Fall grocery shopping is a challenging thing to do. Pretty colors, beautiful shapes, aromatic smells are tempting to put more and more produce in the shopping cart. And pumpkins are the best tempters. You stop by them looking how pretty they are, and the cheering orange color and the cute lines. The next thing you know it is in your shopping cart. First, you decorate your kitchen or house with it and then thinking what to cook with it.

Pumpkin has never been on my favorite list to cook dinner with. And I’m not much into pumpkin desserts either, especially into a beloved pumpkin pie. No matter where I tried it, I still don’t like it. Too pumpkiny, if this is a word at all. But savory pumpkin recipes are something I enjoyed to experiment with for the past couple of years.

After many years of trying new recipes and experiments, I collected the must make fall recipes collection. I’m very excited to share with you one of my favorite fall savory pumpkin recipe.

Goat cheese pumpkin galette with caramelized onions and super flaky parmesan pie crust. Everything is in this sentence! Imagine the flakiest pie crust with savory hints of freshly grated parmesan cheese and infused with thyme leaves. Top it with fresh and flavorful goat cheese. Spice it up with soft and tender caramelized in your favorite white wine onions. And finish it off with slightly sweet but savory roasted pumpkin slices. The only thing that this pumpkin galette is missing is the glass of delicious wine you cooked onions with.

It is absolutely delicious. So many complex flavors complimenting each other. Even the person who is not much into pumpkins will fall in love with this fall pumpkin galette. Every single year I make it and enjoy it until the last flaky crumb on the plate.

I encourage you to give this savory pumpkin galette recipe a try. Maybe it will become a staple fall recipe in your house too.

Happy Baking 😉

Pumpkin Galette Tips and Tricks:

• Cutting the pumpkin is a real struggle. Watch Chef Tip – How to prepare a Pumpkin to safely peel and prep pumpkins.
• Use freshly grated parmesan cheese. It tastes whole lot differently!
• The secret taste in this galette is sauteed Make sure not to brown them. Low and slow is the key.
• Use only the good Never cook with the wine you wouldn’t drink! I cook with Sauvignon Gris.
• Melt the butter for brushing in the same pan you cooked onions. First, less cleaning. Second, butter infuses the leftover aroma.
• The galette can be refrigerated, but I doubt you’ll need to. The galette is good for 4 people, but two of us can finish it in one day.

If you make this recipe, please share your picture with me by tagging it #thepuretaste on Instagram. Or share your results in the comment section down below. It means a whole world to me knowing someone is making my recipes.

Thank you for sharing and support ❤️❤️❤️

Maria

Yields: 8-9 inch round galette

Savory Pumpkin Galette With Flaky Parmesan Crust

Savory fall pumpkin galette with flaky parmesan pie crust and caramelized onions

30 minPrep Time

1 hrCook Time

1 hr, 30 Total Time

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

For the crust:
• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (120 gr) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (20gr) freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• ½ stick (4 tablespoons – 55 gr) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 2-3 tablespoons cold water
For filling:
• A quarter of medium sugar pumpkin (around 350 gr.)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small white onion
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 70 ml. white wine
• Salt and black pepper
• 120 gr. crumbled goat cheese
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Instructions:

To make the dough by hand:

In a large bowl combine flour, parmesan, thyme leaves, black pepper, and salt. Using your hands mix the cold butter into flour mixture until you see small pea-sized chunks. Slowly start adding cold water and mix with hands until the dough comes together. You may not need all the water. Stop when the dough holds its shape when you squeeze it. Shape the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

To make the dough in a food processor:

Combine flour, parmesan, thyme leaves, black pepper, and salt. Pulse couple of time to aerate the mixture. Add cold cubed butter. Pulse a couple of times until you see coarse pea-sized crumbs. Slowly start adding cold water and pulse until everything just comes together. You may not need all the water. Stop when the dough holds its shape when you squeeze it. Invert the dough onto the surface. Knead the dough until it just comes together. Shape into a flat disc. Wrap tightly in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

To make the filling:

Preheat oven to 380 F.

Wash, peel and cut the pumpkin into quarter-inch thin slices. Arrange on a baking sheet. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over the slices, making sure all pieces are coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.

Cut onion in half and slice. Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Melt 1 tablespoon butter + 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil. Add onions, sprinkle with some salt. Sauté onions until almost cooked. Make sure not to brown them. If they are browning reduce the heat and keep sautéing them until nearly translucent, about 10 minutes. When onions are almost done pour white wine into the pan. Keep cooking until wine is evaporated, about 3 minutes. Taste the onion mixture and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

To assemble the pumpkin galette:

Dust the surface with flour. Roll the crust into a 9-inch circle. Sprinkle half of the goat cheese over the dough leaving about an inch from edges. Spread the onion mixture on top. Sprinkle thyme leaves. Arrange pumpkin slices. And finish with rest of the goat cheese. Fold the edges.

