Beetroot Salad

I confess that since now I've never prepared something with fresh beetroots and knew them only in the pickled way... But then I found a recipe in the new cookbook from Ottolenghi that I had to try and adapted it a little bit to my taste. So in fact trying this salad you'll have to confess that beetroots are underestimated. I ate this salad with some good, fresh bread and a variation of savory cheeses.... Also can imagine in a Tramezzini style Sandwich..... Oh and preparing this dish I recommend to wear some plastic gloves.... At least when dealing with the beetroot.. You will see why....

You need (serves 2-3):

- 1 medium sized raw beetroot

- 1 Apple

- 1 fresh carrot

- 150 g Greek yoghurt

- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (if you don't like fennel just omit them..the salad will nonetheless taste great)

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1tsp Apple balsamic vinegar

- a handful coarsely chopped walnuts

Some salt to season

To prepare:

1. Mix together yoghurt, crushed fennel seeds, vinegar, olive oil and some salt

2. On a grater rasp the peeled beetroot, the carrot and the peeled Apple in julienne style

3. Yeah and now it's almost done... Mix together the grated vegetables and Apple with the seasoned yoghurt, add the walnuts and season with some more salt if needed...

That's it!  Enjoy!

Pumpkin - baby spinach Quiche

Quiches can be varied in many ways and are always a tasty dish. Here I combined some leftovers from my fridge... Pumpkin, some baby spinach, some feta, some grated cheese.... And here we go..... Heat up your oven and a little bit later .... savour a delicious quiche....

You need (for one Quiche about 24 cm)

- 100g butternut squash, cut in small cube

- 1  small onion cut in small cubes 

- 100g grated cheese (like Edam)

- 50 g feta cheese ( = Greek style cheese)

- 30 g baby spinach leaves

- 250 ml Milk

- 2 medium sized eggs

- 25 g walnuts 

For the dough:

- 250 g flour

- 150 g butter

- 1 medium sized egg

- some salt

For lazy days: take a ready to use puff pastry or ready to prepare quiche / Tarte dough one can get in a good supermarket 

To prepare:

1. First prepare the dough by kneeding together all the ingredients. 

2. Between two baking papers roll the dough to a circle, big enough for your baking form.

3. Grease your baking form/quiche form. Transfer the prepared dough in it and reserve for about 1/2 h in the fridge.

4. Mix together milk, eggs and grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

5. In a pan with little olive oil soften the onion and add the baby spinach for one minute.

6. Disperse onion, Baby spinach and squash on  the on the base of the dough. Then pour your egg-cheese mix in the baking form and sprinkle all over the roughly cut feta and walnuts.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes (you might have to cover the top with some baking Paper if getting to dark..).

Before cutting into pieces and serving let cool down for some minutes.

Double Choc Ricotta Mousse

Midweek.... Need a treat.... Some fast to prepare and to take with to the Office ...... In th fridge some ricotta, chocolate ever to find in the cupboard.... So let's do a sort of chocolate mousse...

You need (2 serving)

- 250 g Ricotta

- 30 g dark chocolate (I used chocolate drops from sarotti)

- 30 g white chocolate 

- 1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean

- 1/2 tsp  palm sugar (or brown sugar)

- 1 dash cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp baking sugar

- Optionally: some Fruit purée (I took Mange purée) and 1 Passionfruit 

To prepare:

1. Melt in separate bowls both chocolates in the microwave (this will take on,y few seconds. Alternatively you can melt it over boiling water)

2. In one of the bowls mix together with a handheld mixer the melted white chocolate with vanilla, baking sugar and 125 g ricotta

3. Mix in the other bowl the dark chocolate, Palm sugar, cinnamon and 125 g ricotta

4. Fill first white Mousse, then dark mousse in glasses. (Best is to pipe the Mousse in the glasses, so you'll obtain distinct layers. I did it with a spoon....layers are not so perfect...)

5. Top with Mango purée and Passionfruit

6 . Reserve in the fridge overnight and take to your office for a great Lunch-dessert and savor! Of course also perfect as dessert at home :)

Zucchini - Tarte

I have a new favorite Cookbook: "the Forest feast" from Erin Gleeson. On every page there is a tremendous recipe, easy to make, not to many ingredients and mouthwatering pictures and drawings. So  I already tried some of the recipe. One of them is a sort of Tarte with little yellow pumpkins. As I couldn't find some small pumpkins I did the Tarte with zucchini. The result was great! And here is the recipe....

You need (serves 2):

1 puff pastrie 

1 small zucchini 

1glass Italian Pesto Genovese 

100 g Ricotta

A handful, roughly crashed cashews and some sweet corn

Some salt and a good lug of olive oil

To prepare:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.

2. Cut the Zucchini in thin slices.

3. Roll,the puff pastrie to a square. Smear on it the ricotta and then the pesto.

4. Place the Zucchini slices on the pesto, disperse all over the nuts and sweet corn and fold in the edges.

5. Season with a little bit salt and sprinkle all over some olive oil.

6. Transfer the Tarte on a baking tray armed with some parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown. 

Enjoy warm or cold, with some salad as side dish, also delicious when cut in small pieces to accompain a after work Drink.... 

