Tag Archives: healthy

My Vichyssoise or Delicious & creamy cold soup

Posted on by
Reply

VichysoisseSWhen the weather is getting hotter, I recommend you spend an evening making a large batch of this beautiful soup. It is both healthy and tasty, and well loved by all family members. I like to use vegetable stock, this means the dish is completely vegetarian and all my friends can enjoy it as well.

The soup can be served hot or cold. I would cool the soup for at least 4 hours before serving. That’s why I like to make this dish a day in advance.

This soup is also beautiful als a small course at a dinner party or for a high tea. Just serve the soup in a dainty tea cup or a small glass instead of a large plate.

Vichyssoise (6 portions)

  • 2 leaks, sliced and thoroughly cleanVichyssoiseMed, including the green part
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
  • 4 medium potatoes, diced
  • 500 – 750 ml vegetable stock
  • 150 ml cream
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • To serve:
    • Greek yoghurt or sour cream
    • Chopped spring onion or chives
  1. Fry off the potatoes, onion, leaks and garlic until the onion is translucent.
  2. Add vegetable stock until all ingredients are submerged.
  3. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
  4. Blend the soup to a smooth puree, add stock if you want a thinner soup.
  5. Stir in the cream and season to taste. Remember that cold soup will need stronger seasoning.
  6. Serve your soup with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or sour cream and some chopped chives or spring onions.

VichysoisseXL

On hot summer evenings I enjoy a plate of this cold soup with some fresh bread. The best thing is that all you have to do is serve it up, no mess or fuss, just a cooling and healthy dinner.

Sweet potatoe and lentil salad

Posted on by
Reply

Have a tasty lentil salad for lunch! This salad is full of healthy and teasty ingredients. It is well balanced in so many ways. The crunch of the oninons against the soft cheese and potatoes, the fresh mint contrasts beautifully with the sweet flavors.

This salad would make a great lunch, a starter or a side dish with a barbeque.

Sweet potato and lentil salad ( 1 person lunch, or a great side dish)

  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 150 gr (puy) lentils, tinned or freshly cooked
  • 100 gr goat cheese
  • 1 red onion, finely sliced
  • 1 handfull of fresh mint, finely sliced
  • Optional:
    • 1/2 red paprika, in small squares
    • 1 pepper, finely sliced
  • Honey mustard dressing:
    • 1 tbsp honey
    • 2 tbsp mustard
    • 3 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 tsp dill (optional)

Lentil4LunchS

  1. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C.
  2. Peel your potatoes and slice them into rustic chips. Coat them in oil, season them and bake them in the oven for 25 minutes or until they are tender.
  3. Combine with the other salad ingredients for a great lunch dish!

Spring forest omelet

Posted on by
Reply

Daslook1This is a great omelet to make with wild garlic. This humble but delicious plant grows abundantly under trees in the Netherlands. Officially this plant is protected in the Netherland, but where I live I see large patches full of the stuff.

Luckily my mother has a huge patch of wild garlic under her apple tree. As it is in season, she picked a large bunch of the leaves and flowers for me to prepare.

If you are not lucky or brave enough to get your own wild garlic, you can use spinache or swiss chard instead.

This omelet makes a great lunch or side dish. It can be eaten warm or cold.

Spring forest omelet (2 lunch portions)WildGarlic

  • 3 handfulls of wild garlic leaves and flowers
  • 150 gr mixed mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 large free range eggs
  • 100 gr creme fraiche
  • about 75 gr butter
  • pinch of nutmeg
  1. Wash your wild garlic in very salty water, to get rid of any sand and wildlife.
  2. In a bit of oil or butter, fry the wild garlic untill it wilts down.
  3. Let your wild garlic cool slightlybefore roughly shopping it.
  4. Fry the mushrooms in some butter, season them generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
  5. In a large bowl, combine the eggs and creme fraiche. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of ground nutmeg.
  6. Mix in the wild garlic and mushrooms.
  7. In a non stick frying pan, melt a generous amount of butter on high heat.
  8. Pour the mix in the hot pan and turn the heat down. If you have a lid, clamp it on.
  9. Wait for your eggs to just set before turning it onto a plate.
    Cooking times vary, so just stay near your stove.

Winter omelet

Posted on by
Reply

We love having curly kale in the winter. This healthy veg is full of flavor and nutrients. The other day I had some leftovers, which inspired me to create a tasty lunch. This omelet tastes great warm or cold. Making it an easy treat to bring for your worklunch as well.Omelet2

When I finished cooking this dish, I was worried that this healthy creation would have no flavor. However, the strong flavors of the kale, artishoke and feta come together beautifully. It is also very filling, making it easier for me to stick to my new years resolutions. My colleagues had a taste, and insisted I share the recipe, luckily it is surprisingly easy!

