show you how you can stuff your (silverbeet) leaves in a triangular shape. To access to the tutorial which includes the preparation of the leaves, the stuffing, the cooking method and more, you can click here.

This time, I am sharing the easiest method of stuffing leaves with you; rolling. The pictures say it all but if you have any questions, please ask in the comments section below.

Enjoy!

Homemade Cereal Mix

My children love their weetbix bars for breakfast and at least 3-4 times a week, they have them. I always try to mix them with some fruit and nuts but it can get quite time-consuming especially when in a hurry. Instead, I have recently made a mix that I add to their weatbix bars along with milk. I often change the variety but just to give you an idea, here is one of our homemade mixes.

Ingredients of the mix in the picture above (from top to bottom):

Pine nuts
Spelt flakes
Peanuts
Goji berries (wolfberries) (you can read more about them here)
Quinoa
Pepitas/pumpkin seeds (read more about them here)
Sunflower seeds
Almonds
Oats
Raisins and cranberries

Enjoy!

Triangular Shaped Stuffed Silverbeet Leaves

As I have mentioned here in my stuffed zucchini recipe post, we truly enjoy a variety of stuffed vegetables, dolmas, as a family. Just recently, a lovely lady from our local community, who has become a friend, happily shared some of her delicious vegetables from her plot in the community garden with us. The colours and the smell of all those vegetables and herbs were just divine. I just had to put everything aside and make something with the fresh produce as soon as I was given them. The first thing I did was to make something that my mum used to make for us when I was a child; triangular shaped stuffed silverbeet leaves. I actually make our stuffed leaves in two shapes and this is the harder shape to form. Stay tuned for a tutorial on the other way of stuffing leaves. 

Ingedients:

Silverbeet
Onion
Tomato paste or diced tomatoes
Medium grain rice (about 1.5 - 2 teaspoonsful of rice for each leaf)
Ground mint
Fresh parsley (optional)
Water (boiled)
Salt
Black pepper (optional)
Olive oil

Method:

Wash your silverbeets. Separate your silverbeet leaves from their stems as shown in picture below. Don't throw away your stems, they make and add flavour to many delicious meals, which I will be sharing with you at the end of this post.

Dice your onions and cook in some olive oil and tomatoes or tomato paste until the onions are nice and soft.

Wash your rice well.

Chop your fresh parsley.

Add your rice, salt, pepper and herbs (mint and parsley) to the onions and mix well. Add a small amount of boiling water, close the lid, turn off the stove and let it absorb the water.

In the meantime, boil a generous amount of water in a large pot and then put your silverbeet leaves in it. It takes only some seconds before the leaves soften. Once the leaves are softened, (approximately 30 seconds) put them in a strainer to drain the excess water off.

When the leaves and the stuffing are cool enough for you to touch comfortably, you can start making your dolmas. The pictures below show you how to make them step-by step. Just a reminder though that you will need to cut the leaves in half lengthwise, following the stem line. In other words, each leaf will make two triangle dolmas (if the leaves are really big, you can them in half and that will make four triangles from the same leaf).

Now, here is the details of the arts of making triangular shaped dolmas:

1. Put about a teaspoonful of stuffing on top of the 'wrong side' (the one with the more visible veins, the back of the smooth side) of the leaf close the larger end (which is where the stem was originally).

2-3-4. Fold the outer side of the leaf and place it on top of the stuffing, all the way to the inner edge (from right side to left side of the leaf).

5. Fold the leaf back onto the outer edge (so, it is folded from the left side to the right side).

6-7-8-9-10. Keep repeating the folding action each time to the opposite side (first towards the inner edge, then towards the outer edge and so on). This action is crucial in making the triangle shape.

11. If there is any small bits sticking out, fold them in and keep going as usual until the end.

12. Congratulations! Your first triangle is ready. I know it sounds like hard work but once you get the hang of it, it actually is enjoyable and is not really that hard. It also looks so much more pleasantly different to the usual rolled stuffed leaves.