Melt the remaining 1 tbsp. of butter in the pan from onions. Brush the edges. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Let it cool slightly. Serve warm or cold.

Adapted from igra so vkusom

Notes:

Please, note total time does not include resting time for the pie crust. Plan accordingly!

Nutrition

Calories

1041 cal

Fat

95 g

Carbs

19 g

Protein

25 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

60

https://thepuretaste.com/savory-pumpkin-galette/

Maria | The Pure Taste

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which collects some cookies.  If you purchase a product through one of my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love myself. Thank you in advance for your support! It means a lot!

Products used in this post:

My love for apples pushed me to create the unique recipe that differs from others and showcases the beauty of the fall season. Layer cakes are something we all love but rarely make.  Too many dishes, too complicated, too time-consuming. Easier to go to the store and buy one. It sure does. But most of the bakeries sell the heavy butter cakes. And only few make seasonal cakes.

My challenge was to create the moist apple layer cake and make it as light as possible. The lighter but moist and flavorful apple and almond layer cake recipe mission is complete. And I’m thrilled to share it with you.

As much as I hate to use the word best but this is the best apple layer cake I have ever made and ate!

The light and airy sponge layers soaked with barely sweet whiskey syrup. The delicate lighter buttercream scented with roasted almonds and whiskey. And my favorite part soft and tender cinnamon infused apple filling. All the layers are meant to be together. The pinch of cinnamon in apple filling, the tablespoon of whiskey here and there, the scent and flavor of roasted nuts in layers and in cream. All the flavors are well balanced and create the true fall apple layer cake.

The best part you can enjoy it without any guilt. The whole recipe calls for little more than 2 sticks of butter for a 9-inch cake! Most of the butter goes into the frosting.

Instead of heavy butter cake, I chose the genoise. This is a sort of sponge cake but with much less butter. It is delicious, light and universal. You only need a one 9 inch pan for it, and the recipe I share is foolproof. Every time it yields the stunning tall and crumbly genoise.

And please, don’t be scared about the lengthy recipe. I wanted to explain every step thoroughly, to make sure you succeed. Overall it is not that hard to make it if you plan well.

When you making a complex, layered cake planning is crucial. Here is the time-saving plan for this multi layer apple cake.

1. Genoise cake.
2. Egg yolks mixture.
3. While Egg yolks mixture is cooling make an apple filling.
4. While apples are cooking make simple syrup.
5. Finish the
6. Assemble the cake.
7. The toughest part – put it in the fridge and stay away from it for at least a couple of hours!

By following this plan you save the time, all your mixtures should cool down to proper temperatures, and you will end up with fewer dishes to clean.

Writing the post about this apple layer sponge cake and knowing I have the slice in the fridge is the hardest today’s thing. Now if you excuse me, I have the unfinished cake business to do. Freshly brewed coffee is poured, the cake slice is at room temperature, rainy day is on… This is the day when I genuinely appreciate food blogging!

Happy Baking 😉

Apple Layer Cake Recipe Tips and Tricks:

• Eggs for the batter should be room temperature.
• Melted butter should not be hot.
• Usually, it is recommended to make genoise cake one day ahead. I made the same day and a day ahead and did not notice any difference. Although making a day ahead saves some time. Make the genoise in the evening and in the morning finish the cake. Other than that start the recipe with the cake, so it has the time to cool down.
• Folding technique is something every baker should learn. This How to Fold Cake Batter video is pretty good tutorial.
• The egg yolks mixture should cool down completely. If the temperature is too high, it will melt the butter. So make sure they are the same room temperature before incorporating them together.
• Pay attention to all temperature notes in the recipe.
• Bourbon, whiskey, cognac don’t really matter. Quality does. Use what you love or prefer.

If you make this recipe, please share your picture with me by tagging it #thepuretaste on Instagram. Or share your results in the comment section down below. It means a whole world to me knowing someone is making my recipes.

Thank you for sharing and support ❤️❤️❤️

Maria

Yields: 9 inch cake

Lighter Apple Layer Cake with Whiskey Almond Cream

Lighter apple layer cake with whiskey almond frosting

1 hr, 15 Prep Time

1 hr, 15 Cook Time

2 hr, 30 Total Time

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

For the genoise (sponge) cake:
• 1/3 cup (35 gr) almond flour
• ¾ cup (100 gr) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons (45 gr) cornstarch
• 3 ½ tablespoons (45 gr) unsalted butter, melted
• 6 large eggs
• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (180 gr) granulated sugar, divided
For the frosting:
• 4 large egg yolks
• ¾ cup (150 gr) granulated sugar
• 150 ml. whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• ¼ cup almond flour
• 14 tablespoons (200 gr) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon whiskey or cognac
For the syrup:
• ¼ cup (50 gr) granulated sugar
• 130 ml water
• 1 tablespoon whiskey or cognac
For the apple filling:
• 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 medium apples, washed, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon whiskey or cognac

Instructions:

To make the sponge cake:

Preheat oven to 385 F. Line a 9-inch springform with parchment paper. Lightly butter the sides. Set aside.

