Curried Lentil & Lime Soup

You can never get enough soup when it's cold, it makes the perfect change from a cup of coffee or tea, as well as providing you with at least one of your five a day!

This lowly lightly spiced soup is delicious! It was recommended to use curry paste instead of powder, but I only had powder so I used that instead. You can top this with a dollop of natural yogurt or sour cream if you like, and make sure to have some lovely bread, naan, flatbread or chapattis to serve with it. I hope you like it *smiles*. This is easy to make vegan, as you can just use vegetable stock instead of chicken. Oh, and if you want a thicker soup, use 100g lentils instead of 60, I was just running short on my lentilage!

When I brought the second portion with me to work, one of my colleagues could smell it and asked me for the recipe! Quite a compliment I'd say *smiles*

Curried Lentil & Lime Soup
(Serves 2, about 220 calories each, 245 calories each with 100g lentils)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
2 cm grated fresh ginger, or 1 tsp ground
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
60/100g lentils
600-700ml chicken or vegetable stock (I used a cube of each)
25g sultanas or currants
1 tsp dry mint, or 2tbsp chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper to taste
Zest and juice of 1/2 lime for serving

- Start by heating up a medium pan, along with a little water, add the onion, garlic and spices. Stir for a few minutes until fragrant.

- Add the lentils, and stock and simmer on medium low heat for about 20 minutes until the lentils are tender. Pour in the currants and boil for a further 10 minutes. Season to taste, and it's ready to serve!

- Ladle the soup into bowl or cups and top with a squeeze of lemon juice, swirl it around and top with a little lime zest, and the optional dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Serve with bread, and dip in!

Also, earlier this week, I decided to take on all the different spices in the cupboard and sort them. Some there were two of, aaand another we had three of! (...cinnamon, my bad - I love that stuff and though we'd run out!)

I found 40 spice jars, and I think I at least managed to get it down to...35? Not bad! If you have spices at hand, you usually need less ingredients to create simple but delicious dishes! And speaking of delicious dishes... This morning I decided to try Pumpernickel bread for the first time!

Ever tried it before? It has more of a sweetness to it than ordinary bread and it is really quite dense in comparison, but I love it! Especially toasted, mmm! It's pretty much the same as rye bread.

I served it up with some cream cheese and a little bit of smoked salmon that had to be used, this, a cup of nettle tea and a banana on the side and I am ready to take on the Sunday!
Do you sometimes treat yourself to better breakfasts or experiment in the kitchen in the weekend?


Original source:
Delicious Low-Fat Recipes, p. 32

- Jules

Indian Chickpea & Vegetable Soup

Happy Saturday!
Today, I'll present you with a mighty simple, but deliciously fragrant soup. It's vegetarian, has a good bit of protein in it and tastes way better than it looks...Trust me, I will make this again *smiles*

This can be made using mainly store cupboard ingredients and most leftover vegetables that needs used. Originally it had green beans in it, but I didn't have that, so I just made it without. Any root vegetables and potatoes will do nicely in this, as well as different types of onions. I hope you enjoy!

Indian Chickpea & Vegetable Soup
(Serves 2, about 190 calories each, excluding whatever you serve it with)

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger, or ground
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp Garam Masala
400-450g vegetable stock (1 cube or 1 1/2 tbsp powder)
2 large carrots, chopped
200g can chickpeas (130g drained)
Naan, or good crusty bread to serve (optional, of course)

- Start by heating the oil in a medium-sized pan over a fairly high heat. Tip in the onion, ginger and garlic and soften for a few minutes.

- Turn the heat down a little and add the Garam Masala, carrots and vegetable stock (plus additional vegetables if using). Simmer on medium heat for about ten minutes until the carrots have gone tender.

- Swirl through the chickpeas, and simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes until the chickpeas are heated through. Serve on its own, or with naan, bread or perhaps a dollop of natural yogurt? Either way, I hope it'll be a hit!

The first portion I made, I got to enjoy in full however, the second portion I took with me to work exploded in the microwave when I tried to heat it up *growls* I suppose that's what I get for trying to heat it up in a thin and tall container... At least I've learnt my lesson!

Oh, and the list! Remember the list I posted a picture up of the other day? Well I have managed to make nine things out of it, and that's with not going to the shop for any of the ingredients! The only "exception" dinner I had, was when I had a couple of friends over for "Forest Kebabs" and wine on Wednesday, we had a board of chopped up dark chocolate, smarties and biscuits for desert, which worked a treat!

