Pepper Chicken Stir -fry

This is a very popular dish in chinese restaurants, very tasty and mild spicy. It's prepared in two steps: first is to fry the chicken, then stir-frying the chicken with the vegetables. When  stir-frying, is important to cook on high heat and stirring constantly to ensure even cooking, otherwise ingredients will burn one side and they will be uncooked the other side.
Yelds: 4 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken thighs ( skin and bone removed, cut into bite size pieces)
• 3 stalks celery (blue apio)
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 red dried chili (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp canola oil
• oil for deep frying

Directions:

• Clean the chicken and place it in a bowl. Add black pepper (optional), cornstarch, 1 tbsp soy sauce mix well to coat all the chicken pieces and set aside. 
• Clean and cut onion and celery into bite size cubes and set aside in a bowl. 

• Heat oil for  frying in deep pan on medium high heat. 
• Check oil by dropping a small piece of onion. When oil is ready, drop the chicken pieces one by one, but don't over crowed them. Fry in batches, if needed.
• Fry till well done. Soy sauce will make the chicken look dark, so check it with a fork: if juices run clear, chicken is ready.  Remove from oil with spatula and drain excess oil  on paper towel.

•  Have ready within your reach  the following: black pepper, oil, red chili, stock, chicken, vegetables, a wok or a large skillet and spatula.    
•  Heat oil in wok on high heat. Add chili if you use and stir in hot oil until they turn dark. Add chicken and stir while you pour chicken stock, and continue stirring for another 30 seconds. 

•  Add vegetables and soy sauce and continue stir-frying until liquid has evaporated partially and vegetables are cooked but still crispy.

•  Add black pepper and stir well till well coated. Switch of the heat.

•  Serve hot with plain rice, noodles or stir-fried rice.  

Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs;
• 2 lemons;
• 350 g sugar;
• 8 tbsp vegetable oil;
• 300 g flour;
• 1 tsp baking powder;
• pinch of salt;
• powdered vanilla sugar;

Directions:

• Preheat oven at 350 F. Grease and powder with flour a baking pan.
• Shred lemon zest and squeeze juice. Crack the eggs, place egg whites in a large mixing bowl, set aside egg yolks .
• Add pinch of salt to egg whites and mix well till they become a firm white foam. Add sugar slowly continuing to mix.
• Add oil to egg yolks and mix, then pour into egg whites slowly. Add lemon juice, lemon zest to mixture and combine well. Then add flour and baking powder and mix well, but gentle with a spatula.
• Pour batter in pan and bake for about 40 min or until a toothpick inserted come out clean.
• Allow 10-15 min to cool down the cake. Remove from pan, cut into squares place on serving dish, powder with vanilla sugar, decorate with lemon zest and serve.
• Preserve wrapped in plastic foil.

Dal Tadka

Ingredients:

• 1 cup green lentil
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 3 green chillies 
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2-3 eggs
• salt to taste
• 5 tbsp oil 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek (methi) powder
• bunch of cilantro

Directions:

• Wash lentil and soak in water for about 1 hour, then pressure - cook lentil for 2-3 whistle. Drain lentil and set aside.
• Chop onion into small cubes. Chop tomatoes and chiilies, mince garlic. Chop cilantro.
• Heat 3-4 tbsp oil in non-stick saucepan. Add onion to it and fry on medium-high  for a few minutes until onion becomes soft. 
• Add green chillies, garlic and saute for few minutes but not too long, garlic will become bitter. 
• Add tomatoes and saute 1-2 minutes.  Add turmeric and fenugreek and mix well.
• Now add lentil, salt and little water if your mixture is too dry. Cook on medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally. 
• In a separate pan heat 1-2 tbsp oil. Crack eggs and slightly beat them with pinch of salt. Add to pan and make scrambled egg. When done add to lentil mixture and stir well.

• Add chopped cilantro to lentil tadka, mix well then turn off the heat.
• Garnish with green chillies and onion. Serve hot with roti. 

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of cinnamon powder
• vanilla
• lemon zest (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven at 350 °F (180 °C). Grease a loaf pan with oil or butter and keep aside.
• In a mixing bowl mix sugar, oil and eggs. Mash bananas with a fork, add to bowl and mix well. Add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla and mix well.
• Add flour to the mixture and mix evenly with a spatula. You should have a thick batter.

• Pour the batter in loaf pan and bake 30-40 min or until done. Check if baked with a toothpick, insert in bread, if toothpick comes out clean your bread is baked.

Minestrone

Ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium potato
• 1 cup canned green beans
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1.5 cup cabbage
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup canned navy beans 
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp dried basil, crumbled
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1-2 bay leaf

Directions:

• Chop onion, celery, carrot, green beans. Cut into cubes zucchini, potato. Coarsely shred cabbage and mince garlic.
• In a pot heat oil and butter, add onion, saute until soft. Stir in carrots and potato and saute for few minutes. 
• Stir in celery and saute for 5 minutes (if you use fresh green beans add them along with celery and saute) . Add zucchini and saute for another 3 minutes.
• Add cabbage and garlic, cook for 1 minute.
• Add broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, pepper, basil, salt and water to cover completely the vegetables. Rinse and drain navy beans and add to soup. Cook covered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are cooked and soup is thick.

• Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.