Seasonal chestnut pancakes

I am a total pancake fanatic. If I could I would have them every morning. This version is gluten free, using chestnut flour which considering the season I thought pretty appropriate. I also add a little lupin flour as it contains lots of plant protein.

Lupin is a totally cool vegetable protein source. Very underrated even though it is nutritionally a hard hitter. It's a great source of vegetable fiber, aiding in digestion, lowering cholesterol levels and supports general intestinal detoxification. Contains substantial levels of vitamin B's; thiamin, which is essential for converting carbs into energy and for brain cell membranes, and folate, used for proper DNA replication. Zinc, for immune function and magnesium which helps muscles recover after a work out as well as supporting bone strength. However it should be noted that allergic reactions have been had by those with peanut allergies.

The ground flaxseeds I use in these pancakes are also a great source of dietary fiber. Grinding them makes their fiber absorbable as it is not while they are kept whole.
It's always best to grind your own flax seeds, as they go rancid very quickly making them harmful rather than beneficial nutritionally. To grand them flat seeds simply whizz them with any type of food processor.


Ingredients for 4 pancakes:
2 dl chestnut flour
1/2 dl lupin flour
1/2 dl ground flax seeds 
pinch of salt
2 eggs
2-2,5 dl plant/rice milk
1,5 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

1. Begin by mixing the eggs then adding half the milk, mix. 
2. Mix the dry ingredients and then add 1/3 to the egg milk mix, whisk till it's lump free. 
3. Now add the remaining flour and the melted fat of choice. 
4. Heat a medium to large sized frying pan, add a little fat and using a tissue spread the fat out evenly in the pan. 
5. Once the pan is sizzling hot, drop 1dl of the pancake mix into the middle of the pan and then slowly roll the pan so that the batter spreads a little towards the pans edges. Turn down the heat. You want a round-ish shaped pancake. The first pancake always needs a little extra time in the pan. Flip it over once you see that the top has congealed (no longer runny)and the edges are cooked  (hard but not burned). Flip the pancake and cook for a few seconds. 
6. Repeat this process with the rest of the batter, only the rest of the pancakes should need less cooking time than the first. 

I love to serve my pancakes with a chia berry compote. The chia seeds are great at soaking up liquids so my defrosted (frozen) berries get turned into a thick sauce instead of a wet mess. Chia seeds are a brilliant way of getting you those much needs Omega-3 fats.

Slices of banana or pear are also a great topping, as well as hempseed for more plant protein. A sprinkle of cinnamon adds to the seasonal flavour, as well as helps stablize blood sugar. 

Soaked prunes, dates or maple syrup are my usual choice of sweetners. 

Moist, chocolate speckled zucchini bread - Gluten free

I love coconut flour. Wow what a revelation. It gives a certain fluffier texture to baked goods while staying light and moist. Perfect for this recipe.

I sweetened with dates, no additional sugar used. The chocolate also helps add sweetness but I believe the coconut flour also gives a little sweetness of its own.

Truly addictive, and I only say this after sharing some of the bread with friends and they praise was high enough for me to feel free to.

Coconut flour is made from coconut meat. It's gluten free and high in fiber, which we all know in turn is good for our digestion, helping move unwanted cholesterol and other bad fats out of our system which in turn protects us from clogged blood vessels and other cardiovascular diseases. Fiber has also been found to help combat colon cancer, again as the fiber helps speed up the expelling of toxic wastes from our metabolism.  

