Category Archives: appetizers & salads

A heart warming broccoli cheese soup

Posted on January 31, 2017 | 1 comment

So full of flavors and warming the heart, exactly what i needed today! The weather is going crazy here (doha), calling for a hearty soup to tame the cold!

It’s an absolutely perfect comfort food, if you like soup, you’ll be rewarded with the best, creamiest and richest one.

-“What’s that amazing smell?”. It’s broccoli and cheddar cheese hun.

It’s an easy soup to make and is ready in half an hour. To serve 4 generous portions you will need:

50g butter
1 medium onion finely diced 0r 1/2 cup
1 large carrot chopped (small pieces) or 2/3 cup
1 tsp garlic salt\ powder
1/4 cup flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 liter or 2 cups milk
1 medium head of broccoli florets chopped
225g or 1 cup of freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the butter until melted. Add onion and carrots and saute until onion is translucent and fragrant (about 3-4 minutes). Stir in the garlic salt and flour and saute for another minute. Whisk in the vegetable broth, (you can use chicken broth also but i liked to keep it vegetarian) and milk. Combine well before adding the broccoli florets. Don’t cut them too small, keep some as medium chunks. When the soup reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until broccoli is cooked. Use salt responsibly as the stock and the cheese will do the job. Stir in the freshly grated cheddar, i said freshly grated because the ready grated ones that comes in bags are coated and doesn’t melt easily. Whisk until cheese is completely melt (2-3 minutes) and serve immediately.

Even people who don’t like broccoli will love it when bathing in a creamy and cheesy broth. It doesn’t just warm your body but your soul too!

There’s a few optional spices, that makes it not taste boring, like paprika or mustard powder, they’re not mandatory if you don’t keep them on hand, but they do add extra depth of flavor. I wanted to serve my children so i kept it mild.

Don’t forget to give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts are yet to come.

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Posted in appetizers & salads

Tagged broccoli, broth, carrots, cheddar cheese, comfort food, cream, doha, easy, food blog, food blogger, food photography, food porn, hearty soup, jaymmy, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, milk, no fail, qatar, quick, recipe, soup

Sup up your sandwich 3 – crab orange

Posted on January 26, 2017 | 1 comment

Many of you find no time to cook dinner after long days at work, with kids or simply not fan of cooking. Sandwiches come to rescue the situation and satisfy your cravings; You can sup up any simple sandwich to become a consistent delicious meal. Not just that, it’s a pleasure to the eye also with all these colors blend.

All you need is the right and a smarter choice of pairing your sandwich ingredients. Today’s i third option of sandwich makeover is crab and orange. You will need (yields two sandwiches):

8-10 crab sticks shredded
1 ripe avocado
1 small orange
rocket leaves (a bunch of 14-16 leaves)
capers (around 1 tbsp) – optional
bread of your choice (mine is multi cereal bun)
mayo citrus dressing

Start with a coat of the dressing on the bun, actually the two halves of the bun, this way the bread absorb the dressing and it won’t fall off making a mess while eating. To prepare this sauce mix:

juice of a lemon
2 tbsp juice of orange (half an orange almost)
1 tsp brown sugar, let it melt in the citrus mix
3 tbsp mayo

back to the sandwich, add the shredded crab sticks and one round slice of orange. Orange is a nice fruit for a tangy flavor that goes really heavenly with the crab and the buttery avocado. Avocados are high in fat, but 64% of it, is the heart healthy monounsaturated. They also offer good nutrients like vitamin E and potassium. Then 7-8 rocket leaves, this very low in calories vegetable; 100 g of fresh leaves hold just 25 calories. Nonetheless, it has many vital phytochemicals, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals that may immensely benefit your health. Finally capers (optional), the small pickled flower buds imparting big and bold taste, to add a vibrant flavor to your sandwich, only if you’re fan of the taste.

If you like the idea of the sandwich makeovers, stay tuned for the next post with another delicious, quick and healthy choices.

Don’t forget to give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts are yet to come.

