Creamy Pea Risotto

When my flatmate tried this risotto, he said "This is perfect for a cold day like today", and you know what? He is right! Soups, risottos, stews - you name it, all perfect Wintery meals. But hey! I wouldn't mind some of this any time of the year, it's delicious! Easy to make, and so worth the 45 minutes it takes to whip it up:

Creamy Pea Risotto
(Serves 2, about 490 calories each)

1 tsp coconut- or olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
150g pearl barley
800ml-1L vegetable stock
Ground black pepper
100ml low-fat fromage frais, or crème fraîche (can also use quark)
130g garden peas
25g grated parmesan
Chives, fresh or dried, for garnish

- Start by boiling up your stock.

- Then in a pan, heat up the oil, and add your onion, fry for a few minutes until softened. Then, add your barley and stir so all the oil and juices have coated the barley. Now, keep the pan on medium heat and add a ladleful (about 200ml) of the stock, and stir well. Keep stirring every few minutes or so, and once it's absorbed most of the liquid, repeat until you have no stock left.

- If you've so far used 800ml stock and the texture is still a little grainy, add another ladleful of water and give it another five minutes. The feeding of the risotto should take between 30-40 minutes, but preferably closer to 40 to make sure it's lovely and creamy.

- Once you've added the last ladleful of stock or water, tip in the fromage frais or crème fraîche, sollowed by half of the parmesan and all of the peas. Stir well and leave for a couple of minutes to heat through properly before tending to it again. Season to taste and serve topped with the remaining parmesan and the chives, and enjoy!

Post snow-fall...I mean *cough* parmesan sprinkles! Might be the closest thing to snow I'll get though!

Today, I will be off to Norway for christmas and New Years, and so it might get a little quiet on my side. Who knows though, I might drop by!

I wish you a happy festive season, and a magnificent 2014!


Recipe by yours truly

- Jules

No Bread! Plan B(reakfast) Muffin

Ever woken up in the morning and craved bread for breakfast? Those times when cereal or porridge wont be good enough. I had one of those mornings a little while back, and I figured that there had to be some way I could get my "bread" and eat it to!

This makes one small "bread muffin"! I'd suggest making more than one once you get going though, juuuust in case you want another one. Or, you could make one that is bigger! The cheesy bits in the cottage cheese melts slightly throughout the whole thing, and I am so glad I came up with this! How many mornings have I been wanted, just a small roll or a slice of toasted bread with...something? Countless! But I prefer this to either of them, as it's freshly made.

I have tried this recipe three times now, and the most recent one was this morning! I actually swapped half a teaspoon of the cottage cheese with some tomato purée, and added a little bit of dried chives and oregano for a pizza version, and it was deeeelicious! You can pretty much adapt these breakfast muffins anyway you want - enjoy!

No Bread! Plan B(reakfast) Muffin
(Makes 1, about 130 calories)

25g wholemeal flour
Pinch of salt
Pinch of bicarbonate of soda
Pinch baking powder
2 tsp natural low-fat cottage cheese
Tomato purée, oregano and other spices optional!

- Heat a small non-stick frying pan up on medium heat as you are mixing all the ingredients for the "muffin" bread.

- Flatten it out until it is fairly flat, the size of a small tea-plate. Put it in the pan and fry a few minutes on both sides until cooked through and golden.

Your breakfast canvas!

Phew! Got my bread after all!
You can top with with a fried egg, soft cheese, ham, or whatever you want!


Recipe by yours truly

- Jules

Courgette, Lemon & Rice Soup

In search of another little something to make and bring with me to work. Problem was that I decided it looked so good that I had half of it for dinner! Oh well, one batch to bring in for tomorrow it still pretty good, and the soup was delicious! In flavours, it reminded me a little of the avgolemono soup that I made a little while ago, but the rosemary added made it just a little bit different. I like them both a lot, and will definitely make this again!

In this recipe, it calls for over-cooking the rice so you break down the starch more and that's what makes it extra hearty, I really like the combination of flavours and textures as well, mmmm!