Spread almond flour evenly in the frying pan. Heat over medium heat and pan fry it until golden brown color. Remove immediately and transfer to a dry ingredients bowl. Let it cool and then add flour and cornstarch. Whisk everything together. Prepare the sifter.

In the same frying pan melt butter and set aside.

Separate egg whites and egg yolks into two different bowls. With an electric mixer beat egg whites on medium speed until tripled in volume and small bubbles forms throughout. Continued beating and slowly start adding half of the sugar, in 3 additions. Beat until the stiff peaks. Set aside.

Add rest of the sugar to egg yolks. Beat on medium speed until tripled in volume, thick and very pale color, about 3 minutes.

Add egg yolk mixture to egg whites and with mixer running on low mix them together.

Sift the dry ingredients over egg mixture. Fold with a large spatula just until incorporated. Stop when you no longer see the flour pockets.

Around the edge gently pour melted butter. Fold couple more times until everything comes together.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Do not open the oven until the cake is done. The cake should be golden brown color and springy. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Let cool for about 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge. Remove the cake and leave it to cool further on a rack.

To make the frosting:

Set a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl, set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine egg yolks, milk, vanilla bean seeds, and a pod. Whisk everything together. Bring to a boil over medium heat whisking constantly. Keep whisking until thickens, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula strain the mixture into the bowl. Discard vanilla pod. Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool completely. Whisk the mixture from time to time.

Spread almond flour evenly in the frying pan. Heat over medium heat and pan fry it until golden brown color. Remove immediately and transfer to a dry ingredients bowl you used for a batter.

In a medium bowl beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Start adding the cooled egg yolks mixture in 3 additions, beating well after each addition. At the end add whiskey and almond flour. Beat for an additional minute and the cream is done.

To make the syrup:

In a small saucepan combine sugar and water. Bring to a foil boil and cook until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Let it cool slightly and then add whiskey.

To make the apple filling:

In a large frying pan melt butter over medium heat. Add apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook until soft and tender. In a small bowl whisk cornstarch and water. When apples are cooked, add cornstarch mixture to a pan. Keep cooking until thickens, about 1 minute. At the end add whiskey. Give it a final stir and remove it from heat. Let cool to room temperature.

To assemble the cake:

Cut the sponge cake into three equal layers. Place the top layer upside down on a serving plate. Brush it with the syrup. Dollop half of the frosting and spread it evenly. Place the middle layer on top and brush with syrup. Spread the apple filling evenly. The third layer is the bottom of the cake. Brush the cut side and place the cut side on top of the apple filling. Basically, you are assembling the cake backwards, and the bottom of the cake should be on top. Spread rest of the frosting on top and sides of the cake. Even out with offset spatula. Decorate any way you like it. Mine was simple: small apples, apple leaves, cinnamon sticks, and almonds.

Let all the layers develop overnight.

When ready to serve, bring to room temperature.

Can be refrigerated up to 4 days.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Irina Chadeeva

Notes:

Total time does not include cooling time. Please, plan accordingly.

Nutrition

Calories

4163 cal

Fat

276 g

Carbs

405 g

Protein

36 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

59

https://thepuretaste.com/apple-layer-cake-with-whiskey-almond-cream/

Maria | The Pure Taste

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which collects some cookies.  If you purchase a product through one of my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love myself. Thank you in advance for your support! It means a lot!

Products used in this post:

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Hi, my beautiful friends,

Hot days are over, and fall is officially here! All windows and heart are open for the fresh breeze, warm colors, inspiration, and joy fall always brings!

During fall even the hard work doesn’t make me feel exhausted. The sense of calmness, the warm colors and warm food always give the romantic touch to life. The idea of having a hot cup of tea with cookies in the middle of the day soothes me. And this is what gives me energy and inspiration to move forward throughout the day.

It is magical how each person has a favorite season. Mine is definitely autumn. What is yours? When do you feel comfort, joy, and happiness the most?

While I haven’t finished my coffee here are my weekly offerings.

Today’s Friday Coffee Date Features:

Beauty: Fall is the time when you need to rethink your beauty routine. The 50 Best Tips for Glowing Skin has plenty of great advices I always follow. Except for dry brushing.

Food for the brains: Considering the number of events nowadays, problems, speeches, etc. filtering the information is crucial. Watch this honest How to seek truth in the era of fake news TED Talk to have some general idea regarding the fake news.

