Baked Ziti Marinara

This time I did not need any inspiration for I set off to cook lasagna. It comes in many sizes in the frozen section and I figured I'll share my variation of this layered baked cheesy-saucy goodness. However, this post is not about lasagna but another italian dish.

As I was scanning through the freezer in the grocery store, I noticed this bright red box screaming Ziti Marinara. Now as I recall marinara is one of the simplest sauces out there. Why would anyone want to buy a frozen version of this pasta dish? I would understand if it was lasagna—after all, lasagna is not the easiest/fastest dish to put together, but baked ziti? Come on!

Marinara—Italian for "of the sea"—is an Italian sauce that is so simple to make. No extra ingredients, no extra effort. After all it was the sauce ship cooks used to make for the sailors when nothing else was available but tomatoes and onions. It is usually spicier then other red sauces because the recipe calls for crushed red pepper, but I omitted it (I did, however add it to my serving) because of my kids—they don't like it too spicy. And this sauce is usually prepared with Italian seasoning, but I only used fresh basil because I really craved pungent basil taste! I caramelized onions with 1 teaspoon of sugar to add a sweet dimension to the sauce. And I deliberately did not add any salt—canned tomatoes have enough of it already. But if you like it salty, like sea water, add a pinch or two.

Here how you do it: fist you make marinara, then you boil ziti, put it all together, add cheese and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes. Done!

Now, step by step.

◊◊◊

Baked Ziti Marinara

2 TB spoons olive oil

1 cup diced onions

2-3 garlic gloves, crushed

2 TB spoon tomato paste

1 8 oz can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 TB spoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

1 sprig of fresh basil, just leaves

1 16 oz package uncooked ziti

2 cups shredded white cheese of your choice

(I used 1 cup mozzarella+1 cup white sharp cheddar)

Make sauce:

1. In a nonstick sauce pan, heat oil and saute onions and garlic for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add sugar and continue simmering for another 5 minutes;
2. Add vinegar to de-glaze and then add tomato paste. Mix everything well and continue to simmer on the medium heat until all combined, another 5 minutes.
3. Pour tomatoes and bring to gentle boil over a medium-high heat; add pepper and torn basil leaves. Simmer covered on low heat until pasta is done.

Make pasta:

1. Cook ziti according to package directions but cut the time 1 minute short;
2. Drain and pour cold water to stop cooking process.

Assemble the dish:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In a baking pan (lasagna pan—seems like I'm using it for everything else but lasagna!) arrange half of the pasta in a layer, sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese and top with 1/2 of the sauce;
3. Repeat. Lastly, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and add some basil chiffonade (that's a fancy word for thinly slicing, I'm just showing off) and cover with foil;
4. Put it in the oven for 30 minutes, last 10 of which bake with foil removed. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. E manja!

1. I agree lasagna would of been a nicer entry for an Italian dish, but baked ziti marinara is so easy to make I just don't get why anyone would buy it frozen…

Pulp or No Pulp

Does it matter?

Yes, it does. As I mentioned earlier, everyone in my family had their own taste. Some like it hot, others—not. Some like it with pulp, others—no pulp. But it all comes together perfectly for this DIY checkers game!

All you need here is a piece of heavy cardboard, orange and green acrylic art paint and orange juice caps: orange and green (pulp/no pulp).

Paint the board in checkerboard pattern. Let it dry. Arrange the bottle caps and viola—new game.

And now let's see who wins—pulp or no pulp!

Cinnamon Bagel Chips

In my big family we have so many opinions and we hardly agree on anything. Bagels, however, serve us a common ground—a soft and doughy common ground. They are my little life savers especially on busy mornings when everyone decides they want something different for breakfast! The code word: Bagels!

Inevitably we have left overs. My sophisticated eaters don't like to eat the same everyday (I totally differ!). Although I strongly encourage them not to be picky, sometimes I just have to choose my battles. And leftover bread—that's what bagel is after all—is never waisted. I make bread puddings, crumbs and, of course, croutons or chips.

