2 T fennel seeds 2 T cumin seeds 2 T coriander seeds 1/2 T fenugreek seeds 1/2 T black peppercorns 1 clove 1/2 cinnamon stick 2 cardamom pods 2 inches fresh ginger , peeled 2 tennis-ball-sized red onions, peeled 10 cloves of garlic , peeled 2 fresh red chiles w/seeds 1 bunch fresh cilantro 2 T butter 2 14-oz cans chopped tomatoes 1 cup stock or water one 3 1/2 leg of lamb , diced 1 handful chopped mint and cilantro 1 cup plain yogurt (nonfat is fine) salt and freshly ground black pepper lime juice to taste optional cayenne pepper Preheat your oven to 325. Lightly toast the first 8 ingredients in a dry pan over medium heat until they smell good and darken a few shades, then grind them in a coffee grinder. If you are using pre-ground spices, just toast those. Chop the ginger, onions, garlic, chiles, and cilantro roughly, then add the spice mix and puree in a food processor. In a large oven-proof casserole or Dutch Oven, fry the pureed mixture in the butter for a little bit, stirring regularly. Jamie Oliver says "until it goes golden" but mine never does. Add the tomatoes and stock or water. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid or foil and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours to intensify the flavor. This is your basic curry sauce. If the sauce is still liquidy when it comes out of the oven, continue to simmer it on the stove until it thickens. If it is too thick add some more liquid. (note: if you are halving the recipe, don't halve the liquid or your curry might dry up in the oven.) Fry the lamb cubes in a little olive oil or cooking spray until golden, then add to the curry sauce and simmer for around 1 hour, until tender. You can vary the curry by using diced chicken, shrimp, tofu, or paneer instead of lamb. You can also toss in any kind of vegetable or legume you like towards the end of cooking. I did spinach and leftover boiled potatoes. Okra would be delicious. Sprinkle the curry with the chopped mint and cilantro. Stir in the yogurt, add a good squeeze of lime juice, and season to taste with salt, pepper, or a little cayenne if you like it spicy. Serve with Indian breads, basmati rice, and cold beer.

On Tuesday night, I taught my boyfriend Paul to make lasagna while we watched American Idol (go Lee DeWyze! yes, I'm that kind of nerd). Paul's not a vegan. In fact, he has the appetite of an overweight toddler — ridiculous amounts of fish sticks, Hamburger Helper, frozen TV dinners, pretzels, and ice cream. In Jamie Oliver style, I'm trying to teach Paul to cook whole foods from scratch. I realize convincing him to go vegan is still a far cry from reality, but I'd least like to wean him off of eating processed crap. Learning to cook is the first step, right? We each made our own pan of lasagna. Paul's had hamburger, ricotta, white pasta lasagna (the only kind he'll eat), marinara, and mozzarella. Here he is layering some noodles (sorry for the meat in the picture!) and acting like a goof. I promise he isn't cross-eyed in real life... Here I am (or at least, here's my hands) layering my pan — rice pasta lasagna, marinara, basil-tofu ricotta from Vegan with a Vengeance , spinach, and Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella: I'll spare y'all the pictures of Paul's finished meaty lasagna, but believe me when I say that it turned out surprisingly prettier than mine. I gave him the proper rectangle lasagna pan, while I settled for the oval pan: My FYH cheeze totally liquified in the oven, so it looks a little funky but trust me when I say that it was amazingly delicious! This was my first time using the rice lasagna (you don't pre-boil it at all!), and though it took ages to cook (a whole hour!), it was worth it. I love the chewier texture of rice pasta over whole wheat. I'll probably stick with rice lasagna from now on. Here's a sloppily-plated serving of my vegan lasagna: Note: I added a little Daiya Italian Shreds to the top for this picture since the FYH melted off the top.

