Salt, Pepper and Cumin

Hi there guys!

How are you? I am still as lazy as can be. Sorry for that one, I should stop rubbing that in, right?

So, what am I doing right now? I guess kinda everything that makes me feel useful in some way: sports, cleaning the house, side-jobs, and, of course, creating new recipes for you guys.

You already know my soft spot for cumin, don't you? (And the HIMYM fans amongst you will also have gotten the title, right?).

So, I really do know that cumin is a matter of taste. But the recipe I created for you combines so many different, lovely tastes that you might like to give it a try.

There are many positive aspects to it anyways: It emerged out of a try to do some left-over recycling. It took me at most about 10 minutes to prepare it. It is healthy. And it is colourful.

And well, I know it is the third salty recipe in a row. But I really hope that you are, just like me, still fed up with sweets thanks to Christmas and New Year's Eve. If not, feel free to complain, you sweet tooth-owner! 

My sister had prepared a lovely lamb-peanut-stew with sweet potatoes on monday and being left with tons of sweet potatoes, I have decided to reuse them for the following, quick, supertasty lunch:

roasted sweet-potato-tomato-mush with soy sauce, soft egg and cumin-pepper-curd

ingredients (2 people)

1 large, cooked sweet potato

12 cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

200 g curd

4 teaspoons cumin

4 teaspoons sweet soy sauce

2 eggs

pepper

salt

herbs

olive oil

preparation:

1. preheat olive oil in a pan, then roast the roughly mashed sweet potato, cherry tomatoes and pressed garlic cloves, add sweet soy sauce, salt and pepper and put aside

2. roast eggs from both sides, about 2 minutes, making sure the egg yolk remains half liquid

3. mix curd with cumin, salt and pepper

4. serve everything together, adding your favourite herbs

See you, guys! And stay productive ;-)

Love, Flo

vitamin fireworks

Hello guys! Happy new year! (Sorry for this one, I guess you can't hear it anymore by now, can you?)

I must admit that, once again, the frame conditions of my recipe today are not quite creative. It's healthy, light and vegan. And, tell me, who does not preach healthy, light and vegan food after Christmas? 

I have stopped having resolutions for the coming year a long time ago. But nonetheless I like to use the first day of the new year to start afresh in terms of nutrition. And after tender parlinés and crunchy cookies, mellow meat and tons of melted cheese for Christmas, "to start afresh" logically means "to eat healthy again". 

So, in hope that you are also kinda swimming with the tide at the moment AND in even greater hope that you are not fed up with fireworks, I created a vegan, superhealthy, colourful and tasty vitamin-fireworks-salad for you today!

Although it's as healthy as can be, it won't harm you, I promise!

After-Christmas-Vitamin-Fireworks

rocket-peppercress-salad with avocado, roasted pepper, tomato, cucumber and carrot, topped with agave-roasted kernels and mustard-lemon-dressing

ingredients (2 people):

2 handful of rocket

1 handful of peppercress

8 cherry tomatoes

2 baby cucumbers

4 baby carrots

1 pepper

1 avocado

1 large lemon

6 tablespoons kernels

0.75 dl olive oil

1 garlic clove

2 teaspoons mustard

2 teaspoons agave syrup

salt, pepper

preparation:

1. preheat a pan with some olive oil, cut lemon in two halves and cut off two thin slices, then roast the lemon slices golden brown and put aside

2. slice pepper and roast golden brown in the same pan, put aside

3. Last but not least, roast the kernels with 1 teaspoon agave syrup and some salt and pepper

4. Mix juice of the lemon with 0.75 dl olive oil, mustard, pressed garlic clove, 1 teaspoon agave syrup, salt and pepper

5. slice carrots, avocado tomatoes and cucumbers

6. arrange everything on a plate, sequence doesn't play a role, however, I'd advise you not to put the sauce on the plate first ;-)

However unhealthy you might have been feeling after Christmas, you will definitely forget all your worries when eating this salad!

