Star of the month November: Sweet potato - 5 combinations for preparation (Zvezda meseca novembra: Batat - 5 kombinacija za pripremu)

November is the month in which you can more often find foods in the store that are ideal for preparing warm, filling meals. Among them is sweet potato, a vegetable that can be prepared in many ways, from baked and cooked dishes to creamy side dishes and sweet treats.

For November’s star of the month, I chose sweet potatoes, also known as batata.

Although it looks like a regular potato, the sweet potato has a different taste and texture, it is sweeter than ordinary potatoes. It can be the basis for a very simple dish, but also an interesting addition to combinations with meat, vegetables, grains, fruit and different herbs.

Let’s look at a few combinations in which sweet potatoes can show their versatility.

 SAVOURY COMBINATIONS 

1. Sweet potato + pumpkin + thyme = cream chowder, puree, warm side dish, savory pie.

2. Sweet potato + chicken + spinach = lunch or baked dish, filling for tortillas, savory pie.

Protein pita bread (Proteinski pita hleb)

Soft, homemade pita bread with high-protein Greek yogurt and spelt flour. It is easy to prepare, does not require yeast or a long wait for the dough to rise. It is ideal for sandwiches, filling with vegetables, cheese or meat, as well as for serving with your favorite spreads and sauces.

Tags: bread and rolls, protein recipes, vegetarian recipes, pescatarian recipes.

Preparation time: 50 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 150 g of Greek yogurt (high protein)

• 120 g of spelt flour

• 10 g of baking powder

• A pinch of salt

Preparation:

1. Mix spelt flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

2. Add Greek yogurt and mix everything well with a spoon.

100 g of protein per day #2: Turkey, Greek yogurt, edamame, chocolate chia pudding (100 g proteina na dan #2: Curetina, grcki jogurt, edamame, cokoladni cia puding)

Menu for one day.

Total protein for the whole day: ~143 g.

BREAKFAST

Queso fresco cheese with integral bread and cucumber

• 150 g of queso fresco cheese

• 2 slices of integral bread with brewer’s yeast (70 g)

• 100 g of cucumber

Total: ~25g protein.

SNACK 1

Greek yogurt with walnuts

• 200 g of Greek yogurt

• 15 g of ground walnuts

Total: ~21g protein.

Baked zucchini in the oven in 3 ways (Pecene tikvice u rerni na 3 nacina)

Baked zucchini in the oven in three ways is a simple and tasty side dish that easily fits into the daily menu. Zucchini can be prepared in the form of rings, long flats or halves, with olive oil and aromatic spices. When baked, they become soft inside, with slightly browned edges. Serve them with meat, grains, legumes, favorite sauces or as part of a warm salad meal.

Tags: side dish, gluten free, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, keto recipes, paleo recipes, pescatarian recipes, for the heart, for the brain, anti-cellulite menu, PCOS-PMOS, anti-inflammatory, Mediterranean nutrition, for diabetics and IR, Hashimoto recipes.

Preparation time: 50 minutes - 1 hour 5 minutes.

Portion: 2-3 (as a side dish).

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• ½ teaspoon of salt

• ½ teaspoon of dry thyme

• ½ teaspoon sweet ground paprika 

• A pinch of ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (392 °F).

2. Wash and dry the zucchini. If using baby zucchini, you don't need to peel them. If not baby zucchini, peel them.

Quick Tip #9: Quick pan bread (Brzi savet #9: Brzi hleb iz tiganja)

Ingredients:

• 3 heap tablespoons of self-raising flour

• 3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt

• 1 tablespoon of oil

• A pinch of salt

Preparation:

1. Mix all ingredients and knead the dough for 1 to 2 minutes until the ingredients come together in a soft and smooth dough that does not stick too much to your hands.

2. Divide into 2 parts.

Cranberry sauce (Sos od brusnica)

Cranberry sauce is a sweet and sour, thick and aromatic addition that is traditionally served with roasted turkey. Fresh cranberries burst during cooking and release natural pectin, which gives the sauce a jelly texture after cooling. Orange juice and zest give it a refreshing citrus note, while cinnamon adds a warm aroma.

