Aubergine, Peas & Pancetta Risotto
Today I propose you a light and delicious risotto idea which was approved by the whole family. The kids are not big fans of aubergines but they absolutely loved this risotto! I have to say mashing some aubergines helped. Also thanks to the addition of bacon and peas there was no complaint and they ate the whole plate!
For this recipe I’ve used the stripy purple aubergine in the picture below. Isn’t it just pretty?
I love the beautiful variety of colour of aubergines!
I really hope you enjoy this recipe and please share your remakes! I would love to know your thoughts if you will be making it.
Ingredients for 4 people
250gr risotto rice
70gr cubed pancetta
70gr frozen peas
1 aubergine
A few basil leaves
1/2 onion
1/2 vegetable stock cube
some chopped pistachios
Parmesan cheese
splash of white wine
soy cream (optional)
Preparation: 10 minutes - Cooking: 20/25 minutes
Start by chopping the onion and cut the aubergine in small cubes.
Pan fry the onion together with the pancetta with some extra virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Such a pretty variety of aubergines’
In the same pan add the aubergine cubes and pan fry them with the rest until soft. Keep some on the side for the plating. I decided to mash some of the cooked aubergines so not to hear the kids complaining as they are not big eaters of aubergines.
Add the rice & mix with the rest for a few minutes. Add a splash of white wine and cook all together for an extra 5 minutes or until the wine gets absorbed.
A beautiful risotto which is great for summer!
Now add enough water to cover the rice, some salt, 1/2 vegetable stock cube and some chopped basil leaves. Cover with a lid and stir occasionally. You may need to add more water until the rice is tender. Towards the end add Parmesan cheese and mix. You can add some vegetable spread too to make it creamier. I often add some soy cream too.
Serve by adding the extra pancetta & aubergine cubes on top, some chopped pistachios, more Parmesan cheese & some fresh basil leaves.
Enjoy!
A closeup of this colourful risotto!
Red Lentil & Roasted Swede Soup
I love soups, especially homemade. There is nothing more comforting to enjoy when outside it’s cold or rainy and you are looking for some lovely coziness in a plate.
This soup is not only nutritious and vegan friendly, it’s tasty, super creamy and extremely comforting.
It was my first time using swede in a soup and it didn’t disappoint! Its lightly sweet taste is similar to the carrot’s one, in fact son was convinced it was a carrot soup. Overall this meal was a great success with everyone, especially the kids!
Ingredients for 4 people:
300gr red lentils
1 small swede
1 onion
1/2 onion stock
Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
Extra virgin olive oil
Paprika
2 spoons white Greek yogurt or plant based yogurt
Salt
black pepper
600ml water
Super creamy bowl of coziness!
Preparation 10 minutes Cooking 40 minutes
Start by roasting the swede. Chop it into cubes, transfer on an oven proof tray and cook in the oven at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes with some extra virgin olive oil, salt, paprika, chopped onion, maple syrup and rosemary.
Once the swede is nicely roasted, transfer it in a pan with all the flavours together with red lentils, stock, some more rosemary, extra virgin olive oil and black pepper. Add about 400ml of water to start with and cook until the red lentils are soft. Transfer in a food processor and make your creamy soup. You may need to add extra water to get the right consistency. Add the yogurt as last step.
A soup full of flavour!
Transfer on a plate and top it with balsamic vinegar, sunflower seeds, extra virgin olive oil, more fresh rosemary and a sprinkle of cayenne if you like me enjoy a spicy kick.
Accompany your yummy soup with a couple slices of crunchy sourdough bread previously toasted.
Buon appetito!😋
Enjoy it with tastes sourdough bread!
The kids absolutely loved it!
Swede This nourishing vegetable is, believe it or not, an excellent source of vitamin C – a generous portion contains 50% of the daily recommended intake, and its high beta-carotene content helps the body absorb the vitamin more effectively.
Lentils are grouped with beans and peas as part of the legume family because, like all legumes, they grow in pods. Lentils are high in protein and fiber and low in fat, which makes them a healthy substitute for meat. They're also packed with folate, iron, phosphorus, potassium and fiber.
Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi
One of the things I find extremely satisfying is making pasta from scratch and enjoy the process even more when the kids are so willing to participate & learn.
I didn’t have that kind of involvement when I was a child. Even though my mum was, and still is, an amazing cook, she never thought of involving either my sisters or I in the cooking. In fact I started to really cook for myself and others only when I moved to England 13 years ago.
