Papaya Seeds Jam

Papaya Seeds Jam, originally uploaded by cantina di dom fuas.

Ingredients
3 cups of papaya seeds
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Place the seeds in a pot, cover with water and cook for 15 minutes.
Drain the water, place the seeds in a blender and add a cup of water. Blend, then pass through a sieve.
Place strained liquid in a pan, add the sugar and stir over medium heat, until thickened.
Keep in a jar in the fridge.

A Taste of Brazil – Shrimp Stuffed Pumpkin (Camarão na Moranga)

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One of the most delicious dishes of the Brazilian cuisine.

1 medium pumpkin
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups cream cheese
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon wheat flour
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

Wash and scrub the pumpkin well. Cut the top off to a cover shape; remove all the seeds. Wrap the pumpkin with aluminum foil; place in a baking pan and put it in preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook it until when you stick a toothpick in and it is soft. Set aside.

Season shrimps with salt and minced garlic. In a saucepan heat olive oil, sauté onion until transparent. Add tomato sauce and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in flour dissolved in the milk. Add shrimps and cook for around 7 minutes. Add whipping cream and parsley. Correct the salt if necessary and season with pepper.

Distribute the cream cheese with a spoon into the pumpkin, then pour the shrimp cream inside it. Sprinkle a handful of  Parmesan cheese on top.

Bring the pumpkin back to oven (wrapped with aluminum foil to avoid that the skin of the pumpkin gets scorched). Bake it at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Serve it with rice.

Breaded Aubergine Slices with Guacamole Filling

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Breaded Aubergine

1 medium eggplant, cut into slices
1/2 cup rice or baking flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1 tablespoon tahini diluted with water to form a liquid batter (non-vegans – 1 egg, beaten)
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Cut eggplant into slices. Mix the rice or baking flour with salt, cumin, hot paprika on a plate. Mix the tahini or beat the egg on a bowl. Place the breadcrumbs on another plate. Lay each side of the aubergine slice in rice or wheat four, then in the liquid batter of diluted tahini (or beaten egg), and then at last in breadcrumbs to coat the outside of the aubergine. Heat oil in a heavy pan. Fry the aubergine in batches until each side is golden brown and crisp on both sides and tender inside.

Guacamole

2 medium Ripe Avocados, halved, pitted, and removed from peel
1- 2 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (remove seeds)
1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

Tabasco sauce (to taste)

Mash avocado with fork (the amount of “chunkiness” is a matter of personal taste). Add the lemon juice, tomatoes, tabasco sauce and salt.  Refrigerate until serving.

Ingredients -

2 medium Ripe Avocados, halved, pitted, and removed from peel 1- 2 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice 1/2 cup Chunky Medium or Hot Salsa 1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

Preparation:

1. Sprinkle avocado with lemon juice. 2. Mash avocado with fork. 3. Fold in chunky salsa and sea salt. 4. Refrigerate until serving.

Sinful Brownies

Sinful Brownies, originally uploaded by cantina di dom fuas.

* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
* 1 c. sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1 tspn vanilla
* 1/2 c. chopped nuts

Melt butter and chocolate and set aside to cool. Cream sugar and eggs. Add vanilla, then flour, salt and nuts. Add butter and chocolate mixture. Bake in greased, floured 9×9 pan. 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then 300 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Cat in the Pot :-)

Cat in the Pot, originally uploaded by buruneko.

Pumpkin, Sun Dried Tomato & Dates Risotto

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Ingredients:

* 1 onion. diced
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 2 cups Arborio rice
* 4 cups vegetable broth
* 1 cup pumpkin in cubes
* 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes – sliced
* 4 or 6 dates – chopped
* 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced
* 1 tsp nutmeg
* salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Sautee the onion in olive oil over medium heat for three to five minutes, or until soft. Add the rice. Allow to cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Slowly start to add the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Allow the moisture to cook off before adding the next 1/2 cup. Stir frequently.

Add remaining ingredients, stirring well, and cook for just a few minutes, until heated through.

Chinese Cabbage with Orange Sauce

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This recipe works fine with other leaves – collard greens, kale, cabbage, etc.

1. Stack several collard leaves atop one another, and roll into tight cylinder. Slice crosswise into strips.

2. Steam or cook greens in large pot of boiling water until softened. Drain, and plunge into large bowl of cold water to stop cooking.

3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add drained leaves, red pepper grains, and salt, and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, and cook 15 seconds more. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Spicy Couscous

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With raisins, collard greens, cauliflower, yellow pepper, chili, ginger and onion.

Oriental Spicy Aubergine

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Ingredients

1kg/2¼lb aubergines
5-6 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, cut into thin slivers
1 tsp coriander seeds, roughly ground
2 tsp cumin seeds, freshly ground
1 large tomato chopped OR 1 tbsp tomato paste
1 red chili (or two if you love spicy foods like me)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp brown sugar
A handful roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
A handful roughly chopped fresh coriander
1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Grill the aubergines whole over a hot barbecue, directly on the naked flame of a gas hob, or under the grill, turning until the skin of the aubergines is charred and crispy all over and the flesh is soft. Remove from the heat.
2. When cool enough to handle, cut off the tops and peel off the skin, scraping the flesh off the back of the skin if necessary. Roughly chop the aubergine and set aside on the chopping board.
3. Place a large frying pan or saucepan over a medium to high heat. Add the oil and when it is hot but not smoking, add the garlic. Fry for a few seconds until it begins to colour, then add the coriander and cumin seeds.
4. Stir a little and cook for a further 10-20 seconds to bring out the flavour of the spices, then add the chopped aubergine, tomato, soy sauce, sugar, chili, parsley, half of the fresh coriander, and finally the balsamic vinegar. Give everything a thorough stir so that all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
5. Turn the heat to low and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring every five minutes to scrape off any caramelised bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. The aubergine is ready when it is no longer watery.
6. To finish, stir in the remaining coriander and taste for seasoning once more, adding salt if necessary

Oriental Pasta

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Prepare any kind of pasta according to the instructions. While the pasta cooks you slice thinly:
1 cup Chinese cabbage (or cabbage)
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 medium red (or white) onion
1 cup chives
2 cloves of garlic
1 chili

fry until soft in 1 T canola oil plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Add a pinch of sugar and 2 T soy sauce.

Pour over pasta and serve.
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