Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes with Feta Cheese and Kalamata Olives

The theory: Quinoa is named 'superfood', one of the staple foods of the Incas civilization. It has nine essential amino acids, is gluten-freeI and contains lots of magnesium and iron. So, it is good for your health.

The practice: Quinoa has fluffy crunchy texture and nutty taste. It is really very tasty, no matter as a part of a sweet or savoury dish.  

The ingredients: young zucchini, salty kalamata olives, Feta cheese and quinoa. And, of course, do not forget the hot peppers. This stuffing is also excellent as a dish on its own - in that case you can add some lemon juice to increase the acid taste.

Hot Chicken Stew with Bacon

I like braising chicken breast because this is the way they get soft and full of flavour. 

Why I love this dish? It is very spicy. It is low in fat, but very tasty - the taste is so hot, that it bursts your digestion. 

The hot taste comes from the banana peppers, which are moderately spicy and very flavorful type of pepper with much softer skin than the one of the other hot peppers-family members. 

Spicy Mango and Avocado Salad

I've had this recipe for a long time before I dared to try it, although I have such an exotic ingredient as a fish sauce in my fridge (well, it was unopened, but still, I had it). Mango is one of my favorite fruits and I adore avocado, but mixing them with the addition of mint and fish sauce sounded too much even for my you-never know-it might be tasty-attempts. 

Well, I must say. this is my favorite salad know. Its spicy taste is absolutely unexpected, surprising, a burst of tastes in a plate. 
Every single ingredient has its place in the recipe and the taste sends me far away to places with weird animals, palms and people I've never met before. Thank you, Food Opera.

My Favorite Greek Appetizers

Greek cuisine offers tasteful dishes even for the fussiest eaters.

Some of the Greek specialties have become so popular, that they are now cooked in many places around the world. Here is the list of my favorite ouzo mezedes (appetizers which are best enjoyed with a glass of Ouzo). 

Baked salmon with sour cream

This simple dish could make a light summer lunch served with rocket salad. It has a wonderful taste and the aroma of the Salmon blends perfect with the sour taste of the sour cream. Easy and fast for prepare it could be a good choice either for everyday or for special occasions. 

Eggplant Involtini with Ricotta and Goat cheese

The first time I tasted involtini was some months ago in one of the small restaurants in Little Italy in New York. We were thirsty and hungry and tired from all the strolling through the streets and the smell in the air around this restaurant made us stop, sit and wait impatiently for all the tasty homey food we ordered. I do not remember the name of the restaurant, but I remember very well the taste of the eggplant involtini - the  thin slices of eggplants wrapped arond a ricotta and goat cheese stuffing. Here is my interpretation of the recipe:

Spinach Soup with Leek and Feta cheese

With spring approaching I start to think more often about green colored dishes on my table. Spinach is always a good choice according to me - it has light taste and low calories value. I cook spinach very often. It is good as a part of dips, roasted dishes and soups. 

This is one of my favorite vegetable soups - it is light, with low amount of calories, which makes it good at the end of the winter overeating period.

Spinach with Feta cheese and croutons

This is a light vegetarian dish, which is good for the times there is fresh spinach at the farmer's market. Of course, lightness depends on the amount of butter and croutons into the dish. So you can play with these amounts  according to your diet limits. According to me, it tastes better if you allow all the ingredients to do their jobs. 

Fried roasted peppers with tomato sauce

This light vegetarian dish is very common in Bulgarian homes at the beginning of autumn. The sweet taste of roasted red peppers, the spicyness from the garlic and the freshness of the rape tomatoes make it one of my favorites for October.