Tags: Thanksgiving, Christmas recipes, sauces, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, gluten free, pescatarian recipes.

Preparation time: 35 minutes.

Cooling time 1: 45-60 minutes.

Cooling time 2: 2-3 h.

Total preparation time: 3 h 20 minutes - 4 h 35 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 340 g of fresh cranberries

• 100 g of granulated sugar

• 100 g of brown sugar

• 240 ml 100% orange juice (without sugar) or freshly squeezed orange juice (3-4 medium oranges)

• 1 teaspoon of orange peel (grated)

• A pinch of salt

• Cinnamon stick

Preparation:

1. Rinse the cranberries well under cold water. Discard those that are soft or damaged.

2. Pour the orange juice, sugar, orange peel, salt and cinnamon stick into the saucepan. Place on medium heat (4 of 6) and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, 3-5 minutes.

Turkey fillets, drumsticks, thighs and cubes from the oven (Cureci file, batak, karabatak i kockice iz rerne)

Three ways to prepare turkey meat in the oven: chicken fillets in a piece, chicken drumsticks and thighs bone-in and chicken fillet cut into 3 cm (1.2 inches) cubes. Each part of the meat is baked in the appropriate way so that it remains juicy and has a nicely browned surface.

Tags: main dish.

Preparation time: 55 minutes - 1 hour 50 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of turkey fillets 

• 500 g of turkey drumsticks and thighs 

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1 teaspoon of ground sweet paprika 

• 1 teaspoon of dry thyme

• 1 teaspoon of dry rosemary

• ½ teaspoon of salt

• ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper

• 100 ml of water

Preparation:

0. If you want you can cut the turkey fillets into ~3 cm (~1.2 inches) cubes.

1. Heat the oven to 190°C (374 °F).

2. If necessary, dry the turkey fillets and drumsticks and thighs with a paper towel. Do not wash the turkey meat.

Quick tip #8: 2 store bought soups, which one is better? (Brzi savet #8: 2 kupovne supe, koja je bolja?)

I have a can of cream soup and a bag of cream soup powder. For overall health, which is better?

It depends on the declaration.

If they are similar, I would prefer the one that has:

• less salt

• less saturated fat

• less added sugar

• more protein

• fewer calories per the same amount of prepared soup

Vegetable broth low FODMAP (Povrtni bujon nizak FODMAP)

Homemade vegetable broth with low FODMAP content, prepared from carrots, green part of spring onion, celery root and aromatic herbs. Mild and fragrant, it is ideal as a base for soups, stews, sauces and preparation of dishes.

Tags: FODMAP, gluten free, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, paleo recipes, pescatarian recipes.

Ingredients (~ 1 liter):

• 1.2 liters of water

• 100 g of carrots (2 smaller carrots)

• 80 g spring onions (green part, ~7 spring onions)

• 50 g of celery root (~3.5 - 5 cm - ~1.5 - 2 inches, depending on how it is cut)

• 2 dry bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon of dry thyme

• 1 teaspoon of fresh parsley leaves (finely chopped)

• 6 grains of black pepper

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and cut the vegetables into larger pieces.

2. Place the vegetables in a saucepan.Add water, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, pepper and salt.

What is FODMAP? (Sta je FODMAP?)

FODMAP is an abbreviation of Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. These are short-chain carbohydrates and sugars that are less easily absorbed in the small intestine. They ferment in the large intestine and can cause bloating, gas, stomach pain and diarrhea in sensitive people.

Low FODMAP means a diet with a low content of these carbohydrates. It is primarily used to relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Important:

Low FODMAP does not mean that the food is completely free of FODMAP substances. 

Coffin with hot dogs for Halloween (Kovceg sa virslama za Noc Vestica)

Click on image to zoom (Kliknite na sliku da uvecate)

Puff pastry coffins with hot dogs are an interesting and fun savory dish for Halloween. Crispy puff pastry, cream cheese and hot dogs are shaped to resemble small coffins with mummies. They are easy to prepare, and the decoration of black olives and mozzarella gives them a distinctive look. You can prepare them with mild cream cheese for children or spicy cream cheese for adults.

