Salmon Shish Kebab and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

For the shish kebab

• 2 Salmon fillets
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 eggplant
• 1 sweet green pepper
• 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt, pepper, oregano
• Water

For the quinoa Salad

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 tomato
• 1 dessertspoon olive oil
• 1/4 lemon
• Crumbled feta cheese 
• Green pepper

Preparation

Peel zucchinis and eggplant like a zebra. 

Then cut them in round shapes. Mix yogurt, olive oil, water, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano and marinate zucchinis and eggplants in this mixture about half an hour. Mix apple cider vinegar,water, olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano and marinate salmon in this mixture about half an hour.

Cut salmon in small pieces. Take skewers and thread salmon, chopped green pepper, zucchini and eggplant. Put them onto grill and cook each side until they get brown.

To prepare quinoa salad, put quinoa in a small pot add 11/2 cup of cold water. Boil it on medium heat and turn down the heat when it is boiled and cook 10-12 minutes more until it sucks all water. Take it into a bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, chopped pepper and tomato and feta cheese. Enjoy!

Semolina Dessert

Ingredients

For the cookie

• 1 cup of semolina
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2-3 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 eggs 
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (8 oz)
• vanilla extract
• baking powder

For the syrup

• 5 cups of water
• 4 cups of sugar
• 1/2 lemon juice

Preparation

To prepare the syrup take a large pot; add sugar and water and put it on medium heat. When it boils add lemon juice and boil 5 more minutes. We need the syrup lukewarm, so make sure you have enough time to wait before you prepare the cookie.

To prepare the cookie take a large bowl put sugar, butter, semolina and 1 egg. Separate egg yolk and white, and add white to the mixture. You will need the yolk later. If you do not know how to separate, you can find instructions here: Separate egg yolk and white

Knead them until they mix well.

Then add flour, baking powder and vanilla extract. Knead again. Add flour to the mixture slowly until it does not stick to your hands.

Make small round pieces and lay them over on a glass baking pan. Put some distance between them.

Press the cookies with the back of a fork to make strips. 

Then apply egg yolk on top of each cookie. This part is optional, you can bake them without applying any eggs. 

Preheat oven to 350 F and bake them about 30-40 minutes. After taking from the oven pour the lukewarm syrup on it immediately. 

Stuffed Mushrooms

I want to thank to my brother for sharing this recipe. This is an easy appetizer.

Note: This recipe is for two people.

Ingredients

• 10 medium sized mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon red flare pepper
• 1 dessertspoon olive oil
• 1 dessertspoon butter (optional)
• 1/4 cup of grated mozzarella
• Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Take of the bottom parts from mushrooms and lay them over on a glass pan. 

Then in a small cup mix yogurt, olive oil and all spices.

Put 2 to 4 teaspoons of yogurt mixture inside mushrooms depending on their size. If you want you can add a little piece of butter on top of them.

Bake mushrooms in 400 F preheated oven about 15 minutes.

Then add mozzarella and parmesan on top of them, bring to broil and bake another two minutes.

Enjoy!

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Ali Nazik Kebap

This a kind of kebab which is common in South East Part of Turkey.

Note: This recipe is for two people.

Ingredients

• 1 big eggplant
• 1 1/2 cups of Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 lb ground beef (93% lean)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

Place aluminium foil on an oven pan and bake eggplant on it at broil about 20 minutes. Stab eggplant in different places with a knife before you bake it. If you do not do that, it may explode.

Peel the eggplant after you take it from the oven. Be careful, it will be really hot!

Blend eggplant and chopped garlic in a food processor. Then take the mixture in a large bowl add yogurt and mix them together.

Add garlic salt and mix again.

Take a service plate and put the eggplant mixture on it.

Take a frying pan and cook ground beef with some oil. Then add tomato paste and cook couple of minutes more. Place ground beef on the eggplant mixture. Enjoy!

Marble Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup of sugar
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of cacao 
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of vegetable/canola oil
• 1 dessertspoon baking powder
• 1 dessertspoon baking soda
• 1 dessertspoon powder vanilla or vanilla extract
• 1 drop of lemon juice

Preparation

Take a large glass bowl and beat eggs and sugar with a mixer. They should be in room temperature. 

Then add milk and oil, beat again with a mixer. 

Mix lemon juice and baking soda and add to the mixture. 

Put flour, baking powder and powder vanilla in a strainer, and add to the mixture through it. Mix it with a wood spoon. 

Take a cake pan and put some oil or butter on the surface and pour half of the mixture.

Add cacao on the other half and mix again. Add the cacao mixture on the cake pan. Bake in 350 F preheated oven about 40 minutes, lower the temperature to 300 F and bake another 10 minutes. Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

Note: This recipe is two people

Ingredients

• 2 large onions
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup of wine (optional)
• 2 cups of meat broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 slices of French bread
• 1 teaspoon flour
• Swiss Gruyere cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

Slice onions thin. 

Take a medium pot and melt butter in it, then add sliced onions. Cook them on medium heat until they got caramelized about 30-40 minutes. If you want to speed up the process add one teaspoon sugar into it.

Then add minced garlic and cook couple of minutes more and add thyme, pepper and bay leaf. Then add wine and cook 5-10 minutes until wine evaporates. After that add flour and cook couple of minutes more. Lastly add beef broth and salt and cook 30 minutes more on low heat. See the picture.

Roast sliced breads in a toaster or in the oven. Take soup in a small bowl, put roasted bread on it and sprinkle grated Swiss cheese and Parmesan and broil in a 350 F preheated oven about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Puffy Pizza with Beef

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 3 1/2 cup of flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of canola or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• Salt

For the Fill

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 little onion
• 1 tablespoon red pepper paste
• 2 tablespoons of pomegranate sauce (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red flare pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Parsley

Preparation

Mix dry yeast with warm milk and sugar and wait until it rises. Take a large bowl and put the yeast mixture, canola/vegetable oil, salt and vinegar. Add flour slowly and knead it until it becomes a soft dough.

Keep the dough in a warm place couple of hours. In the meantime to prepare the fill take a large bowl put ground beef, chopped onion and parsley, red pepper paste, pomegranate sauce (you can find it in Middle East Shops), olive oil, black and red pepper and salt and then mix them together.

When the dough is ready take small pieces from it and with the help of olive oil, make thin square shape and then wind up all edges.

Put square shaped pieces on a glass pan and put some fill on top of it. 

Bake it in 375 F preheated oven about 40 minutes, until it gets red. Enjoy!