Lemon Hummus

print recipe

Lemon Hummus

by Nayna Kanabar May-2-2018

Citrussy lemon and lime flavours added to creamy chickpea puree makes this hummus rustic and flavoursome.

Ingredients:

• 400 g tinned precooked chickpeas in water
• 1/2 tablespoon white sesame seeds
• 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin Lemon infused Biolea olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 3 sprigs dill finely chopped (optional)

Method:

1. In a blender add the sesame seeds, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and blend to a smooth paste. 2. Drain the chickpeas and reserve the water.To the sesame seed paste add the drained chickpeas, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon and lime juice and blend to a smooth paste only adding a tablespoon or two of the drained chickpea water if the mixture is too thick.3.Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped dill and a drizzle of lemon infused olive oil. Serve the hummus with pitta bread, crackers or vegetable crudites.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: None Total time: 10 mins Yield: Serves 4

NB-The consistency of the hummus is to personal preference, I like my hummus with a little texture but blend it to whatever you prefer.
Instead of the sesame seeds paste you can add shop bought Tahini if you prefer.

I used my tried and trusted Optimum 9400 to make my hummus. The blender is so versatile and powerful that it grinds, pulses, makes icecream, soups and amazing smoothies and nut butters too. It is easy to clean and maintain too.

 The Optimum 9400 is upgraded to Optimum 9200A. Froothie also offer 0% finance on products over £299 and only require a 10% deposit. That's not all, the fab people at Froothie are offering you lovely readers FREE DELIVERY and an extra two year warranty use code "Ambassador8" in comments box when ordering. 

I love Greek Cuisine, and on my recent trip the Crete I had the opportunity to sample so many different dishes that I am excited to recreate them and feature them on my blog.
Some Greek Dishes that you make like are:
Tzatziki
Veggie Phyllo Baskets
Roasted Vegetable tart with Feta

Tzatziki~Greek Yoghurt and Cucumber Dip

print recipe

Tzatziki~Greek Yoghurt and Cucumber Dip

by Nayna Kanabar May-2-2018

 Creamy rich Greek Yoghurt with refreshing cucumber and a hint of garlic makes this dip really tasty.

Ingredients:

• 500 g Greek Yoghurt
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
• 6 sprigs of dill finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin Lemon infused Biolea olive oil
• 1 Lime

Method:

1.Grate the cucumber and place it in a clean tea towel, fold the sides and squeeze all the liquid from the cucumber. 2. Place the yoghurt, cucumber, chopped dill, salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the juice of 1 lime and fold it in 3. Transfer the mixture to serving bowl and allow to chill for an hour before serving. 

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: None Total time: 5 mins plus 1 hour  chilling Yield: Serves 4

On my recent trip to Crete I learnt how to make Tzatziki the traditional way when I attended a cookery class in at Hand Picked Greece. The trick is to make sure you squeeze all the water out of the cucumber to ensure your dip stays creamy and rich.

I also learnt that a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil like the Biolea Lemon Infused will add extra flavour to the dip. You can also add more or less dill depending on your own preference.

I love serving my Tzatziki with fingers of toasted pitta bread and an extra drizzle of olive oil. You can also use the Tzatziki as a sandwich filling or spread on pitta bread fill with falafal balls and salad. Tzatziki can also be made with fat free Greek Yoghurt to make it healthier. Why not check out this Fat Free Homemade Tzatziki recipe also.

Veggie Phyllo Baskets

The great British Bake Off week 5 was all about pastry. The signature challenge was to create breakfast pastries, the technical challenge was to create a bakewell tart and the show stopper was to create phyllo pastry appetisers. I think this was by far the most difficult week especially as pastry  is very hard to make right.

For this week I have totally gone out of my comfort zone and decided to create Veggie phyllo baskets. This is the first time I have attempted home made phyllo pastry and it was the most difficult thing I have ever tried. I can't say that my phyllo pastry was 100 percent successful but it did have a few layers and did not have a soggy bottom.The most difficult part was to stop it tearing when trying to stretch it thin and then cutting it to line the muffin cases was a nightmare. It just kept sticking together. Below I am sharing my creation.

print recipe

Veggie Phyllo Pastry Baskets

by Nayna Kanabar September-24-2016

Crispy phyllo baskets filled with a spicy veggie filling.

