Finnish style Vegetarian Macaroni dish

This is really typical Finnish style homefood. It's called in Finnish "Makaronilaatikko". Finnish people make this often and it's again simple and easy to make. Normally it's made with minced meat, but instead of meat i use minced soybeans. Here is the recipe how to make it:

• about 4 dl Macaroni
• About 3-4 dl minced soybeans (fake minced meat. You can find this in almost all local stores. I used Hälsans Kök frozen sojafärsh)
• One Onion
• 2 Carrots
• 3 Eggs
• about 4 dl Milk
• Breadcrumbs
• Salt & Pepper
• 3-4 cloves of Garlic
• Mixed spices like paprika, chili, herbsalt etc.
• Oil

Heat up the oven about 225 degrees hot.  Boil some water and add the macaronis and carrots in the water. Add some salt in the water. Boil them until macaronis are half soft. Pour the water out. Put a side to cool down. Add some oil on the pan and heat it up. Chop the onions and garlic. Fry the minced soy on the pan with the onions and garlic. Add salt, pepper and other spicies, like paprica and herbs. Thyme is good herb for this too. Spread some oil on a big oven bowl that it covers all the insides of the bowl. Pour the macaroni, carrots and minced soy in and mix util everything is mixed together. Then pour the milk and eggs on a separate bowl. Whip well until the milk and eggs are well mixed. Add some salt, pepper and paprica spice and additional spices like herbs if you want to. Pour the milk-egg mix on the bowl with the macaroni-soy mix. Pour it all over. It should come up almost to the top, that the macaroni is fully covered with the egg-milk. Sprinkle some breadgrumbs on top and cook in the oven about 30 minutes until the cover looks crispy and golden brown. Enjoy with some ketchup on top and sprinkle some cheese on top too if you like.

Palak Paner And Tomato-Physalis salad

I made some basic Palak Paner last sunday. It's my favourite indian dish, that you can get probably in all the indian restaurants here in Scandinavia. It's simple and quick to make and really delicious! Here is what you need to make it:

• Basmatin rice
• 2 bags of fresh spenach 
• 1 package of Ricotta cheese
• About 2 dl Cream
• 1 Onion
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• Salt & Pepper
• Chili powder
• Ginger powder
• Roasted Cummin ( I used Santamaria roasted Cummin & Pepper mix)
• Olive oil

First put the rice on a rice boiler or boil it it a pot. Meanwhile start cutting the onions and garlic to small pieces. Wash the spenach and cut it in to small mince. Cut the Ricotta cheese in cubes. Pour some olive oil in cooking pan. Let it come to heat and add the cheese on the pan. Fry the cubes on both sides, until the surface is golden brown.  Put the cheese on the side and start frying some onions and garlic in the oil. When the onions are glazed, add the spenach. Cook until the spenach is soft. Add some salt, pepper, chili powder, ginger powder and roasted cummin. Mix well. Add the cream and  the fried cheese. Mix softly that you don't brake the cheese cubes. Taste and add more spices if needed. Serve with some basmatin rice and enjoy!

I made also this Tomato-Physalis salad on a side dish. Just cutted some red onion, different types of cherry tomatoes and added some Physalis to the mix. Last i added just a hint of sea-salt and some gurmee balsamic vinegar and mixed it well. Simple and so good!