Ekuri

Scrambled egg Indian style.

It doesn't differ much from the normal scrambled eggs, but it is tasty all the same. I love the name of it "Ekuri". In Norwegian, "ekorn" means squirrel, so when I read the name, I sort of went "awww...". It turns out though, that the name itself is simple scrambled egg with the added onion and spices - so now we know!

Ekuri
(Serves 1, about 240 calories)

10g light butter
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/3 small chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten + 2 tsp water
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
A good pinch of salt

- Melt the butter on medium high heat, add the onion, chilli and spices and fry until the onion turns golden (I used two Spring onions that were begging for mercy), for about 5-10 minutes.

- Now, tip in the eggs, water, coriander and salt and stir continously, until the egg is scrambled and fluffed up.

Serve with naan bread or toast, and enjoy!

I like mine a little under-scrambled, mmmm!


Original source:
All Colour Indian Cookbook, No. 16

- Jules

Zingy, Gluten-Free Quinoa Loaf

This was such a tricky recipe for me, and I feared the worst when I took it out of the oven. Why? Because when I tasted the thick batter for this sweet "cake" loaf, it tasted really weird! I trusted my instincts though, and also thought that bread dough doesn't normally taste nice either so maybe it'll change as it bakes.

Thankfully, my instincts and my don'tthrowitaway!-side was right, and this turned into a lovely little treat, glutenfree and everything! I did a bit of tweaking here and there based on what I had, you can find the original recipe at the bottom of the post. Bare in mind that because you use quinoa flour it will taste a lot different from most baked goods, and so it might not be to everyone's taste, juuuust saying! I liked it though! I even found that it went well with zingy toppings like the salsa criolla!

Zingy, Gluten-Free Quinoa Loaf
(About 730 calories for the whole loaf)

100g quinoa flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
100ml quark (or low-fat Greek yogurt, fromage frais etc)
100ml almond milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp coconut oil melted (Can use sunflower oil)
2 tbsp orange zest (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lemon (or use some of the orange?)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger (Or 1 tsp dry)
1 tbsp chia seeds
75g sukrin Gold (or coconut sugar, xylitol, brown sugar)
10 drops stevia vanilla creme

- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

- In a bowl mix together all the dry ingredients, make a well in the middle and add your remaining ingredients and whisk together well. You are supposed to end up with a thick batter, almost like that of a carrot cake.

- Grease a loaf tin and pour in the batter. Place in the lower middle of the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, keep an eye on it every 20 minutes and if it looks like it's about to burn, cover with foil for the remaining time, but it should be all right!

Serve the loaf topped with a bit of butter, chocolate spread, or any jams, sliced berries or fruits that you reckon will go well with it! I decided to go for butter and some sliced strawberries, can't say I minded... Mmmm!

Original Source:
http://shockinglyhealthy.com/2013/03/01/citrus-chia-seed-quinoa-loaf/

- Jules

Salsa Criolla

Time to salsa! *looks at the time "6:58"* Ok, maybe not at this time of day if you're in a hurry, but this sure does make a nice little accompaniment!

Salsa Criolla
(serves 2-3, about 170 calories for all)

1/2 red onion, sliced
1 small tomato, sliced into strips
Cilantro/coriander leaves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch hot chilli powder
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 red pepper, strips (optional)
1 tsp white wine vinegar

Simply mix it all together and swerve alongside some nice steak, stuffed mushrooms, or whatever your heart desires! You can also use this as part of your tortilla or quesadilla filling!

I decided to serve it with some frying steak, my "emergency" already made-shop bought carrot, turnip and potato mash, and some mushrooms. Mixing North and South European components, and it worked *smiles*


Original source:
http://www.quericavida.com/ (Couldn't find the particular recipe)

- Jules

Coconut & Ginger Carrot Soup

It has been a while since I last posted a recipe for soup, simply because...well... I haven't actually made that much soup recently!

Here is a lovely little recipe I found through a blog I follow. The girl who had made it said it tasted a little bit too coconutty, and so I added a little more ginger to the mix, and it worked really well. I love the spicyness to this soup, as the coconutmilk mellows it down a little. Deeeelicious!

Coconut & Ginger Carrot Soup
(Serves 3 as a main, and 4 as a starter, about 190-145 calories each)

750ml water
1 tbsp vegetable stock powder (or 1-2 cubes)
500g carrots (about 5 large ones), washed, peeled and chopped
2 medium-small onions (I used red), chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped/grated
1/2 tsp black pepper
A good pinch of hot chilli pepper or cayenne
400ml light coconut milk
Juice of 1/2 lemon, right before serving
Salt to taste
Good crusty bread to serve

- Start by boiling up the water, and then add your stock powder/cube and carrots. Add the other ingredients one by one (except from the lemon and coconut milk) as you go along chopping them.

- Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the carrots are tender. Use a stickblender or food processor, and whizz until the soup is the texture you like it. Pour in the coconut milk and heat up.

- Season to taste before squeezing in lemon juice right before serving - enjoy!

Original source:
http://basiskmat.com/?p=1052

- Jules

Palak Aloo

...The first recipe I've tried out from my new Indian cookbook!

As part of a meal, this is a lovely little number that reminds me quite a lot of saag, I would suggest doubling the amount for a potential main course though! Or serve on the side of something Indian inspired for something different from the usual rice.

Palak Aloo
(Serves 1, about 210 calories - without butter to serve)

10g light butter + splash of water
150g potatoes, (peeled) and finely diced
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/3 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
100-200g spinach, washed and roughly torn
A small handful fresh and finely chopped coriander (or 1 tsp dry)
Salt to taste
Melted butter to serve

- Start by melting the butter in a non-stick frying pan along with a splash of water. Add the potatoes and fry for about 5 minutes.

- Then, add your garlic and ginger paste along with chilli, and fry for a further minute or two, before tossing in the coriander, a little salt, and spinach. Pour over a little more water, and let it simmer in the pan for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the water has evaporated. Remember to stir occasionally!

Serve this with a side of naan bread, or perhaps on a bed of rice? It's a great way of using up leftover spinach and potatoes for sure, and so simple as well!


Original source:
All Colour Indian Cookbook, no. 126

- Jules

Peanut & Brownie Cake for One

Unless you share it....but in that case you gotta make two, and share both, so you get one each, because half simply isn't enough!

I had a little lost avocado in my fridge and was unsure what to do with it... Then, I had a lightbulb moment, and a little bit later - this piece of goodness was formed, and topped with things, and devoured!

I also thought about calling it Thursday Brownie, because you could easily have this as a healthy dessert or evening snack, it is delicious, and only takes half an hour from start to finish! The healthy fats in the avocado is perfect if you've had a lighter meal, and it contains so many nutrients that are good for you - but you'd never be able to tell, cause it's so nice, and light and chocolatey!

Peanut & Brownie Cake for One
(Makes 1 small cake, about 290 calories without topping)

1 small avocado (about 60g flesh)
1 large egg
2 tbsp PB2 (lighter peanut flour)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp sukrin gold or xylitol
1/3 tsp baking powder

- Pre-heat the oven to 180-200°C.

- In a small bowl, mash the avocado, and then stir in the remaining ingredients. Mix it all together well and pour into a small greased cake tin, or 3-4 cupcake cases.

- Bake for about 20 minutes if using a cake tin and 15 if using cases. A knife should come out clean when checking the base.

- Once cooked, take out to cool for about five minutes, use a knife to cut around the edges to prevent it from tearing, top with whatever toppings you like, or enjoy it as it is! I mixed some syrup with Greek yogurt, and a few chopped nuts for a bit of a crunch!

Wagga wagga wagga!


Recipe by yours truly


- Jules

iHerb

Hello!
Have you noticed that certain ingredients on some food blogs are unfamiliar to you, and then usually "iHerb" is mentioned later on?
You're not alone, I was in the same boat for months and months and moooonths! Up until December, when I received my first order from them. Usually I am against getting ingredients and whatnot online, simply because they can usually be obtained from more local sources, and thus it makes it more eco-friendly and you help out support your local shops, which is all good and well, right? But then, then there are these little intriguing ingredients that sound too good to miss out on, and that can only be found in some countries, which makes things a little more limited.

Right, all right! I placed an order, for a few things, cause they seemed really good and had been highly rated by other bloggers, and so I was most likely to not be let down, which would most certainly be a bonus!

From left to right in the picture here, you have PB2, Walden Farms Pancake Syrup, Weleda Pomegranate hand moisturiser, Cacao Nibs, decaf Chai tea with a sweet Thai coconut flavour, Porcini mushroon and truffle infused oil, Sierra Bee's pomegranate lip balm, and a freebie in the shape of a mini pen! I like when they do a little extra something like that *smiles*

I also thought I would feature the other bottle of Weleda body lotion I got, as it's obviously the same make as the moisturiser, but it was sold out on the website, so I got it when I was in the Highlands instead. It's got Sea Buckthorn in it, which I first encountered at the food show last year, BUT in the form of a chocolate truffle filling that time. It was amazing, not to sweet, slightly tangy, just..perfect! So when I saw you could get a lotion with it, there was no other way!

