Turkish Spinach and Feta Cheese "Shortcut" Gozleme

For Day2 of Blogging Marathon, I decided to make Gozleme and the cheese I used is "Feta". Gozleme is a Turkish pastry with savory vegetarian or meat filling all made from scratch!I find making the pastry from scratch a bit tedious so I follow this "shortcut method" that was taught to me in a Turkish Cooking Class -- Using Tortilla instead of the pastry. You should check out the YouTube Videos of Turkish women making this the authentic way. Its quite fascinating!

To make the Tortilla as soft as the hand-rolled pastry it will have to be "dipped in milk and oil mixture" and then cooked on the stove-top for a minute or two until the tops are slightly browned. While nothing can beat the taste of food made from scratch, the dipping in the "milk-oil mixture" step ensures that there isn't a remarkable difference in texture between the made-from-scratch and shortcut version.I have eaten both versions and love them both without bias! :) Note: With all the pepper and red pepper flakes this is NOT spicy, at-least not for me.Next time I will think of adding some hot peppers in the filling.

A few of my favorite Turkish Recipes: Muhellebi(Milk And Flour Pudding With Walnuts), Turkish "Spinach and feta cheese" Borek, Kisir(Turkish Tabbouleh)

Ingredients(For 2 Servings, 2 Tortillas per person):

• 4 Whole Grain Tortilla (I used Santa Fe)
• 5 Cups Packed Chopped Spinach
• 8 Tbsp Greek Crumbled Feta Cheese (I used Athinos)
• 3 Mini Peppers, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 1 Large Yellow Onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• More Oil for cooking the Tortilla

For Dipping the Tortilla(s):

• 1/2 Cup Skimmed Milk
• 1 Tsp Olive Oil

Procedure:

• Wash the spinach in several changes of cold water. Completely dry it of moisture and finely chop it. Set aside.

• In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the chopped onions along with cumin seeds, red pepper flakes and cracked pepper.

• Once the onions brown, add the chopped mini peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped spinach to the pan.

• Wilt the spinach for a couple of minutes. Add salt as needed and more cracked pepper if needed.

• Pour the milk and oil for dipping in a deep dish. Dip "one side" of the Tortilla in this milk-oil mixture.

• Add the spinach filling to the other side of the tortilla. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of crumbled Feta Cheese on the top of the spinach mixture and fold it in half.

• Transfer the tortilla to a non-stick skillet and drizzle a tsp of olive oil to the sides. Cook for a minute per side and transfer to serving plates.

• Cut the Tortilla into wedges and the "shortcut" Gozleme is ready to be consumed.

Enjoy!

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My Gargantuan "post-workout" breakfast: Cheesy Eggs +

Okay, before you let your jaw drop, I have to tell you that I eat "this much" ONLY after an intense 1-hour workout session. I come back from the gym with a dinosaur-like appetite that only subsides after I eat "this much". So my post-workout breakfast consists of

1. Fluffy omelet and cheese on a whole-wheat burger bun with POM/Orange juice to flush it down
2. A handful of Special K "red berries" cereal, sliced banana in a cup of warm skimmed milk
3. A mug of steaming plain green tea.

This keeps me full for a good 4-5 hours except making me thirsty for water of-course!Do you doubt?? Don't! The protein in the eggs, fiber in the banana and dried berries keep me full. This is my first entry for the 6th edition of week-long Blogging Marathon for the category "7 ways to use up an ingredient". My star ingredient is going to be "Cheese" cause I cook with them often and is well liked by one and all in the family. :). Today I chose the most common cheese "Cheddar" which is a staple in my fridge.

While everyone knows how to whip up an egg omelet, I will show my version anyway. I prefer mine soft, fluffy and barely set.Runny, jiggly eggs are not my style but my hubby assures me they are heavenly.Well, I don't know about that but I am working on getting over the aversion to jiggly eggs..

Ingredients:

• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 Slice Yellow or White "Cheddar" Singles 
• 1 Tbsp Skimmed Milk
• 1 Tsp Melted Butter
• 1 Tsp Olive Oil
• A few Grinds of Cracked Pepper
• Salt as needed
• 1 Whole-Wheat Burger Bun

Procedure:

• Add the Olive Oil and butter to the pan and give it a swirl.