Courgette, Lemon & Rice Soup
(Serves 2, about 165 calories each)

1l vegetable stock
50g uncooked rice
1 small onion (or a half), finely chopped
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dry rosemary, or 2 sprigs
1 courgette, washed and grated (about 200g)
Juice and peel of 1/2 lemon
Salt and black pepper to taste

- Start by boiling up water and adding the stock, rice, onion, rosemary and garlic to the pan with a little pepper (I used about 1/2 tsp whole black peppers). Cover and simmer until the rice is cooked + 10 minutes.

- Now, add your courgette and lemon zest (not the juice), and cook for a further five minutes, adding a little stock if you think the soup is too thick. Season to taste and right before serving stir through the lemon juice. And enjoy! This would go perfectly with a quick wholemeal soda bread baguette - just saying *winks*

Also, the other day, my friend Anna brought me a little present and some candied almonds! I tried some of the almonds last night, and they were heavenly! I love how they sound when clashing together with that crisp caramelised sugar on the outside. So good! And my flatmate placed a stocking randomly on the guitar stand in the living room. I thought this would make a nice christmas photo! Today is my last day before the holidays, and I cannot wait! Do you have any plans for the coming week?


Original source:
Delicious Low-Fat Recipes, p.45

- Jules

Healthier Chocolate Pudding

I was looking through my granny's recipe book, and I saw all sorts of different delicious cakes and biscuits, and then I came across a few recipes for chocolate puddings. Only a few times have I ever cooked with gelatine, and when I saw that this one recipe was without - I immediately wanted to try it! Surely you couldn't make chocolate pudding and make it set without gelatine? But yes, you can!

It is less fluffy than most chocolate puddings, and therefore I decided to pour it into two cups, as I knew it was going to be quite filling, and deliciously chocolatey! This little number is vegan, and contains hardly any sugar!

Healthier Chocolate Pudding
(Serves 2, about 125 calories each)

The first time I tried it, a few hours after making it, it was a little mushy, but this is what awaited me the next day - it was great!

1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp sukrin or xylitol
1 1/2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla sugar
250ml almond milk

- Start by mixing all your dry ingredients together in a small sauce pan. Then turn the hob on medium heat and heat the mixture up, stirring occasionally until the mixture is getting hot hot hot!

- Once it's starting to thicken (this will only take a few minutes), make sure to stir frequently, letting it thicken until you have an almost thick frosting-like concistency. Hurry and pour it into two small glasses, cups or tea-cups. As you can see I put them in too big a cup! Now I know until next time! Set them in the fridge to cool overnight (preferably). Serve as it is, or with cream, chopped nuts, a bit of icing sugar on top - and enjoy!

I thought I would have to be quick to post up a healthified recipe, as for me, christmas should be good ol' fashioned cakes and dinners. This would make a great post-holiday treat *smiles*


Source of inspiration:
Mormor's cookbook

- Jules

Sandnøtter

These translates simply as sand-nuts! Like ginger nuts, except these are made with mainly potato flour for a sandy texture. I would perhaps advice you to use normal butter that is a little harder than flora, as the batter I made turned out a liiiittle melty.

Also, I was surprised at how big they turned out when shaping them with two teaspoons. You could make twice as many by using a small teaspoon's worth of batter, just note that they will bake in a few minutes less. The sand nut biscuits are not supposed to turn golden, so don't go by the colour when checking if they're done.

For many people in Norway, these are considered one of the seven kinds, but you also get some similar biscuits called sandkaker or sand-cakes! Plenty of christmas recipes out there.

Sandnøtter
(Makes 28, about 52 calories each)

125g butter (I used flora light...as always)
145g sugar
1 egg
1-2 tbsp milk of choice
210g potato flour (I bought mine in a health shop, organic shops will probably also have it)
60g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

- Start by pre-heating your oven to 200°C.

- Now, whisk together the egg and sugar until it's light and airy, then mix in the egg and stir well.

- Sift in the flours and baking powder into the butter mixture and stir well. If using regular butter, you might get more of a dough consistency, in which case you can roll little balls, place them on a baking tray on baking parchment, and press down lightly with a fork. If the mixture is a little to wet to handle with your hands, then use two teaspoons and work it between them before placing on the baking paper.