PB2, is a fat-reduced peanut flour, great if you want to make something snicker tastic, or exceptionally peanutty! I have used it in a couple of recipes already, and I reckon it is great! NOT as good as crunchy peanut butter, of course, but I love it anyway!Walden Farms calorie-free Pancake syrup, usually they have had very varied ratings, yet the pancake syrup is a big hit, and I can see why! It has an intense syrup taste, and so you only need a little bit to feed that sweet tooth of yours, it's great for mixing into yogurts as well as drizzling over your Sunday morning pancakes, mmmm! Then you have the Weleda hand moisturiser with pomegranate, which smells delicious! Weleda is knows for being good to particularly dry skin, and so this was much appreciated, and now lives at my workplace. S'important to take care of yourself! Pomegranate lip balm to go with my pomegranate moistruiser, mainly because I like pomegranate a lot, and they were out of the grapefruit one!

Chai tea, decaf and with flavours of Thai coconut. I was really excited when I saw this, and I think I might have gotten my hopes up because the taste was a little...different, less coconutty than I had hoped for, but still lovely, and definitely nice with some almond or hazelnut milk! Truffle infused oil that I have yet to try! It just...sounds so expensive though, and so I keep saving it for a special occasion, I should just get on it and drizzle some over a simple salad. I have never had truffles before actually, so I don't know what to expect - another excuse to try it as soon as possible! Then, there are the cacao nibs - Great for sprinkling over yogurts, cakes, cereal, but a little bitter just on it's own.

Also, in December, I was lucky enough to be the winner of Kriweb's (http://www.kriweb.no/) advent calendar for the 18th! Due to it being so close to christmas back then, it wasn't until early this week that I got to pick it up, that's understandable though! The previous parcel only took about a week, which is really fast if you ask me! Anyway, the little box of goodies were filled with more PB2, Chocolate Chip Snackimals - a healthier type of biscuit. I love the packaging, and the biscuits themselves are lovely and crunchy. Very moreish, so don't ay I didn't warn you! I also got a freebie plastic peg - I have still to figure out what to do with it, hehe. Finally, there's my new obsession - the Quest Bar with Chocolate Chop Cookie Dough flavour - mighty heaven, they are divine! Almost like a hybrid between a chocolate bar and cake. I am trying as best I can to only have one a day, and to take my time with them, mmmmm.

Big chocolate chunks throughout the whole thing, who knew protein could be THIS sweet and delicious?

So, if you are now convinced to place an order there, feel free to use my personal promotional code for friends - FTM806 to get a discount on your first order. Saving a bit of money is a good thing, always - and it means you can treat yourself to that little something extra that you really shouldn't buy...but are totally going to anyway - Happy shopping!

Have you ever tried ordering from iHerb yourself, and what is your experience with it? Are there any particular items that you end up buying again and again that I should know of? I'd love to discover new goodies!

- Jules

Capsicum Craze Salad

It has puzzled me for quite some time why some people call them bell peppers and others capsicum. I feel like I should have done more research in advance before mentioning it, but oh well! In Norway we simply call them "paprika", but if I'd say that here in Scotland, people would normally associate it with the powder - it#s a complicated vegetable...

Here you have a lovely, and simple recipe with THREE ingredients, only asking for a little of your time. Serve this next to a main meal (Beef, pork, vegetarian burgers) or as part of a tapas or mezze,
First I had it with some black pudding that needed used up, and the next day I served it with hummous. Some of the spiced currant bulgur that I posted up yesterday would have made it a complete lunch box treat!

Capsicum Craze Salad
(Serves 2-3 as a side, about 80-60 calories each)

3 bell peppers, different colours, quartered and cored
50g olives (I used pimiento stuffed ones)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- Start by turning the grill in the oven to hot. Whilst waiting for that to heat up, prepare the bell peppers before placing the skin-side up on a grill rack, and place in the oven until slightly charred.

- Take them out and place in a plastic bag for about 5 minutes before peeling off and discarding the skin. Mix the bell peppers in a bowl with the olives and balsamic vinegar and toss lightly before serving.

Also, lately my new obsession has been these:

I had heard a lot about these Quest Protein bars, but I had no idea that all the praise they got, was actually quite accurate! Now, I struggle to keep it to one a day, as they taste like a mixture of a chewy brownie and a chocolate bar - mmmm! I will post about iHerb in the near future as well, so stayed tuned! But for now - enjoy the rest of your Sunday! Any plans?


Original source:
Low-Fat Meals in Minutes, p.76

- Jules

Spiced Currant Bulgur

Happy Saturday! Have you had a good weekend so far?

Fed up with having rice, pasta or bread with your dinner? Why not spice it up a little and make this fancy but oh so simple side instead? It takes no more than 15 minutes!

