Clean Instant Chocolate Mousse

Think you can't have a healthy AND tasty chocolate mousse? Think again! This version has a lot of vitamins and healthy fats from the banana and avocado. This guilt-free treat is simply heavenly! I came across it on LovelyLiller's blog, and I simply had to try it out as soon as possible. Thank heavens I had a ripe avocado. This will definitely be made again, and again....and...again!

It has a hint of banana, but juuust enough - I loved the combination. It only takes five minutes to mix it all together!

Clean Instant Chocolate Mousse
(Serves 1, about 340 calories)



1 banana, chunks
1 small avocado, about 75g
5 topped tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp agave syrup

- Have banana chunks, cocoa powder, avocado and syrup in a bowl and whizz smooth with a stick blender.

- Scoop as much of the chocolate mousse into a glass or small serving bowl, top with some strawberries or fancy decoration if you want, but there really is no need, it'll be gone in no time!

Original source:
http://lovelyliller.com/denne-sjokoladepuddingen-er-rett-og-slett-helsekost/
TAKK LILLER!

- Jules

Lapper

...which is basically really thick pancakes made with kefir - soured cream.

This was one of my favourite breakfasts when I was little and stayed over at my grandmother's, the best mormor there could ever be! You can also use yogurt in the recipe if you can't find kefir (in the UK, they usually sell it in big supermarkets in the Polish section, I got mine from Tesco)

Serve lapper with butter and syrup, peanutbutter, honey, or jam of any kind! I always had them with strawberry jam, and so that is my favourite. Today I had to "settle" for apricot jam, and I tried one with butter and agave syrup too, mmmm :D

I halved the original recipe which you can see in my grandmother's beautiful handwriting, and I got eight lapper pluss a small "skrapekake" or "scrap cake" as we call it in Norwegian.



Six ingredients, anyone can do it, challenge accepted?

Lapper
(Makes 8, about 100 calories each with all sugar and not sweetners)



2 eggs, separated
2 tbsp sugar
25g butter (I used Flora light as always!), melted
1 small cup/200ml kefir (soured milk, or yogurt)
1/2 small cup/100g flour
1 small tsp with bicarbonate of soda

- Whisk egg yolks and sugar together. Then add the butter, kefir and flour together. Lastly, whisk the egg whites until they're starting to form peaks.

- Heat a small non-stick frying pan and fry lapper out of almost a ladleful of the batter. Cook for a few minutes on each side. Once the top side has gone all bubbly, flip!

- Keep warm by placing half a kitchen towel on a plate, place lapper on the plate and fold over the rest of the towel. They can keep out of the fridge if you intend to eat them over the course of a day (which you probably will! I only have a couple left and it's not even noon!), if you want to save some for the next day though, place them in the fridge. You can keep them there for about two days. They taste way better when they're fresh from the pan though!

- If you're feeling rebellious, fry them in a little bit of extra butter, mmmmm! It wont add a lot of badness, just a bit of extra goodness!



I hope you are having a wonderful start to your weekend!

Original source:
Mormor Evelyn <3

- Jules

Rhubarb, Strawberry & Lemon Smoothie

It is the day after Norway day, and I were out celebrating with some lovely colleagues! We even had a Scottish guy coming over to our table and he sang a short little drinking song in Norwegian, now how about that?! Love it!

And here's something else that I am...quite fond of to say the least! I made this little sweet treat the other night, and enjoyed it yesterday morning along with my breakfast. Deliciously zingy and just sweet enough!

Rhubarb, Strawberry & Lemon Smoothie
(Serves 3-4, about 130-100 calories each)



200 g rhubarb, chopped
1 tsp dry mint (or a few sprigs of fresh mint)
3 tbsp agave syrup
2 lemons, zest and juice
250 g strawberries, halved

- Boil up about 2 cups of water and have in a medium pan along with lemon zest, rhubarb, agave, mint and both lemon juice and zest. Cover and simmer for about ten minutes until the rhubarb is starting to fall apart.

- Take the pan off the heat and add either 2 cups worth of ice, or ice cold water, along with the strawberries and whizz until you have a smoothie. If it's too thick for your liking, add a little bit more water! Leave in the fridge to cool for a few hours before serving.


After the picture was taken, I stirred it up, and it tasted delicious! Natural yogurt with oats served with smoothie, mmm!

You can have this on it's own, garnished with either fruit or mint leaves, serve it topped with champagne or use it as a yogurt topping! It's deliciously fresh and not too sweet!

And here's my little pile of Norwegian sweets that I've got, there is more in the munchy cupboard, but it couldn't fit in the picture...oops!



This will probably last me until christmas! Haha, everything in moderation *smiles*

Original source:
http://yourintrinsicbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/strawberry-rhubarb-mint-lemonade.html

- Jules

Beany Burgers with Basil Tzatziki

Apparently I was to only add half the breadcrumbs to the mix and then coat the burgers with the remainings crumbs, instead - I added the whole lot, which made no difference at all if you ask me. Also, the patties were meant to be chilled in the fridge for half an hour before going in the pan...oops I missed that step too, but you know what? It didn't matter, as these lovely patties turned out really well!

