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feta cheese

Oven Baked Lemon Honey Feta

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Crispy and creamy cheese, lemony twist, honey tomatoes and tangy capers. Maybe with some baguette to dip everything up? Sounds pretty good – at least to me! 20 minutes, perfect for anyone, vegetarian, and pretty healthy too! This makes a perfect light lunch or a decent and quick weeknight dinner.  

I am a huge fan of feta cheese. I think it is a great addition to so many things such as pasta, eggs, on top of salads or bowl, or whatever. It just adds the finishing touch and takes everything next level. Especially in summer it is such an amazing food because it is a little fresh so it adds a summer twist to every dish. 

What is it like?

In summer when my uncle goes to Greece every year he always brings me a giant block of feta and it is like a dream. Then we´ll have Greek salads pretty much every day. They are just so simple in summer and take literally 10 minutes to make. This dish is pretty similar. Think Greek salad but baked. And without cucumber. It has very similar ingredients, tomatoes, feta, olives, herbs, olive oil. It is just a little different as it does not contain cucumbers (because baked cucumbers? I don’t know) and some lemon zest, which is like the best thing ever here. Plus some honey ad breadcrumbs to make it crispy and tangy. 

When you bake it and soak up the remaining sauce after with a baguette it just tastes sooo good! It is fresh, sweet, just super good. But my fvorite part of this dish is that the feta is turned into a creamy cheese but with a crispy crumble top and you just put a piece of it on some bread and have that creaminess and sweetness and crispyness all together in your mouth. 

But how do you actually make it?

Really easy – you take the feta cheese and place it in a baking dish. Throw some cherry tomatoes, olives and capers in and some grated lemon zest. You sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top and drizzle honey, olive oil and lemon juice. Place in the oven for 10 minutes and voila – there you go, done! This is how simple it is. That is so great! That simple but so flavorful! Honestly so good. 

When and for who?

This dish also is great for people with intolerances because you can use gluten free breadcrumbs if you can´t have gluten and feta cheese is not made out of cow´s milk but out of sheep’s milk, which means even people with intolerances can enjoy that. I would not recommend it for meal prep because then you loose the creaminess and crisp but I do not believe that this is necessary because it only takes 15 minutes!

I hope that you will make and enjoy this dish whenever you want! It is as good in winter as it is in summer so it really is up to you when you make it!

Happy cooking!

Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Oven Baked Lemon Honey Feta

15 minute, tangy, sweet and fresh baked feta with a crispy crust and sweet tomatoes. Ideal dish for a light lunch or a quick dinner.

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine greek, Italian
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 15 Minuten
Servings 2 servings
Calories 325 kcal

What you will need

That is what you will need:

  • 1 block Feta Cheese (150g)
  • 1 handful cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp olives
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • zest of half lemon
  • juice of half lemon
  • 1-2 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • some thyme
  • some rosemary
  • some sea salt
  • some baguette and salad to serve with

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 240C or Grill.

  2. Place the feta on a baking tray or into a baking dish. Add the cherry tomatoes, capers and olives. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and some sea salt on top.

  3. Drizzle to olive oil, honey and lemon juice and place the herbs on top.

  4. Put in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

  5. Serve with some fresh beguette and some salad.

    Enjoy!

Winter Salad with Baked Apple

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Crunchy kale tossed in a creamy Honey Mustard dressing, with juicy, sweet baked apple, rich chestnuts, and fresh Feta cheese… this is like the BEST salad to make up for all of those Christmas cookies, and the 1 or 2 too many we’ve been eating all month long. 

Main or Side dish?

This recipe also makes an awesome side for your Christmas dinner. It is not too difficult, and it will impress your guests! Even the name itself will “Winter Salad with Baked Apple”, already sounds pretty fancy.. no? Although it sounds pretty fancy, and tastes delicious, it is not too hard to make. I love eating a larger serving of this as a light lunch or serve it along with some meat or fish as a side dish. 

Why is it special?