So that's what I did to two leftover Blueberry bagels. I made chips. Very easy and very cozy for a family game night, for example.

◊◊◊
Cinnamon Blueberry Bagel Chips
2 Bagels, sliced across
1 TB spoon olive oil
1 generous teaspoon cinnamon sugar
(which I make myself mixing sugar and ground cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350°F
Cut bagels across into 1/4˝ thick slices
In a bowl, mix bagels, cinnamon sugar and oil, toss to cover all the pieces
Arrange the chips on a cookie sheet in a single layer
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown
Enjoy with some whipped cream cheese as a dip or on their own! And watch them—new family favorite—disappear…

Eatless Mondays

It is not a typo in the title. Yes, Meatless Mondays is a term that is more familiar in food blogging world. At the expense of sounding hypocritical, I want to make a rather daring proposition: Eat-Less Mondays—let’s proclaim this day of the week, however difficult it might be, a day of fasting, or eating less.

That is exactly what fasting means. Not starvation or deprivation but rather a restrain from certain foods or ingredients or eating at certain time and eating in moderation. While long-term fasting can be difficult and even dangerous to some people—little children, seniors, pregnant women, and people on medications—short-term could be easy and safe to follow. Back in my home country, it is known as Razgruzochniy Den’ or Unloading Day.

Furthermore, the Christian Lent—a kind of fast—that lasts 40 days begins this week. While fasting for 40 days may seem a difficult long-term task, we can make an effort to do so at least once a week during this period and onward.

I find it very sensible that Lent falls on spring—after long winter of eating hearty and heavy meals, fasting is a Spring Cleaning for our bodies!

It will only benefit our whole health (unless you’re on some sort of treatment). In fact, fasting is a treatment itself, one of the most ancient, simplest and cheapest. It can tune up your body, mind and spirit. I think for this reason—cleansing of the spirit—almost all world religions rituals include fasting.

There are different ways to fast. Complete fast is a total refrain from any food and water. It is the hardest one. Then, there’s fasting only on water—no food—or fasting on raw fruit juice, plain yogurt, raw vegetables, raw fruit, etc. Most commonly known way of fasting nowadays is so called “cleansing” or “de-tox” diet.

Here are some benefits of short-term fasting:

• Fasting eliminates the chemicals in our bodies and this way helps balance our unnatural cravings or desires, when most of the time can’t even explain ourselves why we have them;
• Short-term fasting can also correct weight problems, naturally by generating energy from the back up sources, aka fat;
• It can also balance blood pressure for we will consume less salt and fasting thins our blood;
• Some may even rid of sleep disorders, depression and mood swings, nervousness, and other stress-related ailments;
• Fasting on raw foods—fruits and vegetables—improves your eyesight and hearing and the better functioning of your senses altogether. I remember last year when I first tried fasting on raw vegetables and fruits for one week, my sense of smell became so sharp as well as my hearing, I was amazed to notice this good change!
• In addition, fasting can balance our energy—instead of spending most of our inner energy on digesting, your body will focus on other areas of it that needs attention, like brain so you might also notice improvement in clarity of your thinking process and concentration.

First time you try one-day fast it might not show any tangible effects but it will certainly help. Frequent or repetitive one-day fasts (once or twice a week), or even alternate day fasting, will be much more effective.

This is an interesting exert from an article I read online:

{One way fasting works is by shrinking or constriction. Your tissues and arteries constrict, loosening whatever garbage or material is stuck to its walls that is causing the problem. When you eat again, the tissues and vessels expand again and the material is forced out. Of course, if you wait long enough the body has its own (better) way of eliminating the waste. Also, during fasting, the blood thins as it expels its waste, and this is what causes the dizziness. This dizziness, however, goes away as the blood rebuilds or normalizes. Sitting before getting up from a lying position is recommended.}

How to fast? Well, as I mentioned earlier, let us start by once a week. We can choose a method/food type that is easiest for us. But there are certain helpful restriction points: no sugar, no caffeine, no salt, no alcohol, no heavy fats (especially animal), not to mention saturated fats, no junk food of course (it should be banned from your life altogether), no starch, no gluten, etc. I know it sounds harsh—but remember, it is only for your good and only for ONE DAY a week. And remember not to stress during fasting day for it may interfere with your overall well-being. Try to abstain not only from food but also from any negative emotion—but this is a good practice for every day, not only when you fast.