Salam semua...harap semua sihat2 la yeaa...kalau sakit sikit2 tu adat laaa...cuaca sekarang pun x menentu kan...Okay la ni entry menu yang dah licin pun, xdan nak letak entry sbb balik kampung...Akak masak masa balik lunch hari Jumaat baru2 nih. Kebetulan ada 2 orang anak sedara sunti (anak my bro) yang datang tdo kat rumah ni...biasalah budak2 tu, kalau ada Najwa n Najiha balik, diaorg mesti merengek kat parents diaorg nak mai tdo rumah akak ni...pastu bkn tdo sangat laa...berjaga malam bertenet, berborak sampai kul 2 3 pagi haaa...gasaklaaahh musim cuti nih... Pendek kata, rumah akak ni kalau semua anak2 balik...mmg pencuri takut nak dekat kot, terang benderang jek sampai kul 2 3 pagi...hahahaaa... Okay la, meh layan je resepi nih, kot ada yang teringin nak buat, dah ramai pun yg buat dulu...anak2 akak dan anak2 sedara suka sangat2...bertambah2 makan dengan pasta tuh....Cuma akak skip part buat meatballs tu sebab ada adik akak bagi meatballs buatan Bumiputra yang digunakan untuk buat mee bakso....hehee...Anak2 kureng sikit mee bakso ni, kalau masak western camni...ha laku laa....Resepi angkut dari dapur Ijan, Finland sana, katanya resepi asal dari rancangan masakan Jamie Oliver tu...thanks ya Ijan, izinkan akak C n P kat sini lak eh...Tengoklah, bekas tu comot2 kesan sos n cheese mendidih dlm oven, sbb nak amik gambar pun cepat2 jek lepas keluar oven, nak siap pegi ofis lak pastu...hehee MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE Sumber: Ijan, Finland Untuk meatballs (*akak skip part ni sbb ada meatballs buatan bumiputra dah..lenkali try wat meatballs ni...hehe) 500 gm daging lembu kisar – kite guna daging kamben yg dikisar 1/2 teaspoon serbuk jintan manis 1/2 teaspoon serbuk ketumbar 1/2 teaspoon serbuk cili 2 genggam breadcrumbs 1 telur -kite tak letak 1 tablespoon daun oregano kering/fresh 1 tablespoon daun rosemarry dicincang – kite tak letak garam 1 teaspoon serbuk blackpepper Untuk tomato sos 1 tin tomato cincang 1 biji bawang besar di cincang 1 bawang putih dicincang 1 teaspoon daun oregano kering garam Untuk dibakar mozarella cheese grated parmesan makan dengan vegeroni spirals...sedaaappp Sediakan meatballs: Campur semua bahan dalam bekas besar. Gaul sebati. Bentuk2 kan meatballs sebesar bola sepak tenis sehingga habis. Dalam kuali, panaskan sedikit minyak (kite guna dlm 5 camca besar) dan goreng semua meatballs sekaligus. Goreng lebih kurang 5 minit on all sides. Sediakan sos tomato: Panaskan sedikit minyak dlm kuali/periuk. Goreng bawang besar dan bawang putih hingga layu. Masukkan tomato, oregano dan garam. Gaul sebati dan biarkan mendidih. Tutup api. Pindahkan sos tomato ke dalam bekas yang sesuai untuk di masukkan dalam oven. Susun meatballs di dalam sos tomato tersebut dan taburkan mozarella dan grated parmesan cheese di atasnya. Bakar pada suhu 220′C selama lebih kurang 15 minit atau sehingga bahagian atas nya bewarna kekuningan. Siap

11 ounces small shell pasta 3 garlic cloves 9 ounces yellow cherry tomatoes 9 ounces cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup black olives , pitted 2 tablespoons fresh chives 1/4 cup fresh basil 1 medium cucumber 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil sea salt fresh ground black pepper 1 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. 2 Throw in the pasta and garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes or until al dente, and drain. 3 Put the garlic to one side for the dressing. 4 Put the pasta in a bowl. 5 Chop the tomatoes, olives, chives, basil and cucumber into pieces about half the size of the pasta and add to the bowl. 6 Squash the garlic cloves out of their skins and pound in a pestle and mortar. 7 Add the vinegar, oil and seasoning. 8 Drizzle this over the salad, adding a little more seasoning to taste.

290 ml milk 115 g all-purpose flour 1 pinch salt 3 eggs 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 Mix all the ingredients, except the oil, to make a batter using an electric mixer. 2 Let it rest for 10 minutes. 3 Preheat oven at 450°F. 4 Preheat a muffin tray and grease with a little oil. 5 Divide the batter into the tray. 6 Cook for 20 minutes at 450°F.