- Place them in the middle of the oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes, tap gently with your fingers to check if they're done. Because I made mine slightly bigger, they needed about five minutes extra.

- Take out and leave on a rack to cool completely before peeling of the paper. Store in an airtight container or biscuit tin, or eat straight away with your tea of coffee!

I also noticed some other recipes for these used 1 tsp of vanilla sugar and a bit of spice like cardamom or nutmeg, so that's something to keep in mind should you feel a little experimental, you can't go wrong with vanilla sugar, mmm!


Original source:
Mormor, once again - thanks!

- Jules

Coco-Nutty Granola

I don't know how long I have been planning to make my own home made granola! Several recipes have been written down, but for some reason I have thought that I don't have the time for it.
So I decided something had to be done, I wanted a way to make my normal yogurt breakfast more filling, and yet more granola recipes showed themselves and I could not wait any longer!

Little did I know that it only takes about five minutes to mix together, and then for the next 40 minutes and a bit, the job basically does itself! I love nuts, and currants, and coconut! Not to mention cinnamon and citrus fruits, so I took a basic recipe and used that as my guidance for measurements, and then I made a few adjustments based on what I felt like really! Swapping some of the sweetning with a little fruit juice for a bit of zing, for example, and it turned out a treat *smiles*. I might have been stuck indoors with the cold on a Friday evening, but I managed to be productive even so!

Also, if you are needing a christmas present in a hurry, then this would make a lovely gift if put in a jar with a ribbon tied around it! Also check out Peppernøtter, Coconut Macaroons, Gingerbread biscuits, Red Onion & Fig Reduction, and Apple & Cranberry Chutney. If baking, you can leave this for a couple of days prior to christmas, the granola and preservatives will keep a little longer!

Coco-Nutty Granola
(10 servings â 40 grams, about 160 calories each)

150g oats
25g almonds, roughly chopped
25g walnuts, roughly chopped
50g unsweetened dessicated coconut
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
50g dried currants (or blueberries, cranberries etc)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 tbsp honey (I used acacia)
Juice of 1 tangerine
A few tablespoons water (2-3)

- Pre-heat the oven to 150°C.

- In a small baking bowl, mix all your dry ingredients (currants included!) together.

- Whisk the egg whites and add the honey, tangerine juice and a splash of water, pour into the oat mixture and stir well.

- On a baking paper clad baking tray, pour in the mixture and pat down. Make sure it is all somewhat sticking together to make sure you get some nice clusters in there!

- Place it in the middle of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until crisp and golden. It might need a few more minutes, but that you can check when the time comes. I bet your flat never smelt so good!

- Cool completely, before breaking into bits, making it as clusterful as you like! Serve on top of yogurts, porridge, or with milk! Depending on how you feel, you can also add more dried fruit or chopped fresh fruits when serving too!

It looked like a work of art!



Original source:
http://rdeliciouskitchen.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/the-secret-ingredient-to-make-perfect-granola/

- Julie

Lussekatter

In primary schools all over Scandinavia, the 13th of December is known as Santa Lucia-day. Most pupils wouldn't know the whole back story to it, and to be honest I had to look it up myself whenever I decided I was going to make Lussekatter. There are so many stories and they all sound different from one another, and so I'll just tell you what exactly I remember.

Every 13th of December, a group from one of the younger classes would dress up as little angels, or saints, and one would get to be Santa Lucia. The other children would wear lovely white little robes, and usually paperhaps they had made themselves, and hold a candle, whilst Santa Lucia would be at the very front, wearing almost like a halo-like crown, and holding a big basket full of these lovely little baked goods! They would go from classroom to classroom and make sure that everyone at the school, teachers included, would get one.

