Feta and Spinach Mini Tarts

Great appetizer for parties.

Ingredients:
Pastry Dough - Buy a ready to bake Filo mini tart shell package
9 ounces of baby spinach
1 tablespoon of butter
2 egg yolks
4 ounces of feta cheese
1/3 cup of pine nuts
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1- Preheat the oven to 400F (check the package instructions). Bake the tart shells for 5 minutes.

2- Blanch the spinach in boiling water for just 1 minute, then drain and press to squeeze all the water out. Chop the spinach. Melt butter in a skillet, add the spinach and season well with salt and pepper. Stir in the eggs. Crumble the cheese and divide among the tarts. Top with the spinach mixture.

3- Bake for 10 minutes. Scatter the pine nuts over the mini tarts and cook for additional 5 minutes. 

4- Let rest in the pan for 5 minutes and let cool on the wire pan. Serve warm or cool.

Green Bean and Apple Salad

This is one of the most simple yet healthy salads that I usually make. The preparation takes just few minutes and it is a wonderful companion to any meal or dish.

To prepare this salad I use 2 different types of green beans and green apple.

Ingredients:

1 - 2 pounds of different green beans, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1/2 cup of apple flakes

Preparation:
1) Boiled the green beans and add salt for about 5 minutes until ready
2) Drain and let them cool
3) Add the lemon zest and apple flakes

Enjoy !

Sweet and Spicy Orange Veggie Salad

I have not been posting new recipes lately but that does not mean that I have stopped cooking. On the contrary, I recently made this sweet and spicy salad using carrots instead of eggplants. I also must tell you that I don't have the exact proportions for each ingredients. But don't be afraid, this version it is very easy to make and a great companion to main dishes or just as standalone side dish with crackers. You can emphasize either side of the equation between sweet and spicy.

Ingredients:
1 back of baby carrots
Red pepper
Green pepper
Tomato
Onions
Garlic

Preparation:
1- Cut the carrots in thin slices or food processor.
2- Add olive oil to the pan and begin cooking the onion slices until they become slightly brown.
3- Add the slices of carrots, slices of red and green pepper and tomato. Add salt and a bit of black pepper.
4- Saute all the vegetables for 15 minutes.

The salad is ready. You can eat it hot with rice, potatoes or store it in the refrigerator 2 hours for the flavors to simmer in.

Ricotta Cheesecake with Fruits

Cheesecake is one of my favorite dessert recipes. I recently found a new cheesecake recipe using ricotta cheese. The original recipe contains sour cream and flour but I found that these ingredients were adding too much fat and heaviness to the dessert and I decided to remove them and make a lighter version of the cheesecake. I also adorned the cheesecake with fresh fruits instead of a jam.

Ingredients:
2 (8 ounces) packages of cream cheese
1 (16 ounces) container of ricotta cheese
1 cup of white sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
1/2 cup of butter, melted and cooled

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Lightly grease a springform pan.

2. Mix the cream cheese and ricotta cheese together in mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar, eggs, lemon, vanilla, cornstarch and butter.Pour the mixture into the springform pan.

3. Bake in for 1 hour. Then turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the over 1 more hour. Allow to cook before serving. Adorn with different fruits.

Summer Rice with Spinach and Feta Cheese

What a wonderful summer dish. It is very light and contains the right amount of proteins. It can be served as standalone dish or a companion to chicken or meat. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of basmati rice, rinsed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pounds of spinach cut into wide strips
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup roasted and shelled pistachios
Feta cheese
Ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups of water to boil. Stir rice and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and cook over very low heat until rice is almost ready. Keep the rice covered.
2. In a large pot heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, add garlic and cook for about 1 minute until the garlic has a golden color then remove the garlic. Increase the heat and add the strips of spinach. Stir the spinach with the olive oil and cook until tender.
3. Add the spinach to the rice, stir lemon zest, dill and mix everything trying to fluffing the ingredients. Add the pistachos and black pepper.
4. Let the rice seat for 2 minutes and add the feta cheese.

Wine Pair: Serve with a bottle of Saperavi wine from Gorelli

Green Walnuts Bites with Brie Cheese

This treat is Simple, Chic and Delicious. Once a month I bring this dessert to a Women Club party an it has become one of the great traditions.

Buy Brie Cheese

Buy a jar of Gorelli Whole Green Walnuts and cut the walnuts. Spread out the walnuts and syrup on the top of the brie. Serve with crackers.

ENJOY !

Fun Egg and Tomato Sandwiches

These sandwiches are fun and very easy to prepare. They are a delicious treat for an afternoon party.

Ingredients:
Sandwich Bread
Egg
Tomato
Cheese (Baby Swiss or Manchengo)
Ham
Milk

The amount of ingredients varies depending on the number of sandwiches you want to make.

Preparation:
1- In a medium size bowl, whisk together 1 egg, milk and salt. Deep the slice of bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side.
2- Preheat oven pan over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Place the slice of bread  into a pan and cook until golden brown on both sides.
3- Slice the bread in half and decorate with cheese and ham. Place the bread in the already preheat oven until the cheese starts melting. Remove from the oven and decorate with tomato and egg.

Serve warm and enjoy !