I wanted my kids to have a different experience than mine. In fact they started cooking ever since they could hold a spoon in their hand 🥰 and being very present in the kitchen, especially my daughter.
And that’s why we thought a cook-along would be a great idea to share their love for cooking with others. Even though we have had only a handful of sessions, these moments appear to be an extremely enjoyable activity for the kids to have during these unique times of lockdown & homeschooling.
A snap from Insta live!
Behind the scenes!
In the last session in particular we made these delicious vegan gnocchi, so healthy and incredibly versatile.
Ingredients for 2/3 adults:
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 400gr)
1 cup + 1/2 plain flour (about 200gr)
1 teaspoon salt
The gnocchi are ready!
Arianna was so proud to make her own gnocchi!
Preparation: 1 hour Cooking: 3 minutes
Start by peeling the sweet potatoes first. Keep the peels on the side in order to make sweet potato peel chips later.
Wrap the 2 peeled sweet potatoes in parchment paper and bake them at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Let them cool down, then mash in a bowl. Slowly add the flour and start mixing with the sweet potato. Keep on adding it until you make a nice elastic dough. You know that it’s right when it’s not sticky anymore. You may end up needing more than 200gr of flour, I noticed that it really depends on the moisture of the sweet potato so don’t panic if it’s still sticky, just keep on adding more flour a bit at a time until it’s the perfect consistency.
The beautiful sweet potato gnocchi
Delicious sweet potato gnocchi! Great with any sauce!
Now divide the dough in 4 parts. Take one part and roll it with your hand in order to make it into a rope shape. Cut little squares from it, all the same size.
Take a fork, put some flour on the back of it and gently roll each square applying a little pressure so as to create some lines in the dough. Those are meant to be needed later on to retain the sauce better.
Once you are done, cook your gnocchi in boiling water like any other pasta. They will be ready when you see them floating on top. Drain and add your favourite sauce to it. We love a simple butter sauce, pesto or tomato sauce.
Buon appetito!😋
Sweet Potato, Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup
This year we went pumpkin picking and we had lots of pumpkins to use not only for carving but for cooking too.
If you need to find ways to use those yummy pumpkins, soups are definitely a great choice. Also I love that pumpkin is so versatile and it’s great combined with other veggies too.
This is one of my favourite combos so far!
Ingredients for 4 persons:
1/2 pumpkin diced
1 sweet potato diced
200gr dried red lentils
1 onion chopped
200gr kale
100gr pumpkin seeds
rosemary
paprika
turmeric
fresh ginger
lemongrass
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 vegetable stock cube
200 ml water
Himalayan salt
Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes
Start by roasting in the oven at 180 degrees the pumpkin, sweet potato & onion with extra virgin olive oil, paprika, turmeric, salt & rosemary.
After 20 minutes transfer the roasted veggies in a pan, add dry red lentils, water and 1/2 vegetable stock cube and cook for further 20 minutes or until the red lentils are soft. Transfer everything in a blender, mix at high speed and you have your yummy soup.
In the meantime roast the pumpkin seeds with smoked paprika & extra virgin olive oil. On another tray place the kale cut into stripes. I’ve used a similar dressing as for the pumpkin seeds. Oven cook for about 20 minutes at 160 degrees or until both pumpkin seeds & kale are crunchy.
Once you transfer the soup in the plate, you can top it with some of the kale and the pumpkin seeds previously cooked, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a spoon of almond yogurt if you like.
Buon appetito!😋
Vegan Spinach Harissa Lasagna
First recipe post-partum!
It’s great to start cooking again although it can be very challenging at times as you know when you start but you don’t know when you finish! Baby is the boss right now and my time is all around him and his needs, but it felt great to get back into creative cooking mode again.
This recipe turned out a great success and it came from the desire to make an alternative version to the traditional lasagna and to broaden my kids’ taste, as well as exploring more vegan possibilities of the same food.
I can reassure you that this recipe is super tasty & you won’t feel missing out on any traditional ingredient! Kids and hubby loved it, they even went for double portion!
Ingredients for 6 portions
250gr lasagna sheets
1 handful sun-dried tomatoes
8 frozen spinach cubes
1 garlic clove
Himalayan salt
Extra virgin olive oil
3 spoons rose harissa pesto
1 can cannellini beans
Nutritional yeast (optional)
vegan bechamel
Click here for my bechamel recipe
Preparation:20 mins Cooking: 30 minutes
Start by cutting the sun-dried tomatoes in small pieces and pan fry them with extra virgin olive oil together with the frozen spinach and salt. Cover the pan with a lid and let the ingredients cook for about 10’ or until the spinach are defrosted and soft.
