• Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and then pour into a cake tin or mini muffin molds. You can even pour the mix directly onto parchment paper and form it into chocolate bars or medallions.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to harden.
• Serve the chocolates from the fridge as they melt quickly because of the coconut oil.
• Feel free to customize them with a touch of cinnamon, or mix in seeds, nuts, or dried fruit for added flavor and texture.

• Wash, clean, and cut the vegetables into large pieces.
• Simmer the vegetables in water along with the vegetable stock cube and olive oil. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
• Transfer the vegetables one at a time to a blender along with the cooking cream and then gradually pour in the soup to get the desired consistency.
• Serve in bowls and enjoy with your favorite toppings. I added sundried tomatoes, pistachios, and brie cheese.

• Place all the ingredients for the cake batter in a large bowl and mix until you get a homogeneous and creamy mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 180 °C/356 °F and line a cake/loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes at 180 °C/356 °F or until the cake has a golden-brown crust and is firm to the touch.
• Let the cake cool completely and, in the meantime, prepare the glaze.
• In a bowl mix the powdered sugar and the blood orange juice.
• When the cake has cooled completely, pour the pink glaze over it.
• Garnish with fresh blood orange slices and enjoy.

• You will need 2 layers of sponge cake. You can either bake them one at a time or make a thicker cake and cut it into two. I bake each layer separately as I find it difficult to cut them evenly.
• If you also choose to bake the two layers separately, start by mixing together a half measure of the batter ingredients. Mix on low speed at first and gradually increase the speed until you have a smooth mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I used a 36×24 cm (14×10 inch) sheet.
• Pour the mixture onto the sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until firm.
• Repeat with the second layer. Let them cool.
• While they are cooling, prepare the cream.
• In a bowl, mix the whipping cream, mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla until you get a stiff cream. Be sure to use mascarpone and whipping cream that have been refrigerated for at least 2-3 hours.
• You can now assemble the cake. Spread all the cream on the first layer and cover with the second layer. Then place a plate, tray or a chopping board on top to gently press the cake together.
• Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before slicing.

• To make the cookies dough, crumble the butter and flour and add the rest of the dough ingredients.
• Knead the dough. It will be a little crumbly, so add the tablespoon of cold water. Knead a little more until it comes together and you can form a ball of dough.
• Roll the dough out between two baking sheets until you get a thin layer of dough of 1-2 mm (~1/16 inch). Put it straight in the fridge for about 1 hour, with no additional rolling or folding.
• Take the dough from the fridge and cut out the Linzer shapes. For each cookie you will need one full disc and one with a beautiful heart shape.

  If you don't already have a Linzer cookie cutter, you can find many beautiful options on Amazon or at other stores.
• Bake the cookies for 15 minutes at 180 °C/355 °F (preheated) or until golden brown around the edges.
• Let the cookies cool completely before assembling. Spread a thin layer of jam on a full disc, then top it with a heart-shape disk.
  
• Cover with powdered sugar and enjoy with your loved ones.
• You can store them in Ziplock bags, cookie tins or jars.

• To make the cookies dough, crumble the butter and flour and add the rest of the dough ingredients. Add a tablespoon of cold water and knead until it comes together to form a ball.
• Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper until you get a thin 1-2 mm ( ~1/16 inch) sheet (as in the picture below). Leave it in the fridge exactly like this for about 1 hour (rolled out perfectly, do not roll up or fold).
  
• In the meantime, heat the whipping cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer (almost to boiling point).

  Add the finely chopped milk chocolate to the hot cream and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Let the ganache cool to room temperature before using.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut out the Linzer shapes using a Linzer cookie cutter. For each cookie, you’ll need one solid piece and one with a cutout in the center.
  
• Bake the cookies for 15 minutes at 180 °C/356 °F (preheated oven) or until golden brown around the edges.
  
• Let the cookies cool and then start assembling them. Place the chocolate ganache on a full cookie and place a cut-out cookie on top.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy with your loved ones.
• You can store them in zip lock bags, cookie tins or jars.

