French Onion Soup - Vegetarian

French onion soup is delicious made with sweet caramelized onions , it's usually made with beef stock and wine. Since this is a vegetarian version of the same, used vegetable stock. This soup has very few simple ingredients.

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 Large Onion
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3 thyme sprigs 

1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon Plain flour 

2 Cups Vegetable stock

For  the topping
1 Clove Garlic - minced

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Oil

Bread  Slices

A spring to Fresh Thyme

Parmesan Cheese - grated
2  Cheese slices

Method

Slice the onions , heat a very large pan, add the oil and butter when hot, stir in the onions, 2 of the thyme sprigs and the bay leaf.  Cook over a high heat for 5 mins, stirring continuously till the onions are caramelized but not brown,  yet very  soft.
Then add the flour into the onions and stir it over a medium heat for a few mins, add the stock and keep stirring along the bottom of the pan occasionally to mix in the brown sticky bits of onion.

While the soup  is simmering.

Heat oven to 180 C .

Make the topping,   mix the garlic and the oil together. Brush all over the bread slices, then cut each one into cubes. Scatter over a baking sheet, then bake for 8-10 mins until golden. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment or a sheet of  silicone. Remove the leaves from the remaining thyme sprig, then mix with the grated Parmesan. Scatter and spread over the lined baking sheet. Bake for about 8 mins until melted and turning golden. 

To serve, remove and discard the herbs from the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls – scatter over a few croutons, the cheese slice and a pinch of freshly powder pepper, then  place in the oven till the cheese is melted and crisp on top. Serve any remaining croutons separately.  This really filling  and  yum.... I would say delicious.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 55

Labels : Soup, French Cuisine, Continental Cuisine, Onion, Vegetarian, Cheese, Blogging Marathon

Tri Colour Sandwich

Happy Independence Day!! This a a tribute to my country - Tri Colour Sandwich. I have used three veggies in each layer to make the sandwich and they are also healthy. These sandwiches  were made of 3 Large sandwich breads, I doubled the quantity for the layers.  These went for our trekkers outing and they were finished in a jiffy.

Ingredients:
1 Large Sandwich bread

For Saffron layer:
3 Carrots - thinly sliced
2 Red chillies - broken into pieces
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Mustard sauce
3 Tablespoons Fresh grated Coconut
3 Tablespoon Cream cheese
3 Tablespoon Butter
Salt to taste

For White Layer:

3 Large Potatoes
3 Tablespoon Butter
1 Cup Milk
3 Tablespoon Cream cheese
1 Teaspoon White Pepper powder
Salt to taste

For Green layer:

1 Cucumber
3 Cups Coriander leaves
4 Green chillies
3/4 Cup Freshly Grated Coconut
1 Teaspoon heaped Cumin seeds
1 Teaspoon heaped Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoon heaped Butter

Method:

For Saffron Layer: 

In a pan add the red chilli and the carrot, boil till the carrot it soft. Allow to cool.

When cooled add this along with rest of the ingredients and grind to a fine paste - spreadable consistency.

For White Layer: 

Pressure cook the potato till soft peel the potatoes and mash it.

In a pan add the butter and when it starts to melt add the milk and bring it to boil. Now add the mashed potatoes and mix well, stir continuously to  make a smooth consistency. Season this mixture with pepper and salt, add the cream cheese, mix well till ingredients are well blended. Take off the flame and allow it to cool.

For Green Layer:

In a blender jar add the all the ingredients and grind to a fine paste adding little water if necessary to make a fine paste.

Now all the layer's are ready, let's assemble the sandwich.

Assembling the Sandwich: 

Arrange three slices of bread on board,  apply the one colour chutney on each bread slices.  The fourth slice is for covering.

On the green layer slice of bread,  place the potato layer slice of bread with the filling on the top side, in the same way place the carrot layer and cover with the plain slice of bread.

Slightly press the sandwich and trim the edges. Diagonally cut the slices to get triangular shape or cut rectangle shape as you wish. 