• Whisk the egg whites and egg yolk along with milk, salt and pepper.

• Pour the egg-milk mixture into the pan and reduce the flame to low.  Keep stirring the egg mixture in circles.

• Once the egg mixture starts thickening let it cook "undisturbed" for a minute or so.

• Pull the spatula inwards and tilt the pan slightly so the runny portions flow over and cook for a minute.

• Once the omelet is not jiggly, fold and add the cheese single.

• Transfer the egg right-away to the bottom portion of the burger and top it with tomato slices.

• Top it with the remaining portion of the bun and enjoy it warm with Orange Juice or POM Juice.

Enjoy! 

• The second portion of my breakfast-

Now I am ready to go about my business for the day without worrying about hunger pangs for the next 4-5 hours.

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Sloppy Joe With Ground Turkey, Black Bean, Dill Pickle and Hot Cherry Peppers

Hello Peeps, how are you?I am doing okay, thank you! Sorry for going "AWOL" on you. I have been extremely busy dealing with other issues in my life..So had to put my blog/blogging in the back burner for a bit. But no worries, I am back and I plan to avoid going away for long periods of time. Has it really been 3+ weeks since I did my last post? Hmm, time does fly real quick, doesn't it? I wish that there were at-least 2 extra hours in a day cause that will really help a chaotic person like me to instill some structure in my life..Ahh, a person can only hope, yes?

Anyways, this post was originally intended to be up on Father's day, in honor of the dads in my life(my dad,my son's dad, my nephew's dad...) but it would have been so inappropriate.Are you wondering why? While everything about "Sloppy Joe" screams man-food, it would have been inappropriate to honor the orderly and systematic dad(s) with such a sloppy dish. So I waited one more day to post this. Silly me. I know. But its so worth getting your fingers and face messy with this awesome dish. My version of "Sloppy Joe" has Sour Dill Pickle, Hot Cherry Peppers and Dark brown sugar amongst others things to give you a flavor explosion the minute it hits your mouth. Ooh, La, La!

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Lean Ground Turkey
• 2/3 Cup Canned/Cooked Black Bean
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Small Green Bell Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar or less
• 1/4 Cup Italian Sauce (Any brand- Prego or Ragu)
• 1/2 Tsp Cracked Black Pepper (Optional)
• 1 Kosher Dill Pickle Spear (I used Mt.Olive Brand)
• 2 Hot Cherry Peppers in Vinegar Brine (B& G Brand)
• 1 Tbsp Hot/Tabasco Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt as needed

Procedure:

• Heat Olive Oil in a pan and brown the chopped onions. Once it is lightly browned, add the ground meat and stir until it becomes crumbly, for about 2-3 minutes.

• Throw in the chopped Green bell pepper, cracked black pepper, Tabasco sauce. Stir to incorporate.

• Pour the Italian sauce soon-after along with brown sugar and salt for taste.Stir to incorporate. Lid the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.

• Chop the Dill Pickle and Hot& Sour Cherry Peppers.

• Add the drained black beans, the chopped up dill and hot&sour cherry peppers.

• Cook for 3-4 more minutes without the lid and its good to eat.

• Serve it with store-bought or homemade hamburger or slider buns along with some Kettle fried Potato chips.

Makes 2-3 Small Servings.

Note: Ground Turkey may be substituted with Ground Pork, Beef or Chicken or a combo of meats.Your call!

Enjoy!

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Easy Eggless and Moist Banana-Nut Bread

This has been sitting in the draft for sometime for the lack of a bright picture. I dunno, whenever I decide to make this bread the rain gods decide to bestow upon my town a downpour that quickly turns to deluge with nary a ray of sunshine for a bright picture.. By the time the sun decides to come out I have got no bread left! So what gives? Do dying bananas and rain have a connection?  Now why do I waste my "brain space" with that pointless question? I have no idea. Anyways, I doubled the recipe this time(although the recipe is for only ONE loaf) to ensure that I had some left when the blanket of gloom lifts off.

