Kompot

One big side effect of living in North America is temptation. I constantly find myself being tempted by all available products, entertainment and food. And if I found a way of restraining myself from the first two (being on limited family budget really helps), food and the whole food culture here is the worst coming into terms with for me. But I won't go into that right now. Today is a little topic on soft drinks.

Perhaps, it won't surprise you, my North American reader, but to me - newcomer from another country, this everyday drinking soda is something very foreign.
I mean, those drinks are available to buy anywhere: at grocery stores, restaurants, cinema theaters, malls, parking lots, colleges and even my office has a vending machine! No wonder people are so used to drinking that stuff everyday.
My first few years in Canada, I’ve been avoiding soda easily. Maybe because I’ve been busy studying or settling in the new country, maybe because my home ties and traditions were still in tight presence, I'm not sure. But now that I'm somewhat relaxed and settled, I find myself grabbing a can (or a pack!) of soda from time to time. Somehow "Ginger ale" or "Coke" made their way into my fridge, into my lunch bag and into my diet. See, I’m craving it as I’m typing this…
Only my husband’s harsh criticism made me stop. He also reminded me that we grew up without any soft drinks back home and instead, we had homemade Kompot. Since fresh fruit was not available at large when we were kids, our mothers made this drink out of available dried fruits: apples, pears, raisins, apricots and prunes. The recipe couldn't be simpler: boiling water+fruit = healthy drink.
So with all the apples being in season, I made Kompot last night. I also added pears from my parent’s garden, prunes and some raisins for sweetness and it was delicious. To make it a bit more "American" I spiced it up with cinnamon. I'm bringing some to work with me for lunch. No more space for soda can in my lunch bag:)

Basic Kompot recipe

Ingredients
1 cup cut-up apples (or dried)
1 cup cut-up pears (or dried)
1 cup prunes
1 cup dried apricots
½ cup raisins (or dried cranberries)
½ stick cinnamon (optional)

Preparation
In saucepan, combine apples, pears, apricots, prunes, raisins and cinnamon stick and 4 cups water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until fruit is tender, about 20 minutes.
Let cool. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days.)

Grilled pizza on a Friday

For the past couple of Fridays, V and I have been treating ourselves to a grilled pizza. I found this super easy dough recipe that is quick to make and that only takes about half an hour to rise (especially when covered and placed on sunny surface). Usually we split the tasks: I deal with dough, V prepares the toppings.

Pizza bakes within minutes on our charcoal grill (our best purchase ever). I admit that our first version burned on the bottom since we only had it placed on foil. Now we place it on a baking sheet and remove it few seconds before pizza is ready to give that crust extra crispiness. Yumm!

Pan-fried zucchini

Ingredients

• big zucchini
• 2 eggs, beaten
• shredded fresh garlic
• ½ cup of flour
• olive oil
• herbs, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare the batter. Mix eggs, herbs, salt and pepper. Add shredded garlic
2. Slice zucchini in circles
3. In a large skillet, drizzle olive oil. Heat over medium-high
4. Dip zucchini slices in egg batter and dip in flour (keep as much batter on them as possible)
5. Transfer to hot oil and let cook for about 3 min until starting to brown, then flip them and cook for another 3 minutes
6. Serve hot

A bit messy but delicious recipe:)

Breakfast recipe not from Pinterest

…from Men’s Health magazine actually. Aside from cliché articles such as “What every woman wants” or “The best essential guy skills” the magazine has great and easy to make recipes.
I decided to try this one-pan, rustic style egg recipe one day and I must say, it was a success.
Sometimes the best things are where you least expect them to be:)

P.S. I’d say that fresh thyme is a must in this recipe but arugula leaves can be substituted with simple spring mix leaves.
Enjoy!

My go-to summer salad

I don’t have an official recipe, but ingredients are very simple:
- red quinoa;
- crumbled feta cheese;
- red onion;
- roasted red (yellow, orange) peppers;
- balsamic vinegar (I used red wine vinegar – also worked);
- parsley (or any herb you like)
- salt and pepper to taste

Simply mix all the ingredients and salad is ready to serve. Yummy and healthy. I now make it every time we’re having a bbq and even got V to try it, as he’s no fan of quinoa.

Baked bread

I think I’ve got a good handle on this no-knead bread. It’s the second time I make one and it’s been very well received. Dip it into olive oil flavoured with freshly grinded black pepper and dry thyme.
A glass of wine to go with it and dinner can be skipped!

Healthy cookies

A colleague of mine brought cookies to work one day and not only they were delicious, they were full of all kinds of healthy grains and seeds. I immediately asked her for the recipe which was from this book by two Canadian authors:

“Healthy cookies” recipe (makes 5 dozen):
2/3 cup (160 ml) water
1/3 cup (80 ml) quinoa
1 cup (250 ml) butter, softened
1 1/3 cups (330 ml) packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
11/2 tsp (7.5 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (500 ml) whole wheat flour
11/2 tsp (7.5 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda

1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
¼ tsp (1 ml) salt
11/4 cups (310 ml) quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup (250 ml) flaked unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup (80 ml) flax (ground or whole seeds)
1/3 cup (80 ml) sesame seeds

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for an additional 6 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350° F (180 °C). Grease a large baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper.
Cream the butter with the brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Add the oats, cooked quinoa, coconut, sunflower seeds, flax and sesame seeds to the flour mixture and stir until well blended. Combine with the butter mixture and stir until well mixed. Roll the dough into 11/2-inch (4 cm) balls. Place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake on the centre oven rack for 8 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are light brown. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. Store the cookies in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Enjoy!