Asparagus Tart

You can have this tart as an appetizer or along side a healthy meal like Salmon!

Healthy, great taste, easy to make, and gorgeous!

Ingredients:

-1 Pound Asparagus , trimmed
-1 Sheet puff pastry (1/2 pound)
-2 tablespoon cream cheese
-50 grams grated Parmesan cheese
-2 tablespoon olive oil
-Salt & Pepper
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-1 Egg

How to prepare:

Preheat the oven to 400 degree.
In a pan add olive oil and asparagus salt & Pepper.
Saute until asparagus are soft and tender.
Roll the puff pastry into 10 by 16 inch rectangle. Transfer to your baking tray. Trim the edges. using a knife shape a rectangle inside the edges.
Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings.
Bake the pastry until golden. about 15 minutes.
In a bowl beat the egg and add cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, nut meg, salt & Pepper and mix well.
Remove the pastry from oven and spread the cheese mixture on top evenly. Trim the asparagus and arrange crosswise inside the pastry.
Put it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve warm.

Chicken Sausage

We love sausages. Who doesn't? After I saw some videos about making sausages and what's in it, I can not stand looking at sausages in the supermarkets anymore! Until I found this recipe and now me and my family can eat sausage. Home made sausage is easy, yummy and healthy!

Try this recipe and fall in love with home made sausage.

*In near future I will post the meat sausage recipe as well.

Thanks Gilda for this great recipe.

 Ingredients:

-2 Whole Chicken Breasts
-200 grams Cream (You can use thick yogurt instead)
-3 Egg Whites
-Salt & Pepper
-Powdered Thyme,Oregano, Paprika
-2 to 3 cloves of Garlic
-2 to 3 Slices of toasts (Just inside of the toast )
- 4 to 5 tablespoons Milk

How to prepare:
 

Cut the outside part of the toasts. Pour milk on the toast, enough until they are wet.
Cut the chicken into small pieces.
In the electric mixer add all the ingredients and mix until it forms a paste.

On a clean surface put plastic wrap for about 25 to 30 cm.
Transfer the paste in a plastic bag forming like a decorating dispenser.
Cut the tip of the plastic bag as much as you want the sausage size be.
Start from top of the plastic bag and pour the paste on the plastic from top to bottom.
Fold the plastic wrap over the paste. make sure no air goes in.

With a string or band tie two ends of plastic wrap and tie middle of the sausage make equal sizes.

Bring a pan of water to boil and cook the sausages 10 to 15 minutes.

let it stand in the fridge for a few hours.
Unwrap the sausage and fry.

Persian Upside Down Rice With Eggplans And Meat

Tahchin (Rice with eggplant and meat) is one of favorite foods in Iran that usually is been made in parties and formal gatherings.

Making Tahchin takes a little bit of time and lots of dirty dishes but, I think it worth it!

Layers of fried eggplants and meat with those saffron rice and barberries make a delicious combination in your mouth!

Ingredients:

2 small Eggplants sliced width wise

300 grams stew beef

1 onion sliced

4 cups Persian rice

4-5 egg yolks

1 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup oil

Salt & Pepper

1 teaspoon each Turmeric, Cinnamon, Saffron

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Barberries, sliced pistachio, sliced almonds

How to prepare:

In 2 separate cups soak pistachio and almond slices.

Add some salt to eggplants and set aside till the bitter juice of eggplants comes out and it helps eggplants absorb less oil and be less oily.

In a glass cup add 1/2 cup hot water and 2 teaspoons of saffron. cover the cup and let sit for a few minutes until the water is beautiful golden yellow (I explain Persian style saffron in another post)

In a medium sauce pan add olive oil and sliced onions add some turmeric. when the onions changed their color and are a little bit light add the stew beef . add more turmeric, 1 teaspoons of saffron with water that we made earlier , 1 teaspoon cinnamon, pepper and a cup water. put the lid and wait till the meat is well cooked and the pan has 1/3 cup water. when the meat is cooked add salt. * Always add salt add the end this prevents meat from being hard.

add some salt

Wipe the eggplants with paper towels and fry them.

Make the rice Persian style. (I explain Persian style rice in another post)

Mix egg yolks, yogurt, saffron, lemon juice, oil, salt & pepper together to create a beautiful mixture.

Add half of rice to egg mixture and stir.

Grease a big sauce pan or a Pyrex generously with butter. add the egg mixture and press the top with spoon. layer eggplants then meat on top of egg and saffron rice mixture. add the other half of rice on top and press with spoon again. add some cubes of butter on top and bake in the oven with 350 degree for 45 to 50 minutes. you can bake it on oven top as well.

Wash the barberries and let stand in the water for a few minutes.

In a small pan add butter add barberries, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon saffron and 2 tablespoon water. let cook for 5 minutes.

In a separate pan add butter and pistachio slices and 1 table spoon water cook for 2 minutes.

add the same thing for almond slices.

When the rice is cooked turn it over on your serving dish and decorate with barberries, pistachio and almonds.

Enjoy!

Eggplant & Yogurt Dip (Borani Badenjan)

This is a very popular dip in Iran. with just few ingredients you can make this irresistible dip!

Ingredients:

-1 Eggplant peeled and cut lengthwise

-1 cup yogurt

-2 cloves garlic minced

-1 tablespoon tomato paste

-salt & pepper

-2 tablespoons dry mint

-olive oil

How to prepare: 
 

In a medium sauce pan add a little bit olive oil and saute eggplants. when eggplants are soft mash them and add minced garlic,tomato paste,salt & pepper and 1 tablespoon dry mint. put the lid on and wait until eggplants are well cooked and all ingredients well combined.

cool the mixture.

In your serving dish layer yogurt then the mixture and repeat. top with dry mint.

Enjoy!