Ingredients:

• 120g Plain Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• As required approx 60 ml Water
• 2 Medium potatoes peeled and finely diced (5mm cubes)
• 1 Medium carrot peeled and diced(5mm cubes)
• 50g Frozen Peas (coarsely ground)
• 3/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Chilli powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil for brushing on the pastry
• 2 sprigs Fresh coriander finely chopped
• 6 Lime wedges

Method:

1. Add the flour, salt and one tablespoonsof olive oil to a large bowl.2. Gradually add the water a little at a time to make a soft dough.Knead the dough for 5 minutes after which cover and rest it for 1 hour.3. In a frying pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil when it is hot add the diced potatoes, diced carrots and the coarsely ground peas.4. Add the salt, turmeric, chilli powder,sugar, lemon juice, ground cinnamon and clove powder and mix it all together. Cook the vegetable mixture on a low heat for 7-8 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked. Remove the filling from the heat and leave aside to cool.

4. Knead the phyllo dough for a good 10 minutes. Divide the phyllo dough into two as its easier to work with and roll it out on a floured surface as thin as you can. Once you have rolled it out, using your hands stretch the dough further until its like tracing paper.6. Oil a muffin pan with the oil and then cut squares from the rolled out phyllo pastry and line the muffin pan with them. brush each square with oil before layering on the next sheet. Layer 4 sheets in each muffin hole. Line all 24 muffin case hole in tray with the layers of phyllo pastry, gently pushing the sheets in so that there is a cavity for the filling to be filled in later.7. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 35O degrees F. Bake the filo baskets in the oven until golden brown (approx 10-12 minutes)Remove the baskets from the oven and wait for them to cool.Fill each basket with the veggie filling.Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with lime wedges.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins plus  (resting time for pastry 1 hour) Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: 24 Baskets

Submitting this to :
Great Bloggers Bake Off with Jenny from Mummy Mishaps.

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable and Feta Tart

I really adore continental food, and different cuisines from around the world is something I love to discover and sample. One particular cuisine I really love is Greek Food. Whilst studying I had many Greek friends and when I visited them I relished eating eating Moussaka, Dolmades, Baklava, Tiropites, Tzatziki and Spanakopita. Being a vegetarian I find that there are many Greek dishes  that I can enjoy. I am particularly partial to olives, pickled peppers and especially the rich and creamy Greek yoghurt.

On our recent visit to Skiathos we enjoyed lovely Mediterranean vegetables and this tart I have made with oven roasted vegetables in phyllo pastry and feta has been inspired by my recent trip to Greece.

The light airy phyllo pastry, is the ideal component to the the delicious roasted vegetables and the slightly salty and crumbly feta on the top. The simple ingredients go well together and makes the tart colourful and delicious.

print recipe

Roasted Mediterranean Tart with Feta

by Nayna Kanabar July-11-2015

Delicious roasted vegetables in crispy phyllo pastry crumbled with feta cheese.

Ingredients:

• 8 Phyllo Sheets
• 12 Orange cherry tomatoes
• 8 Asparagus
• 4 Mushrooms
• 1 Small Red Onion
• 1/2 each Red, Green, Yellow, Pepper
• 6 Brocolli Florets
• 1 Courgette
• 1 Carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Oregano
• 90 g Feta Cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in halves,3.Peel and chop the onions into 1 inch pieces.3. Chop the peppers into 1 inch pieces.4.Dice the courgette into 1//2 inch pieces5. Peel and slice the carrot thinly 6. Cut the broccoli into small florets 7. Slice the mushroom thinly.8. Cut the tips off the asparagus and discard. Cut the remaining into 1 inch pieces.9.Add all the vegetables on to a baking tray and drizzle the vegetables with two tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and oregano.10.Place the vegetable tray in the oven and cook the vegetables for 20 minutes.11. Cut the phyllo sheets into 4 equal squares.12. Take a round loose bottom flan dish and oil it.13.Separate the phyllo sheets and brush each one with oil. Line the flan tin with layers of phyllo pastry, overlapping each square so that the corner of each square stands proud about the rim in a diagonal shape. 14. Keep layering the flan tin in a circular motion until all the phyllo sheets are used up.15 Brush the inside layers of the phyllo lined flan tin with oil.16. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and toss them together.17. Spoon the roasted vegetables into the prepared flan tin and crumble some feta cheese over it.18 Place the tart in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown. 19. Remove from oven and allow it to cool slightly before removing from the tin gently.2.Serve warm.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 1 Tart

