Moroccan Carrot Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
600 g carrots, diced
600 ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp ground allspice
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup natural yoghurt
Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic and coriander seeds. Cook for 3 minutes until tender.

2. Add carrot, stock and bring to boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the carrot is tender.

3. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan. Let it cool and grind using mortar and pestle, or chop finely with a knife.

4. Whizz the carrot and onion mixture in a blender or food processor, add honey, lemon juice and allspice. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a blob of natural yoghurt and coriander leaves.

 

 

Bang Bang Chicken

Ingredients

350 g boneless, skinless chicken meat
Few drops of sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame paste (tahini)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of sugar
shredded lettuce leaves
1 tbsp sesame seeds to serve

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a saucepan of cold water, then bring to the boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Drain and let cool a little, then cut or tear the chicken into bite-size pieces.

2. Mix together the sesame oil, sesame paste, light soy sauce, chicken stock, salt and sugar and whisk until the sauce is thick and smooth. Toss in the chicken.

3. To serve, put the shredded lettuce on a large plate and spoon the chicken and sauce on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve at room temperature.

*this can be also served in a tortilla wrap or with boiled rice

The recipe comes from the book Everyday chicken. A collection of essential recipes

Gluten-free Apricot Snack Bars

These little bars are a powerhouse of nutrition. I made them using apricots, which are excellent sources of vitamin-A and carotenes (the compounds known to have antioxidant properties and essential for vision; vitamin-A also help to maintain healthy skin); and mixed linseeds and sesame seeds. The list of health benefits of linseeds goes on and on, but most importantly, they are rich in omega 3 fats, which are essential for a healthy brain, heart, joints and immune system, and an excellent source of vitamin E required for maintaining the integrity of mucus membranes and skin. They are gluten-free and with no added sugars or sweeteners, and yummy, too! Great lunch-box snack or with yoghurt for breakfast ;)

Ingredients

100g dried soft apricots, very finely chopped (can use a food processor for that); the more it resembles a paste, the better

 *they cannot be too dry, but should be soft and still a bit juicy

100g mixed seeds and/or ground nuts


Instructions

1. Grind the seeds in a nut grinder. Some food processors come with the attachment for nut grinding, so you can do it this way. If you're not in possession of such thing, I would recommend buying seeds smaller in size, like sesame or linseeds, or ground almonds.

2. Combine apricots (apricot paste) and seed-nut mixture. Again, you can use a food processor, however, eventually you will need to work it with your hands anyway. Make sure the ingredients are well-combined and stick together. Shape the mixture into one ball.

3. Divide into smaller portions and using your hands shape into oblong bars. It's best to do it on a flat surface, e.g. chopping board. Turn them frequently while shaping and keep pressing with hour fingers or  back of a spoon.

4. Keep in the fridge in a closed container. 

Meatballs with Tomato-Cinnamon Sauce

Soo good! Much better than I expected :)

Ingredients

500 g minced meat (pork or turkey, I used turkey mince)

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons rye bran

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 bunch fresh parsley

2 cans tomatoes

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

150 ml chicken stock

3 tablespoons olive oil
*1/2 teaspoon brown sugar (optional) 

Instructions

 1. Finely dice one half of the onion, one garlic clove and parsley. Place in a large bowl, together with the meat. Add egg whites and bran. Season with salt and pepper. Mix together thoroughly by hand or use food processor. Shape the mixture into golf-ball sized balls.

2. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. It does NOT have to be cooked through at this stage, but should be golden brown on the outside. Remove from the hob. Leave aside.

3. Core, deseed and dice the pepper. Finely dice the remaining onion and garlic.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium pot. Add pepper, onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until tender. Add the stock, tomatoes and cinnamon. Cook for about 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. 

5. After 20 minutes place the meatballs in the sauce, stir, cover with a lid and cook for further 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and sugar if too sour to your taste.

6. Serve with rice. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Chicken in Mustard-Cream Sauce

A classic French combination. Quick, easy, effortless and tasty. Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon pepper 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
60ml white wine, or chicken broth 
100g cream (try the reduced fat one for a healthier option)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh)


Instructions

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate; keep warm. 

2. Pour wine into hot skillet; cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Whisk in cream, mustard, and tarragon. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes. 

3. Pour any accumulated chicken juices from plate into sauce. Right before serving, drizzle cream sauce over chicken. To serve, sprinkle with some tarragon.

Orange Carrot & Avocado Mix

Ingredients

2 oranges, juiced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, peeled, stoned and chopped
1/4 cup water


Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth.

