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Turkish Winter Soup With Bulgur Gnocchi A Vegetarian Recipe ...
Recipe: Indian-style eggs
Mideast's old recipe for social peace backfires
The perfect recipe for retirement
Recipe: Honey sesame chilli potatoes
Homemade Candy Corn Paint Recipe ~ Growing A Jeweled Rose

Turkish Winter Soup With Bulgur Gnocchi A Vegetarian Recipe ...

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 01:24 AM PDT

Gnocchi or kofteh? I'd always thought of kofteh as meatballs of one kind or another. But in this recipe, I discovered that a dumpling may go by that name too. And how delicious the dumplings – gnocchi – or kofteh are. Based on bulgur and seasoned with spices and herbs, the little hand-rolled mouthfuls cook in a lentil and chickpea soup. The result is a spicy, stick-to-your-ribs main dish that's perfect for the chilly evenings coming up as autumn meets winter. Wouldn't it be amazing if a reader were to cook it in a solar cooker like this one?

We're very much in favor of grain and pulse-based soups, here on Green Prophet: like the Moroccan Wheat Soup or the Lebanese Lentil Soup. This Turkish soup is only one of the many intriguing dishes found on the fabulous Delicious Istanbul blog, authored by Olga Irez. Thanks to Olga for permission to publish her recipe and photo here on Green Prophet.

Ultimate Winter Soup with Turkish Bulgur Gnocchi (Topalak Çorbası)

Shared by: deliciousistanbul

Prep 20 Min

Cook1 Hr 20 Min

Total1 Hr 40 Min

Serving: 6

Ingredients

1/2 cup very fine bulgur içli köflelıik, may be replaced with semolina
1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp red bell pepper paste replace with tomato paste if not available
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp freshly ground coriander
1/3 tsp ground cumin
1/3 tsp dry mint
1 small egg
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour + 1/2 tbsp more for shaping
4 tbsp butter
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves unpeeled
1/2 cup leeks green part only (replace with other vegetable of choice)
1/2 cup chard stems finely chopped (replace with other vegetable of choice)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp red pepper paste
10 cups water / stock hot
1/2 cup green lentil PRE-cooked (simmered in plenty of water for 20 min)
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (soaked overnight and cooked for 2 hours)
1 tsp dry mint
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses or lemon juice

Directions

Prepare bulgur gnocchi (köfte) dough: In a large mixing bowl combine very fine bulgur and boiling water. Set aside for the bulgur to puff up as you handle the rest of the preparation (chopping etc). In 15-20 min add the rest of the ingredients to the bulgur and knead well until the dough comes together – it will still be a bit sticky so just dust the dough ball with a bit of flour.

Shape bulgur gnocchi (köfte): Prepare a tray and sieve in additional 1/2 tbsp flour: this is where you will be releasing your perfectly shaped bulgur gnocchi-köfte. Now divide the dough into 4 parts: take one part to a clean flat surface and with your hands roll it into a log – index finger thick. Cut into 0.5 cm (0.2 inch) wide pieces. Dust your hands with flour and one after one roll the pieces into small balls – size of a hazelnut or a large chickpea. Release the ready balls into the and continue making the gnocchi/köfte until the dough finishes. Now toss the tray energetically (back-forth; back-forth): the gnocchi/köfte will be sliding back and forth and getting completely covered in the flour. Set aside. Congratulation – the harder part is over!

Prepare the the soup: Simmer the onions in the butter until translucent (3-5 min), add garlic (I love using unpeeled cloves), leeks and chard stems and cook until the vegetables soften slightly and the moisture evaporates (5 min). Then stir in the tomato an pepper pastes and let them caramelize (about 2-3 min). Now add the hot water / warmed up stock, bring to boil and add the cooked green lentils. Let simmer covered on high heat so the lentils start falling apart (30 min). Add the bulgur kofte, cooked chickpeas and seasonings; reduce heat to medium and let simmer covered until the köfte are soft and cooked inside (30 min, or try and you will know for sure).

Note: If you reduce the servings skip the egg altogether and reduce amount of flour used. Skipping the egg will make the recipe pure vegan and replacing butter with vegetable oil will make the recipe vegan friendly.

You'll enjoy these additional Turkish recipes:

:: Delicious Istanbul Blog

Recipe: Indian-style eggs

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:16 AM PDT

A new way of serving the good old masala eggs!
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20minutes

Serves: 4 Recipe

Ingredients: 2 tbsp light olive oil 2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed 2 brown onions, finely chopped Pinch sea salt 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped 1⁄2 tsp turmeric powder 500g ripe tomatoes, finely chopped 2 small fresh red chillies, seeded, finely chopped 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh coriander(cilantro)

8 eggs Recipe

Method: Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add coriander seeds and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until golden. Add ginger, garlic and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, chillies and 2 tablespoons water, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until tomatoes are saucy. Stir in coriander and season well with salt and pepper. Spread mixture evenly over the base of pan. Make a hollow in the tomato mixture, then break an egg into the hollow. Continue with remaining 7 eggs, spacing them evenly.