Samples of fasts:

• Complete fast (Muslim fast)—no food or drinks at all from sunrise to sundown;
• Full fast—no food, drinking water only;
• Juice fast—drinking only freshly squeezed vegetable/fruit juice throughout the day;
• Yogurt fast—eating/drinking only low/no fat plain yogurt (best if home made);
• Raw food fast—eating only uncooked vegetables/fruits + raw seeds/nuts;
• Daniel fast (the Book of Daniel)—no meat, no sugar, no bread—here you can eat grains and legumes in oppose to the previous fast.

There are might be more out there. Or you can create your own, say Apple fast—eating only apples throughout the day. Do your research and start with the one that could be easy for you to follow at fist, then one day you’ll be able to do more, I mean eat less for a longer period of time!

Quite contradictory for a person with a food blog, but everything needs a break—even our stomachs and bowel! And remember, fasting is a self discipline!

I am fasting today on yogurt! Yummy!

Turkey Meatloaf and Green Beans+Savory Roasted Potatoes Toss

You know, it is quite convenient to browse around in the frozen entrée section: you get so many ideas and the shopping list right there on the package! So I spot, I snap a shot and I shop!

However, I get a little dizzy and my tummy starts to rumble from the myriad of colorful packages--it plays its part as an advertising so well!

Never the less, I kept looking and this time one little box kept on beckoning me.

But I didn't find any turkey breast this time in my supermarket (I seriously need to find another one!) so I went with ground turkey instead and decided to make a meat loaf. And instead of mashed potatoes--roasted savory potatoes+green beens toss. The rest fell into place...

The inspiration:

◊◊◊

Turkey Meatloaf and Green Beans+Savory Roasted Potatoes Toss

Note: The meatloaf and roasted potatoes could be cooked in the 400° F preheated oven together. Put two racks close together, enough for pan to go in. First, cook potatoes on the bottom rack and meatloaf on the top, then switch them half way through the cooking time (20 minutes)

Meatloaf

about 2 1/2 pound ground turkey meat

1 whole large egg

1/2 cup quick oatmeal

1 teaspoon each:

{onion powder

ground savory

paprika

freshly ground black pepper

sea salt}

1 TB spoon olive oil for the pan

1. Heat oven to 400°F
2. Mix all the ingredients to combine and transfer the mass to a meatloaf pan.
3. Cover the top with a parchment paper (to keep it from drying out) and bake for 50 minutes removing the paper last 20 minutes.
4. Cool before cutting, serve with Green Beans+Savory Roasted Potatoes and gravy (recipes below)

Green Beans and Savory Roasted Potatoes

1 bag frozen green beans, thawed

about 2 lb Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large red onion, quartered

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons each:

{ground savory

paprika

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper}

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. In a bowl, mix potatoes, onions, oil and spices, toss it to cover vegetables with seasoning
3. Place on a shallow baking pan (or cookie sheet) and bake for 40 minutes (or until potatoes are soft), tossing occasionally to prevent burning/sticking (about 2 times)
4. While potatoes are roasting, blanch green beans: throw them in a boiling water for 5 minutes then drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Or, if they are fully thawed, you can put them in a colander and pour boiling water over from the tea kettle--that's what I did. Put the prepared beans in a baking dish (lasagna pan) and set aside.
5. When potatoes and onions are done, cool them for 5 minutes and them slice the onions. Place potatoes and sliced onions together with beans, add a pinch of salt if desired and pop them back into the oven until the meatloaf is done (5-7 minutes).