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Posted in appetizers & salads, main dish

Tagged avocado, bun, capers, citrus dressing, crab, easy, food blog, food blogger, food photography, food porn, healthy, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, multi cereal bun, orange, quick, recipe, rocket leaves, sandwich

Sup up your sandwich 2 – chicken avocado

Posted on January 25, 2017 | Leave a comment

All you need is the right and a smarter choice of pairing your sandwich ingredients. Today i will continue this sandwich makeover sequel with this finger – licking chicken avocado sandwich. You will need:

chicken breasts, enough quantity to your sandwich(s), lets say 500g make 4 sandwiches
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic powder (or garlic salt)
1 tsp salt
1 big avocado
rocket leaves
Cesar dressing
bread of your choice, i used ciabatta bread

Season the chicken with the garlic and salt and cook them in olive oil. Lay them on a bed of rocket leaves, this very low in calories vegetable; 100 g of fresh leaves hold just 25 calories. Nonetheless, it has many vital phytochemicals, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals that may immensely benefit your health. Add 2-3 slices of avocado; buttery avocados are a good complement to sharp flavors like garlic. They are high in fat, but 64% of it, is the heart healthy monounsaturated. They also offer good nutrients like vitamin E and potassium. Drizzle some cesar dressing and enjoy!

This type of sandwiches could also serve as a lunch with a nice side salad, not just a light dinner.

If you like the idea of the sandwich makeovers, stay tuned for the next post with another delicious, quick and healthy choices.

Don’t forget to give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts are yet to come.

Sup up your sandwich 1 – grilled halloumi with pesto and tapenade

Posted on January 24, 2017 | 1 comment

All you need is the right and a smarter choice of pairing your sandwich ingredients. I will start with the grilled halloumi and pesto sandwich. They say pesto perks up milder ingredients and i confirm that! You need:

2-3 slices of grilled halloumi
1 tsp pesto
1 tsp olive tapenade
roasted\grilled bell pepper (i had orange capsicum at home, you can choose from red, orange or yellow)
rocket leaves
4-5 seedless olives
your choice of bread, mine is a multi-cereal bun

Spread pesto and tapenade on the bread. Top it with a layer of rocket leaves, this very low in calories vegetable; 100 g of fresh leaves hold just 25 calories. Nonetheless, it has many vital phytochemicals, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals that may immensely benefit your health. Lay the grilled halloumi slices then roasted bell pepper. One half bell pepper supplies all the vitamin C and 80% of the vitamin A you need in a day. Bell peppers are naturally sweet, and roasting them adds a smoky accent to make a balance with the salt in cheese and olives. You can repeat or shuffle the ingredients as per your taste.

This sandwich presents the right harmony without having any ingredient overpowering the other.

If you like the idea of the sandwich makeovers, stay tuned for the next post with another delicious, quick and healthy choices.

Don’t forget to give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts are yet to come.

1 Comment

Posted in appetizers & salads, main dish

Tagged arugula, bell pepper, easy, food, food blog, food blogger, grilled halloumi, halloumi sandwich, healthy, jaymmy, makeover, marmite et ponpon, multi cereal bread, olives, pesto, quick, recipe, roasted, rocket leaves, sandwich, tapenade

Turkey and red fruits jam with brie dip

Posted on January 17, 2017 | Leave a comment

Cold weather is the perfect excuse for eating, especially comfort food that warms the body and the heart. At the end of the day and when kids go to bed, all i want is to relax on the couch, enjoy a nice dinner with hubby while watching tv.

By this time i am out of energy, i need a quick dinner served with no preparations. Turkey, red fruits jam, brie and basil olive oil… did i grab your attention? All you need is 5 minutes of preparations, and this is exactly the time you spend to make a sandwich.

How to do?

Roll out a ready puff pastry into 2 circles (almost 8″ or 20cm).
Place the first circle of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush the surface lightly with red fruits jam leaving the center, the size of your brie cheese.
place the cheese in the center and lay around turkey slices, i chose turkey with herbs, my favorite.
place the second circle on top, after cutting off the circle, the size of the cheese.
divide the dough into 16 equal parts, starting from the edge till the center, without touching the cheese.
twist each two parts in different directions to meet. Take each pair of twisted slices and press the ends together firmly to seal the dough.
brush the surface with olive oil
make several cuts in the cheese to not burst in the oven
sprinkle some basil
bake on 180°C for 15-20 minutes or until the surface is golden brown

Is your stomach rumbling by now? Don’t wait till the night, you can have it as an appetizer for your lunch, it could also serve as a breakfast too! i hope you get the chance to try it.

Dip in the cheese and savour!

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.