Note: You can either cook your dolmas soon after you make them or pack them into freezer bags and store away in your freezer until you are ready to use them. They make great 'fast' food as it only takes about 20minutes to cook after this stage. When you come home later than expected or are too tired to cook something, instead of opting for nutrition-poor alternatives, you can just take this out of the freezer and while you are washing up and changing, your delicious and healthy meal will be pretty much ready. 

To cook your dolmas, place them in a pot. Add boiling water to it about an inch or two below the dolmas' level. First cook in high heat until the water boils. When you see that the water is boiling in the pot, turn the heat down and let it cook for approximately 20 minutes and then voila! Your meal is ready. Natural yoghurt compliments it really well. 

Before I say goodbye for now, let me quickly give you some ideas on how you can use the stems. I am sure there are many people over the world who could give you many recipes for them but what I generally use them for is as follows:

A) Dice and add to stir-fries.

B) Dice and add to vegetable soups.

C) Dice, lightly boil and make a mixture with some ricotta cheese to cook in pastry.

D) Dice, lightly boil and leave in the freezer until needed.

E) Dice and leave in the freezer until needed.

F) Dice, boil until soft, and leave aside while cooking some onion in oil and some tomato paste until the onions are soft. Once they soften, add the stems, add some salt and chilli flakes and cook for about 5 minutes. You can either eat it as is or you can crack some eggs on it and eat after the eggs are cooked. This particular recipe is one of our favourite silverbeet stem recipes. 

Enjoy some nutritious homemade food today!

TIP: How To Prevent Cut Fruit from Discolouring

Photo Credit

To avoid the change of colour of cut fruit such as browning of apples and pears, rub some lemon (or lime or orange) on the cut surface. This will do trick to keep them nice and white as it prevents the air contact (oxidation) that causes the browning.

RECIPE: Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Here is a delicious mushroom sauce recipe for you. It may not be the lightest sauce but is sure to become your favourite once you taste it. 

Ingredients: 

2 medium sized diced chicken breast

Approximately 500gr finely sliced/grated mushrooms

1 tub of cream (500ml)

A generous tablespoonful of mustard (We used a combination of two mustard sauces (Australian and Dijon) in this recipe today. However, you can choose one of your favourite mustard sauces and just use that)

Some crushed garlic to taste (you can omit garlic in this recipe if you like but it enhances the flavour)

50-60g butter

Olive oil

Salt to taste

Method: 

First, cook diced chickens well in some oil and salt. If it becomes a bit watery, then pour out the water and keep stirring it until it cooks well. In another pot, melt some butter and cook your garlic in it. Then, add some shredded mushroom to it, add a little bit of olive oil into it and keep stirring until all the mushrooms are nice and soft. After that, add your mustard sauce(s) and cook until you are happy with the thickness of the sauce. If you would like your sauce to be runny, then cook less. Otherwise, keep cooking until the sauce forms the thickness that you like. Once your mushroom mixture is ready, combine it with the chickens cooked earlier and serve this delicious creamy mushroom sauce on top of your choice of pasta. Enjoy!

Note: The photos below show you the images of step-by-step instructions. I took these photos when we were making this sauce for 5 adults and 2 children. You can make it in a smaller size. (We used the whole cream container for this recipe). 

Guest Post: HEALTH BENEFITS OF GARLIC

When discussing the aromatic personality of garlic, the question remains, would you be willing to smell a little like this potent herb if you knew that it has gobs of health benefits?  Many would answer yes when they consider what this miracle food does.

Photo: Home of Homemade Treasures

For centuries, garlic has been prized around the globe for its distinct culinary taste and the wonderful flavor it adds to many sophisticated dishes.  Additionally, because of its sustainability, garlic has been shipped and traded across long distances.

