Your Best Recipes of March, A Global YBR Roundup

We celebrate another month of Your Best Recipes and another great roundup of scrumptious foods from around the world. Where does one begin, everything looks so mouthwatering. This month we have so many new participants, please help me welcome them to our roundup. Thank you all so much for being a part of this event that I so dearly love to host every month, big hugs all around.

Next month's YBR will be the start of a very special edition. Please make sure you stay tuned for the April signup to get all of the details. I can't wait to share it with you, you're going to love it!

And now hear are Your Best Recipes for the month of March 2011 in the order they were submitted. Please stop by and say you saw them on March's YBR!

Alina, Explora Cuisine, Blueberry Milch Schnitte Cake

Mihaela,De prin lume adunate (Gathered from the world) , Caramel and Hazelnut Cake

Heather, Pass the Cayenne Pepper Please, Pan Fried Salmon with Fresh Dill and Chardonnay Glaze

Sandra, Sandra's Easy Cooking, Sweet Potatoes Phyllo Cups

Sandra G., Sweet Sensations, Banana Cake with Flambéed Banana Topping

Radhika, Just Home Made, Easy Egg-less Chocolate Pudding

Byn, 365 Days of Clean Eating, Eggplant Parmesan

Veronica, My Catholic Kitchen, Steak Salad

Chef Dennis, More Than A Mountfull , Mini Lemon Cheesecake

Patty, Zomppa, Powdered Buttermilk Beignets with Dipping Sauce

Gina, SPCookieQueen, Posole - Live a little on the hot side!

(formally What's For Dinner Across State Lines)

Shirley, Enriching Your Kid!, Bhajis and Spiced Tea

Alisha ~ Magic of Spice, The Ardent Epicure, What's on the side? Moonlight Maitake Mushrooms

Elyse, The Cultural Dish, Coconut Madeleine's

Laura, Family Spice, Kookoo-yeh Sabzi (Persian Herb Quiche)

Laura, Sprint 2 the Table, Tempeh Crab-Free Cakes

Patty P. , Patty's Food, Sea Scallops with Caramel Orange Sauce

Ann, Anncoo Journal, Non Bake Cheesecake with Green Apple Syrup

Pola M., An Italian Cooking in the Midwest, Rigatoni Butcher Style

Tiffany, Como Water , Coconut Lime Flan

Liz B.,That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!! , Frozen Chocolate Crepes

Nancy, Spicie Foodie , Homemade Non Separating Almond Milk

Irena, My Wondering Spoon , Light Custard Pudding with Lady Fingers & Bananas

Bonnie, Sweet Life, Lavender Brownies

Claudia, What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine, Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars

Kara, Happy When Not Hungry, Spaghetti All'Amatriciana

Asiya, Chocolate and Chillies, Baked Samosas

Kimberly , Unrivaledkitch, The Perfect? Artichoke

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Spring And A Breakfast Strawberry Soy Shake

Spring is in the air! For me spring is when everything starts to come back alive. It feels as though everyone is waking up from the long slumber of the cold winter. The days are getting longer, and here (in northern Europe) we are beginning to see the sun make more appearances. People seem to smile more, it's definitely the effects of sunshine and warmer weather, I'm sure. My chile plant and rose bush are beginning to bloom, soon there will be chiles to spice up my food and mini roses to brighten my home. I can now hear the little birds singing their beautiful morning melodies, welcome back birdies.


Another thing that awakens from the winter slumber is the selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. No more root vegetables and no more boring fruit selections. The biggest sign (produce wise) that spring is on its way is the sudden appearance of strawberries. Large, bright red, sweet strawberries. Oh how I long for that sight all winter long. The taste smell and sight of strawberries will help awaken you from your deep winter slumber. Every spring I eat my weight (times one hundred) in fresh strawberries. I love to start my spring days with a strawberry milkshake, it's healthy and the natural sugars will give our bodies energy that releases slower into our bodies. Sometimes the milkshakes are made just with strawberries and other times (to keep it interesting) other fruits get added to the mix. Another variation I like to play with is the milk used. You can use soy, almond or regular milk and all will give you a delicious variation. Play around with the variations and let your mood or pantry decide how to get your spring morning off to a deliciously fruity start.

