milkandbun

Coconut Cheesecake (flourless)

Hello guys! How are you doing these crazy days? Hope you stay home, safe and healthy. Sometimes I forget about this coronavirus situation, that I stay home not because it’s quarantine and lockdown but because I decided to bake something and spend time home… I’d love to drive somewhere and discover a new coffee shop and sit there over a cup of aromatic flat white… I miss the beach, I miss paddling in the sea I want to go to the nearest supermarket without wearing face mask and gloves, and buy a freshly baked bun there and eat it on the way back I want to go to the park with my little one and run and play with a ball there… I miss everything, I miss the world. Sigh.

I hope this will end soon somehow, and we will able to do whatever we enjoy doing.

A few months ago I’d wrote that this cake with sweet dried cherries will be tastier… but today, today everything is different. I know it’s difficult for someone to come by to Russian tvorog but if you’re lucky to find pure one – use it, better 5-9%. I make tvorog myself: boil a large quantity of plain yogurt (or 3%-kefir/soured milk). As another great alternative for tvorog, Bulgarian and Cypriot cottage cheese works well, or Ukrainian is much the same.

Moreover, if you don’t have enough coconut flakes, keep them to sprinkle the cake top, or even don’t use it at all, and use plain white flour in the cake batter. Now you can see – that this cake recipe is very simple and can be adopted very easily. Don’t miss this incredible and tasty cake! Hope you will make it soon. Stay safe guys!

Coconut Cheesecake (flourless)

Servings: 4-5
Time: 50-60min
Difficulty: very easy
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*dried cranberries are also good

What you’ll need

400g tvorog/cottage cheese

70g white sugar

4 egg yolks

2 tbsp dried cherries, optional*

1-2 tbsp dried pineapple cubes, optional*

100g unsweetened coconut flakes

4 egg whites

a pinch of salt

How to make it

Whisk tvorog with sugar and egg yolks.
Fold in dried fruits, if using, and coconut flakes.
In a separate bowl, slightly beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks. Carefully fold into batter.
Line the baking tin with paper, grease and pour in the batter.
Bake in preheated 180C oven for 40 minutes.
Allow to cool in the tin for some time and transfer to the serving plate. Sprinkle with some coconut flakes, if desired.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Lingonberry cake

Is the pumpkin season over? I think pumpkins with its amazing and cheerful color, and great taste are always on time. For this cake, I used butternut squash because it was very sweet compared to a dull and bit tasteless slice of pumpkin that I had in my fridge. Choose any sweet variety or increase sugar, but definitely, the naturally sweet fruit is the best option.

Once you grated the pumpkin, mixed it up with tvorog (cottage cheese) and berries, and the cake is almost ready. 🙂 For many of you, lingonberries are exotic berries but I do hope that will not stop you to try this cake, as these berries taste very similar to little sour cranberries. So, you may always find another good substitution. They are also known as cowberries or mountain/tundra cranberries.

This bright cake turned out incredibly soft and delicious. Lovely little lingonberries and orange glaze made it even more special and festive. You need only to brew the aromatic tea (like this wonderful spiced tea) and enjoy the cheerful atmosphere.

Isn’t it the perfect cake?

Pumpkin Lingonberry Cake with orange glaze

You can click here for the marvelous drink recipe that also goes perfectly with a slice of this pumpkin cake. Aromatic spices and berries in both recipes make you feel very festive and happy.

Pumpkin Lingonberry cake

Servings: 5-6
Difficulty: easy
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I used 20cm baking pan

*Carrots are another good substitute.

**Can be substituted with fresh small cranberries. No berries – not a problem, omit it or add few dried cranberries.

What you’ll need

350g finely grated pumpkin or butternut squash*, any sweet variety is fine

50g butter, at room temperature

40g (2 tbsp) white sugar (or brown)

2 medium eggs, slightly beaten

1 orange, zest+1 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp orange marmalade (I used fine cut)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg or a pinch of fresh

200g 0% cottage cheese (or 5-7% is even better)

100g yogurt (thick one is preferably like Greek yogurt or creme fraiche)

~100g lingonberries (I used frozen)**

100g plain flour+1 tbsp cornflour (not corn starch, or add extra plain flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3-4 tbsp orange marmalade, for the glaze, warm

