Vegetarian Lasagna

Vegetarian Italian Lasagna

U need:
1 Zucchini
1 Carrot
5 Tomatoes
2 cups mushroom ( from a can or fresh)
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bell pepper (red and yellow)

1/2 package Lasagna noodles
1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 hand full of parsley

paprika powder
salt/pepper
sweet soya sauce/ optional

Chop the onion, carrot,bell pepper into small pieces.
Melt the butter in frying pan and add the olive oil (so the butter wont burn!). Add onion, carrot and the bell pepper and turn the heat very low. Cover the frying pan and let it simmer for about 15-20min.
Set aside.



Chop the tomatoes and put them in a small bowl. Add 1 cup of water and put it on the fire (medium heat). Chop the zucchini and add it to the tomatoes. chop the garlic cloves and add them too.
Add tomato paste and mushrooms.Now add the spices ( 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoon paprika powder, salt). Optional also add 1/2 teaspoon of sweet soya sauce. Stir and let it simmer for about 10 min. If its gets too thick add more water. If it is too fluid than let it simmer a little longer.It should have the texture of pasta sauce.
Chop the parsley and add it.

When the tomato sauce has the right texture turn off the fire an add the other vegetables.

Generously oil the bottom of a 10-by-18-inch baking dish.Cover the bottom of the pan with lasagna noodles.
Spread sauce over noodles.
Repeat layers until pan is full.
Top with remaining sauce and cheese.

Bake at 180C for 20-25min.
Let it cool for about 10 min before serving.



This is a healthy form of lasagna as it has less cheese, no bechamel sauce and no meat.
Still my meat loving relatives loved it and so did my son. A great alternative to original lasagna.

Banana Cake - Banana Muffins

Danish Banana Cake/ Muffins

What you need for the Banana Cake:

1.5 Bananas ( mashed)
3 eggs
170 gr sugar
125 gr fluor
1.5 teaspoon bakingpowder
100 gr melted butter

optional:
0.5 teaspoon cinnamon
0.5 teaspoon coffee powder
2 teaspoon chocolate powder


How to make the Banana Cake:

1.Mix all the ingredients together
Put the Banana Mix in a greased baking form.
Bake at 175 C for about 55 min

I made it as a Banana cake and used double of the amount of the ingredients.
Im sure it would taset even better as a Banana muffins :)

Spaghetti Bolognaise - original italian Sauce bolognaise

Italian Sauce Bolognaise

What you need to make the sauce Bolognaise:

1 kg mined beef
5 garlic cloves, chopped
3 carrots chopped
2 onions chopped
800 gr tomatoes ( or use 1,5 cans of tomatoes. 1 can = 400gr )
125gr butter
2 chilis ( optional)
salt
pepper
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 Teaspoons Sugar
1.5 cubes vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
some olive oil

How to make it:

1. Chop the Carrots, Onions and the celery as small as possible.
Most important part of the Bolognaise is the Soffritto.
For that melt the Butter in a frying pan and add a some Olive oil (1-2 Tablespoon). Than add the chopped carrots, onions and celery.
Let it simmer on low heat for at least 30 min. Take care it doesnt get too hot so it wont fry.

2. Chop the toamtoes and put aside. I used 1 kg tomatoes and 3 tablespoons of Tomato paste.

3. Now fry the minced meat in another frying pan until it changes its colour to slightly brown. Than transfer it to a big bowl and add 1/2 litre of water, the broth cubes and the vinegar. As soon as it starts to cook add the chopped tomatoes and the sugar.

4. When this starts to cook add the Soffritto and the chopped garlic and chopped chilis.
Let this cook for at least 2 Hours, better would be 5 hours or more.
After this add salt and pepper.

The Bolognaise doesnt need any other spices, u will see :)

The pieces in the picture are mushrooms. I put half can of mushroom and it fits perfectly.

Qamr al Deen - Apricot Drink

This Drink is pretty popular here in Egypt especially in Ramadan.
My just husband asked me 2day to make it for Iftar.
Its very simple, thats if u r able to get the Paste somewhere :)
The Paste is made out of Apricot, Olive Oil and Glucose.

U need:
Water ( 1 litre)
Sugar (as desired)
Amr-eddin Paste ( about 300gr)


In a Bowl bring the Water to boil.

