Nature is pretty amazing when it comes to colors, and spring colors in particular make you feel cheerful!
You can make any dish look festive by adding thin slices of golden beets or watermelon radishes. These veggies are just astonishing! Or just enjoy them with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Here are a few colorful dishes to brighten your days: Green couscous mixes many flavors in the most harmonious ways, beets fritters are very tasty and add a vivid color to any meal, and the mango mousse simply looks beautiful and gives you a taste of heaven…
Green Couscous vegan
Green Couscous
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients for 6
- 2 cups couscous (bulgur works really well as well)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno, thinly chopped
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Ingredients for the herb paste: 1/3 cup chopped parsley, 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons chopped mint, 6 tablespoons olive oil.
Directions
Place the couscous in a bowl. Add olive oil, and 2 cups boiling water. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Then fluff the couscous with a fork. Set aside.
Fry the onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan on medium heat, until slightly charred, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the onions to the couscous, and use the pan to roast the almonds, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a paper towel and set aside.
To make the herb paste, place all the ingredients of the herb paste in a food processor, and process until smooth.
Add the herb paste, green onions, jalapeno, almonds and arugula to the couscous. Season with salt and pepper, and mix gently.
Beets Fritters vegetarian
Beets Croquettes
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients for 6
- 3 red beets, trimmed and scrubbed
- 2 carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, mashed
- 2 eggs separated, egg whites beaten
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons canola oil
Ingredients for the yogurt sauce: 1 cup Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons chopped dill, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 garlic clove mashed, salt and pepper.
Directions
To make the yogurt sauce, mix all the ingredients of the yogurt sauce in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Shred the beets and carrots in a food processor and transfer to a bowl. Add garlic, egg yolks and beaten egg whites. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat, and spoon in the beet mixture to form the fritters. Fry about 3 minutes on each side in batches. Transfer to a paper towel. You can keep warm in the oven until ready to use.
Serve with the yogurt sauce as an appetizer or a side dish.
Mango Mousse
Mango Mousse
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Refrigeration time: 2 hours minimum (best overnight)
Ingredients for 6
- 2 teaspoons gelatin powder
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 cups mango puree
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Directions
Dissolve gelatin into 2 tablespoons of water. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of water until hot and add to gelatin, stirring until gelatin is fully dissolved. Add gelatin and puree into blender, and mix on high speed until fully blended. Add sugar to taste.
In a stand mixer, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and heavy cream and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Slowly add puree into the whipped cream, folding it into the cream until completely mixed and uniform in color.
Pour into individual portion cups and refrigerate to set.