In the meantime mash the cannellini beans and mix with the spinach in the pan. Now prepare the bechamel and once the sauce is ready, mix it together with the other ingredients too.
Cooking the spinach cannellini sauce
Now take a rectangular oven tray and start layering the lasagna sheets and covering them with some of the mixture on each layer. I’ve managed to make 4 layers.
Cover the top layer with the remaining sauce mixed with 1/2 glass of water. Sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top for some extra crunch (optional) and add more water in the corners of your tray so that all the lasagna sheets are covered except for the top one.
Cook at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes.
The lasagna is out of the oven!
Enjoy straight out of the oven!
Buon appetito!😋
The vegan lasagna is ready to be eaten!
The kids loved it!
So creamy & delicious!
Fava Beans Purée With Bread Croutons & Sautéed Chicory Greens
When you feel nostalgic and have lots of pregnancy cravings, you cannot avoid eating your favourite comfort food. Plus if nonna is over from Italy, it’s even easier to get those cravings satisfied!:-)
This is my own version of a very typical South Italian meal. All you need are broad beans, bread & chicory greens combined with some basic ingredients.
In fact this meal is a great example of a basic & simple cooking, very representative of the Mediterranean cuisine from the older days which would incorporate only a handful of simple foods.
Ingredients for about 3/4 people:
Fava beans purée
400gr fresh or frozen broad beans
2 medium potatoes
1/2 onion
Extra virgin olive oil
Water
Salt
Sautéed chicory greens
1/2 kg chicory greens
Extra virgin olive oil
Water
Salt
Black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Bread croutons
2 slices bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Oregano
Preparation: 20 minutes - Cooking: 20 minutes
Start by cooking the fava beans and chopped potatoes in a pan at medium heat with extra virgin olive oil and some finely chopped onion for about 5 minutes. Then cover everything with water and cook for another 15 minutes or until everything is soft. Then transfer in a mixer at hight speed and make it into a purée.
In the meantime boil the chopped chicory leaves for 2 minutes then transfer them on a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, salt & grated Parmesan cheese. Cook for about 10 minutes or until soft.
At the same time make the croutons. Cut 2 slices of bread in small cubes and transfer them on a frying pan with some extra virgin olive oil, salt & oregano. Toast the bread pieces by occasionally turning them. After about 10 minutes they should turn golden & crunchy.
Assemble all the elements on a plate and scatter the croutons on top of the fava beans purée.
Buon appetito!😋
It’s such a simple meal yet a real delicacy!
Vegetarian White Lasagna
Sunday in Italy is traditionally the day where people have huge meals with various courses and pasta is a big part of it. Particularly lasagna which is often the Sunday first course of choice.
I make lasagna often but it’s normally the traditional version with tomato sauce as that’s what kids like.
However today I really fancied white lasagna. It’s my favourite! I knew that offering something pretty new to the kids could have ended up in disaster but was determined to go ahead!
I’m so glad I took the risk as not only did they eat it, they absolutely loved it! Happy kids, happy mum!
Ingredients for 6 portions
250gr lasagna sheets
1 courgette
1 handful mushrooms
1 handful asparagus
a few salvia leaves
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 garlic clove
Himalayan salt
Extra virgin olive oil
dry parsley
pistachios (optional)
mushroom cream (optional)
Parmesan cheese grated (optional)
You can make the traditional bechamel sauce by using cow milk or vegan by replacing it with soy milk . Both equally good and healthier as no butter or cheese in them.
the bechamel sauce is ready!
Preparation: 20 min Cooking: 40 min
Start by chopping the garlic and all the veggies and transfer them in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil, salt & dry parsley. Cook for about 10/15 minutes or until all veggies are soft.
All the veggies are ready!
In the meantime prepare the bechamel. Once ready you can add some of the veggies or simply some salvia leaves finely chopped.
Once both bechamel sauce & veggies are ready, start layering the lasagna sheets with the toppings on a rectangular baking tray. I’ve used a Pyrex glass rectangular oven dish.
A couple of spoons of bechamel at the bottom, followed by a first layer of lasagna sheets (I’ve used 3 sheets for each layer) enough to cover the tray, then used 1/3 of the veggies to cover the first lasagna layer and pour some bechamel on top, enough to cover the veggies. Repeat until you finish all ingredients. My lasagna had 4 layers.