Hope you have a lovely weekend! Any plans?


Original source:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9044/indian-chickpea-and-vegetable-soup

- Jules

Tomato Barley Risotto with Crumbled Cheese

I am trying to work my way through some of the ingredients I've got hidden in the cupboard, and that is how I decided to make this really nifty little number! Originally, this was served topped with feta, but I still had some blue cheese that needed to be used, and so I thought I would try to add that - and it worked! Ham and tomatoes go hand in hand and so does blue cheese and tomatoes, at least in this case! If you have leftover mushrooms, that is the perfect ingredient to bulk out this dish and add a little bit of extra protein. Trying to stay on a budget, but still want tasty food without copromising? This is it! Or one of many delicious dishes that doesn't have to cost a lot. Go for vegan cheese instead of dairy cheese for a vegan treat!

Tomato Barley Risotto with Crumbled Cheese
(Serves 2, about 425 calories with blue cheese, 305 without, mushrooms excluded)

100g pearl barley
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium small red onion, chopped
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or chilli powder)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
Salt & black pepper to taste
200ml chicken/vegetable stock, made with 1 stock cube
400ml chopped tomatoes
60g crumbled blue cheese, or other cheese of choice - feta, mozzarella, or parmesan!

- Start by heating the oil up in a medium pan, throw in the onion and garlic and soften for about 5 minutes.

- Add the barley, and spices and stir until well combined. Use a ladle and pour a ladleful of stock in, the pan should be on medium high heat. Stir frequently to keep the barley from sticking to the pot. Once absorbed, pour 1/3 of the chopped tomatoes and chuck them in, stir until absorbed - then repeat with the rest of the stock and tomatoes.

- About 40 minutes later, you should have a lovely almost creamy-like textured risotto. Now, if you have any leftover mushrooms that need used, chuck them in now for the last couple of minutes, to juuust cook through.

- Remove bay leaves and serve the risotto with crumbled cheese on top. Stir the dish and watch the cheese melt into this hearty bowl of deliciousness - perfect supper for an Autumn evening! Aaaaand I just got to have the leftovers for breakfast today, I love leftover breakies!

Oh, and as I was making the risotto, I also wanted to repeat the simple oat cookies I made the other day, except I wanted to use a little bit of peanut butter and cocoa instead of the chocolate chips this time:

I had three of these cute mini oat cupcakes, and after my random little two-course Thursday menu, I was stuffed, but in that content sort of way, mmmm...


Original source:
http://www.simplylifeblog.com/2013/05/tomato-barley-risotto-with-feta-granola-chips-giveaway/

- Jules

Omelette Two Ways (Sweet or Savoury Snack?)

Who likes omelette? Almost everyone I know anyway!

When on a plane, you are bound to be asked this one question on your way: "Sweet or savoury snack?". Usually I'd say savoury, but other times, I'm craaaving something sweet! So I came to the conclusion after making one sweet and one savoury omelette, that I would just combine the two in a post, because after all - it depends on what mood you're in when making it!

You can use some leftover cooked vegetables in addition to the asparagus omelette, or serve it with some smoked salmon or ham on the side. With the sweet, nutty omelette, you can use all sorts of nuts, I just wanted to see what it came out like when using almond flour!

Now, this recipe originally used asparagus AND smoked salmon, but I didn't have the latter and so I decided to opt it out and add a little bit of leftover mozzarella instead! You can use feta too if you want!

Fluffy Asparagus Omelette
(Serves 1, about 300 calories)

2 eggs, separated
10g wholemeal breadcrumbs
25g mozzarella, feta (crumbled) or smoked salmon (cut into strips)
1 tbsp fresh chives (I used dry)
75g/5 tips asparagus (you can use less!), chopped
1/2 tsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Salad to serve (optional)

- In one bowl, combine the egg yolks, breadcrumbs, cheese/salmon,chives, asparagus, salt and pepper.

- In another, whisk the egg whites until they start forming soft peaks. Heat some oil in a small (preferably non-stick) frying pan on medium high heat, also set your grill to high.

- Fold the asparagus mix in with the egg white and tip into the pan when it's hot, and fry for about 5 minutes until it's golden underneath, and it's more or less cooked through. Finish it off under the grill for a minute or two and serve up!


