5 Delicious recipes for when life gives you lemons

I know our summer spirit seems to be sloshed because of the lockdown, but 2020 need not be so sour guys! Let’s sweeten the deal on lemons, and God willing, these sour moments of life as well, with some fun and delicious lemon recipes, using this basic kitchen staple. 

1. Frosted Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cup water
• 6 cup vanilla ice cream
• sliced lemons, for garnish

Instructions:

• Mix lemon juice and sugar together in a pitcher until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add water to dilute and chill.
• Into a blender, add lemonade, and ice cream. Blend until smooth and divide among 3 cups. Garnish with slices of lemon and serve.

2. Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 lemons juiced (1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

• Place chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag. Pour in lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Shake it a bit so all the chicken gets covered.
• Let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
• Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and place directly into the hot skillet. Discard any remaining marinade.
• Cook chicken 6 to 7 minutes per side, flipping halfway through. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked from inside as well.
• Serve hot. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and lemon slices (optional).

3. Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 3/4 cups olive oil
• Zest from 3 lemons
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar 
  
• 1/2 cup lemon juice

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
• Whisk together the sugar and eggs.
• Mix in the yogurt.
• Add the olive oil and lemon zest
• Fold in the flour.  Pour mixture into a cake mold. 
• Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a fork comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
• While the cake is baking, mix together the 1/4 cup of sugar & 1/2 cup of lemon juice to make a syrup.
• When the cake is baked, remove safely from the oven and while still hot, prick cake surface with a toothpick and pour the lemon syrup over the cake. Let it cool completely.

4. Grilled Lemon & Herb Flatbread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs of choice, such as basil, thyme, and oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing

Instructions:

• Stir together the yeast, 3/4 cup warm water, and sugar and set aside for a few minutes until foamy. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, herbs, fennel seeds, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Stir in the yeast mixture and knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and add the dough, turning it to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
• Heat a medium-sized nonstick pan or skillet on the stove. Divide the dough in half and form three equal balls from each (6 balls total). On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 1/4-inch thick round or oval.
• Brush both sides with olive oil. Place the rounds on the skillet and cook on low heat, flipping once with a spatula, until well-marked and cooked through. Be careful not to char the flatbreads. Serve immediately, or wrap in aluminum foil and keep in a warm oven until ready to eat. 

5. Lemon Meltaway Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• FROSTING: 1/4 cup butter, softened 
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 176 degrees C
• In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until blended. Beat in lemon juice. In a small bowl, whisk flour and cornstarch; gradually beat into butter mixture.  Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
• Shape dough into (1 1/4-inch) balls. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased baking tray; flatten each ball to 1 1/2-inch circle (cookie does not spread). 
• Bake 8-12 minutes or until firm. Remove from pans to cool completely.
• For the frosting, in a small bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in lemon zest, and lemon juice. Spread over cookies with the help of a small spatula or butter knife.

FAQs

Q1: How to zest a lemon?

A: Using moderate pressure, drag the lemon in a downward motion against the blades of a grater/peeler to remove the colorful portion of the skin. Continue this step until the pith (the white part) is fully exposed and you have removed all or most of the peel. 

Q2: What substitute can be used in place of dry yeast?

A: You can substitute yeast with equal parts of lemon juice and baking soda. So if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of yeast, you can use half a teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Keep in mind that you will not need any resting time for the dough as it will start rising right away.

Q3: How to pre-heat my Microwave?

A: You need to place a slatted rack that comes with a microwave to pre-heat it. Now, choose the convection option. Once you set it on the convection mode, your microwave’s digital display will reflect the minimum temperature setting available, you can just increase or decrease it according to your requirement and press start.