Chickpea and Kale Curry

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!

Vegan Kale and White Bean Korma

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!

Curried Green Lentil Soup

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!!

Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

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!

Dark & Sumptuous Chocolate Cake

I am a little late for meat free monday but therefore today's recipe is a must. If you try this cake you would never guess it's vegan. It is dark, rich, chocolatey - everything you're dreaming of in a chocolate cake. And maybe the best thing? You can lick the bowl with no concerns whatever about catching salmonella from raw eggs or similar things. 

The recipe is from Nigella Lawson's latest book "Simply Nigella", but she posted it to her website as well so all of you can take a look at it and bake it along with me. Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/dark-and-sumptuous-chocolate-cake

Here's the recipe: 

Icing:
60ml (1/4 cup) cold water
75g (5 tablespoons) coconut butter (not the same as oil, made from the flesh of a coconut)
50g (1/4 cup) dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
150g (6 oz) dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Cake:
225g (1 1/2 cups) plain all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
75g (3/4 cup) cocoa powder, unsweetened
300g (1 1/2 cups) dark brown sugar
375ml (1 1/2 cups) hot water
75g (90ml) coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
edible rose petals and chopped pistachios, to decorate

1) First things first: I had no time searching for a shop in Berne where I could buy coconut butter, so I made it myself. I am an avid user of my food processor and it is soon easy. Put 200g shredded coconut in a food processor and process for about 10 minutes until a paste forms. That's your coconut butter. You just do the same as with any other homemade nut butter.

2) Preheat the oven to 180°C (350° F).

3) Place all ingredient for the icing in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring continuously until the coconut butter has melted and everything is smooth. Turn the stove off, but let the saucepan sit on the hot hob. Add the chocolate in pieces, then - still stirring - let the chocolate melt form the heat until all the chocolate has melted and everything's combined. Set aside to cool.

4) Line the bottom of a springform tin (I used a 24cm round tin) with baking paper. Grease the sides with butter. 

5) Add the flour, bicarb, salt, cocoa and instant espresso powder to a bowl and mix with a fork.

6) Mix the hot water, sugar, coconut oil and vinegar and stir until the oil has melted. Then, stir into the dry ingredients and pour the dough into the prepared tin. Bake the cake for 35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

7) Let the cake cool in the tin. Meanwhile, beat the icing with an electric mixer until it's starting to become a little fluffy. This will help you when spreading it on the cake.

8) Ice the cake with the icing, then decorate with the rose petals and chopped pistachios, if you wish to.

Active preparation time: about 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 1 24cm round cake (12-16 slices)

Here's how mine looks:

I really love this recipe. It is fast and really easy. It's basically as simple as melt and mix for the dough and the icing is super easily made as well. I found that my icing was too hard as that I could've poured it over the cake, but whisking it with an electric mixer makes it soft enough so it is easy to spread. 
I didn't have any pistachios at home and the only rose petals I could have used were fresh ones from our garden which I didn't want to pick since the purpose of baking was to make my dad happy on a sunday afternoon not winning an award for best decorated cake.

This cake is wonderfully fudgy, moist and incredibly chocolatey. If you don't like chocolate a lot, you're probably not going to love this recipe as much but for every chocolate lover, this is going to be heaven.

Have fun trying and enjoy!

Pumpkin, saffron and orange soup

Meat Free Monday. Three words, yet they can make such a difference. I know I've told you this before and I certainly don't want to judge you for making a different choice, but let's face it: meat is certainly healthy, but not if consumed daily in a huge amount. We've become a world full of meat eaters and we tend to forget about vegetables and fruit, grains and beans. If you're trying to put something vegetarian on the table just once a week, you're not only going to help reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, but you're giving yourself the opportunity to discover new recipes and new ingredients.

I have made it a habit eating soup for dinner. It's easy, it's fast and there are endless combination possibilities. Do you want your soup sweeter? Try carrot or sweet potato? Something heartier? Maybe broccoli and rocket sounds good that day. I know Halloween has passed, but that's not an excuse for me to forget about pumpkin. It is one of my absolute favorite winter vegetables. Whether it's in a salad, in a stew, in a soup, baked and puréed. Again, the possibilities are infinite. 