Picture1: taken on a bight sunny day. Picture2: taken on a gloomy day.No matter what, this is the best Banana Walnut Bread (sans Eggs).While I am not a professionally trained cook, I am extremely confident about quality and the taste-factor of all the dishes I post.After a decade of dabbling in the kitchen I sort of know my way around it and certainly know how to put a great meal together. While that holds true, I am not in the habit of "frequently" attaching adjectives like "Fantastic, Fabulous, Insanely-Good, Best-Ever" to my dishes because I am humble enough to know there is always someone in some-part of the world who can do it better. But I have to say I am badly itching to go over-board with all those adjectives and more for this bread. Base Recipe was taken from here.

Ingredients(Makes One 9X5-inch loaf):

• 1-1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Whole-Wheat Flour
• 1/3 Cup Sugar (1/2 Cup if you want it Sweet)
• 1/2 Cup Walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 2-1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Bob's Red Mill Flax-seed Meal
• 3 Tbsp Hot Water
• 2 Tbsp Butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp Canola Oil
• 2 Tbsp Buttermilk
• 3-4 Medium Very-Ripe "Cavendish/Chiquita" Bananas
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

 Procedure:

• Sift both the flours, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.Add the salt and sugar and stir to combine.

• Add the flaxseed meal to a small bowl along with the hot water. Stir to incorporate. Let it sit undisturbed for 10-12 minutes.

• Peel and roughly mash the banana in a large bowl. To it add the melted butter, oil, flaxseed-water mixture, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Stir to combine.

• Add the toasted and chopped walnuts.

• Mix the dry ingredients with the wet, in small batches. Stir only till combined.

• Grease the 9 X 5 inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pour the batter into the pan.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake at this temperature for 40 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for 15 more minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. 
  
• Cool it completely prior to slicing. Goes well with a cup of Black Coffee or Strong Tea.

Make sure to check couple of similar quick breads: Cocoa-Banana-Walnut Bread, Egg-less Strawberry Walnut Bread.

Note:

• After cooling wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate. It tastes better the next day. 
• Can be refrigerated up-to a week

Enjoy!

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Hello Everyone! Meet Imogen, my kitchen assistant

Hey Everyone, I have a new assistant in the kitchen named Imogen(E-Mo-Juhn). With her sturdy arms and savvy ways, she is here to make mixing and kneading a breeze! She comes in a sexy package,an alluring shade of purple that gives my kitchen the much needed face-lift. Why did I choose her? Purple is the gorgeous lovechild of vibrant red and cool blue. Well, Purple screams royalty!And that wasn't the reason why I chose it. Arrrgh! I really don't have an exact reason why I chose this color. I mean, I had to choose one and this color seemed as good as any. Yeah,they all are good and at par with one another! That was the problem.

While I am "unable" to pinpoint why I chose this shade, I can with (LoL) "somewhat-certainty" tell you why I didn't choose the ones that I came this "--> <-- " close to choosing. Okay, serious considerations were given to Candy Apple Red(which happens to be my favorite color) but its too common, found in many many kitchens. Black(my second favorite color), but that wouldn't co-exist or pop in my kitchen. Raspberry Ice, too girly and so gorgeous but my son may not want it after I kick the bucket!Silver Metallic, to match with all the other stainless steel appliances in my kitchen but I want Imo to not blend but hold her own. Gloss Cinnamon, so warm and reminds one of fragrant freshly baked Cinnamon Apple pies but it wasn't a standout..After going back and forth like a gazillion times I finally decided on Boysenberry.

Umm, this is not a brag post although Kitchen-aid Mixers deserve that and more. But I am so happy with this new addition to my kitchen. She and I have just started a sweet/savory journey and I see plenty of breads, cakes and bakes in the future.

Kitchen-aid in Aqua Sky from Martha Stewart's collection(a possible successor, if something does happen to Imo, which is highly unlikely!) I know, I know. I am confused with what I want next. So many gorgeous colors and its so easy to get befuddled!

Enjoy!

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