Out in the halls, the lights would be switched off, and down the hall, you could see candles, and little feet shuffling excitedly along, looking around, singing:

Svart senker natten seg
I stall og stue
Solen har gått sin vei,
Skyggene truer
Inn i vårt mørke hus
Stiger med tente lys,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

Natten er mørk og stum
Med ett det suser
I alle tyste rom
Som vinger bruser
Se, på vår terskel står
Hvitkledd med lys i hår
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

Mørke skal flykte snart
Fra jordens daler
Slik hun et underfullt
Ord til oss taler
Dagen skal atter ny
Stige av røde sky
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

Lussekatter
(10 lussekatter, about 140 calories each)

50g Flora light (or light butter)
150ml semi-skimmed milk
20g fresh yeast
1g saffron (of 1/2 tsp tumeric)
50g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 tsp ground cardamom
4 dl flour, preferably all-plain (I mixed half and half wholemeal and plain, about 240g)

1 whisked egg for brushing
Raisins for decorating

- In a small pot, heat up the butter and milk until it is 37°C (body temperature, if you stick your finger into it, it should almost feel as if it isn't there). Turn off the heat and crumble in the yeast. Stir until it is all dissolved and back to liquid consistency.

- Mix all your dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in your yeast mixture and stir well. Now knead the dough, add a little more flour or milk (1 tsp at a time, as a tiny bit makes a big difference!) should it be necessary. Place it back in the bowl and leave in a fairly warm place to rise to double its size (about 1-2 hours).

- On a floured surface, tip your dough out, and knead well. Divide the dough into about 20 bits and roll into sausages before shaping them.

- Place them on a baking clad baking tray and cover with plastic, and leave them to rise for at least a further 15 minutes, up to 45 minutes if you have the patience!

- Now, pre-heat your oven at 250°C, and brush each lussekatt with some egg, and decorate with a few raisins on each. Place the tray in the middle of the oven and bake them for about 7-10 minutes (Keep a close eye on them!) until they are nice and golden. Leave on a rack to cool, and enjoy!

Lussekatter can come in many shapes and twirls, here, you have "lussekatt" at the top left, "lily" on the top right, "christmas pig" on the bottom left, and lastly the "lily".

I know they are supposed to be more yellow in appearance, but because I used about half and half with wholemeal flour, the saffron didn't shine through as well - still as tasty though!


Original source:
http://www.tine.no/oppskrifter/sesong-og-tema/jul/julekaker/lussekatter

- Jules

Herby Soda Baguette

For the wine and cheese evening I hosted last Sunday, I was serving soup. I knew we would be eating a lot of crackers and what have you throughout the evening, so I didn't think to get bread. Last minute, I felt kinda bad for only having soup, and so I decided I would make a savoury soda bread, as it is so quick, easy, moist and delicious - it fit the bill!

My friends really liked it, and within five minutes it was gone!

Herby Soda Baguette
(Makes 1, about 850 calories for the whole loaf)

100g plain flour
100g wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
6 tbsp light natural Greek yogurt
Herbs for topping, I used dried chives and oregano

- Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.

- In a small baking bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, before making a well in the middle and adding the yogurt.

- Mix well and then start kneading it once you've got a dough. Roll out to a baguette and place on a baking paper on top of an oven rack. Sprinkle over herbs or seeds of choice and press them down gently to make sure most of it sticks.

- Bake for about 15 minutes, and take out to cool for a few minutes before serving. It goes perfectly with any soup. I love how it almost has a sticky texture to it - delicious!

What is your favourite bread to make?


Recipe by yours truly

- Jules

Watercress Soup

I needed milk, and I ended up going past one of my favourite organic shops. Inside I got distracted by all the things neatly stacked on the shelves, and it was only at the till I remembered - Milk! The girl behind the counter just laughed.

One of the things I got, was a bunch of watercress, thinking that I'd try and make a watercress soup! I have seen it on TV many a time, and I wondered what it tasted like. Surprisingly good! Looking forward to having the leftovers tomorrow, mmmmm.

Watercress Soup
(Serves 2-3, about 215-145 calories each)

2 tsp coconut oil or 1 tbsp olive oil
200g potatoes, washed and cut into dice
1 large or two medium onions, finely chopped (about 200g)
1 fat garlic clove, or two smaller, finely chopped
600ml good vegetable stock
Black pepper
125g watercress

- Start by heating the oil in a pan and add your potatoes, onion and garlic. Stir for a few minutes until evenly coated and glistening.

