http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

Not only is pumpkin delectable and loaded with nutrients, but it can also be used to make a variety of sweet and savoury holiday tarts. Mellow, sweet flavour of pumpkin blends so well with cheese and herbs. The cream is used to give extra smoothness and richness to the filling. To enjoy them at their best, serve those tartlets soon after baking.
Inspired by Gordon Ramsay Recipes

1. To make the pastry, combine whole grain spelt flour, hazelnut and salt in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add the egg yolks and 1 tbsp water and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together. If it is too dry, add another 1–2 tsp water, until you can press the dough together into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for the filling, put the cream into a small saucepan and add the snipped sage, lemon thyme sprigs and a pinch of salt. Bring just to a simmer, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse and cool completely.
3. Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface and use it to line twelve 5cm tarlet tins, trimming off the excess pastry. Place on a baking tray and chill for an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line the tartlet cases with greaseproof paper and baking beans or dried beans and ‘bake blind’ for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and lower the setting to 170C/340F.
5. Strain the herb-infused cream through a fine sieve into a bowl, discarding the herbs. Stir in the pumpkin purée, beaten eggs and freshly grated Parmesan. Season well to taste. Spoon the filling into the pastry cases, then sprinkle a few lemon thyme leaves on top. Bake for about 20–25 minutes until lightly golden and set. Let the tartlets cool in the tins before unmoulding.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

Couscous, if not prepared properly, could taste really bland and boring. This Italian inspired fried couscous was a really pleasant surprise. The crunchiness of the toasted couscous, and rich, sharp flavour of Gorgonzola with tangy vinaigrette dressing are simply a perfect blend.

Stir-fried Couscous Salad with Gorgonzola

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable broth and 1/3 teaspoon salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover until the liquid had been absorbed and the couscous is tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the couscous and break up any lumps.
2. In a large, nonstick skillet heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the garlic and discard. Increase the heat to high and add the couscous. Cook, stirring constantly, for 6 minutes. Continue to cook the couscous, stirring every 5 minutes, until toasted, about 25 minutes.
3. Transfer the couscous to a large serving bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Add the Gorgonzola, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, and red basil. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper until smooth. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until the couscous is coated.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

Before getting down the details of this delicious and healthy energy bar recipe, I want to take this opportunity to share with you something exciting....Many of you have heard of the Fairy Hobmother from the Appliances Online who has been visiting blogs, granting wishes and spreading joy!
A little while ago, I left a comment and a wish on The Peach Kitchen, who had just been visited by the Fairy Hobmother. And to my pleasant surprise, the Fairy knocked on my door and gifted me an Amazon gift card, so I can treat myself something nice.
Want to be the next LUCKY one? Just make a wish with your *heart* and leave a comment under this post......I am sure the Fairy is listening...Good Luck and thank you again, Fairy Hobmother!

Almond Bars with Bergamot and Mint

• 70 g Almond meal
• 35 g Chopped almonds
• 1 tbsp Bergamot herb, finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp Mint, finely chopped
• 40 g Cranberries, chopped
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Walnut oil
• 1 tbsp Maple syrup
• 2 tbsp Water

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 23 cm x 14 cm loaf pan with a baking paper. Stir together the almond meal, chopped almonds, chopped herbs, cranberries and salt in a bowl.
2. Add in walnut oil, maple syrup and water. Mix well with a fork or your hand until all the ingredients come together. Press it onto the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the middle of the hot oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cut into slices and serve.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

Here is another very simple and surprisingly tasty cooked beet salad simply dressed with walnut oil and sherry vinegar. Except for cooking the beets, which takes less than an hour to boil in water, the salad is ready in no time at all.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

Mangelwurzel, shortened to mangel, or mangold, aka chard, is one of the cultivated leafy vegetables derived from beet. Like pumpkin, mangelwurzel was traditionally grown as cattle food. However, during the 18th century, European farmers improved mangelwurzels in size and flavour, it has become an excellent addition to our tables. If you love beets, then give this rustic crop a try. You will love them!

• 3-4 Medium beetroots
• 1 tbsp Freshly chopped garden chervil
• 1/3 tsp Fleur de sel
• Walnut oil
• Sherry vinegar

1. Place beets into a saucepan, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then cook for 30-40 minutes, until tender. Drain and cool.
2. Once the beets are cool, thinly cut beets acrossways with a mandolin slicer. Finely chop the garden chervil.
3. Arrange the slices of beets on a serving plate. Sprinkle the chopped parsley and fluer de sel over the beets. Drizzle walnut oil and sherry vinegar over.