Enjoy...!

My Notes:

Wrap the sandwhiches in a clean damp cloth and then place  them in  a plastic bag and refrigerate them overnight before triming  the sides  and cutting into triangles, they will cut evenly and the filling will not ooze out, it will set nicely.   

I.  finished making these sandwiches at 12.30 pm, had to pack them in the night itself, since we were leaving in the morning at 5 am.  Hence, you can see the layer oozing out a little.

Linking this to Valli's 'Cookingfrom Cookbook Challenge: August -- Week 3 .

Labels : Sandwiches, Tricolour, Carrot, Cucumber, Potato, Cheese, Healthy, Kids delight, CCChallenge

Mini No-Bake Apple Pies

When browsing the internet for no bake recipes,  came across this site.   Liked this recipe and decided to try it.  It turned out excellent and we all loved it.  You can have this with vanilla ice cream  and it taste yum...

Recipe source here
Ingredients
250 Grams Apple
½ Cups Powdered sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Tablespoons Wheat flour
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Milk
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
10 Slices of bread  - I used whole wheat bread

Method
Peel apples and cut into small squares.

Place the  cut apples into pan over medium heat, add 1/3 cup of water.  Let them cook for about 10 minutes till apples are soft.

Then add the sugar

While apples are cooking, mix Wheat flour and cinnamon into a bowl.  Stir  this into apples and  mix.

This is how it should be.

Prepare two slices of bread by putting them into the microwave for 15-20 seconds. This makes it so that the bread doesn't "break" in the next steps.

Add a spoonful of filling to one of the slices and cover with the other

Use a cutter (smaller than the bread size) and press firmly down while rotating to tear through bread.

You should be left with this small bread capsule.

Add the Egg, Vanilla Extract, and Milk into another bowl. Whisk with a fork.

Dip bread into the mix.  It isn't meant to soak too much.
Add to buttered pan.

Wait until nicely browned and then flip over to its other side.

Once both sides are done.

Serve and  Enjoy!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 54

Labels : Sweets & Desserts, No Bake Desserts, Apple, Blogging Marathon

Herbed Butterflaps - #BreadBakers

These Guyanese Butterflaps are puffy, buttery rolls that are filled with butter and folded.    These butterflaps take you to heaven when bitten !

I,  started making the butterflaps at 5 am, made them for breakfast for my guest.   They just could not believe that these are homemade.  They got over in a jiffy.   Made these in two batches managed to keep 3 for hubby and me.

Makes 16 to 18 depending on the size
Ingredients

3 Cups All purpose flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Milk Powder
3/4  Cup Warm water
3 Tablespoons Sugar
2.1/4 Teaspoon Rapid Rising Yeast
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
2 Tablespoon Butter
For the spread - mix together
3 Tablespoons Salted Butter
1 Tablespoon Garlic - minced
1 Tablespoon Dill - finely chopped

2 Tablespoons Coriander - finely chopped fine
1 Teaspoon Oregano

1 Teaspoon Thyme

1/2 Teaspoon Black pepper powder

Method
Warm the water, stir in the sugar and yeast and leave covered to bloom for 10-15 minutes till it is frothy.

Mix the flour, salt and milk powder and add the oil. Mix well.
Add the bloomed yeast and mix well with a spatula.

Knead well adding more milk or water only if required. Make it into a ball.  Take this dough on to a work surface and add butter by stretching and folding the dough till  the  butter is incorporated.  Keep stretching and  folding for about ten minutes to get a smooth and elastic dough.

Transfer to a oiled bowl and leave covered to rise for 1 to 1.1/2 hours till the dough doubles in volume. Gently deflate and divide into 16 to 18 equal balls. 

Roll into balls and roll out to small discs.

Spread the herbed butter on each disc.

Fold over and spread herbed butter on the top again.

Fold over to form a triangle.

Transfer to a greased baking tray and leave the butterflaps to rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven at 180C for 15 minutes.Brush very gently with  remaing herbed butter. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180C.

