Chestnuts offer high fiber, mineral and cholesterol-free benefits of tree nuts, without the calories and fat content. And they are gluten free! They also are the only nut that contains a significant amount of vitamin C. Like all plant foods, chestnuts contain no cholesterol. So why not "go nuts"?

1. Using a small sharp knife, carefully score chestnuts by making a single, 1/8-inch deep slit across the center on the rounded side of the nut, to keep them from exploding during cooking. Rinse and soak in the water for 10 minutes. Drain.
   
2. Place the pan filled with salt and drained chestnuts on medium heat. Stir fry the chestnuts until the salt has turn lightly browned, drizzle the sugar syrup over while keep stirring. Continue stirring until the shells open up and look dark brown.

Lamb’s Lettuce, (Feldsalat auf Deutsch), also sometimes called field or corn salad, has a slightly nutty, tangy flavor. (My husband can't stand it because it's too green;) The name 'lamb's lettuce' appears to stem from the fact that it tastes best during lambing season, and some people also call it 'lamb's tongue', because the leaves resemble small tongues.
Like many zesty-flavored foraged greens, lamb's lettuce has a high nutritional value. It typically provides several vital minerals and nutrients, including vitamins C, E, and B9, along with beta carotene and essential fatty acids. Commercially cultivated lamb's lettuce may not be as nutritionally rich, depending on farming practices, but it is generally more beneficial than conventional lettuce.

1. Peel and pit the mango, cutting the flesh into 5mm cubes. Place the mango cubes in a large salad bowl. Tear the lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad bowl with the lamb’s lettuce, and onion.
2. To make the dressing, in a clean jar, combine the oils and vinegar. Add the parsley, garlic, shallot, honey, salt and pepper. Close the lid and shake furiously until well combined. Pour just enough dressing over the salad to moisten it, then toss to coat evenly. Garnish with the avocado slices and serve.

Dulce de Leche, differing from caramel, which is made with sugar, corn syrup, milk or cream, and butter, is simply sweetened condensed milk boiled down to a thickened sauce. It is especially popular in South American countries.

1. Toss the cookie crumbs into the melted butter in a mixing bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the mixture for the topping. Press the rest of the mixture onto the bottom and up 3cm high of a greased 24cm spring form pan. Chill until it’s ready for use.
   
2. Using electric mixer beat balance cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add yogurt and eggs, beating until just blended. Stir in cornstarch, dulce de leche, lemon juice and zest until blended.
   
3. Pour the mixture into the crust and sprinkle the top with reserved cookie crumbs. Drizzle some milk caramel over if desired. Steamed bake the cheesecake at 165C/330F for 65 minutes until almost set. Turn oven off. Leave the cake with the oven door ajar for 1 hour. Cool completely and chill at least 4 hours or overnight until firm.

Dry-frying (干煸 gān biān), one of six uniquely Szechuan cooking techniques, means food cut into thin sticks stirred continually in a wok with a very small amount of oil over a medium high flame until the food is dried out slightly, browned.
Sichuan cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine originating in Sichuan Province of southwestern China is famed for bold flavors, particularly the spiciness resulting from liberal use of chilis and "numb" or "tingling" flavor of the Sichuan peppercorn.

1. Shred the chicken, bamboo shoots and dried chillies. Combine together maggi sauce, rice wine and salt in a small bowl. Heat some oil in the skillet until hot. Add in shredded dried chillies and fry until fragrant. Remove the dried chillies and reserve for the later use. Add in shredded chicken and cook until the chicken have released the oil. Add in the prepared sauce and shredded bamboo shoots.
   
2. Continue stir-frying 1-2 minutes. Return the fried chillies, and season the mixture with pinch of chicken bouillon. Toss until well combined. Sprinkle the spring onions over and transfer to a serving plate.

Recipe Source: Dr. Oetker A-Z Backen

Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease.
In addition to their cholesterol-lowering effects, almonds' ability to reduce heart disease risk may also be partly due to the antioxidant action of the vitamin E found in the almonds, as well as to the LDL-lowering effect of almonds' monounsaturated fats. (LDL is the form of cholesterol that has been linked to atherosclerosis and heart disease). When almonds are substituted for more traditional fats in human feeding trials, LDL cholesterol can be reduced from 8 to 12%.
In addition to healthy fats and vitamin E, a quarter-cup of almonds contains almost 99 mg of magnesium (that's 24.7% of the daily value for this important mineral), plus 257 mg of potassium. World's Healthiest Foods

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 30x40cm baking tray with paper. Combine the sugar, vanilla sugar and almond slices for the topping in a bowl. Set aside.
   
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add in Quark, milk, oil, sugar and salt. Mix all the ingredients with a hand mixer fitted with dough hooks for 1 minute on high speed. Don’t over stir the dough or it will become sticky.
   
3. Place the dough onto the prepared tray and roll it out. Spread the softened butter all over the surface of the dough. Spead the topping mixture evenly onto the dough. Bake on the upper rack of the hot oven for about 20 minutes until golden crispy.

Recipe Source:The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard

Left-over rice, even if it's over-cooked but with the grains still separate, can be mixed into dough to make a sturdy, simple, white loaf. This loaf , which I enjoy toasted in the morning, uses milk and a little honey to slightly sweeten and help colour the crumb when toasted. This is important as the rice doesn't take colour very quickly.

1. Whisk together the rice, milk, yeast and honey in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the flour and salt, then pour the liquid in and mix until you have a soft sticky dough. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
   
2. Rub 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the work surface and knead the dough on the oiled surface for 10 seconds, ending with the dough in a smooth, round ball. Clean and dry the bowl, then rub lightly with a teaspoon of olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and leave for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the dough and knead once more on the oiled surface, returning the shape of the dough to a smooth round ball. Place it back in the bowl, cover, and leave for 1 hour in a warm place.
   
3. Grease a 27x10 cm loaf tin. Shape the dough into a roll and place it into the tin seam-side down. Cover the dough with a cling film and leave for 1 hour or until doubled. Dust the top with flour. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Bake the bread for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C/375F and bake for a further 20 minutes until the loaf has pulled away slightly from the sides of the tin and is a golden-brown. Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.