Sauteed Brussels Sprouts (Sotelenmis Bruksel Lahanasi)

To be honest, I have never thought about cooking Brussels Sprouts before until I read about their health benefits. With the intake of this healthy veggie, you can prevent some types of cancers such as bladder cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung and prostate cancer since this veggie supports the body's detox system, its antioxidant system and its inflammatory system. In addition to these benefits, Brussels Sprouts are low in calories and have a lot of fiber. Because of that, they play an important role to lose or watch your weight. Also, they are a very good source of protein, minerals and vitamins for a healthy heart and body. Surprisingly, they are very tasty if you know how to cook them. When I decided to cook them, my husband told me that he did not like them at all even though he never tried before:-) However, I knew he would love them with the way I would cook. Then, I started to search about the recipes and I found a sautéed Brussels Sprouts recipe and played with it to customize it according to our taste. The result was wonderful and my husband and I really LOVED it. He was very surprised when he tasted my dish. Because of this veggie's health benefits and nice taste, I would like to share this recipe with you.
This recipe makes 2 servings if you eat alone. However, it makes 4 servings if you eat it with a bowl of rice or pasta.

Ingredients:

10-15 Brussels Sprouts
1 medium onion, chopped as shown in the picture
1 big rep pepper, chopped as shown in the picture
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 brown sugar
1 cup boiled water
Freshly squeezed lemon juice from a half lemon

Black pepper

Salt
Fresh dill (optional)


Instructions:

1- After washing and discarding the bad leaves of Brussels Sprouts, cut them into two pieces from their middle as shown in the picture above.

2- Put the oil in a pan on the stove in a medium heat, then add the chopped onion and pepper to the oil. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes.

3- Add the Brussels Sprouts to the mixture and stir for 1 minute, then put sugar, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, and water. Sautee it for 5-8 minutes stirring often. Do not let Brussels Sprouts over cook and fall apart. They should look very fresh.

4- After they cook, let them sit for a few minutes and garnish with chopped fresh dill if you like. You can eat both hot or cold as a side dish or as a light main dish if you are in a diet. Since it is a  low calorie dish, you can eat it alone as much as you want.


 Please try this recipe and benefit from this wonderful veggie!

Enjoy it!

Baked Flank Steak Fajita (Firinda Et Kavurmasi)

Baked Flank Stake Fajita

Baked Flank Steak Fajita is one of my favorite dishes. It is very easy to make and very tasty to eat with especially homemade tortilla and guacamole. Even though my son is not a good meat eater, he eats my fajita with tortilla since it gets very tender and tasty making it in the oven. In addition, it goes with a bowl of rice and bulgur. My recipe is a mix of Mexican and Turkish fajitas. I do not marinate my stake and add only black pepper and some red pepper flakes, not cumin or the other mexican spices. Basically its appearance looks like Mexican and its tastes Turkish fajita.
This recipe makes 2-4 servings.

Ingredients:

2 pounds Flank Stake

1 big green, red and pepper (you can also add 1 yellow pepper)

3 tbsp olive oil
Black pepper

Salt
Red pepper flakes
Turmeric (optional)

Picture 1

Instructions:

1- Preheat oven for 400 F.

2- Cut the stake lengthwise into two pieces first, then, cut these pieces as shown in the picture 1.

3- Put the meat in a 9"x13" glass pan and add olive oil, enough black pepper, pepper flakes, turmeric, and salt. Mix them together and put in the hot oven.

4- While the meat is cooking, chop your onion and peppers as shown in the picture 2.

Picture 2

5- Put aside your veggie until your meat cooks for 20-25 minutes.

6- Then, season your veggie with a little salt and pepper and add them to your meat and let them cook together until meat comes to the level you like. Do not cook the meat too much not to get it very dry, so taste it very often while it cooks.

7- After it cooks throughly, let it sit for a few minutes and wrap with a tortilla or serve with rice or bulgur.

Enjoy it!