It's perfect with more Eastern dishes like a good curry, yum! Or use it as part of a nice salad with hummous, red peppers and the like!
Originally the recipe called for couscous, but I only had bulgur wheat and it worked a treat!

Spiced Currant Bulgur
(Serves 2, about 220 calories each)

10g light butter
3 spring onions, or half a medium onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 cup boiling water (200-250ml) water
100g dry bulgur wheat or couscous
40g dried currants
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper, or perhaps a little soy sauce!

- Start by melting the butter in a small pot along with the onion. Soften for a few minutes before adding the spices. Give it a good swirl, before tipping in the bulgur (or couscous) and water. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring it a bit half-way through so it doesn't catch the bottom of the pan!

- Now, it should be cooked. Turn off the heat and leave with the lid on for another 5 minutes. Fluff it up with a fork and stir through the currants and lemon zest - and it's ready to serve!

A liiiiittle bit more colourful than your standard rice or couscous!


Original source:
Low-Fat Meals in Minutes, p. 74

- Jules

Pizza Hummous

Hi! So...you might already know that I love love LOVE hummous! Right? Who doesn't?

I found this lovely recipe for a slightly different hummous on a vegan blog, and when I read that it was pizza flavoured, there was no doubt - I had to make it!

Pizza Hummous
(Serves 2-3, about 320-215 calories)

400g tin chickpeas, drained & rinsed
4-5 pieces sundried tomato in oil
1 tbsp oil from the tomato jar
15g nutritional yeast
2tbsp lemon juice
2 fat garlic cloves
Small handful basil leaves, torn, or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt

Flatbread to serve

- Simply whizz all the ingredients together until it's the preferred consistency, add a little salt and black pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with a little seasalt and perhaps some extra oregano, and serve up with flatbread, falafel or other goodies! Perfect for when you have friends coming over and need something quick, easy and delicious to serve up *smiles*

My evening snack! Sadly I had no flatbread in the house, next time!


Original source:
http://www.veganeren.com/2013/12/pizza-hummus.html

- Jules

Snicker-Marbles

I was super happy when I got Kristine Weber's new recipe and work-out book delivered to me at work yesterday. When I got home in the evening, I knew immediately that I couldn't leave it until the next day before making something. And so, I decided to go for one of the sweet recipes, because I'd already planned what to make for dinner.

These snicker marbles make for lovely little healthy treat, packed full of protein and healthy fats. I may or may not have had all of them as soon as they were chilled and ready to eat...I mean, I had to test them right? It was for the blog's best! These go perfect with a cup of coffee, mmm....

Snicker-Marbles
(Makes 6-7 small marbles, 310-350 (with agave syrup) calories for the lot!)

4 tbsp PB2 (light peanut flour)
1 tbsp (1/2 scoop) chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp Walden farm's pancake syrup OR 1tbsp agave syrup
A few drops Stevia vanilla (optional)
Pinch salt
1-2 tbsp water, until you get a slightly sticky dough
15g (3 squares) dark chocolate (+1tbsp water), for dipping
1 tbsp chopped peanuts for sprinkling

- Mix everything except the chocolate and chopped peanuts together in a bowl. Add a tiny bit of water at a time until the though is a little bit sticky, but still manageable. Roll out into a sausage and divide into 6-7 bits.

- Roll them into little marbles and set in the fridge to chill for a little bit. In the meantime, melt the chocolate with 1tbsp water in a little ceramic bowl in a water-bath in a pan. Chop up the peanuts, and you're ready for the next step!

- Take the marbles out of the fridge and dip in the chocolate, place them on a serving plate as you go along and top with the chopped peanuts. Set in the fridge again until the chocolate is set, for about half an hour - if you can wait that long!

The book is packed full with great tips about how to focus on what is important in life - to keep in shape and to enjoy life without over-thinking your diet and exercise plan. It also features a lot of helpful texts that are really motivational and downright thoughtful and honest. Kristine is such a wonderful girl! Ahhh, and don't get me started on the rest of the recipes, I can't wait to try them out!


Original source:
Sunnere & Sterkere med Protein Rik Mat, p.128

- Jules

Black Sprout Tortillas

...which I find is a funny name for it, because "blekksprut" (ink-sprout, hah!) means octopus in Norwegian! Worry not though - no octopi were killed in the making, in fact - no animals were!

I saw this recipe the other day, and knew I had to make it, and that soon soon! The only thing that I missed, was black beans, which were easy enough to obtain, and voila! This simple, tasty, and filling dish came to life, yum! You don't have to cook the beans in the beginning, you could stuff the tortillas and then heat them up in the oven, I just figured I might as well as I made a couple of "tortilla pancakes" anyway.