Lifehack: Don’t waste your used coffee ground, reuse it. 16 Creative Ways to Use Old Coffee Grounds offers some amazing ideas.

For your soul: We live in the busy world and very often we miss opportunities to create our lifetime moments.  This The Power of Moments inspired me to look differently at everyday life. You can, and you should create moments for yourself and loved ones whenever you feel it.

Artistic: Lochner | Carmichael account reminds me of a museum. The amazing and inspiring account that pushes the limits to see things differently.

Latest on Instagram:

• Caprese Sandwich 
• Fear of camera

That is it for now. Just a couple of casual sharings. But do take the fake news problem seriously. Do not let someone fool with your ideas and beliefs.

I wish you an inspiring and positive weekend.

Lots of love,

Maria

💗💗💗

The main hero in this vegetable galette is one of the underappreciated veggie – beets. Few people like them, few can’t stand, and the majority just doesn’t know what to cook with beets. For that reason, I hardly see beets in someone’s shopping cart.

I can’t say beet is my favorite vegetable, but I think it deserves more attention. When you know what to do with them and how to cook beets the right way, they will shine. I decided not only to offer you a recipe to use beets but create something beautiful with unique flavors.

Moreover, I know not many people also love goat cheese. To spice things up, I decided to add this as well. Goat cheese and beets are a perfect marriage. They complement each other so much and create such a complex flavor. To go even further I added one of my favorite vegetable –onions. To mellow down the flavor, you need to roast them first, though. Combining two fall root vegetables and adding other flavors gave birth to this rustic beet galette.

And I mean rustic. I think the process of making galette is rustic. The feeling when you fold the dough over the vegetables without any fuss and trimming brings you to a country house where you just picked fresh vegetables from the garden and decided to make a quick galette. The soothing flow makes me go back to galettes every time, and mostly I prefer them to pies.

I chose to go 100% whole wheat for the crust. Not only it brings nutty flavor to it but also the color. First, we eat with the eyes, and I wanted to make this beet recipe as appealing as possible. The brown whole wheat pie dough with tiny thyme leaves here and there completed my goal.

In the end, I’m delighted the way this roasted beets and goat cheese galette recipe turned out. The flaky whole wheat crust, the sweetness of beets, the savoriness of goat cheese, the aroma of balsamic vinegar and thyme leaves and tender roasted onions created the unique complex flavor. This savory galette is a true fall celebration.

Even thou it looks little complicated, but the whole process is very easy. Roast the vegetables, make the pie crust, assemble everything together and bake. The cooking time is longer than active time. But it worth the wait.

Hopefully, the picture and the post inspire you to give beets a chance, and they’ll no longer be a strange vegetable to you.

Happy Cooking 😉

Roasted Beets And Goat Cheese Galette Tips and Tricks:

• This guide will show you How to cut the onion into wedges Method #4.
• Use white whole wheat flour. I haven’t done it yet with regular whole wheat flour. I think it will be too dense.
• If you use regular all-purpose flour, make sure to reduce iced water.
• Use only good quality balsamic vinegar.
• You may need more sugar or honey. It depends on the sweetness of the beets. Some beets are very sweet, some are tasteless. If your beets have to be more on a flat side, bring the flavor back with a bit of brown sugar.

If you make this recipe, please share your picture with me by tagging it #thepuretaste on Instagram. Or share your results in the comment section down below. It means a whole world to me knowing someone is making my recipes.

Thank you for sharing and support ❤️❤️❤️

Maria

Yields: 1 about 9 inch galette

Rustic Roasted Beets And Goat Cheese Galette

Rustic roasted beets and goat cheese galette recipe

30 minPrep Time

1 hr, 30 Cook Time

2 hrTotal Time

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• For the dough:
• 1 1/2 cups (200 gr.) white whole wheat flour + extra for dusting
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 113 gr. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 1/4 cup ice-cold water
• 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter, for brushing
For the filling:
• 5 small red beets
• 2 medium onions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 150 gr. (about ¾ cup) goat cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
• 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

To make the dough by hand:

In a large bowl combine flour, thyme leaves and salt. Using your hands mix the cold butter into flour mixture until you see small pea-sized chunks. Slowly start adding cold water and mix with hands until the dough comes together. You may not need all the water. Stop when the dough holds its shape when you squeeze it. Shape the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

To make the dough in a food processor:

Combine flour, thyme leaves and salt in a food processor. Pulse couple of time to aerate the mixture. Add cold cubed butter. Pulse a couple of times until you see coarse pea-sized crumbs. Slowly start adding cold water and pulse until everything just comes together. You may not need all the water. Stop when the dough holds its shape when you squeeze it. Invert the dough onto the surface. Knead the dough until it just comes together. Shape into a flat disc. Wrap tightly in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

To make the filing:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash and dry beets thoroughly. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil. With knife poke couple of holes to let the steam out. Place on one side of the baking sheet. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare onions. Peel, wash and cut into 8 wedges each onion. Make sure to leave the root end to keep onion from falling apart. Add onions to the tray with beets. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Continue roasting them together for additional 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Let cool slightly and unwarp beets. Let everything cool down completely. When cooled peel and cut beets into 8 wedges each.

