TONIGHTS CULINARY DELIGHT!- BUTTERNUT-SQUASH & SWEET POTATO SHORBA WITH A 'CHILLI & LEMONGRASS KISS" MAIN MEAL - QUINOA STUFFED BELL PEPPERS WITH GROUND CHERRY SALSA!!

                                                                 

SHORBA - Egyptian soup -  Shorba is from the Arabic word 'Shurbah', meaning soup or stew which is mainly found in cuisines across the Middle east and Central Asia; it origins are from ancient Persia, where it  was typically prepared by cooking meat in salter and boiling water; Added to this would  generally be  aromatic curry spices.

This is going to be my soup dish for tonights dinner, as we have guests staying at the moment and I thought I would try this out on them - in other words, they were tonight's 'Guinea Pigs'! Aheheheheh.....

Rooting around in my veggie basket , I discovered a butternut squash, some sweet potato's and my favourite, a Lemongrass stalk - hmmm what culinary delight would this lot taste like!

                                                              

INGEDIENTS NEEDED:

• 1 LARGE SWEET POTATO- CHOPPED 
• 2 MEDIUM BUTTERNUT-SQUASH - CHOPPED
• FRESH OR DRIED CHILIE'S - TO YOUR TASTE - DICED
• 4 GARLIC CLOVES - DICED
• 2 SMALL RED ONIONS - DICED
• 1 LEMONGRASS STALK - CHOPPED 
• COOKING CREAM 
• 1LT - VEGETABLE STOCK

(spoonful of honey to tone down the chilli's if TOO hot!!) 

TO MAKE

Make 1lt of stock with boiling water

                                                                                                                            

Peel and chop sweet potato, butternut- squash  and lemongrass - toss them into a large pan and add the stock - cook through the veg until soft.

                                                                         

Meanwhile, in a frying pan, fry off the garlic, chilli and onions - mmmm so love this smell !

When onions are nice and soft and the whole kitchen is smelling 'garlicky' - swing this mix in with the squash and sweetpots

                                                                            

Leave this to infuse for a few minutes.

                                                                             

When ready, pour the mix into your blender - this can be done into stages if your blender is small, as we don't want any overflows...

Wizz down this beautiful concoction  

                                                                         

At this point add the cream to give a smooth silky texture - if too hot, I add a spoonful of honey to 'cool' the heat down a little, to suit hubby's tastebuds!

                                                                         

                                                                        

Pour into bowls and sup-up and enjoy with crusty bread or warm flatbreads - BON APPETITE

                                                                 

MENU 2 - Main Meal

Stuffed Bell Peppers with a Ground Cherry Salsa

Bell Peppers, a sweet ,versatile and colourful fruit, that give a wonderful combination of a tangy taste with a crunchy texture. The green  peppers have a tendency to give a slightly bitter flavor, while the red, orange and yellows are sweeter and almost fruity. These are the ones to use for stuffing.  The bell pepper also is full of goodness and  are an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), vitamin C and vitamin B6.  Also high in potassium, fibre and folate - all good for you .

                                                                 

                                                                 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 CUP QUINOA OR WHITE RICE - WASHED THOROUGH - DRAIN 
• 460 Ml VEG STOCK(460 ml) vegetable stock 
• 4 BELL PEPPERS - RED, YELLOW ORANGE- HALVED AND DE-SEEDEDl
• 500gms MINCE MEAT- LEAN
• 2 tsp CUMIN POWDER
• 1 1/2 tsp CHILI POWDER/DRIED CHILI OR FRESH CHILI - here is your 'heat' requirement
• 1 1/2 tsp GARLIC POWDER - 2/3 CLOVES FRESH
• 1 cup (168 g) SWEETCORN - DRAINED

TO MAKE

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a  baking tray or pyrex dish

                                                                             

• Firstly make the quinoa - put quinoa and vegetable stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil over  high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until all liquid  is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy - about 20 minutes.
• Take the halved peppers and brush them with some virgin olive oil/coconut oil/ or sesame oil - gives a little extra flavour

                                                                    

• IN  ANOTHER PAN - boil the mince meat - I do this to take away any additional fat - if you prefer then fry until brown.

                                                                         

• When the Quinoa is cooked - drain and 'fluff '-  add the  quinoa  to the frying pan mix  ingredients -  add salt, pepper, or more spices as desired.

                                                                

                                                                              

• Generously stuff halved peppers with quinoa mixture until all peppers are full, then cover the dish with foil.

                                                                                 

• Bake  for 30 minutes covered, then remove foil,  add the grated parmesan cheese or cheese of your choice.- return to oven and bake for another 15 mins for cheese to melt -  (increase heat to 400 degrees F - for softer peppers leave cook for 20 mins )

                                                                     

                                                                     

                                                                    

This dish is a meal in itself and I usually serve it with a tangy salsa and some salad .

                                                                  

GROUND CHERRY SALSA

• 2 cups ground cherries, halved
• 1/4-1/2 red onion, diced
• 1  chile, diced 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. honey
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• Salt to taste

*Jalepeno Chili can also be added for extra heat and depth!

Mix all the ingredients together - clingfilm and leave in the fridge to 'blend' - min 1 hr - can be made before hand and left until ready - will 'warm' up lovely when left ....

                                                             

                                                                    

TODAYS MENU

SHORBA SOUP - BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SWEET POTATO WITH A' CHILI AND LEMONGRASS KISS'

QUINOA STUFFED BELL PEPPERS AND   GROUND CHERRY SALSA 

                                                                         

                                                                         

                                                                    

                                                                   

                                                                      

Hubby and guests had some Mexican Beer - Beer with Tequila 

                                                  I hope you enjoyed 'dinner at 'Chez Moi' tonight -  your always welcomed :)