Black Sprout Tortillas
(Serves 1, about 390 calories without tortillas as it may vary)

Half a 400g can of black beans (120g drained), rinsed
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp chilli powder, OR 1/3 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/3 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper
50g crumbled feta
3 (50g) Brussels sprouts, finely sliced/shredded
Fresh or dry cilantro, parsley or coriander
1 tsp honey
1tsp coconut oil (melted) or 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
2 corn or wholemeal tortillas to serve

- First, have the blackbeans in a small pot and heat up on medium-low heat. Add the spices, salt, pepper, and chilli, and mash. Set aside on low heat to keep warm, and swirl through a good squeeze of lime.

- In a bowl, mix the chopped up Brussels sprouts, some salt and pepper, cilantro/coriander/parsley, honey and oil plus another good squeeze of lime.

- Get your tortillas out! Divide the Brussels mixture between two tortillas, quickly crumble the feta into the bean mix and swirl throughbefore topping the greens with it. Roll up, and enjoy!

Original source:
http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2014/01/09/crispy-black-bean-feta-tacos-brussels-sprout-slaw/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=crispy-black-bean-feta-tacos-brussels-sprout-slaw

- Jules

PrOatein Cupcakes

Why hello hello! Had a nice week so far?

I know the weather has been very unpredictable all over the world, in Norway, I didn'r see as much as a snowflake - in December! And in the more Northern States, it has been insanely cold! Come rain or shine, we still need nourishment, and what better way of getting our protein than through - cupcakes?! I reckon it's about time for a sweeter recipe!

Originally, I had jotted down a recipe for oat biscuits, but I opted for protein powder instead of oat flour, and it turned more into a batter, so I decided to turn them into little cupcakes instead. Super easy to make and on 50-60 calories each, that's excluded topping, but even with some lovely glazing, peanut butter, jam, melted chocolate, you can easily treat yourself to at leeeast couple of these (note "at least"!)

PrOatein Cupcakes
(Makes 8-9, about 60-50 calories each)

2 eggs
50g medium oats
25g chocolate protein (or vanilla, but in that case add 1/2 tsp cinnamon for extra flavour!)
1 tsp baking powder
30g sukrin gold, or a few drops of stevia vanilla
3-4 tbsp almond milk, or skimmed milk

- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

- In a baking bowl, whisk the eggs until light and airy, before adding all the other ingredients. Let the mixture sir for a few minutes, so that the oats get to soften a little. Give it a good final stir, and divide between cupcake cases, about 2/3 full.

- Place them in the middle of the oven, and bake about 12-14 minutes. Now, cool slightly before topping with whatever goodies you can think of and enjoy!

Right after the pictures were taken, I thought - JAM! But I quickly remember how I don't have any jam at the moment, sigh! If you use peanut butter for topping and have a few strawberries, or raspberries, I am sure that'll taste pretty good! A clean version of peanut butter and jelly! I hope you like them!

I only had six silicone muffin cases, and so the batter I would have used to make two cupcakes, I just poured into a small cup and microwaved in two intervalls over a little under a minute (had to pause mid-way, otherwise I'd have had a lot of stuff to clean up, and no CUP cake!). I grated a little dark chocolate over with a Microplane grater I got for christmas from my cousin (you know who you are!), and let it melt slightly...and voila! I had a filling, but healthy dessert - Sometimes, midweek-compromises taste pretty darn good!


Source of inspiration:
http://www.kriweb.no/2013/12/20/havrecookies-og-noen-ord-fra-hjertet/

- Jules

Yemeni Pancakes

Over the weekend, I wanted to treat myself, and I figured I should try out a recipe from Jamie's Great Britain that I had yet to look use.
I cannot believe it took me so long to get around to it! It's funny with recipe books - you get all excited about them, but then..you tend to put them in a shelf and forget about them. That's why I like to (along with a pile of recipes I've jotted down from lots of different websites) take out at least one recipe leaflet or cookbook and use for good ideas whenever I make a writing list for my main week shopping round (Saves me money, and I don't have to worry about what to have for dinner - score!).
This recipe intrigued me, as I had been wanting to try making pancakes using at least a little bit of cornflour. Originally, they should turn out looking as if they have little holes in them, instead - mine looked like turtle-shells! And so I might just start calling them turtle-shell-pancakes whenever I make them in the future. Perfect for both sweet or savoury fillings, and velvet to the touch!

Yemeni Pancakes
(Makes 6-7 pancakes, about 101-87 calories each)

1/2 7g sachet fast action dry yeast
50ml lukewarm water
1 tsp runny honey
1 large egg
200ml skimmed milk
85g (self-raising) flour
85g cornflour or semolina
(1/3 tsp each bicarbonate of soda and baking powder if using plain flour)
A pinch of seasalt
1 tsp olive oil for frying

- Start by heating up water to body temperature, and mix in the yeast and honey with it in a little bowl. Set to rest somewhere warm-ish for about 20 minutes.