1/2 lb mixed heirloom tomato, various colors 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar 1/2 small fresh red chili pepper , deseeded and chopped finely (optional) 1/2 garlic clove , grated 1 tablespoon fresh coriander 1/2 lemon, juice of 1 Cut tomatoes roughly into bite sized pieces. Toss into a colander. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Toss well and allow to drain 15 minutes. 2 Transfer to a serving bowl. Add oregano, olive oil, vinegar, chili and garlic; toss well. Marinate 15 minutes. 3 Roughly chop the tomatoes with the coriander. Stir in lemon juice. Serve with fish or chicken.

4 pork chops, about 1 1/2-inch thick salt black pepper 8 large fresh sage leaves 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 lemon, juice of 1 Score the fat at the edge of the chops at 1/2" intervals. Sprinkle both sides of each chop with salt and pepper. Stick a large sage leaf to the meat over the "eye" of the chop; press in firmly. 2 Pour olive oil into a hot non-stick skillet. Add chops, sage side down. Apply the remaining sage leaves to the now upper side of the chops. 3 Place skillet in a preheated 425F (220C) oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown, turning once half way through. Remove to a plate. 4 Pour fat out of pan. Deglaze with lemon juice and drizzle over chops.

6 garlic cloves , peeled 3 inches fresh ginger , peeled 2 -3 red chilies , deseeded olive oil 1 tablespoon mustard seeds 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons ground coriander 3 tablespoons garam masala , divided 3/4 cup plain yogurt (you can heap it) 4 medium chicken breasts , skinless and boneless, cut into large chunks 1 tablespoon butter 2 medium onions , peeled and finely sliced 2 tablespoons tomato puree 1 small handful of ground cashew nuts or 1 small almonds sea salt 1/2 cup heavy cream handful fresh cilantro , chopped 1 -2 lime , juice of 1 Grate the garlic and ginger and put to one side in a bowl. Chop the chillies as finely as possible and mix them in with the garlic and ginger. Heat a good splash of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add them to the ginger and garlic mixture along with the paprika, cumin, ground coriander and 2 T of the garam masala. Put half of this mix in a bowl, add the yogurt and the chicken pieces to it, stir and leave to marinate for about a half an hour. 2 Melt butter in the same saucepan the mustard seeds were in and add the sliced onions and the remaining half of the spice mix. Cook gently for about 15 minutes without browning too much. Add the tomato puree, ground nuts, 2 1/2 C of water and 1/2 t of salt. Stir well and simmer gently for a few minutes. Let this sauce reduce until it thickens slightly and then place to one side. 3 Put the marinated chicken on a hot griddle pan and sear until cooked through. 4 Warm the sauce and add the cream and the other T of garam masala. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary. As soon as it boils, take off the heat and add the grilled chicken. Check the seasoning again and serve sprinkled with the chopped cilantro and the lime juice.

2 lbs stewing beef , diced 1 onion , chopped 4 garlic cloves , minced 3 stalks celery , chopped 4 ounces button mushrooms , chopped 4 bay leaves 1 teaspoon thyme 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 (15 ounce) can Guinness stout 3 1/2 cups beef broth 1 1/2 tablespoons flour 1 Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. 2 In a large dutch oven, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Toss the meat cubes with the 1 ½ tbsp of flour, and then in batches, brown them until seared. Remove to plate as you go. 3 Add more oil if you need to, then add the celery, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the mushrooms, bay leaves, broth, tomato paste, and Guinness; bring to a boil, then cover and put into the oven. 4 Let the stew bubble away in the oven for two hours.

Jemma of London bakery Crumbs and Doilies has a new YouTube channel featuring cupcake tutorials Jamie Oliver's 'Food Tube' umbrella. Every week Cupcake Jemma will put up a new video featuring a sweet recipe.Check out the Easter creme egg cupcake recipe below.

10 lbs boneless pork butt 4 ounces salt 2 ounces fennel seeds 2 ounces red peppers, crushed casing 1 To prepare casings: Let casings soak in cool water about five minutes to remove salt on outer surface (no longer, or they will become too tender to stuff) and flush salt from the inside by placing one end on faucet nozzle and turn on cold tap water (if you see holes or water leaking, cut and discard). 2 Remove casing from faucet and gently squeeze out water; cover rinsed casings and refrigerate until ready to use. 3 First grind meat coarsely, incorporate seasonings evenly, and re-grind. 4 Fill the casings using the sausage horn attachment and make links by twisting the sausage where you wish the links to be. Four inches is a good size for a regular serving, smaller links may be made for appetizer servings. 5 To cook, place the sausage in large saucepan or dutch oven in a single layer; add a little water or broth, cover and heat. 6 to a low simmer. 7 Maintain a low simmer (sausages may burst if cooked at too high a heat) until the sausage is heated through and cooked thoroughly, approximately 15 minutes. 8 Drain and let rest for about 15 minutes before slicing; serve while still warm.

