{ Waiting for Christmas } Riisipuuro, cinnamon Finnish rice pudding and stewed cranberries (vegan option)

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    Today, I'm taking you to Scandinavia again because it had been a long time since I shared a recipe from Northern Europe and that I love its - sweet most of all - cuisine and hope to be able to enjoy it over there one day!

   The riisipuuro is a typical Finnish rice pudding but I could have shared the Swedish recipe of the risgrynsgröt or Danish risengrød. It's a Christmas specialty that most families enjoy during the celebrations of the end of the year. The rice is cooked slowly in milk (I chose plant-based) then served and each one can add sugar and cinnamon according to one's tastes. 

Aloo gobi, cauliflower and potatoes dry Indian curry & carrot raita

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   Another Indian recipe, yep, I love that cuisine! Because of its flavors but also because it's easy to eat vegeterian, what is most appreciated when you go and eat at the restaurant. And this is just in an Indian restaurant we often go to when I visit my mom in my home town that I discovered this dish. I had had a painful dental intervention the day before and I had trouble eating and appreciating any solid food so I chose this dish hoping it would be soft enough for my sore teeth.

   The veggies were not only soft but deliciously cooked with spices so when I had some cauliflower leftovers a little time after that, I wanted to enjoy some aloo gobi again at home. "Aloo" stands for "potatoes" and "gobi" for cauliflower, it's a dry Indian curry. 

Avgolemono, Greek rice and lemon soup

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    For this special lemon week on the blog to celebrate the Lemon Festival held in Menton, on the French Riviera (France), between Nice and the Italian frontier, I wanted to find a savory recipe to propose on the blog because, even if I like cakes and pastries, one is enough in a week ! At least, not to my stomach but my body... ha ha.  I could have share the recipe of the Italian lemon pasta but I already have a recipe of macaroni with lemon and mascarpone cooked like a risotto here.

   And after a few researches, I stumbled upon this typical Greek dish. I know well the Greek cuisine but didn't even know this recipe called Avgolemono that is made of egg (avgo) and lemon (lemono) - as its name says. Traditionally , it's prepared with meat broth, egg and rice, some put meat inside too, most of the time chicken.

Orange cardamom rice pudding brulee (vegan option)

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    I think rice pudding is a comfort dessert most people seem to like, maybe because it reminds of childhood for some, like me. I like to make different versions of it like here or here. Today, I'm taking part to a new edition of the Battle Food and the theme chosen by Lova was "Rice Battle", I love it either in savory or sweet dishes but I really wanted to try rice pudding with citrus fruit and I chose the oranges because this is a fruit I cook too rarely. 

Roasted butternut squash, rosemary and parmesan risotto

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    It was the 2nd time only I made a risotto, because it's so creamy and delicious in (good) Italian restaurants and I was told so often that it's quite difficult to cook a good one that I had never made one before this fall. 

   This one was so good, tasty and creamy that I ad to share it with you because butternut is a really easy squash to work with and the risotto was very simple and easy to prepare. I think, how I made it was not the exact traditional way of doing it but the most important thing is that it was good, right?! 

Strawberry Phirni, Indian rice dessert (vegan and dairy free option)

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    Today, this is a new Indian recipe I'm offering you to try.  I love Indian cuisine so when Angélique chose this theme for the new edition of a food challenge I take part to from time to time, I jumped on the occasion. 


   For once, I hesitated long between savory and sweet recipes and then, while surfing on Pinterest - yes, again! - I stumbled upon a few sweet recipes and I finally chose to go for one that looked intriguing and propose a vegan version of the Phirni. After having discovered the Mango Kulfi recipe last year, I'm very happy of this new yummy food discovery. 

Apple pie rice pudding seeds granola parfait (vegan, gluten free)

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    Last week, I took part to a monthly food culinary challenge and this month's theme was about seeds we had to use in our recipe in addition to a seasonal fruit or vegetable.

   As my father's birthday was last Wednesday, I decided to mix two of his favorite desserts, the rice pudding and the apple pie, in a jar. I made an apple granola full of seeds and dried fruit for the "crust" in put at the bottom of the jar, a vanilla vegan (or not) poppy seed rice pudding, topped with a vanilla apple compote.

Black whole rice, red lentils, soft goat cheese, carrots, dried raisins and cranberries, tahini and olive oil seasoning

    Here is a yummy and comfy but healthy and complete dish thanks to the association of the rice and red lentils, rich in complex carbohydrates as well as proteins for the first one and fibers, minerals and iron for the legumes. The tahini (sesame cream) also brings calcium, magnesium and iron. 

  I chose to add soft goat cheese (that you can delete or replace for a vegan option) and mint to bring some freshness and raisins and dried cranberries to ad some sweetness to the dish but also because they offer other nutriments, antioxidants for the latter. Carrots bring a dose of vegetables but also some color and crunchy.