- In a baking bowl, combine the flours, salt, and raising agents if using, stir, stir, stir! In another bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.

- Once the yeast mixture has been left for 20 minutes, pour it into the bowl with the egg and milk. Make a well in your flour mixture and pour the liquid into it.

- Brush a little olive oil into a small non-stick frying pan and heat it up on high. In the meantime, whisk the pancake batter until it is nice and smooth and no lumps are in sight!

- Now, pour a little over a half ladleful of the batter into the pan and fry for a few minutes on each side until golden. One side will either have a bit of a bubbly-look OR look like a turtle-shell, the other one will be slightly paler. After having made a few pancakes, turn down the heat a notch, and continue making pancakes out of the remaining batter.

Turtle-shells!

And it's ready! Originally it's served up with butter and honey, which is loooovely, but I like it more fruity, so I'd normally have it with some fresh fruit, jam or marmelade, mmmm!
Perfect as a snack, for when people come visit, or in your lunch box - enjoy!

On another note, I had completely forgotten that I haven't actually written down many recipes physically since I started blogging. This means I always have to look it up on my blog as a reference instead of having a book at hand. The reason why that is, is proooobably because the recipe book I've got is starting to fill up (no wonder!).

So the other day I bought four notepads in different colours and divided them into four categories, using this little press-label machine my grandmother gave me years and years ago!
What do you think? I can't wait to start writing it all down, though I suspect it might take quite some time, but it's worth it!


Original source:
Jamie's Great Britain p. 26

- Jules

Animal Friendly Corn & Mushroom Stew

...in other words - vegetarian, or vegan even!

Originally this recipe was a soup, but I upped the amount of vegetables and used slightly less broth as I like my soups hearty, and what it turned into was three delicious bowls of stew!

Animal Friendly Corn & Mushroom Stew
(Serves 2-3, about 220-145 calories each)

1 tbsp soy sauce
1 small onion, chopped
200g potatoes, diced
100g tomatoes (I used baby plum), chopped
500ml vegetable stock
140g sweetcorn from tin (or fresh of course!)
150g plain mushrooms (I used button mushrooms), halved, sliced or quartered!
100ml soy milk
Black pepper and salt to taste (optionally more soy sauce)

- Start by having 1 tbsp soy sauce in a medium-sized pan, soften the onion for a few minutes. Then, tip in the potatoes, tomatoes and pour over the stock, grind in some black pepper, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes - until the potatoes are tender.

- Now, add your corn, mushrooms, aaaaand soy milk, heat through for five minutes or so, until the corn and mushrooms are heated through. Season to taste, and ladle up! You can serve this with some lovely seeded bread, would compliment a soup like this!

I spent most of my Saturday (After having bought a new jacket, radiator and kettle - the excitement was up in the roof...as you can imagine....Haha) making up a diet plan (And by diet, I mean how to maintain weight, not putting on or getting rid of) for a vegetarian-to-be over the course of one week. I probably spend around niiine hours or so working on it, and I still am not done with it yet. A little over half way though, phew! This dish however, was made before the whole diet plan, but I took a lot of inspiration from the blog, and have used a lot of recipes from it so far!

Next up, I miiight just have a pancake recipe up my sleeve for you...just maybe *winks*


Original source:
Has been lost, I found it in the spindly interwebs somewhere though!

- Jules

Pleskner

Or maybe the medieval poor man's biscuit?

I felt it was about time to take out my granny's old cookbook again, it feels like forever and a day since I last used it, which really isn't good enough...

When flicking through the pages, I noticed a recipe that seemed to simple not to try out, even just for the sake of testing what they tasted like. Three ingredients, and I came to the conclusion that these must be the poor-man's version of "cookies". After I had made them, I had a small epiphany - what about using two of these as a sandwich with something nice like chocolate spread of peanut butter inside?

Either which way you choose to eat them, they would go with a cup of tea regardless! They remind me a little bit of crispy waffles in flavour.

The batter will be only slightly thicker than pancake batter, so make sure to not make them too big and keep a good bit of space between them, a couple of mine melted together, but then you could always decorate them to make like a pair of eyes, or something else!

Pleskner
(Makes 16, about 30 calories each)

1 egg
50g sugar
50g plain flour

- Pre-heat your oven to 225°C.

- In a bowl, whish together the egg and sugar. Then simply sieve the flour over and combine well.