To assemble the beet galette:

Flour the surface with lots of flour. Roll out the dough into round shape. Crumble goat cheese on top of the dough leaving an inch from the edges. Sprinkle thyme leaves, some salt, and black pepper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Arrange cut beets and onions on top of the goat cheese mixture. You may arrange it the nice way as on pictures or any way you like. Drizzle rest of the balsamic vinegar over the veggies and sprinkle with brown sugar or honey.

Fold the edges. Brush the sides with melted butter.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is crispy and brown color.

Remove from oven and let cool. Serve with more goat cheese.

Enjoy 😉

Nutrition

Calories

1372 cal

Fat

51 g

Carbs

179 g

Protein

57 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

58

https://thepuretaste.com/roasted-beets-and-goat-cheese-galette/

Maria | The Pure Taste

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which collects some cookies.  If you purchase a product through one of my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love myself. Thank you in advance for your support! It means a lot!

Products used in this post:

Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor

Nordic Ware Half Sheet Pan

Hello sweet friends,

I hope you had a wonderful week and ready to catch a break this weekend.

A lot of things going on in September, and we need to take proper care of ourselves during this month. My head is spinning around with all the things I need to finish. At the same time, the soul is asking for some inspiration and strength. We all have so many things to deal with but never should forget about taking care of ourselves first. The car won’t drive without the fuel.

For that reason, please enjoy the pick me up Friday coffee date edition.

Today’s Friday Coffee Date Features:

Health: The list of 50 things to fight anxiety already makes me anxious. Don’t you agree? Instead, grab this 8 Drug-Free Ways to Battle Anxiety. The shortest and clearest pieces of advice. Moving, bedtime and live in the moment are my savers. What’s yours?

Health #2: Because it is all about taking care of yourself first. Not all of us including me are fans of meditation. I tried to meditate. And tried really hard. Maybe in the future, I will give it another chance just not right now. So for me, stress relief yoga is the best kind of meditation.  Find 20 minutes preferable in the morning for it, and you will be amazed at the feeling after it. Give it a chance. Try this Best Easy Yoga For Stress Relief. You don’t need to be a pro. This is an easy yoga for all levels.

Planning: I’m not really good at planning fun. I usually just let it happen, except the times when I need to schedule something. But I do love to check out some fun ideas of things to do in fall.

Have some laughs: Disney Characters Surprise Shoppers. Cute video to unwind for a moment.

Movies to watch: If you have time to spare for yourself, just you, lady, watch Eat Pray Love. Such an undervalued movie. Maybe because critics were all men? Anyways absolutely must-watch female film. And better to watch it alone or with a glass of wine. If you have kids watch Lilo and Stitch. My all-time favorite cartoon. Funny, colorful, with a good message. And a movie to watch with the entire family is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. We all have an adventurer. You just have to let him out.

Latest on Instagram:

• Caribbean Festival in Cambridge.
• The amazing peach crisp to accompany the movie.
• Sweet and Sour pickles for the football season.

There you have some practical ways to fight the September rush. Life is always busy for most of us. The best what we can do is take care of ourselves in the tense moments. Find the time to breathe and recharge. Otherwise, you will be stuck in the middle of the road without any fuel, map, and clues what to do and where to go.

Take some time this weekend to recharge and renew yourself. There is the most beautiful season ahead. Prepare yourself to fully indulge it.

Lots of love,

Maria

💗💗💗

Alright the final recipe in BBQ chicken trilogy: BBQ chicken sliders.

You guys it is so good! Shredded bbq chicken made with homemade full of flavors sauce. Soft slightly toasted whole wheat buns. Creamy, chewy cheese. And a thinly sliced onion. All of these layers combined create the best chicken sliders.

I made it once for a football game party, and it was a real hit. Not that someone can refuse barbecue pulled chicken sliders with melted cheese on top.  But everyone definitely enjoyed and appreciated them.

But don’t limit it to parties. These chicken sliders are a regular guest in our house. I usually make it for my husband day-offs. It’s the day when he chooses what to do. Often, it is a sports game (soccer most of the time) and finger food. And these chicken sliders definitely make the soccer game more fun to watch. To me of course. So anyways make them whenever you feel like beer and finger food is tonight’s dinner. Because food always should match the atmosphere.

