Easy Recipes – Page 11 – Trust in Kim: an ad-free recipe blog!

Greek Meatballs

These tasty meatballs were served up recentlyas an appetizer at a birthday party. I served them with some pita and homemade tzatziki. They are really delicious, and really easy to make. I mixed them up a few hours before the party, then fried and served them hot. These would also be great in pita sandwiches for lunch with a Greek salad on the side.

I got the recipe here.

You need to plan ahead if you’re going to make your own tzatziki, as the yogurt needs to be drained for a few hours. The garlic flavour also improves after sitting for a while.

What you need for the meatballs:

1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
2 to 3 pieces bread, crusts cut off, soaked in milk and then squeezed
2 eggs, beaten
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoon fresh mint
2 to 3 green onions, finely chopped
Tiny pinch of cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Olive oil, as needed

What you do for the meatballs:

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl by mixing with your hands.
Heat a frying pan or well-oiled grill on high heat.
Form the mixture into about 24 balls, then flatten them slightly. Reduce the heat and fry each one for about 12 minutes, flipping once.
Serve them hot with the pita and tzatziki sauce.

What you need for the tzatziki:

2 cups yogurt, (I use whole milk yogurt)

cheesecloth for straining

1 clove garlic, minced (or more if you like it really garlicky)

1/2 english cucumber, grated

salt and pepper to taste

fresh mint, optional

What you do for the tzatziki:

1. Line a sieve with cheesecloth and place the yogurt into the cheesecloth. Refrigerate for a few hours or over night to and allow it to drain. Pour off the liquid that is drained.

2. Grate the cucumber and squeeze it so you get as much liquid out of it as you can. Add this to the thickened yogurt.

3. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and optional mint. Mix it all up. I like to remove it from the fridge at least an hour before serving.

Now I just need to learn to make pita bread…

Guacamolata – Avocado Sauce

When I was in the Yucatan earlier this year I found a lot of places serving this runny avocado sauce with their tacos and some other dishes like eggs and fish. It is creamy, yet without any dairy. When I took a cooking class at Altamar Restaurant in Tulum, the chef told me the ingredients for the sauce, which he called guacamolata. Last night I was making several salsas to serve to company, so I gave this one a try. It’s a nice light tasting sauce that doesn’t overpower the rest of the food you are drizzling it on, and a pretty colour too! People who aren’t into spicy foods will appreciate this option. I served it with a spoon in it so that people could drizzle it on the chip they had dipped into the spicier salsa, to take a bit of the power out of the spice.

What you need:

1 ripe avocado (you know it’s ripe when you can press the little stem in easily – it should still be somewhat firm)

2-3 tablespoons chopped onion (I also used some grilled onion)

2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

juice of 1/2 lime

water to make it runny

salt to taste

What you do:

1. Put the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice and some salt into a bowl. Add a little water and use an immersion blender to blend it together (or put it all in a blender). Add more water until it is a very smooth and somewhat runny sauce. Taste and add more of whichever ingredient you think it requires. For serving with fish you can add more cilantro.

The sauce retains its green colour even if you don’t use it right away, so you can store it in the fridge for a few days.

Here is a picture of my breakfast at la Bruja on Isla Mujeres, Mexico, with some of this avocado sauce.

Tomato, Corn and Cucumber Salad

Here’s a really simple salad I’ve made a few times this summer, using tomatoes from my garden and cucumbers from a friend’s garden (and corn from the produce store). I just used my favourite homemade vinaigrette, super easy and delicious.

If I use tomatoes and cucumbers out of season I always choose the little ones – cherry tomatoes and those small cucumbers. They have way more flavour. And for winter corn I prefer canned over frozen, and I usually us Peaches and Cream. Still, the summer ones are the best, so I make this a lot while these things are growing nearby and in season.

What you need:

tomatoes

cucumber

sweet onion

corn on the cob

a few green olives

dressing ingredients:

about 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

about 1/4 teaspoon sugar

salt

pepper

white wine vinegar

olive oil

What you do:

1. Boil a pot of water for the corn and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Remove the corn and run it under cold water.