Ingredients needed for one loaf: 

100-150 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped 

4 eggs 

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

4-5 dates (soak for at least 30min)

1 dl yoghurt (sheep, coconut or cows)

1,5 dl oat, rice or other nut milk

2 dl coconut flour

1 dl oat flour (gluten free)

1/2 medium sized zucchini, grated

choose between 1/2 grated apple or 1 mashed over ripe banana

2 tsp baking powder 

pinch of salt 

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

optional - 1 dl walnuts, pecans or pumpkin seeds (I used pumpkin)

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. 
2. Cook the dates in the water, to loosen them up and then puree into a sauce
3. Whisk the eggs till fluffy, add the date puree once cooled
4. Same goes for the coconut oil, heat so it melts, then add to eggs once slightly cooled
5. Now add the milk, zucchini and apple/banana
6. Add all the dry ingredients, mix. 
7. Add the chocolate, mix. 
8. If the dough is looking dry (it needs to be some what loose, sticky), add a little more milk
9. Transfer the dough to a baking tine lined with baking paper or grease the pan before hand
10. Bake for 45min-1hour. You will know its ready when you can poke a form in the middle and it comes out dry. If while baking the top of the bread starts to look a bit too dark, cover with some aluminium foil. 

Allow the bread to cool and then dig in and enjoy!!

Coconut flour pancakes

I am well aware that I have posted multiple pancake recipes at this point. Perhaps you're catching onto my love of these dense, yet fluffy, sweet and inner child pleasing pillows of heaven.

I recently discovered coconut flour so I decided to give it a go on my favourite breakfast item. I can tell you it was a success! The coconut flour has a certain graininess or perhaps better explained as a rougher texture than regular flour. However it brings lots of moisture and fluffiness in place of the denseness other flours can give. The great thing is it's gluten free and full of good nutrients (to read more on nutrients see my post on zucchini bread).

Ingredients for 4 pancakes:

2 eggs
2 dl coconut flour
1,5 dl oat flour
pinch of salt
1,5 tsp baking powder
2,5-3 dl oat/nut/soy/dairy milk
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

optional - 1/2 tsp cinnamon or cardamon or zest of lemon or lime (perhaps even orange could be nice)

1. Begin with mixing the milk and eggs till combined
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the milk egg mix. 
3. Heat pan and melt the coconut oil, add to the batter. Keep the pan and the left over coconut oil and when you know the pan is hot, but not searing hot, using a soup ladle or dl cup scoop out enough for each pancake into the pan. Make sure there is room for the pancake to ooze a little to each side. Turn down the heat. Allow to cook on the first side for approx. 2-3 minutes, then flip and allow for the same time on the other side. If you touch the middle of the pancake it should feel bouncy, if not allow to cook further on a low heat. 

Serve the pancakes with your choice of berries and or fruits, maple syrup or honey, nuts or seeds. My favourite always remains slices of banana, blueberries and or raspberries and toasted walnuts topped with a good splash of maple syrup. 

Sprouted buckwheat, banana & cocao nib granola

My sister has sent me granola from Australia twice and both times when the granola nears the end I am depressed. The Australians call the activated buckwheat granola Buckini's. I like the sound of that. 

So I tried to make something similar. Not close to as good as the Aussie version but close enough. 

Buckwheat is gluten free, in fact it's a fruit not a grain. The health benefit of anything sprouted is what you awaken the otherwise dormant nutrients locked in the sprouted ingredient. So basically you're boosting the nutrient content. While making it much easier for your system to digest. 

If you don't have the patience to sprout the buckwheat (trust me it's super simple), you could use just dried regular buckwheat. Just not sure if it will turn out really hard. 

I recently found out about the super food lucuma. It's a natural sweetener, low GI,  that is often used in Central America. The added benefit is that it contains good levels of the cancer fighting B vitamin Beta-carotene, iron, zinc as well as calcium and protein. It's the first time I use it and for me, it was a mild enough sweetness with no strange long lingering after taste. 

I bet adding some hazelnuts to the mix would also bring about another level of yummy. 