How to do magic to stale bread rolls April 22nd, 2014 A simple sentence with an unimaginable impact. A couple of years ago I inconsiderately suggested something along the lines of β€œWhat do you think, should we try to bake our own sourdough bread?” To my surprise, Oliver soon picked up the idea, started to grow his own sourdoughs and with the help of Lutz and Petra (both German food bloggers) his bread repertoire began to grow slowly but steadily. His technical background led to countless spreadsheets, rise & proof time tables and records of recipes that worked well right away and ones that needed a couple of trial runs until he was happy with the result. Today we rarely buy bread anymore, home baked sourdough loaves definitely do spoil your taste and many commercially produced breads (even some of the smaller neighbourhood bakeries) just can’t keep up. Besides, there simply is nothing better than the scent of freshly baked bread in your kitchen!Since Oliver doesn’t get tired to try new recipes I’m constantly challenged to find good use for stale breads of all kind. Some cooking ideas I’veΒ experimented with, I quickly disregard, but then there are thoseΒ rare ideas that blend into your daily routine from the first attempt – and you can’t imagine ever having lived without it. Today’s recipe is of that nature and I can only urge you to give it a go.I’ve seen something similar done to stale bread many years ago on a TV show by German chef Alexander Herrmann. I believe he used a second tray to weigh the bread chips down, something I wouldn’tΒ consider necessary, even less so as I like how the slices slightly bend and twist through the roasting process.The chips work great as a one-bite-snack. Or a series of them, like…going into the kitchen, opening the airtight bowl, taking one out, nibbling on it for 3 seconds while returning to your office desk before feeling the spices kick in. And immediately feeling the urge to jet back for another – single – piece.This recipe is more a description of how to do the bread chips than an exact recipe. The amount of oil and spices depends on your personal taste & preference (hot, spicy or mild – salty or just a little seasoned) and growing experience in preparing them. If you end up with under-seasoned chips, you can always add some spices afterwards. After baking some trays you will know how much seasoning they can take. You can use almost any kind of stale white bread or bread rolls, as long as the crumb is rather even and compact. I’ve tried a very airy baguette with huge holes, too, but the chips don’t hold their shape as nicely.Preheat the oven to 200Β°C (390Β°F) and line one or two baking trays with parchment paper. Cut the bread (rolls) into – preferably – equally thin slices (~2 mm is perfect) and drizzle with your favourite olive oil. I usually spread the bread slices in my bain-marie bowl and drizzle each layer with a little olive oil, then toss them a couple of times until all of them are lightly covered in oil. Distribute them on the trays and sprinkle with fine sea salt, finely ground chili flakes or cayenne pepper and finally a generous dust (I use a fine mesh sieve) of garam masala powder.If you have a fan-assisted oven, you can bake both trays at the same time (one top level, one at the bottom, rotate after 3 or 4 minutes), if not, bake one after another (on middle level). Just make sure to check back every minute during your first baking session, similar to nuts they can go from pale to burnt within no time! Take out once they are golden brown, let cool completely on the tray, then take two opposite sides of the parchment paper and carefully let them slide into a sealable bowl or airtight container. That way they keep crisp for two weeks and longer.Done? No, wait, the best part is yet to come. Since I prepare these nearly each and every week with different bread and bread roll leftovers, we hardly ever run out of them. On the contrary, we sometimes have too much and so I started to crush the older ones by hand (more coarsely) or with a food processor (finely) and used the crumbs to take some everyday dishes to the next level. These spiced breadcrumbs can work wonders! You can top gratins or pasta with them (coarsely crushed). You can coat oven roast vegetables with them (finely crushed). You can sprinkle them on salads (coarsely crushed). You can bread fish/meat/cheese/etc. with them (finely crushed).Spicy bread chips Recipe source: own creation, inspired by Alexander Herrmann Prep time: 20-25 min. Ingredients: stale white bread or bread rolls, preferably with compact crumb olive oil sea salt chili flakes or cayenne pepper garam masala powder