Cover and cook for 8 minutes for slightly soft yolks or 10 minutes for firm yolks. Spoon eggs and sauce into serving bowls and serve with gluten-free bread. The tomato mixture can be made a day ahead and reheated in pan before adding eggs.

Source: www.pankajbhadouria.com

Mideast's old recipe for social peace backfires

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:13 AM PDT

The Associated Press

Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013 | 12:09 a.m.

Sudan's deadly street riots, provoked by a near-doubling of fuel prices, highlight a problem that has become critical across the Middle East _ the subsidies that for decades have kept down the cost of basic needs for societies where poverty is rife.

They pose a growing challenge to governments in the region, particularly in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprisings. Fuel and food subsidies have become increasingly unaffordable, taking huge bites out of national budgets, and international lenders want to see such spending scaled back, but governments fear violent backlash.

The elimination of Sudan's fuel subsidies last week hiked the price of such basics as bread, cooking gas and bus fares. The result was the worst unrest in the capital Khartoum in two decades, with a harsh government response and dozens reported killed.

Many Sudanese worry that their livelihood won't survive without subsidies.

A widowed mother of seven who sells tea and home-made custard on the streets of Khartoum said she has switched from cooking with gas to coal, but that overall "life has become unbearable."

Another vendor who had laid out colorful rings and necklaces on a sidewalk said his main challenge now was paying for transport, school fees and sandwiches for his three children. "There was nothing like this before," the tall, slim man said of Sudan's economic crisis, glancing nervously at a bank guard nearby.

Both vendors spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of getting caught up in the government's crackdown.

Critics say the government has mismanaged the economy, using up resources during an oil boom while investing little in education, hospitals or agriculture. Sudan took a further hit with the secession of oil-rich South Sudan in 2011 while fighting rebels on three fronts. Faced with empty coffers and spiraling inflation, the government was finally forced to hit subsidies.

A gallon (3.8 liters) of diesel went from eight Sudanese pounds ($1.81) to 14 pounds ($3.18); a gallon of gasoline from 12 pounds ($2.70) to 21 pounds ($4.70); and a canister of cooking gas from 14 pounds ($3.20) is now 25 pounds ($5.60).

The case of Sudan, a vast country with one of the world's poorest populations, is perhaps extreme. But the problem is widespread.

In 2011, half the world's pre-tax energy subsidies, or $240 billion, were spent in the region's 19 countries, according to the International Monetary Fund. Subsidies gobble up one-third of Egypt's $84.5 billion budget, according to domestic figures, and the IMF says the Arab world's most populous country spends three times as much on energy subsidies as on education.

"Across the Arab world, there is increased addiction to these subsidies," said Farah Halime, editor of the regional blog Rebel Economy. "It's very difficult to tell a nation that we are going to take these away, even if it means that it will benefit the people who really need it."

Big subsidies were long a part of the Arab world's social contract, buying social peace in the absence of political freedom and economic opportunity.

But job creation lagged far behind population growth and helped drive the protests that erupted in 2011, toppling rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, igniting civil war in Syria and rattling governments in Jordan and the Gulf.

Many hopes have since been dashed, particularly those for jobs and economic reform.

In Egypt, neither President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, elected in 2012, nor the military that toppled him a year later, has tackled the subsidies, seen as a major obstacle to economic recovery.

Critics say blanket subsidies benefit the wealthy more than the poor, divert public funds from health, education and welfare and encourage overconsumption and corruption. Subsidized food is often traded on the black market or wasted.

Reformers say subsidy cuts should be coupled with targeted support for the poor and warn that without such a buffer, poverty could increase sharply.

For example, Egypt's official poverty rate of 25 percent of the country's 85 million people could rise to 34 percent without food subsidies, according to a study by the World Food Program and the International Food Policy Research Institute. And some nongovernmental estimates put the number of poor already at 40 percent or more.

Aida Mohamed, a 52-year-old widow who earns $115 a month as a postal worker, said she depends on subsidized rice, cooking oil and sugar to make ends meet, because she already spends $20 on rent and $72 on market-price food.

The economies of the region's richer oil-exporting countries in the Gulf are also distorted by subsidies, though they face less urgency than the poorer oil-importing countries to cut spending.

Jordan, Morocco and other oil importers have begun trimming subsidies.

Last year, defying unusually violent protests and even calls to oust the king, Jordan eliminated virtually all fuel and gas subsidies, switching to cash payments to the neediest. Flour, animal feed, water and electricity are still being subsidized, but the government is considering cuts there as well.

Under Jordan's new system, high school teacher Khalifeh Awadallah, 40, gets an annual cash rebate of $382 to make up for increased bus fares and the higher price of cooking gas.

Most of the family's $1,000 monthly income goes on school fees and the mortgage.

In Sudan, a country of 38 million people, the government had been promising since January to increase minimum wage and public sector salaries. After last week's riots it announced one-time aid payments of $21 each to 500,000 families and said it would make good on the promised salary hikes.

