Artichoke Hearts with Shrimp Saffron Salad

Artichoke season is here, and as I’m a big fan of this unique vegetable (actually, an edible flower bud from the thistle family), I always try to find new ways to serve it. This time I’ve decided to use the artichoke hearts as a bed for serving a tasty shrimps salad.

Breakfast Egg Muffins

I often make starch-free breakfast egg muffins, as an easy way to serve eggs for breakfast. My usual go-to recipe is my roasted vegetables version (recipe can be found HERE). However, this time I didn’t have prepared roasted vegetables at hand, so I decided to make do with fresh vegetables. I ended up with the following colorful, flavorful and nutritious breakfast egg-muffins.

Fried White Anchovies with Parsley-Lime Dressing

Most of us know anchovies mainly as a salted fish condiment, sold in small cans or jars, used often to flavor dressings and salads. The small fresh fish is mostly popular in the Mediterranean, where it is usually fried whole, or after a short marination in a vinegary marinade, with spices and herbs. A version of this, marinated longer and vacuum packed, is sold commercially, and is known as “white anchovies”.

Goat Cheese Mousse with Grapes

One of my favorite ways of relaxed entertaining is serving cheese platter, or baked cheeses, with stewed fruits, nuts and more (check THIS recipe for an example).
However, as the days get warmer, this option becomes a bit too heavy for the weather. So, my solution is to switch to lighter cheeses, and serve them with fresh summer fruits.

Vegetables Loaded Tuna Salad and Open Face Tuna Melt

Tuna salad is too often a boring and heavy blend of canned tuna, mixed with too much mayonnaise, a bit of celery and not much else.
The version I have for you here is tastier and healthier:

Halibut with Lightly Caramelized Onions, Tomatoes and Raisins

Due to a hectic week I didn’t have the time to prepare a new post, so I’ve decided to re-post this recipe, from the earlier days of the blog. Many of you probably haven’t seen it, and those who did will hopefully enjoy a reminder for this tasty recipe.

Starchless Cauliflower, Goat Cheese and Almonds Bake

With a request to develop a “vegetarian, starchless bake”, the decision to use cauliflower as the main ingredient was quite obvious, as this vegetable’s texture when cooked is as close to that of potatoes.

Lobster Tails Salad with Mango and Coconut Milk Dressing

When I cook lobster tails, it’s usually for one purpose: lobster rolls (see a recipe HERE). However, since it’s quite a summery dish, it didn’t feel right to prepare it in this current cold weather. So, I’ve decided to mix the cooked lobster with some warming, spicy-sweet coconut milk dressing instead.

Baked Brie with Quince in Spiced Red Wine

Baked Brie is a festive and easy to make dish. The warmed, creamy cheese is served with crackers, fruit and nuts, and the combination of salty, sweet and creamy flavors is irresistible.

Mini Eggplants Stuffed with Lamb, Pine nuts and Currants

I made this tasty dish a few times since I’ve posted it, and again, a couple of days ago. It was as delicious as always, and it made me think it would be a good idea to re-post the recipe, as it was posted in the early days of the blog, and some of you probably haven’t seen it. See you next week with a new recipe. 
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Stuffed vegetables are the tasty proof for the phrase “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Both the stuffing and the vegetables impart their flavors on each other and create a new wonderful flavor, while one can still taste each part separately.

Wonton Wrappers with Pineapple-Coconut Milk Duck Filling

Wonton wrappers are a wonderful versatile item that I love using. Once filled, they can be steamed or fried, or turned into quick ravioli dishes. In the recipe here I’ve used them to prepare mini egg rolls and cooked ravioli, filled with a delicious duck filling.