Flakey, feta, veggie quiche

This is well and truly inspired by my mother. She always made quiche this way, using puff pastry instead of making her own. She always insisted this gave a lighter fluffier quiche so that the filling part would be the contents not the dough. I have to say I have to agree. Also if you buy good puff pastry, now days you can get spelt, whole wheat and all using butter and other natural ingredients instead of shortenings and other bad fats. 

The great thing with this quiche is that you can use any veggies you have at hand. I love broccoli as it tends to crisp up and yet retain some bite. I also love onion or leek as this brings softness and sweetness. Also peppers and tomatoes on-top are yummy for the same reason, soft and sweet. The feta brings it all together with saltiness and creaminess. 

 For this quiche I used - feeding 2-4 people (large portions for 2):

4 squares of spelt/alternatively whole wheat puff pastry (make sure you get the stuff that isn't made with strange fats it should be butter no other)
1/2 courgette
1/2 head of broccoli
1/2 long green paprika
1/2 long red paprika
1/2 leek (or a medium red onion)
1 block of feta (mine was 250 grams), diced
3 eggs
salt and pepper
2 stalks of kale (I used cavalero nero)
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 stalks of thyme, stalks removed
2 garlic clove, minced
drizzle of frying oil (rice oil)

Other veggies I recommend would be green asparagus, mushrooms, spinach. You could also add pesto after its come out of the oven, yum.

1. If you are using frozen puff pastry take this out at least 40min prior to starting. 
2. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C 
3. Chop all the veg into bite size chunks
4. Fry the (except the tomatoes) veg in an appropriate cooking oil; in batches. You want the slightly soften the veg, so between 2-5 minutes per batch. Begin with the broccoli and kale as these tend to need a bit longer.
5. Whisk together the eggs, add the thyme leaves and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk again to make sure alls blended in. 
6. Take out a baking or quiche form (I used a round 20cm diameter form). Place the puff pastry in the form and make sure the pastry is lining the bottom nicely. Now brush on some of the egg, onto the inner casing of the puff pastry. This will stop any veg juices from making the puff pastry soggy.  
7. Bake the puff pastry for approx. 10-13min. you don't want the pastry fully baked, but you want to have the egg wash looking glazed and not soggy. 
8. Now add the fried veggies to the quiche form, patting down to make sure you fill all possible air holes. Pack those veggies in nice and tight. To the top add the feta, also pushing some pieces into any possible nooks and crannies. Then add the halved cherry tomatoes. 
9. Finally pour the egg mix over the entire quiche, try to divide it evenly. 
10. Bake the quiche in the oven for about 45min -1 hour. Depending on your oven. You will know its ready when the puff pastry is golden around the edges of the quiche, you poke the centre and around the sides of the quiche and the fork comes out dry (no egg wetness) and the veggies look crisp and soft. 

Serve with a large side salad, slathered in a good dressing.

White bean vegetable broth

During the late spring and summer I am all about salads. During the winter and part of autumn and early spring I am all about soups. This is a kind of warm salad in a soup form. Lots of vegetables in a veggie broth, simple, clean and crisp flavours. Real feel good food, that will leave you feeling really healthy, light and at the same time full. Great for a damp, rainy summers day.

Essentially you can use any veggies you happen to have at hand. I love the large white beans, but you could replace for any other prefer type of bean. You could also leave out the bean entirely if you want a lighter version.

Here are the ingredients I used, serves 4-6:

2 dl large white beans*
1 medium onion
1 medium courgette, chopped into bite size
1 sweet potato, chopped in to bite size
2 celery stalks, sliced
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
6-8 shiitake mushrooms (or any other mushrooms)
1/2 head of broccoli
1/2 chilli, deseeded
1 veggie stock cube
500 ml water
handful of fresh (wild/baby) spinach
handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 tbsp coconut oil (unflavoured kind) or other frying friendly oil
salt and pepper, to taste

to serve a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

* I like to soak my beans over night (8hrs) and then cook them in place of using tinned. Somehow I feel this is the healthier path to take but if you don't have the time or same feeling as I do feel free to use tinned.

If you choose to soak and cook your beans, then soak the beans the night or day before. Boil them before adding to the soup, this large white bean takes about 1 hour to cook through, sometimes longer. I like to add a bay leaf for added flavour. 