This post is in collaboration with Expedia who sent me a wonderful hamper filled with a selection of Greek ingredients to take part in the World on a plate Challenge.

Filo Apple and Nut Parcels

print recipe

Filo Apple and Nut Parcels

by Nayna Kanabar 22nd September 2014

Flaky sheets of Greek filo filled with apples, nuts and honey and delicately spiced with cinnamon.

Ingredients:

• 3 sheets Filo pastry
• 2 Braeburn Apples
• 2 tablespoons Melted Butter
• 2 tablespoons Coarsely chopped pistachio nuts
• 1 tablespoon Raisins
• 2 tablespoons Flaked Almonds
• 4 tablespoons Honey
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Lemon juice

Method:

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 175 degrees C.
2.Remove the core from the apple and keeping the skin on grate the apple coarsely. Transfer the the apples to a large bowl and add the lemon juice and toss together.
3.Reserve quarter of the almonds and pistachio nuts and add the remainder to the the apples.
4.Add the 3 tablespoons honey, raisins and cinnamon to the apple mixture and toss together to combine all the ingredients.
5. Place a sheet of filo pastry on the table and brush some melted butter on it. Add a second sheet of filo and brush butter on it too and finally add the third sheet of filo on top and brush with the remaining butter.
6. Spread the apple mixture onto the filo layers and roll the filo pastry into a swiss roll shape starting to roll from the long edge.
7. Place the filo roll onto a baking tray  and cut the roll into 6 pieces. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until pastry starts to turn golden brown.
8. Remove the filo parcels from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
9. To serve, brush the tops of the filo parcels with the remaining honey and sprinkle with the reserved nuts.
Serve the parcels with some honeyed Greek yoghurt.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 6 slices

These parcels can be made using any type of apple and the nuts can be replaced with any of choice such as walnuts, brazilnuts, cashewnuts or hazelnuts. To make the honeyed Greek Yoghurt, stir in 3 tablespoons of honey into natural Greek yoghurt and mix together.

Submitting to:
Lets cook with Apples event by simplyfood.
 Lets cook for Halloween event by simplyfood

Greek Phyllo triangles with cheese and potato

Greek phyllo pastry filled with a cheesy potato filling and baked to perfection.

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes boiled
90g /3 oz  feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon paprika
6 sheets of phyllo pastry
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small onion finely diced
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon sun dried tomatoes finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil to brush on the triangles

Method:

1. In a bowl add the potatoes and mash it with a potato masher.
2. Add the salt, pepper, paprika,nutmeg, chopped sundried tomatoes and crumble the feta cheese into the bowl.
3. In a pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute the onions and garlic  until translucent, once onions are soft remove them from the pan and wait for them to cool.
4. Add the lemon juice and onions to the potato mixture and mix all the ingredients together well.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C /375 degrees F
6. Oil a baking tray and keep aside.
7. Unroll the phyllo sheets and place them on a flat surface.
8. Using a sharp knife cut the phyllo sheets into two length ways.
9. To fold the triangles take one length of phyllo and place it length ways in front of you.
10. Place a spoonful of the potato mixture in the corner at the bottom of the phyllo strip.
11. Fold that corner over to form a triangle making sure all filling is encased.Continue folding the phyllo triangle from left to right until you have a perfectly encased phyllo triangle.

Please check this video that shows how to fold the triangles.