Chia Pudding with Matcha and Yoghurt - ready to go Breakfast

Always looking for some tasty and easy to prepare breakfast, somewhat of a take away Breakfast, I found different recipes of chia pudding. Here I combine Chia with Matcha, Greek Yoghurt and some fruit purée. In my opinion the tastiest way eating Chia.

You need (for 2-3 servings)

- 3 Tbsp Chia seeds

- 1 tsp Matcha powder

- 1/4 tsp ground vanilla

- 200 ml soy milk ( or any other milk you like..)

- 1 Greek Yoghurt (250 ml or more) 

- 2-3 Tbsp honey (if vegan replace for example by cane-, maple - sirup or ....). Amount depending how sweet you like it.

- 6 Tbsp fruit purée ( I took a ready to use Mango purée. One can also prepare the purée by taking a good ripe mango, peel it, slice in medium sized cubes and then mix it to purée in a blender).

To prepare:

1. Pour over the chia seeds the milk, add the Matcha tea, the vanilla, 1 tsp honey and mix well. Refrigerate for about one hour or longer and stir from time to time. The prep will turn to a pudding-like consistence. Might be that you have to wait a little bit longer if you want really beautiful layers. I waited too short 😊.

2. Sweeten the yoghurt with some honey.

3. When the Chia is thickened, pour it in a glass, top with the yoghurt and then with the purée. You can add to the purée some fruit cubes (for example some fresh Mango cut in cubes and stirred to the purée. I added some raspberries).

That's it! Reserve the Chia pudding in the fridge until eating. It's perfect to prepare in the evening for your office breakfast next day.....

Vegeterian Casserole with potatoes, zucchini and tomatoes

Springtime... Everywhere one can find the first fresh fruits, vegetables.... Your jogging shoes are looking at you and saying "when will be used again?"

And of course beneath the willingness to make more sport you decide also to eat more vegetables, more healthy,.... This Vegetable-Potatoe Casserole is easy to made, can be varied in many ways, is also adaptable for vegan (you've simply to omit the cheese) and is so tasty!

You need (per Person):

- 1 big potatoe cut in medium thick slices (don not peel the potatoes)

- 1 small zucchini cut in slices 

- 1 onion cut in rings

- 1 - 2 Tomatoes cut in not to thin slices 

- 1 garlic glove, roughly cut in cubes 

- Some fresh thyme 

- 3 - 4 bay leaves 

- 30 g Feta cheese 

- 50 ml vegetable stock

- salt and pepper as well as some olive oil

- if you want some sesam seeds or black onion seeds 

To prepare:

1. Wash the vegetables and cut them in slices, prepare the garlic and the onion

2. Preheat the oven to 200 C

3. Grease with some olive oil a baking dish

4. Put the vegetables and the bay leaves in rows in the baking dish, season with some salt and pepper, pour the vegetable stock over the vegetables, sparkle some seeds all over and to finish drizzle all over some olive oil and some fresh thyme

5. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, then add the feta cheese and bake for further 10 minutes.

6. After 40 minutes control with a fork if the potatoes are ready or if you have to add some minutes more baking time ( depending on the thickness of the potatoe slices you have to adjust the baking time ; could be a little bit shorter or a little bit longer)

ATTENTION: right out of the oven th dish is very hot! Serve with some baguette (fresh or roasted) and for those who need some meat... this veggies are perfect with some grilled steak or whatever you like !

Crunchy Choc-Hazelnut Spread

I am not so the sweet one in the morning... Means that I am not one of those who only love Croissant and Jam for their breakfast..... I rather prefer some Porridge or some Bread with butter. But on the other Hand I love Sweets and so as "sweetlover" You also love Nutella, this chocolate-hazelnuts spread one can buy in the supermarket... In fact I don't know how it taste on a bread but I know how delicious it is savouring directly out of the glass.. spoon after spoon... So of course I was more than  curious when I found a Recipe in the new Cookbook " vegan to go" from Attila Hildmann for a Self done chocolate - hazelnuts spread. And so I instantly tried it, modified it a little bit... And OMG the Result is tremendous.... Here is the recipe.

You need:

90 g dark chocolate (I used one from Sarotti)

70 g icing Sugar

200g Butter (When vegan  use vegan butter) at roomtemperature

200g Hazelnut puree (to find in Bio Markets for ex.)

1 tsp. ground vanilla Bean 

40 g whole hazelnuts, roasted in the oven at 180 C until the skin is easily removable (there is no problem if there is some skin leaving....) and then you put  them in a plastic bag and crush them with a Rolling pin.

To prepare:

1. Melt the chocolate directly in a pan at medium heat by stirring from time to time, or in the microwave or in a Bowl over some simmering water

2. Stir together Hazelnut puree, butter, vanilla and sugar unter well combined (I used a  handheld electric Mixer). Than add the melted chocolate and stir once again until evenly combined.

3. Fold in the crushed hazelnuts and fill the Cream in Glaspots

4. Reserve the spread in the fridge but get it out some minutes before eating when you want it to be easy to spread. When you savour it with a spoon... It's fine directly out of the fridge ☺️