I was browsing websites lately and ended up on Yotam Ottolenghi's site. Normally, his recipes seem to be too much work with the tons of spices, so I was pleasantly surprised when I came across the following recipe for a pumpkin, saffron and orange soup. It is fast, yet offers a variety of flavours and is wonderfully creamy and satisfying - without the cream. 
Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/soups/pumpkin-saffron-orange-soup-with-caramelised-pumpkin-seeds-shop

Here's my way:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion
550g pumpkin flesh
2 medium carrots
1 teaspoon saffron fronds
1 litre vegetable stock
2 teaspoons grated zest from 1 organic orange
(6 tablespoons crème fraîche)
salt and white pepper

Optional:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
60g pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon golden syrup or maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon soft brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 big pinch cayenne pepper

1) Prepare the seeds first. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an oven tray with baking paper and brush with sunflower oil. Put the pumpkin seeds and all the other ingredients in a bowl. Mix, then spread over the tray and bake for 12-15 minutes, until a nice, golden color. 

2) For the soup, cut the onion into cubes. Cut the pumpkin into 1-inch cubes. I used a Hokkaido pumpkin and used the skin, because it's the only pumpkin with edible skin. Peel the carrots, then cut them into medium slices. Grate the zest from the orange.

3) Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onion, season and sauté for a minute, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and slightly golden.

4) Add the pumpkin and carrot and roast for 2 minutes, turning the heat to medium. Then add the saffron and the water or stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the pumpkin and carrots are almost tender. Add the orange zest and simmer for five minutes longer. 

5) When the vegetables are cooked completely, purée the soup with a hand held blender. Add water or vegetable stock if the soup is too thick. Season to taste.

6) Serve with the roasted pumpkin seeds and crème fraîche. 

Serves: 6
Active preparation time: 10 minutes
Total preparation time: 40 minutes

Here's how my soup looks:

I only had very few seeds, because I forgot buying pumpkin seeds, but they were delicious in the soup and added a little crunch. But they didn't last until I took the picture. I didn't use the crème fraîche, because the pumpkin lends the soup more than enough creaminess. 

I particularly loved the depth the saffron adds. Pumpkin and carrots are slightly sweet, and the saffron balances the sweetness with its distinct, earthy flavor. The orange zest lends this soup a hint of fruitiness. 

Have fun trying and have a great week!

Mac'n'Cheese

It's monday and time for a new meat-free recipe coming your way. We've had rather chilly weather and I have been craving more comfort food. Anything rustic, hearty and cheese sounds good to me at the moment. I am in full fall mode, I guess. 
I have had mac'n'cheese while visiting the U.S. after high school graduation and have started to love it back then. I know the dish doesn't have the healthiest reputation, but this recipe from Jamie Oliver uses skim milk for the béchamel sauce base and not as much cheese as other recipes so the recipe clocks in at less calories than most of the sandwiches you're buying for lunch every day. I also like the addition of tomatoes. They add sweetness, a slight fruitiness and lighten the cheese base. 

The recipe is originally from Jamie Oliver's book "Jamie's America" but has been published online as well. Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/a-killer-mac-n-cheese/#XIoU7V3gjtAHFZhI.97

Here's how I do it:
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
45g (1/3 stick) unsalted butter
3 heaped tablespoons all-purpose flour
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced (optional)
6 bay leaves 
1 litre (4 cups; 32 fl.oz) skimmed milk
600g (21 oz) dried macaroni
8 tomatoes
150g (5.3 oz) grated cheddar 
100g (3.5 oz; 1 1/4 cups) grated parmesan
leaves from a few sprigs of thyme
2 splashes worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 grating nutmeg (optional)
3 handfuls fresh breadcrumbs

1) Bring a large pan of water to the boil. 

2) Melt the butter in a large pan on low heat, then add the flour and turn the heat of to medium, stirring the whole time, until you get a paste. If you use the garlic, add it to the paste and cook until golden and the garlic is nice and sticky. Add the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the milk little at a time to ensure a smooth sauce. Bring the sauce to the boil, then leave it on low heat to simmer away and thicken for about 5 minutes. 

3) Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to packet directions. 

