Autumn Walk

           Autumn Walk. A charming time.

"I love the lavish withering of nature
The gold and scarlet raiment of the woods,
The crisp wind rustling o'er their threshold,
The sky engulfed by tides of rippled gloom,
The sun's scarce rays, approaching frosts,
And gray-haired winter threatening from afar."- Alexander Pushkin, Russian Poet, (1799-1837)

 I want to share with you some of my pictures of this gorgeous time of the year.

 

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me,Fluttering from the autumn tree."- Emily Jane Bronte, English poet (1818-1848)

Even on rainy, grey days autumn's trees like burning candles lights brighten those days and make you feel happier.

Autumn is the time of nature change and prepare itself to a deep winter sleep.

And the magnificent Autumn's Full Moon.
 In September - the Harvest Moon. In the past, when the moonlight of the Harvest Moon is bright early in the evening, that means a harvest can be done after sunset.

  In October - the Blood Moon, the Hunter's Moon, to honor a hunting season that would feed people through the winter time.

 In November - the Frost, the Beaver Moon. Light a white candle or lavender incense and think cheerful thoughts. Think about people you love.

 Autumn is the beautiful, magic time.
  For more pictures follow me on Instagram.com/Beyondyourfood
The best to your health ;)

Ratatouille-Summer Vegetable Ragu

For me, Summer Vegetable Ragu or Ratatouille has always been associated with summer months, when fresh vegetables and fruits (eggplant, tomato) are in abundance. It is really the recipe of your choice, depends on your garden harvest, where you can put more or less of one vegetable or fruit over the other. And it is always  taste good, as the different vegetables and fruits marry each other to produce a wonderful summer aroma.

                                You need:
= Eggplant - 1
= Sea salt to soak eggplant
= Light green Zucchini - 3 small
= Bell Pepper - 1 red and 1 green.
= Tomato - 1 medium
= Onion - 1 medium
= Garlic - 3-4 cloves

= Coriander (cilantro,kinza) - 1 bunch
= Carrots - 3 medium
= Chili Pepper - a tiny bit
= Oven dried Roma Tomatoes - 2 full Table spoons
= Salt "Herbamare"( or sea salt) to your taste
= Grape seed oil for frying
= Large Frying pan
*** First and foremost Prepare Eggplant. Soak it in the sea salt.
Peel Eggplant and Chop on pieces.

 Salt with the sea salt and leave it for at least 30 minutes. Drain the releasing water.

 Only after this procedure eggplant can be cooked.
** About cooking time.
Vegetable Ragu cooks quite fast. While you peel and chop one vegetable, this time is enough to cook the previous one. At the end, the vegetables/fruits have to be cooked not too soft but firm to the bite.
~ Add grape seed oil to the frying pan. High heat. Add chopped Eggplant. Reduce the heat to Medium.

 ~ Meanwhile, peel and cut Onions. Add to the Eggplant. Mix.

 ~ Peel and chop Carrots. Add them to the Eggplant/Onion mixture. Mix.

 ~ Chop on pieces Zucchini. Add to the Eggplant/Onion/Carrots mixture. Mix.

 ~ Cover the frying pan and cook the mixture for 1 minute covered.

 ~  Meanwhile, slice Bell Peppers Add to the Eggplant/Onion/Carrot/ Zucchini mixture.  Mix.

 ~ Add 2 Table spoons of oven dried Roma Tomatoes. Mix

~ Add a tiny bit of Chili Pepper. Mix.

 ~ Slice and dice Tomato. Add to the mixture.

                              ~ Mix

~ Peel Garlic. Chop Garlic and Cilantro.

 Add to the mixture. Salt to your taste. 

 Mix. Cook for 10 more seconds (Just count to 10).

Done. Enjoy with pasta, fish or meat, or just with a slice of bread.

                                  Be Healthy:)

Savory Cookies with Sweet Basil, Sugar Free

Savory Cookies with a wonderful aromatic Sweet Basil are Sugar Free, a very close cousin to Shortbread Cookies with Whole Wheat flour and Coconut Sugar.

                       You need:
~ Whole Wheat flour - 250g (Whole Spelt or Polbyanaya flour works well too)
~ 1 Egg
~ Butter- 150g
~ Baking Soda- 1/2 teaspoon
~ Salt "Herbamare" or Sea Salt and Black Pepper
~ Dry Sweet Basil (any dry herbs can be added instead) - 3 teaspoons
~ A box grater

      ** Preheat the oven to 350F (177 C)
== Sift the flour and return bran and germ from the whole wheat flour back to the sifted flour. Note: Always sift Any type of the flour for baking.

 == Add Herbamare seasoning (or salt and pepper), dry Sweet Basil and Baking Soda. Mix all ingredients.

 == Grate the Butter into the Flour/Spices mixture in two portions by using a box Grater.

 == Grate one half of the Butter and mix  it with the flour/spices mixture with you hands, just lightly dust the butter particles with the flour. Do not squeeze.

== Grate the other half of the Butter into the Flour mixture and again mix it lightly with the flour. Do not squeeze.

== In a separate small bowl break 1 Egg and mix it lightly with a fork

 == Add the Egg into the Flour/Spices/Butter mixture

 == In this step, squeeze and mix at the same time the egg with the flour mixture.

 == Form a ball. Wrap it with a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Note: you can freeze the dough for months.

 == To make a cookies. The dough contains fiber and not elastic as a white flour dough. It is not going to roll into one whole slice. That is why, cut the dough into 4 portions and roll every small portion to make cookies.

 == Bake cookies for 25 minutes. Check with a wooden (tooth) stick. It is ready when the stick comes out clean.

  The cookies are good on their own. They can be used as tartlets base. Also I use this dough for quiche. Dry herbs work better than fresh.
                    Enjoy and Be Healthy:)