- Pour in stock, and season with a little black pepper. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

- Now, add your watercress, stir, cover and heat through for a few minutes. Then, either with a stick blender or food processor, whizz the soup until smooth. Season to taste and serve with good crusty bread and perhaps a bit of crème fraîche, fat free fromage frais, or natural yogurt swirled through.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I made a bigger batch of this after first making it, as I volunteered to be the host of a wine, cheese and cracker night last night, due to my friend who was going to have it being ill, poor thing! The evening started with fancy niblets, soup, wine, and ended up with.... More goodies! I had also made some marzipan marbles, and here you can see some of the many things that we enjoyed:

Next time, I think we should limit what people bring to a few items each, as we went quite over the top this time! We were eight people and were eating like Kings! At end of the evening, we made mulled wine, tea and coffee. Great evening!

I hope you had a good weekend too, and that the Monday has treated you well! Soon I will snuggle up with a cup of watercress soup that I have left, I made a pot of soup three size this recipe, and I have a small pot left, mmmmm!



Original source:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/magazine/recipes-view.php?title=watercress-soup

- Jules

Spanish Omelette

Sometimes the simplest of ingredients can go a long way, eggs and potatoes? It can make a great meal if you whip up a Spanish omelette like the one below! It takes a bit of time, but it's tasty, filling, healthy and you most likely have all the ingredients already!

Spanish Omelette
(Serves 2 as a snack or 1 as a main meal, about 285-570 calories)

Look how beautifully layered it is!

250g potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
2 eggs
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
Salt to taste

- Heat the one tablespoon of oil in a small non-stick frying pan. Add your potatoes and cook on a fairly high heat for about ten minutes. Stirring every now and then to keep them from catching the pan, or char.

- Once the edges of some of the potato slices turn a light golden colour, add the onion and salt, not too much! Turn down the heat slightly and soften for another ten minutes until most of the potato slices are golden and have all gone a little soft.

- In a small baking bowl, beat the eggs lightly, before adding the potato mix and stir a little. Wash the pan quickly, before heating up the remaining teaspoon of oil and pour in the mix. It doesn't matter if the eggs have curdled a little, it will more easily cook through and set.

- Once it's more or less set, slide the omelette onto a plate or a flat lid, and turn the omelette, cooking it for another couple of minutes on the topside. And you're good to go!

It tasted lovely on it's own, but if you prefer your dish with a bit of a kick to it, you can use a bit of sweet chilli sauce, or maybe even barbecue sauce! I had the second half with a bit of sriracha sauce and some roast pepper, and it worked really well!

And also, a happy 8th December! I cannot believe how quickly the last week and a bit has flown by!

The other day, I found licorice powder in a Scandinavian shop called Tiger. I thought it was going to be slightly sweet in flavour, but I happened to be O so wrong! It was super salty!

So when I made my Marzipan Marbles and rolled 1/4 of them in the licorice.... I discovered that it wasn't very nice. I will have to find some other use for it, and use it IN something rather that rolling anything it in. BUT I did enjoy the rest of the marbles big time! I actually thought that since they had raw eggwhite in them, I could try and bake them! So I pre-heated the oven to 180ºC, and put them in for about 7-10 minutes, and it worked really well! So if you're a little weary of eating raw egg white, this might be an alternative for you :)

I made smaller marbles this time, and got 16 in total! I left four plain, rolled four in chopped up almonds, four with licorice (at the very back there) and mixed in a little cocoa powder for the remaining four - delicious!

I hope you have had a lovely weekend so far - still a bit to go! And only two weeks until I go back to Norway to visit my family, I cannot wait!



Original source:
Friste Vegetariske Oppskrifter, p. 62

- Jules

Pomegranate & Pineapple Smoothie

So you bought that pineapple in the shop in December because it looked pretty, and you come home asking yourself - what on earth am I going to do with this?! It's almost christmas! Well, eat most of it raw, as it's so delicious! And then if you have some left, why not use it with some leftover pomegranate seeds or maybe rasberries and make a nice smoothie? I found the pineapple I bought was one of the best I have ever had! Are they in season now, do you know?