Beany Burgers with Basil Tzatziki
(Serves 2, about 425 - includes tzatziki, not bread)



25 g pinenuts
175 g berlotti beans (300 g tin)
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 big tbsp red pesto or sundried tomato paste
40 g breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried thyme
1 egg
1 tbsp sunflower oil for frying

Tzatziki with basil to serve, along with good bread, potato wedges, side salad or whatever you desire!

I got some normal tzatziki and swirled plenty of finely chopped basil through, served the burgers on some wholemeal mini sub-rolls and made some sweet potato wedges, I also had some spinach leaves on the side with a bit of the remaining tzatziki and a splash of soy sauce, deeelicious!

- Lightly dry roast the pine nuts in a large frying pan (use the same as you'll fry the burgers in later).

- Have the berlotti beans in a bowl and mash them, before adding the pine nuts, onion, pesto and the breadcrumbs, thyme and egg. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper, maybe some smoked paprika? Mix it all well.

- Shape four patties with wet hands. Heat the oil in the frying pan and fry the burger patties on medium heat for a 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked.

Serve up with warm bread and some basil tzatziki! Or simply with a side salad as a light snack. I also had a dash of barbeque sauce on them for a tiny bit of a kick!

On another note, I read a blog post about steaming vegetables the Asian style here:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/ and it really got me inspired, so what did I end up doing on my lunch break? I went and bought a two-part bamboo steamer of course! On my way through the little Glaswegian China Town, I also bought a sushi mat and some nori sheets, so I miiiight be trying to make some home made sushi in the not so distant future. If you don't see it on my blog though, you will know I failed. Fingers crossed it'll have a happy ending, I couldn't bear the thought of wasted sushi material. Saying that, I would probably make a sushi salad with the "failed" project and enjoy it all the same, it just wouldn't look as nice, hehe!



Original source:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2535/

- Jules

Veiled Fitness Girl

Hi!

Apologies for my absence, but something came up on the other side of the ocean (aka Norway, in my case) and so I had to go on my merry way and try and help out as best I could!

It was really nice to see my family, and I had felt like seeing them, and the trip I've booked for July seemed so far away! Overall it was a really nice visit, and I got to fit way more events into my five-nights stay than I had intended to, or even imagined! I visited granny, went for walks with and without my dad, went out for a few drinks with my cousins, cooked for both my parents, got to catch up with my sister, see my uncle and auntie, and visit my friend and her partner. Despite not being a fan of shopping, I actually had a few hours, buying some exercise gear, things for the kitchen, and slightly healthier cooking ingredients that I'd otherwise would have had to buy online. Now though, I'm back in business, back to work, and I've also taken a few photos along the way, that'll help me catch up!

This recipe is recreated by Kriweb, and when I saw it, I couldn't help myself and had to try it out! Originally it's called "Veiled Farmer Girl" but here we have a Veiled Fitness girl, probably a few times healthier than the original, but O so delicious! With only three ingredients and a dash of water, who can refuse a work-night treat like this after dinner? ...Didn't think so! That girl sure knows what she's talking about *grins*

Veiled Fitness Girl
(Serves 1, about 220 calories, depending on the yogurt)



1 tub of fat free yogurt, I used vanilla with muesli
1 apple, diced
1 tbsp cinnamon + extra sprinkle
A dash of water

- Start with softening the bits of apple in a small pot with a dash of water and about a tablespoon of cinnamon (...because I can't enough of that stuff!)

- Stir occasionally until you end up with a lovely, fragrant apple purée. Once done, get a medium sized glass. Start by scooping half of the apple mixture in, top with half the yogurt and repeat. If you're using muesli as your topping of choice (you can use chopped or grated chocolate, ground nuts or other goodies if you prefer), use a little bit of cinnamon so as to follow through the whole sweetly spiced goodness, and sprinkle on top!

Grab a spoon and tuck in!

Here is the yogurt I used when I made mine:



It was only until after I'd had five of these, with different flavours (red currant being my favourite!) that I noticed there are e-numbers in these little goodies, dang! Might have to stay clear of these next time I go back to visit!

Also I thought I should add a picture of the different baking products, all natural I might add!



Psyllium husk for baking, Sukrin icing sugar, surkin gold (with a caramel like flavour almost that melt if it's served on top of something warm), stevia sweet drops with Vanilla Crême and chocolate flavours. I have yet to decide if I like the chocolate one, but the Vanilla Crême is delicious!

Last but not least, my first pair of running tights! I found these on sale, pretty puddytat! There was also an Asics tights that I really wanted as well, but decided against it as I reckon I should at least see if I like running in tights. Usually I just run in some normal shorts.



I'm glad to be back and blogging again, and I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend so far!

Original source:
http://www.kriweb.no/2013/05/03/tilslorte-treningspiker/

- Jules