1. Fry the chopped vegetables (hold the tomatoes, parsley and spinach) in oil of your choice in a soup pan. You want to bring out some of the sweetness and flavour of each veg. I tend to begin frying the harder ingredients like the potato, broccoli, onion and chili. Once they have had 2min frying I will add the softer ingredients. You want each vegetable to have softened slightly without browning. Add more oil if the pan starts to feel dry. 
2. Now add a pinch of salt and some fresh pepper and then crumble in the stock cube and add the water. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. 
3. Add the beans and cherry tomatoes. Allow to simmer for 15-25min. Depending on how much bite or softness you want your veggies to have. Taste, add a little more slat or pepper if you like. 
4. Before you portion the soup out place a few leaves of spinach in the bottom of each soup bowl, add the soup and then top with the chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. 

A kind of stir fry salad with tahini lemon dressing

You know when you have found something yummy and you just wanna keep making and eating it, day after day (pesto is one of those for me)? This is my second day of this stir fry salad and it's hitting all the right notes for me. Slightly sweet, sour, spicy, creamy and crunchy oh and lets not forget green, green, green. 

You could eerily make this into a more substantial dish for dinner with some steamed fish ontop or even grilled chicken. I added a soft boiled egg last and that wasn't bad. I bet a poached egg might be even better. Tinned tuna could also be a good portion addition. Some brown or red rice or quinoa would also be nice to beef it up a little. Although just as it is this stir fry salad is yummy! 

Here are the ingredients for 1 portion: 

1-2 tsp coconut oil (alternatively other frying friendly oil such as rice oil)

2 medium or 3 small kale (I used cavalero nero) leaves 

1/4 head of broccoli (depending on the size, basically you want 5-6 rosettes)

2-3 leaves of radicchio salad (red)

2 stalks celery

1/4 red chilli (deseeded if you don't like too much heat)

1 garlic clove 

handful of fresh parsley or wild ruccula 

1/2 ripe avocado 

Optional seeds or nut toppings - sprinkle of hempseed, roasted and chopped hazelnuts or walnuts, roasted pumpkin seeds and or sesame seeds 

You could also add fresh peas or replace the kale for spinach but not the baby kind as that will just get soggy, you would need the larger rougher type. 

Tahini, lemon dressing ingredients: 

1/2 lemon juice

1 tsp dijon or other strong mustard

1 tbsp tahini

pinch of salt 

1 tsp soy sauce (I like tamari as its gluten free)

optional 1/3 garlic clove minced

1,5 tbsp olive oil 

1. Begin by washing all your ingredients, then pat dry with a kitchen towel. 
2. Chop the chilli and garlic and fry lightly in the coconut oil. 
3. While the chilli & garlic fry chop the veggies into bite size pieces. 
4. Once the garlic is somewhat soft and shiny add the broccoli, stir and fry on a low heat. Fry for about 1min. 
5. Now add the kale and fry for another minute.
6. Then add the rest of the veggies and fry for another minute. Take of the heat but keep the veggies in the pan while you make the dressing, they will continue to fry a little that way. 
7. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Taste, you want a slightly creamy, salty, zingy flavour. add more salt or lemon juice if you require. 
8. Transfer the veggies to a plate or bowl and drizzle over the dressing. Scoop out half an avocado and slice into chunks, add to the veggies.
9. If you like, add any seeds or nuts of your preference. 

Luscious Ratatouille for the New Year

I think it's safe to say we are all looking at upping the anti on healthier food after this seasons over indulgence. This recipe was inspired by good friends of mine. This dish, ratatouille served with millet is a great way to kick off your healthy eating in 2015. The trick to this dish is to have cook the veggies in batches, so they have time to soften and become lusciously creamy in texture.

Millet is a grain, that can easily substitute for rice, couscous or even be used in place of oats in porridge. It's a great source of copper, heart healthy magnesium (studies show it helps asthma, lowers cholesterol and reduces the frequency of migraine attacks) and bone promoting and cell repair phosphorus (along with calcium phosphorus makes up the matrix of bones and is integral to building blocks of DNA, nervous cells and fat metabolism).

Another great attribute of millet is that it's gluten free!

If you want to add some protein to the dish you could add some beans, which is what I did.

Ingredients needed, 4 servings:
1 medium aubergine* roughly chopped
1 large courgette roughly chopped
2 medium or 3 small white onions roughly chopped
1 red paprika de-seeded and chopped
1 yellow paprika de-seeded and chopped
1 green paprika de-seeded and chopped
1  tinned cherry tomato or 6-8 fresh cherry tomatoes + 1 tinned tomato
optional - 1/2 dl white or red wine
approx. 2 tbsp cooking oil**
salt & pepper
2 minced garlic cloves
2 dl millet
3 dl water
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
optional - top the final dish with fresh chopped herbs; thyme, basil, dill, parsley, coriander
optional - 1/3 vegetable stock cube

* I have noticed that the thinner, longer aubergines have much more flavour than the bigger, rounder aubergines. So if you have a choice between the two go for the skinny long ones.

