This might sound like a strange combination to some, but it is actually very healthy and mouthwatering.
The paprika and sesame seeds give this dish a twist, and the vinegar makes it sharp.
This recipe is recommended for those who like to follow a good healthy diet in order to lose weight.

1 bunch baby spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups sliced strawberries
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons grape vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon sesame seeds / or pine nuts or pecans

In a bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.
In another bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

You can add avocados if you fancy ... it's a good way to change the recipe a bit if you think you'll get bored of it as it is! Though I don't think you'll get bored of it's mouthwatering taste .. yum yum!

The blend of spices differs from recipe to recipe and from family to family.
There are no rules as to what exactly to use and how much, it's a preference.

When I first started making Chai, I tried to be safe; for the first cup I started with cinnamon, then for the second cup I added cardamom, then for the third cup I added ginger.
Now, I make a cup of Indian Chai with five spices; Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger, Cloves and black peppercorns!

I pour all the following ingredients in a saucepan:
1/2 cup milk - not skimmed
1/2 cup water
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp. loose tea leaves - or if unavailable two tea bags
A mixture of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and black pepper.

Place over medium heat. Allow to heat until small bubbles appear in the milk. Stir the Chai a few times. When the milk comes to a boil, turn off the heat, stir well and cover and allow to steep for a few minutes. Strain carefully into a cup, and serve.

Enjoy ... close your eyes and imagine you're standing in front of the Taj Mahal or standing in the shadow of the Gateway of India in Mumbai and drinking this creamy spices drink.

When it's cold outside and your craving for that hot drink that will warm up your belly, there's nothing like a good mug of yummy hot chocolate ... but sometimes plain hot chocolate gets boring, and thus you need a couple of ways to spruce it up.

I've got a few ideas for you ... worth trying ... surely deeelicious!

Stir in a teaspoon of good maple syrup ... tastes like chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup!

Before pouring your hot chocolate, scoop in a ball of vanilla ice cream into your mug and then pour that hot gooey chocolate on top and enjoy it before the ice cream melts!

And because it's Christmas, you can use those yummy peppermint canes to stir your drink and get that minty zing!

If you're not so adventurous, just throw in some mini-marshmallows and enjoy them as they melt into the chocolate.

Tip:
They key to good hot chocolate is solid chocolate squares and not powder, whole milk and nothing else and letting the mixture simmer on a low heat and not boil!

Enjoy ...

One of the most delicious, mouth-watering foods here in the Arab world is the small, round yummy balls called Falafel!

Falafel is served with Hummus and Fool and is also made into great sandwiches in the Arabic pita bread with a tad bit of Hummus, pickles and a simple cucumber and tomato salad, in addition to the famous Tahina Sauce!

Falafel is pure Arabic, so don�t believe it when it is said that the Arabs have taken the recipe from the Israelis!

1 cup dried peeled fava beans [fool], soaked overnight
� cup dried chickpeas [hummus], soaked overnight
1 onion, chopped finely
1/3 cup minced parsley
2 tbsps minced cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
� tsp ground cumin
3 tbsps water
olive oil for frying

Drain and rinse the favas and chickpeas and put them in a food processor. Add the onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, baking powder, salt and cumin. Pulse to form a coarse paste. Add the water and process until the mixture is gritty but fine and bright green. Scrape the paste into a bowl.

Heat 2 inches of oil for frying, scoop rounded tablespoons of the falafel mixture into the hot oil and fry in small batches until browned and crisp, about 2 minutes.

Drain on paper towels set over a wire rack and serve hot.

I had a bag of frozen, pitted cherries in the freezer and wanted to make cake with it, so I searched the internet and came across quite a few good recipes, but I decided to go with a crumble recipe because it reminded me of my mom's summer fruit pie.

It's very easy to make and is divinely delicious!!

Ingredients:

2 Cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 Cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 Cup milk
185 grams melted butter
450 frozen, pitted cherries

Crumble:

1/2 Cup flour
1/4 Cup sugar
65 grams soft butter

Use your finger tips and mix the crumble ingredients until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the cherries.

Bake in a preheated oven of 180 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool well before devouring!

It's so easy and it's totally yummy ... Yummy !!!

Ingredients:
3 slices white bread , crusts off and torn
80 gr Parmesan
400 gr can chickpeas , drained
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil - or fresh if available
1 egg , beaten
salt & pepper

Pulse well then add the egg while the motor is running to bind together. Shape into 19 small balls. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 mins, turning halfway.

And enjoy! We sure did!

1 tablespoons olive oil
225g pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
225g pound sea scallops, rinsed and drained
225g pound cooked crab meat
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cups hot chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped onions
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly butter 4 small baking dishes.
In a pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Saute shrimp and scallops until firm, about 5 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add chicken broth and raise heat to high. Stir until thickened. Mix in onions & cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

Arrange shrimp, scallops and crab in the bottom of prepared dishes. Pour sauce over seafood and cover with cheese.

Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 12 t o15 minutes.

Small, red, juicy and fragrant ... Strawberries are my favorite kind of berries!
I love them because they're delicious and they're low in calories!
Those little red berries are very good for you as well; they're very high in vitamin C, potassium, manganese and fibers!

Do you like Strawberries? or do you hate them and think they're tasteless? Some people do!

A few days ago I received an e-mail requesting a recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies. And I found a really easy recipe that I hope you will like, try it with � milk as usual � it is mouthwatering!
Karen, you are going to love these!

2/3 c. butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 to 2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Mix the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together in a big bowl, then toss in the rest of the ingredients and fold in the chocolate chips. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 f. for 8 to 10 minutes, � keep your eye on those cookies� until they are golden.

Take them out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes and they should be soft!

They go great with milk, coffee or tea.

This will take you about 10 minutes to prepare & will make a good start to any meal.

Ingredients:

3 ripe pears, peeled & thinly sliced
6 slices wheat bread
12 walnuts, coarsely chopped
Blue cheese -Roquefort- crumbled

You can make another version of this, using apples & cheddar cheese instead! But don't skip the walnuts!

Enjoy!

Cheese is one of the best dairy products that mankind ever managed to develop! It�s quite nutritious and it�s especially delicious. Cheese has many uses as well like appetizer, seasoning and even dessert! Really, it�s one of the best milk-based products there is!

But do you know that cheese could have been first produced around 7,500 years ago? New research shows evidence of this! Scientists analyzed unglazed potteries found in Poland containing fatty acids in them and found that dairy products were made in the said containers! The sieves found in the archaeological sites also resemble the cheese-strainers used today, which only show that the potteries were used in making cheese.

This new research findings show that even during prehistoric times, people had use for their cattle�s milk. According to Peter Bogucki, a co-author of the study, the presence of fatty milk residue in the sieves is evidence of the consumption of low-lactose content milk products in Prehistory. Low-lactose content�s very important then since most of the people then were lactose intolerant.

Imagine, cheese has been in existence for 7,500 years! Amazing isn�t it? It�s no wonder cheeses today have evolved to become more delicious, appetizing and nutritious!

One of the winter soups that my mom makes is the creamy, cheesy pumpkin soup.
And it is one of the yummiest and easiest soups to make.

Ingredients:

3 cups pumpkin cubes ( dice them from a fresh pumpkin )
1 onion, diced into big cubes
1 garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups hot water or chicken stock ( your choice )
1 cup cream fresh
1/2 cup grated cheese
salt & pepper

Serve with crunchy garlic bread.

Lebanese cuisine is absolutely mouthwatering ... it's difficult finding a dish that isn't delicious!
One of my favorite yummy things are pastries called Sfiha or some like to call them Lahm Bi Ajin, which translates into meat with pastry!
These make a great snack or soup accompaniment!
I guarantee that if you try this, you'll fall in love with it!

Ingredients: (this amount makes a whole lot!)

1 kg (5 cups) plain flour
1 tsp dry yeast
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cups water

Filling:

1/2 kg ground meat
1 kg firm tomatoes, finely chopped
5 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
A dash of: cayenne red pepper, cinnamon, ground allspice
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp yogurt
1 tbsp sesame paste (Tahini)
5 tbsp fried pine nuts

For the dough, mix all the dry ingredients then add the water & knead until it forms a ball.
Put in a bowl & cover & let sit in a warm place for two hours.
For the filling, mix meat, tomatoes, onion and spices. Add yogurt & sesame paste. Mix all with fried pine nuts. Add butter & mix more.

Divide dough into walnut size balls. Roll between hand palms to smooth.
Roll out balls with a rolling pin to form 8 cm diameter circles. Put one tbsp of meat mixture on dough circle.

Bring the edges up and press to make a square.
Arrange meat pastries in a tray brushed with butter. Bake in a pre-heated moderate heat oven (180� C) for 30 minutes or till dough is golden and meat is cooked.

Bon appetite!

Because today is a hot day where I am at, �and that stays a mystery!� I thought of a fresh and light recipe that would be easy and fast to make.
Sandwiches can make excellent brunches or lunches, especially if they have a load of yummy stuff in them!
The sandwich I thought of is sophisticated yet simple, light yet filling � Roast Beef Sandwich!

Sliced black bread
Left over roast beef or pastrami
Crunchy lettuce
Sour gherkins �cured cucumbers� sliced
Strong mustard
Salt and pepper
Chips

Spread the black bread with mustard, put a slice of roast beef atop of it and a handful of crunchy lettuce, then some thin slices of gherkins, and season with salt and pepper.

Serve on a dish with chips on the side.