Bulgur Salad with Grilled Halloumi Cheese

Ingredients:

1/2 pack of halloumi cheese

150 g cooked bulgur

1 bigger sweet potato

3 grilled pickled red peppers, cut into stripes

bunch of fresh rocket leaves 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lime juice

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of turmeric

salt & pepper

*

Delicious vegetarian meal perfect as a healthy lunch option that she saw on YouTube and had to try straight away. Boil the sweet potato and cook the bulgur with a pinch of salt until soft separately. Once the sweet potato is cooked, cut it into cubes, place on a hot plate, sprinkle with olive oil, season with nutmeg and turmeric, do the same with the halloumi cheese which you cut into thick slices. Grill both for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Once the potato and halloumi ready, add it to the rest of the ingredients, season with salt, pepper, lime and olive oil, mix and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Spring Salad

Ingredients:

1 soft boiled egg

1 pack of baby asparagus spears

Handful fresh blackberries

50 g soft type goat's cheese

 Bunch of fresh salad leaves, baby spinach or similar

Bunch of fresh water cress

Bunch of fresh dandelion salad leaves

Bunch of edible flowers

Dressing:

4 tbsp mayonnaise

Juice from 1/2 a small grapefruit

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

salt&pepper

*

 Spring time was here again and as the weather outside did not really look too springy, she decided to bring some spring to their kitchen at least. This was a very simple dish to prepare that looked just fabulous. The combination of blackberries and soft goat's cheese was delicious. Boil the egg, cook the baby asparagus spears al dente and place them in a bowl with ice cold water so they don't loose their color. Prepare your dressing and style all ingredients on a plate.

Bon Appetit!

Quinoa Salad With Grapefruit, Goat's Cheese And Wasabi Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooked

1/2 grapefruit, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 pear, cut into cubes

75 g semi-soft goat's cheese eg. Chavroux Tendre Bûche 

Handful fresh rocket 

Bunch of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Dressing:

1 tbsp yogurt mayonnaise

1 teaspoon wasabi paste

1 tbsp maple syrup 

dash of fresh lemon juice 

salt&pepper 

*

Trying new things and experimenting is always fun. She found this recipe in Allerhande magazine and couldn't wait to cook it. This salad was easy and fast to make, surprising in combination of ingredients and very tasty. Cook quinoa as per instructions on the packaging. Set aside and let cool off. Prepare wasabi mayonnaise simply by mixing and whisking all ingredients together, It should not be runny. Peel and cut grapefruit and pear. Mix together with fresh rocket and finely chopped mint leaves along with quinoa. Top up with the goat's cheese and garnish with wasabi mayonnaise. 

Bon Appetit!

Colorful Carrot and Beetroot Salad With Maple Syrup Dressing

Ingredients:

5 colorful carrots

1 pre-boiled beet

50 g broad beans

40 g soft goat's cheese

Handful fresh rocket

Handful pecan nuts

1 tbsp raisins

1 tbsp walnut oil

Dressing:

2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

dash of fresh lemon juice

salt&pepper

*

In the dark winter months this colorful healthy sweet in taste salad brightens up the day.

Boil the carrots al dente. Pre-heat the walnut oil in a sauce pan, throw the carrots in along with pecan nuts and raisins and stir fry. Prepare fresh rocket on a plate along with cut cooked beetroot and broad beans. Add carrots and sprinkle with goat's cheese. Finish up by seasoning with the maple syrup dressing that is simple to prepare only by mixing all the ingredients together. Server with bread or crackers.

Bon Appetit!

Almond Apricot Cake

Ingredients:

Corpus

250 g almond flour

80 g brown sugar
50 g spelt flour

140 g melted butter

2 eggs

Topping

50 g melted butter

450 g apricots, halved and pitted

50 g whole almonds, skinless

3 tbsp brown sugar

*

This was another of her weekend baking experiments that worked out pretty nicely. It's been already a while ago at the time of apricot season.

The original recipe included classic flour and crushed almonds that she substituted with the almond flour and a bit of spelt flour. Preheat the over for 200 C, mix all the corpus ingredients together which creates a kind of a paste mixture and place it onto a baking paper in a form. Place the apricot halves onto the corpus, fill them with whole almonds, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until the apricots are nicely caramelized and the corpus has golden color and crunchy rounds. Serve with whipped cream if you wish.

Bon Appetit!