For the top layer mix the remaining bechamel with 1/2 cup of water and the veggies left (about 1/3 cup) and pour it on top. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and chopped pistachios (both optional). Some salvia leaves and asparagus tips for decoration.
Finish by adding about 1 cup of water at the sides of your tray, enough to cover with water up to the layer before the top one.
Now you are done!
The vegetarian white lasagna is out of the oven!
Transfer the tray to a preheated oven and cook for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees.
Enjoy warm straight out of the oven!
Buon appetito!😋
This vegetarian lasagna is super creamy & yummy!
Delicious white lasagna!
This vegetarian lasagna is creamy & so comforting!
Italian Potato & Rice Soup
This is a very quick and nutritious recipe made by using just a few simple ingredients.
It’s one of those meals my mum used to make many many times and it reminds me so much of my childhood in Italy.
So simple yet incredibly comforting!
I love to load soups with plenty of herbs and spices as they are so good for our health, plus this type of dish is a great way to disguise them, mainly if you have fussy eaters in the house!
Ingredients for 4 people:
4 potatoes
100gr asparagus
6 cherry tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove
ground or fresh ginger
turmeric
paprika
fresh or dry parsley
dry rosemary
fresh or dry basil
400ml water
1 vegetable stock cube
Hymalayan salt
5 spoons extra virgin olive oil
2 spoons tomato paste
350gr risotto rice
Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes
Start by cutting the potatoes in small pieces and transfer in a pan with some extra virgin olive oil, chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped garlic and onion.
Fry for about 5 minutes until the garlic, onion and chopped tomatoes get soft. Now add the water, chopped asparagus and all other herbs and spices. Cover with a lid and let cook for about 20 minutes. Then pour the rice in the same pan and add extra water if needed to properly cover the rice.
Keep on cooking by stirring often. It should be ready about 15/20 minutes later.
You can top it with extra fresh parsley or basil and some grated Parmesan cheese if you like!
Rice and potatoes soup is ready!
Make sure when possible to add as many herbs and/or spices as possible as they play a crucial role in strengthening our immune system.
Buon appetito!😋
A close-up of the yummy soup
The rice and potato soup is in the plate!
Okonomiyaki: My Favourite Savoury Pancake
Okonomiyaki is at the same time comfort & nostalgic food to me!
It's not only the most delicious savoury pancake I've ever eaten in my life, but it also brings back beautiful memories of the time spent in Japan when I was still a university student..many many years ago!
My daughter also loves okonomiyaki so much that she often asks to eat them and she enjoys helping with the cooking too!
This may not be the original recipe as I don't have here all the ingredients, but the taste is pretty close!
Ingredients for about 12 okonomiyaki:
The base
2 cups self-raising white (you can swap with brown or gluten-free flour)
1 small cabbage finely chopped
2 leeks finely chopped
1 cup water
4 eggs
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
The toppings
12 bacon rashers
150gr cooked king prawns
Okonomiyaki sauce
Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
Preparation:15 min Cooking: 30 min
Start by chopping the cabbage and the leek in very fine stripes. Then transfer both in a bowl with the flour, water, salt and eggs. Mix all the ingredients.
Both leek & cabbage are shredded
In the meantime warm up a frying pan with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Put one bacon slice, cut in half and place the 2 halves next to each other. Let it cook for 1 minute then turn them and cover them with about 2 spoons of the mixture. Top it with a couple of king prawns and add an extra spoon of the mixture on top. Make as many okonomiyaki as they can fit in a pan at the same time.
Cooking okonomiyaki!
Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for a good 5 minutes. Then flip and cook the other side another 5 minutes. And keep flipping for another couple of times. The total cooking time is approximately 15 minutes.
Okonomiyaki are ready!
I’ve used 2 frying pans simultaneously and cooked about 6 at a time. So the total cooking time for 12 okonomiyaki was about 30 minutes.
Transfer on a plate and add the extra toppings. The ones which will make the real difference! Okonomiyaki sauce and bonito flakes. If you want you can add mayo too! Delicious!
Buon appetito!😋
Now it's time to top okonomiyaki with the yummy sauce and dried bonito flakes!
Okonomiyaki Love!
O
Aubergine & Asparagus Burgers
I love veggie burgers, do you?
Meat-free burgers are a great way to use up fridge leftovers and to hide all the veggie goodness into a meat looking burger capable to fool even the biggest meat lover!
