TANGERINE AND BANANA DESSERT

We will make a dessert today. Something refreshing and without many calories. Tangerines and bananas. But you can also use oranges if you want. The almonds and the mint will give us a special touch.

Ingredients:

2 tangerines
2 bananas
10 almonds, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon chopped mint leaves

This dessert is very easy to make. First we just have to prepare the fruit. We will peel the bananas and cut them in slices. Then we will peel the tangerines and we will split them into segments. We can cut these segments in pieces, but do not cut them too small. Do this preparation over a bowl where you will put the fruit and you will get the juice from the tangerines.
Now, with all the fruit in the bowl, we will add the almonds, the honey and the mint leaves. We will mix well but carefully so as not to break the fruit. We will taste it, and if we feel like it, we can add some sugar. If that is the case, mix again and serve. And enjoy!

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EMPANADA

We will go to Spain today. We will cook Empanada, a stuffed bread dish typical in Spain and also in Portugal. There are also little empanadas or empanadillas that are popular in South America too. Maybe the most famous Empanada is the Empanada Gallega. Let’s cook!

Ingredients:

Dough,

1 cup and 1 tablespoon water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon salt
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon Spanish pimentón
½ tablespoon yeast

Stuffing,

1 chopped green pepper
1 chopped onion
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 chopped Spanish chorizo
3 slices of ham
1 tomato
1 roasted chopped red pepper
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Spanish pimentón
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

To brush the Empanada,

1 beaten egg

First we will prepare the dough. I will use my bread machine to make the Empanada dough, but, of course, you can knead your dough by hand. I will use the machine because it is very convenient. You can use a stand mixer as well.
With the bread machine, we will put the ingredients in this order: water, oil, salt, flour, pimentón and yeast. We will select the program just to knead the dough and turn the bread machine on. The machine will knead the dough and then it will let it grow.
In case you want to make your dough by hand, you can do it placing the flour on a counter top making a well with the water inside. Then add the rest of the ingredients and make the dough. Finally you will have to knead the dough properly. Do this till the dough is elastic. Then, let it rise in a bowl covered by a wet cloth.
We will have to prepare the filling too. We will start sautéing the green pepper and the onion in a frying pan with hot oil. A couple of minutes later we will add the garlic and the chorizo. A bit later we will add the ham, cut in little pieces. The next to add is the tomato, the red pepper, the parsley, the ground pepper and the pimentón. We will keep on cooking turning the fire low for about five more minutes. When our filling is ready, we will reserve it.
Now we will come back to our dough. We will split the dough in half. With the help of a rolling pin we will take a half of the dough and we will make the base of our Empanada. When it is thin enough, we will put it on an oven tray. Of course, the tray will have to be slightly greased. We will put our filling on top of that dough. Then we will take the other half of the dough and we will make the top of the Empanada helping us with the rolling pin. We will cover the filling with this and then we will seal the Empanada by putting the outer part of the dough that is below over the top part. Once the Empanada is sealed, we will make a hole in the middle of the Empanada. With a fork we will also make some little holes in the surface of the Empanada. This will be helpful to cook our Empanada.
Now we will brush the Empanada with the beaten egg. And we just have to take it to a preheated oven to 425ºF and let it cook for about 25 minutes.
And then we will have our Empanada ready. Let it cool for a while before serving. Enjoy!

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RAMEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

I know, I know. Cooking with Ramen Noodles? Why not? Cooked with some vegetables, Ramen Noodles make a healthy and tasty meal. Let’s cook this delicious Ramen and Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients:

A packet of Ramen Noodles
½ chopped onion
1 chopped carrot
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
3 sliced okras
5 frozen chopped green beans
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup frozen broccoli
½ cup frozen spinach
8 frozen butter beans
1 boiled potato, cut in little pieces
1 small tomato, cut in little pieces
½ cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

First we will prepare the vegetables for our recipe. As I use fresh and frozen vegetables, first we will start sautéing the onion and the carrot in a saucepan with hot extra virgin olive oil. Just a couple of minutes. Then we will add the ginger, the garlic and the okra. Then we will add water to the saucepan. Now we will add the frozen vegetables: the green beans, the corn, the broccoli and the spinach. We will bring it to a boil and when the vegetables are almost done, we will add the potatoes, the tomato and the celery. Now we will add the ramen noodles and the soy sauce. We will let them be cooked till they are done. Add some pepper and check if you need more salt. But probably with the soy sauce will be enough as for salt. When our noodles are ready, serve them hot. Slurp and enjoy!

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