4) While your pasta is cooking, roughly chop the tomatoes and season them generously with salt and pepper. Grate the cheeses.

5) When your pasta is ready, drain it. Add the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted. Immediately mix the pasta with the sauce and add the tomatoes and thyme leaves. Season again with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg or Worcestershire sauce, until it has reached your liking. 

6) Pour the whole paste and sauce into a large oven-proof baking dish. Bake it for 30 minutes in the oven until golden, bubbling and crispy.

7) While the pasta is cooking, make the breadcrumbs. Put the breadcrumbs with a drizzle of olive oil and a few thyme leaves in a pan and roast until golden and crunchy all over. Serve with the macaroni.

Serves: 8
Active preparation time: 30 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour

Here's how mine turned out:

I love the warm cheesy sauce, the fruitiness from the tomatoes. A deep, creamy pasta dish hits the spot on any given fall day and helps end the day perfectly. 

The recipe worked really nicely. It is super easy and doesn't take hours to prepare. You'll do half of the work, the oven will do the rest of it for you. Is there anything else you need?

Have fun trying and keep cosy during the longer, darker fall nights!

Oven-baked risotto with basil, lemon and parmesan

It's monday and this is the first meat-free monday post I've written in a while. Fall is in a full swing here in Switzerland and the sun has worked up the force to beat the fog, so I decided to make something easy and fast that didn't need a lot of work and soak up the nice weather as much as possible. I still wanted some comfort food though, which is why I turned to a risotto recipe from Donna Hay. Her oven-baked risottos are fool-proof and absolutely delicious. It's like magic - throw all ingredients into a oven-proof tin, give them a quick stir and let your oven cook the rice for 30 minutes until it's perfectly creamy and cooked. And you're free to do whatever you like in the meantime. 

This recipe is from Donna Hay's latest book "the new easy" which features a ton of new, fast recipes that need little prep, but nevertheless offer a ton of flavor. The recipe happens to be vegetarian and can be tweaked into being vegan, so it's a perfect meat-free alternative.

Here's the recipe:
30g (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 onion
2 tablespoon lemon thyme
2 cloves of garlic (optional, as always)
250g (8.8 oz; 1 1/4 cups) arborio rice (or any risotto rice you have on hand)
1l (32 fl.oz; 4 cups) chicken or vegetable stock 
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 medium organic lemon)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
80g (2.8 oz; 1 cup) grated parmesan (or a vegan cheese substitute)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 handfuls fresh basil (1 package of 20g)

1) Preheat the oven to 200°C (395°F). Dice the onion finely. Press the garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion and thyme for 5 minutes until the onions has softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.

2) Add the onion-garlic mixture to your oven-proof baking dish. Add the rice and stock, give it a stir and cover with aluminium foil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

3) If you didn't buy grated parmesan, grate the parmesan while the risotto is baking. Grate the lemon zest as well. Cut the basil leaves into thin strips.

4) When the risotto has cooked, stir through the parmesan, lemon juice and lemon zest and basil and season with salt and pepper. 
© Donna Hay "the new easy", p. 133.

Yield: 4 portions 
Active preparation time: 10 minutes
Total preparation time: 40 minutes

Here's how mine turned out:

I love how quick and easy you can assemble this risotto. I also adore the flavors. If you're looking for a risotto that's suitable for fall, try Donna's version with sweet potato and bacon. 
This risotto has just the right amount of freshness from the lemon while the basil and parmesan round the flavor and take you straight to a sun-filled day in Italy - in your mind at least. You can perfectly eat this on its own or serve it along some saltimbocca (if you're not on meat-free monday). 

Have fun trying and have a lovely, sunny, golden fall week!

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup

I'm a little late for meat free monday, but this recipe serves as your meat free any day recipe just as well.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed some baking or cooking - or both! I definitely enjoyed my piece(s) of cake. The apple pie I already told you about and - as I couldn't decide on one cake - I devoured pieces of something else. I promise I will tell you about that second cake soon enough. But today's post is about Donna Hay's new latest book "The new easy". I bought it a while ago, but only got around to try some of the recipes this week. The soup I would like to introduce you to today is a great fall or winter soup. It is creamy, rich, comforting, warming, using fall produce and healthy at the same time! 
As always, omit the garlic if you want to or use less. This soup is easily made vegan by using vegetable stock and omitting the yoghurt. 

