Author: cookingwithshy

Kiwi & Raw Papaya Salad

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This is one of my favorite salads. It has a lovely crisp bite to it. With summer at its peak and the temperatures soaring high  there are times when just a fresh salad can be so refreshing and satisfying. I’ve adapted this from my usual Thai Papaya salad that I make. The carrots used are a good variation and add a nice crunch to this salad. The kiwi fruit give this salad a burst of flavor and add a great Zing to it. Of late I’ve been receiving a lot of gorgeous Kiwi fruit. All thanks to Zespri for their kind gesture. Well naturally I’ve been testing out various recipes using Kiwi. This salad went off really well with the Thai chicken curry I made for dinner a couple of nights ago. Some fun facts about Kiwi     Apart from being high in vitamin C   It’s quite unusual for a low-fat food, let alone a fruit, to be a good source of vitamin E. However, kiwifruit is a great low-fat natural source of vitamin E, which is well-known for its heart …

Shakshouka:Poached Eggs in a Tomato Sauce

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A fabulous and easy way to cook eggs for the family. This wonderful dish has its origin somewhere in Tunisia. All though quite popular in Morocco, Libya and Algeria as well. It literally translates into “A mixture” and that’s pretty much what this dish is. A hearty mix of poached eggs over a sauce made from tomatoes, onions, cumin and chili flakes. Last weekend my husband cooked us a Shakshouka for brunch. I loved his addition of crumbled feta and freshly chopped coriander to this. The main ingredient being eggs so yes most often served at breakfast…but hey it’s such a wholesome dish you could even make it up for lunch or dinner. We ate this with some warm pita. Go ahead and give this one a try. 1 tablespoon Olive oil 1 medium onion (diced) 5-6 medium tomatoes (chopped roughly) 1 clove garlic minced 1 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. chili flakes 1/2 tsp. pepper salt to taste pinch of sugar 3-4 eggs 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese fresh chopped coriander Heat the oil and sauté …

Chilled Kiwi Mousse-served with a Rosemary infused Kiwi coulis

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I absolutely love dessert. There have been days where I’m quite happy to give up a meal and just have a dessert instead. Until recently when I decided to turn my guilt ridden indulgences into something healthier. I wanted to try out something that was light and easy and with a burst of flavors. Voila and just in time for I received a tray of these gorgeous Kiwifruit  from Zespri. Here is a great way to enjoy a delicious dessert. It sure is a guilt free option for your indulgences. I’ve used low-fat yogurt (hung for about 4 hours to remove the water).You could even substitute it with some store-bought Greek yogurt. I’ve used just a little bit of cream in this mousse to add some volume. Some gelatin to bind it as it is a no bake-chilled mousse. To add to a zing  to this mousse I’ve paired it  with a Rosemary infused Coulis. The bottom of the mousse is layered with the kiwi coulis. You could however even drizzle some on top. So here you go…A super duper easy …

Pizza making at Pantry Cafe

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Pantry Café a wonderful modern dining & open kitchen  concept opened it’s door’s a couple of months ago. Having read Foodiva’s review I had explored this place over breakfast and a brunch a couple of times. This café has a lovely rustic-chic feel to it. The menu apart from the wide  array of sandwiches, soups ,salads has  the most delightful cheese platters and some great steaks too.. And of course their wood oven Pizzas. I had read all about its live Pizzeria and the wonderful wood oven Pizza’s though had yet to try some. It was marked down on my “To Eat” list for my next trip to Pantry Café. Well I was quite naturally excited on getting a blogger’s invite for a Pizza making demo and decided to go along and see this happen live. On arriving we were warmly greeted by the lovely Owner who was very enthusiastic about the afternoon session. She then introduced us to the man behind stove or in this case the wood oven –Chef Dominico from Naples. The demo started off with the chef explaining …

Kale & Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

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KALE: A wonderful vegetable belonging to the cruciferous family. Let me quite honest I’ve never really cooked with kale. I do know friends use a lot of it in casseroles, stir fry’s and so on. I’ve just never thought of it all. Well that’s until a few weeks ago when I visited The Farmer’s market on the Terrace by the Emirate’s Towers in Dubai. This is indeed a fabulous initiative to promote locally grown produce in the UAE. These markets are fairly active during the winter month’s as this is typically the growing season in this region. On arriving one Friday morning  I was delighted to see various vendors lined up. Each of them with a wonderful and heart warming display of assorted fruits and vegetable. Lovely fresh strawberries, organic carrots, spinach, a selection of free range eggs. That’s when I spotted some fresh kale. I thought why not experiment with some and bought a whole bunch home. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it and thought why not try a simple soup. I’m …