Winter omelet (2 – 3 portions)

  • 150 grams of finely sliced curly kale (could be replaced with cavolo nero or spinach)
  • 200 grams of (tinned) artishoke hearts, in wedges
  • 100 grams of feta
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp soft curd cheese, known as “kwark” in Holland
  • 1 tbsp of oil for frying

Omelet1

  1. Blanch your kale for one minute in boiling water.
  2. Drain and cool your kale.
  3. Mix the kale, eggs and soft curd cheese and season to taste.
  4. Heat a frying pan and add your oil. Get your pan as hot as possible.
  5. Add your mix and lower the heat right away.
  6. Spead the artishoke pieces over your omelet and push them in gently.
  7. Crumble your feta over your omelet and push in gently as well.
  8. Cover and fry on a low heat until your egg has set.

Enjoy your omelet with a salad and a glass of white wine!

Read all my recipes here!

Winter sprout quiche

Posted on by
Reply

I love eating Brussel sprouts and now I am happy to tell you about a new way to enjoy this winter vegetable, in a quiche. The bitterness of the sprouts is such a great combination with the egg and the cheese! The whole family polished their plates the day I cooked this quiche.Spruitenquiche2

Sprout quiche

  • 1 recipe of short crust pastry or a ready made puff pastry
  • 200 gram of boiled sprouts
  • 1 onion, finely sliced and gently fried till tender
  • 100 gram of small bacon cubes or a handfull of pine nuts for vegetarians
  • 150 gram of grated cheese (cheddar or young Gouda)
  • 3 eggs
  • 150 ml of cream
  1. Pre-bake your quiche base for 10 to 20 minutes until just cooked at 210 degrees C.
  2. Spread your ingredients on your pizza base and fill your pie with a mix of eggs and cream.
  3. Bake at 220 degrees C for 20 degrees or until golden.

spruitquiche1

For more quiche inspiration, look at my asparagus quiche or spinach quiche. This quiche taste great with a simple tasty salad. For more sprout inspiration, look at the sprout cappuccino.

Asian fruit salad with a Europian twist

Posted on by
Reply

This is a tasty Asian fruit salad is known as rojak in Malaysia. It makes a great side dish with a (Malaysian) curry but it also makes a great accompaniment with grilled meat, fish or poultry.

Traditionally Roedjak is made with tropical fruit but I have found it is also delicious with tart apples and crunchy cucumber. The dressing sort of preserves your salad, making it possible to make your salad one or two days in advance.

Rojak

Asian fruit salad with Dutch fruit

  • 1 cucumber in cubes
  • 2 apples in cubes
  • 1 union thinly sliced
  • Optional: 1 mango, 2 peaches and/or ½ a pineapple in cubes
  • To taste: 1 red chili pepper thinly sliced and/or a handful of coriander
  • Dressing:
    • 2 tbsp ketjap manis/sweet soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
    • 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
    • 2 tbsp mirin or lemon juice
  1. Mix your dressing ingredients.
  2. Slice your ingredients, mix and combine.

Find more salad inspiration here.

Beet burgers

Posted on by
1

BietenB2My friend loves taking me to great lunchrooms. At one of these fabulous lunches I tried my first beetroot burgers, and I was hooked. Unlike other vegetarian burgers this burger does not try to replace meat, it is a totally new flavor sensation providing great texture and filling you up for the rest of the day.

Obviously, it is also a very healthy alternative to your regular meaty version. But that is not why you should try this. This is a new flavour you have to introduce to your pallet, the healthy part is just a bonus!

I have to honestly admit this dish isn’t for everyone, especially meat lovers that think veggie burgers are blasphemy. And you have to love beetroot. I do think that offering lots of garlic rich yoghurt sauce will help convince your family members.

These burgers and sauces can easily be made a day in advance, making them the perfect easy home made fastfood!

BietenB

Beet root burgers (4-6 burgers)

  • 1 uncooked medium beet root, finely grated
  • 800 grams of tinned beans, I used field peas (we like to call them kapucijners in Holland)
  • 1 onion, grated
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups of oats

Mash up the peas (in the foodprocessor), I like leaving some chunky pieces for texture.

Mix in the beet root, onion and egg. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Add half the oats and let the mixture stand so the oats can soak up the moisture. After 20 minutes, check the mixture and add oats as needed. You want a firm, non-sticky mixture that still holds together well. I like to compare it to how my meatball texture feels when it is just right.

Shape your burger paddies, dust with oats to prevent the paddies from sticking if needed and let them rest for at least 30 minutes. For the practical busy moms I recommend making these a day in advance.

BIetenBPan

Fry your paddies in some oil on a high heat for a few minutes on each side. After making the paddies crusty on each side, place the paddies in the 220 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Serve with some fresh crispy buns, some lettuce, a spicy yoghurt sauce and a yoghurt mint sauce (you find the recipe with the posh fish and chips recipe).

Spicy sauce

  • 1 tomato in small cubes
  • 1 onion finely sliced
  • 1 finely sliced chili pepper
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • handfull of freshly sliced parsley and/or koriander

Blend half the tomato, union and chili to a pulp. Mix the pulp with the other ingredients and season to taste.

BietenBSaus

Lunch salads

Posted on by
Reply

Recently I descided to challenge myself and eat more healthy for lunch. What this comes down to is lots of salads! I would like to share to tasty simple salad recipes here.