• 3 slice Black forest smoked bacon
• 300 g Mangold leaves
• 2 tbsp Canola oil
• 2 clove Garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 Cayenne chilli pepper
• 1 tbsp Medium dry sherry
• Salt to taste

1. Cook bacon until crisp in a skillet over medium-high heat and drain. Crumble the bacon and reserve the dripping.
2. Wash the mangold leaves well and trim. Cut into the inch pieces. Thinly slice the garlic cloves. Slice the pepper open, remove the membrane and seeds, then slice.
3. Heat a large skillet over high heat until very hot. Add in the canola oil, bacon dripping and the garlic slices. Stir briefly, then add the mangold and sliced pepper, and stir-fry until the leaves wilt. Drizzle in sherry and taste with salt. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the bacon crumbles over.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

Couscous is a staple food throughout North African countries and a dish enjoyed worldwide. It's a Berber dish that costs little and nourishes a lot. The one we usually find in the grocery stores is the tiny grained Moroccan couscous that has been pre-steamed. All you need to do is to mix them with boiling stock or water, and let stand for a few minutes, fluff the grains with a fork--incredibly easy to prepare. However, couscous is fairly flavorless on its own and tends to take on the flavour of other ingredients or sauces that it’s prepared with. This simple salad, inspired by one of my favourite recipe websites Essen und Trinken, is prepared with fluffy couscous, freshly diced tomatoes, pickled gherkins, and spring onions tossed with a fresh herb vinaigrette.

1. In a saucepan, bring vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
2. Dice the pickled gherkin and tomatoes. Place them in a bowl. Cut the spring onions into thin rings and add into the bowl.
3. Finely chop the mint and parsley leaves. Whisk together with the remaining dressing ingredients. Toss together the couscous, diced vegetables and the dressing. Taste, and adjust the seasoning. Cover and refrigerate, allowing the flavours to mingle, for 30 minutes.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

Beets are delicious cooked or raw, in salads or soups, as an appetizer or a meatless main course with some couscous. This beet root salad recipe is really easy and tasty, and takes little time to prepare. The dark-green colored leaves with red tones are an excellent source of carotenoids, flavonoid anti-oxidants and vitamin A.

Minty Grated Raw Beet Salad

• 500 g Beets
• 3 tbsp Freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Mint leaves, finely chopped
• Salt to taste

1. Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, and grate in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade. Finely chop the mint leaves.
2. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with the beets and chopped mint leaves. Season to taste with salt.
3. The raw beet salad can be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator, covered well, for a couple of days. It will soak up flavours and become more tender, yet stay crispy and crunchy. Toss again before serving.

Beet Greens Stir-fry with Shallot and Garlic

• 350 g Beet greens
• 2 tbsp Corn oil
• 1 Shallot, finely diced
• 1 clove Garlic, sliced
• Sea salt
• White pepper

1. Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced shallot and sliced garlic, cook 3to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the beet greens to the skillet. Cook and stir until they are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

A healthy and delicious summer salad with lovely juicy cherry tomatoes, garden fresh mint leaves, and a little of finely diced red onions. Don't overdress this salad....just a little bit salt, black pepper, drizzle of quality olive oil and if desired, a sprinkle of finely grated lemon zest to finish off.

1. Halve the tomatoes and scatter over a large plate. Finely chop the red onion and tear up the mint leaves.
2. Throw the onion and mint over the tomatoes. Can be kept, covered, 3-4 hours ahead. Just before serving, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and ground black pepper and finely grate a little lemon zest over the top.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

This is a rustic rye loaf hollowed out and refilled with a mixture of ricotta, cream cheese, chives, and vegetables. Original recipe calls for 150 grams of bacon bits for the filling, I omitted it for the sake of eating healthy and just used more potatoes and ricotta instead.
Recipe adapted from Essen und Trinken

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

1. Cook the potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes until fork tender. Drain. Peel the potatoes while still warm, and push through a passatutto or potato ricer.
2. Hard boil the eggs for about 8 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water and leave to cool. Cut the chives into rings with scissors. Deseed the sweet bell peppers and finely dice. Cut the gherkin into fine dices. Peel the eggs and roughly chop them.
3. Combine the chive rings, diced bell peppers, gherkin, eggs, ricotta and cream cheese in a large bowl together with mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cut an inch off the top of bread loaf, and hollow out center of loaf.
4. Refill the loaf with the prepared cheese mixture. Store the whole loaf in a paper bag and chill for 2-3 hours until the filling is set. Slice and serve.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