• In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, yeast, and 1 egg.
• Add the melted, but not hot, butter.
• Crumble the cheese and mix with the other ingredients.
• Knead until you get a homogeneous dough.
• Preheat the oven to 200 °C/390 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out the dough into a 1cm (~1/3 inch) thick sheet. Then cut the pretzels using a pretzel cookie cutter or mold, or by cutting long strips and shape the pretzels by hand.
• Top each pretzel with egg wash, sesame seeds and optionally add extra grated cheese. Bake at 200°C/390°F for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown.
• You can store them in a glass jar or zip lock bag after cooling.

• Grate the carrot, dice the onion, bell pepper and mushrooms, and sauté in olive oil.
• When the vegetables turn golden brown, add 2-3 tablespoons of water and the rice.
• When the liquid is almost completely absorbed by the rice, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, sprinkle thyme, salt, pepper and 350 ml (1 ½ cups) water. Cook until the liquid is absorbed, then add the chopped dill. Once cooked, allow to coll to room temperature.
• Choose the softer, easier to handle cabbage leaves for the sarmale. Rinse with water if they seem too salty.
• Place a small amount of the filling on the cabbage leaf and roll to your preferred size. Place in a clay pot or non-stick pan (place some chopped pickled cabbage on the bottom of the pot to make sure the rolls don't stick).
• Once the pan is filled with cabbage rolls, cover them with the water and the rest of the tomato paste (optionally add extra thyme) mixed together, and simmer for about an hour (or until the cabbage is soft and easy to cut. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the leaf and how pickled it is.
• Serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt, while for the vegan version you can try soy cream or coconut yogurt. Don't forget the chili, polenta or freshly baked bread.

• Wash and slice the eggplants, sprinkle with salt, and place the slices on a paper towel to draw out excess moisture.
• Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.
• Dip each eggplant slice in flour, then in the beaten eggs, and repeat the process.
• Arrange the slices on a tray lined with parchment paper, then sprinkle with paprika. For extra crunch, drizzle with a few drops of olive oil.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) for 20-25 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through, until golden and crispy.

Sauce

• In a bowl, combine the yogurt with a pinch of salt, minced garlic, mustard, and paprika. Stir well until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
• Serve the baked eggplant with a squeeze of lemon on top and plenty of delicious garlic yogurt sauce.

• In a large bowl, mash the boiled potatoes until they become fluffy, airy and creamy, then add yogurt and salt to taste.
• Divide the cauliflower into small pieces. Place in a large saucepan and boil for 2-3 minutes until slightly tender.
• Drain the water and add the oil, sauce, spices and Parmesan cheese/inactivated yeast. Mix well then transfer to a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 30 minutes at 180 °C/356 °F.
• Place the cherry tomatoes in a pan, let them cook until they start to crack, then turn off the heat and add the olive oil, salt, and garlic.
  
• Optional: Place the pine nuts in a heated pan and heat through for a few seconds to activate the flavors and then sprinkle them over the cauliflower.
  

• Start by preparing the caramel cream: Put the can of condensed milk in a tall saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for at least 3 hours.

  Check occasionally, adding more boiling water if necessary to ensure the can is always covered with water. After 3 hours, it will have curdled and turned into caramel, or "dulce de leche" as it's known in Spanish-speaking countries.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, eggs, and butter and knead to make a homogeneous dough. If it is too crumbly and does not stick, add a tablespoon of water and knead until you can shape it.

  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough into cookie size balls and shape them so that they fit in the walnut molds. You can find lots of walnut molds at affordable prices on Amazon.

  If you don’t have a walnut mold, you can make sandwich cookies by spreading the cream filling between two cookies.
• Bake the cookies in the mold until golden brown. Don't worry if the dough is soft, it will harden as it cools.

  Trim the edges before they cool, or they will harden and become difficult to handle without cracking.
• Mix the caramel cream with the trimmed off edges and use this mixture to fill each walnut half.
• Optionally you can decorate the cookies with powdered sugar or cocoa.
• Keep the cookies covered for at least 1 day before serving so that they soften as the biscuits absorb the moisture from the cream.

• Place the well washed, peeled vegetables in a soup pot.
• Add salt and pepper. Pour in enough water to cover the vegetables entirely.
• Boil until the potatoes are soft and easy to mash.
• Once cooked, blend until you get a smooth and creamy consistency.
• Add the cooking cream or yogurt and stir.
• Pour into bowls, sprinkle with chili flakes and enjoy with toast.