Wheat with Chicken (Tavuklu Keskek)

Wheat with chicken, arugula, radish and yogurt

If you do not know what to cook tonight, here is a very delicious and healthy recipe for you. It is called Keskek in Turkish, a combination of wheat and chicken. You would be addicted to this dish after the first trial. I learned this recipe from my lovely sister-in-law when she visited us last year. I had heard about this dish before but I never tried it until she made it for us during her visit. When she first made wheat with chicken, my husband had a strange look on his face since he did not know what it was. After I told him it was a wheat dish, he admitted that he would never imagine a dish made with wheat and chicken would be very delicious and he LOVED it. Then, he wanted me to get the recipe from my sister-in-law. Now, I make it almost once in every other week and he eats more than I do. I also wanted to share this recipe with you since wheat is a very healthy and valuable grain with a huge amount of dietary fiber and folate which make it very valuable in our kitchens. You should definitely eat wheat often if you have a constipation problem. It is a very good remedy for it. Also, it can help to lose weight if you eat right amount it with a bowl of green salad seasoned with a little salt, lemon juice and olive oil, and a small bowl of homemade yogurt. It is worth trying. 

This makes 4-5 servings.

Ingredients: 

4 chicken thighs (remove the skin and cut into two pieces lengthwise)

Peeled wheat

2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups peeled wheat
2-3 tbsp tomato paste (I use organic)
Black pepper
Salt
Boiled water (there is no exact amount for water. I add the water constantly until the wheat cooks) 
A few branch of fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1- Put oil in a large and deep pan on the stove in a medium heat and add chicken pieces to it. Cook a few minutes each side, then, mix onion and cook until onion gets soft.
2- In the meantime, boil approximately 1.5 liter water in a kettle and set aside.
3- Add tomato paste, black pepper and salt to the mixture and stir it for 1-2 minutes. 
4- Then, put the wheat into it and stir 1-2 more minutes. 
5- Add the water to the mixture little by little until the wheat gets soft enough, stirring often not to burn it. It should not be watery. It should soak all the water, so you should add water as needed.
6- After cooking, let it sit for 5 minutes covering the top of pan with a piece of paper towel and close the lit.
7- Chop the fresh cilantro and garnish with it after putting the dish in the serving bowl.

Enjoy it with a bowl of yogurt and arugula or salad!

Baked Zucchini with Egg and Cheese (Firinda Mucver)

Baked Zucchini goes well with any kind of meat and poultry for lunch or dinner with  a green salad. Also, it is one of favorite dishes of Turkish breakfast tables along with a cup of tea. It can also be a nice dish for your parties such as birthdays and baby showers. I tried it when my lovely Turkish friends came over for breakfast. They totally enjoyed it and asked for me the recipe. In addition, it is a very healthy and tasty choice for your kids and they will really like it. Please try it!

Baked Zucchini (Firinda Mucver)

Since it is my close friend Aylin's favorite dish, this recipe goes to her. I hope she can try that for her cute daughter's coming birthday party:-) Aylin, I look forward to eat it:-)

This recipe makes around 20 small squares. 


Ingredients:

2 big zucchini, shredded
1 onion, shredded (optional)
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
3 large or 4 medium size eggs (you can add 5 eggs if you like)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese or shredded mozzarella (I like feta with it)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, parsley or cilantro (it is your choice. Dill goes well with zucchini)
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp baking powder
Dried red pepper flakes (optional)
Black pepper
Salt

Instructions:

1- Preheat oven for 350 F.
2- Grease a 9" x 13" glass pan with vegetable or olive oil and put aside.
3- In a deep and big bowl, combine shredded zucchini, onion, flour and baking powder.
4- Add olive oil, salt, black pepper, pepper flakes and dill to the mixture and mix well. 
5- Then, put feta cheese and lightly beaten eggs to the mixture.
6- Put the mixture into the glass pan and bake it for 40-50 minutes or until its surface gets light brown.
You can also check it with a tooth pick as checking cake. It will be done when your tooth pick comes out clean.
7- After it is done, let it cool down, then cut into small squares and serve. It is better when it is fresh, but it can be eaten next day as well if you warm it up in the oven.