Each recipe makes a tasty one person lunch or a great side dish or starter with dinner.

??????????????

Eggy salad (1 serving)

  • 2 soft boiled eggs in wedges
  • 1 spring onion
  • 1 handfull of chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 tomato in cubes
  • Simple honey mustard dressing

Simple honey mustard dressing

  • 1 tbsp of dyon mustard
  • 1 tbsp of honey
  • 1 tbsp of mayo (find a recipe for making your own here)

Combine the dressing ingredients in a jam jar and shake.

??????????????

Fig and blue cheese salad (1 serving)

  • 2 handfuls of your favorite salad leaves
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 handful of fried bacon cubes
  • 1 handfil of chopped nuts (I used almonds here but walnuts or pecans would be perfect!)
  • 2 fresh figs in wedges
  • 1 hanful of crumbly blue cheese
  • Drizzle with olive oil and a good balsamic vinegar
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly crushed black pepper

Read more about salads here.

 

My mighty Moussaka

Posted on by
1

One of my favorite restaurants to visit is a Greek restaurant. I love the Mediterranean spices, and the hint of the orient. It is one of the few types of restaurant where I can choose tasty freshly grilled meats as well as seafood, or a jummy slow cooked lamb stew. I am also partial to their yummy yoghurt sauce, tzatziki!

I have always loved Greece’s answer to the lasagna: the moussaka! Recently it occurred to me that I could easily turn this recipe into a vegetarian dish. My meat loving husband was nearly finished with his dinner when he realized there was no meat in his food. He had enjoyed the texture and flavor too much to notice what was missing.

On the practical side of things, this recipe has plenty of upsides too. I made the actual dish a day in advance. The next day I baked the moussaka, which made for a nice fuss free evening for me and my toddler. This dish will definitely be on a family favorite list for a while.

MoussakaSketchWatermark

Moussaka

  • Sauce:
    • 1 tin of depuy lentils ( 310 gram )
    • 1 tin of diced tomatoes ( 400 gram )
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 2 tsp thyme
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • 1 tsp mint
    • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 3 tbsp of olive oil
    • 1 large union, diced
    • 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
    • 1 glass of white wine
    • Half cube of vegetable stock
  • 1 aubergine in slices
  • 3 medium large potatoes
  • Topping (you substitute this with bechamel sauce, this is my lazy cheat version):
    • 2 tbsp cream cheese
    • 1 tub of cottage cheese ( 200 gram )
  • 150 gram of grated cheese

You will need an ovenproof dish, I used one of  27 by 18 cm.

  1. Before you do anything else. Boil your potatoes until they are soft.
  2. Prepare the sauce;
    • Fry your union in some olive oil until soft.
    • Stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin and thyme. Add the wine and let it simmer for a few minutes.
    • Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients.
    • Bring the sauce to a light simmer. Leave it to simmer for about an hour.
  3. While the sauce is simmering, prepare your other ingredients;
    • Slice the aubergine length ways. Drizzle the slices with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Fry the slices in a griddle pan on each side.
    • Let your potatoes cool, then slice them.
    • Wilt the spinach down in some oil in a really hot pan. Let the spinach cool and slice it roughly. The spinach needs to cool in a collinder now. Drain as much of moisture out as you possibly can.
    • Mix your topping ingredients.
  4. When all your components are ready, you can layer your moussaka in an oven proof dish:
    • One layer of sauce
    • One layer of spinach
    • One layer of potatoe slices, don’t forget to season these.
    • One layer of sauce
    • One layer of aubergine
    • Spread out your topping
    • Sprinkle with the grated cheese
    • Season with some freshly ground pepper
  5. (You can keep the dish overnight before this step) Bake the moussaka in a 220 degree C oven for about 30 minutes until bubbly and golden.
  6. Let your moussaka stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Easiest healthy cookies ever!

Posted on by
Reply

I love looking for inspiration on Pinterest. This time I ran into a 3 ingredient cookie recipe. This inspired me as it also contained no sugar and they looked delicious, find my inspiration here.

The cookies were easy to make. They are best eaten right away, or within 24 hours. This would not be a problem in my home! It is a great way to make use of that overripe banana. The riper your banana gets, the sweeter your cookies will be.

These cookies make a great healthy snack for the entire family. They could even be used as a breakfast cookie along with a smoothy or a tall glass of milk. I tested my cookies on my toddler and my colleagues. They were all amazed at how delicious they were without added sugar.

Koek2

This simple recipe would also be a great recipe for children to make with very little help from you!

3 ingredient cookies

  • 1 overripe banana
  • 2 handfulls of quick oats
  • 2 handfulls of chocalate chips
  • Optional: dried fruit and/or nuts

Mash up your banana and mix your ingredients. Spoon your cookies on a baking sheet. I made 6 smaller cookies, but you could make 3 larger cookies as well.

Bake your cookies in a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees C and enjoy!

Find more tips for cooking with toddlers.