How to make it

Grate pumpkin, squeeze juice if there is any. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk butter with sugar until pale but don’t over-mix.
Mix in eggs.
Add orange zest, orange juice, marmalade and nutmeg.
In a separate bowl blend cottage cheese with yogurt. Fold into the batter mixture.
Fold in grated pumpkin and berries. If using frozen – do not refreeze.
Sift in flours with baking powder and soda.
Line the baking dish and pour in the mixture.
Bake in preheated 200C oven for 40 minutes.
Prick the warm cake with a toothpick several times. Pour over warm orange marmalade.
Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower rice

Hi, guys! Somewhere hot days are already over, in other places heat is still on and summer doesn’t want to give up. It’s also unbearably hot in Dubai, but all shopping malls and cafes are air-conditioned here and that’s a true life-saver. Despite the hot days I prepare and eat a hot dish once a day, and today I want to share a simple recipe on how to make cauliflower rice — tasty and healthy alternative to regular rice.

Have you ever taste it? Don’t be skeptical and trust me — you will love it. It is delicious! Adding few ingredients to the plain and for someone tasteless cauliflower and you will get absolutely another vegetable — tasty and aromatic. Cauliflower rice is very easy to cook a low-carb dish, moreover, it’s rich in fiber and how popular to write nowadays — gluten, dairy-free, and vegan (of course if served without any poultry).

Cauliflower rice with fried turkey tenders

All you need — just blitz medium-size cauliflower florets in a food processor or cut with a knife or grate (in that case it’s more time-consuming) until chopped into tiny pieces. Then sauté with aromatic olive oil, season well and serve by itself as a quick lunch or dinner. For not vegan alternative add some fried turkey or chicken tenders. Enjoy!

I suggest preparing a good amount to enjoy this healthy meal for a few days. Cauliflower rice sometimes is also called couscous, click to check out my “cauliflower couscous with shrimps” recipe.

Cauliflower rice

Servings: 2-3
Difficulty: easy
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Tip1For extra crunch: add nuts — roasted almond flakes or silvered; or seeds — sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Tip 2For non-vegan option: season turkey or chicken stripes/tenders with salt, pepper and mix dry herbs (Italian blend is good), drizzle with oil, leave to marinade, then pan-fry or grill and serve immediately with cauliflower rice.

What You’ll Need

1 medium cauliflower/400-500g

2 tbsp EV olive oil

1 large red onion

2 small capsicums, different colors preferably

1 medium tomato or 1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 tsp oregano

1/3 tsp marjoram

some fresh thyme leaves, or 1/3 tsp dry

1/3 lemon, juice

spring onion and/or parsley, chopped

freshly ground sea salt and white pepper to taste

How to Make It

Wash and roughly chop cauliflower. Using a food processor, blitz cauliflower florets into small/rice-size pieces, but not pureed.
Cut onion, capsicums, and tomato into small cubes.
In a large frying pan, heat oil and fry onions over medium heat until slightly golden. Add capsicums cubes and tomato or tomato paste along with sugar. Fry for 5 minutes more.
Add garlic and herbs and fry for 1 minute more.
You may skip this step and add cauliflower to the vegetables. At this stage, I prefer to transfer all fried vegetables to a bowl and put a side. Then I add cauliflower to the same pan with some more oil and saute it. Afterward, I return vegetables to the cauliflower rice and saute all together for extra few minutes.
Add cauliflower, stir a couple of times, cover with a lid for 5-6 minutes. Remove the lid, return back vegetables and continue to saute for 10 minutes more or until cauliflower rice just begins to brown.
When it’s ready – add lemon juice and season to taste. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

Farmers capsicum salad (low-carb)

Hello guys! Do you have a farmers market near to your place? Is it only fruits&vegetables market or some other produce are sold there, such a dairy or grains? How often do you visit it? Or do you prefer supermarkets?

Not far from my place there is a small nice market where you can get fresh and seasonal vegetables and herbs from small local farms, plus few stands with olive oil and freshly-baked bread. Why do I like it? Continue reading →

Lamb and Pearl Barley soup

Hi guys, how is your foodie-life going on out there? It’s such good weather now here – in Dubai, I’ve heard that this year March is one of the coldest months of the past 10 years! Believe me or not, but I’ve been living here approximately the same time and it really seems colder than usual, especially in the evening or those very windy days, that even with the jacket on I want to go in and hide somewhere with a cup of hot tea. 😄

And this warm and nourishing soup exactly what I need these days. I’ve been enjoying it for the last couple of weeks, as I cooked it twice and both time in a large pot so it will be enough for at least two days. This soup combines Russian and Middle Eastern flavors and textures: pearl barley is a well-known grain in my home country, and lamb is a popular meat in the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries. Continue reading →

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