Baked Caprese Crostinis

I'm about to board a plane to Barcelona! I'll be gone until the end of the month, but I will still post new recipes and reviews when I have time between Gaudi visits. After Barcelona I will be in France. Be sure to follow @christineatsss on Instagram for daily updates of the amazing food I'll be eating! I will now leave you with this easy yet delicious canape that you can whip up in no time. 

Recipe

Makes 8 crostinis

Ingredients

8 thin baguette slices

1 garlic clove

1 medium ball of mozzarella, cut into 8 slices

8 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Torn basil leaves

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to broil. I used my toaster oven!
2. Cut the garlic in half and rub the cut side lightly on one side of each baguette slice. Drizzle the baguettes with olive oil.
3. Layer the tomato, mozzarella and basil.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper, then drizzle with more olive oil.
5. Bake for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.

Roasted Whole Artichokes

The first time I ate fresh artichokes (not the tangy marinated kind) was in Rome. We had artichoke hearts (boiled or steamed, slathered in olive oil) almost everyday. Restaurants in Hong Kong usually serve the hearts, either boiled, steamed, or marinated. I've only been to one place that served the artichoke whole. I loved peeling off the leaves and dipping them in mayo before scraping the "meat" off with my teeth. So when I came across this recipe, I couldn't wait to try it out! Roasting it gave it a more robust and deep flavour as opposed to just boiling or steaming. I didn't even have to dip the leaves in the garlic aioli that I bought especially for this dish! The only downside was the time. These babies took an hour in the oven. I would suggest getting them in the oven first before making the rest of your meal. 

Wash the artichoke under cold running water.

Cut off 1/3 of the top, and chop the stem off so the artichoke can sit upright. Boyfriend helped me with this because I have no upper arm strength at all.

Push apart the leaves as best as you can, and wedge in the garlic. Squeeze 1/2 lemon per artichoke and drizzle olive oil generously.

Wrap the artichokes tightly in tin foil and put them into the oven.

The artichokes will come out perfectly seasoned by the salt, lemon and garlic. Even the heart was flavourful! No mayo needed.

Recipe - adapted from Pinch My Salt

For 2

Ingredients

2 medium artichokes
Olive oil
Kosher salt
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 lemon

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F / 220 C. Slice off the top third of the artichoke with a sharp knife. Then cut off the stem at the base of the artichoke.
2. Drizzle a large piece of tin foil with a few drops of olive oil. Place one artichoke in the middle of the foil and open up the leaves. 
3. Wedge 3 garlic cloves into the artichoke. Sprinkle kosher salt and squeeze 1/2 a lemon onto the artichoke. Drizzle olive oil generously over the top.
4. Wrap the foil up around the artichoke, sealing it well. Put in the oven for an hour.
5. After removing from the oven, let artichokes sit until cool enough to handle before unwrapping.

Grilled Sardines and Tuscan Bread Salad Part 2

This is the perfect summer salad and a great accompaniment to the grilled sardines. Panzanella is a Tuscan salad made with crusty bread and tomatoes. The addition of feta and roasted red peppers gives it a Mediterranean flair. The original recipe called for anchovies in the dressing, but I didn't have any on hand so I just added a tiny bit of sea salt. The dressing came out perfect. I really liked this salad because it was super easy to make and very delicious. The sweet cherry tomatoes went well with the fragrant basil/balsamic dressing, and the creamy tangy feta was a boost of flavour. The only thing I didn't like was how the toasted ciabatta absorbed the sauce quickly and became soggy. When I make this salad again, I will be sure to add the ciabatta last. Enjoy!

Oops the pancetta was for the sardines, but here are the main components for this salad: feta, roasted red peppers, capers, cherry tomatoes and ciabatta. 

Blend together a clove of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spring onion, basil and 3-4 cherry tomatoes. The original recipe used 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, but it was such a waste of the beautiful tomatoes, so I used only 3. It was enough to create a dressing-like consistency. 

I followed the original recipe and added the toasted ciabatta before the tomatoes. The bread absorbed a lot of the sauce and became soggy real fast. I have altered the recipe below to reflect this.

Recipe - adapted from Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals 

For 2

Ingredients

½ small ciabatta loaf

1 clove garlic

extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 cups mixed color cherry tomatoes, halved

½ bunch spring onion, ends trimmed

½ bunch fresh basil

1 tablespoon capers

1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, cut into 1-inch chunks

Handful feta cheese

Method

1. Cut the ciabatta into 1 inch thick slices and toast them on both sides on a pan.
2. Peel the garlic and put into a blender or food processor with 1 tablespoon olive oil, balsamic, 3-4 cherry tomatoes, spring onions and basil. Blend until it becomes smooth. Pour into a large serving bowl.
3. Halve the remaining tomatoes and add to the bowl, along with the capers and peppers. Toss.
4. Tear the toasted ciabatta into thumb-sized pieces into the bowl and toss once only to coat. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil to finish.
5. Garnish with torn basil leaves and feta.
6. Serve immediately with the grilled sardines.