- Use a teaspoon to dollop on the batter on a baking tray with non-stick parchment, or a greased tray. Bake in the oven until golden, about 10 minutes or so. Take them out and leave them on a rack to cool before carefully removing them from the tray or baking paper.

This batch was only one third of what the recipe said, but I am only little! Sometimes all the baking can seem a bit overwhelming when reading recipes using big quantities, but I believe than everything can be had in moderation. That's why I thought that making enough batter to use with one egg would be good - and I was right! Enough if you're having a few guests, and some leftovers for yourself! I will be trying these with a little peanut butter sandwiched inbetween two tomorrow I think, I don't see how that could be anything short of amazing!

With the filling, it madea big difference, but I have yet to try and donk them into a cuppa!


Original source:
Mormor

- Jules

The Wee Soul Behind the Blog

For a long, long, looong time , I have been debating whether or not to make an appearance on the blog. I love when other's post pictures up of themselves on their blogs, because it is lovely to see who the minds behind these little places of inspiration are.

When it comes to showing myself? Well, that is a compleeetely different story! However, since it's a new year, a somewhat fresh start, and I am feeling a little brave, I reckoned I would post up some cringeworthy "selfies" (Jeepers, I dislike that word...a lot!) as a little hello!

Top left is me about a year ago in my favourite little tea house Thchai Ovna, next to it is when I was dressing up as a zebra for a fancy dress birthday party in aforementioned tea house, that was only a few months ago though.
Bottom left is in the aquarium in Bergen about a year and a half ago, and next to it is the obvious non-bat girl about a week ago or so! Haven't dyed my hair in over a year now, as you can probably tell! Right, I reckon that's enough photos that isn't blog-related for at LEAST another year and a half...

I would like to thank you for stopping by, and hopefully I will have a recipe up shortly to hide behind again!

What do you think about making blogs more personal? Most of the blogs I follow have at least a little icon of the person whose blog it is. Aaaaand yes, I know I have eskimo cheeks, call me Quinn if you like!

- Jules

Funky Spring Bulghur Salad

Why should Winter mean no salads? Exactly! So I decided on making this warm salad that was definitely a welcomed comfort meal! Originally, it ws made with couscous, but I only had bulghur wheat, and so I used this instead. This isn't perhaps a low-carb *shudders* (I can't stand that word!) dish, but it's a WHOLE-carb dish, containing a lot of good stuff! You can top the dish with nuts for a bit of a protein boost, serve it with an egg on the side, with different sauces (dare I even meeeentioning sweet chilli sauce?) or just as it is! I decided to have half of mine topped with salsa, which went great with the zest in the bulghur, and half plain, which was equally as good! I also had a hardboiled egg on the side, delicious!

In the recipe I found, they used chicken stock, but I decided to make the bulghur mixture itself vegetarian, so I used a good vegetable stock instead, delicious! Use vegan butter if you want the salad to be vegan, I am sure you can also substitute with a little oil.

Funky Spring Bulghur Salad
(Serves 2, about 310 calories each - without salsa or egg, but plenty of room for that!)

150-200ml vegetable stock (almost 1 cube or 1tbsp powder, start with 150ml water to mix)
100g dry bulghur wheat (or couscous)
Knob of butter (about 15g)
Zest of 1/2 lime or 1/3 lemon (I used lime)
1 tbsp soy sauce
Good pinch of salt
Ground black pepper
80g peas
90g chickpeas
1/2 tsp dried mint (or a few fresh leaves, torn)
1/2 tsp dried coriander or parsley (or as above)
8 whole gem lettuce leaves to serve

(You can also top with salsa, serve with meat, eggs, it's up to you! I am sure that even leftovers would be great with some kind of sauce and served in a roll, mmm!)

- Start by boiling up the water and have it in a medium pan along with the bulghur wheat, followed by all the other ingredients - apart from your gem lettuce leaves .

- Keep on a medium low heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so to make sure it doesn't catch at the bottom, add a little bit of water if necessary, but not much, as you don't want the bulghur wheat to be soggy! I cooked my egg in the meantime, perfect timing!

- Once the bulghur is done (it should have a bit of a bite, but still be tender), spoon a tablespoon and a little bit more in each gem lettuce leaf, and serve as it is or with whatever goodies you can find!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, I think I'll be making this to bring with me for lunch in the future, yum!

And I thought I would finish the post with something that reminded me about my childhood, from Jenny K. Blake's book... I never went to a kindergarden, but the first couple of years at primary school was pretty much the same!

(Picture form Jenny K. Blake's book "Brown Cheese, Please") Not easy to tell the difference!


