Salsa Recipe

Several years ago, we where invited to a barbecue and that's when I first tried homemade salsa on top of my steak. Since then, there is no barbecue without this great side dish for my family and friends, and even our kids love the veggies boost ;O)

Salsa is great all year round on not only steak, but also chicken or even meatloaf.

Ingredients:

• half of white onion
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers
• 1-2 lemons (depending on size and amount of juice)
• cilantro
• salt to taste

1. Chop all the veggies finely and place them in a mixing bowl.

Use 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers depending on how hot the peppers are, and on your personal preference. It's a good idea to use gloves while chopping the peppers; sometimes they are very hot, and the skin burn afterwards is not very pleasant.

2. Roll a lemon on a flat surface applying pressure to release the juice before cutting it in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl.

3. Add salt to taste. (I personally use quite a bit of salt.)

4. Mix the salsa and leave it for a bit to let the flavors mix.

If your salsa is too spicy for your taste, add finely chopped cucumbers, but allow the flavors to mix first as the salsa becomes milder after a while.

I also make a different version of this recipe without the tomatoes, which we use for steak tacos (great way to reuse leftover steak the next day after grilling). All you will need are some corn tortillas, which will be topped with reheated steak cut into pieces and salsa.

Enjoy!

by Mirela Jazdzewska from Jantar Handcrafted Jewelry

Sumatran Spiced Limeade

I decided to make this recipe one day when I saw some juicy limes at the supermarket that I couldn't pass up. Tucked into one of my fiance's dusty culinary notebooks was a handwritten recipe that sounded strangely exotic and wonderfully refreshing: Sumatran Spiced Limeade.

The name alone made my mouth water, so I stuck the recipe page on the fridge, and proceeded to check my shelves for all ingredients. Coincidentally, there were stalks of lemongrass hanging out on the shelf. Searched through the pantry and found everything else I needed. Perfect!

Limeade Recipe (doubled here to make a larger brew):
Makes 8 cups

• 9 cups of water
• 2 2-inch pieces fresh of ginger
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves (or 1/4 tsp. ground cloves)
• 6 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 6 stalks of lemongrass
• 6 tsbp. palm sugar

1. With the handle of a knife, lightly bruise stalks of lemongrass to release its juices. Cut off tips and ends and tie each stalk into a bundle.
2. In a large pot, add lemongrass, cinnamon sticks, cloves, palm sugar and ginger. Add water on top and bring to a simmer. Do not boil.
   
3. Add palm sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
4. Turn off heat and add lime juice.
5. Refrigerate until cold. Serve in glass with ice. Add slice of lime and cinnamon stick for garnish.

A note: the original recipe called for 3 whole cloves, but I substituted ground since I didn't have any.

The combination of tart and sweet is perfect for a hot summer day, and the spiciness of the ginger and cloves provides a slight kick. This has become my favorite drink to make during the summer. I've never been to Sumatra, but after sipping this, I am whisked away to the Indonesian island (if only by the tastebuds)!


-Lisa {Pretty Stationery for Beautiful Souls}
http://www.fubabee.com

Potato and pickled beet salad

My husband was very anxious to kick off the barbecue season this year, partially due to a gradual change in my cooking habits in recent months which introduced vegetarian dishes to our dinner menu. Even though I enjoy a good steak once in a while, I love all the veggie-loaded side dishes. Potato and Beet salad is one of my family's and friend's favorites.

Ingredients:

1 can of Goya dark kidney beans

1 jar of Greenwood sweet & tangy sliced pickled beets

1 red onion

4-5 medium potatoes

Salt & pepper to taste

Mayonnaise

Recipe

Peel and dice the potatoes, place in a pot covering with water, add salt and cook on medium high until soft. Drain and let cool.

Drain the picked beets and cut into pieces.

Add diced red onion and drained red kidney beans.

Mix in mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Over the years, I have tried many brands of dark kidney beans and pickled beets, and learned that the ones I used in this recipe have the best flavour and texture. To make the salad a bit more sweet and tangy, I sometimes add a bit of liquid reserved from the pickled beets.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe, it truly is the perfect addition to an outdoor menu.

~ Mirela
Jantar Handcrafted Jewelry

Chocolate Chip Pear Bread

I have a baking buddy. I think everyone should have one. Each of us adds something to the mix - and the result is usually really good - it's different every time!

My baking buddy, Lisa, & I came up with this recipe. We've been baking breads together since last summer and take bits and pieces from different recipes and put it all together.

I wanted to make a pear bread & my buddy added the key ingredient that I think makes this bread so good - ground cloves! It gives it a very light, almost minty flavor. Hope you like it as much as I do - it's my absolute favorite!

Combine:
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 TB unsalted butter or Ghee (softened)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Mix dry ingredients, add to above mixture & crack 2 large eggs into it:
2 cups flour
2 TB unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Fold in:
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 large Asian pear or 2 smaller pears peeled & cut into chunks

Bake at 350 degrees in a loaf pan (9x5x3) for 1 hour. Let it cool & enjoy!





Nguyen/KnitKnit

Get Your Spring Bake On! Coconut Lime Chip Cookies

Spring is in the air and Earth Day is just around the corner. I like to combine these two events with celebration cookies, although really I can use any event as an excuse for the baking of cookies!

How can sweets possibly relate to eco-friendliness, spring time and Earth Day all at once, you ask? Oh, but I will tell you.

All my recipes are vegan, which means using no animal-derived ingredients. A large part of my veganism comes from my concern for the environment and the impact that a plant based diet can have. If everyone in the United States ate even a vegetarian diet for seven days, the impact would be the same as removing all of the cars from the roads in the US. It is also important to bake often in the spring time, because soon it will be 110 degrees in your tiny NYC apartment with no air conditioning and the idea of turning on the oven is horrifying!

With that I give you:

Coconut Lime White Chip Cookies
1/3 c shredded coconut
1/4 c sugar
1 1/4 c flour, unbleached all purpose
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda

1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c canola oil
2 T soymilk
2 T lime juice

zest of 1 lime

1/4 c or more vegan white chips

Mix the wet ingredients, maple syrup through lime juice in a medium bowl.
Mix the dry ingredients, coconut through baking soda in a large bowl.
Add the dry to the wet and mix, adding in the lime zest. Don't overmix.
Add the white chips and fold in.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Let cool 3-5 minutes before removing from pan.

Some {NewNew} selections to help you get your spring bake on!

A sweet Baking Betty Apron with Hawaiian Print from Meegun. Get out your mixing bowls! Whisk!

Serve those cookies up on an Brooklyn Chinoiserie Platter from MayLuk.

And finally, wow your guests with Recycled Cloth Napkins from cakehouse rather than the paper ones you collect from the deli.

--Lisa
pandawithcookie.etsy.com

Nutella Banana Crepes in under 5 minutes!

In the spirit of February and loving yourself I wanna tell everyone about a sweet treat that you all will love! Nutella banana crepes. February is also the month of "World Nutella Day". This recipe is simple and will take less than five minutes to make. All you need is nutella, a banana, a tortilla, vanilla or hazelnut ice cream and confectioners sugar.

Dice banana into thin slices spread a thin layer of nutella to cover tortilla, spread diced bananas onto tortilla and fold then fold over once again.


Grill on George foreman grill, sandwich or panini maker or cook on stove top in a small pan for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until slightly brown and chocolate is warm and melted.

Next sprinkle w confectioners sugar and top w a scoop of ice cream.

Enjoy!!
Elena
Kokalakijewelry.etsy.com