Sweet Potato & Tomato Tarts

I saw these on a blog about a week ago, and I decided I HAD to try and made them! Three main ingredients, salt and pepper plus a little rosemary for good measure, but that is optional!

Sweet Potato & Tomato Tarts
(Makes 10, about 45 calories each)

1 Sweet potato, about 250g - skin on, grated
3 Eggs plus 3 egg whites
Salt & ground black pepper
1/2 tsp rosemary (optional)
2 Salad tomatoes, sliced or 10 cherry tomatoes, whole

- Pre-heat the oven to 180-200°C.

- In a bowl, combine the sweet potato, eggs, and seasoning. Pour into oiled muffin tins, and top with a slice of tomato or a cherry tomato, and grind a little extra pepper on top.

- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave them in the oven for a further 5 minutes, making sure they're all set.

Serve as a snack, or as an accompaniment to a main dish or as part of a tapas. Delicious!


Original source:
http://thenutritionguruandthechef.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/little-sweet-potato-and-cherry-tomato-tarts/

- Jules

Vichyssoise

Now...for something a little different!

I was looking in the fridge, to see what I could do with all the vegetables I had leftover. Then, I came across what appeared to be a really easy soup called vichyssoise. It's like a very creamy, smooth leek and potato soup! Originally it's served it cold, but due to the impatient-cook-syndrome, I've had it both lukewarm and cold now, the first one definitely being my favourite!
I swapped fat free Greek yogurt for quark, and used light butter instead of oil for just a bit more of a homely flavour. It's delicious, and ready in about half an hour!

Vichyssoise
(Serves 2 as a main, about 265 calories each)

20g (1 tbsp) flora light (original recipe used oil)
1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
200g leeks, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
200g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
400ml vegetable stock
250g Quark (fat free cream cheese)
Squeeze of lemon juice
Sea salt
Chives (optional)

- Start by heating the butter in a medium/large pan, add the celery, leeks and onion and stir for a few minutes. Then add the potatoes for a further few minutes, before pouring in the stock. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

- Take the pan off the heat, mix the vegetables smooth with a stick blender or in a processor, and either:
A) Start mixing the quark in, if serving lukewarm or
B) Leave the mix to cool, before adding the quark.

- Before serving, stir in a little sea salt and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Top each bowl with a little bit of chive, and enjoy!


Original source:
Friske Vegetariske Oppskrifter basert p[ Salgsuksessen "Frisk av Mat", p. 192

- Jules

Texan Chocolate Cake

Or "Texas langpanne" as this recipe is originally called!
I went to an indoor barbecue birthday extravanganza at a colleague's on Saturday, and thought I should make something I could bring. And the result? This great chocolate cake that I found the recipe for on a nifty little Norwegian blog. I've been wanting to make for a while now, so this was a perfect opportunity. It turned out like a hybrid between a brownie and chocolate cake! It went down a treat *smiles*

There can't be a birthday and no cake, that simply isn't good enough!

Texan Chocolate Cake
(Cuts into about 25-30 slices, 220-185 calories each)

For the base:
200g light butter
200 ml water
4.5 dl sugar (about 400g)
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
5 dl plain flour, about 500g
1 dl light soured cream, around 100-150ml

For the frosting:
100g cooking chocolate, I used 76%, mmmm!
100g light butter
2-3 tbsp water
100g icing sugar

- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

- Start by making the base. In a small pot, melt butter, sugar and water together. Once melted, take it off the hob and add the cocoa powder.

- Stir in one egg at a time, using a which to get it all nice and smooth, no lumps!

- Then, sift in flour, and baking powder, once combined, add the soured cream, and stir well.

- Pour into a large cake pan, and cook for 40-45 minutes, until a butter knife of tooth pick comes out clean when pricking the cake. The cooking time depends on how big the cake tin is.

- Once baked, leave to cook for 30 minutes-1 hour, before making the frosting:
Melt the water and sugar for the frosting with a couple of tablespoons of water, take the mixture off the heat, and sift in the icing sugar. Stir until it's free of lumps and looks lovely and glossy. Spread it evenly over the cake, and decorate it you want!

It will keep in the fridge for at least 2-3 days!

I dug through some recipes, and suddenly, I came across this fitness test that a local gym who visited our work place did. Here are my results:

The "result column" is my personal score, and the "information" is what it ideally should be. As you can see, my BMI should be a bit higher, and that is what I have been working on for the last year now, but other than that I was healthy as can be physically, which I was really happy to hear!

I hope you have a great start to the new week!

Original source:
http://studenterhjemmet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/lrdagstur.html

- Jules

Cornbread

Me oh my, I have finally gotten around to try and make cornbread! It was only now when I typed up the recipe that I realised that I had only used half of the milk stated in the recipe (Which is probably why it cracked a little bit when it was finished baking) BUT I can honestly say i could eat this on it's own, straight from the oven, just the way it is. In fact, I'd choose this over cake most days.

I think it was after watching the movie The Green Mile a few years ago that I wanted to try to make it, as cornbread was mentioned in the movie. Next time, I will try and use the right amount of milk, but for now, I've got some of this to keep me going - I froze half of it, so I can save it for a rainy day, perhaps with a bowl of soup!

So here it is - cornbread!

Cornbread
(Serves 6-8, about 326-245 calories each)



60 g flora light
1 small onion, finely chopped
225 g cornflour
140 g finely ground wholemeal flour or plain flour
1 tbsp golden sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
300 ml buttermilk or semi-skimmed milk with a squeeze of lemon juice (or lime juice!)
(The recipe states you should use double the amount, but this worked fine, will try and use 600 ml next time though!)
2 eggs
1 tbsp onion powder (optional)

- Heat the oven to 210-230°C. Butter a 23cm cake tin or an oven proof dish.

- In a small pot, melt the butter, toss the onion in and cook it gently on low heat for about 5 minutes.

- Meanwhile, mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, before adding in the butter and onion. Now pour the mix into the cake tin or oven proof dish, and place it in the middle of the oven. Let it bake for 30-40 minutes until it is risen and golden.

- Take it out and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing it up and serving it warm, deeelicious!
You can keep it for up to two days, or freeze it for up to one month, handy!



Original source:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3330/cornbread-wedges

- Jules

Tex-Mex Lentil & Chipotle Soup

The days of Summer rain has ceased to come as a surprise to me. And so today, I thought I would make a warming soup of one kind or the other. Looking through my notes, this one caught my attention, and here you have it!

Tex-Mex Lentil & Chipotle Soup
(Serves 3, 160 calories each - soup only)

(Note, picture was taken before I remembered to use the stick blender!)

2 onions, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chipotle paste
1/2 tsp cumin
75g red lentils
400g chopped tomatoes

To serve:
Sour cream, Tabasco sauce and tortilla chips

- Pour the oil into a medium pot, and soften the onion, carrot, celery and chilli. This should take about 5-10 minutes.

- Add the chipotle paste and cumin. Cook for a minute before tipping in the lentils, tomatoes and a can-full of water (400ml). Simmer for 30 minutes, until the lentils have softened. Season to taste.

-Whizz the soup with a stick blender until it has got a smooth and rich texture.

- Season and serve with a dollop of sour cream, a splash of Tabasco and tortilla chips on the side - sorted!

Source link: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1144644/tex-mex-lentil-and-chipotle-soup

-Julie