About the barbeque chicken sliders recipe. It consists of two previous ones:

1. Homemade BBQ sauce recipe
2. Pulled BBQ chicken two ways

For the BBQ sauce part, you can make the recipe I shared or make your favorite one. If you don’t feel making it at all just buy a good one and use it instead.

For the pulled chicken part you have two options: make it in a pressure cooker or in a dutch oven. I included both methods in my shredded BBQ chicken post. Definitely check it out. I’m very proud of that post. It is full of information, tips, and tricks on how easy it is to make shredded chicken at home.

Also, I don’t like jumping from one post to another to collect all recipes to print.  For that reason, I will include all three recipes for easy printing option.

If you are ready to make melt in your mouth, full of flavors BBQ chicken sliders, then let’s just do it! You are not going to regret it.

BBQ Chicken Sliders Tips and Tricks:

• Cheese option: My favorite is provolone. Other great options are fontina, Muenster, or if you must American cheese.
• You can make BBQ sauce and BBQ chicken ahead of time and assemble chicken sliders on the day of serving. Saves tons of time and reduces hassle. Which mean more relaxing time.
• Serve them immediately. They become soggy with time.
• Best not to refrigerate them. Make as many to feed you and guests.  And leave rest of the chicken for another use.

If you make this recipe, please share your picture with me by tagging it #thepuretaste on Instagram. Or share your results in the comment section down below. It means a whole world to me knowing someone is making my recipes.

Thank you for sharing and support ❤️❤️❤️

Maria

Yields: 6 sliders

BBQ Chicken Sliders Recipe

BBQ chicken sliders recipe 2 ways: Instant Pot and Dutch Oven

15 minPrep Time

15 minTotal Time

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

Homemade BBQ sauce
• 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce,
• 1 cup ketchup,
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar,
• 1/3 cup honey, maple syrup or brown sugar,
• 1/4 cup molasses,
• 2 Tbsps. Worcestershire sauce,
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika,
• 1 tsp. garlic powder,
• 1 tsp. onion flakes or 1/2 tsp. onion powder ,
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less),
• 1/2 tsp. salt,
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper,
• ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pulled BBQ Chicken
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups homemade BBQ sauce or good quality store bought one
• 2 split (bone in skin on) chicken breasts (about 3 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
BBQ Chicken Sliders:
• 6 whole wheat buns
• 2 cups pulled bbq chicken
• 6 provolone cheese slices
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced

Instructions:

Homemade BBQ sauce:

In a medium saucepan whisk all ingredients. Bring it to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened.

Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Can be refrigerated in an airtight glass jar or container up to 2 weeks.

Stovetop pulled BBQ chicken:

Wash and dry split chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt all over. Place skin side up in the large Dutch oven. Pour 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce.

Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 1 1/2 hours.

You may need to reduce or increase the cooking time. It depends on the thickness of chicken breasts. Transfer chicken to a big deep dish or plate. Let chicken cool slightly. When safe to handle, shred it with two forks or your hands.

Instant pot pulled BBQ chicken:

Wash and dry split chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt all over. Place skin side up in the pot and pour 1 1/2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce over.

Close the lid and adjust pressure release valve to airtight. Press manual and adjust the time for 25 minutes. Allow the cycle to complete. Turn off the keep warm mode and allow pressure to release naturally. After 15 minutes carefully remove the lid and turn pressure cooker off.

Transfer chicken to a big deep dish or plate. Let chicken cool slightly. When safe to handle, shred it with two forks or your hands.

BBQ Chicken Sliders:

Toast whole wheat buns. Divide 2 cups of chicken among 6 buns. Top with cheese. If chicken is hot the cheese with melt slowly. If chicken is warm, place sliders with cheese on cooking tray and broil for about 1-2 minutes. Keep an eye on them. Cheese melts very fast. Top with sliced onion and bun.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Please note! The total time includes assembling chicken sliders only. The whole timing depends on which way you choose to cook chicken and BBQ sauce.

Nutrition

Calories

3607 cal

Fat

141 g

Carbs

326 g

Protein

251 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

56

https://thepuretaste.com/bbq-chicken-sliders-recipe/

Maria | The Pure Taste

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which collects some cookies.  If you purchase a product through one of my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love myself. Thank you in advance for your support! It means a lot!

Products used in this post:

Hello friends,

I’m here with my ever so changing Friday Post…

I like the transit from Weekend Planner to Friday Coffee Date posts. Now I’m trying to shape it into something short but full of useful information. It also needs to be binding. Food is good for biding, but coffee talks are even better. Although my blog is not yet big enough for a lot of comments, but I’m getting there. The number of guests is growing, and hopefully soon regular guests will become friends, and we can get to know each other better through these posts.

So here is a tiny change I’m making. I will reduce coffee date features to 5 things. I find it the right number to keep your interest without tedium. Let’s be honest blog posts with tons of links may sound good and you want to check them all. But after a while, you find them overwhelming, right?