Mango And Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

Handful arugula leaves

50 g ripe mango, cut into thin slices

1/3 cucumber, peels cut into thin slices

1/3 carrot, peels cut into thin slices

30 g feta cheese

1 teaspoon of coconut paste

Juice from half a lime

1 tbsp olive oil

salt&pepper

*

Try this amazing exotic salad in warmer days. The sweetness of the mango with saltiness of the cheese and spice kick of the arugula create a lovely taste palette. Just cut the cucumber, mango and carrot into thin long slices. Create dressing my mixing the coconut paste with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Pour onto the vegetables slices, mix nicely together along with arugula. Serve on a plate and sprinkle with feta cheese or semi soft goat's cheese.

Bon Appetit!

Salad With Grilled Vegetables and Lentils

Ingredients:

1/2 smaller courgette, sliced into cca 1 cm rounds

1/2 smaller aubergine, sliced into cca 1 cm rounds

1 small red pepper, sliced into stripes

1 cup lentils, soaked in water for at least a couple of hours or over night or alternatively 1 small can of lentils

1/4 iceberg salad or similar type of leave salad, cut into smaller pieces

100 g ricotta

80 g white cheese - here feta

1 tbsp olive oil or walnut oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Dash of lemon juice

Pinch of cumin seeds

Bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped

Bunch of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Bunch of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

salt&pepper

*

As said before, salads basically made at least 50% of all her meals. She loved them and there were so many options out there. This one was a great light vegetarian option for lunch or dinner. It required a bit more time for the preparation, especially in case dried lentils were used. Then one had to let them soak in water for a few hours or better over night. Cut all the vegetable, smear them with walnut or olive oil and place them onto grill or into the pre-heated oven (cca 220C), cook until soft for about 15-20 minutes. Prepare the salad leaves by cutting them and cook the lentils with a bit of olive oil along with pinch of salt, pepper and cumin seeds until soft. Mix ricotta with balsamic vinegar, dash of lemon juice, rest of the oil and finely chopped herbs, season with salt and pepper. 

Once ready, place the grilled vegetables on top of the salad leaves, add cooked lentils and pour the ricotta herbs dressing over. Top it up with some white cheese. Serve with bread if you like.

Bon Appetit!

The Green Bomb Smoothie

Ingredients:

Handful fresh baby spinach leaves

1 kiwi fruit, peeled

1/2 banana

1/2 lime juice

100 ml mango and guanabana juice

100 ml water

A few fresh basil leaves

*

One more tip for the smoothie recipes as requested. This one felt like an energy bomb, it was full of antioxidants and was very refreshing. Don't be afraid of the baby spinach leaves, they leave practically no taste and add to the texture of the smoothie. Basil leaves go amazingly well with banana. Again, just mix all the ingredients in a blender and if you prefer thicker structure, omit the water.

Bon Appetit!

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 banana, cut into circles

3 tbsp yoghurt (soy)

1 tbsp peanut butter

100 ml orange juice

100 ml water

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

*

Another of her smoothie tips, just mix all the ingredients in a blender until smoothie structure achieved. This smoothie is almost like a dessert, a bit more fulfilling than the others and not tot forget, the peanut butter is very caloric, so one spoon should be sufficient.

Bon Appetit!

Papaya Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh papaya, seeded and peeled, cut into cubes

1/2 banana, cut into circles

1/2 orange, peeled

100 ml mango and guanabana juice

100 ml water

1 tbsp chia seeds

*

Another of her smoothie tips, just mix all the ingredients in a blender and voilà, healthy snack is ready.

Bon Appetit!

The Berry Coconut Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strawberries

1/3 cup blackberries

1 cup water

2 tbsp coconut milk

70 ml Alpro Soya Mild and Creamy strawberry and rhubarb drink

1 tbsp rasped coconut

*

Smoothies seemed to be everywhere now, on blogs, tumblr, in magazines. She was drinking smoothies in the morning for a long time now. It was her morning routine before she went to work. It gave her the energy she needed for a good start of the day and for her journey to work which took her about an hour. She only had breakfast after she arrived at work. The preparation was super easy, just put everything together and mix with blender. This version was a bit richer and mor fulfilling. She used soya milk products as she was lactose intolerant, but feel free to use yoghurt or alternatively also goat's milk products. Be careful on the coconut milk part as the milk is very rich and oily, it should only add a bit of taste and texture to the smoothie. More of her favourite smoothies were about to follow. 

Bon Appetit!