Like it happened for my daughter 😁 she is not a fan of aubergines or asparagus so I was worried they wouldn't pass the test but I was wrong!
Not only she loved them, she had no doubt they were made of beef!💪
This is a super speedy healthy recipe and it's definitely one to save! You will love it!
Ingredients for about 8 veggie burgers
1/2 aubergine
100gr asparagus
2 garlic cloves
1 handful mint leaves
1 egg
2 brown bread slices
2 teaspoons capers
Salt
Paprika
Oregano
2 tablespoons brown flour
Preparation: 15 min - Cooking: 10/15 mins
Start by chopping the garlic in small pieces, then cut the aubergine and the asparagus. Pan fry for 10/15 minutes with some extra-virgin olive oil, let them cool down. Then transfer in a food processor together with the bread & mint.
Mince at high speed then put the mixture in a bowl and add the egg, flour, salt and spices.
The mixture shouldn't be too soft so you can add some more flour if you need to.
Now make the mixture into small burgers and pan fry with a bit of extra virgin olive oil turning occasionally. They should be ready within 15' max.
Yummy meat-free burger!
Enjoy with some greens and avo yogurt dip.
Delicious avo yogurt dip!
You can also make these burgers totally vegan by removing the egg!
Buon appetito!😋
Daughter absolutely loved these veggie burgers and she didn't notice they were meat-free!
ItalianVegan Green Baked Pasta
This is a great family meal and it's so versatile and comforting. Kids and hubby love it! The crunchy pasta on top is a winner. Here kids call it pasta chips!:-)
Pasta al forno is baked pasta in Italian and there are many versions out there, mainly with tomato sauce.
However I wanted this time to make it white and vegan, loaded with lots of hidden greens for my son to eat without complaining too much.
Also as daughter doesn't like melted cheese which is normally a main ingredient in this dish, I left out mozzarella and made a vegan bechamel.
What don't we do for our kids, right?
Ingredients for a rectangular tray (6 portions)
400gr wholegrain penne
Sautéed veggies
150gr asparagus
1 courgette
4 big kale leaves
1 handful pistachios
1 leek
mint
parsley
extra virgin olive oil
Himalayan salt
paprika
Green Bechamel
1 kale leaf
1 handful pistachios
parsley
mint
Green Bread Crumble
2 slices brown bread
some pistachios
mint
parsley
Preparation:40 min - Cooking: 40 min
Start by cutting the greens for the sautéed veggies into small pieces. Pan fry them in a pan at medium heat with extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices until soft. About 10/15 min. Then leave on the side.
The sautés veggies are ready!
In the meantime boil the water to cook the pasta.
In the food processor prepare the bread crumble by mincing all the ingredients at high speed. Put aside.
Here is the green bread crumble
Then use the food processor to mash all the greens which are supposed to go in the bechamel. Once they are mashed, leave them in the food processor and add the ingredients for the vegan bechamel.
The greens of the bechamel are ready!
The green vegan bechamel is ready!
Now all the toppings for the pasta al forno are ready.
Mix the pasta with the sautés veggies and half of the bechamel and transfer in an oven rectangular tray. Pour the remaining bechamel sauce on top and sprinkle the bread crumble.
The green baked pasta is ready to go in the oven!
Add a little bit of water on the sides of the tray and cook in the oven at 180 degrees for about 30/40 minutes or until the top pasta is golden and crispy.
Buon appetito!😋
The pasta al forno is ready
Beautiful view of the inside layers!
This pasta is crunchy on top and moist inside!
Truffle, Chorizo & Potato Rice Bake
I love tray baked meals so much and this one is definitely one of my favourite.
What’s great about them is that you can prepare the meal in advance or even freeze portions which become a great meal prep solution too.
This is more the result of a creative mix of fridge leftovers and it was such a successful one!
Flavourful, rich & so comforting!
Ingredients for 1 rectangular oven tray (about 6 portions)
4 big potatoes
1 cup shiitake mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
200gr truffle risotto
125ml truffle cooking cream
6 chorizo sausages
dried basil
dried parsley
Himalayan salt
extra virgin olive oil
bread crumbs
grated Parmesan cheese
water
Preparation: 20 min - Cooking: 40 min
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees and start peeling the potatoes.
Take your tray and start layering your ingredients.
First some oil on the base with a couple of chopped tomatoes scattered.