I have to start this text by confessing that it took me months (a quick look at Amazon shows me that I purchased the book in January, so almost a year) to make these cookies, all because I was a coward: I was afraid that all that rosemary in the dough would make the cookies taste weird. I am thirty- five six years old and rosemary scares the bejeesus out of me: I always think that the food will end up tasting like soap. :S I love cooking with herbs and will gladly add thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram, parsley, even cilantro to recipes without too much thought about it, for they make everything so much more delicious, but when it comes to rosemary I just can’t do it, and every time I watch Jamie Oliver adding tons of rosemary to his recipes I feel sort of desperate, my brain screams “it’s too much, too much!”. :) I decided it was time to stop this nonsense and bought a small vase of rosemary to gradually start using the herb in my cooking, and these cookies were my first attempt at getting to know the rosemary better: they turned out delicious, the herb flavor perfectly complimented by the orange. I feel a lot braver now. ;) Orange rosemary shortbread slightly adapted from the beautiful and delicious National Trust Simply Baking ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves finely grated zest of 2 oranges 1 cup (225g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 340g all purpose flour pinch of salt Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Put the sugar and rosemary in a food processor and whiz until the rosemary is very finely chopped. Transfer sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer, add the orange zest and rub them together with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Add the butter and vanilla and beat with the mixer until pale and creamy. On low speed, beat in flour and salt. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Roll out dough between two sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a 4cm (1½in) cookie cutter to cut out cookies – if the dough gets too soft, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. Place cookies onto prepared sheets 2,5cm (1in) apart and prick them with a fork. Bake until lightly golden on the edges, 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets over a wire rack. Remove carefully from the paper. Makes about 60

In spired by Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. This recipe rocks. The trick to perfect gluten-free pasta is to keep the noodles a tad al dente - not chewy, per se, but a pleasing texture that will hold up to sauce, pan tossing, and fork twirling. In other words, Babycakes Dollface oh-so-lovely Reader... anything but mushy. Squishy isn't good either. Cooked to death (too soft) gluten-free noodles get too darn gummy for words. The secret? Test! Test! Test! Don't guess. Gluten-Free Turkey Meatballs Recipe with Lime, Mint and Ginger on a bed of Asian Style Noodles, Baby Spinach and Fresh Herbs Recipe posted 2010 by Karina Allrich. I whipped up an easy Asian stir-fry sauce without soy. But you could easily substitute my molasses and balsamic blend with gluten-free wheat-free tamari sauce. Ingredients: 2 pounds free range organic ground turkey 1 1/2 cups gluten-free bread crumbs 1 large spring onion or scallion (or 2 small), diced fine 1 medium large carrot, processed or diced very fine 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint leaves 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro leaves 1 organic free-range egg, beaten Juice from 1 fresh medium lime 1 tablespoon molasses or wheat-free tamari sauce 1 tablespoon raw agave nectar or real maple syrup Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste (use less salt if you use tamari sauce) Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet Exopat or Silpat . Or double up baking sheets and line the upper pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, break apart and blend the ground organic free-range turkey with the gluten-free bread crumbs, using a sturdy metal spoon. Add in the diced spring onion, processed carrot, minced garlic, grated ginger, and fresh herbs. Mix just until blended. Add in the egg, fresh lime juice, molasses (or wheat-free tamari), agave. Mix lightly. Season with salt and pepper as you go- but don't add too much salt- especially if you use tamari sauce, which is already salty. Form 28 meatballs using the palms of your hands to roll and round spoonfuls of the mixture. They should be roughly the size of a golf ball. Place the turkey meatballs on the lined baking sheet as you roll them. Wash your hands in hot soapy water- you know this, right? Bake the meatballs in the center of a pre-heated oven for about 20 to 30 minutes until no longer pink inside. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and brush them with a little olive oil. Serve immediately with Asian style noodles, recipe follows. Note:: For FODMAPs friendly, omit onions and agave as necessary. Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com Karina's Quick and Easy Asian Style Noodles As mentioned, I don't use soy, but a wheat-free tamari sauce would be delicious in this quick stir-fry sauce. Sub the molasses with the gluten-free tamari sauce. Or just add in some gluten-free tamari, to taste. Note: I don't add extra sauce on the meatballs when I serve them like this- but if you prefer your meatballs saucy, make extra stir-fry sauce. Ingredients: 1 package gluten-free noodles or spaghetti Vegetable oil, as needed 2-3 spring onions or scallions, sliced (white and light green sections) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 fresh diced chile, or hot pepper flakes, to taste 1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger- or to taste 3-4 carrots sliced into matchsticks 3 tablespoons molasses or gluten-free Tamari 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar Sea salt, to taste 1 12-oz. bag of baby spinach leaves 2 tablespoons each of fresh chopped parsley, mint and cilantro Instructions: Bring a pasta pot of water to a rapid boil. Add a dab of vegetable oil. Add the noodles and stir. Cook the quinoa noodles until they are al dente- firm to the bite- not mushy! 4 to 6 minutes. Don't overcook. I mean it. Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of coconut oil in a large wok style pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add in the spring onions, garlic, chile, ginger, and carrots. Stir-fry until the carrots are tender-crisp. They should be done roughly in 4-5 minutes. Add in the molasses and balsamic vinegar (or if using tamari sauce, use that in place of molasses) and stir to coat. Taste test to see if the carrots need a little salt. Drain the al dente noodles and quickly add them into the wok/skillet mixture, tossing lightly to coat the strands. Add or adjust seasonings to taste. Add in the baby spinach and toss again- just to heat through to barely wilting- not even a minute. Add in half the chopped fresh herbs and toss a bit. Plate the noodles immediately. Add the turkey meatballs. Sprinkle with the remaining fresh herbs. The noodle recipe serves 4, with leftover meatballs. Notes: Freeze leftover meatballs for an easy weeknight supper. For FODMAPs friendly, omit onions and agave as necessary. Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you. More gluten-free meatball recipes from food bloggers: I Am Gluten-Free's secret ingredient Gluten-Free "Meatballs" Gluten-Free Day's lamb based Gluten-Free Meatballs