Ingredients:
makes 1 serving
6 large strawberries
1 small banana
1/2 cup or 118 ml soy/almond or regular milk
honey to taste, optional

blender

1. Peel the banana and slice into 4 pieces, place inside blender. Remove the stem from the strawberries, cut in half and add to the blender. Next add the as much honey as you like. Then pour in the soy milk (or other milk choices) into blender.

2. Blend until the fruit has broken down into a smooth thick mixture. If you would like a thinner smoothie feel free to add more soy milk.

Last April I posted my recipe for Strawberry Green Tea Smoothie. That recipe contains caffeine so it will give you more energy. If you don't fancy a milkshake for breakfast then enjoy it as an afternoon snack or pick-me-up. Now grab a good book, sit back near a bright sunny window and let the sweet fruit flavors fill your mouth. I can't think of a better way to welcome the sunny days of spring, can you?

By the way I'm not changing my moodier (darker) style of photography, I've just been testing out shooting on a white backdrop for my stock agency photos. I'm also so happy to finally have sunlight coming into my flat. Can't wait to start shooting more natural light photos.

** In case you missed the announcement, Signup For March's YBR Roundup here. Deadline to submit your photos and recipes is March 30!**

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YBR Signup For March's YBR Roundup

It's that time of the month again, the YBR roundup is right around the corner. If you would like to participate please state so in the comments section. If you express interest in participating I will add your name and blog's name and url to the end of this post below.

And these are the rest of the rules to participate in March's YBR round up :

Your Best Recipe, a monthly roundup of your best recipes hosted by Spicie Foodie. There are no limitations as to what you can submit, anything goes. No limits on your kitchen nor photography skill, everyone is invited to join. This is not a competition, it is just a showcase of great food being cooked all over the world. And here is how you can participate :

Requirements to participate:
1. It has to be a recipe that you published in MARCH, and it has to be a recipe that you feel was your favorite one posted that month. It can be anything your heart desires. Your submitted recipe can be your own creation or one that you adapted from another foodie, just give them credit on your post.

2. Sign up to March's roundup by leaving a comment saying you'd like to participate. I will add your name and your url to the list of participants below.

3. You must choose and display any of the following badges to invite your visitors to the roundup being hosted here.
Right click images to save or get code to embed on your site here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/spiciefoodie/YourBestRecipes#


The badge below, you can add a small thumb of your dish. If you need help or would like the PSD file just shoot me an email, or read the tutorial here YBR Badge Tutorial (how to insert your photo). Some participants like to use this badge below on a new blog post inviting their readers to see the roundup.

This small button can be added to a post and/or your blog's side bar, if you wish.


4. By the 30th of March please email me at spiciefoodie (@) gmail.com the following:
1. Your Name, Blog Name, Name and link to your chosen recipe published in February.
2. A small image of your dish. You must own the photo, and it cannot be a creative commons or public domain photo.

On March 31, the last day of the month, I will post the roundup photos with a link to each of your sites and recipes. It would also be good if you invite your readers to the roundup by also posting a new blog entry or mentioning your participation in a new post (the last day of the month or after) on your blogs with a YBR badge and a link to the roundup here on Spicie Foodie. This way we can all help spread the YBR submitted love around even more!

If you need any help or clarifications post a comment or send me an email. I'll make sure to post a reminder as we get closer to the deadline.

~MARCH'S YBR PARTICIPANTS:~

~ Nancy, Spicie Foodie

~ Patty, Patty's Food

~ Sandra, Sandra's Easy Cooking

~ Maya, Foodiva's Kitchen

~ Alina, Explora Cuisine

~ My Wandering Spoon

~ Claudia, What's Cooking Italian Style Cuisine

~ Heather, Pass the Cayenne Pepper Please

~ Anncoo, Anncoo Journal

~ Lizzy, That skinny chick can bake!

~ Radhika, Just Home Made

~ MsByn, 365 Days of Clean Eating

~ Sandra G., Sweet Sensations

~ Kimberly, Unrivaled Kitch

~ Veronica G., My Catholic Kitchen

~ Mihaela, De prin lume adunate (Gathered from the world)

~ Chef Dennis, More Than A Mountfull

~ Kara, Happy When Not Hungry

~ Belinda & Patty, Zomppa

~ Gina, SPCookieQueen

~ Shirley, Enriching your kid!