I wanted to make this omelette with nuts and raisins, but decided to use almond flour so the flavour would really get into the mixture and shine through - and it did! So much that it almost tasted of marzipan, hah! You can use roughly chopped nuts instead though, but I quite enjoyed this somewhat unusual flavoured omelette!

Almondelette
(Serves 1, about 300 calories)

1 egg plus 1 egg white
A splash of almond milk (or water/soy milk/skimmed milk)
A pinch of salt
20g raisins
10g almond flour (about 1 tbsp, can use 4 chopped almonds instead)
1/2 tbsp mild honey
Small knob of butter for frying

- Mix all the ingredients together, and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

- In the meantime, heat up a non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat, once hot, add the butter, swirl it around and pour in the batter. Fry for a couple of minutes on each side until cooked, et voilâ! It's ready to serve!

I thought this was sweet enough as it was, so I didn't use any syrup over it. It was still delicious, and way better than the early-morning photo suggested - I promise.
You can of course adapt and tweak this recipe in whichever way you like, and remember - you can use the leftover eggyolk to make custard or thicken soups, broths or sauces, handy!


Original sources:
Delicious Low-Fat Recipes, p.56
http://www.matprat.no/oppskrifter/rask/omelett-med-ristede-notter-rosiner-og-honning

- Jules

Three Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was a little sceptical when I found the recipe at first, and though you would need to add a splash a milk or something at LEAST, but you know what? There is no need! These turned out slightly gooey and chewy! Super healthy compared to most shop-bought cookies, and there's not much that beats still-warm little pieces of sweet goodness, mmmm!

These almost turned out a little too sweet for me, but I might experiment a little with different flavours and textures. You can use chopped nuts, raisins, and spices for different kinds of course, which I might just do next time. Oh! Peanut butter, I'm sure that'd be fantastic *smiles* These are too simple not to make on a regular basis! Sweet, delicious, filling and HEALTHY! Who would've guessed?

Three Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Makes 4, about 100 calories each)

1 medium ripened banana
50g oats
25g dark chocolate chips

- Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.

- Mash the three ingredients together, I used a bowl and a fork - simples!

- Now, either on a greased baking sheet clad baking tray, or in muffin moulds, make four cookies or cookie cupcakes should I say! Bake for about 15-20 minutes until slightly golden and cooked. You can also make several more smaller ones, then the cooking time will be a little less, just keep an eye out for them.

- Leave to cool a little before serving, and enjoy! Maybe with a glass of milk? Perfect for lunchboxes too!

These cookies/muffins will keep refrigerated for two days, since it's made from fresh, cooked fruit. They taste the best when they're just out the oven and have cooled slightly though, yum!

And I know it might be a little late seeing as Halloween has just passed us by, but when I saw this pumpkin tea, I couldn't resist! I have been looking for pumpkin coffee for some time now, but these are pretty good too! A lovely undertone of cistrusy orange.

What are your favourite tea and biscuits?


Original source:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/09/chewy-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-breakfast.html

- Jules

Nutty Apple Overnight Oats

I have seen many an overnight oat recipe on blogs recently, but then I came across this one that used a teaspoon of chia seeds in it to get a slightly different consistency. Luckily, I found some reasonably priced chia seeds the other week, and I have been wanting to try them since. I thought this simple recipe would be a great starting point!

It seemed to not have enough yogurt for the recipe, and so I also added a dash of water and mixed it well together, it turned out super rich and creamy! Aaaaand don't worry, you can leave out the chia seeds if you don't have any, but it does add some extra goodness to it. The consistency is almost pudding-like, I might make a few of these ahead of time for the mornings to come *smiles*
The first time, I added about 50ml water but you can add 100ml as well, as the oats will soak it all up regardless and lease you with a smooth, almost silky breakfast with a bit of crunch on top of course! These will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, so you can make them ahead too!

Nutty Apple Overnight Oats
(Serves 1, about 200 calories)

30g porridge oats
90ml low fat or fat-free vanilla or apple yogurt
1 tsp chia seeds (optional)
Splash of water
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 apple, chopped
2 tbsp chopped walnuts (about 5 halves)

- Pour the oats, yogurt, chia seeds and cinnamon into a 225ml jar or other sealable container, mix carefully but well, and add a splash of water (about 50ml) until you have a nice thick, but creamy mixture. Refrigerate over night!