Summer. Time for grilling. This easy as 1, 2, 3 recipe has been a summer family staple since I was a blushing bride, learning to grill fish. We won't talk about how many years ago that was, Dear Reader. I mean, the blushing bridal part. Let's just say my oldest son is 26 and leave it at that. So, you may ask- if you're a blushing bride yourself- how do you grill a slab of fresh fish and veggies all at once and have it turn out so tender and flaky and savory that your newly minted partner for life will turn to you and whisper, I knew I married the right girl? Or boy (I make no assumptions around here, goddess forbid). Well, here's a little secret I learned way back when. Back before cooking blogs and Food TV and Jamie Oliver . I learned it from a woman who liked my paintings. This is the only way to make fish, she told me. Trust me . I trust you, I answered. Now tell me your secret. Foil, she said. And onions, garlic and tomatoes. It's a Mediterranean style fish- not the typical butter and Ritz cracker crumbs you get around here (we were living on Cape Cod at the time). This is the real thing, she continued. Real food. Big flavor. You'll love it! And she was right. Here's my easy version of Mediterranean fish- grilled (or baked) with spinach, tomatoes, onions and garlic. I also added balsamic vinegar and fresh chopped herbs. Easy Mediterranean Fish Recipe in Foil Packets- Serve with Rice The fish I used this time was halibut. But any hefty white fish will do- cod, haddock, tilapia, or orange roughy would all be brilliant. Ingredients: 4 serving size fish fillets, rinsed and patted dry (about 1 1/2 pounds) A squeeze of fresh lemon juice Sea salt and fresh pepper 8 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped 2 red or sweet yellow onions, cut into pieces 4 cups baby spinach leaves- or chopped spinach 8 plum or Italian tomatoes, roughly chopped 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro A sprinkle of red pepper flakes, to taste Extra virgin olive oil, as needed Instructions: Fire up the grill to medium high heat. If you are cooking indoors, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Tear off a large sheet of aluminum foil and place it on a large platter or tray. Lay the fish fillets in the center, in a single layer. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the fillets. Season with sea salt and fresh pepper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the garlic, onion, baby spinach and tomatoes. Add the balsamic vinegar, fresh chopped herbs, red pepper flakes and toss to mix. Drizzle with enough extra virgin olive oil to moisten it all. Season with a little sea salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Tear off a second sheet of foil the same size as the bottom sheet. Turn up all the edges of the bottom sheet a bit to catch any liquid that runs to the edge. Spoon the spinach-tomato mixture on top of the fish. Drizzle on any remaining olive oil left in the bowl. Lay the second piece of foil on top of the fish and veggies and crimp the foil closed all around the edges to make a large packet. Carry the packet with the platter or tray to the grill and carefully transfer the packet to the preheated grill. Cover the grill and cook until the fish is done- about 20 minutes or so- depending on the thickness of the fillet, and how hot your fire is. The fish should flake easily with a fork, and appear opaque. Serve with hot cooked rice. I served mine with my tasty Spanish Brown Rice Bake recipe . Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you. Karina's Note for Gluten-Free Folks: This is a safe way for those with celiac disease or food allergies to eat at pot luck barbecues and picnics. Bring your own packets! Make single individual packets for each person to make it easy to share the grill with no danger of cross contamination. More (Fabulous!) Summer Grill Recipes From Food Bloggers: Kalyn's Kitchen: Grilled Salmon with Asian Dipping Sauce Cooking with Amy's Shrimp and Mango Kebabs Food Blogga's Grilled Watermelon Gluten-Free Bay's Grilled Chipotle Lime Chicken