Gravy

4 TB spoons butter (1/2 stick)

2 TB spoons all purpose flour

1 TB spoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup water

1/4 cup meatloaf drippings (collect it with pump while meatloaf is roasting)

pinch of salt

1. In a small sauce pan melt butter over medium heat
2. Whisk in flour and continue to stir over medium heat until all flour is dissolved
3. Add vinegar, continue whisking; add drippings and water and keep on stirring until all combined. Add salt, remove from heat and pour the gravy into the gravy boat.

Bon Appetité!

Let the melt down begin!

March is a beacon of spring. Before you know it, days will stretch out longer, sun will gain a wider angle and gain its warmth and everything will begin to melt in preparation for another rebirth.

This winter was not kidding with us and muffled up everything with snow layered in between crusty ice. Sort of like lasagna!

I'm not going to post a recipe of this yummy dish, not yet at least.

What's the big melt down? It is the one in the freezer section.

It surprises me how many people still buy frozen entrées from the grocery store. I understand that it saves time for those who are very busy, sometimes convenience doesn't pay off. And with all the information about unnecessary ingredients that compose many of these easy meals--such as sodium--people still don't want to spend a little extra time to make from scratch. Sometimes, the time required to heat this culinary parody is just enough to cook a fresh meal!

So, to get "inspired" I went to the freezer section. And I found plenty of inspiration, believe me! Most popular are the asian fried rice and noodle stir fry dishes. So today I'm posting my version of Chicken Fried Rice with vegetables.

Here's the inspiration (I took this photo with my phone camera):

By the time I cooked rice and boiled eggs (simultaneously but, of course in different pots) I was done with all the chopping. Here comes the disclaimer: I did, however, used frozen items--my mixed vegetables. But in my defense, the season is early and there's no fresh local veggies yet in our neck of the woods. Plus, frozen vegetables are not laden with any chemicals and usually frozen at their freshest, so sometimes (if not most of the time) they are much more nutritional then their out-of-season, out-of-state (or even country) "fresh" counterparts. For this recipe I used combined leftovers: mixed vegetables, sugar snap peas and broccoli and cauliflower.

I decided to omit all fancy sauces since my family likes to drizzle our fried rice with low sodium soy sauce and I serve it with hot chili sauce for myself for extra kick. I also topped the dish with some toasted sesame seeds, but it's optional, so I won't include it into the ingredient list. Along with all the "extras" from the list on the photo above, I also omitted sautéed onions.

In lieu of scrambled eggs, I used hard boiled. I chopped it with nifty (does anyone still use this word?) egg cutter. This gadget, although its name suggests only one use, is a true multitasking genius. If you don't already have it, you can't chop eggs, mushrooms, strawberries, kiwis and other semi-soft small food items into uniformed slices or chunks. Or maybe you can with your knife, but it takes more time.

When rice was ready, so was my trusty new wok--please do yourself a favor and invest in one!--it was getting warm on the stove...

◊◊◊

Wild Chicken+Veggie Fired Rice

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

2 cups wild rice (4 cups when cooked), cooked according package directions

(in 4 cups of water, usually 1:2 ratio)

about 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

2 cups mixed frozen vegetables, slightly thawed

1 8 oz jar of roasted peppers, cut across into strips

1 small bunch scallions. chopped

2 TB olive oil

1 TB spoon low sodium soy sauce

1 t spoon red pepper flakes

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. First cook rice and boil eggs while you chop the rest of the ingredients;
2. Heat olive oil in a wok over a high heat add chicken and fry until pink disappears, stirring frequently to prevent burning, about 10 minutes; flavor chicken with soy sauce, red pepper flakes, pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper;
3. Add vegetables, bring heat to medium-high and continue frying stirring frequently for another 8-10 minutes;
4. When frozen vegetables are completely thawed and soft (don't overcook), add rice and continue frying over medium high heat, stirring occasionally (it's a stir-fry after all!)
5. Lastly, add eggs and scallions and give it a nice big stir to mix everything well;
6. Serve garnished with sesame seeds (optional) and soy and/or red hot sauce.

