CEVİZLİ & HAVUÇLU KEK

CARROT & WALNUT CAKE

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1+1/2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1+1/2 cups of finely chopped walnut
• 2 cups of shredded carrot
• 1 tbsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, take the eggs and sugar and mix it for 5 minutes with a mixer. Add milk and vegetable oil gradually and whisk. Add flour and cinnamon to this mixture and mix them for another 5 minutes. Add carrot and walnut to the bowl and stir them with a spoon until they are well combined. Pour this mixture to a 10" non-stick round cake pan and bake it for 45 minutes. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. The toothpick will come out clean when the cake is done. Remove the pan from oven and allow the cake cool completely.

TAM BUĞDAY UNLU EKMEK

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1+1/2 cup of warm water
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp of salt 
• 1 tbsp of granulated sugar
• 1 tsp of yeast

In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. Add olive oil and warm water into this mixture and knead. The dough should be soft. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place for rising. Let the dough rises to double its size. Take the bowl and knead the dough again until it is bubble free. Place a parchment paper on a 13" 10.5" baking tray. Give the dough a round shape. Then take a sharp knife and give the dough the shapes you desire. Sprinkle some flour on top. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Let rise the dough for half an hour. Bake it for 30 minutes or the color of bread turns brown. Take the bread out of the oven let it cool for 20 minutes and fold it with a clean kitchen towel to keep it soft.

BABAGANUŞ

BABAGANOUSH

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 4-5 tbsp of tahini
• 1 large clove of garlic (mushed)
• juice of a half lemon
• salt
• 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 
• some pepper flakes

Pierce the eggplant with a fork . Grill the eggplant until they are soft. Take it out from the oven and let it cool. Peal the crust of eggplant and take the eggplant in a strainer and wait for 20 minutes to let the liquid out. 
Chop both eggplant finely and take it in a large bowl. Add garlic, lemon juice, tahini, and salt into the bowl and stir it until well combined. Take it in a serving dish. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some pepper flakes on top and decorate it with parsley.
It is a very good side dish with meat or it might be a nice dip with a pita bread.
Enjoy.

HİNDİSTAN CEVİZLİ KURABİYE

COCONUT COOKIES

Makes 20-25 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1+1/2 cups of all purpose flour
•  1/2 cup of coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup of finely shredded coconut
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 tsp of vanilla sugar
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• a pinch of salt

Topping:

• 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup of finely shredded coconut

Whisk butter, powdered sugar, egg yolk, in a large mixing bowl. Add flour,vanilla sugar, baking soda and coconut and knead. Cover with plastic wrap and rest the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Take it out and knead again. Take small parts ( about the size of an walnut ) from the dough and give them the shape of small balls. Dip them ( just one side of the cookies )  first into egg white and then coat them with coconut . Preheat the oven 350 F. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes at this tempature and decrease the heat to 300F. Bake it another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

TAVA BÖREĞİ

SKILLET BOREK (EASY BOREK)

This borek is easy to make and almost as delicious as the oven baked one. I usually cook it for weekend breakfasts.

Ingredients:

• 1+1/2 Turkish pastry leaves
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/3 of vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 lb. (250 gr) feta cheese

Mix milk, vegetable oil and egg in a large bowl and set this mixture aside.

Take an 9-inch skillet and and drizzle some vegetable oil in the skillet. Place the first half of pastry leaf over the skillet and don't fold the edges. Spoon the 1/3 of mixture over the pastry. Place the second half of pastry over the mixture and add the second 1/3 of mixture on it. Place the feta cheese and cover the cheese with the third half of pastry sheet. Add the rest of the mixture on top of the pastry and cover it with the hanging part of first half of pastry. Take it over medium heat and cover the lid. Cook it for 10 minutes and check it . If it is finely brown turn it over and cook it for another 10 minutes. Serve it warm.