I'm sorry it has been so long since I've last posted something, but I had crazy many things to do and get all my things straight for starting learning for my bar exam from October on. But I've missed baking even though I have been cooking for me as usual, but the baking on weekends or for friends sort of stopped. But anyways, here we go again.
I've seen these first on the Instagram profile of the Donna Hay magazine weeks ago and I instantly knew I wanted to give them a try at one point and finally came around to it today!
Here's the link to the recipe: https://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/desserts-and-baking/salted-caramel-chocolate-brownies
120g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
220g (1 1/4 cups) brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
120g (1/3 cup) store-bought thick caramel or dulce de leech
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
150g (1 1/5 stick) unsalted butter
150g (4.5 oz) dark chocolate
1/2 teaspoon seasalt flakes (or to taste)
1) Melt the butter over low heat, then leave to cool a bit. Chop the chocolate and set aside.
2) In the meantime, place the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl and mix to combine.
3) Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Add the caramel, vanilla, eggs and butter and which until smooth.
4) Stir through the chocolate and spoon the mixture into a 20cm (8 inch) square cake tin lines with non-stick baking paper.
5) Sprinkle with the salt and cook for 30-35 minutes or until just firm around the edges. Allow to cool in the tin before cutting into squares.
Yield: 16 to 20, depending on how big you like yours
Active preparation time: about 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 55 minutes
Here's how they look:
I used about 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt instead of 1/2 teaspoon. I normally like the combination of sweet and salty, but the flakes already looked like so much and I was getting afraid so I stopped after 1/4 teaspoon.
Otherwise, these brownies or rather blondies are super super delicious. They stay super soft and the chocolate pieces are beautifully melted and bring the slight bitterness in the mix. The caramel adds a great layer of taste. I'm sure they'll be gone in no time!
Have a beautiful weekend!!
So today's Meat Free Monday recipe is not completely vegetarian by nature, but all it needs is a tiny twist and it is vegan and packs a protein punch. With some pretty nasty weather, lots of wind and rain I have been looking forward to having this warming, hearty curry for lunch. The different spices really make it special and totally uplift it. You wouldn't believe you could eat this in a cleanse...
Don't be bothered by the recipe list. The ingredients are easy to find and the variety of the spices really makes such a difference.
Here's the link to the recipe: http://goop.com/recipes/chickpea-and-kale-curry/
And here's my vegan version of the recipe:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves, optional as always
3 tablespoons ginger
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 small pinch cayenne pepper
1 14.5 oz (400g) can chickpeas
1 cup (250ml) vegetable stock
1 cup (250ml) light coconut milk
2 packed cups (about 500g) kale leaves,
salt to taste
lemon juice to taste
1) Chop the onion. Mince the garlic cloves and ginger. Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly. Chop the kale leaves, discarding the stems, into very fine slices.
2) Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for seven minutes, or until beginning to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, and spices and cook for another two minutes until fragrant.
3) Add the chickpeas, stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil.
4) Reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to mend.
5) Add the kale and another pinch of salt and cook for 10 more minutes over low heat.
6) Season to taste with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.
Serves: 4
Active preparation time: about 20 minutes
Total preparation time: about 40 minutes
Here's how mine looked:
My curry didn't turn out as bright and yellow as it looks on the GOOP website, but I didn't mind at all. I love love love the warming curry and spicy notes from the curry powder and garam masala, the earthiness of the kale and the creaminess from the chickpeas. I served mine over 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa. This recipe is super easy and sooo delicious, I urge you to try it!!
Have fun trying!
As I have been saying goodbye to my internship for the past seven months this week, me and another colleague have been throwing a goodbye after-work get-together with different types of sweet and salty snacks, wine and beer. This form of get-together is really typical for Switzerland and called "Apéro" which is a short form of aperitif, I guess. I didn't know it until I moved here ten years ago but now I really enjoy it.
I was responsible for all sweets and - hey - what better excuse could I get to try something new and mix it with all the beloved classics.
As you all might know from different previous posts, I love a good chocolate chip cookie. It has to be a little crispy, soft and chewy on the inside and with tons of chocolate chips in it.
I tried a new recipe from Nigella Lawson's website and these cookies were divine. They were the first thing to be gone, btw...
This is the link: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-chip-cookies
Here's the recipe:
150g (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
125g (2/3 cup) soft brown sugar
100g (1/2 cup) caster or superfine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg (straight from the fridge)
1 egg-yolk (straight from the fridge)
300g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
326g (11 1/2oz) chocolate chips or dark chocolate
1) If you're using dark chocolate chips, place them in a bowl and put in the freezer while you're preparing the dough. If using chocolate, chop the chocolate into pieces any size you like, then put in the freezer, as well.
2) Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then let it cool a bit. Put the brown and white sugars into a bowl add the vanilla extract and butter and beat for about 6 minutes until a little lighter.
3) Add the egg and egg-yolk and beat further until the mixture is creamy.
4) Slowly mix in the flour and bicarb until everything is just combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips.
5) Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
6) Place on tablespoon of dough onto the baking tray leaving a little room to spread. I love to use an ice-cream scoop for this - it makes things so much easier and ours happens to be one tablespoon exactly.
7) Bake for 9-10 minutes in the oven, until the edges are lightly set. Don't be afraid - the cookies will look undercooked, but they'll continue cooking on the tray once out of the oven.
8) Cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
9) Repeat steps 6-8 until you've used all dough.
Yield: 35 cookies
Active preparation time: 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 40 minutes
Here's how mine look:
I find that chopping your own chocolate instead of using chocolate chips makes the cookies look almost like a Pollock painting with their splatters. These cookies were moist, they dense but with a little crumb left and most of all - there was plenty of chocolate in them! I loved this recipe as it was super easy.
There's no better smell than a kitchen smelling from freshly baked cookies. Soon happy weekend baking!
Have fun trying!
It's monday and since I've been trying to get better at writing again - here is today's vegan recipe. I have had this all week last week for lunch and I was looking for it every single day. Korma is a type of curry, usually prepared with yoghurt or coconut milk and of indian and pakistani origin.
I came across the recipe browsing the Food52 website for all things curry as I was craving the depth and creaminess of a curry. This recipe has the added bonus of being vegan and featuring healthy kale and sweet potato which helps stabilize blood sugar.
Here's the link to the recipe: http://food52.com/recipes/25591-vegan-kale-and-white-bean-korma
And here's the recipe with conversions:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic (I omitted, as usual)
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 medium sweet potatoes
4 oz (115g) tomato sauce (I used passata)
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
13 1/2 oz (380g) can light coconut milk
2 cups kale (I used a 400g (14 oz) bag)
15 oz (425g) white kidney beans (I substituted cannellini beans)
1) Chop the onion and minced the garlic, if you're using it. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes and chop the kale, discarding the thick stems.
2) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 6 minutes or until soft and translucent.
3) Add the coconut milk, kale and beans to the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes and kale are soft and cooked through.
Serves: 4-6, depending on your servings
Active preparation time: about 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 50 minutes
Here's how mine looked:
I loved the subtle sweetness from the sweet potatoes that contrasted nicely with the kale and the slightly fiery curry powder. I served mine with some cooked quinoa and it was absolutely delicious. The prep is done in no time and you'll have this crowd-pleaser served before you know it.
Have fun trying!
Wow, winter has officially taken over Switzerland. It's been snowing all weekend and freezing all day today. Not that I'd mind. I love cold weather and I love to indulge in cold weather food. Soups that is - to me. I was craving a soup with more substance that the usual vegetable soup and turned to food52.com - one of my favourite websites - for inspiration.
Today's recipe is originally by Heidi Swanson from 101cookbooks.com and completes the soup with a curried brown butter and fried cubes of paneer. I chose to omit the cheese and instead of drizzling the soup with curried butter, I added the curry powder to the soup which gave it an Indian touch, turned it vegan and gave it a nice depth and warmth. It is super easy, with almost no prep time and incredibly warming and comforting.
Here's the link to the recipe: http://food52.com/recipes/33911-green-lentil-soup-with-curried-brown-butter
And here's my version of the recipe:
2 tablespoons butter, ghee or coconut oil (I used coconut oil to merge flavours)
1 large yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic (I omitted the garlic, as most of the time)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 1/2 cups (1375 ml) vegetable broth or water
1 1/2 cups green lentils (about 350 to 400g)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (if you go for the curried butter)
1 tablespoon Indian curry powder
1/2 cup (125ml) coconut milk
fine sea salt, to season
1) Chop the onion and garlic cloves, if using. Rinse the lentils.
2) Combine the coconut oil, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large soup pot over medium heat, and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring here and there until the onions are soft.
3) Pour in the vegetable broth and add the lentils and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender. Start checking after 20 minutes, but keeping mind that it may take as long as 50 minutes. Mine took about 35 minutes.
(4) While the lentils cook, heat the 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir it constantly with a rubber spatula until it starts to foam and brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and sauté until the mixture is very fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside.)