May be you spent a little more time then you would reheating (or as package suggest- cooking thoroughly) the frozen "inspiration" but you were in charge of your sodium intake and then some!

Spring is on its way (let's hope)

It was a beautiful day today. Early spring was in the air, I spent most of it outside soaking up sun rays, one by one... This picture was taken last year, but today's blue sky and cheerful chirping of the birds reminded me of it. Soon, the guests will arrive in our town!

Spring,

I've been waiting

For your tender kiss

Between my brows

That sets them free as two wings,

Sending a rush

Of blush

Down my skin.

Spring!

Help me wash away

Winter's fling

That paralyzed my will

With windy shrill.

Help me ban this renegade

And let me serenade

With birds

That fly back

On your wings.

=====

Tomorrow, the big meld down begins!

Winter's last breath

Georgian Chili: Chakhokhbili [Чахохбили]

What makes chili a chili? For me it's a chili pepper, of course! Or any other hot pepper. I have prepared a chili recipe to share with you, a more traditional version, but then I thought I'd share this idea first. There's a Georgian dish named Chakhokhbili (and it does rhyme with Chili!) that is prepared using chicken, tomatoes, peppers and fresh herbs. Originally, they use the whole chicken with bones. I used boneless skinless drumsticks--the dark chicken meat makes this dish very hearty. However, you can use any part of chicken. The trick is to sauté the chicken before adding everything else.

Although some variations of Chakhokhbili call for a bell or sweet pepper, I decided to use the bitter one- red hot chili (dried). To re-hydrate the peppers, I poured hot boiling water over and soaked the peppers for couple of hours. If you want to make the dish less spicy, remove the seeds. If you want it mild--just use bell pepper.

My version is quite spicy, so beware!

◊◊◊

Chakhokhbili- Spicy Chicken & Tomato Stew from Georgia

2 lb dark chicken meat, boneless and skinless

2 cups (about a pound) slices onions

2-3 closes of garlic, crushed

1 cup (about 4 oz in weight, please see photo above) re-hydrated red hot chili, chopped

2 cups chopped fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley & dill

1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (16 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 TB spoons tomato paste

2 TB spoons olive oil

Salt to taste

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven or aluminum pot, add chicken and brown it on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring to make sure it turns golden brown on all sides;


2. Add onions and peppers, mix and sauté on medium heat with open lid for 5-8 minutes or until onions are translucent;
3. Add both diced and crushed tomatoes plus tomato paste, mix, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through on medium-low heat, stirring to prevent burning;
4. Add fresh herbs, cover, turn off heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving;
5. Serve with bread or boiled potatoes, or fire extinguisher!

Cookie, please

Just when we thought we won't see snow again, winter decided to remind us--it is still February! More snow is here. Well, let's put the kettle on, brew some Earl Grey and enjoy it with some delicious home made oatmeal cookies that are good enough to eat for breakfast!

I usually use the recipe on the back of the lid of the Quaker Oats can. The recipe is called "Vanishing Oatmeal Raising Cookies". Only in our house they do not vanish unless I eat them: nobody likes these, especially after my husband started to make his chocolate-chip cookies. I, for one, rather eat oatmeal ones.

But they got boring. A little. So I tried something different. Instead of raisins, I used dried cherries; I added 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips in lieu of white sugar and omitting vanilla extract (since the chips already have some flavor) I added lemon zest. Turned out delicious! Now these were vanishing right before my eyes--everybody loved them!