Now start covering the bottom of your tray with slices of potatoes. Pour one handful of truffle risotto rice on top, chopped mushrooms, a few chopped tomatoes, salt, parmesan, dried herbs, 1 spoon of cooking cream, chopped chorizo. Make another layer of potatoes and repeat all ingredients on top. You should have 3 layers all the same.
Then finish with a last layer of potatoes and cover it with parmesan, chopped tomatoes, breadcrumbs & some oil.
The tray just before going into the oven
Fill the sides of your tray with water so to reach nearly the top. The water should just reach the last top layer of rice but not the last potato layer.
This will become extra crunchy while the inside layers will remain moisty.
Cook at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top potato layer is golden and crispy and the water is well absorbed.
Buon appetito!😋
Those crunchy potatoes on top!
The meal is ready!
Crunchy Avocado, Basil & Sun-dried Tomatoes Pesto
There is nothing more satisfying than coming up with your own recipe and seeing the family happily enjoying the food you make, right?
That's exactly what happened with this pesto!
I gave a look at the fridge and immediately got inspired! In instants a new fresh recipe was born. And even better, it got the thumbs up from the whole family!
Ingredients for 4 people:
1 avocado
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 lemon zest
1/2 lemon juice
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
small piece of fresh ginger or ground ginger
sumac
oregano
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
3 teaspoons mixed seeds
Preparation:10 min - Cooking:10 min
Start by putting the water on a saucepan and bring it to boil.
In the meantime put all the ingredients of our pesto in a food processor, except for the bread crumbs & seeds.
Mince everything at high speed and put aside.
The pesto is done!
Make the crunchy crumble by putting bread crumbs and seeds on a pan and pan frying them for 5 minutes or until golden and crispy.
The seeds and bread crumbs are in the pan!
When the water is boiling, pour the pasta and cook it “al dente”.
Now that the pasta is ready take the pesto previously made and toss it in the pasta. Add the crunchy bread and seeds on top as a final step.
Your pesto pasta is ready!
The yummy tagliatelle are ready to be eaten!
Buon appetito!😋
Crunchy pesto pasta is in the plate!
Kids loved it too!
My Nostalgic Parmigiana With Pasta
This is a super tasty recipe which my grandmother used to make for us so many times.
She was an amazing cook and all the food she would prepare had a special trademark, nothing else would taste as good, not even my mum’s food, even though she is a great cook too! Sorry mum!😁
And it's always in moments of great nostalgia that I cook the food of my childhood. Such as this Parmigiana with pasta loaded with so many ingredients, like grandma used to.
The only difference is that she was frying the aubergines while mine are oven baked. Both ways are yummy but second one a bit lighter.
This is a great tray bake recipe, perfect for the whole family or for some gatherings to impress guests. It freezes very well and is perfect for meal prep plans too!
However here it never gets to the freezing stage as it finishes always before!😁
Ingredients for 1 tray (about 6 portions)
2 big aubergines
450gr rigatoni pasta
1 Italian passata bottle (680gr)
1 Italian passata rustica bottle (350gr)
4 boiled eggs
1 mozzarella
10 cooked prosciutto ham slices
grated Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
Himalayan salt
Oregano
1 + 1/2 cup flour
Preparation: 40/45 min - Cooking: 20/25 min
Commence by pre-heating the oven at 180 degrees.
In the meantime start pealing the aubergines. Cut them in half and then finely slice them to obtain slices of about 1/2 cm or a bit less.
Put the aubergine slices in a bowl and add extra virgin olive oil with a sprinkle of salt and mix well.
Now take another bowl with some flour in it. Put the aubergine slices in it and turn them so that both sizes are covered in flour. Line some parchment paper on a flat baking tray and place all the aubergine slices well separated from each other.
Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or until they are soft.
The aubergine slices are out of the oven!
In the meantime boil the eggs, cut the mozzarella and ham in small pieces.
Fill a saucepan with water in order to cook the pasta once the water starts to boil.
In another saucepan empty both bottles of passata and cook on a medium heat for about 15/20 minutes with some salt and oregano.
Once the pasta is ready, add some of the passata previously cooked and mix well.
In the meantime as the aubergines are now ready, start layering all the ingredients in a rectangular baking tray.
Start by covering the bottom with some passata, then layer the aubergine slices one next to each other, pour some passata on them and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Add the tomato pasta, just enough to cover the aubergines and half the quantity of boiled egg in slices, ham and mozzarella in small pieces. Add more passata and grated Parmesan cheese, then start layering again the aubergines, passata, the Parmesan, the pasta, the rest of the toppings, more passata and Parmesan.