~ Laura, Sprint 2 The Table

~ Magic of Spice, The Ardent Epicure

~ Elyse, The Cultural Dish

~ Laura, Family Spice

~ Asiya, Chocolate &Chillies

~Bonnie, Sweet Life

~ Pola M., An Italian Cooking In The Midwest

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Flounder in Preserved Lemon Caper Sauce

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for Preserved Meyer Lemons (With A Twist) that I adapted from Epicurious.com , today I'll be sharing my first recipe using the preserved lemons. First I have to tell you that if you have never preserved lemons, you must! I know that from now on I will always have a jar, or two, sitting in my fridge at all times. The taste is slightly salty with a lemony taste. I have to admit that I've always loved the combination of flavors. Mexicans combine limes or lemons with salt on many things so it's a taste I'm used to. If you don't like salty and slightly sour flavors you may not like the preserved lemons, but you never know until you try it.

You will notice that I suggest soaking the lemons in water prior to using them. This is to eliminate some of the extra saltiness. Also the pulp of the lemon wedges is not going to be used in this recipe. I didn't want to over power the flounder with the extra lemon taste. But I have to admit that before I threw out the pulp I ate a few of them and they were so good. My mouth is even watering as I write this, drool. If you rather put them to use I've read that it can be used in soups, stews or Bloody Marys. I'll experiment with that and let you know. I also made a jar with a twist where I added tangerine zest to the lemons. I have yet to open that jar but I can't wait to see what they taste like, will keep you posted.

A note on the Flounder fillets, they were quite small so I served 2 fillets for each of us.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 Flounder fillets
6 preserved lemon wedges*
capers to taste
1 tsp granulated garlic or 3 minced garlic cloves
salt, to taste
pinch ground black pepper
1.5 tbsp good quality EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Optional:
fresh finely chopped celery leaf, chives, cilantro

*Place preserved lemon wedges in a bowl of water and allow to sit for a minimum of 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.*

1. Drain the lemon wedges, cut off the pulp and pith then discard and leaving the skin (zest) only. Slice the lemon zest into very thin strips, set aside. Heat the EVOO in a large pan, once warm add the zest strips and fry for 2 minutes. They will darken a bit but don't allow to burn. Sprinkle the granulated garlic (or minced garlic), salt, black pepper into the pan and mix well for 1 minute. Next add the lemon capers and cook another minute.

2. Push the lemon and capers to the side of the pan. Add the Flounder steaks to the pan, shake it so some of the oil distributes around the fish. Cook for 5 minutes then gently flip over and cook another 4 minutes. Scoop some of the oil to pour over the fish. The thickness of the fillets will determine how much longer they will need to be cooked. They should flake easily and feel a bit firm.

To Serve:
Place the fillets on the plate then pour the lemon caper sauce over them. Sprinkle with fresh finely chopped celery leaf, chives, cilantro.

Serve with steamed white rice and/or your favorite side dishes like green asparagus or fresh green beans, etc...

In case you missed my post from this week at Honest Cooking here are the links,

And my Healthy Chicken Fajita Wraps,

The March YBR signup will be posted this weekend. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

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Roasted Veggie Hummus Delight (Wraps)

The dish I have to share with you today is a continuation of the Hummus recipe. You will notice that the photos are in the same setting, and obviously they were served on the same day. This meal is completely meatless and if it were not for the feta (made from goat's milk) we could call it a vegan meal. Is there vegan Feta cheese? My husband the carnivore loved this meal, he said it was one of the best ones ever. Pretty nice compliment I think.

The funny thing is that it was one of those meals where I went into the kitchen in the morning wondering what the heck to make for dinner, but most importantly what was left to eat. (Not that I ever plan ahead anyway.) We urgently needed to make a proper grocery store trip so there was not much in our empty fridge. I'll tell you a little secret, I love those days. It makes me be creative and more often than not we get to enjoy a fantastic meal. Just don't tell my husband I said this. We do our main or large grocery shopping together, it's actually more enjoyable and we both get an input as what will be on the menu. I also need him to tell me what meat cuts are what, I'm so clueless. Do you guys like grocery shopping with your significant other?

