Salad

Mini Caprese Bites

mini-caprese-bites

Caprese salad is simply delicious.

I am deeply in love with its elegant simplicity.

It magically combines the deliciousness of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil and some kind of lovely drizzle.

 

Just lately I came across the most adorable presentation of this salad – instead of slicing larger tomatoes and placing them next to mozzarella slices, this version turns cherry tomatoes and cubed mozzarella into the cutest Caprese bites.

What a gorgeous idea!

I just love it!

 

 

mini-caprese-bites

To make about 30 Mini Caprese Bites you will need 1 pound (500 grams) cherry tomatoes, 1/2 pound (250 grams) mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) balsamic vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and fresh basil leaves.

And toothpicks.

 

 

mini-caprese-bites

1. To assemble the Caprese Bites, first cube the mozzarella.

2. Then thread tomato half, one piece of cheese, another tomato half and a basil leaf onto toothpicks. Place toothpicks in a shallow serving dish.

3. And lastly, whisk together the oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and drizzle the oil mixture over the skewers.

 

Enjoy this fresh and summery treat!

With love,
Petra

(The recipe adapted from framedcooks.com. Makes about 30 skewers.)

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Spring Chicken Salad with Noodles

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures

Hi guys!

Yes, I am back. Feeling so much better.

Even though I still have no clue what has been causing my health to deteriorate recently, I know for sure that I am getting better and feel new waves of energy entering my body. After almost four long months of living like a zombie.

It feels great to come to life again!

Oh, and the most important thing – I’d love to thank all of you who’s thought of me, or sent me a comment or an email. You’ve really helped lift my spirits. Big THANKS, guys! You are the best. I have always thought so. And I always will.

Love you !

 

So, with this new energy in me I walked into the kitchen the other day and I decided to prepare something very colorful, healthy and energizing.

It is this Spring Chicken Salad.

With noodles.

And it is yummy.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients

Here’s what we need.

 

If you feel inspired and would like to have this salad on your plate too, then this is how you can prepare it.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, rinse the green onion under cold running water, pat them dry and slice them, in this recipe we are going for long strips of colorful vegetables

1. First, rinse the green onions under cold running water, pat them dry, and slice them.

In this dish we are going for long strips of colorful vegetables.

 

2. Peel the carrot and cut it into thin strips too.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, core the red bell pepper and remove all seeds

3. Core the red bell pepper and remove all seeds.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, cut red pepper into strips

4. And, yes, strips again.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, chop parsley or cilantro finely

5. Then grab your herbs.

You can use parsley or cilantro (coriander).

And you can either use whole leaves or chop them finely.

Depending on what makes you happy.

 

And that’s it for the vegetable part.

Now let’s make some sauce.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, making the sauce, peel two cloves of garlic

6. To make the sauce, peel two cloves of garlic.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, making the sauce, press or mince the garlic finely, place it into a small bowl

7. Press or mince the garlic finely.

Place it into a small bowl.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, making the sauce, squeeze half a lemon, add the juice to the garlic

8. Squeeze half a lemon.

Add the juice to the garlic.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, making the sauce, add the soy sauce and the sweet chili sauce, stir a little

9. Add the soy sauce and the sweet chili sauce.

Stir a little.

And that’s our flavorful sauce.

Easy!

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, wash two pieces chicken breasts

10. Now we need two pieces of washed chicken breasts.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, slice each breast in half horizontally to make it thinner, then cut each piece into strips against the grain, how to make chicken breast butterfly cut

11. Slice each breast in half horizontally to make it thinner.

Then cut each piece into strips against the grain.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, pour the vegetable oil into a larger pan and heat it over medium-high heat, then add the chicken and salt

12. Pour the vegetable oil into a larger pan and heat it over medium-high heat.

 

13. Then add the chicken and salt.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, fry, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes

14. Fry, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, add the vegetables

15. Then add the vegetables.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, add the parsley leaves and the sauce

16. Add the parsley leaves and the sauce.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, stir-fry for about 5-6 minutes, the vegetables should still remain a little crunchy

17. And stir-fry for about 5-6 more minutes.

The vegetables should still remain a little crunchy.

This is a salad, after all.

A warm salad.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, taste the chicken and add more salt if necessary

18. Taste the chicken and add more salt if necessary.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, preparing noodles

And that’s it.

So simple.

All we need to do now is to prepare some noodles.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, preparing noodles

19. These are noodles.

I love noodles. So I’ve put this poem together.

MY ODE TO NOODLES:

Noodles are good.

Noodles are pretty.

They make this world a better place.

I love noodles.

If they were on facebook, I’d be a fan.

The end.