Cemen (Tomato and Red Pepper Pastes with Walnuts)

Cemen is a very tasty Turkish appetizer and breakfast dish made of tomato paste, red pepper paste, olive oil, walnuts, and spices. It is very nice spreading on a bread or cracker. You can make it hot or mild depending on the red pepper paste you use. I made it hot for my Turkish friends when I invited them to my house for breakfast. 

Cemen

Since they loved it, they wanted me to share my recipe with them. I also wanted to share the picture of my breakfast table to give you some ideas about what goes with Cemen. I am very sure that Americans will also love this dish as a  snack or appetizer for their gatherings.

This makes 5-10 servings.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp tomato paste (I use organic one)
3 tbsp red pepper paste (thick is better)
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (but you can add more if you want)
1 1/2 tsp cumin

black pepper to taste

dried mint leaves to taste

salt (if needed)

My Breakfast Table

Instructions:
1- Put tomato and red pepper pastes together in a medium size bowl and stir well.

2- Then, combine garlic, olive oil, walnuts, and spices to the mixture and stir well. You can also add a little salt if it tastes sweet because of the organic pastes.

3- Also, add bread crumbs if your mixture is not thick enough. I do not add it to mine since my tomato and pepper pastes are thick.

4- Put your mixture in a jar and keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before eating. It will be tastier like that.

Enjoy it!

A Healthy and Delicious Macaroni

 Today I decided to present a very healthy and delicious macaroni recipe since I believe 

Macaroni and Cheese with turmeric powder

there is at least one picky kid at every house like my son. Macaroni and cheese is one of my son's favorite dishes. Like all other kids who are living in America, he became addicted to the one in the package. I really did not want him to eat anything from package including macaroni and cheese since there were a lot of preservatives in its sauce mixture. Finally, I decided to create my own macaroni recipe without cheese sauce. To give the yellow color and make it look like original macaroni and cheese, I substituted turmeric powder for the cheese sauce mix. Of course, you can add grated cheddar cheese to macaroni if you want as well. In addition, I made macaroni with fresh chicken stock instead of water and avocado oil/olive oil instead of butter. When I made this for the first time, I was very nervous that my son would realize the difference between the one with cheese sauce and the one with turmeric. However, I was very surprised because he LOVED it and he did not realize any difference in the taste since turmeric has a very mild flavor. If my son loved it, I bet your kids would love that as well. Do not wait and try my healthy and delicious recipe right away if you want your kids intake good nutrition.


Ingredients
1 cup macaroni
2 cups and 2 tbsp chicken stock or water
1/2 tsp salt

For Sauce:
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp avocado oil, olive oil or butter
A pinch of turmeric powder
Grated Cheddar cheese (optional)


Instructions:

1- Put water or chicken stock and salt in a deep small pan and let it boil in high heat. 
2- After it boils, add macaroni to the water and let it boil until it gets as soft as you want.
3- I generally cook it until it soaks all the liquid to benefit from the nutritions of macaroni.
4- As soon as it soaks the liquid, add oil, stir constantly then, add milk and turmeric powder and stir about one minute. 
5- Then, serve right away. 

Notes: I use avocado oil or olive oil instead of butter since both include a lot of  vitamins and Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids which are very essential especially for children's healthy growth. They are also rich with antioxidants. In addition, with its highest smoking point among cooking oils, at 500 F, avocado oil can be used safely for stir-frying, BBQ, sear, and broil without fear of oil burning.  

As of turmeric powder, you can find it at international stores and many other big stores spice aisle.

An Easy and Delicious Turkish Cookie

Today, I want to share with you a very easy Turkish cookie recipe. This recipe is especially for my sweet friends Ahu and Ozge who loved my cookies when I made them for our gathering. You can make it in less than 30 minutes especially if you have unexpected guests and there is nothing to offer them with a cup of coffee or tea. You only need flour, butter and powdered sugar. They are absolutely delicious. Must try it!