Easter Salad

Ingredients:

1 jar of quail eggs in brine

1 pack of baby asparagus spears

1 bulb of beetroot, cooked and pickled, sliced thinly into rounds

50 g semi soft type goat's cheese, crumbled

 Bunch of fresh salad leaves, baby spinach or similar

Bunch of fresh water cress

Bunch of fresh dandelion salad leaves

Bunch of edible flowers

Dressing:

4 tbsp mayonnaise

Juice from 1/2 a small grapefruit

1 teaspoon agave syrup

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

salt&pepper

*

They were planning to cook a dinner for their friends and they agreed to make it in "Spring/Easter" theme. It was her role to come up with a starter and she immediately envisioned fresh flowery salad as you can see on the picture above. One visit to an Arab market and she had all the ingredients she needed for a try-out which ended up with a great success. This salad has a bit more pricey ingredients but is certainly worth the try if you want to make a good impression.

She cooked and pickled her own beetroot by cooking the cleaned bulb with cut-off ends for about 45 mins on mild heat with about an half a teaspoon salt and about a tablespoon vinegar. Once boiled soft, the beetroot needs to be cut into super thin round slices. At the same time, the baby asparagus with cut-off ends is roasted on a pan with a drop of olive oil, salt and pepper al dente. The dressing can be also prepared at this time by simply stirring the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, vinegar, agave syrup and grapefruit juice until compact mixture is created. The sauce shouldn't be too liquid. 

She opted for placing the ingredients on the plate in form of little nests. The bottom is created by the thinly slices pickled beetroot on which various salad leaves and the water cress are placed. On top of each nest come two roasted asparagus spears and side wise quail egg cut in half. The salad is then topped by a bit of crumbled goat's cheese and decorated by edible flower. All the nests are finally sprayed by the dressing. Serve the salad with some fresh brown bread or baguette and crisp white wine.

Bon Appetit!

The Albert Heijn Salad

Ingredients:

1 pack of  mixed salad leaves (preferably with Radichchio)

70 g blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 pear, sliced

2 celery sticks, chopped

1/2 cup white radish, grated

Handful red grapes without pits

Handful roasted salted almonds

3 tbsp Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing either bought or homemade:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp raspberry wine vinegar

1 teaspoon agave syrup or honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

pinch of dried oregano

salt&pepper

*

This salad was not her recipe but it was her favorite lunch option. One of the many types of ready made salads that one could buy in the Netherlands in the Albert Heijn supermarket chains, this salad was far from boring and was bursting with flavors. She wanted to share it with you and also note the ingredients down in case they ever stopped making it. The only thing you need to do is place all the ingredients in a bowl or on a dish and make the raspberry vinaigrette which you pour over the mix.

Bon Appetit!

Quinoa Salad With Apples And Manchego

Ingredients:

100 g Quinoa, cooked

75 g Manchego hard sheep cheese, sliced thinly

1/2 apple, sliced thinly

2 celery stalks, cut in pieces

Bunch of salad leaves, here arugula

Handful roasted almonds, crushed

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp mustard

2 tbsp olive oil

salt&pepper

*

Quinoa has become very popular recently, being considered a superfood by many. She used quinoa as an alternative to couscous as unlike couscous quinoa was a whole grain and thus high on fiber, but that unfortunately didn't mean it was less caloric. This recipe is a nice option for salad that is a bit more filling so a nice alternative for healthy lunch for example. Simply cook the quinoa separately until soft, place all the ingredients above in a bowl and stir with the quinoa gently together. Season with salt and pepper, pour over dressing made of lemon juice, olive oil and mustard.

Bon Appetit!

Parsnip Soup With Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 big parsnips, peeled and cut into cubes

8 mushrooms, cut into quarters

120 g crème fraîche

1 liter vegetable bouillon or bouillon cube

Bunch of fresh dill, chopped finely

1/3 teaspoon of caraway seeds

pinch of white pepper

2 tbsp butter

salt

*

It was more than obvious that she was a huge soup lover. This winter season she also discovered parsnip and was exploring different recipes with this root vegetable that had such a specific sweet and aromatic taste.  and became one of her winter favorites  As most of the other soup recipes, also this one was super easy and fast. Just melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat, throw in the parsnips cut into cubes, stir and pour over the vegetable bouillon (or water and  the bouillon cube, it can be also chicken bouillon), season with caraway seeds and boil until soft. Let cool off a bit, add the crème fraîche, finely chopped dill, pinch of white pepper, salt and mix with immerse mixer. Heat up the soup again if needed. On a frying pan melt another tablespoon of butter, add the mushrooms cut into quarters and cook until softer. Serve the soup in a bowl and top up with mushrooms, add bread if preferred.