Ingredients: 

4 dl sprouted buckwheat*

2 tsp ground cardamon or cinnamon 

1,5  banana - over ripe, mashed

1,5 tbsp coconut oil, melted

pinch of salt 

1,5 dl pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or half of each  

1,5 dl walnuts or pecans 

2 tbsp lucuma - optional

1,5 dl shaved coconut

1 dl chia seeds or flax

1 dl mulberries

2/3 dl cacao nibs

optional - 2 tbsp maple syrup (if you like your granola sweet)
yocuma

1. Pre-heat your oven to 150C. 
2. In a bowl add the sprouted buckwheat, mashed banana, coconut oil, salt, cardamon or cinnamon and mix (and maple syrup of you want extra sweetness). You want to mix it thoroughly. 
3. Add the nuts and seeds and the flaked coconut. 
4. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper. 
5. Spread the mix out so that you allow for as much browning of each ingredient as possible. 
6. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-40min. Each 10min you want to give it all a stir, so that you get everything roasted and toasted without burning. 
7. Allow to cool completely before transferring to a container, then add the chia/flax, mulberries, cacao nibs and mix or shake around to spread those last yummies evenly through the granola. 

This granola will keep out of the fridge for about 1 week. So eat up!! I can highly recommend eating it with coconut or sheep yoghurt and some fresh fruit of the season. 

* Sprouting buckwheat is real simple. Add the dried buckwheat to a bowl and cover with water for 8 hours (over night), place a plate over the bowl so its not air tight but covered. Rinse thoroughly and then return the semi wet buckwheats to the same bowl. Again cover with a plate. Leave for another day.

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. 

Breakfast indulgence, Banana chia pancakes

I love to indulge on Sunday's. Pancakes are a favourite breakfast item. I have posted a recipe for fluffy (gluten free) pancakes previously, which is still a favorite, but requires several steps and is a bit time consuming to prep. These pancakes are not fluffy, they are deliciously dense and heavy due to the use of bananas. This recipe was inspired by a similar one on the blog 'Healthy breakfast Club, I have just added my own twist.

I am in a total pancake mode at the moment, and have been experimenting with various versions. This recipe is flexible on the flour you use, you can exchange the oat flor for spelt (I would suggest, half whole wheat and half white) almond flour, quinoa flour. 

Here is what you need to make 6 pancakes. Believe me 3 is enough for a person of big appetite. 

If you don't like banana in your batter you can skip it!

2 very ripe banana's (or 2 dl yoghurt, I like to use sheep)

3 dl oat flour* (can be exchanged for other flours)

1,5 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt 

1 tbsp coconut sugar 

zest from half a lemon

2 eggs

2 tbsp coconut oil 

1-2 tbsp chia seeds

1. Melt the coconut oil in the pan you plan to fry the pancakes in. 
2. In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients. 
3. In a blender mix the bananas, add the melted coconut oil, leaving the pan with a little fat over to fry in. 
4. Now mix the wet with the dry ingredients. 
5. Heat then pan and about half a dl of mix to the pan. If you have a large enough pan you should be able to fry off several in one pan. The first pancakes always take the longest, have patience. You want to flip them over once you see they give off a bubble on the surface. This takes between 204minutes for the first batch, this time shortens once the pan has really heated up. 

Enjoy the pancakes with maple syrup, berries and roasted walnuts and/ or hazelnuts. 

Gluten Free Salty Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Most of the time I have very specific cravings. Same goes for creating these cookies, I wanted chocolate and nut and saltiness in a cookie form. And viola, that's what I created. These can easily be made completely gluten free (although the cookies become more crumbly as mine were) or you can replace the quinoa and oat flour with spelt or regular unbleached wheat flour. I didn't have baking powered in-house so I made do without however I do believe a small pinch of baking powered would be helpful to add a little fluff.

Ingredients to make approx 20 cookies: 

2 dl hazelnut flour/ground hazelnut

1/2 dl palm or coconut sugar

1/2 dl brown cane sugar

1,5 tsp salt (I used himalayan salt as I do with everything as it's much healthier)

2 dl oat flour

1 egg

1 dl rice or quinoa flour (or spelt/wheat which takes away the gluten free aspect) 

1/2 dl coconut oil

40 grams butter

300 grams good quality chocolate

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients then add the softened butter and coconut oil and mix. 
3. Add the egg once the ingredients have combined mix into the dough. 
4. Finally add the chopped up chocolate and mix. 
5. Spoon out a regular spoon of the dough and place on baking paper on an oven tray. Make sure there is space between the each cookie so they can spread out as they bake. 
6. Bake in the middle of the oven between 9-12min.