Anyways, despite the superhealthy feeling I got now, I guess I should take up sports again, right?

Whatever, I hope you guys had a pleasant start into the new year and I wish you all the best (and most tasty and healthy meals) for the time coming!

See you soon!

xoxo, Florence

Fall(ing) for summer

Hi there guys! Everything all right?

It seems as if summer had decided to come back for a few more days (for a last good-bye?)!

So, although I wanted to celebrate the first ones of my beloved autumnal signs such as chest nuts, pumpkins, spices and coloured leaves, I decided to create a last but fantastic food-hommage towards summer (who actually wasn't part of my life very much these holidays).

Guys, some time ago I already told you about the perks of being a flight attendant's daughter. I could make use of those advantages once more this weekend. My Mom had gone to a lovely market during her stay in Boston and brought me the most beautifully coloured veggies!

As I have got quite a lot of homework to do for my Geography studies (Thanks, Mrs. human geography!), I will not get chatty today and just give you this superhealthy, refreshing, colourful and summery recipe I created for you yesterday (already looking forward to autumnal menus in my heart):

Garlic-Moghrabieh-Couscous with summery veggies, Kale, Limes and Peppermint

Ingredients (4-5 people)

230 g Moghrabieh (pearled couscous)

270 g couscous100 g prosciutto crudo

4 tablespoons butter

8.5 dl bouillon

4 handful peppermint

4 limes

2 lemons

4 handful basil

4 handful baby kale

6 colourful tomatoes

4 mini aubergines

2 yellow zucchini

1 dl olive oil

8 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons cane sugar

salt, pepper

Preparation:

1. roughly slice veggies, 1 lemon and 2 limes and mix with olive oil, 2 pressed garlic cloves, salt, pepper, 2 handful of peppermint, 2 handful pf basil and cane sugar, spread on a baking sheet

2. melt 1 tablespoon butter in a pot, add 6 pressed garlic cloves and pearled Couscous and roast until golden brown, add Bouillon and juice of remaining limes and lemon and let simmer for 5 minutes

3. in the meantime, put veggies in the oven, roast on 220° for 15 minutes

4. After 5-7 minutes, add Couscous to pearled Couscous and turn down the heat, stir well and add kale, peppermint, 3 tablespoons of butter and basil

Serve veggies and Couscous all together and enjoy this summery meal!

summer self-made

Hi there guys!

Today's the first day of a new semester at University and guess what: I woke up one hour too early! I must be really loooking forward to this!

Well, actually I am. However, I guess this means that I will not be able to create time-consuming recipes like the one I brought about today for a long time coming. Instead I'll be writing papers, presentations and essays. Yeah.

Be prepared for alphabet soup instead!

So as I enjoyed my last free week, I have decided to make pasta all by myself. Now you should know that I have done so many times before (without a pasta machine, for I do not see why I should pay half a fortune for things like that) and, actually, the result resembled everything from dry, water-cooked bread to slimy worms. Is she exaggerating again? No, unfortunately she isn't.

But this time, baby,..............It worked! And how well it worked (sorry for self-complimenting me). I may proudly announce that I have finally been able to create an easy and enjoyable pasta recipe which does not at all require pasta machine!

Celebrate with me guys!

So what have I got for you today? I did not prepare any pasta for you, that would have been boring, wouldn't it? Instead, I teamed up with my spices and I prepared a:

Yellow-Curry-Pasta with Tomato-Pepper--Thaibasil-Cumin Sauce

ingredients (4 people)

4 eggs

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons water

375 g spelt flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon yellow curry powder

*****

2 violet peppers

3 large tomatoes (I took a special, orange-coloured species)

2 garlic cloves

50 g butter

1 large onion

1 tablespoon Cumin

1 teaspoon yellow curry powder

2 handful of thai basil

preparation:

1. mix eggs, flour, salt, curry powder, olive oil and water to a sticky dough (add water or olive oil if too dry) and work well

2. spread a lot of flour on a large table (you will definitely need the space) and roll out half of the dough about 0.5 mm thick (it must be really thin!)