 

A little too sophisticated, I agree with you.

But that’s how I function.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, how to cook the noodles

20. Cook the noodles.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, serving the dish

And serve your dish.

Like this.

 

spring chicken salad with noodles recipe with step by step pictures, serving the dish

Or like this.

 

Or mixed together.

The choice is yours.

 

Enjoy, dear friends.

 

Love,

Petra

 

(The recipe has been adapted from www.taste.com and makes 2-3 portions.)

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Tuna Sandwich

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

I’ve been carrying an idea to prepare a tuna sandwich in my head for quite some time.

Cause I love tuna.

It’s my favorite fish of them all.

Maybe because that’s the only one I eat, actually.

 

Anyway, recently, when making this delish Potato Soup, I ended up with one unused celery root and was looking for a dish that would incorporate it somehow.

Things have come full circle when one of the first recipes that I came across was actually for a Tuna Sandwich.

There was no question about the celery root any more.

Task completed.

Case solved.

What needs to be done, has to be done.

 

When I searched some more I also found out that people have produced about a zillion Tuna Sandwich recipes throughout the history.

It looks like it’s some kind of a popular ritual that we all share and enjoy.

Okay folks, I wanna play this game too and this is my addition…

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

Please, meet the ingredients.

They are yummy.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

Let’s start with this handsome buddy, if you don’t mind.

It’s a celery root aka celeriac.

I write about its life story and why it needs your love here.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

1. Slice off the skin of the root, wash it and grate it finely.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

Like this.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

2. Grab one half of red onion and chop it.

It will add a wonderful taste and also a wonderful color to the salad.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

3. Let the onion and the celery make friends in a larger bowl.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

4. Now break the Chinese cabbage into individual leaves, wash them and drain them.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

5. Slice the leaves into thin strips, leaving out the firmer parts.

And I don’t mean fingers here.

Which you should of course leave out.
tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

6. Then chop the cabbage even more finely and add it into the bowl.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

7. Drain the tuna and throw it in too.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

8. And now the best part (for some of us) – add nice eight heaping tablespoons of mayo.

That amount might sound a little devilish, I agree.

But consider that we are making a lot of sandwiches here – about ten – so it’s kinda all right.

Right?

Are you with me?
tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

9. Season it with the Worcestershire sauce and mix until combined.

 

10. And then taste it and add some salt if you wish to.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

11. Spread the newly made salad mixture on a bread slice and top with another slice of bread.

tuna sandwich recipe with step-by-step images

Then have a bite and enter heaven instantly.

It’s beyond delicious!

Enjoy, dear friends.

(This recipe feeds one smaller army – it makes about 10 sandwiches.)

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Tomato and Bean Salad

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

This week there’s a lot of celebrating going on.

To my astonishment, summer is coming to an end. To say a proper ‘Goodbye’ I’ve decided to prepare this yummilicious summery salad.

Yum-yum!

Second, though one might guess so, fall is slowly breezing its way to our days. Recently, there was a strange click in my brain and suddenly I started to think about mulled wine, The Annual Fall Market and – may heaven forgive me – Christmas.

And all those thoughts felt so good!

Hey! Am I the only one?

HELLO!

Is there anybody out there thinking about Christmas already?

Anyway, to celebrate the arrival of the most flamboyant seasons of them all, I’ve made a wonderful potato soup today. I am posting the recipe soon.

And then, this maniacal site of mine is celebrating its first birthday in a couple of days.

This is just a gorgeous week!
tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

These are the ingredients that I’ve use to prepare the Tomato and Bean Salad.

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

And these are the same ingredients in picture.

 

The story goes like this:

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

1. First, dice the tomatoes.

Begin by cutting them in half.

You can also seed your tomatoes at this stage (using a little spoon) if you don’t prefer ‘the water’ in your salad.

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

Then turn the tomato half face down and slice it horizontally.

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

Cut the tomato into strips.

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

And finally, hold the strips together and slice across them to have these cute little dices.

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

2. Throw the tomato dices into a bowl along with the beans.

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

3. Chop the green onions, fresh oregano and basil…
tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

…and into the bowl they go, as well.
tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

4. Now let there be some seasoning – add the salt, ground black pepper and fresh lemon juice.

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

5. And the olive oil, of course.

Olive oil is healthy and yummy.

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

6. Toss all the ingredients gently to mix.

tomato and bean salad recipe with step-by-step images

Serve chilled.

This wonderful salad can be served as is, or with a crunchy toast (or two or five), or with some yummy chicken steak …or any way you really like.

Enjoy, dear friends!

And have a wonderful week!

Love,

Petra

(This recipe was adapted from AppleCrumbles.com.)

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