Enjoy these with a cup of hot tea coffee or if your in a real chocolate mood a cup of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream. I hope you like these as much as I did. 

Yellow courgette, fennel & quinoa salad

I admit, this is more of a summer salad. However the colours are just so vibrant that looking at it will make you warmer during these colder winter days.

Salad for 2:
1/2 yellow or green courgette
1/2 medium fennel bulb
1 spring onion stake (using only the greener half)
1 dl mixed quinoa (white, red, black)
half a handful of fresh coriander leaves
1 ripe avocado
1 dl frozen peas

Lemon vinaigrette:
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine or apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper
1,5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Rinse & cook the quinoa according to the packaging. Add the frozen peas to the last 4min of the cooking time.
2. Halve the courgette and then slice through the middle. Also half the fennel. Using a mandolin or a cheese cutter shave the fennel and fennel. Place in a mixing bowl.
3. Chop the green end of the spring onion, add to the courgette & fennel. 
4. Mix together the dressing until all combined and then pour over the courgette & fennel. Mix. 
5. Plate the quinoa and then add the salad on top. 
6. Halve the avocado and take out the inner pit and chop and place onto of the salad and the quinoa. 
7. Finally chop the fresh coriander and sprinkle atop the salad. 

Huevos Rancheros revisited

I have posted this recipe before, Huevos Rancheros.

This version uses Portobello mushrooms to replace the chorizo sausage, making it both gluten free & vegetarian. So now everyone can enjoy this dish!

Follow the original recipe read here - http://meandmyfood.blogspot.nl/2012/11/huevos-rancheros.html

The main difference will be that you do not fry the sausage or tortilla instead you fry the portabello in a little coconut oil (make sure it's flavourless) on a low heat for 5-6min. The mushrooms will release some water. Season with salt & pepper and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over once you plate.

Ceasar salad

Simple classic. Ceasar salad. Crisp, creamy, salty. I added broccoli, chicken and a soft boiled egg taking it from the level of lunch/starter to a filling satisfying dinner dish. You have to be in the mood for this dish, it is rich and it is heavy but may crave it once in a while as I do then nothing else will do.

Basically the 3 main star ingredients of this dish is the anchovy, parmesan and gem salad. If you don't have these you can't make this salad. It's that simple. If you know me you know I play around with traditional recipes all the time, as I have with this one too, but these 3 cannot be changed or replaced or left out. Now that that's clear we can move onto the recipe:

Ingredients for 2 servings
100 grams fresh parmesan (non of that powder, dried stuff)
3 baby gem heads
1/3 broccoli head
1 boiled chicken file (boil a chicken file in water, until cooked through)
salt & pepper

dressing:

1 biological egg

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp dijon mustard 

6 anchovy files

1 dl extra virgin cold pressed olive oil (mild)

1/2 garlic clove

pepper

Important for the dressing, all the ingredients need to be somewhat room temperature, to avoid the chance of it splitting. 

1. Wash the gem salad and the broccoli. Dry the salad leaves.
2. Steam or boil the broccoli, I like mine al dente so I make sure to take it off the heat while it's still somewhat stiff and hard, this because it will continue to cook after you strain it. 
3. Soft boil an egg.
4. Place all the dressing ingredients, save the olive oil, in a blender, blend. Then once combined add the olive oil, slowly. Taste and add more acid or mustard if you feel it might need. 
5. Place the gem salad leaves in a bowl along with the broccoli. 
6. Shred the chicken on top of the salad and place the soft boiled egg on top. 
7. Add the dressing and finally grate or shave parmesan on-top of the salad. 

A final grind of pepper is recommended.

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. 

A sort of Bircher muesli

I grew up with this version of bircher muesli, not then knowing it's name. It's been an old time favorite since then and comes back every so often when I am reminded of it. To me this is a sort of porridge substitute. Perfect summer breakfast. The grains, oats, raisins, seeds and nuts all  plump up do to the soaking but rain more of their texture than a regular porridge. 