Here's the recipe:

1kg (35 oz) (1 large head) cauliflower 
1 400g (14 oz) can chickpeas
4 garlic cloves
4 sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 1 medium organic lemon)
1 teaspoon cumin powder
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
sea salt 
black pepper
1 potato
1.5l (6 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sumach
natural yoghurt, to serve

1) Preheat your oven to 200°C (395°F). Cut the cauliflower into florets. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Grate the zest from the lemon. Peel the garlic cloves.

2) Place the cauliflower florets, chickpeas, lemon zest, thyme and garlic cloves on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Season with salt, pepper and cumin, drizzle with the oil and toss to combine. Place the tray in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

3) In the meantime, cut the potato into small cubes, place in a large saucepan with the stock and bring to the boil. Cook for 8 minutes, until the potato is soft. 

4) Add 2/3 to all of the cauliflower mix and cook for 1-2 minutes. Blend with a handheld blender until smooth. 

5) Serve the soup in bowls, add the cauliflower-chickpea-mix and a dollop of yoghurt and sprinkle with sumach. 

Yield: 2.5 litres soup (serves roughly 8)
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Total prepration time: 50 minutes

Here's how mine looks:

I wanted a smooth soup for a change so I blended all of the cauliflower mix with the broth. I also ran out of potatoes, so I omitted them. And, of course, the garlic. My soup turned out rather thick, but feel free to add water until you reach your desired thickness.

What I love is the depth of flavor the roasting lends the cauliflower. This soup has a rich and earthy flavor that is balanced by a very light brightness from the lemon zest. It might not look so pretty because the color is less attention-catching than the bright red of a tomato. 
But this soup is the perfect warming treat on a grey and rainy, cold fall day. The chickpeas add protein to help keep you full and make the soup creamy without any added cream.

What I love is that the recipe works and is little work. A small trick like roasting the produce before blending it into soup adds a ton of flavor. 

Have fun trying and keep warm on these chilly fall days!

Creamy Mushroom and White Bean Soup

So, Switzerland decided it was time for winter... Or at least the temperature dropped quite a few bit these days, so I've been craving soup and soup and soup. I'm always on the hunt for new soup recipes, using different vegetables and continuously switching the ingredients or playing around with the texture, adding things so every soup is different and offering a ton of new things. 

The recipe comes from the donna hay magazine April/May 2013 issue. The recipe adds garlic croutons to the soup, which I omitted. I've told you about my slight aversion to garlic - not the taste but the smelly breath that comes with it. Don't let the rather long list of ingredients scare you. This soup is still super easy. 

I am trying to eat healthy, so cream is not on top of my list of ingredients at the moment. I've put the ingredients that are optional in brackets, so you can decide whether or not you want to use it. The soup won't lose creaminess when omitting the cream, because of the beans you're puréeing. 

By omitting the pouring cream and sour cream and using vegetable oil for frying and vegetable oil, this soup easily becomes vegan.

Here's the recipe:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

2 brown onions, chopped

(4 cloves garlic, crushed)

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1 400g  can white (cannelloni) beans, drained and rinsed

30g dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated in 2 cups (500ml) boiling water

3 cups (750ml) chicken stock

(1/2 cup (125ml) single cream)

100g chestnut mushrooms

200g Swiss brown mushroom

(1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, to serve)

sea salt and cracked black pepper

garlic croutons

2 cups (140g) fresh sourdough breadcrumbs

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1 tablespoon olive oil

sea salt and cracked black pepper

1) Rehydrate the dried porcini mushroom in 500ml (2 cups) of boiling water and set aside for  about 30 minutes.

2) For the croutons, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). To make the croutons, place the breadcrumbs, garlic, thyme, olive oil and salt and pepper on a baking tray and toss to combine. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside

3) Cut the fresh mushrooms in small cubes or quarter them. You'll add them to the soup so any size you like works fine. Chop the onions. Again, you're going to purée the soup so the onion doesn't have to be super fine. Drain and rinse the beans. That's all you need to prep.

4) Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and squeeze the garlic, if you're using it, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until softened. 