**I prefer rice oil as it can tolerate high temperatures but you can also use olive oil.

1. Begin by softening the half the chopped onions and aubergine in 1 tbsp oil, sauté on a low heat for about 8 minutes. You will notice the aubergine tends to soak up a lot of the oil, so add more if it looks dry, throughout the process. Then add the courgette and sauté for another 5-8 minutes. You want this batch of veggie to get soft and shiny, not browned and crisp rather melted, if that makes any sense. 
2. Place the aubergine, onion, courgette mix in a bowl to the side. 
3. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the rest of the onions and the chopped paprikas. Sauté on a low heat for about 8 minutes. Again you want the soft, shiny not crisp browned result. If you feel the pan gets dry add a little more oil. 
4. While the onion paprika mix sautés you can put the millet on the boil. Place the millet and water in a pan and bring to a boil, then lower to a slow simmer. You can add a 1/3 of a stock cube to the millet to enhance it's favour. The millet is usually done within 12 minutes. Allow it to cool slightly, then as with couscous, its best to get it clump free by adding a little drizzle of olive oil and carefully, using a fork, loose up the grain in the pan. 
5. Once the onion paprika mix has reached the soft, sing stage, add the aubergine, onion, courgette mix, salt and pepper and then the wine. Allow the wine to cook off (approx. 1 minute of cooking with the veggies).
6. Add the tinned tomatoes (and cherry tomatoes if you aren't using tinned cherry tomatoes). Also add the minced garlic. Allow to come to a slow boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Allow to cook for another 20-40 minutes. The longer you allow to cook the better the flavours will come together. If you have decided to add beans add pricked beans to the last 10minutes of cooking. 
7. Serve the ratatouille onto of the millet and add some fresh herbs if you like. A little end drizzle of olive oil never hurts either. 

Broccoli, feta and hempseed pasta

This dish just created its self. I happened to have the ingredients and then they just came together and if I may say so myself it's a real tasty dish.

Broccoli is one of the those staple ingredients that we all need to eat lots of. It's also one of the veggies we don't have to spend extra money on buying biologically grown! The main health benefit of this humble veg is it's detoxifying ability. Believe it or not it's better for you steamed than raw, as your system can better utilise it that way. Another great benefit is that broccoli can help rebuild your vitamin D deficiency, something most of us here in the both have. Broccoli contains high levels of both vitamin K & A. Vitamin K is needed for bone formation and is needed for blood clotting. Vitamin A is among others supportive of vision.

Ingredients, serves two portions: 

1/2 head of broccoli

1/3 fresh chilli 

2/3 block of feta 

Zest from 1 lemon (preferably non waxed bio lemon)

1-2 tbsp hemp seeds 

2 tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil/cold pressed sunflower oil 

salt and pepper 

between 150-200 grams dried pasta 

1. Put your pasta water on to boil. 
2. Wash the broccoli and halve. Using one half, tear of chunks from the main body of the broccoli. Slice the stalk into strips. 
3. Wash the lemon and zest into a bowl, add the oil and salt & pepper. 
4. Toast the hemp seeds slightly, this brings out their nutty flavour, allow to cool and then add to the oil. 
5. Deseed the chilli, try not to touch and if you do wash your hands. Don't rub your eyes. Add to the oil mix.
6. While the pasta cooks steam the broccoli. I prefer mine to have a bit of a bite to it, so I take it out while its still a bit hard because it will continue cooking when taken off the heat. Add to the oil and mix. 
7. Add the cooked pasta and then add the cubed feta. Season and enjoy! 

Simple vegetable broth

I love soups during the autumn, winter and spring and come to think of it also during the summer. Soups are so versatile, thick, broth like, chunky, smooth. I love using what ever I have available to make a new soup. The season dictates the vegetable content and beans, lentils, and other proteins can add heartiness and a filling aspect.

For this soup I happened to have some beautiful French flagole beans, Chinese cabbage and sweet potato.