Spinach & Feta Parcels

Spinach and feta - such a great combination. Can be used as filling for pastry parcels such as these, in muffins, as stuffing in chicken roll-ups... Or simply in salads. Spinach is also very healthy: it's a good source of zinc, very good source of dietary fibre, foliate, calcium, potassium and vitamins. Feta? Well, it is cheese, so it is quite high in saturated fat. However, because of its strong flavour, it only takes a tiny bit to add some flavour to a dish. And if you want to make these parcels a bit less sinful, you can use wholemeal flour instead of plain or add a spoon of bran to the flour.

Ingredients

Pastry

110g butter, cubed

1 egg yolk

1 cup flour (I used wholemeal, but plain white will do)

120g thick natural yoghurt

Filling

200g fresh spinach leaves

100g feta cheese

Instructions

Pastry 

1. Put the flour in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter. 

2. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining.

3. Add yolk and yoghurt and knead with your hands until the dough comes together.

4. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 10-15 minutes before using.

  
Filling

1. Shred the spinach leaves into smaller pieces (you can use food processor for that). Transfer to a frying pan and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until it wilts. Remove from the hob and wring to get rid of any excess water. Place spinach in a bowl.

2. Crumble feta into the spinach and mix well using your fingers.

Preparing the parcels

1. Roll out the pastry and cut into 10 cm squares. 

2. Take a generous teaspoon of the spinach mixture and place it in the centre of each pastry square.

3. Fold up diagonally opposite corners, making a neat little envelope. Seal well.

3. Place the parcels on a lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown in 180 C. 

 

Garlicky Pasta Salad

This recipe is not for those who don't like garlic - there's a lot of it here. But at the same time, the salad is very refreshing. And colourful :)

Ingredients

150g orzo pasta
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
1/2 can sweetcorn
1/2 cucumber
2 Tbsp natural yoghurt
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
  
1. Cook pasta according to instructions on the packaging. Leave to cool or rinse with cold water.

2. Finely dice the peppers. Rinse the sweetcorn. Peel and crush the garlic. Peel and dice the cucumber, and pat it with a kitchen towel to remove excess water.

3. Mix yoghurt and mayonnaise until smooth. 

4. Combine pasta and all vegetables in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper, and the yoghurt-mayo sauce. Mix well. Chill in a fridge for a few hours (or overnight) before serving.
 

* Feel free to add more garlic (or garlic granules) if you like or play with yoghurt-mayonnaise ratio. This may vary depending on the producer of a mayo, sometimes a slight change can make a difference.

Camomile & Peach Drink

Ingredients

1 camomile teabag 
1 small can of peaches

Instructions

1. Brew the tea. Leave to cool.

2. Empty the content of a can into a blender. Add camomile brew and mix until smooth.

*you can have it warm as well, for more comforting effect. Just skip the cooling part :)

Green Crepes

So I had some milk that was actually past its use-by date, but still tasted fine, and some spinach that had been sitting in my fridge for long, and would soon start to wilt. I hate wasting food, so was thinking how to use those two. I decided to make healthy crêpes. The result? Nice. And with some cream cheese (preferably the one with herbs) spread inside it can be a nice healthy breakfast, or light lunch.

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 cups/480ml skimmed milk

80g fresh spinach leaves, shredded

1 1/2 cup flour (I used gluten-free white flour mix and gram flour to make it gluten free, but plain white will do as well if you're not on a gluten-free diet)

few drops of sunflower oil

salt, black pepper 

*filling: soft cheese with herbs, sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl to a smooth batter. Add the oil and shredded spinach. Mix together. 

2. Leave the batter to rest in a warm place for about half an hour.

3. Just before cooking, heat up a shallow frying pan, then wipe it with oiled kitchen paper.  
4. Pour a ladleful of the batter and tilt the pan to cover the base thinly; cook the crêpe for a minute each side.
5. Transfer the crêpe to a plate and repeat until all of the batter has been used up. 
6. To serve, spread the cream cheese (or any other filling you like) over one half of a crêpe and roll up. 

Creamy Orange & Pear

Ricotta is a soft Italian cheese, light and creamy, slightly grainy and mild in flavour. Perfect for desserts, but can also be used in savoury dishes. I chucked it into my smoothie to add some texture and substance. The result? I'm loving it!

Ingredients

2 pears, peeled and chopped

2 oranges, peeled and juiced

125g ricotta

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp honey

Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz until smooth. 

Delicious!