The cuts, said Abdel-Rahman al-Khidri, the governor of the Khartoum district, were "bitter medicine needed for treatment and recovery."

___

Laub reported from the West Bank. Associated Press writers Tony Gabriel and Sarah El Deeb in Cairo and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank contributed to this report.

The perfect recipe for retirement

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:06 AM PDT

2013-10-03T00:00:00Z The perfect recipe for retirementEssie Landry/Contributing Writer Santa Ynez Valley News

Succulent turkey. Savory stuffing. Green bean casserole. Sweet potato and pumpkin pie. Every family has its Thanksgiving dinner traditions. With a carefully followed recipe, everyone around the table can enjoy their favorite dishes.

If you plan poorly and wait to throw the bird in the oven at the last minute, you will end up with a turkey of a dish. The same can be said for financial planning and preparing for retirement. Follow the perfect recipe and you'll be rewarded with a juicy retirement.

Ingredients: one part Social Security earnings, one part savings and a pinch of planning.

First, start your retirement casserole with a visit to the Retirement Estimator. As useful as a food processor, the estimator gives you an instant projection of what you can expect to receive in retirement benefits. Just plug in some simple information and the estimator uses your past earnings and estimated future earnings to project about how much you'll get when you retire. Like an experienced cook, you can experiment with the recipe and plug in different future earnings and retirement dates until it's just the way you want it.

Next, fold in the savings. The earlier you begin, the better off you will be. Social Security replaces about 40 percent of the average worker's preretirement earnings. Most financial advisers say you will need 70 percent or more of preretirement earnings to live comfortably. To supplement Social Security, you also will need savings, investments, pensions, or retirement accounts to make sure you have enough money to enjoy retirement. Visit the Ballpark Estimator for tips to help you save. (www.choosetosave.org/ballpark).

If you have a pension from your employer or a 401(k), IRA or similar retirement fund, be sure to add that into the mix.

Like to taste as you cook? Then you'll want to set up a "My Social Security" account so you can log in anytime to check your reported earnings and projected benefit estimates. If something doesn't taste just right — if your earnings are reported incorrectly or you find you need to save more to meet your retirement goals — there's still time to make corrections before your retirement casserole is done.

Once you've added the ingredients of Social Security earnings, personal savings and any pensions you may have, it's time to let the retirement casserole bake.

If you pull the retirement casserole out to find it a little underdone, just put it back in for a bit longer. Delaying retirement can increase your benefits and give you more time to build up your savings. To learn more, read our publication titled When To Start Receiving Retirement Benefits. It provides helpful information regarding the things you should consider when making a decision on when to collect retirement benefits. You will find it, along with our other useful publications, at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.

When the retirement casserole is ready, enjoy it! You deserve a comfortable retirement. Following a traditional Thanksgiving recipe carefully can ensure a satisfying meal. In the same way, following our financial planning recipe will help you achieve a more fulfilling retirement. Learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov.

Essie Landry is a Social Security Public Affairs specialist in West Los Angeles.

Recipe: Honey sesame chilli potatoes

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 11:47 PM PDT

Honey coated fries with nutty sesame topping

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 10-15mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into finger shape (similar to French fries)
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp. red chilli powder
2 tsp. tomato ketchup
Salt to taste
1½ tbsp. oil

For sauce:
1 tbsp. tomato ketchup
1 tsp. red chilli sauce
2 tsp. vinegar
2 garlic cloves minced
1½ tbsp. honey
½ tbsp. oil
1 tsp. chopped spring onion greens for garnish

Method:

Combine potato fingers, corn flour, red chilli powder, tomato sauce, garlic and salt and toss. Deep-fry the potato fingers to a golden brown shade.

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel, add oil, and add the garlic and saute on high flame for few seconds. Add the red chilli sauce, tomato sauce and vinegar and combine. Add the fried potatoes and toss for a minute on medium-high flame. Add the honey and toss the contents till well combined. Turn off heat.

Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and garnish with spring onion greens or coriander leaves and combine.

(Source: www.pankajbhadouria.com)

Homemade Candy Corn Paint Recipe ~ Growing A Jeweled Rose

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 11:09 PM PDT

Homemade puffy paint recipes are so easy to make and SO FUN! These paints dry puffy allowing kids to make textured puffy art. Some of the fun puffed paints we have made are puffy gingerbread paint, pumpkin paint, and glowing puffy paint. Today we made a new batch of puffy paint perfect for Fall.

Candy Corn Puffy Paint Recipe

Homemade candy cor paint recipe perfect for Fall. Easy to make and dries puffy!

Not only are these paints incredibly fun but they are REALLY easy to make, too! All you need are a couple common household items.

Homemade Candy Corn Paint Recipe

Shaving cream
White school glue
Orange and yellow food coloring
Vanilla extract

Mix equal parts of glue and shaving cream into three bowls. Add a touch of vanilla extract to the bowls to capture the candy corn scent. Then add yellow food coloring to one bowl and orange food coloring to the other and mix. That's it! SO easy and SO FUN!