Originally, you were meant to use two parts pomegranate seeds to one part pineapple, buuuut the pomegranate I had only contained 150g seeds, so I added some more pineapple for good measure. It was very tasty though, and I had this as a dessert after I'd made myself a Hawaii burger, a perfect little dessert after dinner.

Pomegranate & Pineapple Smoothie
(Makes 2 small glasses, about 95 calories each)

150g pomegranate
120g pineapple

- Right, this is probably the shortest "how to" there is on my blog. Have the fruit in a food processor and whizz until smooth, or use a stick blender. Add a little water if the consistency is a little too thick. Cool before serving!

Aaaaand speaking of drinks, I got four free samples of tea in a Wholefoods shop last week!

I have tried all of them now, and here are my honest review of the products:

Pukka - After Dinner

As promised on the package, it says it has tones of fennel, chicory and cardamom. It is aniseedy but in a lovely subtle way. Mmmm! Scandinavians do tend to be fond of their licoricy sweets, and this tea is no exception!
Seems I got to try the best one out of the lot first - lucky! But worry not, it's not all downhill from here!

Yogi Tea - Green Tea Ginger Lemon

Usually, the Yogi Teas are heavily spiced (in a good way, I may add), but this green tea of theirs is a little different. It is much lighter, and does thankfully have that lovely zesty taste through it - because I'm usually not too keen on green tea, but that's down to preference of course.

Dr. Stuart's Echina Plus

This tea, I was particularly curious about, mainly because of the name and the rather textbooky look of the packaging... The tea itself has a lovely red berry colour, but it smells of pharmacy and it tastes like it too... I know that isn't the most professional term to use, but then again, I am just a customer. I gave it an extra point on the dice because it is probably very healthy for you. I wont go near the stuff again though!

Pukka - Three Tulsi

The second Pukka tea out of the lot! I had to do some research and see what tulsi actually was, and it appears that it also is known as Holy basil, now how about that?!
I wasn't completely sure what I thought of this. It had a fruity taste, which I like, but there seemed to be a little soooomething lacking in the flavour. I wouldn't mind having it again though!

What is your absolute favourite tea?


Original recipe:
Friske Vegetariske Oppskrifter, p. 185
Dice photos are from Google Images, until I get my own photographs for them!


- Jules

Parsnip Fries for One

*Starts singing* "Parsnips roasting on an open fiiiire.." My bad! Haha, but in this time of year especially I find that roasted vegetables themselves can be super comfort food! The other day I bought a parsnip for the sole purpose of making some parsnip fries, I reckon it was the Sunday roast dinner in the Highlands last week that inspired me. Can you blame me?!
Here I have slammed together comfort food and pub grub in one bowl - and they turned out preeetty tasty too if I may say so myself! It was the first time I used coconut oil, and it did give the parsnips a subtly sweet taste which went very well with the rest of the seasoning I used. But worry not! Olive oil will do the trick just as well!

Parsnip Fries for One
(Serves 1, about 260 calories without dip)

1 parsnip, about 200g, washed and cut into fries
2 tsp coconut (or olive) oil and 1-2 tbsp water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp onion powder
1 clove garlic, peeled and left whole (optional)

- Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC.

- In a small pot, melt the coconut oil or heat up the olive oil on medium heat, and add the water. As you prepare the parsnip, chuck them into the pan as you go along.

- Sprinkle with the seasoning, place a lid over it and give it a good shake! Place the fries on a piece of baking parchment along with the whole garlic clove, and place it in the middle in the oven. Let them bake for about half an hour before turning them and roasting them for a further half hour, or more if you like them crispier. I turned the heat up to 180ºC for the last ten minutes, and left them for a tiny bit longer. I like it when the edges get slightly charred, mmmmm!

- Once they're all done, you're ready to go! Serve as they are, or whip out some nice salsa, ketchup or any other sauce you like, and tuck in! You might not want to eat the garlic clove, as I did and it was really strongly flavoured! It will do nicely in soups and other cooking though!