3. spread flour on the dough and roll it together carefully. then cut off slices of about 1cm (see picture) and unfurl carefully. Continue like that and put the finished noodles on baking sheets (or where ever it works best for you)

4. bring water to a boil, in the mean time, melt butter and slice peppers and tomatoes

5.  roast onion, curry powder and cumin in the melted butter, then add tomatoes and pepper and, last but not least, pressed garlic cloves, let simmer

6. cook pasta for 4-5 minutes, add some butter before serving in order to prevent them form sticking together

7. add thai basil and salt to sauce and finally ENJOY!

SEE YOU GUYS! wish me luck for my papers and stuff ;-)

eat me raw

Pretty erotic blog-title today, right? Hi there, people!

I got up pretty early today (which is very unusual on sundays) in order to go to a local, special organic food market. And, as you might already be guessing, I got home with shiploads of extraordinary tomatoes, tiny little cucumbers, colourful beet roots and peppers as well as tastily blushed apples! Have a look:

This huge amount of healthy raw food is especially calming because the "I-can't-take-no-sweets anymore"-phase I told you about lately has come to a very quick and painless end yesterday. My lovely sister has prepared even lovelier Pecan-Caramel-Chocolate-Drops, also known as my dignified surrender.

But, hey, at least I still work out hard! Which however always makes me so proud that I reward myself even harder, but never mind.  

As I also love healthy and fresh food apart from sweet stuff, I made a quick stoppover at "raw-food-station" today.

The recipe I brought along today includes a vegetable I, well, how do I say that nicely,....have always disliked very much: beet roots. I have tried them in a million (at least!) different ways but just could not make friends with their earthy taste. Anyways, I could not resist the beautiful species they sold at the market today: Chioggia-beet roots. So I decided to give them another chance and, in proud company of tiny, tiny, tiny little cucumbers, made this beautiful, superhealthy raw lunch for you today:

beetroot and cucumber-mozzarella salad with cumin-garlic-basil paste

ingredients:

1 Chioggia beet root

8 mexican mini-cucumbers

300 g of mozzarella

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons balsamic

1 handful of basil

1 tablespoons of cumin

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 garlic cloves, pressed

preparation:

1. Grind salt, cumin, basil, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and pressed garlic cloves in a mortar, then mix with the rest of the oil and balsamic

2. peel beet root and slice finely

3. slice mozzarella and cucumbers 

4. put all ingredients on a plate and dress with cumin-garlic-basil paste

ENJOY this raw, healthy superlunch!

herbal essences

Good afternoon, people!

How are you? I am, to be honest a bit, (okay no, completely!) absent-minded at the moment. And I don't even know why. I just see the results in my kitchen. You would not have wanted to be my guest today. I will not tell you about all my failures, but this one just has to be told: After having mixed a (seemingly lovely) cherry-honey-milk smoothie this noon, I couldn't find the lid of the milk bottle. Later we did find it, torn into thousand pieces, IN the smoothie itself. I mean, gosh, I really mixed that thing INTO the smoothie! Why?!

Well, anyways, the recipe I have got for you today was created on Friday, so, it should be okay (hopefully more than okay, but pretty special, though). And, good news, there's no milk (lid) to be added.
I had decided to finally use all the wonderful herbs that are growing in our little garden, have a look:

Ricotta-Lavender-Cumin Spread with Pesto-Bread (cool rhyme, isn't it?)

ingredients:

500 g spelt flour

10 g salt

20 g fresh yeast

3.25 dl warm water

5.5 dl olive oil

2 handful salvia

3 handful basil

1 handful origano

1 garlic clove

50 g pine nuts

*****

250 g ricotta

1 hanful fresh lavender

1,5 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove

preparation:

1. Mix flour and salt, dissolve yeast in water

2. add yeast-water and 0.5 dl olive oil to flour and work well, let rise for 90 minutes

3. Mix 0.5 dl olive oil with 1 pressed garlic clove, pine nuts. salvia, basil and origano in a cutter

4. roll out bread dough, spread pesto on it and form your bread as you prefer, bake for 30 minutes on 190°C

5. meanwhile, mix ricotta, lavender, olive oil, vinegar, pressed garlic clove, cumin and salt in a cutter, too

6. take bread out of the oven and enjoy warm with some ricotta-spread!