A rather different, but tasty nonetheless biscotti recipe with whole wheat spelt, and chocolate-flavoured red wine. Caraway seeds and black pepper have added a flirtatious spicy twist that compliments a glass of powerful Châteauneuf-du-Pape perfectly.
Recipe adapted from Too Much Food

• 360 g Whole wheat spelt
• 1/2 tbsp Baking powder
• 40 g Caster sugar
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 3/4 tsp Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp Caraway seeds
• 300 ml Chocolate flavoured red wine
• 1/2 Egg white, lightly beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Mix together whole wheat spelt flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, black pepper and caraway seeds in a large bowl.
2. Pour in red wine and olive oil. Mix until smooth. Divide dough in half and shape two logs, 10 inches long and 3 inches wide. Brush the tops with egg white.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 93C/200F. Slice each log into 1/2-inch-wide slices with a serrated knife.
4. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes. Turn biscotti over halfway in between. Transfer to rack and cool.

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

http://schneiderchen.de | © 2011 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

This light and delicious NO BAKE cheesecake is perfect for summer. It is made with lower fat cream cheese, whipping cream, Swiss meringue and garnished with a mix of coconut and mint. I have also added a layer of cake roll in between, but other cake leftover or even Oreo cookies would make a great substitute.
Recipe inspired by Food Network

1. Combine the rum and lime juice in a medium, heatproof bowl, and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Allow to soak for 5 minutes, then place the bowl over a small pan of gently simmering water and stir several times to melt the gelatin, about 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the pan and cool the gelatin slightly.
2. Beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and light, scraping the bowl and beaters often. Beat in the cream until smooth. Combine the egg whites and sugar in the clean, dry bowl of the electric mixer and heat over simmering water, whisking constantly, until the egg whites are hot and sugar is dissolved. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk attachment at medium speed until cold and firm.
3. Beat 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture into the dissolved gelatin, then beat the gelatin mixture into the remaining cream cheese. Fold in the meringue in several additions.
4. Line a 25x13x6 cm /10x5x2 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap and set aside. Pour half of the filling into the prepared loaf pan, then the Swiss rolls and lastly the other half of the mousse. Cover and refrigerate until at least 6 hours or overnight until set.
5. Use a vegetable chopper to process the desiccated coconut and mint leaves until well combined. Remove the cake from the form and place it on a serving plate. Sprinkle the coconut-mint mixture all over the cake.

This pasta is REALLY simple, fast, and delicious, too, just like most of Italian recipes. It perfectly combines the delicious flavours with balanced nutrition and since the sauce can be prepared ahead of time, this is ideal for those who haven't much time to cook, but are unwilling to compromise on a bottled sauce.
Adapted from Taste

• 120 g Pitted green olives
• 2 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 bunch Mint, leaves picked
• 1/2 bunch Flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
• 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan, plus extra shavings to serve
• 100 ml Olive oil
• Freshly mulled black pepper
• 400 g Spaghetti
• Some radicchio, shredded

1. Rinse and drain olives, then pulse in a food processor with garlic, herbs, cheese and oil until roughly chopped, not smooth. Season with pepper.
2. Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, then return pasta to pan.
3. Add the pesto and shredded radicchio. Toss gently to combine. Serve with extra cheese shavings.

This is an easy dish to assemble and so tasty with loaded flavours. I had them with some spinach pasta and some greens for the lunch. It was a pure comfort. The smoked sweet paprika gives this creamy braised chicken dish a distinctive flavour.
Adapted from Taste

• 700 g Chicken drumsticks
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp Corn oil
• 2-3 Shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 clove Garlic, thinly sliced
• 2/3 tbsp Sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 can Tomato
• 300 ml Chicken stock
• 90 g Sour cream
• Some chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1. Rinse the chicken drumsticks thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels. Give the drumstick a few cuts with a knife. Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes on each side or until chicken drumsticks are golden. Remove and drain on paper towel.
3. Add sliced shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring, until golden. Add in smoked paprika and cumin seeds. Stir briefly, then add in tomato and stock. Return the chicken drumsticks to the skillet. Bring it to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for a further 10 minutes. Turn the heat off. Stir in sour cream. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

And I want to take this opportunity to thank my beautiful blog friends, Elisabeth at Food and Thrift Finds, Chris at Chris's Gourmet Fashion, Jessica at Cajunlicious and Tina at Flour Trader for passing on their awards to me. THANK YOU, ladies, for thinking of me!