Bon Appetit!

Recipe altered from Albert Heijn Recepten.

Carrot And Coconut Soup With Roasted Almond Flakes

Ingredients:

1/2 can coconut milk (cca 100 ml)

1 big carrot, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp spicy sweet and sour curry sauce

1 teaspoon butter

1/4 cube chicken bouillon

pinch of chili powder

handful almond flakes

salt&pepper

*

And the exotic taste continues. When she saw the soup on Anna's blog, she immediately wanted to try it out.  She made her own intake of the recipe and this is how she came up with an super fast, easy and certainly interesting soup version. Melt the butter in a saucepan, throw in the chopped carrot, roast for a little while, pour about three cups of water over and bring to boil. Add the chicken bouillon and cook until carrots are soft, afterwards pour in coconut milk, the sweet and sour curry sauce, season with salt and pepper and a bit more chili powder if you like it hot. Roast the almond flakes either on separate pan or in the oven. Put soup aside and mix with blender or immersion mixer until soft. Serve soup with the toasted almonds.

Bon Appetit!

Spanish Gazpacho

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded

1/2 red bell pepper, cored and seeded

2 tomatoes, sliced and seeded

1/4 red onion

1 celery stalk

1 cup tomato juice

1/2 cup ice cubes

2 tbsp virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Bunch of fresh parsley

1/4 chili pepper

salt&pepper

*

The best food in hot hot summer days. Period. She fell in love with this soup while living in South of Spain and truly, there was nothing else she could possibly eat during temperatures as high as 43C. Refreshing, healthy, light, super easy. Just chop roughly all the vegetable ingredients and put them into mixer along with the herbs, seasonings and tomato juice. Mix it well. The ice cubes will chill the soup immediately. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop. Serve with bread.

Bon Appetit!

Goat's Cheese And Pear Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag mix of salad leaves

1 pear, peeled and sliced

1/2 pack soft goat's cheese

Handful walnuts

Dressing:

1 tbsp pink pepper corns

2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp mustard

salt&pepper

*

Salads are great anytime, but in this warm weather they are almost a necessity. This one is again super easy to make and the mix of sweetness of the pear with the sharpness of the goat's cheese a great combination. Simply place washed salad leaves on a plate or in a bowl, add cheese, sliced pear and walnuts. Prepare dressing in a separate container by mixing all the ingredients well together until you have a compact liquid. Pour over the salad and all is ready. Serve with bread.

Bon Appetit!

Carrot And Coriander Soup

Ingredients:

5 medium carrots, sliced

1/2 cup fresh orange juice or 1 orange, juiced and pulp included

2 cups water

1 tbsp butter

Pinch of curry powder

Pinch of ginger powder

Pinch of cinnamon

Bunch of fresh coriander leaves

salt&pepper

*

Another of her favorite soup recipes, super fast, super easy and something she called a "super food" - pumped with vitamins and low on calories. Melt the butter in a saucepan and throw the carrots in. Stir around with the butter for a short while, pour over water and orange juice and boil. Season with salt, pepper, curry powder, ginger and cinnamon. Once the carrots are cooked, turn the heat off and add the coriander leaves. Mix with blender or immersion mixer. If you prefer, you can also ad a bit of cream. Serve the soup with bread.

Bon Appetit!

Legume Salad With Feta Cheese And Green Pepper

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils

1/2 can red kidney beans

1/2 green pepper, sliced thinly

1/3 cup feta cheese cubes

5 mushrooms, sliced

Bunch of fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, grounded

salt&pepper

*

Because there are never enough salad variations and because at least 50 percent of her food stereotype comprised of salads, here is another recipe. Put the lentils in a bowl with lukewarm water and let it swell up for at least half an hour. Afterwards boil them shortly with a bit of water until soft and water evaporates, add salt, pepper, curry powder and grounded caraway seeds,  tablespoon of olive oil, sliced mushrooms and red kidney beans. Cook for a few minutes so that the mushrooms soften and soak in the flavors. Once cooked, let cool off a bit. Put thinly sliced green peppers, the legume mixture with mushrooms, feta cheese and chopped basil in a bowl and stir gently. Serve with bread as a main course or as a side dish to red meats.
Bon Appetit!