Beets and apples salad

Is your diet too low in fiber? Here is a little unusual combination for a salad to try along with your main dishes.  It delivers lots of fiber even during the winter, when fresh salads may not be easily available.  

Use your imagination and add as many other ingredients as you wish (and have at hand). For example, for more splash of color, vitamins and fiber, add a grated carrot and/or a few slices of a tangerine.

For us, today "the main dish" is composed of a can of salmon with tahini-lemon-onion seasoning and baked chickpea balls. For these recipes, I will post additionally.



Beets and apples salad
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp strawberry preserves (or any other preserves you like)
salt to taste
1 14-oz can of beets (whole or sliced)
1 medium apple, cored and diced (any variety you like)
chopped parsley (optional)

Directions
Mix the first four ingredients well and then combine with the apples and beets. Sprinkle with some parsley.

What’s cooking this weekend

I decided to experiment in the kitchen with something new this weekend. I had the idea of making some rolled cookies with a simple dough and preserves inside, but then I found a jar of frozen mushrooms that I had cooked a few weeks ago, so plans changed.  

This is how I came to the split decision on a sweet and a salty galette. I baked a mushroom one and an apple one.  The recipes are below.

Ingredients
Galette dough for two galettes
3 cups of flour (I use 1:1 white to whole wheat flour)
1 cup yogurt
1 cup olive oil
½ tsp baking soda
 
Mushroom galette topping
1lb mushrooms, chopped in large pieces
1 large sweet onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt, red pepper flakes (to taste)
 
Apple galette topping
3-4 Tbsp prune butter or any preserves you prefer
3 small apples (any type you like), cut into thin slices
 

Directions
Prepare the dough first. Mix the flour with the baking soda. In the middle of the flour mixture add the combined yogurt and oil. Combine with your hands and cover with oiled plastic wrap, if not using immediately. I refrigerated my dough for 2 hours. 

To assemble the galettes, divide the dough into two balls. Place each ball on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and some flour on top. Roll the dough into an oval shape, as thin as the size of the cookie sheet allows (sprinkling some flour on top of the dough will help the rolling). Spread the toppings. For the apple galette, first spread the preserves and then arrange the apple slices on top. Fold the edges of the oval by lifting the parchment paper at the edges of the dough. Bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes. (I decreased the temperature to 375°F for the last 10 minutes). 

Serve the mushroom galette with some grated cheese such as Parmesan. Sprinkle some powder sugar/cinnamon on top of the apple galette.

 
I will be experimenting soon  with other toppings. The choices are many: feta cheese, roasted peppers, soy sausages, olives, cheddar, ham... Or something sweet: orange marmalade with fresh orange slices, peaches, or mixed berries!

Weekend cooking: apple strudel

Easter is coming; therefore, some excitement on the table in the form of desserts is expected.

However, if you have read a few posts of mine, you already know that I try not to use sugar in my baking recipes, and I like experimenting in the kitchen. 

Since the only "free" time to do my experiments is on weekends, and mostly during the cold months of the year (when the garden is off-limits), my Easter dessert recipe was already tried and tested this past weekend.

I decided to experiment with apple strudel recipe without added sugar (unless you sprinkle some on the crust before serving). The sweetness comes from the bananas and apples.

Apple strudel

You need:
Crust ingredients:
3 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup apple sauce
3 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup water
¼ tsp baking soda

Filling ingredients:
1 ¼ cup cut walnuts
6 medium size apples (diced)
2 Tbsp cinnamon (to taste)
2 ripe bananas (mashed)

Instructions:
Dice the apples without peeling them, and mix with the mashed bananas, cinnamon and walnuts. Set aside and make the dough. In a large bowl, make a well in the flour. Mix the applesauce, water, oil, and baking soda and pour into the flour well. Gradually incorporate all ingredients by hand to form the dough. Divide the dough into two balls. Flatten the balls and roll to the size of the pan (I used 9 x 13 inches baking pan). Place the first layer of dough at the bottom of an oil-sprayed pan, top with the apple filling and cover with the second layer of dough. Pierce the upper layer of dough with a fork and bake at 400°F for 50 minutes. Until the strudel is still warm from the oven, you could sprinkle some cinnamon-sugar on top (this would be the only "added" sugar in the recipe).

Verdict: 
My husband and I liked the result, my daughter stated that she never wanted to try it again.