Smoked Salmon and Potato Salad with Greek Yogurt

People often mistake potatoes for being unhealthy and fat, but they are actually a really good source of vitamins and nutrients. Potatoes are a complex carb, which are different from the carbs you get from sugary things, so they leave you feeling full for longer. However, potatoes are bad when they are fried, piled high with sour cream and bacon, or made into a buttery mash. It's how they are cooked that give them a bad reputation. The fat and calories come from oil and heavy fattening additives. Like mayonnaise. I love potato salad. Chunks of potato lathered in mayonnaise make the perfect side to any summertime meal. But mayonnaise is high in fat and calories, so I wanted to make a light yet satisfying dish that would tick all the boxes of my craving.

The original recipe I found online used crème fraîche, but I opted for low-fat Greek yogurt to make the dish much healthier. I love using Greek yogurt because it adds richness with a lot less fat, sugar and calories. It has a creamier texture and taste compared to regular yogurt, and has more protein and less lactose. The potato salad turned out delicious. The dressing tasted like a light mayo, brightened with lemon juice. The smoked salmon added extra flavor to the dish (and Omega-3s!) and the spring onion and black pepper added sharpness that cuts through the creaminess. Overall, it was a delicious, guilt-free dish!

This dish only uses five ingredients: potatoes, smoked salmon, Greek yogurt, chives or spring onion, and a squeeze of lemon. 

I cut the potatoes into slices and then quarters, but you can cube them or cut them however you like, as long as they are similar in size to ensure an even cook. If they are medium to large potatoes with a dark brown fuzzy skin, you should peel the skin before cooking.

Cover the potatoes with cold water and a teaspoon of salt. Then bring to a boil and let simmer until just turning soft. You still want your potatoes to have a bite to it and not be a pile of mush.

Mixed the smoked salmon and chives into the yogurt. Add a squeeze of lemon and freshly ground black pepper. Then add in the slightly cooled potatoes and mix well.

Recipe - adapted from here

For two as a side

Ingredients

3 slices smoked salmon, chopped

2 medium potatoes, or 3 small ones

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons low-fat or non-fat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons of fresh chives or spring onion

Squeeze of lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking until the potatoes can be pierced by the tip of a knife, about 10 minutes. Do not overcook or they will turn mushy. Drain and let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, chopped salmon, spring onion, black pepper in a large.
3. When potatoes have cooled slightly but are still warm, add to bowl and toss to combine and coat with dressing. Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge and serve cold.

Caesar Salad with Parmesan Croutons

I try to make “healthy” things from time to time to keep the monster of gluttony inside me at bay. I usually make a salad as a starter for dinner, something simple like cherry tomatoes and arugula with balsamic and olive oil. But tonight I felt like splurging and making something I loved eating when I was young and still do: Caesar salad with crunchy croutons and bacon bits. It was the only salad I ate as a child. That creamy tangy dressing pretty much covered any vegetable taste (yay!) and there was bacon! I still remember my dad had this plastic container of bacon bits in the kitchen and we would sneak a handful like candy now and then.

Regardless of how delicious the salad is, it isn’t healthy to have Caesar dressing from a bottle and bacon when you are cooking at home and can make better choices. So I found a recipe online and tweaked it to make my own Caesar dressing. Much healthier and just as delicious! You can still have a whole bowl of this salad and not feel like you had a full meal. You can omit the Parmesan, but I think a little bit won’t hurt!

Recipe

Ingredients

Romaine lettuce, cut into 1-inch chunks

Croutons:

Bread, cut into small cubes (the recipe called for crusty bread, but I just used plain old white bread)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon Parmesan, shredded

Dressing:

Olive oil

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

1 small can of anchovies, chopped

½ clove of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan, shaved

Method

1. For the croutons, heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the bread on low heat until golden and crispy. Add the Parmesan on top. When the cheese has melted, remove the bread and drain on kitchen towels.
2. For the dressing, blend the egg yolks, mustard, Worcestershire sauce. Then slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly, until the sauce is of a mayonnaise consistency. Then mix in the anchovies, garlic and lemon. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Mix the dressing with the lettuce, and top with the croutons and more shaved Parmesan.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Everyone loved the cookies. I think my boyfriend must have eaten at least four in a row! We probably have to spend some extra time at the gym to make up for it.

Apart from sweets, I enjoy cooking savory things too. I used to cook for myself almost every weeknight when I was studying abroad, and now I usually cook on the weekends with my family as guinea pigs. One of the easiest sides to whip up and impress with flavor are roasted brussels sprouts. I absolutely hated them until I made this recipe for a special request. I had only eaten the boiled icky kind before so I was hesitant to try roasting them. But now I am a convert and I love them roasted like this. They are super easy to make! You just cut them up and put them in the oven. I add bacon to give it extra depth in flavor and I find that it helps caramelize the sprouts more to make them sweeter.

MmmMMMm crispy bacon and caramelized sprouts!

Recipe

Ingredients

• Brussel sprouts (one pack should be enough for 2 people as a side)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Olive oil
• Bacon, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 195C/380F.
2. After rinsing the sprouts, remember to drain well or else they will be harder to crisp up in the oven.
3. Chop the hard stem off the bottom of the sprouts and then in half.
4. Put the sprouts on a baking tray in one layer and toss with oil, salt and pepper.
5. Put the bacon evenly throughout the layer of sprouts.
6. Bake for 30 minutes* or until the sprouts become crisp 

*Depending on your oven, you may have to check the sprouts at the 15-minute mark to make sure they don’t burn.