BAKED CHEESY MANCHEGO ZUCCHINI BITES

I love zucchini and usually I put them in everything, salads, soup, burritos, sandwich. It's clearly quite a versatile ingredient and also is a healthy one to have always in your fridge.
Most of the times I look for organic ones and before cooking I wash very well the peel of the zucchini and leave the peel for adding more fiber and vitamins to my food.
These cheesy zucchini bites are  healthier than zucchini fritter without sacrificing any flavor.
***It's very important to  squeeze out the excess water of the zucchini to get a very crispy zucchini bites.


INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup zucchini shredded
• 1egg beaten
• 1/2 cup manchego cheese and parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon basil
• salt to taste
• black ground pepper

PREPARATION

1.  Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.
2. Sprinkle the shredded zucchini with a pinch of salt, and place in a paper towel to wring out all the excess of water. 
3. Place in a large bowl the zucchini and add the egg, manchego and parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
4. Mix until well combined.
5. Drop the mixture by tablespoofuls on the baking sheet.
6. Sprinkle some parmesan and manchego cheese on top of each one.
7. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes until golden.
8. Enjoy hot or cold, both are delicious.

TOMATO AND IBERICO HAM TARTAR

Tartare is the name of a dish of ground raw beef or also raw tuna or salmon, but today we will reinvent the dish with iberico ham and also it will be a delightfully recipe to serve as a main dish or an appetizer over some bread toast.
Tomatoes are present in Spanish gastronomy in several dishes, we drink them as salmorejo or spread in a toast with garlic and iberico ham or simply we make a wonderful salad to enjoy them in the summer when tomatoes are in season.
Avoid to put the tomatoes in the fridge, the cold temperature will affect the flavor and the ripening of them.


INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon Vidalia onion finely chopped
• some slices iberico ham

For the dressing

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon

PREPARATION

1. Carefully peel the skin off the tomatoes, then remove the seeds by cutting tomatoes in half.
2. Thoroughly drain the tomatoes in a strainer for at least 15 minutes and them dice them in small cubes.
3. Dice the avocado in small cubes and the onion finely chopped. Put all the ingredients in a bowl. 
4. Prepare the dressing mixing the mustard, soy sauce and the Worcestershire sauce.
5. Drizzle the olive oil slowly whisking continuously to emulsify the sauce.
6. Combine the dressing with the tomatoes and avocado cubes and keep in the fridge until serve.
7. Put some slices of iberico ham  in the center of one plate and the tomato tartar on top using a mold.
8. Remove carefully the mold
9. Decorate with some chives if desires and serve.
10. Enjoy!!!  

SPINACH, STRAWBERRY AND IBERICO HAM SALAD

This is a great easy summer salad that is a perfect addition to any summer celebration, and its looks pretty fancy and absolutely delicious.

Vitamin C and other organic acids in fruits like strawberries boost the absorption rate of iron contained in spinach, so this is a perfect pairing for a healthy and nutritional salad.

Iron is an important mineral that is required for healthy blood, oxygen distribution throughout the body, and energy production.

We complete our summer salad with feta cheese with a strong flavor and iberico ham with extraordinary nutritional qualities.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

For the salad:

• 8 oz fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced
• 2 oz feta cheese or goat cheese, crumbled
• some slices iberico ham

For the dressing:

• 4 oz. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Black ground pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. First we will start preparing the dressing, heat the balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, until is reduced in half of its volume for about 3 minutes. Reserve.
2. Combine the spinach, strawberries and feta cheese in a large bowl.
3. Stir the balsamic vinegar  and honey and slowly stream the olive oil into the mixture while whisking continuously.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Top with some slices iberico ham.
6. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving.
7. Enjoy!!!

CHILLED CANTALOUPE SOUP WITH IBERICO HAM

This cantaloupe soup is a very versatile recipe that is great for the summer, quick and easy to prepare,  and also very refreshing for the hot sunny days.
It's very important to serve the dish very cold, so when you finish preparing it, keep the soup in the fridge until the moment you serve it.
Cantaloupes are also commonly known as muskmelon, mush melons or Persian melons. Their high water  content helps ward off dehydration and the sweet and juicy flavor makes it perfect for the summer and it's a great snack to have during this hot season.
Cantaloupes are rich in antioxidants(zeaxanthin), beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and fiber, that contributes to benefit your overall health.


For this recipe we will need:

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 16 oz cantaloupe cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• pinch salt
• dash of ground black pepper
•  2 slices iberico ham

PREPARATION

1. Add cantaloupe to blender or food processor and blend it well.
2. Add greek yogurt, salt , brown sugar and dash of black pepper and blend again until well combined.
3. Refrigerate until well chilled.
4. Garnish with iberico ham on top before you serve it.
5. Enjoy very cold!!!