Courgette & eggplant tian with beetroot hummus

Versiunea in limba romana: Tian de dovlecei si vinete, cu hummus de sfecla

Delicious and vegan? Absolutely. Besides, it looks so beautiful. Very easy to prepare, healthy, wonderful  ♥ The courgette & eggplant tian can be served simple, but I find it delightful with a beetroot hummus, so colorful and yummi. Enjoy!

PS: The beetroot hummus is also delicious as a dipping sauce for fresh vegetables as carrots, celery etc.

1 courgette + 1 eggplant + 5-6 onions (cut in rounds, 5 mm thickness)
6-7 fresh thyme
5-6 garlic cloves, thinly cut
3 - 4 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp water
Beetroot hummus:  1 big beetroot (baked) + 2 garlic cloves + 3-4 tbsp tahina (sesame paste) + 1 or 2 lime (juice) + olive oil  

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Place the eggplant, courgette and onion rounds in an oven tray, creating a beautiful pattern. From place to place, put the garlic between the vegetable rounds.

Sprinkle with thyme leaves, fleur de sel, freshly ground pepper. Pour olive oil, trying to cover as much of the vegetables, as possible. Better yet, you can brush the olive oil over the vegetables. Pour two tablespoons of water in the tray. Bake for aprox 1 hour. 

To preapare the beetroot, wash it, pat dry on absorbant paper and boil it for 1 hour in water, or bake it for about 1 hour, wrapped in aluminum foil, in the oven - 200 degrees Celsius. Let it cool a bit, peel it, cut it in little cubes. Mix the beetroot, tahina, garlic, lime juice and olive oil in a blender (until you get the desired consistency). Season with salt and fresh pepper.

Put the hummus in the plates, then parts of the tian over it. Delicious...

Coriander & lemongrass vongole soup

Versiunea in limba romana: Supa de vongole cu lemongrass si coriandru verde

A  lemongrass clam/vongole soup, very easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. I love coriander and a touch of lemongrass. The only time consuming part was cleaning the clams :). If you want, you can easily add some spaghetti and transform it in a pasta dish full of flavor.

2 kg clams/vongole + tbsp olive oil
1 good hand of green coriander + 2 garlic cloves + the juice of 1 lime + 1 tbsp olive oil
100 ml dry white wine
500 ml boiling water + 1 stick of fresh lemongrass, cut into 1 cm long pieces

Wash thorough the clams (using a brush,  under running cold water). Discard any shells already opened. Heat the oil, add the clams, put a lid on. After 1 minute pour over the wine and cover again, turn the heat to high and wait for 4-5 minutes, until the shells open. Shake the recipient from time to time.
Remove the clams from the pot, sieve the wine sauce.
Mix in a blender the green coriander, garlic, lime juice & olive oil until you have a thick paste.
Bring to boil the water, the wine sauce and the lemongrass. Let it boil for 5 - 7 minutes, then add the coriander cream and remove from the heat.

 Put the clams in plates, pour the soup on top and serve immediately.

Simplu si delicios ♥

Beetroot & tahini cream

Reteta in limba romana: Crema de sfecla & tahini

I love beetroot... I love to "play" with it in the kitchen. Hypnotic effect of it's beautiful color? Is it  addictive? :) My beetroot risotto was amazingly delicious and I can't forget the  surprized/happy face  of my boys when they saw the dark carmin red risotto in their plate :). I have a permanent stock of beetroot in my kitchen, delivered every week by a  bio vegetables Romanian producer.   I wash it, cook it, peel it, and then store it in the refrigerator. This way, I can prepare in minutes any delicious beetroot combination: salad with spinach, salad with wild garlic and sunflower seeds, hummus & courgette tian, or with yoghurt, garlic and dill. Why not, maybe some beetroot brownies... 

Besides, beetroot is a power food. One more reason to like it...

♥ rich in calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B 9

♥ good source of fibers, manganese, potassium

♥ contains  phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B6

♥ it's beautiful color comes from the betacyanin, a powerful antioxidant.  

♥ believed to impove cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, help preventing heart desease, etc.

My kids love yoghurt beetroot salad. That's how I came up with the idea for this delicious cream. Served cold, with fresh dill. Perfect for a warm, sunny summer day ♥

1 medium beetroot
1 tbsp tahina (sesame paste) + 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice + 1 garlic clove + 250 g of  Greek yoghurt + 1 tbsp olive oil 
salt, fresh peper
Optional: dill, finely cut

Wash thoroughly the beetroot and pat dry on absorbant paper. To cook it, either boil it for 1 hour in a lot of water, making sure you add more boiling water if the liquid level decreases, or  wrap it in aluminum foil and  roast it in the heated oven, 1 hour, at 200 degrees C. Peel the cooked beet, cut it in small pieces. Mix all ingredients in the blender. Season with salt and fresh pepper. Serve cold, with fresh dill.

aprox 2 servings.

Stufat de miel

Carne de miel, spalata si uscata pe hartie de bucatarie

(eu prefer coastele si bucati mici din coloana cu muschiulet cu tot)


5 legaturi de ceapa, taiate in bucati de 5 cm lungime


5 legaturi de usturoi, taiate in bucati de 5 cm lungime

2 cutii de rosii intregi in bulion, taiate cubulete


2 cuburi de supa de pui

patrunjel verde, tocat marunt

1 cana apa fiarta

1. Se pune uleiul la incins. Se adauga carnea de miel. Se rumeneste bine pe toate partile.

2. Se adauga ceapa si usturoiul; se calesc, amestecand bine, timp de aproximativ 5 minute

3. Se adauga apa fierbinte (1 cana) si cele 2 cubulete de supa de pui, apoi se lasa la fiert, la foc mic, timp de aproximativ 20 - 30 minute)

4. Cand carnea este fiarta (intra usor furculita) se adauga rosiile, cu suc cu tot.

5. Se pune sare si piper proaspat macinat. Se tine inca 10 minute, la foc mediu, la fiert.

6. Se adauga patrunjelul tocat. Se stinge focul.