Normally bircher muesli is made buy soaking oat, rainsins, seeds and nuts (dry muesli mix) in yoghurt, lemon juice sometimes in apple juice. I have also seen versions using soy or rice or almond milk in place of yoghurt. I grew up with water being the soaking liquid, and that's what I still use now with the addition of a little lemon juice. 

Now for the health aspect to this dish. Apparently the body can better absorb and digest both nuts, seeds and grains if they have been soaked or cooked. Even more so soaked as they then retain all their nutrients which are otherwise lost in the heating process. You might have heard of sprouting seed, grains and nuts, this is a nutritional approach to getting the very best out of these products. It's called eating living food, which in itself means higher nutritional benefits. Soaking the muesli is a step towards sprouting, so again higher nutritional value. In addition eating oats and other whole grains helps reduce bad cholesterol levels and also helps maintain a steady blood sugar level which in turn means you stay full longer. 

The great part is you can make endless variations to the muesli mix. You can even make it gluten free by using rice flakes, quinoa flakes, amaranth flakes, buckwheat, and oats (just make sure they have not been processed in combination with other gluten containing grains).

You can replace the raisins for cranberries, goji berries, dried blueberries, dried apricots and or figs, or any other type of dried fruit. 

You can replace the flax seeds for chai or use both. 

You can mix various grain flakes such as rye, buckwheat, spelt, kamut etc..

I usually keep the mix for 2-3 days, I think you can keep it for 4-5 days but I wouldn't try longer than that. It's easy enough to make the night before so large batches are not really necessary. 

Ingredients for 2 portions - the portions will almost double in size once soaked: 

2 dl mixed grains (oats, buckwheat, rye)

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

2 tbsp flaxseeds

2 tbsp dried fruit (if you use larger fruits then I would recommend dicing them into raisin size)

squeeze lemon juice (approx. 1-2 tsp)

4 dl water or yoghurt or milk (almond, soy, rice, oat)* 

you could also decide to use half & half the amount of liquids with water 

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl large enough to allow for the liquid to be added without over flowing, or use a tupperware. 
2. Add the lemon juice and mix.
3. Add the water or other liquid, mix and place in the fridge over night. 

Enjoy with yoghurt or other milk of your choice. I love to add some fresh summer fruit to give it some additional sweetness and color.  

Creamy coconut, Thai flavored pumpkin soup

This is a simple variation on the No Fuss Pumpkin Soup recipe only here I add some Thai green curry paste and coconut milk.

Firstly follow the simple base recipe here, follow link below, then when you get to the stage of adding water before you blend the roasted pumpkin and onion, instead add 2 tbsp of Thai green curry paste and 400 ml of coconut milk:

http://meandmyfood.blogspot.nl/2011/11/no-fuss-roasted-pumpkin-soup.html

9 Grain porridge & rhubarb compote

I love porridge. It reminds me of my dad, his porridge was always creamy yet had lots of texture. Recently I got back into making oat porridge and it is just as fulfilling as when my dad made it so many years ago.

I like to use various grains because they all give various textures. For this particular porridge I used; rye, oat, wheat, buckwheat, barley and rice flakes as well as amaranth and quinoa. Amaranth is an ancient grain that is gluten free and contains high levels of iron, calcium and protein.

If you wanted to make this porridge gluten free you could skip the barley, wheat and rye flakes.

porridge for two:
1 tbsp of each grain
pinch of salt
5 dl water
1 dl soy, almond, oat or dairy milk
2 tbsp flax or chia seeds
cinnamon - optional

1. Place all the grains in a pan and add 3 dl of the water water and bring to a boil. 
2. Lower the heat to a simmering point. 
3. Stir continuously to avoid burning the contents at the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the rest of the water after 7-8min.
5. Add the pinch of salt and keep stirring for another 4-5min. 
6. Finally add the soy/almond/oat or dairy milk along with the flax or chia seeds, stir and, cook for another 1min. 
7. Set the porridge aside with a lid for 3min to allow the final swelling and cooking of the quinoa and amaranth.