What's your favourite vegetable for roasting?


Recipe by yours truly (it wasn't exactly science, but I am really happy with the result!)

- Jules

Clementine Softies

This morning, it is stormy outside, and it woke me up several times last night! Needless to say, I am not exactly looking forward to braving the weather and make my merry way to work. Wish me luck!
On a day like today however, it is tempting to get baking, don't you think? In which case - keep reading!

I found this recipe the other day and the cakes were shaped as tiny christmas trees! Unfortunately, I didn't have christmas tree moulds, but hey! They turned out looking pretty sweet anyway, aye?

Let your imagination run wild when it comes to topping, or perhaps half them and make little sweet sandwiches? Mmmm!

Clementine Softies
(Makes 12 small ones, about 25 calories each without topping)

2 eggs
Juice from 1 small tangerine/clementine (you can use the zest too for a stronger flavour)
30g sukrin gold, xylitol, or sweetner of choice
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
15g low-fat almond flour (or coconut flour, protein powder etc)
20g wholemeal flour

- Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.

- Mix everything apart from your flours, until combined well and slightly bubbly.

- Add the flours. You can use most types of flour as the spices will give the mixture the flavours it needs. I find that rice flour has quite a strong taste and is quite dense though, so go for subtly sweet flours if using anything different from normal flour. I might try and use some quinoa flour next time!

- Pour the batter into silicone moulds and pop them in the oven for about 12-15 minutes until set and golden. Take out and leave to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the moulds.

- Eat as they are or top with a little syrup or any topping of choice. I mixed 1/2 tsp Walden Farms Pancake syrup with a couple of teaspoons of fromage frais that I topped them with, followed with cocoa nibs! You can tell I am already making the most of my little iHerb stock!

Easy peasy, healthy, and made in 1, 2, 3!

I may have had half of these as dessert when I made them.... Couldn't help myself!


Original source:
http://www.kriweb.no/2013/12/01/adventstraer-med-en-smak-av-klementin/

- Jules

Sweet Potato & Roasted Pepper Rosemary Soup

Originally, I saw a "pumpkin and sage" soup and thought - hey! I can make that! Except...I had no pumpkin, squash or sage. Hmmmm! I did have a sweet potato, roasted red peppers and rosemary though, and so I wandered into the kitchen ready to cook up something!

This is a soup that confused me, I don't know why, but it just...did. It does taste nice though, and it will go really well with a slice or two of some nice wholemeal bread! For a less confusing soup, just don't use the rosemary, I think that's what might have thrown me, hehe.

Sweet Potato & Roasted Pepper Rosemary Soup
(...try and say that ten times fast!)
(Serves 2-3, about 350-235 calories each)

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 fat garlic clove (or two smaller ones), finely chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 large sweet potato (about 525g), peeled and finely sliced/chopped
1 roasted red pepper (about 100g. From jar works!), sliced
1 litre vegetable stock
1 tsp dried rosemary (optional)
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Crusty bread to serve

- Start by heating the oil in a pan. Soften the garlic and onion for about 5 minutes, then add your seasoning, and sweet potatoes.

- Stir until evenly coated, before pouring over the stock, sover and simmer until the sweet potato is soft, about 15-20 minutes.

- Add the roasted pepper, then use a stick blender or food processor to whizz the mixture into a lovely, smooth soup. Add more water if you prefer it thinner, I thought this one came out perfectly for my taste! Season to taste, and it's ready to serve!

Now, where's that bread? Ah there it is! Enjoy!

Also, it is the 4th of December, and it was a cheeky monkey who served me a little piece of milk chocolate this morning!

Yesterday, I picked up my first parcel from iHerb! I have ordered from them before, but somehow it got lost in the mail *sighs*, but this time it arrived within less than a week! Pretty impressive if you ask me. Should you be looking into placing your first order with iHerb, you can get a little discount by using the code FTM806

There will probably come a little post with reviews on the products as soon as I have had the chance to try them all!

Have you ordered anything from iHerb before? What are your favourite products? I need tips!


Recipe by yours truly

- Jules