Monday 1 April 2019

APRIL MENU | 4 RECIPES


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STARTER: CARROT SOUP



YOU WILL NEED: 
500g of carrots
1 small potato
1 apple (green apple, Granny Smith type)
Half onion or a leek, white part (chopped)
A generous splash of extra virgin olive oil or olive oil (approx. 50ml), to taste
1 vegetable stock cube / *vegan vegetable stock cube (optional)
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Water, to boil

LET´S COOK!
1. Wash the vegetables well. Peel carrots, potato, and apple. Cut everything into big pieces. Chop the onion.
2. Heat the olive oil in the pot. Sauté the onion until transparent. 
3. Add the big pieces of carrots, potato and apple. Stir for several minutes with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Cover the vegetables with water (the water has to exceed a couple of fingers of the ingredients), add the vegetable stock cube, and cook it for approx. 20 minutes. When the veggies are tender, turn off the stove and remove the pot from heat. 
5. Mix everything with a blender until it is the consistency of a soup. Add the black pepper and salt, to taste. 
NOTE: If the texture of the soup is too liquid, add a few tablespoons of cornstarch (corn flour). If the texture of the soup is too thick, add more warm water. 
6. Serve the soup in a small bowl (per unit) with a dash of extra virgin olive oil. Warm or cold always tastes delicious.

  • LET'S MAKE A RABBIT!
Rabbit face: circular splash of olive oil (each eye), slice baguette bread (nose), cracker bread (teeth), and half carrot (each ear).


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MAIN COURSE: FISH BURGER 


    YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe: lentil burger 
    Several slices of hake (white fish) or salmon, as required
    1 large potato or a couple of medium potatoes
    A quarter of onion or a handful of chives
    A handful of black olives
    A handful of parsley
    Black pepper, to taste
    Salt, to taste
    2 whole eggs
    Plain white flour, to dip in batter
    Bread crumbs, to dip in batter
    Olive oil, to fry

    LET´S COOK!
    1. Peel the potatoes. Cut it into thick slices (approx 2cm). Wash the fish well.
    2. Boil a pot of salted water. Add the thick slices of potato. When the potato is almost cooked, add the slices of fish. Wait for a while (approx 5 minutes), the slices of potato and the slices of fish will be well cooked.
    3. Remove the pot from heat and strain the potato and fish.
    4. Smash the cooked potato pieces with a fork in a bowl.
    5. Crumble the slices of fish. Be careful to remove the fish bones. Add it into the bowl with the potato.
    6. Chop the black olives, onion and parsley. Fry the onions until transparent.
    7. Add the fried onions, black olives, and parsley into the bowl with the potato and fish. Beat an egg and add it into the bowl (optional). Mix everything well. Add salt / black pepper, to taste.
    8. Divide the mix into small balls (approx. the size of a golf ball). Flatten each ball to get a burger shape.
    9. Beat an egg in a bowl. Put the flour in a plate/bowl. Put the breadcrumbs in a different plate/bowl. First, cover the meatballs with the flour. Second, dip them into the beaten egg. Third, coat them with the breadcrumbs. It is a triple action. 
    NOTE: If you make lots of burgers, you can freeze them. It is always a good moment for homemade fish fingers.
    10. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Fry the burgers, one by one, until golden brown on each side. Remove it from the pan and drain it with kitchen towels.
    11. Serve it like a burger (lettuce, tomato, cheese, ketchup, mayonnaise) with some fresh veggies and chips.

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    DESSERT: ORANGE CAKE


    YOU WILL NEED:
    2 oranges
    250g of caster sugar
    3 whole eggs
    100g of sunflower oil
    1 natural yogurt (125g - small size)
    250g of plain flour
    16g of baking powder (1 envelope/pack)
    A pinch of salt
    1 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

    LET´S COOK!
    1. Preheat the oven to 180 º C. Grease a baking pan with butter or sunflower oil.
    2. Wash one orange. Peel it (optional). Cut it into cubes, and carefully take out the seeds. Put it into the blender measuring cup. Add sugar and eggs. Mix it well with the blender.
    3. Put the mix in a big bowl. Add sunflower oil and yogurt. Mix it well with a wooden spoon.
    4. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix everything slowly with a wooden spoon.
    5. Pour the mix into the baking pan. Sprinkle sugar on the top.
    6. Bake for around 30 minutes or until browned.
    NOTE: Open the oven and prick the cake in the middle with a needle. You can check it many times until the needle comes out clean. It means that the cake is well done.
    7. Remove the baking pan. Leave the cake cool for a while.

    *VEGAN RECIPE
    DRY INGREDIENTS:
    1 and ½ cups whole wheat flour
    ¾ cup unrefined cane sugar or brown sugar
    1 tsp baking powder
    ½ tsp salt
    1 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
    WET INGREDIENTS:
    1 cup of orange juice
    ¼ cup peach jam
    5 tablespoons veggie oil
    2 tsp orange zest, to taste

    LET´S BAKE!
    1. Preheat the oven to 180 º C. Grease a bread pan with margarine or veggie oil.
    2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl: unrefined cane sugar/brown sugar, flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt. Mix them well with a wooden spoon.
    3. Combine wet ingredients in a bowl: orange juice, peach jam, veggie oil, and orange zest until well mixed.
    4. Pour the wet mix into the dry bowl. Mix everything slowly with a wooden spoon.
    5. Pour the mix into the bread pan. Sprinkle brown sugar on the top.
    6. Bake for around 40 minutes or until browned.
    NOTE: Open the oven and prick the cake in the middle with a needle. You can check it many times until the needle comes out clean. It means that the cake is well done.
    7.  Remove the baking pan. Leave to cool.
    • LET'S MAKE A CAR!
    Car cake: half cake (car shape), half orange (wheels), orange pieces (windows and lights).

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    YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
    A handful of strawberries
    A cup of milk /*soy milk
    A scoop of vanilla ice cream /*vegan vanilla ice cream
    2 teaspoons of honey /*agave nectar, to taste
    NOTE: The recipe is for one glass. Double the amount if you want more than one glass.

    LET´S COOK!

    1. Wash the strawberries. Put them into the blender.
    2. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, milk, and honey. Mix everything with the blender until foaming.
    3. Serve it in a glass with a straw. Halve some strawberries and decorate the rim of the glass.
    NOTE: Put the glasses in the freezer for a while, so the strawberry milkshake will be cold.

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