 SEE YOU GUYS!

when it comes to the crunch

Good afternoon, guys! Having a nice weekend?

Between writing a paper for university (not cool), doing some side jobs (well, yay, not broke anymore) and looking forward to my 21st brirthday (super yay!!!) I finally found the time to create something new for you. Some crunchy stuff, actually. 

At the moment I often sit in front of my computer for a pretty long time (exactly, for the aforesaid paper and other distracting stuff). When I am done with that, I am suprisingly successful at pushing myself to do some sports (which is a pretty big deal for me) and then, when I finally get home, it is the little things that make me the happiest person alive: putting off my shoes, making myself an iced coffe and a little snack, gathering my beloved ones around me and getting a last glimpse of the evening sun (as long as there is any, sigh).

So, to celebrate the fine little things life offers, I created a snack which conveys that mood perfectly. A snack which forces you to take some time, sit down and relax, enjoy, be happy.

Here it is:

Hazelnut-Rose-Coconut Cantuccini

ingredients:

220 g flour

50 g coconut flour

75 g maple juice

3 eggs

3 tblsp. rose water

150 g raw cane sugar

150 g Hazlenuts

1,5 teaspoons baking powder

preparation:

1. preheat the oven on 160°C 

2. mix all ingredients well, form a lengthy roll of about 4 cm height 

3. bake for 40 minutes

4. let cool down, then slice (about 0.5 cm thick) and bake for another 10 minutes

ENJOY with some fresh (iced) coffe!

See you, guys!

a little something: birthday meal companions

Hi there guys!

Two days ago, my mum celebrated her 51st Birthday and, as you might be guessing already, it was a very great pleasure for me and my sisters to prepare a special birthday meal. Today, however, I am not going to post that meal, for I think you all have your own favourite birthday meals, don't you?

Instead, I have brought along some ideas which might be a nice "add on" to your or your beloved ones' favourite birthday meals. I think that there are two things that are almost as much important as the meal itself: the drink and the (sweet) decorations.  

So as my Mum does not really like alcohol and as she loves sweets, my task, next to cooking a light summer meal, was clear: create a refreshing non-alcoholic drink AND don't forget the sweets (which ideally should be ice-cold and eaten immediately, considering the temperatures).

The two recipes I am posting today have got the advantage that they look like "oh so much effort" but actually do not take you a lot of time to prepare them.  

Have a look:

Cassis-Lemon-Rose Drink

ingredients (4 L)

150 g cassis berries

2 tablespoons dried rose blossoms

2 tablespoons rose water

150 g raw cane sugar

2 lemons, juice

0.5 dl water

ice

1. bring everything to a boil and let simmer for 25 minutes

2. sieve and mix with 4 litres of water and ice, refridgerate

*****

Rose-Almond-Chocolate Drops

ingredients (12 pieces of 4 cm) 

200 g milk chocolate (or any chocolate you like)

2 tablespoons rose water

1 1/2 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons butter

12 almonds

some dried rose blossoms

1. melt chocolate, rose water, butter and almond butter slowly in a pan

2. put a baking sheet on a plate and put chocolate drops on it (about 1 tablespoon per drop, or as much as you like, depending on the size you want to have them)

3. immediately top with rose blossoms and 1 almond per drop

4. freeze for 45 minutes, enjoy immediately

See you guys and happy birthday to everyone who is celebrating today!