Carrots Braised in Olive Oil - Zeytinyağlı Havuç

Carrots Braised in Olive Oil

Carrots and onions sautéed in olive oil is a simple dish. Easy to prepare and takes less than 15 minutes to cook. Typically a table spoon full of rice is also added to the dish, however, I always omit the rice. This recipe calls for fresh dill for garnish, parsley would work just as well. 

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs (about 8 medium) carrots, peeled
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped (optional) for garnish

Directions:
Wash and peel the carrots. Diagonally cut them in 1/4 inch thick slices. Peel and chop the onion. In a large pan, saute onions in olive oil over medium heat, about 3 minutes. Add carrots, salt and pepper and stir. Add boiling water. Cover the pot and reduce heat to slow. Let it cook until all vegetables are tender, about 7-8 minutes.

Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle chopped fresh dill as garnish (optional). This could be served hot or at room temperature like most Turkish style olive-oil based vegetable dishes.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Carrots chopped diagonally

Chopped onions

Carrots braised in olive oil ready to serve

Carrots braised in olive oil

Quinoa Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans - Nohutlu Kinoa Pilavı

Quinoa Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans

OK, I admit I did not know what quinoa was until just a few years ago. But then, who did? I was trying to stay away from white rice and was very proud to use bulgur (cracked wheat) as an alternative for pilafs. After all, bulgur is whole wheat and has low glycemic index, it was all good. Since I add vegetables and garbanzo beans to it, I was very happy to cook nutritious bulgur pilafs. That is until we all learned about gluten and what it could do to our bodies, our brains. Naturally, I got myself a bag of "organic quinoa" and cooked it exactly per the directions on the bag. It was soggy and pretty much tasteless. My husband's comment was "this is bird food, why did you cook it?". I had to experiment with the way I cooked it. First lesson to learn was "not to follow the instructions" on the bag. You actually need less water than they tell you to cook with. I wanted enhance the taste, so I added lots of onions, bell peppers and garbanzo beans, black pepper and turmeric and voila! The result was a delicious alternative to rice and bulgur pilafs. Now all of my family (including the hubby) are not only used to it, but they actually like it a lot. This is a very simple recipe, but it will make quinoa an everyday dish on your table. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quinoa
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Wash and drain quinoa. Saute onions in olive oil in a pan over medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Add chopped bell peppers, continue to saute until vegetables are wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Add boiling water and the rest of the ingredients, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer until the water is absorbed. Remove and serve hot.

Note: This dish freezes very well. You can make a big batch and freeze some in small containers to be used later. It does not lose it taste or texture by freezing.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Quinoa Pilaf Ingredients

Quinoa Pilaf sauteed onions

Quinoa Pilaf sauteed onions and peppers

Quinoa Pilaf cooking

Quinoa Pilaf cooked

Quinoa Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans

Spinach Purée with Cheese

Spinach Purée with Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh baby spinach
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1  cup grated romano or parmesan cheese, divided
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash, drain and finely chop spinach. Place it in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until the water it releases evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside to cool. Squeeze dry the spinach to get rid of excess moisture.

In a separate pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and using a whisk, continuously stir the flour-butter mixture for about 3-4 minutes. Slowly add milk while stirring the mixture with a whisk to avoid lumps. Add ¾ of the grated cheese, stir. Add spinach, stir with a spoon. Continue to cook until the mixture is hot, stirring frequently.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, place in a serving dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, serve hot.

Bon Appétit! Afiyet Olsun!

Spinach finely chopped

Spinach cooked

Spinach is added to the white sauce

Grated cheese is added to spinach purée

Spinach Purée with Cheese

Baked Spinach Rolls

Baked Spinach Rolls - Ispanaklı Kol Böreği

Borek is  typically a baked or fried pastry with cheese, minced meat or vegetable fillings. It is made with a thin flaky dough known as fillo (phyllo) or, better yet, made with home made dough. Typically one uses olive oil or butter, eggs and milk to enrich the flavor. Borek was a popular dish of Ottoman cuisine. One can see it in all countries that used to be a part of the former Ottoman Empire or the countries who came in contact with the Turkic people.

I wanted to make a vegan version that also tasted good and came up with the following recipe. This one has a spinach, onions and tomatoes filling, however, you can use other fillings. If you decide to use cheese filling make sure to add some chopped fresh herbs like dill or parsley to bring out the flavor.

Ingredients:

• 3 table spoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• 6 cups fresh baby spinach
• 10 sheets of fillo (phyllo) dough
• ¼ cup avocado oil (or grapeseed oil)
• 1 table spoon black caraway seeds for garnish

You will need:

• a 10 inch pie dish
• a 3/8 to 1/3 in thick dowel stick 18 inches or longer

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sauté onions in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté together for another 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and sauté for 1 more minute, set aside.