Ingredients for a soup of 5 large servings:
1 yellow onion
1 courgette
3 dl 8 hour water soaked beans
6 halved cherry tomatoes
2 celery stalks
1 sweet potato
1/3 fresh chilly fruit
1/3 Chinese cabbage
1,5 bio stock cubes (make sure they don't contain lots of E numbers and other un-natural preservatives)
500 ml water
salt & peper

1. Begin by cooking the flagole beans for 30min, unless you decide to use tinned beans then you can skip this step. The beans need not cook fully through as they will continue to cook in the soup.
2. Peel and chopping the onion, into cubes. 
3. Chop the celery stalks into bite size chunks, and chop the chill finely. 
4. Place the onion and celery in a large soup pan and fry with cooking oil. 
5. While frying the onion and celery, peel the sweet potato and chop into cubes. Cut the Chinese cabbage into larger chunks, each individual layer of the cabbage will loosen and separate in the soup so cutting large pieces initially are better. 
6. Once the onion has softened and glazed over, add the other chopped vegetables and then pour over the water and crumble the stock cube in. Allow to simmer for 20-30minutes. You want the beans to retain their from and the vegetables to have gone soft not completely mushy. Season to taste. 

I served this soup with a Dollop of pesto but it doesn't necessarily need it. It's a very mellow soft tasting soup that ends with a certain sweetness. 

A kind of Cesar Salad

Salad weather is back and my cravings for salads with it. This salad is simple and will satisfy the most difficult tastebuds. Basically it's my version of a Caesar salad, crunchy, creamy, salty, yummy! I used a grill pan to get the grill effect of course you could use a proper grill and if you don't have either you could go for the un-grilled version and just fry the courgette and chicken in a little cooking oil. 

The great thing with this salad is that it's both filling and full of healthy ingredients. Avocado has plenty brain and heart healthy omega oils. Anchovies have high levels of vitamin A, which helps cell development, supports vision and bone development. Parmesan had very high levels of protein, which helps build among other things muscles, organs and skin. it also contains high levels of calcium and small amounts of vitamin D! Vitamin D is something we in northern countries are all lacking to various degrees, and is mostly know for its support of bone growth. 

If you want to make this a vegetarian friendly salad replace the chicken with tempeh, make sure to season it so that you add flavour. The anchovy in the dressing can be replaced with 1/2 dl Greek kalamata olives or any other high quality black olives. 

Ingredients needed: 

2 biological chicken files*

1 avocado 

1 medium sized courgette

2 mini gem salads 

1 endive 

150 grams parmesan 

Dressing ingredients: 

1 tsp dijon mustard

juice from 1/2 lemon 

1 tbsp white wine or apple cider vinegar

50 grams parmesan cheese 

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

2-4 anchovy files 

pepper

Here's how to pull this salad together in a jiffy. 

1) If you have a grill pan place it on your stove and start heating the pan, don't use any oil. If you're using a regular frying pan you will need to use some cooking oil. 

2) Slice the courgette into 1cm slices. Test the pan by drizzling a drop of water onto the pans surface, if it sizzles and evaporates its ready for you to place the courgette on it. Wait till the pan is hot enough before grilling the courgette. (If the pan isn't hot enough the courgette & chicken won't get those grill stripes and in my opinion the ingredients stick in the grill pan.) Grill the courgettes on both sides for somewhere between 2-3min per side. You want dark grill marks. Place the courgette on the salad.

3) Now slice the chicken into long slivers and grill as with the courgette. The chicken will need a longer grilling time, check to make sure its cooked through before placing in the salad. 

3) Wash the gem salad and endive. Dry and place on a large plate or bowl. 

4) Halve the avocado and remove the pit, then use a spoon to scoop out each half of avocado. Place on a chopping board and slice into thin slices, add to your salad plate or bowl. 

5) Using a hand blender mix all salad ingredients so that you end up with a smooth thick dressing. 

6) Dress the salad and finally shave some parmesan over the top. 

* Biological means the meat is not pumped full of the antibiotics and other unwanted chemicals. in addition the chicken will have lived a happier life and therefore be less tough and in my opinion tastier. 

Green Barley

I love barley, and I love pesto. This is simply a combination of both in a bowl with some spring vegetables. This dish is done within 30-40minutes. A healthy visually delighting dish.

I have posted pesto recipes previously so I won't repeat the recipe here. Suffice to say, its very simple and very quick to make.

The main ingredient in this dish, barley is high in dietary fiber which, by now, we all know is good for our digestive system. In addition barely has the lowest GI of all whole grains, meaning it will help keep you blood sugar level thus decreasing sudden hunger attacks and sugar cravings. Barely also contains both vitamins and minerals among others  vitamin B (niacin) that supports cardio vascular health.