I will also name each paragraph for easy navigation. Let’s say you are interested in beauty talk but not into entertainment. That will help you to easily navigate through the post.

Let’s try it this way and see how it goes.

Today’s Friday Coffee Date Features:

Beauty. Always wondering EXACTLY* HOW OFTEN TO GET A HAIRCUT, DEPENDING ON YOUR LENGTH. The question is answered with the detailed guide for every hair length. Check it out.

Health. The Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods That Are High in Pesticides. Every year I check this guide to be sure when to choose organic. Not that I 100% trust it but still this is a useful guide for a general idea. Sadly, for the past couple of year strawberries consistently top the dirty list 🙁.

Smarty Pants. How scary is the smart home?! Every single smart tech toy installed in your home is spying on you. Orgasm is a very personal thing, and not one company should collect such sensitive and intimate information. If you decided to update to a smart home, please check this What your smart devices know about you and make a proper decision where you are OK to be spied on.

Financial Wisdom. I am always skeptical about the debt-free articles. They are usually full of useless advices. But this 12 Daily Habits Of Debt-Free People caught my attention, and I’m excited to share it with you. We are proud to be a debt-free couple, and we do follow at least 7 pieces of advice from this article. Start taking your financial freedom seriously.

Let’s laugh! Every time Gas Station Karaoke video cheers me up. They both have beautiful voices, but the guy also has an unbelievable charisma.

That is it for this Friday Coffee Date trial. If you like it this way, say it. I’m still shaping up the whole blog, and some of your suggestions and thoughts will help me to make it more personal and engaging blog.

See you next week with the delicious pulled chicken sliders and a new coffee date.

Have the relaxed and quiet weekend.

Lots of love,

Maria

💗💗💗

Time for some Ukrainian food recipe. And since eggplants are in season, I want to share with you my favorite way to use them. Eggplant caviar. This is a literal translation of how we call it in Ukraine. But it has nothing to do with real caviar. Do not panic and keep reading 😉

What is Ukrainian eggplant caviar anyway? Honestly hard to tell. I don’t know which category it is. Is it an eggplant dip? Is it an eggplant appetizer? Or eggplant spread? Don’t know. We serve it as it is and any time of the day or occasion. Most of the time once it is on the table it is finished within an hour. We like to eat it either as an eggplant dip with chips and crispy flatbread or as an eggplant spread on fresh sourdough. The choice is always yours.

The Russian and Ukrainian cuisine is very similar. And as in any cuisine, there is always a family twist on any recipe. There is no THE ONE recipe for anything. Everyone does it differently. I have always been making my mom and grandma recipes. But since I started the blog, the pressure rose, and I need to be 100% sure that I’m posting the best Ukrainian recipes. Because I want you to taste authentic Ukrainian food and fall in love with it. So I cheated couple times on my mom’s recipe thinking there will be something better. But NO. Every time the experiment proves that indeed my mom’s recipes are the best. Is it a fair judgment? Don’t know. But I firmly believe in it.

So this eggplant caviar is our family recipe except for one adjustment. The broiling part. We didn’t have a broil option, so we roasted the eggplant. With broiler, I find it faster and it if you leave it for a little longer it will burn the skin slightly and will add the smoky flavor to it. So now I only make it with the broiling method, and I love it.

The rest in the recipe remains the same.

All you need is roast eggplants and chop everything together. If you have a food process – great! Put everything there and pulse to desired consistency. If you don’t have it – no worries. Do it the old-fashioned way. Chop everything with a chef knife. That is it.  That’s how easy it is.

The only thing I should mention is sunflower oil. Authentically speaking it is necessary. Ukraine is a significant producer of sunflower oil, so it is our primary oil we use. I made this eggplant spread many times with olive oil as well. The taste definitely differs.  But not in a  bad way. For me adding sunflower oil is a nostalgic thing, it tastes like home. If you cannot find a good unrefined sunflower oil, then use extra virgin olive oil instead. But if you want to taste authentic Ukrainian eggplant dip the sunflower oil is a must. Plus, sunflower oil is delicious, and you can use it in many other recipes.

As you can see this is super easy eggplant recipe to make. If you like eggplants and always wondered what to make with them, then try this roasted eggplant dip recipe. It may become your go-to eggplant recipe.

And please do share your thoughts about it. Posting authentic Ukrainian food is a challenging thing. I would appreciate if you post comments if this is go or pass recipe.

Roasted Eggplant Dip Tips and Tricks:

• Don’t forget to poke eggplant all over. Otherwise, you may end up with eggplant explosion.
• Cooking eggplant under the broiler is the easiest and fastest way. If you don’t have broiler bake in 400 F oven for 30 minutes (less or more, depending on the eggplant size).
• The authentic way is to use sunflower oil. If you don’t have it, use extra virgin olive instead.
• Try to use the best tomatoes you can find. They really shine here.
• You may substitute parsley for cilantro.
• The dip gets better with time. Try to make it overnight and enjoy it the next day.
• Can be stored in the fridge up to a week.