◊◊◊

Really Vanishing Oatmeal Lemon Cherry Cookies

DRY:

1 1/2 cup all purpose white flour

1 t spoon baking soda

1/2 t spoon salt

3 cups plain quick oats

WET:

2 sticks unsalted butter (1/2 pound) softened

2 whole large eggs

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 T spoons lemon zest (from 2 medium lemons)

1/2 pound dried cherries

1/2 pack (1 cup) white chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl mix together DRY ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt and oats, mix with a wooden spoon.
3. In another bowl, mix WET ingredients: butter, eggs and sugar and beat until creamy with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Mix in the zest
4. Combine both DRY and WET and beat for about a minute until all mixed together. Fold in cherries and chocolate chips.
5. Spoon batter by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cooking sheet and bake in pre-heated oven for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven, let cool on a cookie sheet for 1 minute then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Enjoy with a cup of fresh brewed tea.

There's an Arabic saying: February comes with no shoe laces tied. But spring will tie them before we know it!

"And a peel for the wolf!"//"А для волка--кожура!"

Here's a Russian cartoon about animals sharing an orange. Everyone got a piece of it. Everyone, except the Wolf. Animals believed they tricked wolf leaving him only an orange peel. Little did the animals know--orange peel is a treasure itself!

As much as I love to eat oranges, I really don't mind ending up with orange peel. Like everything else natural, this fruit has far more uses then just being squeezed into a glass for breakfast and could be used in its entirety. So, if life gives you nothing but an orange peel, here what you can do with it:

• Orange peel has high content of essential oil, which is highly flammable. So dried orange peel can be used for starting a fire or kindling for your fireplace;
• I found out on the web, cats don't like orange smell. If you put orange peel next to your house plants, your feline won't chew on it;
• My friend, who is lucky to have a blender inside her kitchen sink, purposely throws and pulverizes the orange peel in it to get rid of bad odors;
• I don't have the pulverizer so I just scrub sink with orange peel;
• For the same purpose--freshness--you can use orange peel to deodorize trash cans by placing the peel on the bottom of the can before lining it with bag. It can also ward off the insects during summer months;
• If you rub oil on your skin, you can prevent mosquito bites during summer as well;
• You can add the orange peel to home made potpourri--it's white pith is super absorbent and will absorb bad odors and humidity from the air;
• Because of it's absorbent qualities, you can also use the peel in closets to soak up musty smell--put it in a cloth bag first; same bag can be used in a car as a air freshener;
• It could be used in cooking, of course. With a microplane zester, peel the top layer of the orange peel--the one that does not have white pith--and use this zest in dessert or savory dishes alike to add a distinct orange flavor;
• You can also use the whole peel to make "succades"--candied orange peel (recipe will follow, start collecting the peel);
• If you're a drinker, you can infuse vodka and other hard liquor with orange peel, too;
• If you're not a drinker--make some tea with dried orange peel by steeping a tablespoon of it in a cup of hot water for 5 minutes.

One thing to remember: the oranges are sprayed treated with special wax for import. Use a vegetable brush to scrub oranges even if you buy organic varieties.

=======

Помните этот мультик? Животные думали, что надурили волка, оставив ему только апельсиновую кожуру. Глупые животные не знали, что кожура сама является сокровищем!

Я люблю кушать апельсины, но не возражу, елси мне только кожура достанется. Как всё созданное природой, апельсин не только хорош для сока к завтраку а тоже может быть использовать целиком, включая его кожуру. Так что, если жизнь вам посылает только апельсиновую кожуру, то не огорчайтесь, а используйте её:

• Из за высокого содержания в ней эфирного масла, которое легко воспламеняемо, кожуру апельсина можно использовать в качестве разжигателя или в качестве щепок для камина;
• Я узнала из интернета, что кошки не любят запах апельсина. Если положить шкорки около домашних цветков, которые объедает ваша мурка, она к ним больше не подойдёт;
• Моя подруга, которой посчастливилось иметь раковину с блендером, использует апельсиновую кожуру для того, чтобы избавиться от плохого запаха;
• У меня, к сожалению такого приспособления нет, поэтому я натираю кухонную раковину шкорками для запаха;
• Так же для запаха и свежести шкорки можно положить на дно мусорного ведра перед тем как застелить его целофаном. Запах апельсина поможет отогнать мелких насекомых, так как они не любят цитрусовые ароматы;
• Есил потереть масляной стороной шкорки о кожу, можно даже избежать комаринных укусов летом;
• Можно добавить апельсиновую кожуру к вашему пот пурри домашнего приготовления--белая мякоть шкорки обладает "всасывающими" свойствами и поглатит пдлохой запах и влажность из воздуха;
• По этой же причине можно набить шкорками мешочек их грубой материи--холста, например--и поместить его в шкаф, чтобы избавиться от затхлого запаха, или же держать в салоне автомобиля в качестве освежителя.
• Конечно же кожуру можно использовать в кулинарии. Специальной тёркой снимите цедру (это верхний слой)--не задев белую мякоть--и используйте цедру в приготовлении сладких или пикантных блюд для придания специфичного апельсинового запаха и вкуса;
• Можно также использовать всю кожуру полностью для изготовления цукатов (рецепт будет по позже, а пока собирайте шкорку);
• Если вы пьёте алкоголь, то можете сделать настой из шкорок с водкой или другим крепким алкогольным напитком;
• А если вы трезвенник, сделайте чай из сухих апельсиновых корок заварив столовую ложку на стакан кипятка в течении 5 минут.

Главный момент: аппельсины опрыскивают и натирают специальным воском для перевозки. Даже если вы покупаете экологически чистые апельсины, всё равно хорошо промойте их с помошью овощной щёточки.

Got Adjika?

Valentine's day is over. Chocolate is eaten, obligations are paid. Now back to normal life :)

Today, I'm sharing this simple salad I came up with by combining small red beans, onions and Adjika. Adjika is a national condiment of Abkhazia, a beautiful, now independent country stretched on the Northeast coast of Black Sea.

Many people know of Adjika as a tomato-pepper-herb paste. It could be hot, medium or mild. Actually, real adjika does not require many ingredients, but red chili peppers, herbs- cilantro, parsley, dill (if you find taragon it would give it a nice flavor, but my supermarket didn't have it)- and garlic. Now that it's winter and fresh red chili is not available in this neck of the wood, I used soaked dried chili. I usually dry them myself, but they could be found in Spanish/Mexican section of your supermarket. You can adjust the heat by removing or keeping seeds in the pepper.

Adjika goes good with almost everything, especially meat dishes. But since many of you probably had a heavy feast on Valentine's, I decided to make something light and healthy--small red beans salad.

◊◊◊

Red Beans and Onion salad with homemade Adjika

For Adjika:

a handful (about a cup) of dried red chili peppers, soaked in boiling water for at least 1 hour

a handful (about a cup) of mixed fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley, dill

3-4 gloves of garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

3 TB spoons red wine vinegar

pink of sea salt

For the salad:

8 oz small read beans (or kidney beans), cooked

1/2 medium red onion, sliced

salt to taste

1. Cook beans: if you can soak them overnight in quadruple amount of water, if you forgot to do that, bring beans and water to boil, take off the heat, cover and let soak for at least 2 hours. After soaking, drain and rinse again.
2. Cook beans in the same amount of water (at least 1 to 4): bring to boil, add a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat for 1/2 an hour. Don't overcook the beans! In case you don't feel like cooking beans, go ahead, use canned ones, but don't forget to rinse them well. Set aside.
3. Slice onions, put aside.
4. To make Adjika, combine all the ingredients in a a food processor or blender, blend until all combined. Transfer Adjika in a glass jar and close with lid. You can keep it in a fridge for couple of month.
5. Combine cooked beans and onions and dress the salad with 1/2 of the Adjika. If it's not too hot for your taste, add more. Toss and serve over some salad greens if desired or as a side dish.

It might not be your average aphrodisiac but this simple dish will surely give your taste buds a sensual feast!