12. Place the phyllo triangle on the baking tray with the seam side down.
13. Repeat for rest of phyllo sheets.
14.Brush all the phyllo triangles with olive oil and bake the triangles in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
15.Remove triangles from oven and serve hot with minty yoghurt dip.

Submitting to:

Flavours of the world-Grand Finale event by simply.food

In my veg box ~Potatoes event by citrusspiceuk guest hosted by Give me some spice

Greek-Baklava rolls .

Bakalava~ Delicious layers of crispy flaky pasty filled with protein packed nuts and sweetened with a sweet syrup.

Ingredients:

60 g / 2 oz shelled pistachio nuts 

60 g / 2 oz flaked almonds
60 g / 2 oz walnuts
2 tablespoons golden syrup
60 g  / 2 oz butter (melted)
4 sheets phyllo pastry

Sugar Syrup:

240 g / 8 oz sugar
125 ml water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Special equipment:

1 cm diameter wooden dowel (stick)
Baking Tray

Method:

1. Coarsely chops the nuts and place them in a bowl, add the golden syrup and mix well.(Mixture should be fairly dry.)
2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F
3. On a flat surface place 1 sheet of phyllo pastry and brush it with melted butter. Spread half the nut mixture onto it .

4. Place the wooden dowel at the longest end of the phyllo pastry and start rolling the pastry over the dowel encasing all the filling.Keep the dowel with the rolled pastry to one side covered with damp cloth.
5. Spread the second sheet of phyllo on the surface and brush with melted butter. Place the roll of pastry with the dowel in it at the long end and tightly roll the 2nd phyllo sheet over the already rolled 1st roll.
6. Place the roll of pastry in front of you on the flat surface. Holding the pastry with both hands scrunch it up on the dowel to form pleats.The pastry roll will be shorter now as its been scrunched together.

7. Hold the roll with one hand and gently remove the dowel rod.
8. Grease a baking tray and place the roll on it. With a sharp knife cut the roll into 2 inch pieces.
9. Repeat the procedure for the other two phyllo sheets using remaining filling.
10. Once both rolls are made, brush some more butter over them . Place the baking tray in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes or until pastry turns golden brown.
11. Place the sugar, lemon juice and water in a heavy bottomed pan  and bring to boil.

12. Boil the syrup for 8 -10 minutes and then remove from heat.
13. Remove Baklava from oven and gently spoon over the sugar syrup over the baked rolls .
14. Leave the syrup to soak into the pastry for 2-3 hours before eating.

The baking tin that was used to bake the  Baklava was  was sent to me by Mermaid.
Mermaid make a really lovely range of all British collection of high quality cookware that offers a solution for every baking need from roasting dishes and trays through to cake tins and moulds. Mermaid is very popular and it is  loved by professional chefs and home cooks alike, they have been established since 1953. In their Baking  tins they are currently on offer 25cm (rectangular), 21cm (round) and 15cm companion size. I was offered  the rectangular 25ch  tin to sample. The quality of the tin was superb,it was sturdy but light weight at the same time. It is made from hard anodised aluminium which eliminates hot spots and ensures even cooking all the way through. Thankyou to Mermaid for the lovely baking tin/ pie dish to try.

You may like:
Greek Halwa

Another version of Baklawa

Submitting to:
Flavours of Greece Event by simply.food guest hosted by PJ of seduce your tastebuds.

Greek Halwa

Greek Halwa ~ a rich and fragrant sweet semolina dessert that is flavoured with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, star anise and garnished with nuts. 