On a clean flat surface, lay 2 sheets of fillo dough, long side closer to you. Drizzle or brush avocado oil on the top layer of the two fillo sheets. Spread one fifth of the spinach filling over the half of the fillo sheets. Place the dowel close to the edge on the long side of the fillo dough.Starting on the edge with the dowel, gently start to wrap the fillo dough over the dowel. Make it a loosely wrapped roll. If it is tight, it will be hard to do the next step. When the two sheets are rolled around the dowel, gently push the two ends of the roll towards the center, gathering the dough, giving it a wrinkled look.  Holding one end of the dowel stick with one hand, slowly slide the roll into the pie dish. Lay the roll along the outer edge of the dish. 

Repeat this 4 more times, placing rolled in the pie dish spiraling inwards until you use all the fillo dough and the pie dish is full. Brush the rest of the avocado oil on top of the rolls. Sprinkle black caraway seeds on top.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until it is golden brown, about 35-45 minutes. 

Cut into wedges like you would cut a pie. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!

Fresh Baby Spinach

Sauté Onions in Olive Oil

Onions and tomatoes Sautéed

Vegetables Sautéed

Brush oil on fillo dough

Spread filling over half of the dough

Place dowel stick on the long edge where the filling is.

Start loosley rolling the dough

Dough completely rolled over the dowel

Gather the dough from both ends toward the center

Place rolls into the pie dish in a spiral

Brush remaining oil on the rolls

Sprinkle caraway seeds on top

Baked Spinach Rolls ready to be served

Spinach and Mushrooms in Olive Oil - Zeytinyağlı Mantarlı Ispanak

Spinach and Mushrooms in Olive Oil - Zeytinyağlı Mantarlı Ispanak

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 small or 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 1 lb baby spinach
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 table spoons No 1 or No 2 size bulgur (cracked wheat)
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash and drain spinach and mushrooms separately. Cut onion in 4 pieces and slice.

Place bulgur in a strainer and wash it, set aside. It will absorb some water and will cook easily.

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and bulgur, continue to sauté for about 5 more minutes over slow heat. Add spinach, salt and pepper. Cover the lid and let it simmer over low heat until spinach is tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Spinach and tomato juices will allow you to cook it without adding any water to the pot. Serve hot or at room temperature with plain yogurt.

Onion, mushrooms and tomatoes sautéed, bulgur added

Spinach added to the sautéed vegetables, cooked, ready to be served

Served with a spoonful of yogurt on the side

Eggplants Stuffed with Tomatoes, Onions and Garlic in Olive Oil - Imam Bayıldı

Eggplants Stuffed with Onions and Garlic in Olive Oil - Imam Bayıldı

The name of this famous dish  "Imam Bayıldı" means "Priest Fainted", supposedly with pleasure after eating this dish. The original recipe calls for frying the eggplants first, before cooking them with the rest of the ingredients. Based on my friend Fatos' recipe, I've tried roasting them instead. It turned out delicious, so my recipe was modified forever.

It has simple ingredients, yet is a very tasty eggplant dish. Traditionally served at room temperature as a side dish or as meze/appetizer. I hope you enjoy it as much as "imam" did.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium eggplants
  ( I use light purple Japanese eggplants since they have less seeds in them)
• 4 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, each cut in 2-3 pieces
• 3 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

Wash and roast the eggplants on barbecue. Put aside, let them cool down, peel the skins, set aside.

Cut onions in half and thinly slice. In a pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes. Add sugar (optional), salt and pepper to your taste. Cover and let it simmer over low-medium heat until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. If the tomatoes are juicy, you won't need to add any water. If not, add a glass of boiling water to the pot to let the vegetables simmer in the sauce. Right after removing it from heat, add chopped parsley, gently stir.  This will be the filling for the eggplants.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange eggplants in an oven safe dish. Gently open the middle part of the eggplants lengthwise. Using a spoon, place vegetable filling in the middle of each eggplant. Try to take the vegetables only, leaving most of the sauce in the pot. Using a spoon, pour some of the sauce left in the pot around the eggplants. Place the dish in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature. Transfer to a serving dish, enjoy!

Onions, garlic and tomatoes cooked in olive oil

Add chooped parsley to the filling

Arrange roasted eggplants in an oven-safe dish

Middle of the eggplants are gently opened to put the filling in

Eggplants are filled with cooked vegetables

Fresh out of the oven

Imam Bayildi - Eggplants Stuffed with Onions, Garlic and Tomatoes

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Garbanzo Bean Dip with Cumin and Dill

Garbanzo Bean Dip with Cumin and Dills

This is a dip similar to hummus, except that it does not have tahini (sesame paste) in it. Not having sesame paste in it, this version is lighter than hummus. Cumin and fresh dill gives its special taste. It goes great with pita bread wedges.

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz can organic garbanzo beans
• 2 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 table spoons lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 cup fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon paprika or hot chili powder, or a mixture of the two
• Salt to taste
• Olives, slices of tomoto and a few sprigs of dill or parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Drain garbanzo beans. In a food processor combine all ingredients, puree well until it is a smooth paste. Add 1/4 cup more water if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with olives, slices of tomotoes and sprigs of fresh dill or parsley.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!