Now scientists from several countries, including France, Italy and the U.S., are confirming the plethora of health benefits gained from garlic, specifically because this herb helps to facilitate detoxification and acts as a powerful antioxidant, stimulating immune responses and reducing inflammation.

Studies are finding that the components in garlic, called Allyl Sulfides and Bioflavonoids, may be key to lowering incidences of heart disease and cancer in those who consume large amounts of it.

Many of our modern-day cancers are thought to be caused by damage to DNA, often induced by environmental toxins. A study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that eating a teaspoon of fresh garlic a day increases the levels of a key enzyme for removing toxins in the blood cells.

Clinical experiments have shown that regular consumption of garlic decreases calcium deposits and the size of arterial plaque in coronary arteries, prevented unhealthy blood clotting and improved the circulation of the subjects who were studied.   

What's the Magic Behind Garlic

Garlic produces a chemical called Allicin, which is what seems to make garlic work. Allicin also makes garlic smell. There is a lot of variation among garlic products sold for medicinal purposes. The amount of Allicin, the active ingredient and the source of garlic’s distinctive odor, depends on the method of preparation.  

Garlic also has germanium in it. Germanium is an anti-cancer agent, and garlic has more of it than any other herb. In lab tests, mice who were fed garlic showed no cancer development, whereas mice that weren't fed garlic showed at least some. In fact, garlic has been shown to retard tumor growth in human subjects in some parts of the world.

Taking Garlic for Health Reasons

Current research has shown that garlic not only has major impact on cancer prevention, but it also reduces the risk of other major maladies. Not surprisingly the presence of all these antioxidants in garlic have a very positive effect on the immune system in general and can therefore protect the body against all types of bacterial and viral attacks. Allicin has been shown to not only lower blood pressure, insulin and triglyceride levels in laboratory animals fed a sugar rich diet, but also to prevent weight gain.   

Garlic is an invaluable medicine for coughs, difficulty of breathing, asthma, hoarseness and other disorders of the lungs because this herb promotes expectoration.  The positive effect of garlic on your circulatory system is extremely well documented and it has been proven to decrease platelet aggregation,plus it stimulates the production of nitric oxide in the lining of blood vessel walls, a substance that helps them to relax. As a result, garlic helps to prevent arteriosclerosis and thereby reduces the risk of heart attack and strokes.  Finally, because garlic is famous for reducing inflammation, the herb is an excellent natural remedy for those suffering from arthritis.

Garlic is one of the most valuable and versatile foods on the planet. Known as one of the oldest medicinal plants, garlic is a widely recognized health enhancing supplement, and if you can stand the odor, is considered one of the best foods around to promote your well-being.

David Novak is a international syndicated newspaper columnist, appearing in newspapers, magazines, radio and TV around the world. His byline has appeared in GQ, National Geographic, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, USA Today, among others, and he has appeared on The Today Show, the CBS Morning Show and Paul Harvey Radio. David is a specialist at consumer technology, health and fitness, and he also owns a PR firm and a consulting company where he and his staff focus on these industries.  He is a regular contributing editor for Healthline.com.  For more information, visit here.   

MULBERRY (and Generosity)

I was hoping to make a post on some boysenberries that I was generously donated the plant of a few months ago. The beautiful Rebecca from Piccaninny Rugs happily opened her doors to me and even gave me some boysenberry plants as well as a strawberry plant on the day we ever met. I am so grateful to have met such a trusting and generous person with a confident look and a warm smile on her face. As for the boysenberries, unfortunately, they didn't work out well for us but we were able to have a few mouth-watering strawberries from her plants. We may have to try planting boysenberries once again next year.

Talking about generosity... I think a lately found friend of mine can be awarded as one of the most generous people alive. Here is only one of the many examples that I have personally had with her: 

One day last year, as I was having some freshly picked mulberries from her mum's neighbour's garden at her place, I said "Mulberries are one of my all-time favourites since childhood". My comment triggered something and made her get up from her seat right away. She simply went to her backyard and brought a big pot with a newly planted mulberry tree in it. She told me that I could have it. I was not expecting it and wanted to turn down the offer as I thought it was too much to take from her but she insisted I would. I cannot thank her enough. We planted the tree on the ground and it thrived immediately! The whole family is in love with the much precious fruit! 