If you make this recipe, please share your picture with me by tagging it #thepuretaste on Instagram. Or share your results in the comment section down below. It means a whole world to me knowing someone is making my recipes.

Thank you for sharing and support ❤️❤️❤️

Maria

Yields: about 2 cups

Easy Roasted Eggplant Dip – Ukrainian Eggplant Caviar

Roasted eggplant dip recipe called eggplant caviar in Russian and Ukrainian cuisine

15 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

45 minTotal Time

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 medium (about 2 pounds) eggplants
• 1 large tomato
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 3 tablespoons red onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons sunflower or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

Set the broiler on high. Wash and dry eggplants. Line baking sheet with foil. Carefully poke eggplants with a knife. Rub in oil. Broil for 10 minutes per side or until they flatten and have slightly burned skin (see pictures). Total time depends on the eggplant’s size. Mine took 25 minutes. Let cool. Alternatively, roast in 400 F oven for 30 minutes (less or more, depending on the eggplant size).

To make in a food processor:

Cut tomato in half. Gently squeeze the juice out. Cut into small pieces and add to food processor. When eggplants are safe to handle, remove the skin. With a small knife scrape the rest of the eggplant from the skin. Add to food processor along with chopped garlic, red onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Pulse couple of times. Scrape the sides and add oil. Pulse to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To make by hand:

Cut tomato in half. Gently squeeze the juice out. Chop with a chef knife and place in a medium bowl. When eggplants are safe to handle, remove the skin. With a small knife scrape the rest of the eggplant from the skin. Chop and add it to a bowl along with chopped garlic, red onion, parsley, sunflower oil, salt, and pepper. Mix everything. Taste and adjust seasoning.

If you can, let it develop flavors overnight in the fridge. If not, serve with chips, pita bread or any other favorite flatbread.

Can be refrigerated up to a week.

Tags

Diet

vegetarian

Paleo

Vegan

Whole 30

Nutrition

Calories

396 cal

Fat

42 g

Carbs

4 g

Protein

1 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

55

https://thepuretaste.com/roasted-eggplant-dip/

Maria | The Pure Taste

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which collects some cookies.  If you purchase a product through one of my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love myself. Thank you in advance for your support! It means a lot!

Products used in this post:

Hi there,

Last day of summer is almost over. Did you have a great, full of fun, memories and flavors summer?

Mine was, well… busy. On some days frustrating, on other days happy. Haven’t crossed many things from my summer to do list. But that’s OK. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in planning way too many things without considering the real-life happenings.

But I’m thankful for the fun and memories I had this summer. And so happy I made time for the beach.

What is your favorite summer memory, or maybe a moment, or a treasure find? Is there something you are excited to share? Share it. So curious how other people are enjoying their summer.

Here are today’s Friday Coffee Date Features:

*Let’s talk some serum stuff. It is super hard to find good advice for the skincare. Years of experiment taught me one ground rule. Always ask your skin what it needs! Follow this serum guide to see what skin conditions you need to target and choose the serum accordingly.

*This brings me to my recent precious beauty find – Thayers Alcohol-Free Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner. After two weeks of use, I noticed significant results: tighter pores, clearer and more refreshed skin. After I finish this bottle my next will be Rose Petal Toner. This is not sponsored in any way! I searched for a good not over drying toner for a very long time and exciting to share my discovery with you. Give it a try. I bought mine at Wholefoods. You can buy it online. I also know Target carries it.

*If you happen to be a Sephora shopper, don’t forget about the Beauty Insider Appreciation Event. Insider – 10% off. VIB – 15% off. Rouge – 20% off. Ends September 3rd.

*I love Seth Godin. With all my heart I love, respect, and share his ideas. This short The wrong bus article may be a slight wake up call if you are still sitting in the wrong bus.

*Embarrassed to say but for the third time in my life I’m watching Back to the Future trilogy. I love it. It is so tastefully done that even after so many years it is still pleasant to watch. Also so cool to see how Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale saw the future of 2015. If you have never watched this trilogy, then do yourself a favor and watch these iconic movies.

*I’m laughing hard every time I watch this Hilarious Golden Retriever video. Wondering what was the girl thinking by giving such test to Golden Retriever?!

*What if we replaced politicians with randomly selected people?  Genius idea! Definitely a must watch and must think Teds Talk.

Alright, guys that is it for now.  Hope you enjoy this coffee talk. See you next week.

Have a fantastic and relaxing weekend!

Lots of love,

Maria

💗💗💗