2. To make the dressing, put the mustard in a bowl and add the sugar and some salt and pepper. Add a little vinegar and mix it into the mustard so there are no lumps. Mix in a bit more vinegar, then drizzle in some olive oil while mixing with a fork. After you’ve added a bit, have a taste and see what you need to add more of.

3. Cut the cucumber and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Chop the onion and olives. Cut the corn off the cob, and put all the vegetables together in a bowl. Toss it with some dressing and serve it up.

Enjoy!

Créme de Cassis

Earlier in the summer I harvested the black currants from my community garden plot. A number of years ago I made this beverage with my good friend Connie, and we enjoyed sips of the sweet liquor. Créme de cassis can be served on its own, in sipping portions, in some white wine as a Kir, in champagne or sparkling wine as a Kir Royale, or on some vanilla ice cream.

I looked at many recipes, and then mainly went by this one, although I used Brandy instead of Vodka.

What you need:

1.5 lbs or about 680 grams fresh or frozen black or red currants (I didn’t have enough so I used some raspberries)

3 cups brandy

2 & 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

What you do:

1. Clean a large canning jar, and wash and de-stem the currants.

2. Smash the currants up and put them into the jar with all the other ingredients. Give it a few shakes, then put the lid on tightly and store it in a warm sunny place for about a month. Shake it around once or twice a week.

3. After about a month, strain the liquid through a fine sieve, lining it with a piece of cheesecloth if you want to get a really pure liquid. Bottle the liquid and enjoy as you wish.

You can also keep the fruit solids to make into other recipes, like an ice-cream sauce.

creme de cassis - trust in kim — sitting in the window for a month

Vegan Chocolate Mousse – not just for vegans!

My friend I-Wen brought this chocolate mousse to a BBQ the other day, and people gobbled it right up, before we had even finished the meal part of the BBQ. It is light, flavourful, and pretty much guilt-free! And did I mention easy to make?

What you need:

3/4 cup dark (70%) chocolate

12 oz silken tofu – Must be room temperature

1/2 cup unsweetened almond, soy or rice milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

What you do:

1. Melt the chocolate on top of a double boiler, or in a bowl on top of a small pot of water.

2. Warm the milk.

3. Throw all the ingredients into a blender or food processor (I used an immersion blender), and blend until it is all combined.

4. Scoop into bowls and refrigerate until cold.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Basil and Dijon Vinaigrette

I was lucky enough to be given some home-grown cucumbers, and then I went and picked these tomatoes and some basil from my garden. If you don’t have access to garden-fresh produce you can visit your local farmer’s market, or just try to find some that look tasty in the produce store. I like cherry tomatoes and the smaller cucumbers because they and often the tastiest option from the produce store.

I don’t use measuring tools to make my salad dressing, so the ingredients are ‘a little of this, a little of that’ and then you can taste your own way to a yummy dressing.

What you need:

some tomatoes

some cucumbers

part of a sweet onion

a few sprigs of fresh basil

dijon mustard

a little sugar

salt and freshly ground pepper

apple cider vinegar

olive oil

What you do:

1. Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into bite-sized pieces. Cut a bit of onion into smaller pieces. Put them all into a bowl.

2. To make the dressing, put a small spoonful of dijon into a bowl or cup. Add a few pinches of sugar and a little salt and pepper. Combine these, then pour in a touch of vinegar and mix it up. Add a few tablespoons more vinegar and mix it, then slowly add some olive oil. When you’ve mixed in a few tablespoons of olive oil, have a taste and see if you need more oil or anything else. It shouldn’t taste too acidic, but you also don’t want it to be too oily.

3. Pour some salad dressing over the veggies and toss them until everything is coated. Chop up a few leaves of basil and garnish the salad with them.

Enjoy!

Warm Peaches and Yogurt

This is a slightly fancier version of what I normally eat in the morning. My usual breakfast consists of yogurt and whatever fruit is in season, plus some homemade granola if I’m planning on cycling to work or somewhere else. I recently had a friend visiting who was allergic to fresh peaches; knowing how much she loves them, I decided to cook them a bit so she could eat them for breakfast. Adding yogurt to the warm fruit makes it seem a little like melted ice cream and fruit – pretty decadent for breakfast!