I also love the vegetable Romanesco, its just got such an amazing look. It's flavour is a combo of broccoli and cauliflower. It's health benefits are; high levels of vitamin C, folic acid, fiber and potassium. Potassium helps keep blood pressure low. It helps regulate the blood volume and it's acidity. In addition it is important for muscle growth. Basically good stuff.

If you don't happen to have pesto on hand, and don't feel like making it, you could simplify and just sprinkle a little lemon juice and olive oil over the top and perhaps some freshly grated peccorino or parmesan and lots of fresh pepper.

Ingredients serving 2:
1 dl fresh home made pesto (see previous posts)
1/3 head of romanesco
1 dl fresh or frozen peas
6 green asparagus stalks
2 stalks of celery
1 yellow onion
Drizzle cooking oil

1. The barley takes approximately 20min to cook, check the package cooking instructions to make sure as each seems to have varying cooking time. 
2. Chop the vegetables to bite size and fry in a little cooking oil. You want to retain the crunch of these vegetables but also not leave them entirely raw. I suggest frying them on a low heat for approximately 6-8 minutes. The frozen peas will defrost as you fry them.
3. Mix the vegetables with the barley and then add in the pesto. 

I hope you enjoy this dish!

Chunky vegetable green lentil chorizo soup

I love having some 'basic' vegetables at home because it allows you to make up loads of new recipes playing around with new ingredients, spices and ultimately flairs and textures and the basic veggies make it so much easier cause they are the silent pillars to these dishes. Also these silent players make it possible to throw a new dish together without having to do a major shopping tour. This soup came from 'use what ya got' and I had green lentils and a small piece of dried chorizo sausage and my basic veggies (celery, onion, paprika, carrots, fresh chill). 

This dish can be made vegetarian* by replacing the chorizo with smoked paprika powder and smoked tofu. 

Here is what you will need: 

1/2 fresh chili 

1 dl dried green lentils (or puy or beluga lentils) 

2 stalks of celery

1/4 celeriac or 1/2 parsnip

1/2 medium red, yellow green paprika 

1 yellow onion 

2 medium sized carrots 

600 ml water

1 vegetable or chicken stock cube

salt, pepper

drizzle of cooking oil 

1. Peel the carrot and roughly chop
2. Peel and chop the onion
3. Wash the celery stalks and chop into bite size, do the same for the paprika only chop into a slightly larger size as this cooks through faster than the rest of the veggies.
4. Peel the celeriac or parsnip and chop roughly
5. Slice the chorizo into as thin slices as you possibly can, this component is all about extracting all the yummy flavours of the sausage. 
6. Wash and drain the lentils. 
7. Drizzle the cooking oil into a large soup pan and fry all the vegetables for a few minutes, just slightly softening the onion and celery. Season with salt & pepper*. 
8. Add the lentils, chorizo, water and stock cube to the pan and bring to a boil slowly. 
9. Allow to simmer on a low heat for somewhere between 35-45 min. You want to have the lentils cooked through but not too mushy.

* If you decide to go vegetarian this is when you add the smoked paprika power. Allow the frying process to continue a moment longer so that the spice has time to open up and coat all the veggies. 

Going Dutch meshing stampot and hutspot

Here we go, as far I might know I could be stepping over a non written dutch law by combining the stampot with hotspot...well all i have to say to that is, it turned out good, real good. 

For those of you that know nothing of either stampot or hotspot basically both are mashed potatoes mix with onions, sour kraut, bacon or carrots and parsnip (I think). Well, I meshed these up and added peas and skipped the bacon. 

I have also made this mesh with kale and sweet potato. Also works really well. 

You can serve this mash with lightly fried or steamed fish or a tofu burger or as I did with a traditional Dutch rook worst (smoked sausage), biological/ecological meat of course. 

Serves 4: 

4 medium potatoes 

1 medium sweet potato

1 medium parsnip or 1/3 celeriac

1 small or half a medium shallot onion 

1,5-3 dl sauerkraut (amount depends on how much you like this stuff)

1 dl frozen peas

2 medium sized carrots 

salt and pepper

pinch of nutmeg

60 grams butter

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1-2 dl water

Optional: Sliced kale which should be added to the last step of making the mash (step 5 below) so as not to cover cook. Also fresh parsley is nice to mix into the mash at the end. 