2. Cut the Qamr al deen paste in 2 or 3 pieces and put them in the water.

3. Turn the heat down to medium and let it cook til the paste is dissolved. Add the sugar and stirr til dissolved.

4.Let it cool down for about 15 min, put it in the Fridge until the Juice is cooled down.

Spanish Omlette with Salsa

U need:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large potatoes,cut in half, peeled, sliced thinly

2 medium red onions, sliced thinly

1 medium capsicum, chopped coarsely

8 eggs

¼ cup (60ml) skim milk

1 teaspoon of black pepper/ salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika powder and 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder




tomato salsa

2 tomatos, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 small red onion, chopped

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 Tablespoons Oil

salt, pepper



1. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add potatoes and onions, and cook, stirring, after 2 min turn fire low and fry until potatoes are tender.

2. Whisk the eggs and milk in a large jug. Add the spices and mix it well. Pour over the potato mixture in the pan and stir gently. Cook, covered loosely, over low heat, for about 15 minutes or until almost set.

3. Preheat grill. Cover pan handle with a sheet of foil, place omelette in pan under grill for 2-3 minutes or until browned lightly and set.



Tomato salsa

1. Heat the oil in a small bowl and fry the onions for 1 min. Add garlic n fry another minute.

2. Add the Tomatoe, tomatoe paste, spices and 1/2 cup water. cover the bowl and let it cook for 10 min.

If its still too liquid cook it until it reached the wanted thickness

Serve the Omlette hot with the salsa

Kosa macarona - Zucchini pasta

3 middle long zucchini
3 small tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 onion
oregano
salt n pepper
paprika powder
200ml milk
2 tablespoon fluor
1 cube broth
400gr uncooked pasta

1. cook the pasta as described on the package. drain and set aside.

2. cut the zucchini in very thin half coins. put the oil in a frying pan and heat it. once its hot add the zucchini.
immediatly start to cut the garlic clove and add to the zucchini.
Let it fry until the zucchini gets slightly tender. ( about 5 - 10 min).
add salt and pepper.
set it aside and add the oregano.

3. chop the onion and cut the tomatoes into slights.
heat oil in frying pan and add chopped onion.
after 1 min add the tomatoes and let it fry for about 1min.
set aside.

4. heat the milk and add 100ml of water.
when it boiling add 2 tablespoons of fluor and stirr well.
do not leave it and keep on stirring.
add half cube of broth, paprika powder, salt n pepper.
when gets thick turn of the fire and put aside.

5. now get a pan and put 1/2 of the pasta inside.
put over it the zucchini and over the zucchini the tomatoe/onion mix. now put 1/2 of the sauce. do not stirr just let it soak in by itself.
not add the rest of the pasta and put the rest of the sauce over it.

6 if desired add chesse on top and put in the oven for 5 - 10 min.
if u dont add cheese put it in oven for 5 min only. ( oven on heat 150C)

this is a lovly side-dish for meat dishes. its healthy and tasty.
Enjoy

Zatar/ Zaatar Bread - Bread with thyme

U need:
3 Cups of white flour
1 Cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup olive oil
8 tbsp Zatar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp active dry yeast

1. Mix 1/4 of the water with sugar ( stirr well) and than add the yeast. Let it stand for about 15 min.
If the mix comes up ( gets bigger anyhow) the yeast is active and u can use it. If it still looks the same the yeast is old and not usable.

2. Put the fluor and salt in a bowl and add the yeast mix. Mix it and gradually add the rest of the water.

3.Knead the dough for some minutes until it becomes a firm, elastic dough. Shape it into a ball and put back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a moist towl and leave it for about 1 hour ( the place has to be warm, u can for example place it in bed under a blanket or if the sun shines near the window)

4. Now divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each ball gently until its about 1/2 inch thick.

5. Line baking sheets with baking paper and place 4 of the breads on each sheet. lightly grease each bread with olive oil. Let them rest for about 10 min.

6. Mix 3 tablespoons zatar with olive oil and put it on the breads. Stab each bread with a fork in several spots.

7. Bake them for about 15 min at 400 F in a preheated oven.

Bread with zaatar can mostly be found in Syria, but also in other middle eastern countrys.
It is more of a side dish and thethyme in this recipe is very healthy.
For the health benefits of thyme check this website Health benefits of thyme!