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!

Chickpea Soup With Chorizo

Ingredients:

200 g canned chickpea

1 small potato, cut into pieces
1/3 medium size courgette, cut into pieces

50 g chorizo salami, cut into pieces

Bunch of fresh spinach leaves

Bunch of fresh coriander leaves
1/4 chicken bouillon cube
Pinch of nutmeg powder
1 teaspoon butter

salt&pepper

*

This is what happens when one opens a 800 gram huge can of chickpea, number of different recipes and variations come to life in order to use the can and one ingredient in the most creative way. After salad with beetroot comes this soup option. Melt the butter in a sauce pen, throw in potato, all chickpea except of about two tablespoons which should be put aside, and the courgette. Roast for a moment. Pour over about 1 liter of water along with the chicken bouillon cube. Let boil for about 15 minutes until the potato is soft. Add spinach leaves and coriander leaves, season with salt and pepper. Mix all with an immerse mixer or in a blender and continue cooking the soup on a low heat for a few more minutes. Meanwhile fry the chorizo on a frying pan. Once the excess fat from the salami appears, add the chickpea and roast with a pinch of nutmeg.
Pour the soup into a bowl and throw in some of the chickpea and chorizo with a tiny bit of the oil from the salami. Serve with some dark whole grain bread.
Bon Appetit!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup agave syrup or honey or maple syrup

1 egg

Pinch of cinnamon

1 tbsp almond flakes

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She first saw this recipe on Timbo's blog, it was the simplest and most genius recipe she ever came across and wanted to try it as soon as possible. And so when the very well known sugar cravings arrived one afternoon, she mixed all the ingredients together along with the pinch of cinnamon, spooned the mix on a baking plate with laid baking paper, sprinkled a few almond flakes on top and baked it in 170 C pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes. The amount created about 12 cookies. After the cookies cool off, you can decorate with melted chocolate  The taste would never give out that there is no flower in it.

Bon Appetit!

Party Snacks

Ingredients:

1 hard boiled egg, chopped

8 small sized tomatoes

3 tbsp crème fraîche 

90 g Dutch shrimps 

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 teaspoon ketchup sauce

dash of lemon juice 

Bunch of fresh dill, chopped finely

5 tbsp freshly rasped coconut or alternatively 5 tbsp dried coconut and 1/2 tbsp coconut paste

3 tbsp walnut oil

pack of fresh coriander, chopped finely

1 tbsp ginger syrup

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder or alternatively fresh rasped ginger

1 pack of Kroepoek shrimp puffs

salt&pepper

*

For the purpose of the King's Day celebration she wanted to try out a few new recipes for snacks that she could serve to their guests or alternatively that could serve as a light summer dinner. The boyfriend was proposing the small dutch shrimps so she looked for a recipe with them on Allerhande and altered the one she found.

Boil the egg for 8 min until hard. Peel the egg, cut into small pieces and place in a bowl. 

Meanwhile cut the top off the tomatoes and remove the seeds and sauce with a teaspoon. 

Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, ketchup, dill, shrimps and to the egg in the bowl and mix gently. Season with lemon juice, pepper and salt. Spoon the filling into the tomatoes and garnish with the remaining dill.
The second recipe was actually their intake on a delicious starter that was served in an Asian style restaurant called Leen and that they absolutely loved. Their tried their own version by mixing the dried coconut (but fresh rasped coconut was the real deal) and the coconut past with super finely chopped coriander. They seasoned the mixture with ginger syrup, ginger powder (fresh ginger was always a good option), lime juice, walnut oil and served the mix with Kroepoek shrimp puffs. Guests seem to really enjoy this snack.
Bon Appetit!

Spinach Leaves Salad With Chorizo And Beetroot

Ingredients:

Handful fresh spinach leaves

Handful dandelion salad leaves

50 g pickled beetroot

50 g chorizo salami, cut into moons

40 g soft goat's cheese

2 tbsp canned chickpea

Pinch of nutmeg powder

Dressing:

2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp mustard

dash of fresh lime juice

salt&pepper

*

This salad was seriously good and her new favorite. She found it on Dutch Allerhande magazine, tried it and immediately fell in love with it.

Fry the chorizo salami on a pan without any additional  fat until crispy. Take out of the pan and put the chickpeas into the remaining fat and stir for a while with a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Prepare your dressing. Place all the ingredients on a plate or in a bowl, season with the dressing. Serve with bread if you like.

Bon Appetit!

Superfood Breakfast

Ingredients:

4 Atkins Advantage Wheat & Rye Cracker à 10 g

1/2 ripe avocado

50 g President Chèvres doux soft goat's cheese

1 teaspoon chia seeds

Pinch of salt

*

This breakfast has become her favorite option over the working week. Although there was no cooking involved she wanted to share this breakfast option as it contained so called super foods. It can be argued that the rise of so called super foods is nothing but a scam and clever manipulation by nutrition marketeers. It is true that these products are usually pretty costly and come with a fashion hype and promotions in the media and by celebrities. The judgement was on each person to make, but what she personally liked and appreciated about these products was the diversity and new door that opened to whole different life style. Not only she enjoyed the taste but it just made her feel good. The crackers were low carb and full of fibre; chia seeds were wholesome source of mega-3 fatty acids,  protein, manganese, and phosphorus along with vitamin A, B, E and D. Avocado was rich in healthy fats and nutrients - oleic acid, lutein, folate, vitamin E, monounsaturated fats and glutathione among them. 

Goat cheese, like goat milk, was easier on the human digestive system and lower in calories, cholesterol and fat than its bovine counterpart. In addition, goat milk cheese was a good source of calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin K, phosphorus, niacin and thiamin. Given the fact that she was lactose intolerant, this was a better option.

When she combined this breakfast with one of her fruit smoothies, she felt energetic, satisfied but not stuffed until the lunch time. Why not trying something new?

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!