Green salad with bell peppers & mozzarella

This is a very tasty salad, which is really nice to make for a casual meal of two.

ingredients:
1/2 a bag of mixed salad leaves
3 red or yellow bell peppers (preferably in both colors), thinly sliced
7 small mozzarella balls (or more, if you like)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 garlic clove, minced
salt, black pepper

instructions:
heat the oil in a cooking pan. saute' the bell peppers, while mixing, until they start to brown. Add the vinegar, salt, black pepper and garlic to the pan. mix well and cook for a few more seconds.
Pu the mixed leaves in a bowl. Pour the cooked peppers and the cooking sauce on the leaves. tear the mozzarella balls to pieces and add to the bowl. Mix well until the salad absorbs all the tastes. serve.

quick & simple lasagna

When I was a student and lived in the dorms, I used to make this lasagna when I wanted to pamper myself. This lasagna recipe is as tasty as it is simple to make.

ingredients
500 gr tomato sauce
lasagna noodles (ready to bake)
250 gr fresh mushrooms, chopped (or one can)
250 gr cottage cheese
1 cup of water
hard yellow cheese, grated
olive oil

instructions
Heat the oil in a cooking pan and saute' the mushrooms. Add the tomato sauce and water, stir and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the cheese, while stirring.
Preheat the oven to 170° C. In a rectangular greased baking pan, lay down a layer of lasagna noodles and on top of it lay a layer of sauce (make sure all the lasagna noodles are covered). repeat that 2 more times (the last layer should be of sauce). spread the grated cheese on top of the last layer. Bake for 35 minutes until the cheese melts and the lasagna noodles are soft.

You can add to the simple tomato sauce more stuff, like chopped basil, garlic, onions, spinach leaves, oregano, etc.

Green Rice Salad

I made this salad when we were entertaining friends. It's easy to make, served cold and very tasty.
The original recipe included parsley, but since I hate parsley, I replaced it with more basil. If you want, you can replace a tablespoon of chopped basil with a tablespoon of chopped parsley.

ingredients
1.5 cups rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons dill, chopped
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1.5 teaspoons salt
2.5 cups water
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted lightly
1 spring onion, chopped (only the green leaves)
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

instructions
Rinse the rice until the water are clear. drain the rice. heat the olive oil in a cooking pan. sauté the onion until it gets a light yellowish color. Add the rice and mix well, until the rice is coated in oil. Add the herbs, the garlic and the salt and cook on medium heat for a few more seconds. Add the water, set to boil, and continue cooking on high heat for 5-7 minutes (do not cover the pan), until all the fluids are drained. Remove for heat, cover the pan with a kitchen towel and above it the lid of the pan. Leave to rest for 20 minutes. Move to a bowl.
Leave to cool in room temperature. Add the pine nuts, spring onion and cheese, blend gently and serve.

Honey & Ginger Cake

I don't like eating honey cakes. They are usually too sweet for me. nevertheless, i decided to try this recipe, because I really like ginger. the result was great - this cake is light, yummy and not over-sweet.
This recipe is by the israeli chef, Israel Aharoni.

ingredients
200 gr butter, soft
3/4 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup of honey
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons pure vanilla essence (i use the one by McCormick)
1/3 cup orange juice
350 gr self-raising flour
200 ml sour cream

Instructions
Preheat oven to 180° C and grease a 26" round baking pan.
Beat the butter and the sugar using electric beaters until the mix is puffed and creamy. Add the eggs while beating, one after the other, until they are combined into the mixture. Move the mixutre to a bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients, besides the flour, to the bowl. blend until combined. Add the flour and blend until combined and smooth (no lumps!).
Pour the mixture into the baking pan. Bake for 50 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The Beginning

This is my first post to my cooking blog.
I'm not a chef, but I do enjoy cooking and I love to share recipes. Usually I don't cook gourmet food, but simple, yummy stuff.
In this blog I will share recipes I tried, my cooking adventures, cooking links and cooking news.
I'd love to read comments & to receive new recipes.

since english is not my mother tongue, I may not always use the right terms. I do promise to try my best :-)