Original source:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1128633/spring-couscous

- Jules

Edamame Sloppy Joe's

Hello and happy new year! Or "godt nytt år" as they say in my home country *smiles*

I have not been seeking refugee in a cave for the last week and a half, I have just been to visit my family in, around and outside Bergen, Norway. It was lovely to see friends and family again, despite it raining most of the time. It has been so mild this Winter, otherwise it would probably have been snow non-stop. I didn't mind too much though, as I still went for some nice walks, I just got a little restless the last few days when I had to work from home. BUT! I have topped up on family and old friend times, which was much needed. I have eaten too much, as one should - like a hobbit, at this time of year. Both my dad and my uncle said something really clever; "It's not what you eat between Christmas and New Year that matters, it's what you eat between New Year and Christmas that does", which pretty much was my excuse!

After a turbulent ride back to Glasgow, I finally made it here, and I got home late last night. They say you should start the year the way you intent for it to continue throughout, and so I hope the bumpy ride was just the remnants of last year's rollercoaster-ness. I went through a break-up, moved twice, got to know myself a little, as I seemed to have gotten a little lost along the way, and I also made a lot of great new recipes!
That is one thing I missed when I have been gone, to cook! I made some nice breakfasts and snacks, but the dinners were usually concocted by the ones who lives in whoever's house I was - I don't say I mind having been treated through, quite the contrary!

I came across this lovely recipe today when I was searching for recipes I could use some soy beans, that I was curious about, in. It surprised me how much flavour a dish could have with so few ingredients and herbs! I had to tweak it a little bit, using rice vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, but it turned out lovely!

The recipe is vegan, but the muffins I have mentioned below aren't, just a little heads up!

Edamame Sloppy Joe's
(Serves 2, about 310 calories each, about 360 with brown sugar)

1 1/2 tsp coconut oil OR 1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
400g can soy/edamame beans, drained
150ml water (optional)
2 tbsp sukrin gold (erythritol & steviol) or brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or a small clove, finely chopped)
A pinch of cayenne or 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder
1 green pepper, roughly chopped
1 small courgette (about 150g), chopped
70g corn, drained or cut off a corn ear
1 tbsp rice- or red wine vinegar
2tbsp soy sauce or tamari
3 tbsp tomato purée
Salt and pepper to taste

Bread rolls to serve
(I doubled the amount of ingredients for the simple breakfast muffin, added a little bit of smoked paprika and dried basil to the mix, and baked it in the oven on 200ºC whilst the sloppy joe was simmering, easy peasy!)

- Start by heating the oil in a medium pan on medium high heat. Add the onion and soften for a few minutes.

- Then, tip in the soy beans, and water (if using) along with everything else apart from the courgette and pepper. Let it simmer for a few minutes before adding the last vegetables. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so and making sure it doesn't catch the bottom.

- Easy ey? Now where are those breadrolls? I hope you like it!

Looking extra rustique as I forgot that the bread dough is very soft, and I placed it on a baking rack instead of a tray. It turned out delicious anyway though, thankfully!

Also, I wanted to just mention that I noticed Läkerol, which is one of my favourite pastilles for sore throats seems to have started sweetening their products with stevia! Pretty good eh? I can't stand all those artificial sweetners *shudders*

At the airport, after I had gone through the security, I walked past this little book shop, and I saw a book I wanted to buy last time I was in Norway as well... "Brown Cheese, Please", which is a very stereotypical book about the Norwegians, and more times than I like to admit - it's pretty much spot on! It is written by an Australian who has family in Norway and who spent three lives there. I thought I'd show you two examples (All rights reserved Jenny K. Blake, the author of the book)

To the left you have "pinnekjøtt" which directly translated is "stick meat", what it really is though, is a dish that is commonly had for Christmas, sometimes New Year aaaand even Easter. I am used to having it for both Christmas and New Year, and this time was I know that's not the most vegetarian thing to add to this post, but it's tradition, and I am an omnivore after all. The picture to the right is a little less meaty, and basically just shows how versatile us Norwegians can be when it comes to breakfast. My eating habits has changed drastically, but when I was a kid, the picture wasn't far from the truth, but I loved it! Would probably have no exception either, and it was fantastic! What it really is, is salted, dried mutton (or lamb) ribs that you steam for about 3 hours until the meat almost comes off the bone, you serve it with mashed turnip, boiled potatoes, sausages and sometimes pickled red cabbage - it doesn't even need gravy as it is great just as it is!
swapped the jam for cheese or something more savoury though - a good slice of bread with tasty toppings is hard to beat first thing in the morning!

What was your highlight of last year? And did you get up to much around the festive season? I hope you had a lovely time, and wish you all the best for 2014 - I've got a good feeling about it!


Original source:
http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-veggie-tempeh-sloppy-joes-how-to-use-tempeh/

- Jules