Cover everything with the last layer of aubegine slices. Cover them well with the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle more grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Yummy Parmigiana is ready!
You can watch the layering process of the Parmigiana in my highlights on Instagram😊
Transfer in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees and cook for about 20/25 minutes.
Buon appetito!😋
Parmigiana is a complete meal: veggies, carbs & proteins all in it!
A close-up to admire the beauty of each bite!
My Minty Courgette Pie
Here is one amazing recipe for a quick courgette pie which is my easy fix for a lunch box, snack, or party food.
At my recent 10th wedding anniversary party it was a hit and I was asked to share the recipe so here I am to share it with you all!
Courgette is packed with beneficial nutrients including Vitamins C and A, potassium, folate, and fiber. All contribute to a healthy heart by decreasing the risk of stroke, reducing high blood pressure, and lowering cholesterol.
Ingredients:
300gr courgettes
200gr self-raising brown flour
50gr Parmesan cheese
100gr sunflower oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 handful fresh mint leaves finely chopped
4 eggs
2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation:15 min Cooking: 40 min
Start by washing the courgettes and slice them in thin round wheels shape then put on the side.
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees.
Take a bowl and mix all the other ingredients together and then add the courgette wheels.
Mix well then transfer the mixture into a cake pan lined with baking paper.
Cook in the oven for about 40’ at 180 degrees.
The courgette pie is ready!
Enjoy warm or cold!
This pie is moisty inside and crunchy outside. So delicious!
Buon appetito!😋
All those lovely courgette wheels inside!
Quick Colourful Stuffed Peppers
My kids love peppers and as they were asking for stuffed peppers for quite a while, tonight I decided to make them happy! ☺️
This is a very quick recipe, full of colourful goodness and so delicious!
Ingredients for 10 stuffed peppers:
5 mixed peppers
2 cups risotto rice
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes
1 cup Italian tomato passata
1 cup frozen shelled edamame beans
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup water
8/10 basil leaves
8/10 mint leaves
Hymalayan salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Ground Flaxseed
Parmesan cheese
Preparation: 15 min - Cooking: 20 min
The rice is ready!
Start by putting the risotto rice in a pan with some water and salt (make sure that the water covers the rice) and cook it for about 15 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, we collect all other ingredients and cut the peppers in halves. We place the peppers on a plate and transfer in a microwave at maximum heat for 3 minutes.
Now transfer the pepper halves on a baking tray.
As soon as the rice is ready (it’s ok if it’s al dente, actually better!) add the passata, the chopped olives, the feta cheese, the chopped tomatoes, the edamame beans, the fresh herbs and the water.
Mix well then fill the peppers with this mixture.
Sprinkle each pepper with ground flaxseed and Parmesan cheese (both optional), some fresh basil and mint and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
The peppers are stuffed with goodness and now are ready to go in the oven!
Transfer in a preheated oven and cook at 190 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the skin of the peppers start to wrinkle.
My stuffed peppers are now ready to eat! Yummy!
In my 2 stuffed peppers I haven’t used rice but “fake rice” which is cauliflower rice of course!
I simply put 1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower florets in my food processor for 10 seconds at high speed, added to the rest of the ingredients and filled my peppers with it! So easy and equally tasty!
The best fake rice stuffed peppers ever! So good!
This would cut your cooking time by a massive 15 minutes which is great if you have very little time to cook!
Buon appetito!
Arianna loved her meal! She ate 3 stuffed peppers and asked to have them in her packed lunch too!
Korma Sweet Potato Toasts With Moringa Guacamole
Hi everyone,
I’m here to show that quick meals don’t mean unhealthy. You can put together a nutritious meal in about 30 minutes which is about the time of a supermarket ready meal and still having the thumbs up from all the family while knowing that you fed them with delicious healthy food!
I always get a weekly box from Abel&Cole to use organic fresh ingredients for my family meals, like the sweet potatoes and wild garlic of this recipe. Check them out!
Ingredients for 2 adults & 2 children
A look at some of the ingredients used and the ready plate!
2 sweet potatoes
100gr shiitake mushrooms
250gr chickpeas
1/2 cup chickpeas water
2 spoons coconut milk
2 teaspoons Korma powder
2 spoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Hymalian salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
handful fresh chopped coriander
for the moringa and wild garlic guacamole click here
Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes
Cut the sweet potatoes in half and transfer them on an oven tray. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle a bit of salt and roast in the oven at 190 degrees for about 30/40 minutes.