1. Peel the potatoes and parsnip/celeriac and slice into cubes of approx. 2x2cm. Place in a pan and cover with water, bring to a boil and lower the heat and cover with lid. Cook till the potatoes, parsnip/celeriac are soft. 
2. While the potatoes cook, peel the carrots and chop into cubes of 1/5 cm approximately. 
3. Chop the shallot onion finely. 
4. Take out the frozen peas and allow to thaw, even if they are still partially frozen when added to the mash they will thaw during the heating process. 
5. Place the sauerkraut in a pan with the water, this is to make sure the sauerkraut will not burn. Place on a low heat. Add the diced carrots. 
6. Once the potatoes are done you need to move fast, you want to use the heat from the boiled potatoes to melt the butter and slightly cook the onion. But first you want to use a whisk or other utensil to 'mash' the potatoes, this before you add the butter. Once all has been mashed add the butter and onions. Mix with a whisk blending everything into a smooth mash.
7. Season with salt, pepper and some nutmeg. 
8. Now add the peas. 
9. Drain the sauerkraut and carrots and add to the mash, now mix with a spoon and place back onto a low heat. Drizzle the olive oil into the mash and mix. Taste, add more butter if you think it needs a little more richness. If you think it too dry add a splash of milk (dairy, rice, or almond as long as both the last mentioned are not sweetened!).
10. Serve with your choice of fish, tofu, sausage or perhaps even a meat stew. 

Yellow Lentil Turmeric Soup

This is a really simple soup. Just throw all the ingredients into a large soup pan and cook and viola! Filling and healthy, could it get any better?

Turmeric is one of those spices that is up there on the super food list. Among other things it has strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Ingredients for 6 servings:

2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 dl yellow lentils
1 dl brown/orange (mountain) lentils - this could be replaced with regular brown lentils
1 tbsp tumeric
1 onion
1 red or green paprika
1 vegetable stock cube
1/2 tbsp coconut or other cooking oil
500 grams water
salt + pepper

1. Begin by chopping up all the ingredients. Then fry off with the turmeric and oil in a large soup pan. 
2. Once the vegetables have been softened slightly and the turmeric covers all add the water and stock cube. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 30min. 
3. Taste the soup after 30 min, add salt + pepper and allow to cook for another 10min. 
4. The consistency you want at the end is smooth without using a blender. 

Smokey Vegetable Broth Soup

Yes it's been a while. I am sorry for that because I have missed this creative outlet. Anyhow I am back and I intend to continue posting frequently.

This is a soup that has a smokey flavour to it bringing warmth and feel good. It's a great lunch or dinner option during autumn or winter as it's based on late autumn/winter veggies. You could adjust the vegetables according to your own preference. I chose these as I like this combination and flavour.

Soup for 4: 

1/2 Celeriac

1 medium sized sweet potato

1 red + 1 green paprika 

1 whole leek 

1/2 fennel bulb

12 cherry tomatoes (I buy them on their stalk as this usually gives them more flavour)

500 ml water

1 tbsp coconut oil 

1 vegetable stock cube

1/2 tbsp smoked paprika powder

salt + pepper

fresh flat parsley to serve

drizzle of cold pressed olive oil

1. Begin buy peeling the sweet potato and celeriac, this is best done with a knife and you will loose a lot of flesh not much to be done about that sadly. Chop both these into approx. 2 cm cubes.
2. Wash the fennel bulb and paprikas, chop into approx. 2 cm cubes. This soup is best with chunky veggies. 
3. Slice down the length of the leek and open up the layers so that you can wash away any dirt that has collected. The chop into 2 cm slices. 
4. Add the coconut oil to a large pan and the some paprika powered and all the veggies, lightly fry the veggies for 2-3min.
5. Then the water and the stock cube. Stir and allow to simmer on a low heat for 20minutes. Then taste and salt and pepper. You want soft veggies and a light broth. 
6. Serve with a small bunch of parsley and perhaps a drizzle of cold pressed olive oil. 

Simple cold noodle salad

It's been a while since I last posted a recipe. I am hoping this large gap won't occur again.

Here is a simple, light and fresh noodle salad. Healthy, easy to make and full of vibrant flavors. You can add some smoked trout mackerel or even some seared tuna file. You can add as much or as little vegetable variations as you like.