Now, lets move onto the mulberry fruit and look at it in more detail. 

Mulberries come in a variety. Some of the most commonly known varieties are the white, red and black mulberries. The white mulberries come originally from China and the black ones are believed to have originated in Iran but they have all travelled and made home in many other countries and continents in today's world. The main reason it was used initially was not for its fruit, but rather as a food to silkworms. Silkworms seem to enjoy the plant's leaves quite a bit. It was mostly later on that the mulberry fruit became more known and desired. The bark of the mulberry tree is also used for making paper but this post's highlight will be on the fruit. 

Mulberries are refreshingly succulent, tart and sweet in taste. The ripen mulberries just melt in mouth. The immediate look of mulberry fruit is similar to a blackberry. They can be consumed raw or cooked. Mulberries make great jams and syrups but our family favourite is still the raw fruit.

Mulberries' health benefits are as follows.

Mulberries; 

• contain high amounts of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.
• have significant amounts of anthocyanins which have been proved to work against cancer, ageing and neurological diseases, inflammation, diabetes and bacterial infections. 
• contain antioxidants that protect against stroke risks
• are low in calories
• are an excellent source of vitamin-C
• are rich in B-complex group of vitamins and vitamin K. 
• have vitamin B-6, niacin, riboflavin and folic acid. 
• contain small amounts of vitamin A and E
• have the types of antioxidants that protect the retina from harmful ultraviolet rays through light-filtering actions.

RECIPE: Zucchini Pancakes

Recently, our garden has been very generous. We have had a great success particularly with our tomatoes and zucchini (courgette). The tomatoes have been much easier to consume than the zucchinis though as the zucchinis are in large sizes and the weather has been hot recently, which has made it hard to make or eat cooked meals. However, I have recently discovered a new recipe with zucchini that became a family favourite even in this heat.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine and I met up for a picnic at one of the beautiful gardens of Melbourne city. She had her gorgeous daughter, who is 4 years old with her and I had my two children, aged almost 2 and 4. That is where and when we were introduced to the 'zucchini pancakes/frittas' as it was something that my friend had brought and Mr. Junior (Miss Junior was too busy eating blueberries and dancing to no-music around the park!) enjoyed it and even asked for a recipe. (Remember my son who can bake homemade breads? See, I wasn't joking then. As I have mentioned it there too, he has shown a lot of interest in the kitchen duties and cooking in the recent months and if he enjoys a certain type of food, he asks for a recipe too!)

A few days ago, we had another huge zucchini in the garden that we wanted to utilise and my friend's recipe (with a little bit of a change from the original recipe) came in very handy. We used our big fat zucchini from the garden in ours but the recipe below is for the usual medium sized zucchinis that you can buy at most greengrocers.

Ingredients:

1 zucchini
2 eggs
Dill (finely chopped)
Salt
Pepper
Herbs (we used oregano) (optional)
Flour (the amount depends on the consistency of your mixture. It is added until a 'pancake-like' consistency is formed)
Oil (for shallow frying)

Shred your zucchini. Add all your ingredients except for flour and mix well. Add flour and stir until it forms a semi-runny dough similar to a pancake mix.

Put some oil in a pan for shallow frying and heat until hot. Using a spoon, take some of your mixture and put it in the pan. Fry in medium or high heat (I used medium heat most of the time). Cook each side  and you are done!

This food can be served both hot and/or cold. Some crispy and juicy lettuce compliments it well.

Enjoy something healthy today!