5) Add the thyme, beans, porcini mushrooms and liquid, stock, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 12-15 minutes or until thickened slightly. 

6) Add the cream, again if you're using it, and cook for a further minute. Using a hand-held blender, blend until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

7) Melt the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook, in batches, for 3-4 minutes or until golden and just cooked. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir through the soup.

8) Divide the soup between bowls. Stir through the mushrooms and top with the sour creams and croutons. 

Serves: 5 

Active preparation time: 15 minutes

Total preparation time: about 1 hour

Here's how mine looks:

This soup is wonderfully easy and beautifully deep in flavor. The porcini mushroom and their soaking liquid add a ton of flavour, the beans add creaminess and slightly balance the earthiness of the mushrooms. A good pinch of salt and pepper brings the flavors together. All that's left to do is curl up on the sofa and enjoy a bowl of the piping hot fall soup.

Have fun trying!

Red Lentil Soup

It's official: the new year has started, it's back-to-work-week and the winter has finally reached Switzerland during the holidays as well. So I figured a soup would 1) be a great way to fight the chill after my way home and 2) help me get back to healthy yet satisfying eating habits. As you know, I am a reader of Gwyneth Paltrow's goop website. I don't follow her tips religiously, but I might take an idea here or there. And so I decided to try some of the recipes from this year's Detox newsletter instead of doing a whole cleanse. I simply don't have the time to get all that cooking in while working full-time. The first recipe I've tried is today's red lentil soup. I instantly liked the idea of brightening the earthy lentil flavour with lime juice and adding a spicy kick from ginger and curry. So here's the link to the recipe:
http://goop.com/recipes/red-lentil-soup/

And here's my step-by-step-guide.

1) Rinse 1 cup of red lentils and set aside. Cut 1 medium onion into fine slices. Mince 1 inch of ginger and slice two cloves of garlic. Mince 1 small handful cilantro stems. 

2) Heat two tablespoons of coconut oil (I substituted sunflower seed oil) in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onions for about 10 minutes until translucent and slightly brown.

3) Add the garlic, ginger, cilantro stems, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander and 1/2 teaspoon curry powder and sauté for two more minutes until fragrant.

4) Add the rinsed lentils and 4 cups of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let cook for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Gwyneth advises to stir frequently as the lentils tend to stick to the pot. Mine however didn't stick at all. 

5) Blend the soup, add the juice of 1 lime and check the seasoning. If you like your soup a little thinner, thin with water for reaching your desired consistency.

Active preparation time: about 10 minutes
Total preparation time: about 35 minutes
Serves: 3-4 (depending on the people you feed)

Here's what my soup looked like:

I really love the different flavours. It's what makes this soup interesting. The lime adds a beautiful zing that nicely balances the rather earthy flavour from the lentils. The curry and ginger add a little spiciness. This soup is well balanced without being boring and the creaminess makes it even more comforting. I served mine along some bread (which of course you wouldn't be allowed to have during detox week). 

I hope you are starting your new year in great spirits and have fun trying this warming treat!

Quinoa with roasted beets and pear

Sooo, another monday has come around and it's been raining cats and dogs today. As soon as I got to the office, I boiled some tea and tried every little thing to stay warm. Today's recipe helped me do with keeping warm at lunch. I prepared it ahead yesterday, so I could have it all week. The recipe comes from Food52, a website where users can share their recipes. I love the site's construction, the pictures are just beautiful and their Twitter feed is the meanest thing, because it supplies you with endless pictures of the most beautiful looking dishes.
I loved the color from today's recipe and as I love beets and quinoa, trying this recipe was a no-brainer.

Here's the link:
http://food52.com/recipes/31742-quinoa-with-roasted-beets-and-pear

And this is how easy you'll get into quinoa heaven:

1) Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Rub the beets with some olive oil, wrap into tin foil and let them roast in the oven for about 50 minutes. It really depends on the size. I apparently ended up with large beets, so mine took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

2) In the meantime, rinse 1 cup of uncooked quinoa. Bring the quinoa along with 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a little salt, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid, then place back on the heat and press a paper towel between pot and lid. Let the quinoa rest for 5 more minutes.