Nava Atlas [one of my favorite vegetarian cookbook authors] was kind enough to send me a copy of The Vegetarian Family Cookbook . Babycakes, where do I start? This hefty tome is chock full of fresh and fabulous recipes - more than 275, in fact - from breakfasts and snacks to comfort foods, main dishes and desserts. What do I like? I like that her recipes are doable, and not based on hard-to-find ingredients. In fact, most everything she uses is already in my pantry. I like her tips in the Introduction about being a vegetarian, planning meals for a family, and cooking within a busy schedule. I like that there are vegan options throughout the book (perfect for all you non-dairy and egg-free cooks out there). Nava's style of cooking reminds me of my own, and her approach to recipes is akin to my own philosophy: use fresh, seasonal ingredients whenever possible, and go for simplicity. I'll be inspired for months to come. For those on gluten-free diets there are lots of tasty sounding recipes that are naturally gluten-free and others that are easily tailored- substituting wheat pasta with brown rice pasta, for instance. Obvious ingredients to avoid on a gluten-free diet include bulgur, barley, cous cous, seitan, flour tortillas and various breads, of course, but I'm guessing any savvy celiac can spot these, and either switch out a safe substitute, or move on to another recipe [and there are plenty] focused on vegetables, fruits, cornmeal, rice and quinoa. If you're brand spanking new to this whole gluten-free diet thing, you might want to become a little more fluent in cooking gluten-free before you tackle a non-gluten-free cookbook like this, but if you're at all like me, Darling, you prefer to experiment and educate yourself rather than looking to be spoon fed. I personally enjoy [and cook from] a wide assortment and range of cookbooks - and none of them are "gluten-free". In fact, Dear Reader, I don't even own a gluten-free cookbook. I haven't found any so far that capture and evoke my personal approach to cooking. I'm more inclined to peruse cookbooks like Nava's , and those by Susan Curtis, Barbara Kafka and Jamie Oliver. Recipes I'm looking forward to trying? How about her Cabbage, Apple and Raisin Slaw, Scalloped Cauliflower, Skillet Black Beans with Potatoes and Tortillas? Sounds yummy. And I might even be brave enough to try tackling Vegetable Sushi. Stay tuned. ©2005-2010 Karina Allrich. All rights reserved.

I guess that when it comes to cooking and baking we all have our favorites - I certainly do, and the list includes Nigella, Jamie Oliver, Donna Hay and, of course, Martha: her baking recipes are always a hit and these cookies are no exception, delicious and dead easy to make. I got two logs of dough from this recipe and thought of keeping one in the freezer for another day, but after trying one of the cookies I knew I should bake as many as possible. :) Lady Grey tea cookies from one of my favorite cookbooks 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons finely ground Lady Grey tea leaves (from about 4 bags)* ¼ teaspoon table salt 1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened ½ cup (70g) confectioners' sugar, sifted finely grated zest of 1 large orange 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Whisk flour, tea, and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter, sugar, orange zest and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined – at this point I tasted the dough and thought it wasn’t sweet enough, so I added 1 ½ tablespoons icing sugar. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 3.5 cm (1.4in) log – like Martha does here . Wrap in parchment. Chill in freezer until very firm. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Unwrap one log at a time (keep the other in the freezer). Cut into 6mm (¼in) thick rounds; space 2.5cm (1in) apart onto prepared sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets over a wire rack. * I used this grinder to grind the tea leaves Makes about 50 cookies