PURSLANE

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a very special summer vegetable due to its nutritious values. It is a real survivor as a plant and grows like weed. The succulent (juicy) stem keeps it from drying out. If someone decides purslane is an "invasive weed" and uproots it, it uses the water in the stem to make seeds before it dies, and soon there'll be even more purslane. 

Purslane is very high in Omega 3. In fact, no other green leafy vegetable contains as high Omega 3 fatty acids as purslane does. It is good for lowering blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. It is very low in calories but a rich source of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and copper. It is because of these minerals that purslane is related to bone health, and it may be an excellent food to include in your diet to help maintain strong bones. It also  contains some vitamins (mainly vitamin A, vitamin C, and some vitamin B andcarotenoids).

Purslane can be consumed raw or cooked (Watch this space for some easy and tasty purslane recipes). The stems, leaves, flower buds and even the seeds are all edible. However, consumption of high amounts of stems, just like high amounts of spinach, may cause some health issues such as kidney stones due to the high levels of oxalate in them.

An interesting fact: At night, purslane leaves trap carbon dioxide, which is converted into malic acid (the souring principle of apples), and, in the day, the malic acid is converted into glucose. When harvested in the early morning, the leaves have ten times the malic acid content as when harvested in the late afternoon, and thus have a significantly more tangy taste.

Photo by Tulin Ertuncay

BREAD RECIPE WITHOUT A BREAD MAKER

A good friend of mine was to the rescue once again. She is a very practical person and is quite knowledgeable too. The other week, she told me on the phone that she had found a new bread recipe and after trying it for herself, she shared the recipe with me as well. 

I cannot thank her enough for this recipe as it is such a winner. Easy to make, hard to go wrong with and is delicious. We have been enjoying our homemade bread on a regular basis since trying this recipe for the first time almost a month ago. 

Here is how we make our bread without the use of a bread making machine these days. 

Ingredients: 

4 cups of plain flour (or you can mix it with some wholemeal flour, which is what we have been doing recently)

2 cups of warm water

1 tablespoonful of olive oil

10g of yeast (or one and a half sachets)

1 small teaspoonful of salt

1 large teaspoonful of brown sugar
Seeds (optional) (linseed, pepittas, sunflower seeds etc)

White Bread: Plain flour, warm water, yeast, sugar, salt and oil

Ingredients: Some wholemeal&some plain flour, warm water, sugar, salt, olive oil, yeast, linseed, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and make a soft and non-sticky dough. Place it in a bowl or a container, put a clean kitchen towel on it and leave it to rest until the dough doubles the size. Since it is nice and sunny here in Melbourne these days, I just leave it outside in the sun for a few hours and it works really well. 

Once it doubles the size, work it just a little bit once again and put it in a container that you will be baking it in. Don't forget to lay some baking paper under it. I also make some little cuts with a knife at an angle at this stage because it adds to the professional look of it at the end.

Put a cover over it again and leave it to rest once more. Again, I have the luxury to put it in the sun. However, if you don't, you can turn on your oven for a bit, then put it in there leaving its door open. The warmth of the oven will work just fine too.

Once it is ready, which is when it grows as big as you would like it to grow (it generally takes 2-4 hours for me in the sun), bake it in an oven set to high or 180C until the top is nicely pink and then turn down the heat (to low or around 160C) and let it bake until it has a beautiful bread colour.

The smell that it gives away while cooking is priceless. We enjoy every step of it and are definitely happy with the result we have each time. Mr. Junior has been involved in the process as well and for the last three times, he has been the main cook and I have only been helping him with little bits and pieces. Believe it or not, my four year old son, also known as Mr. Junior, now knows how to make bread and does a pretty good job of it even though there is some room for improvement! Here are a few pictures from one of Mr. Junior's bread making experiences.

Lunch with Mr. Junior's bread

Note: Depending on the type of flour you use, the water absorption level may differ. You may have to alter the water amount depending on your needs. Make sure that your dough is soft but not sticky.

Appreciate something homemade/handmade today!