Ingredients:
1 cup (two sticks) butter softened at the room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, plus 1 tbsp to sprinkle on the top
Approximately 2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or hazel nuts (optional)

Instructions:
I did not write an exact amount for  flour since I add a little at a time until the dough gets as soft as an ear lobe.

1. Preheat oven for 325 F. Cover a baking sheet with a same size non-stick baking paper not to grease the sheet and make dirty it.

Baking sheet

2. Put softened butter and powdered sugar in a large and deep bowl.

2. Cream the softened butter and powdered sugar together using a mixer. I use a hand mixer. 

3. After they combine well, add a little flour a little at a time to the mixture until it gets as soft as an ear lobe. Then, if you like, add chopped nuts to the dough and mix until they combine well.

4. Get a walnut size dough, round in your hands and press it until you make a half inch thick flat circle.

5. Then, put your circle cookies a little far from each other in the baking sheet lined with a baking paper. 

6. Shape their surface poking slightly with a fork and bake them in the oven until their bottom turns very light brown and top part a little hard not so much. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Note: Check them often and do not bake them very long since they will get very hard. Generally 10-15 minutes is enough. Keep an eye on their bottom to decide whether or not they are done. Also, I tried to make them once with coconut oil, but they became very hard even though I did not cook very long. So, I prefer butter to make this recipe.

Welcome to SJ's Kitchen

I would like to start my blog sending many thanks to my wonderful friends for their lovely comments on the food I have cooked and shared with them so far. They are my inspiration for creating my blog since I want to share with them all recipes I have learned and customized according to my own taste in my kitchen. As a native Turkish, I will add many tasty Turkish recipes along with Indian, Mexican etc. Thanks to my blog, you will be able to reach the recipes I use in my kitchen easily whenever you need. 

In addition, my followers will enjoy my light food and watch their weight at the same time. Please do not forget to check my blog often since I will try to add new recipes  as often as I can. Along with the recipes, I will share tips and some important information with you related to cooking and healthy living. I would like to begin with one of my favorite dessert recipes for your lady's tea time. I am sure many of you have heard this recipe, but I bet the ones who do not know anything about it will be addicted to it. I think the secret of my delicious cooking is to play with the original recipes and customize them in my kitchen.  Are you ready a cooking journey with me? 

This recipe is for my lovely friend Aylin.

Semolina Dessert with Chocolate (Cikolatali Irmik Tatlisi)
This is an easy, light and delicious recipe which you can enjoy along with a cup of coffee or tea with your friends any time of  the day.

I use this cup to measure milk.

Ingredients:
1 liter milk  (four cups)
8 full tbsp coarse semolina
8 full tbsp regular sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Ground cinnamon to sprinkle on the top (optional)





Instructions:

a 9 inch bundt tin

I use a 9 inch bundt tin for this recipe, but you can use any size and shape baking pan as well. Before beginning to make the dessert, rinse the bundt with water and put it aside. Do not dry it to remove the dessert easily.

1. Add milk, semolina, sugar and vanilla extract into a large and deep cooking pan and put on the stove on a medium heat stirring constantly until the mixture gets thick.

2. After removing the thick mixture from the heat put the butter/coconut oil into it and stir until butter melts.

3. Pour half of the batter into bundt and set aside. Then, add the chocolate chips to the rest of the batter and mix until they melt in the batter. 

4. Pour the batter with chocolate on the top of the white batter and sprinkle chopped walnuts if you want.

5. Refrigerate it for 2-3 hours before serving.

6. After getting cold, flip it over and sprinkle with cinnamon if you like before cutting it. Enjoy the delicious dessert and write your comments about it please!

Notes: The reason why I use dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet is the health benefits of dark chocolate.  I can hear that some of you say "where can we find coarse Semolina?" You can find it at any international stores, Global Food and I believe at the Whole Foods and many other stores.