Here is what you need to serve 4

Vegetable suggestions; courgette, shiitake mushrooms, shaved fennel, red yellow paprika, butter beans, haricots vert,  fresh baby spinach, sugar snaps.
1 full spring onion
Sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds
Handful of fresh coriander
1 pack of rice noodles

dressing
1/2 deseeded fresh chilli
1 tbsp cold pressed sesame oil
pinch of freshly grated ginger
2 tsp tamari or japanese soy sauce
1 tsp white wine or rice vinegar
*optional 1/2 grated garlic

1. Begin by slicing the vegetables of your choice into thin slices, all of these will be added raw to the salad so you want to be sure the veg you use is chewable. Specifically the beans and spring onion need to be sliced very thin. 
2. Boil water for your noodles and cook according to the recipe. Once cooked rinse under cold water. Mix with the finely sliced vegetables.
3. Finely chop the chili and add to the rest of the dressing ingredients. Mix well and pour over the noodles and veg. 
4. Finally chop the fresh coriander over the top. 

Candy colored salad

You just have to love the colors and pattern of this beet. Real candy-ish. And in a way it is candy, they taste sweet and July is the season for these beauties.

This salad is a combo of in season ingredients; fragrant dill, crisp pointed cabbage, soft and squishy barley, hazelnut pesto to top if off.

Ingredients, salad for 2:
1/3 of a pointed cabbage
2-4 stalks of fresh dill, amount depends on how much you like the flavour of dill.
2-3 medium sized multicolored beets
1,2 dl barley (soaked over night in water)

Hazelnut pesto:
handful of fresh basil leaves
handful of fresh parsley
1 small clove of garlic
small handful of toasted* hazelnuts (this is important as the toasted version have a deeper flavour)
50 grams parmesan
squeeze of lemon juice
pinch of salt
fresh pepper
3 tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

* To toast the hazelnuts heat your oven, once it's warm (180 C) place on a baking tray and toast for 10-15 min. After half the time shake the tray to move the nuts around.

1. Scrub the beets to clean them of any dirt. Place in a pan with water and bring to a boil. Once the water has started to boil turn down the heat and allow to simmer. Cooking time varies and per taste, I like my beets somewhat chewy others like there's soft all the way through. Depending on how you like yours, keep poking them with a fork (like potatoes) to feel how far along they have cooked. Once the beets have cooked to your preference pour out the hot water and rinse them in cold water. Allow to cool slightly. 
2. Boil your barley according to the packaging, if it was soaked over night it should be between 15-22min. Sieve, pour a drizzle of olive oil over the hot barley to prevent it from sticking together, mix through. 
3. Now slide the skin off the beets, the skin should just slip off. Then cut into cubes. Admire the coloures and place in a salad bowl. 
4. Slice the pointed cabbage into shreds. Chop the dill and add both cabbage & dill to the beets. 
5. Place all the pesto ingredients in a blender, blend till its looks like the picture above. 
6. Add the pesto to the rest of the salad ingredients. Then admire again, and dig in!

Miso, tofu, buckwheat noodle soup

Simple dish with humble flavors. Even my hubby whom dislikes tofu loves this use of it. Basically it's the classic miso soup with add ons.

If you can find 100% buckwheat noodles then your creating a gluten free dish. 

Dinner or lunch for 2: 

1/2 courgette 

2-4 stalks of fresh spring onions

handful of fresh coriander/cilantro leaves 

3 tbsp heaped miso paste 

800 ml water 

7-8 shiitake mushrooms 

200grams plain or smoked tofu 

1/2 or 3/4 pack of buckwheat noodles 

* optional: flakes of dried nori (dried seaweed)

1. Bring the water & miso paste to a boil, whisking the miso to loosen the paste. 
2. Meanwhile, chop the courgette, tofu, shiitake and the white ends of the spring onions into blocks. of 2x2cm.
3. Add the veggies + tofu to the water & miso.
4. Cook on a low simmer for 10min.
5. Bring water to boil for the noodles. Cook according to the noodle package, taking off 1min of the cooking time as they will continue to cook when in the soup. I usually add a little oil to the noodle water as they usually easily stick to each other once they come out of the water. 
6. Sieve the noodles. taste the soup. Place the noodles in the bottom of the bowls then top with the soup.
7. Finally add the green ends of the spring onions and the coriander leaves. 

Trout salad with a coriander dressing

I love salads. I eat them almost 3/4ths of the year. I cannot get enough of them, rabbit food as my hubby calls it.

This was a fluke, I just used what I had at home and it turns out yummy! I had left over black beans but you could substitute them for put lentils or even quinoa.

