Fudgy Cocoa Cookies with Ricotta

I needed a quick and easy recipe for a gift.Not enough time to bake a cake.An irresistable dark,crunchy,fudgy cookie...not too heavy in calories.So, no butter in my batch.I replaced it by margarine and grounded almonds with some ricotta!

Ingredients for 12 cookies
-2 Tbs of unsweetened cocoa
-1 ts cinnamon
-1/4 cup margarine
-1 Tbs ricotta
-1/2 cup brown sugar mixed with Rapadura sugar
-1/2 cup grounded almonds
-1/2 cup flour
-1/2 ts baking soda
-pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour,baking soda, salt .
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar,cocoa,margarine,ricotta. Pour into flour mixture and stir until almost combined.Add cinnamon. 
Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350F, or until cookies are just set .
Cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pour les français:
conversion dosages pour 12 cookies:
-50g de Cacao type Van Houten(1 cuillère à soupe=25g)
-1 cuillère à café de cannelle
-30 g de margarine
-1 cuillère à soupe de ricotta
- 100g sucre(1/3 rapadura,2/3 sucre de canne blond)
-70 g d'amandes en poudre
-125 g farine
-1/2 cuillère à café de bicarbonate de soude
-1 pincée de sel

Chicken"Sweet Caress From The Sahara"

This stunning recipe with vibrant colors is adapted from Fatema Hal.She owns an authentic Maroccan restaurant in my neighborhood "La Mansouria"opened in 1984.
Ingredients for 6:
-6 pieces of chicken farmed raised
-3 onions
-2 ts olive oil
-1 ts of ginger
-1 ts rose water
-1/2 saffron(JM Thiercelin)
salt,pepper
- fresh cilantro
- 20 dates
In a large cast iron skillet(I used a wok),heat olive oil.Brown chicken pieces lightly.Remove from pan and reserve.
Cook gently onion slices until caramelized.Add pieces of chicken with salt,saffron,ginger,grounded pepper,Add 1/4 cup of water and rose water and simmer gently for 40 min.10 minutes before serving, add dates.Serve with couscous and freshly chopped cilantro.

Green Curry Tofu with Eggplant

Simply Extraordinary!I just loved the creaminess of the coconut with the eggplant .I prefer to fry the tofu before so it's nice and crispy.
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant diced
- 1 ts vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 100 g tofu cut in big chunks
- Green Curry paste
- 2 Ts coconut milk
- chopped fresh(or frozen) basil or cilantro
- salt and pepper

Heat vegetable oil in wok on medium-high heat.Fry tofu until golden.Put aside.Add garlic ,eggplant,curry paste
and coconut mik.Stir and cook for a few minutes until the mixture boils and simmers.When it has thickened add
tofu.Sprinkle with basil and serve with steemed rice.

Clea's Carrot Bavarois with Miso-Walnut Sauce

I highly recommend this gourgeous book on agar agar!!If you feel like eating light and fresh,follow the trend!This is one of my favorite recipes.So original to mix walnut and miso with carrots. Just fantastic and it doesn't take long to prepare!

Seafood Kamut Pasta

An original,tasty alternative to my favorite Barilla n˚5 spaghetti:kamut pasta.
Kamut is believed to be of Egyptian origin. Compared to common wheat, Kamut is richer in protein (by between 15% and 40%), minerals such as magnesium and zinc, Vitamin Bs and Vitamin E and unsaturated fatty acids, but contains a little less dietary fibre. Kamut provides much energy and is appreciated by people with active lifestyles. It is easy to digest and is generally well tolerated by those with a sensitivity to gluten. Kamut flour is not refined or bleached, and thus retains all its nutritional qualities.

Ingredients
-60 g Kamut pasta
-1/2 onion,finely chopped
-1 clove garlic,finely chopped
-1/2 lb seafood.I used" Picard's" mix
-1 ts olive oil(Castelas,Baux de Provence AOC)
-1/4 cup white wine
-shredded fresh basil or parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
piment d'espelette

Heat oil in wok.Add onion,garlic.Cook gently for a few minutes.
Add wine,seafood and cook for 5 minutes,or longer.
Meanwhile,bring large pot of salted water to a boil.Add Kamut pasta and cook 8 min.Drain well and toss with seafood,basil,piment d'espelette.Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Rhubarb and Strawberry Clafoutis (with sweet condensed milk)

This recipe is adapted from Régal magazine n 17,It's a convertible cake.Use whatever seasonal fruits you have in hand such as :cherries ,blueberries ,apricots ,apples , pears... Sweet condensed milk confers a caramel like taste and a velvety texture.

Ingredients for 4
1/2 can of sweet condensed milk(200)g
1 egg
1/2 ts baking powder
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rhubarb and strawberries cut in small pieces
orange zest

In a food processer mix the condensed milk with water(1Ts)and egg.Add baking powder and flour little by little.Pour the batter and combine fruit in your buttered baking dish.Bake for about 30 min 190C(T6-7)
374F.

Azuki and Blueberry Kanten

This is the first time I purshase azuki beans.I always like to vary ingredients and try new culinary experiences.I want to eat less meat,so I'm on the look out for different sources of protein and various nutriments.
Popular in the Far East, especially Japan, azuki beans are a hard dark red bean variety. Like most beans, azuki beans are rich in the best sort of fiber - soluble fiber - which helps to eliminate cholesterol from the body. They are a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc copper, manganese and vitamin B3. As a high-potassium, low-sodium food they help reduce blood pressure. Not only are they low in fat, but when combined with grains, beans supply high quality protein which provides a healthy alternative to meat or other animal protein. Azuki beans also contain protease inhibitors which frustrate the development of cancerous cells.
This recipe is perfect for a warm,sunny day. Very refreshing!
Ingredients
2 g of agar agar
3 cups of water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup of blueberries
1 fourteen ounce of pureed azuki beans

Put the blueberries in a pan and cook over medium heat for 5 min,then add the water and the agar agar ,and continue stirring over medium heat until dissolved. Remove from heat and add the azuki beans (if they're not already pureed, run them 
through a blender)with sugar.
Return the pan to the heat and cook until the mixture comes to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring continually. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool. Pour the kanten into containers of some kind. I like using a square shaped plastic tupperware container with a lid . Pour the kanten into the container and refrigerate until set. The jelly will be ready to eat when it is completely firm and chilled,about an hour later. Serve with berries, cherries or both.

Parisian Market Event!