- The next day, take out the porridge and top with chopped apple and nuts! Sprinkle with a little bit of extra cinnamon or nutmeg if you like, and tuck in!

Also, yesterday I had been thinking about not going for my weekly Sunday shopping, as I knew I had a lot of storecupboard goodies, as well as having bought a few things the other day. I sat down and wrote down everything I had the ingredients for, and look what I found!

That's right! About 80 recipes for all sorts of delicious things, mmm! Of course if I make some of them, that will make me run out of certain ingredients, so I wont be able to make it all, but that is still pretty good, don't you think? So if you're close to pay day, or just trying to live for less, have a good look around to see what you already have, and I am sure there will be a delicious recipe for something right around the corner!

Before it's too late, I'd also like to add a picture of one of my two contributions to a "pot-luck" dinner my friend hosted the other day, where everyone ha to bring something along. There was everything from Pumpkin shaped haggis puff pasties to sweets and sushi! I couldn't find mini Oreo biscuits, so I had to improvise and cut most of them in half - what a challenge!

Would you like for me to put up the recipe for the angry owl cupcakes?
I hope you have had a lovely weekend, still a good bit left of it to go!


Original source:
http://www.quericavida.com/en/recipes/apple-crisp-refrigerator-oatmeal/

- Jules

Ankle - Get a Grip! (Injuries & Dealing with Them)

I thought I would write a more personal post about something that has affected most of us at some point in our lives, be it when we were young and played handball - or in my case badminton, or now getting injured and not being able to go through with our normal routine and being (fairly) active!

For about two months now, my ankle has been inflamed. I have been very active and gone to the gym twice almost every week, and always getting my almost 6k Wednesday or Thursday on - it feels weird now to not having been able to do that.

I did have an exercise break for almost four weeks, but you know how you usually feel really good after a 30-40 minute work-out? Exactly, I missed that feeling. Taking time to yourself and spend it on something that makes your body stronger is giving, and it is so healthy for your psyche, as long as you don't over-do it of course... Hence why I "only" work out twice a week, when I am able to.

My "injury" (the "s are due to not really recalling having injured myself or put any excess strain on my foot as far as I know) seemed to recover after a few weeks, but then it got worse again, and it has kept doing that for quite some time now. I spoke with my mum, who is a nurse, and asked if I could maaaaaybe exercise just a little bit? A short run, just so I could reach that post-run euphoria that is so lovely? But no, apparently joint inflammation has been known to be an issue for some of my family members, and it is an injury that takes time to heal, sometimes only weeks, sometimes months. The frustration!

........I found a way to get a little bit of activity fitted into my life - dumbbells! I got two that are both 5lbs, or 2.26 kilograms according to the handy Google converter.

These to be exact!

This is not very heavy, and so it is perfect for repetitions and sets to improve your endurance, at least to begin with. So I figured out this little combination of exercises with the dumbbells that only focus on upper body strength - hardly putting any pressure on my feet as I am just standing up and using my arms mainly. After one set of that, I do sit-ups and squats, the squats do work my ankles, but they don't ache afterwards like they do if I go for longer walks, so I take that as a sign that they are getting a little stronger. Correct me if I am wrong though, as I am still trying to figure this out!

It might not be the usual cardiovascular exercise that I am used, to and to be frank - am pretty partial to, but it is a good substitute and I find myself enjoying it more now than when I first started, and I've only done it for two weeks now, that's a good sign! I always make sure to think of what music I want to listen to, and it is pretty good to have a 30 minute session whilst listening to your music of choice! So far Billy Joel, The Libertines and Queens of the Stone Age have been my favourites, as well as a Northern Irish band called LaFaro - so quite the mix there!

Thankfully I found an alternative way to exercise until my ankle is fully healed, but until then I will still miss my usual runs and cross training!

Do you have any useful hints and tips to what other exercises I can do? And have you had to deal with not working out because of an injury?

In the meantime, I will just focus on working out with the dumbbells, and cook up delicious food! I am so glad it doesn't affect rattling up some good munch! Hopefully my feet will be back to normal soon - fingers crossed, or toes even...If only I could do that!

- Jules

PS. All the images in this post were found in Google images. All the photos on the blog are by me unless stated otherwise!