One of the great things about this recipe is that the peaches can be slightly under-ripened.

What you need:

1 peach. sliced (or substitute with a nectarine or a few apricots

1 tablespoon apricot jam

some blueberries or other fruits of your choice

plain yogurt

granola (optional)

1 teaspoon butter

What you do:

1. Heat the butter in a frying pan, then add the peach slices and jam. Cook them, flipping after a few minutes, until they are slightly tender. Stir to coat the peaches with the jam.

2. Place the peaches in bowls, then add some yogurt. Add some blueberries and granola if you’re using it, and you’re set!

Grilled Pattypan Squash

These adorable sunny squash are great on the grill. I planted two pattypan squash plants in my garden this year because they are the kind of thing I can often only find at a Farmer’s Market. They are taking over my little garden now and every day I’m finding more squash that are ready to pick, so I’m thinking of ways to cook ’em up. I pick them while they are still pretty small and tender, so they will be thin enough to heat through on the grill. This is a super simple recipe that enhances the flavour of the squash.

What you need:

pattypan squash

a few sprigs of thyme

olive oil

salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Heat the grill to medium-high. Cut the squash in half along the frilly edge. Rub the cut side with olive oil.

2. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and thyme onto the cut side.

3. When the grill is hot, place the squash cut-side down on the grill and leave in that position for the whole cooking process so you get one nice set of grill lines. Grill for 8-10 minutes with the lid down. Check it in the last few 4-5 minutes, as everybody’s grill works a little differently.

4. I decided mine were done when I could see a bit of browning around the edge, and when I touched the outside of the squash it had a little bit of give to it.

Serve it hot!

Eggs with Veggies and Guajillo Chili Salsa

For breakfast this morning I took a little inventory of the fridge contents and made up this meal. It’s just some fried veg mixed with guajillo chili salsa, and added to some scrambled eggs. Feel free to substitute for another kind of salsa, and substitute mushrooms or tomatoes if you have them. It is, after all, a clean-out-the-fridge recipe. Use what you’ve got!

The amounts really depend on how many people you are serving, and how much you like the various ingredients. The amounts suggested in brackets are for two people.

This recipe draws on the omelette-making I learned about in Spain, and the Mexican cooking I learned about with Eric Fischer at Altamar Restaurant in Tulum, Mexico.

What you need:

eggs, lightly beaten with a fork (4)

sweet onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

red bell pepper, chopped (1/2 a pepper)

garlic, finely minced (2 cloves)

avocado, chopped (1/2 an avocado)

olive oil (2-4 teaspoons)

salt and pepper to taste

guajillo chili salsa (or another salsa or some hot sauce) (2 teaspoons)

What you do:

1. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the peppers and cook for a few more minutes. If the pan is getting a little dry you can add some water to let the peppers soften up a little. Add the garlic and cook for about another minute. Add some salsa and mix it in.

2. In another fying pan, heat some olive oil to medium-high heat. Add the egg and let it bubble a little. Rather than stirring the eggs around, push them away from the edge of the pan and let the uncooked egg move to the edges of the pan. When the egg is just cooked, serve it alongside the veggies. Serve immediately with some avocado on top!

Mexican “Mother” Sauce – salsa fresca

I’ve made the classic salsa fresca, or pico de gallo, many times before. This recipe is very similar, but I got it from a cooking class I took at Altamira Restaurant in Tulum, Mexico with chef Eric Fischer. He called it the Mexican Mother Sauce, because it goes with everything. The thing I learned about salsa fresca from his class was that you don’t use the tomato seeds; not a big deal, but ends up being way less watery that way.

What you need:

100 grams tomato, diced, without seeds

50 grams sweet white onion, diced

5 grams cilantro, chopped

50 ml lime juice

2 grams serrano chili, finely minced

a large pinch each of salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Put everything in a bowl and stir it up. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate until you use it.

Serve with tortilla chips, or on the side of a meal with beans and rice.

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