4) When the lentils have finished cooking, take the pot off the heat and stir in the coconut milk, curry powder (if you're veganizing the soup) and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.
5) Purée the soup using an immersion blender, or transfer it in batches to a blender of food processor. Add a little more salt to taste, if necessary.
(6) Stir in the curried butter and taste the soup for salt, adding more as needed. Serve the soup drizzled with the remaining curried butter and with cubes of pan-fried paneer, if you like.)
Serves: 4-5
Active preparation time: 5 minutes
Total preparation time: 40-45 minutes
Here's how mine looks:
The chili flakes add quite the punch even though the recipe only asks for 1/2 teaspoon so if you're not into hot food, take the chili down to 1/4 teaspoon. I normally am not a huge fan of hot food either, but today it hit the right spot with me. I love the earthy creaminess from the lentils, the depth from the chili and curry and the slightest sweetness from the coconut milk. This is not your typical soup and definitely serves as a whole meal because of the lentils, but it is simply perfect on a cold winter's night and beautiful comfort food.
Have fun trying!!
So Switzerland has started cooling down a little bit, work started again today and I am in desperate need for some clean, healthy, easy and warming food. And since it's Monday I'll go for a vegetarian and vegan dish. I started following Louise Parker's instagram a while ago for all of the lovely food pics she posts. I have also been addicted to her oatbran porridge for breakfast and love trying new combinations with regards to the fruit I'm adding or a tablespoon of cocoa powder.
She writes a blog on her website that has a ton of beautiful, clean and for the biggest part sugarfree recipes in it.
So since her porridge is so warming and delicious, I figured why not give this soup a try?
Here's the recipe:
12 vine-ripened tomatoes
12 small peppers (I used five large red peppers)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove (I omitted garlic, as always)
olive oil, for brushing the veggies
water or vegetable stock to thin
1) Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F). Wash the tomatoes and peppers. Place them on a large baking tray, drizzle with some olive oil, then rub each tomato and pepper with the oil you've drizzled over individually.
2) Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, but be careful to take the veggies out before the skin form the pepper burns.
3) As soon as the veggies are warm enough to handle, transfer them to a saucepan (if hand-blending) or blender. I used a handheld blender and blend until smooth. Check the consistency. If you like your soup thinner, add water or vegetable stock until you've reached the desired consistency. Season to taste with more salt, pepper, dried chili flakes or tabasco.
Yield: a little over 2 liters, about 7 servings
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 35-45 minutes
Here's how it looks:
The first thing I love is the bright color, a mixture of orange and red that instantly light up my day. The flavor is nothing short - bright, vibrant, with a nice tang from the chili, sweetness from the tomatoes and a distinct note from the peppers which the roasting beautifully intensifies. And I love how easy this is!! It's nothing but one, two, three and you've got a healthy dinner. As I have a hand-held blender, I transferred everything to a saucepan to blend.
Have fun trying and a happy, healthy new year to all of you!
As Christmas is quickly coming closer, baking climbs up and up on the to-do-list. I personally get my baking done on one weekend, but that's more to get it done because I'm working full-time and normally am too tired to bake in the evening. My grandmother on the other hand told me she'd bake one type of cookies a day. She is 89 years old, but still wants to please all of her grandchildren, so baking Christmas cookies is a must for her.
The recipe I am introducing you to today is my dad's personal favourite and a very traditional German Christmas cookie recipe. My mum wouldn't bake these for a few years so I didn't have them on my list when I took over the Christmas baking, but my dad asked for them two years ago and ever since I've been making them. They're nice and easy and still full of flavor. It's definitely a nice change from the rolling and cutting.
Here's the recipe:
200g (a little under 2 cups) ground hazelnuts
2 eggwhites
210g (1 cup) granulated white sugar
edible paper rounds / communion wafers (Backoblate)
1/2 cup whole hazelnuts, for decorating
1) Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Place the whole hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast them for 8 minutes.
2) Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold in the ground hazelnuts and sugar.
3) Put tablespoonfuls of the dough on the paper rounds so they form small domes. In Germany, you can get small rounds of edible paper that are especially for baking. Press one whole hazelnuts on top of each dome.
4) Bake at 150°C (300°F) for 15-20 minutes. They should still feel a little soft to touch when you take them out of the oven.
Yield: about 30 cookies
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 40 minutes
Here's how they look:
I like the way these bring a bright and nutty flavor and I love how easy they are to make. I also love how the whole hazelnuts make these look a little like a crown.
Have fun trying!!