Rhubarb compote

4 stalks of rhubarb

500 grams fresh of frozen* strawberries

2 dl palm sugar or honey or half of each 

1. Wash the rhubarb, and chop into 2 cm chunks. 
2. *If you are using frozen strawberries place them in a thick bottomed pan add the sugar/honey and on a low heat slowly melt the strawberries. 
3. If you use fresh strawberries then place the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar/honey in a pan and on a low heat allow these to melt together. Stir every so often to make sure that nothing sticks and burns at the bottom of the pan. 
4. Once the rhubarb has broken apart, taste - taking care not to burn yourself, add more sweetner if you feel needed. 

This compote is also perfect to use in yoghurt with your breakfast cereal or as a dessert with ice cream, or on a crepe. Infact I used it recently as the filling for a pie.

If you don't like rhubarb then exchange it for apple compote or apple sauce. Maple syrup is also always a favorite of mine along with a grated apple or honey. Simply cinnamon on it's own also adds a lot of sweetness and also aids in digestion and in the breakdown of carbs and the sugars they contain. 

Seed, nut & oat bread

Let's get this straight, I did not concoct this recipe myself, although I so wish I had. I found it here, on one of my favorite healthy food blogs, http://mynewroots.org/. Apparently the blogger, Sarah Britton, herself got the recipe form a friend.

Anyhow this bread is awesome, but you do have to like nuts, and seeds cause thats what makes up the entire bread. The most amazing part is that the bread is gluten free and oh so simple to make. It's simple to slice up and free so that you can easily pull out a slice or too and toast. It does taste best when toasted.

I tried to convert the cups and grams into deciliters but it failed miserably so hopefully you can all follow the cup or gram measurements:

1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds

1/2 cup /90g flax seeds

½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water

* I added a small pinch of salt, only because I think it brings out the flavor in all things baked. This was not part of the original recipe.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 175 C
2. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.
3. Whisk together the oil, water and maple syrup and then pour oven the dry ingredients mix well.  
4. While the mix soaks up the liquid place baking paper in a bread form. 
5. Pour the mix into the bread form and push down to make the loaf compact. 
6. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20min. 
7. Then take out of the oven and carefully flip it out of the baking pan, and stick it back in the oven. This to allow the loaf to bake throughly through. Bake for another 30-40min. 
8. Allow the loaf to cool before you slice it. If you have the patience then let it sit over night. This way the bread won't crumble apart. 

Toasting this bread makes it way yummier!

Chocolate hazelnut cake

This cake has become a bit of an obsession. Not only because it contains chocolate but because I have been working in hight & consistency for a long time. I am now finally happy having finally found the right amounts and measurements.


Here are those measurements:

4 eggs
200 grams 70% chocolate
150 grams butter*
400 grams of hazelnut flour (blend preferably roasted & shelled hazelnuts in a blender. blend till you end up with a flour)
pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp sugar**
optional - 1 dl walnuts

*You could replace this with coconut oil - but then use between 80-100 grams. I have not tried it myself but it's worththe try if you dont want to use butter. Although I cannot promise the same final result as with butter.

**I use palm sugar because it contains more nutrients than regular cane. 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 
2. Melt the sugar & chocolate over a bain-marie (place a metal bowl over a pan filled with water. The water should not touch the bowl, you dont need a lot of water)
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar till fluffy
4. Add the somewhat cooled off butter & chocolate
5. Add the hazelnut flour, mix. 
6. Finally add the walnuts
7. Grease a cake form and then pour the cake mix into it
8. Place in the middle of the oven for 35-40 min. The cake should be solid around the edges and still soft in the middle. 
9. Allow the cake to cool and sit for at least 1 hour. If it's cold outside then put it out. Preferably you have the patience, once it's cooled enough to place it in the fridge then let it sit over night. That will only improve it's taste. I myself never have that patience. Luckily it's a bit cake and it's very rich so you will have plenty over to both place in the fridge & have a slice out of the over.