See my gorgeous beauties.

Remove and brush with butter.

Serve hot with a cup of heat. ......Bliss ...ss...!...

Sending these to Bread bakers event for the month theme Breads made with summer bounty. Using the fresh summer fruits or vegetables or herbs from your garden or from the farmers market. Our host is Pavani her blog is : Cook's Hideout http://www.cookshideout.com/. Thank you Pavani for hosting this month's event.

BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Labels : Breads, Butterflaps, Guyanese, Bread Bakers, Eggless
Breads using Summer Bounty:
Almond and Carrot Biscuits from Basic N Delicious
Cheddar Mielie Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes from Food Lust People Love
Cherry Bread Pudding from Bakers and Best
Eggless Rosemary Garlic Dinner Rolls from Spill the Spices
Garden Herb Focaccia from My Catholic Kitchen
Herb and Cheese Biscuits from Gayathri's Cook Spot
Herb and Cheese Grissini from A Shaggy Dough Story
Herbed Butterflaps from Sneha's Recipe
Herbs, Spinach and Cheese Bourekas from Cooking Club
Jalapeño Summer Squash Quick Bread from Magnolia Days
Mango Kolache from Mayuri's Jikoni
Peach & Blueberry Meringue Pull Apart Bread from Passion Kneaded
Peach Pull-Apart Bread from Recipes, Food and Cooking
Peaches and Cream Bread from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Pizza Cipolla - Onion Pizza from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Rosemary and Garlic Fougasse from Spice Roots
Rosemary Breadsticks from A Baker's House
Spinach Semolina Bread from The Schizo Chef
Studded Zucchini Yeast Bread from What Smells So Good?
Sundried Tomato Focaccia with Sauteed Summer Veggies & Garden Salad from Sizzling Tastebuds
Tomato, Onion, Parmesan Focaccia from Noshing With The Nolands
Walnut Oat Crumble Courgette Bread from Baking in Pyjamas
Wholewheat Onion, Spinach & Red Pepper Bread from Hostess At Heart
Wholewheat Zucchini Bread from Cook's Hideout
Zucchini Oatmeal Bread from Cali's Cuisine
Zucchini/Jalapeño/Cheese Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm

FRUITY PIE - A NO BAKE DESSERT

This dessert I,  made for my family get together and they enjoyed it. The only mistake done was I did not set it in a Springform pan or a removable bottom pan hence cutting the biscuit layer was difficult. The biscuit layer was stuck to the serving bowl (rectangular Pyrex dish) and broke into pieces. Wanted to click pics to show exactly what I mean, since it was on the table and it was being served could not click a pic.

Ingredients
For the base
250 Grams Digestive biscuits - crushed
200 Grams Unsalted Butter - melted

Ingredients for filling
200 Grams Cream Cheese
1/3 Cup Caster sugar
1 Cup Whipped cream
1/2 Cup Vanilla Ice cream
1 Large Can Fruit cocktail
2 Drops Fruit essence
1 packet Raspberry jelly

Method
Line a springform pan/ removable bottom pan with cling film let it ends hang outside the pan so that removing or lifting it is easy.

Crush the  biscuits  in a mixer jar, add the butter just pulse it once or twice and then press it evenly on to the prepared  pan .  Keep it in the refrigerator to set for an hour at least.

Soak the jelly in  3/4 cup water,  place it on low flame and keep stirring it till the sugar dissolves, remove from flame.  Keep aside till it cools.

Drain the juice of fruit cocktail in a sieve ( take only the fruit, see that there is no liquid content or else the pie will be soggy).

Method for filling:
Beat cream cheese with caster sugar, essence till well incorporated.  Fold in whipped cream and ice cream spread mixture on the biscuit base. Top with fruit cocktail.  Then pour the jelly on top of the fruit.   Keep it in the refrigerator overnight to set.   Serve chilled... enjoy !

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 54

Labels : No Bake Desserts, Mixed Fruits, Sweets & Desserts, Blogging Marathon, Icecream