This salad recipe is not as refreshing as other ones are, but it is winter, so I think something more comforting and cozy is just right. These are also all seasonal foods, which I love. The ones I used for the salad, which basically is kale, apple, chestnuts, and sheep’s cheese, are all from Austria. This means that the transportation did not produce a lot of CO2, which is better for the climate. If you wish to make this recipe vegan, you can simply leave out the cheese, and there you are. 

What is in it?

The Apple adds a sweetness to the earthy kale, which, I believe, balances the entire salad out a lot. It also adds a kick and makes the salad not taste boring! The chestnuts add a winter feeling, because they are a very typical food at this time of the year (at least in Austria you can find them at every corner in December). The ingredients just work in great harmony.

Also the honey mustard dressing goes along perfectly with the apples and the kale. If you have fresh figs on hand, go ahead and throw them in because this combination is bomb too! Or if you don’t like the raw kale, you can steam it for a few minutes to make it softer, or use lambs lettuce instead! But, we are going to massage the dressing into the kale anyway, which is going to make it taste better and easier to digest. 

When to serve?

Because we don’t add the dressing at the very end, as you would do with a regular salad, this is a great make-ahead dish. You can prepare the salad before the guest are coming, then simply bake the apples, cut them up, and you are ready to go! It also works as a leftover the next day. 

Along with my green beans with almond bread crumbs, my caramelized pecan and fog salad or my vegan fall harvest salad this dish is a super delicious side dish for your Christmas dinner. Delicious and nutritious, plus it will impress your guests! 

Enjoy

Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Winter Salad with Baked Apple

A delicious winter salad that includes all the delicious and warming ingredients of the season. Sweet and soft apples pair perfectly with rich chestnuts and earthy kale. All tossed in a honey mustard dressing!

Course Appetizer, lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 276 kcal

What you will need

That is what you will need:

  • 6 handful kale stems removed
  • 2 apples core removed
  • 150 g chestnuts
  • 100 g Feta Cheese
  • some nuts (optional)

For the Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp Mustard
  • 1.5 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp orange juice fresh preferably
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • salt & pepper

How to

That’s how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the apples in half. Take the chestnuts and cut a thin slice on one side (this is a necessary step, because otherwise they will explode, and your kitchen will look like a mess, talking from experience :)). 

    Once the oven is preheated, add the apples and chestnuts onto a baking rack. This works best if you place the chestnuts in a bowl, and put this on the rack, and take another bowl, and place on the very bottom of the oven, so the juice that will drop from the apples doesn’t stick and burn on the oven bottom. Bake them for 15-18 minutes.

    Meanwhile wash the kale and rip it into small bite-sized pieces. In a separate, smaller bowl add the honey, mustard, orange juice, oil, vinegar, and salt. Stir until well combined. Pour the dressing over the kale and gently massage it into it with your hands. This way the kale is able to absorb the flavor, taste less butter, and is easier to digest. Set it aside for at least 10 minutes. 

    Cut up the feta into about 1cm sized cubes. Once the apples and chestnuts are done baking take them out. Cube the Apple into small bites. Also peel and  roughly mince the chestnuts. Add everything to the kale and give it a gentle mix until it is all evenly distributed. 

    Serve and enjoy! If wished, add some cracked nuts on top, for extra crunch!

Caramelized Pecan and Fig Salad

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We’re are in the middle of October which means that we are in the middle of fig season. One of the best seasons ever, I believe. They are juicy, soft, sweet, and they have such a pretty color! Plus they are so versatile I believe! They go well on so many things! Add them to your French toast, on top of a yoghurt bowl, dried in granola, serve them with cheese, add them into salads or Buddha bowls, or even grill them to serve as a side. The options are endless! 

But a fig is not necessarily a fig. There are small ones and there are bigger ones. I really like the small ones on top of yoghurt for example because they are just perfect in size and you can always eat the skin! With the bigger ones, I prefer using them in salads or as a snack. But if you want to consume them with the peel, make sure to buy organic ones. If you don’t then I would not recommend eating the skin! 

