Zucchini Soup

Zucchini Soup-4705

A wonderful, easy, quick, delicious recipe! Serve as a starter, lunch or, with some bread, for dinner.

Serves 4

6-7 medium sized zucchini/courgette, washed (no need to peel)
1 liter of vegetable broth (or more if you want a thinner soup)
Dash of salt
(optional: black pepper and a drop of agave/maple syrup)

2 tsp Boursin garlic soft cheese (or just 1/3 of a minced garlic clove)

Optional: 50 ml sour cream (or coconut cream)

Decoration: Parsley and 2 tbsp of sour cream

1. Cut the zucchini into thick slices. Place in a saucepan along with the vegetable broth and salt.
2. Simmer 15-20 minutes until the zucchini is soft.
3. Take off heat, add the cheese and blend with a hand-held immersion blender. (At this point you may also add the optional sour cream – this will make the soup creamier)
4. Add some more broth if you prefer a thinner soup. Reheat if the soup got too cool.
5. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed. A drop of agave or maple syrup can help balance the flavours.
6. Pour into serving bowls, drizzle sour cream and add some parsley leaves.

Aubergine Chutney, Coconut Chickpea Hummus with Quinoa

170222 Aubergine Chutney Coconut Hummus with Quinoa-4322

This dish has three main components and makes for a delicious light lunch or a starter. Of course, the chutney and hummus can be used on their own too. The toasted coconut/nuts/seeds in the hummus gives a wonderful crunch to each bite! A must try!!

1.Aubergine Chutney
2 aubergines, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
olive oil

½ tsp curry
½ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp agave syrup
1 tbsp soy sauce

50 ml water
50 ml olive oil
75 ml coconut cream

Shredded basil.

1. Sauté the onion, garlic and aubergine over low heat until soft.
2. Add the spices, vinegar, agave and soy sauce. Stir for a few minutes.
3. Add the liquids and simmer 10-15 minutes.
4. Lastly, stir in the basil.

2.Coconut Chickpea Hummus

100 ml un-peeled almonds, chopped
75 ml shredded coconut
75 ml sunflower seeds
salt and pepper

400 g cooked chickpeas
2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 lemon, zest and juice

1. Toast the almond, coconut and sunflower seed in a pan. Season. Set aside.
2. Combine the chickpeas, chili, paprika and lemon in a blender and run until well blended. Add some water (or juice from the chickpeas) if it is too thick. It doesn’t have to be smooth.
3. When done, turn off the blender and stir in the toasted mix.

3.Quinoa
200 ml quinoa
500 ml water (or vegetable broth)
salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, whole

1. Wash the quinoa and combine all ingredients in a pan
2. Cook the quinoa for 12-15 minutes
3. Discard the bay leaf and garlic

4.Plating.
Rocket salad
Tomato
Olive oil

1. Plate on rocket salad with tomato sliced.
2. Chop some rocket salad and sprinkle on top together with some olive oil.

Marinated Haricots Verts in a Salad

160810 Marinated Haricots Verts-1580

Sometimes cooking is all about letting the ingredients speak for itself without too many alterations. Pure, simple and delicious! This is a classic green bean salad.

350 g haricots verts
80 g parmesan shavings
Chopped walnuts
1 small pear, sliced
Rocket salad (or fresh baby spinach leaves)

Vinaigrette:
3 tbsp olive oil
1,5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Dash of salt
Black pepper

1. Whisk/shake the vinaigrette.
2. Blanch the haricot verts 1-2 minutes in boiling water (with some salt added to it).
3. Marinate the beans in the vinaigrette for 20 minutes.
4. Distribute the salad items on a large plate. Add the haricots verts and drizzle any remaining vinaigrette on top.

Olive and Parmesan Muffins

1606 Parmesan Muffins-1261

These should be served freshly baked! Wonderful texture and taste. Goes well with tomato soup or anything else tomato based. Use any combination of olives, sundried tomatoes, pepper that you like, or maybe include some pickled red onion as well? Enjoy! The smell alone will impress any guest.

Makes 10 large muffins

400 ml gluten free flour
A dash of salt
2,5 tsp baking powder
100 g finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried thyme

3 large eggs
250 ml Greek yoghurt
100 ml finely chopped olives/sundried tomatoes/char grilled peppers

1. Oven at 200C
2. Bowl 1, mix the dry ingredients
3. Bowl 2, whisk the wet ingredients
4. Combine the two bowls
5. Spoon into muffin tins
6. Bake until done, about 12 minutes, depending on size of muffin tins.

Roasted Vegetables

160127 Roasted Vegetables-1125Anything goes here. I’ve put together a meal consisting of my favourite vegetables. The most important is to cut the vegetables in appropriate sizes so that they will be done at the same time. With this dish, I think that the Chevre Dip and the Apple Mustard Sauce goes really well.

1 red onion
1 large courgette
Chestnut mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 large parsnip
3 Jerusalem artichokes
1 large carrot

Oven at 210 C

  1. Place all cut up vegetables on a large baking tray.
  2. Drizzel with oil, add some salt and pepper
  3. Roast in oven for 45-55 minutes (depending on the size of your vegetables).

Marvellous Midday Muffins

151118 lunch EggMuffins0623

 
This recipe was part of a great brunch my daughter served me a while back.
 
Serves 4 – makes 12 small muffins

8 mild sweet piquante peppers
6 mushrooms
3 shallots
Fresh spinach, a handful
8 eggs
20 pecan nuts, chopped
 
4 slices prosciutto ham
 

  1. Oven at 200C
  2. Chop peppers, mushrooms, shallots and spinach and place in greased muffin tins.
  3. Pour whisked eggs on top (fill up to max 2/3 of the tins)
  4. Top with the pecans.
  5. Bake in oven 12-15 minutes or until slightly browned.
  6. Place one muffin on the serving plate, the ham on top and then the other two muffins on top.

Zucchini Blinis with Smoked Salmon and Lumpfish Caviar

For a festive Sunday brunch, serve with Gluten Free Crisp Bread with Dips!

Zucchini blinis

After an overindulging weekend, I like to cook something healthy, yet elegant, for a Sunday brunch with friends. These Zucchini Blinis offer a lighter option than the rich buckwheat version.

Serves 4

2 small zucchinis/courgettes, grated
A handful of shredded spinach leaves
3 tbsp of soy flour
1 large egg

150 grams of cottage cheese
3 tbsp half fat crème fraiche
½ finely chopped red onion
½ finely chopped green pepper
4 tbsp grated lemon peel (take care only to use the outer layer of a un-waxed lemon, the white part is bitter)

4 slices of smoked salmon

50 g black lumpfish caviar

Zucchini blinis makingIMG_5025

1. Mix soy flour and egg to a smooth batter.
2. Squeeze the water out of the grated zucchini, add spinach and combine with the egg batter.
3. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients for the cottage cheese sauce and set aside.
4. Pan fry the zucchini blinis on medium heat in a little olive oil (or butter if you prefer). Use a spoon and gently flatten each blini to form a small round cake with a diameter of about 9 cm (3,5 inches) each. About 2-3 tbsp of batter is about right for each blini. Let it brown for 2-3 minutes on each side. Make 8 blinis.
5. Place one blini on each plate, add rolled up salmon, a dollop of the sauce, a tsp of caviar and cover with a second blini.