In the meantime prepare the vegan Korma sauce. Cut the shiitake mushrooms and cook them in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, salt, paprika, turmeric and chopped fresh coriander. After 5/10 minutes, add 2 spoons of coconut milk, 250 chickpeas with some of their water and 2 teaspoons of korma curry powder. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the sauce turns creamy.
Transfer the sweet potato toasts on a plate and pour the Vegan Korma sauce on them.
Top everything with a big spoon of moringa guacamole, squeeze some freshly squeezed lemon juice and sprinkle some chopped coriander to finish it off.
This is a very nutritious, filling and kids approved meal! It’s also very fast! In fact while the sweet potatoes are cooking, you are preparing the other 2 toppings. Result: in about 30 minutes you are done!
Buon appetito!
Super tasty sweet potato toasts full of colourful and nutritious ingredients!
Daughter loved everything about this meal!
South Italian Potato Pizza
Here is a post about a very typical recipe from Salento, the area in Italy where I come from.
This has been one of my favourite dishes since I was a child and still remember as it was yesterday when my mum used to make it for a special family lunch and how much my sisters and I loved it.
So there it is! My very own potato pizza recipe, the taste of my childhood.
Ingredients for the potato dough:
8 medium potatoes
2 eggs
1 bread slice
1 handful of parsley and mint
40gr parmesan cheese
2 tbsp almond milk
1tsp salt
1tsp paprika
For the filling:
5 medium white onions
100gr pitted dry black olives
400gr chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Preparation: 40 minutes Cooking:40 minutes
The ingredients of the potato dough
Onions and pitted dry black olives in tomato sauce
Start by boiling the potatoes and let them cool down a bit. Then mash them.
In the meantime put the bread, cheese, parsley and mint in a food processor and mince.
Now mix 2/3 of this crumble obtained with the potato mash and add eggs, milk, salt and paprika. Put the potato dough aside.
Start preparing the filling by finely cutting the onions and cooking them in a pan with oil and salt. Good 20 minutes or until they look soft and golden. Add the chopped tomatoes. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Add oregano and black olives. Cook through another 10 minutes then put aside.
Now we go back to our potato dough. Take a baking tray and line it with baking parchment. Divide the potato dough in 2 parts as you need to make a bottom and a top layer with it.
Use 1/2 of the dough to make the bottom layer. Then add the filling previously cooked. Then cover it with a top layer.
Use 1/3 of the crumble left to cover the top layer with it. That will allow to have a very moisty potato pizza inside with some nice crunchiness outside.
Cook in preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top turns golden and crispy.
Buon appetito! 😋
The potato pizza has the perfect colour to be taken out of the oven!
The potato pizza is ready!
The potato pizza is so full of flavour!
Breakfast Fruits Tarts
This is another post about sweet food for breakfast 😋 I so need comfort food mainly in the morning and at the same time don’t want to give up my weight loss goals and these breakfast healthy yummy tarts are the best compromise ever!
These are gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan friendly.
Ingredients for 4 tarts
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup mixed nuts
1/3 cup ground almond
1/3 cup dried apples
4 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
yoghurt, nuts and fruits of your choice for topping
Preparation:15 minutes Cooking:15 minutes
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Process the oats, nuts, apples, ground almond in a food processor until it has a flour like consistency.
Add the coconut oil and maple syrup and mix well until it has a crumb like consistency.
Divide the mixture into 4 small, lightly greased tart moulds.
Bake for 15 minutes until they turn golden brown.
Let cool in the moulds and gently remove the granola tarts.
Top with your favourite yoghurt, nuts and fruits.
Enjoy!
The tart is ready to eat!
Green and Red Pesto Sauce
This is a very quick and super easy recipe which is ideal when you really have no time to cook but you still want to make sure that you and your family gets a flavourful and nourishing meal.
As long as you have a food processor, this pesto can be ready in less than 30 seconds and you can add it as a topping to any pasta and job done!
Ingredients (2 adults + 2kids)
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
2 tsp capers
1 garlic clove
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Cashews, capers, spinach, sundried tomatoes.
Preparation: 5 min Cooking time: 1 min
Gather all the ingredients and transfer them in a food processor where you will grind them at high speed.
Your pesto is now ready to eat!
The homemade pesto is ready to eat!
Buon appetito!
Beautiful gluten free penne go perfectly with this pesto!
Crunchy, tasty and fresh. Amazing pesto!