Salad for 1:
150 gram smoked or pre cooked trout file
1/2 dl pre cooked beans, lentils or quinoa
3-4 cherry tomatoes
handful of mixed salad leaves

coriander dressing:
handful or coriander leaves
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp roasted pine nuts
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Very easy, you simply assemble the salad: place all in a bowl and crumble the fish on-top. 
2. For the dressing you place all the ingredients in a blender. Taste and add more seasoning if you need. 
3. Drizzle the dressing over the top of the salad, mix and eat. Enjoy. 

Pesto Salad

This is one of those salads where I just use what I have in the fridge. The key ingredients here is the soft boiled egg, avocado & the pestos dressing.  YUM!!! I am truley a pesto freak. Can't get enough of it, same goes for my mum &

sis. We love to pill it on and down our food in it.

The rest just needs to be some basic salad ingredients. I happened to have some left over seaweed (no idea what the name for it is..it's salty & crunchy and needs to have a quick, blanch - dip in boiling water). 

So here is the recipe - salad for 1:

1 fresh biological egg (this will make a difference to the taste)
1/2 avocado
1 tbsp black olives (kalamata or other strong flavored olive, again this will improve the flavor so don't get the cheap-o tinned version)
1/3 cucumber or 2-3 radishes
3-4 cherry tomatoes
Salad leaves - I used water cress for it's slightly peppery flavor
* optional seaweed "sticks" (sorry cannot find name for this...) it is not essential to the salad so don't go crazy trying to find it.

for the pesto dressing:
1 tight handful of fresh basil leaves
1/2 tbsp roasted pine nuts
2 roasted walnuts
3 smoked (unsalted) or roasted almonds
NUTS- you could also just choose to use 1 type of nut which could save you on shopping & effort. I just have all at home always so for me it's an easy choice.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp parmesan (for pesto & pasta I use more parmesan but this is a dressing and needs to be loose)
salt & pepper
juice from 1/2 lemon (this to add acidity and loosen up the pesto making it more fluid to pour as a dressing)

1. * this first step is only for it you choose to add the seaweed to your salad. Heat a small sauce pan of water. Once it boils add the seaweed sticks. Pull the water off the heat immediately and fish out the seaweed. They just need a quick 'dip', blanch in cooking language. Pour into a sieve and then rinse in cold.
1/2. In another pan place your egg and cover with water. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Time the cooking - the egg needs max 7min but no less than 6min. Be precise.
3. While the egg cooks, place all the ingredients for the pesto in a blender, blend and then taste. Add more seasoning or nuts or cheese if you feel the need. Just remember this is not a thick paste it's supposed to be a dressing.
3. Check your egg time. Slice your cucumber/radish, avocado and tomatoes.
4. Plate the a handful of salad in a bowl and add the cucumber/radish, avocado, tomatoes ontop.
5. Once the egg is done, rinse for a minute under cold water to stop it from cooking further.
6. Now place the seaweed atop the salad, the drizzle the dressing over the top and finally half the egg and sit it on the top.

Leek & onion soup

Leek & Onion soup, much like French onion soup really. And just as delicious. Of course the original French onion soup is made with beef stock which gives it the deep sweet flavor. This soup does not have that same deep sweet flavor as I used chicken stock, you could also use vegetable keeping it strictly vegetarian.

Sweet potato barley soup

Another of my favorite winter soups. Barley and sweet potato are a perfect union. You can really use what ever veg you have in your fridge. Soups are always a great way to use up old veggies.



Recipe for 8 servings

8 button mushrooms
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 stalks of celery
2 dl pearled barley
1/3 of a broccoli head
1/2 fennel bulb
a few stalks of fresh parsley
2 stock cubes - chicken or veggie
salt & pepper
drizzle of cooking oil or coconut oil (my new favorite cooking oil - just make sure you use the flavourless version)
6 dl water

1. Chop all the veggies into chunks. 
2. Drizzle some cooking oil into a big pot and slowly fry the veggies, on a low heat for a few minutes. You just want to give them a little time to open up in flavor. 
3. Add the stock cube & water
4. Add the barley
5. Allow the soup to simmer, on a low heat for 30 min. Leave the lid half ways on.  
6. Taste, add salt & pepper and add the stalks of the parsley, save the leaves for last minute garnish. 
7. Allow the soup to simmer another 12-15min. taste again and add more seasoning if need be. 
8. The barley should be soft & bouncy while the veggie soft-ish. 
9. Once you are content with the taste & consistency pour the soup out into bowls and add the fresh parsley