Tags: Halloween, for kids, snack, appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of puff pastry

• Cream cheese

• Black olives

• Hot dogs

• Mozzarella cheese (low moisture)

For coating:

• Egg or milk

• Sesame seeds 

Preparation:

1. Roll out one package of puff pastry to about 0.5 mm thickness.

2. Cut the shape of the coffin with a knife (picture, step 1).

Garlic-infused olive oil (Maslinovo ulje sa aromom belog luka)

Contents:

1. Olive oil with garlic aroma
2. Olive oil with the aroma of garlic and thyme
3. Spicy olive oil with garlic aroma

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil (220 ml)

• 8 cloves of garlic (peeled, smashed)

Preparation:

0. Peel the garlic. Smash each clove of garlic with a knife or bottom of a glass.

1. Put olive oil and garlic in a saucepan.

2. Heat on the lowest setting (1 of 6) for about 5 minutes or until it reaches 82 °C (180 °F).

New content for The Minuette Foodzine (Novi sadrzaj The Minuette Foodzine-a)

From November 4, 2026., every Wednesday you will receive a pdf document with 2 recipes for the weekend. 

Sometimes it will be:

• 2 recipes for breakfast

• 2 recipes for lunch

• 2 recipes for dinner

• 2 recipes for snacks

• 2 recipes for dessert

• 2 recipes for drinks

The recipes will be new, which have not been published on the blog.

Quick tip #7: How to quickly place baking paper on a baking sheet? (Brzi savet #7: Kako da brzo postavite papir za pecenje u pleh?)

Needed: baking tray, baking paper.

Procedure:

0. If you have a tray whose edges have a dent on the outside. Tear off the baking paper slightly larger than the tray.

1. If you have a baking tray with straight edges, tear it to the size of the tray (including the edges).

2. Crumple it into a ball.

Star of the month October: Chestnut - 5 combinations for preparation (Zvezda meseca oktobra: Kesten – 5 kombinacija za pripremu)

October brings the smell of roasted chestnuts, warm flavors and foods that remind us how delicious autumn can be. Chestnuts are much more than a favorite autumn snack. Its mild sweetness and delicate, floury texture make it an interesting ingredient for savory dishes, breakfast and various desserts.

I chose chestnut for the October star of the month.

October is the right time for chestnuts, one of the foods that immediately remind us of autumn, the smell of roasted fruits and pleasant days spent with warm meals. Its slightly sweet taste goes well with fruits, vegetables, herbs and various additions, so it can be found in savory dishes, but also in numerous sweet treats.

Note: I forgot to publish the “Star of the month” at the beginning of October, but the chestnut is also relevant in November, so this topic still has its place.

12 Days of Christmas gift ideas (12 Dana Bozica ideje za poklone)

Gift ideas for the 12 days of Christmas, from one simple gift on the first day to twelwe small or larger gifts on the twelfth day. Find practical, fun, personal and creative ideas for your spouse, friend, child, parent, sibling or neighbor and adapt them to the person you are gifting.

Twelve days of Christmas 

Black olives spread (Namaz od crnih maslina)

Black olive spread is a Mediterranean specialty with an intense taste, with a mild citrus note of lemon and the aromatic scent of thyme. Olive oil gives it a smooth texture, while capers and black pepper add a stronger flavor. It is easy to prepare and goes well with toast, crackers, bruschetta and other savoury snacks.

Tags: Mediterranean nutrition, pates and spreads, breakfast, snack, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, keto recipes, paleo recipes, pescatarian recipes.

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 200 g of black olives (pitted)

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon of capers

• ½ teaspoon of dry thyme

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Drain the olives well. Rinse the capers with cold water and drain.

2. Place the olives, capers, olive oil, lemon juice, dry thyme and ground black pepper in a food processor.