Berrylicious smoothie

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Whether you are busy multitasking or – like me – a mom with a newborn, a smoothie is always a great way to replenish your vitamin stores.  It’s your quick fix of a healthy meal. The good news: the preperation is so fast, that you will always find the 2-3 minutes it takes even if you have plenty of to-do’s on your list. This recipe makes 2 generous helpings.

img_20180505_115948_009-200716722.jpgIngredients

  • 2 cups of low-sugar oat milk
  • 1 cup of frozen blueberries
  • 1 cup of raspberries
  • 1 banana
  • 2 tablespoons of cacao

As per all my smoothie recipes, the frozen berries ensure that your drink is chilled, but not watered down due to melted ice cubes. Blend all in a mixer and enjoy!

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Peanut butter & Jelly (PBJ) Smoothie

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img_20180416_194140_561-1744478744.jpgA natural power couple of good taste and popularity: peanut butter and jelly. Apparently, the average American will eat 1,500 PBJ sandwiches before graduating high school. But while the classic sandwich is a crowd pleaser, but not necessarily super healthy, this smoothie version ticks all the boxes. Loaded with vitamins, protein, healthy fat and fiber. This recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe (or frozen) banana
  • 1.5 cups of frozen strawberries or raspberries (whatever floats your boat)
  • 2 generous tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cups of oat milk

Blend everything until smooth. This smoothie is cold and refreshing thanks to the frozen strawberries/raspberries and banana. Thereby, you can chill your drink without having to water it down by using ice cubes.

Banana hack: if you realize that your bananas are ripe but you might not be able to eat them all on time, peel them and store them in a container in your freezer. Thereby, you have a great ingredient for future smoothies ready at hand, which is thereby also serving as a natural chill factor.

Bacon & Egg Breakfast Muffins

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Bacon and scrambled eggs are a match made in heaven. Hardly a better way to start the day. So why not take this combo a step further and bake them into muffin form? It makes for a very convenient way to take breakfast on the go. This recipe makes 4 muffins.

Ingredientsimg_20180211_105840_581-847024371.jpg

  • 8 slices of streaky bacon
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • ½ teaspoon of ground pepper
  • ½ teaspoon of dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon of dried oregano
  • A bit of butter for the muffin mold

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/390 degrees Fahrenheit and start by buttering your muffin mold. Thereby, you ensure the bacon doesn’t stick to it. Layer the raw bacon strips into the mold so that the entirety of it is covered and make sure each slice has an ever so slight overlap with the next one, so the egg won’t run over to easily. Whisk the eggs, cream and spices together until they are well mixed and then pour it into the bacon-covered muffin mold to the rim. I always add cream to my scrambled eggs (whether in a muffin or just the traditional style), as I have discovered it gives the eggs this very smooth texture that I like. Bake it in the oven for 15 minutes, by which time the bacon should be crispy and the eggs solidified yet soft.

Optional: mix in 2 tablespoons of shredded sharp cheddar. It’s absolutely divine.

Enjoy!

Halloumi fries – Golden rays of edible sunshine

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Who doesn’t love fries? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they look like rays of sunshine. But who said that fries have to be made out of potatoes or their equally tasty relative – the sweet potato? That’s why this recipe uses halloumi. Don’t let their innocent appearance fool you though. If you thought that normal fries are filling, you haven’t encountered halloumi fries yet. They can easily make you feel very stuffed – but are sooo delicious at the same time. Hence, this recipe serves 2 (or 4 if served alongside another dish).

Ingredients

Halloumi_fries

  • ½ lb (250 grams) of halloumi
  • 1 cup of flour
  • ½ teaspoon of ground pepper
  • ½ teaspoon of paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • Lots, and I mean lots of sunflower oil

Quick and easy dip

  • ½ cup of mayonnaise
  • 2 garlic cloves

Start with the dip. For that, pour the mayonnaise into a small bowl and add the garlic by using a garlic press, as this allows for the liquid from your cloves to already dissolve a bit. Then place the dip in the fridge until the fries are ready.

As for the fries: Cut the halloumi into sticks. They should be about the size of your ring finger. Not too thick, otherwise the frying will leave you with a “raw” core, but not too thin either, as the fries would then break very easily and most likely not survive their bath in the oil.

The secret star of this recipe is the coating, as halloumi in and of itself does not have a distinct flavor. So, the taste is pretty much defined by the spices that are used. Mix the flour with the spices in a flat bowl or soup plate. Coat your fries in it evenly. The beauty of halloumi is its inherent moisture, which means that the flour easily sticks to them.

Take a small or smallish pot and fill it approx. 1 inch/2.5 centimeters with the sunflower oil. This fits the theme, as sunflowers are the suns of the plant world. But I digress… Bring the oil up to a high temperature (try NOT to boil it, as oil burns can be truly nasty) and carefully immerse your fries in the pot. The frying should take approx. 2-4 minutes, depending on how golden you would want the sticks to be. The one in the picture was in the oil for 3 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cheese nibbles… that’s sooooooo cheesy

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I know this season should be all about Christmas cookies. However, while baking all your sweet treats for the most wonderful time of the year, something savory may be just what you are craving for. So cheese nibbles it is. This recipe should get you around 50 nibbles.

Ingredientsimg_20171210_121923_9131036278535.jpg

  • 1 cup of grated gruyère cheese
  • 1 1/3 cups (175 grams) of flour
  • ½ cup (125 grams) of butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ teaspoon of baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds

This one will entail a bit of physical labor. On the plus side, you might burn off a few of the calories that you will consume when eating the cookies later, although the emphasis here is on the word few. Anyways, ideally you want to mix all your ingredients in a really large bowl or straight on the (clean) kitchen counter. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder and then add the butter in small bits. Afterwards, add the egg yolks, cheese and sesame seeds. Knead it all thoroughly until you have a smooth dough.

Distribute a bit of flour on the kitchen counter and roll out the dough to a thickness of about 5 mm/0.2 inches. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a knife to cut our rectangular shapes or use a cookie cutter of your choice. Then let the cookies bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes.

Enjoy!