Ingredients:

Sugar Syrup
60 g / 2 oz sugar
250 ml water
3 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
1 star anise

60 g / 2 oz fine semolina
60 g / 2 oz unsalted butter
few pistachio nut to garnish

Method:

1.Add the water and sugar to a heavy bottomed pan . Add the cinnamon, cloves and star anise and bring the water to boil.
2. Allow the sugar to dissolve completely .Once all the sugar has melted  turn off the heat and remove the cloves, cinnamon and star anise.
3.In a heavy bottom pan add the butter and let it melt, once it has melted add the semolina and roast the semolina in the butter for 7-8 minutes until semolina changes to a nice golden brown colour.
4. Add a ladle full of sugar syrup to the semolina and mix , keep adding small amounts of syrup until all is used up.(Don't be tempted to add all the syrup at once as the semolina will start to spit and bubble and can cause burns to your hand)
5. Once all the sugar syrup has been added , keep stirring the semolina until it thickens and stars to leave the side of the pan.
6. Once halwa has thickened remove from heat.
7. Transfer the halva to a serving bowl and garnish with pistachio nuts.

You may like:
Tzatziki

Submitting to:
Flavours of Greece Event by simply.food guest hosted by PJ of seduce your tastebuds.

Houmous- Chickpea dip.

A rich and creamy Mediterranean dip, with a hint of garlic, perfect dip for any snack.

Ingredients:

15 ounces cooked  white chickpeas,( precooked in can) rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 teaspoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste (tinned chickpeas are already salted)
1 tablespoons fresh chopped coriander ( optional)
Pinch of paprika for garnish

Method:

1.In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the ingredients except coriander.
2.Puree until smooth consistency.
3.Fold in the coriander with a fork.
Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with paprika.

Serve as dip with toasted pitta bread cut into strips or fresh vegetable sticks or potato/corn chips.

You may like falafel

Submitting to:
Flavours of Greece Event by simply.food guest hosted by PJ of seduce your tastebuds.

Tzatziki -A greek yoghurt dip and total yoghurt review.

Recently I was sent a selection of  of Total greek yoghurt to sample. Being a regular yoghurt eater and making my own yoghurt daily, I was very eager to sample total yoghurt as it would save me so much time to be able to have a yoghurt that tasted great and could be bought in the supermarket.

Total Greek yoghurt comes in three varieties classic, 2% and 0%, and two sizes 170g and 500g. The individual  150g pot also comes as a split pot with 120g of 0% yoghurt and 30g of flavours such as honey,strawberry,blueberry and tropical fruits.

The yoghurt was rich and creamy and tasted great and above all it is:
·        100% natural
·        LOW (or no fat)
·        No additives or preservatives
·        Made with only 2 ingredients – milk and live yoghurt cultures
·        A good source of protein
·        Incredibly versatile
·        A great substitute for cream, crème fraiche and mayo.

I tried it in cakes, used it to make a salad dressing, made smoothies with it and even attempted frozen yoghurt with the delicious fruit flavours with wonderful results.
My only complaint was that the individual 120 g yoghurt split pot was generously filled to the brim and it was almost impossible to add the fruit compote in it to mix without it all spilling over. I had to transfer the yoghurt into a bowl to do this, which is a little difficult if you want yoghurt on the go.My suggestion to total would be please make a bigger pot so mixing is easier.
Tzatziki ,one of the my classic tried and tested recipes, I recreated it using the  the 0% Total yoghurt . It turned out delicious and was made in minutes as I did not have to strain the yoghurt as I would have done  in my original recipe . The Tzatziki turned out to be rich and creamy and tasted exactly as my own made from home made yoghurt. I shall definitely cheat in future and use TOTAL.

A rich and creamy yoghurt and cucumber dip flavoured with garlic .

Ingredients:

500g 0% Total GreekYoghurt
½ cucumber

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

 1 pinch paprika powder

Method:

1. Empty one pot of Total  o%  fat Total greek yoghurt in to a bowl and mix well.

2. Peel the cucumber and cut in half, remove the seeds and grate the cucumber.

3. Squeeze the grated cucumber to remove surplus liquid..

4. Peel the garlic and finely mince it to a smooth paste.

5. To the yoghurt add the cucumber,the garlic and olive oil  and salt  and mix well.

6.Transfer to a serving bowl,cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Before serving sprinkle with a pinch of paprika powder

Serve with warm toasted pitta bread or crackers .

The views in this review are my own. Total Yoghurt supplied me a selection of yoghurt only, hamper was my own and used for photographic  purpose only.