3) Cube the pear and feta cheese and place into a bowl along with the quinoa. 

4) Once the beets are cooked, take them out of the oven. Let the beets cool a little bit. As soon as you can touch them, peel the skin under running water. 

5) Lower the oven temperature to 175°C (350°F) and roast the walnuts for 8 minutes. 

6) Cut the beets into small cubes and roughly chop the walnuts. 

7) Toss all the ingredients together, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I used 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, but use however much you like.

Serves: 4 nicely
Active preparation time: about 20 minutes
Total preparation time: depending on the size of your beets, up to 1 hour and 50 minutes

This is how mine looks:

i like the sweetness of the beets and pear, the saltiness from the feta and the earthy flavor from the quinoa, punctuated by a little hint of acidity from the balsamic vinegar. I used red quinoa, as the beets will turn everything they touch into a soft pink color anyways. I also think the red quinoa holds its shape a little better than the white variety and its flavor is slightly nuttier. I served the quinoa warm as the mere thought of eating something cold left me shivering today, but it would probably be just as good served cold. 

Have fun trying!

 

Pearl barley risotto with marinated feta

Hi guys!

I hope you had a lovely weekend. Mine was filled with baking and sunshine. The weather was breathtakingly beautiful and I enjoyed every second. Today's recipe plays with flavors that simply shout sunshine. Sunny tomatoes and tangy lemon help with making this recipe special and interesting. The recipe comes from Yotam Ottolenghi's book "Jerusalem". I accidentally discovered it in a magazine.

Here's the recipe:
200g (7 oz) pearl barley
30g (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
90ml (1/3 cup + 1 dessert spoon) olive oil
2 small stalks of celery
2 echalots
4 cloves of garlic
4 thyme sprigs
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder (pimenton)
1 bay leaf
4 strips lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1 can (400g; 14 oz) canned tomatoes
300g (10.5 oz) sieved tomatoes
700ml (2 3/4 cups) vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
300g (10.5 oz) feta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
salt and pepper, to season

1) Rinse the pearl barley thoroughly with cold water and set aside.

2) Cut the celery stalks, echalots and garlic cloves into small cubes (about 1/2cm; 1/4 inch).  

3) Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the butter over medium heat and cook the celery, echelons and garlic for 5 minutes until tender. Add the barley, thyme, pimenton, bay leaf, lemon peel, chili flakes, canned tomatoes, sieved tomatoes, vegetable broth and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir thoroughly.

4) Bring to the boil, turn the heat to medium-low and let cook for 45 minutes, stirring here and there, or until the barley is soft and has almost absorbed all liquid. You can add a little water if necessary.

5) In the meantime, roast the cumin seeds in a pan without oil for a few minutes. Afterwards pound the seeds using mortar and pestle. Add the feta and olive oil and mix to combine. 

6) At the end of cooking time, taste the barley risotto and season with salt and pepper. Serve the risotto with a little marinated feta on top. 

Yield: 4 as a main dish
Active preparation time: about 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour and 5 minutes

Here's how it looks:

This dish offers a ton of different flavors. Don't let the long ingredient list discourage you. All of the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store. And the final product is worth using all the ingredients. 

The lemon peel adds a nice tang, the tomatoes brighten things and the feta adds creaminess once it is starting to soften and saltiness to the recipe. If you don't like feta, try substituting a little cottage cheese or omit the cheese altogether.

I hope you can enjoy the last days of summer and have fun trying!

Apple Pie

Hi guys!

It's Monday and time for a meat-free recipe. Today's recipe is for all of you with a sweet tooth. As autumn is in full swing right now, I love to bake more than ever, because it means my favorite fruit is in season. It's not something extraordinary or hugely decadent - I love apples. In crumbles, in a tray cake, baked, but especially, as apple pie. The list goes on and on... 
This recipe for apple pie comes from Cynthia Barcomi and is the first apple pie recipe I have ever tried. I just love the buttery pie crust as it isn't sweet and nicely contrasts the tart and sweet baked apples. 