Figs have a great nutritional value too! When fresh they are really low in calories, but have a quite high fiber content! They help reducing the blood pressure as they increase the potassium in your body. Also, they are high in calcium, which is an essential Mineral. When dried, they are higher in calories but also in fiber, with incredible 9g per 100g serving. So if you want to add some sweet or chewiness to your next granola, or just snack in something sweet with nut butter than grab some figs next time, either dried or fresh with some nut butter and you have a delicious and filling snack! 

Onto the next highlight of the salad; the caramelized pecans! I am a huge fan of pecans, I lottery eat them on anything! I love the flavor and the crunch! Nuts in general are packed with protein, vitamins and healthy fats! They are a great addition in nutritional value and crunch to almost any dish! Yoghurt, salads, stir fry’s, curries, you name it! Caramelized First nuts is incredibly simple and only requires 3 ingredients! The nuts themselves, some honey or agave, and a pinch of sea salt. I like to prepare them in a non – stick pan as I believe that it is easiest and quickest. 

It is as simple as adding all the ingredients to the pan and heating it up. At first it will seem as there was too little honey as it will only stick on a few nuts, but as soon as it heats up it will get more liquid and it will cover all the nuts. They work great on a salad as they add sweetness but I also think that they go along very well with cheese or yoghurt. I like the pre make them in a batch in the beginning of the week and them add on on several different dishes throughout the week. If you are not a fan of pecans they can be substituted them for any other nut. Walnuts and almonds would work great, hazelnuts do work too but I would not recommend using cashews since they already have a sweet touch and are rather soft so I would not recommend using them. 

The dressing for the salad is really creamy and delicious. It is not loaded with tons of calories like conventional store bought ones. It is made out of Avocado, Greek Yoghurt, Dijon Mustard, honey, Tahin, anchovies Lemon Juice and Vinegar. I know that it sounds like a lot of ingredients but it is totally worth it! It is an oil free dressing. Just blend all of the ingredients up and you will end up with a delicious creamy dressing! 

To add the finishing touches coat the spinach in the dressing, cut up some dogs, crumble feta cheese and add the walnuts on top! It is an amazing side dish in Fall with some roasted meat or to enjoy along a bowl of pasta! It contains a lot of fall ingredients, which I love since it is a great way to enjoy all the seasonal and regional food! 

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Caramelized Pecan and Fig Salad

A delicious side dish to incooperate all of the delicious fall foods!

Course appe, Salad, Side Dish
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 3 Minuten
Total Time 18 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 153 kcal

What you will need

For the Salad:

  • 3 handful Baby spinach (baby spinach preferably)
  • 2 Figs
  • 25 g Pecans
  • 2 tsp Honey
  • 40 g Feta Cheese

For the Dressing:

  • 30 g Avocado
  • 2 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp Tahin
  • 2 tsp White Vinegar
  • 1/2 juice Lemon
  • 1 Anchovie
  • 2 tsp Mustard
  • 1 tsp honey

How to

That’s how it works:

  1. Add all of the ingredients for the salad into a small blender. Add maybe about 1,5 tablespoons of water to start out. Blend it up. It should be creamy but runny. If it is too thick, feel free to add a little more Tahin or water in order to thin it out. Add a generous pinch of salt and set aside, best in the fridge.

  2. Add the nuts into a small nonstick pan. If you do not have one it is not a huge problem but if you have the option, use a non-stick one. Add the honey and a pinch of salt into it. Don’t worry if the honey will only stick onto a few nuts. Heat it up on medium high, constantly stirring. As soon as it gets hot the honey will get more liquid and coat all of the nuts. Once that happened, take the bits out of the pan and set aside. 

  3. Toss the spinach with the dressing and separate it onto 4 bowls. Cut up the figs and add them on top. Crumble the feta. Finally, add the caramelized pecans on top and serve! 

    Enjoy!