Besides being a good meal because it is meatless it is inexpensive, healthy, nutritious and oh so easy to prepare. It's a total brainless meal, see win win all the way. During the day I boiled the garbanzos for the hummus and roasted the vegetables all while I went back to my desk to write and edit photos. Of course you could also just buy ready made hummus or canned garbanzos instead. By the time dinner was ready to be served all I needed to do was warm the pitas and plate it all. I just served all of the veggies on a large plate, hummus and bread on the side. Easily laid out for each of us to assemble our own wraps. It may look like a small or un-filling meal, but we actually had leftovers and were stuffed like little piggies. I hope you guys try this out either for an easy dinner or even as party food.

Ingredients:
Serves 2
2 large red bell peppers, roasted
2 large yellow bell pepper, roasted
1 large eggplant, roasted
4 whole spring onions, or more
Hummus (my homemade recipe is here)
mild pickled Bulgarian chiles, they are long
fresh Feta cheese
olives of choice
pack of wheat pitas or any arabic style bread

olive oil
salt
ground black pepper

The peppers and eggplant need to be roasted first, and if you are also making your own hummus have it ready.

Roasted Peppers:
Instructions on how to roast the peppers can be found here, How to Roast Bell Peppers .
Roasted Eggplant:
Remove the stem, slice length wise. Brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle salt and ground black pepper. Roast at the same time as the bell peppers, How to Roast Bell Peppers .
Roasted Onions:
Cut off roots and rinse well. Roast with the bell peppers and eggplant. These will be cooked through sooner, remove from oven and set aside.

Assembling the wraps:
Spread a layer of hummus on top of a warm pita (or any arabic bread), then layer the other ingredients on top as desired.

Serve with a glass of red wine.

I just wanted to share this photo with you in celebration of the arrival of Spring.

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Feeling Nostalgic For Mexican Food, and A Winner

First order of business is to announce the winner of the $75 CSN giveaway. Congratulations to #66 chosen by Xiaolu@6 Bittersweets! Please contact me asap for your winning code.



This month's International Incident Party (IIP) theme assigned to us by our lovely host, Penny, is nostalgia. The dictionary defines nostalgia as " A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations." What a beautiful word, it alone evokes so many beautiful and wonderful memories from my life. Even though I haven't always been so interested or passionate about food and what goes into preparing a meal for your loved ones, I have so many memories around food. Mexican celebrations always involve food, lots of food. Every occasion grand or as small as having a friend stop by for coffee requires food to share.

Taquitos, The Taste of Home

I often reminisce about all the wonderful smells that came from the kitchen during my childhood. The sweetness and warmth of my father's fresh baked Mexican breads. The red broth and floating hominy in the posole my mother made on special occasion. The days of enticing smells during the holidays when they would make tamales of so many varieties. How my little sister would make us scrambled eggs for late night dinners and poured so much salsa over them, they were delicious. Breakfast skillets remind me of those cherished mornings when all four of us girls (my sisters and I) would go out for breakfast before heading to school or work. I have so many wonderful memories around food that make me smile, laugh, and cry. Really the stories and memories are endless and I could go on and on, but I'll spare you the novel length read.

Zanahorias en Escabeche or Mexican Spicy Pickled Carrots

As you can see this IIP brought so many ideas as to what to cook and share with you. I couldn't help but keep thinking about many of the Mexican dishes I have already shared with you. While I normally don't like to republish recipes here on Spicie Foodie, this is a special case in which I will make an exception. Here are some of the dishes that evoke the most nostalgic feelings from childhood. They are not my families recipes because I didn't learn to cook until I had moved so far away from them. Since I taught myself to cook the recipes are my own recreations, and remember authentic Mexican ingredients are very hard to come by so the recipes are the best I can recreate with what I have available. Perhaps one day when I live closer to my family again I can share their recipes with you. Buen Provecho!

Tostadas de Tinga,Chicken Tinga Tostadas

Refried Beans ~ a low fat healthy version

Bean and Tortilla soup with Memories

Mexican Chorizo and Potato Tacos

Authentic Guacamole

Arroz ala Mexicana, Authentic Mexican Rice

Mexican Chorizo

What about you, what food evokes the most nostalgic feelings?

On another note I would like to ask you to stop by Priscilla's blog, She's Cookin'. She's Cookin' is one of the best blogs with substance and mouthwatering recipes around. She has posted one of my favorite recipes from my cookbook, (An Epiphany of The Senses), the Luscious Thai Chicken Pineapple Curry recipe. Please stop by She's Cookin' and say hello to Priscilla.

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