Creamy courgette, mint and pea soup

This amazingly simple and super creamy soup is inspired by one of my own favourite food blogs Green Kitchen Stories. I am sure you have heard of them and if not make sure you check them out. Amazingly creative people.

I have tired to make mint pea soup before and failed miserably. The courgette and the coconut milk add such a creamy texture that I will never again try any other recipe.

I think you could easily replace the mint for spinach perhaps even upping the amount to two handfuls.

I recently found out that peas contain a large amount of protein. Yippee for vegetarians! Also peas contain so called phytonutrients that guard again cancer through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Another benefit is tier low GI profile, meaning they won't spike your sugar level,  and lead you to sugar cravings. Instead they will elongate your blood sugar level to keep you full longer.

Anyone can throw this soup together, all you need is:

1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1 courgette, chopped into dices
300 grams frozen peas (or fresh if your lucky enough to find)
handful of fresh mint leaves (I plucked 5 stalks)
1 veggie stock cube
sale and pepper to taste
1 tinned coconut milk
1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped into cubes
optional - 1/3 chili, chopped
250 grams water

1. Fry the chopped chili and diced onion in the coconut oil for a few minutes, until the onion gets soft and shiny. The add the courgette and give it a little fry, just to bring out its flavour and soften it up a bit. 
2. Now add the frozen peas, coconut milk, crumble in the stock cube and add the water. 
3. Bring to a boil, stir and lower to a simmer. Depending on if your peas were frozen or not you will have varying cooking time. However check the consistency of the peas and courgette after 5min and again after 8-10min. Once the peas are soft, add the fresh mint and then blend. 
4. Add salt and pepper to taste and allow the soup to reheat then serve. 

To serve, a drizzle of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle of hemp seeds and roasted pumpkin seeds. I also added some sprouted buckwheat but that's not really gonna make or break the soup. I bet some non salted pistachios would do really nicely in place of the hemp and or pumpkin seeds.

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. 

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! 

Lentils, feta, grilled courgette and end of summer

As summer draws to an end I try to relive it through my meals. This is inspired by my sister, she often makes it with smoked trout. It can be eaten luke warm or cold, as lunch or dinner. You can add or take out, and exchange the ingredients for others; avocado, grilled hallumi, radishes, cooked red beet, chicken, tuna, smoked mackerel or trout.  What ever takes your fancy. 

Lentils are a great source of fiber, folic acid and protein. In addition they are low in Calories. The beluga lentils also contain the highly antioxidant anthocyanin (also found in dark berries) which help fight free radicals that can lead to various cell damage and thus diseases. 

I tend to use either puy or beluga lentils for this dish, as they usually retain more of a bite and are less mushy. The beluga lentils have a slightly nuttier flavour. You could also use regular brown, however I wouldn't use yellow.

For this version I used - feeds 4: 

1 pack feta (preferably sheep or goat milk)

2 dl beluga lentils

10 wild cherry tomatoes 

1 courgette 

handful of mixed fresh herbs like; basil, parsley, coriander, tarragon

1/2 vegetable or chicken stock cube 

3-3,5 dl water

Lemon mustard vinaigrette: 

juice of half a lemon 

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

salt + pepper

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1. Begin by rinsing the lentils, using a strainer. 
2. Place the lentils in a pan and add just enough water to cover. Crumble a stock cube into the lentils and bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer. Keep adding water when most of the water has evaporated. Cooking time varies but aim for about 15-20 minutes. Taste to decide how much of a bite you want to them. 
3. Wash the courgette and slice into rings. Heat a grill pan and then grill the courgette on both sides, no oil or other fat needs to be used. Place to the side to allow to cool. Once cool you na either leave them as they are or slice the rings into smaller pieces. 
4. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes and place in a bowl. 
5. Either crumble or cut the feta into cubes and add to the tomatoes. Once the courgette has cooled add to the bowl. 
6. Wash the herbs and chop roughly and add the rest in the bowl.
7. To make the vinaigrette first whisk the lemon juice with the mustard, salt and pepper. Then add the oil and whisk until thick and emulsified. 
8. Once the lentils are cooked (I prefer them al-dente), add them to the bowl and mix with the vinaigrette.  

I hope you enjoy as much I do!

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Butternut squash sage soup

Sage is one of those herbs that is underrated, and one of which I never use. However, it's full of flavour. Soup for the soul.

1 butternut squash
1 veggie or chicken stock cube
2 sage leaves
600 ml water
salt & pepper
1 medium yellow onion
2 tsp coconut oil (flavourless)
salt & pepper
pinch of dried chilli

1. Dice the onion and fry in the coconut oil. Add the pinch of dried chilli and the sliced sage. Fry till onion has begun to soften. 
2. Peel the squash and cut into 3cm cubes and add to the frying onion mix. Fry for a couple of minutes. Basically this allows all the flavours to combine or rather marriage. 
3. Add the water & stock cube and bring to a boil then lower heat to a slow simmer.
4. Boil for around 20min. Till the squash can easily be poked through with a fork or knife. 
5. Blend to make a smooth soup. You can add a little more water if the soup seems to thick. If the soup is too thin then allow the soup to continue boiling on a low heat for another 10-15min. 
6. Season with salt & pepper and taste, add more sage if you want a stronger flavour. 

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. 

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

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!