Carrot And Spice Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 2 tbsp rye bran (or wheat or oat bran)
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 1/5 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch ground ginger 
• seeds of 3 cardamom pods, crushed (optional)
• 1 tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
• 3/4 cup natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp walnut oil
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 450g grated carrot
• zest of 1 orange

 

Instructions

1. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and spices in a bowl. 
2. In a separate dish, whisk the eggs, add golden syrup, yoghurt, and oil, and mix together.
3. Mix dry and wet mixtures until just combined. Add grated carrot and orange zest, and mix. 
4. Heat the non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat, then wipe it with oiled kitchen paper. Make sure the pan is hot before cooking the pancakes.
5. Drop a large tablespoonful of the batter per pancake into the pan, shape and flatten using back of a spoon. Make three or four pancakes at a time. Cook for about 3-5 minutes over a medium heat, then turn and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden. 

I would suggest serving them with honey and walnuts or vanilla yoghurt.  

Turkey Meatballs With Dill

A classic family recipe with a healthier twist. Using egg whites and simmering help to keep these meatballs wonderfully moist and light. Bran adds fibre and helps to bind the ingredients together. So easy and tastes really refreshing.

Ingredients

300g lean turkey mince

3 egg whites

2 tbsp rye bran (can also use wheat or oat bran)

0.3l vegetable stock

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 small pot natural yoghurt

bunch of dill, chopped

Instructions

 

1. Place the mince, egg whites, and bran in food processor bowl.  Add salt and pepper. Process until ingredients are well combined. Shape the mixture into golf-ball sized balls. Set aside.

2. Heat the stock in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Carefully transfer meatballs, one by one, into the pan with stock. You may need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Simmer for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through, turning occasionally.

3. Remove the meatballs from the pan, but keep warm. Reduce the remaining stock and cool down. Add yoghurt and chopped dill. Mix together.

4. Before serving, place the meatballs back in the pan with dill sauce and warm up over medium heat. Garnish with chopped dill. Serve with fresh salad leaves and/or boiled baby potatoes.

Tomato And Basil Bruschetta

I love tomato bruschetta. I wish it were me who invented it. Such a simple combination, but so full of flavour! Each time I go to an Italian restaurant and it's on the menu, I'm tempted to order it for starter. They don't necessarily meet my expectations, though. Maybe it's because I know how to make it and that it's not difficult at all to get it right. Here's the way I like it most. 

(This is a simplified version of a recipe from BBC Good Food)

Ingredients

5-6 ripe vine tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

6-8 fresh basil leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 baguette or Italian bread (I used ciabatta loaf)

olive oil spray

Instructions

1. Prepare the tomatoes. I prefer my tomatoes peeled. To peel a tomato easily, scald them. Fill a tall dish with boiling water. Drop tomatoes into boiling water and keep for about 30 seconds up to one minute. Remove tomatoes and place in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins. Cut the tomatoes in quarters and remove the seeds from their centres.

2. Chop the tomatoes finely. 

3. Place the tomatoes, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil and vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Slice the baguette or a bread loaf diagonally and toast in the hot oven or on a griddle pan, until the bread begins to turn golden brown.

5. Place the bread on a serving plate. Spray one side (top one) with olive oil. Arrange the tomato topping on each slice and serve. You can sprinkle with some more black pepper if you like.

Ratatouille Soup

This soup is healthy, filling, full of flavour, easy to make and gentle on your pocket - what else could you possibly want?! And for more comforting winter meal you can add some meat; beef would go really well... Or maybe even chorizo... I'll definitely try that next time I'm making this soup. It will be soon :)

Ingredients
 
1 red onion
1 clove garlic
1 red pepper
1 courgette
1 aubergine
15ml (1tbsp) olive oil

1x400g can chopped tomatoes

1 vegetable stock cube
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1 tbsp fresh basil



Instructions

1. Peel and dice the onion. Crush the garlic. Core, deseed and dice the red pepper. Dice the courgette and aubergine.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables and cook over a gentle heat for a few minutes until softened.

3. Add the can of tomatoes. Fill empty can with water and add. Crumble in the stock cube. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 

4. Stir in the paprika powder. 

5. Serve sprinkled with torn basil.

Orange Cinnamon Oat Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup white flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

145 g butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup porridge oats

zest of 1 orange

2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

100g walnuts, roughly ground or finely chopped

Instructions

1. All ingredients should be at room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C.
3. Mix flour, cinnamon, soda and salt in a bowl. Leave aside.
4. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, while still mixing. Add vanilla and mix. Add oats, orange zest, orange juice and the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Line baking sheet with baking paper.
6. Spoon the mixture onto the baking sheet.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.