Here's the recipe:

For the pie crust:
420g ( 2+3/4 cups; 14.8 oz) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
240g (2 sticks; 8 oz) unsalted butter
90g (3.17 oz) palm oil 
160ml (2/3 cup; 5 fl.oz) cold water

For the apple filling:
4-5 apples (The recipes recommends Granny Smith, I like Boskoop as well or Elstar)
35g (2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
70-100g (1/3-1/2 cup) granulated sugar
pinch of cinnamon powder (feel free to use 1 teaspoon or more)

1 egg

1) Cut the butter and oil in small pieces. Put them in a bowl and let them cool in the freezer for about 15 minutes. I personally have never used the palm oil, but replaced it with equal amounts of butter. You could also use coconut oil, as it is hard at room temperature as well.

2) Place the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl and mix.

3) Add the butter and beat the dough with a hand-held mixer or kitchen machine until small crumbs form. It should look a little a crumb topping.

4) Add the water, reserving one tablespoon at first. The dough should just be coming together. Add the remaining water if necessary. 

5) Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. The recipe calls for 2 hours, but I have never found it necessary to refrigerate it this long.

6) Preheat the oven to 225°C (437°F). Peel and core the apples and cut them in pieces, about 1/2 inch quarters. 

7) In a bowl, mix the apples with the sugar, flour and cinnamon and set aside.

8) Grease a 26cm spring tin with butter. Take the dough out of the fridge and cut in tin half. Place one half on a flour-dusted surface and roll it into a round disk of about 36cm caliber. You should be able to place the dough into the spring tin while it forms the bottom and sides in one piece. Fill the apples into the tin.

9) Take the other half and roll until about 2-3mm thick. Either you can roll it into a round disk and cover the pie with it completely, cutting the cover a few times so the steam can escape when baking. Or you cut the dough into 2cm-wide strips and braid them. I know, the braiding takes a little bit more time, but I think it looks much much nicer. For some extra glow, brush with one whisked egg. 

10) Bake the pie at 210°C (410°F) for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 190°C (374°F), cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 50 minutes. The pie is done when it is golden brown. 
© Copyright: Cynthia Barcomi's "Backbuch", p. 145f.

Here's how mine looks:

As you can see: The braiding is a little bit freestyle. It's easiest starting in the middle and working your way out. 

Here's a peek at the inside

I really love this recipe. The pie crust is the perfect combination between buttery and flaky and soft from the apple juices on the inside. The butter makes sure that no apple juice can escape. I always use more cinnamon than the original recipe calls for, as I love it. It's completely up to you. Feel free to leave it, if you're not into cinnamon, but I think nothing beats this classic, winning combination. 

Have fun trying and curl up on the sofa with a nice piece of warm apple pie!

Basic Lentil Soup

Soo, I finally managed to get some cooking in. That is not to say I didn't cook for the past few weeks, but most of it was designed to be quick and easy and was eaten before I could take a picture. So now, hopefully, I will get back to a more frequent routine in writing and cooking. Today's recipe is meat-free (as it is Monday, of course) and vegan. Switzerland has got a first taste of cold weather with chilly wind blowing and me freezing on the way to University, so I figured there's no better way to brave the cold than with a hot bowl of delicious soup. I was searching for new ideas and new soup recipes to try that differ form the basic vegetable-purée soup and I came across this recipe for a lentil soup, featured on goop. Here's the link: http://www.goop.com/journal/make/254/spilling-the-beans 
The recipe is the last one, on the very bottom of the issue.

A few notes to my version: I used beluga lentils as well as green puy lentils. Both are rather small and cook fast. They also won't break down while cooking but hold their shape really well, which I prefer. 

Serves: 4
Active preparation time: about 10 minutes
Total preparation time: 35 minutes 

Here's how my soup looks:

First of all, I love the simple fact that I had every ingredient at home and could start cooking right away. I always keep lentils at hand, as they make a perfect side or a satisfying meal on their own and are incredibly versatile. Secondly, I find this soup to be a great compromise. On the one hand it is a little creamy because you've pureed a little of it and on the other hand you've still got small bits of carrots, tomatoes and lentils in it. I finished my soup with a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar. The soup itself offers sweetness from the tomatoes and carrots, earthy, almost nutty flavors from the lentils, a little saltiness from the vegetable broth and just the right amount of acidity, if you add the vinegar. I hope you like it!

Have fun trying and enjoy!