Crispy spinach salad with orange-gorgonzola vinaigrette

Have it fresh!

It's been an incredibly good summer this year, and I can tell, since we've stayed home and really hoped for some sun and do-able temperatures. It was exactly what we got: it was a blast to be able to go outside with only some flip-flops, tops and shorts.

We live in the south of Amsterdam, just a few hundred meters near the famous Vondelpark, where friends and family meet each other after work or in weekends, with bottles of chilled drinks and  baskets stuffed with goods. So you can imagine what we've been doing night after night!

Barbecues and little gatherings with kids and friends, sun and fresh food... staying out 'till the sun is long gone..  it's like the ultimate summer joy. And since I kind of know how to get around in my kitchen I've been sorting out some good salads to bring along.

 This spinach salad really isn't hard to make but has this nice twist because of the gorgonzola mixed with orange, which makes it a dish of it's own.

Healthy as hell, and great on your plate! ;-)

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Quinoa Caprese with tagliatelle from zucchini

Let's combine some great combinations!

Just like tomatoes, basil and mozzarella seem to be made for each other, the combination of zucchini and tomatoes is quite outstanding too!
I used to make the tagliatelle from zucchini dish often for my kids, when they where younger; it was a great way to have them eat veggies without the sour faces. And the nice thing is, it's such a pure dish, it's incredibly easy and absolutely rich in flavour.

 Since I've discovered quinoa, (please say keen-wa!) I can honestly say I fell in love with it. Besides it's tastiness, it's one of the most healthy products on earth. The seeds (it's not a grain!!) where already cultivated in the Andes, 5000 years ago, and formed the basic diet of its inhabitants, the glorious Incas. They considered quinoa as sacred food, a gift from god. They called it "La Chisiya Mama," the mother of all grains.
Quinoa is a complete source of protein, which contain all the essential amino acids that the human body can not produce itself. These amino acids help your body to actually use the proteins you eat.

Quinoa contains a lot of fibre, more than rice, pasta or potatoes and is richer in vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin E and vitamin B, than all other grains.

So.. and there it comes, I thought of combining the great taste of Caprese with quinoa and the zucchini- tomato dish. It worked out wonderfully well, and looked amazing! I used a small form to layer the dish, but if you don't like that, or don't have a form that fits well, please just layer the food on your plate. The colours will do the trick!

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Good mood food..

... alias hemp seeds (in an almost classic Ceasar Salad!)

In my search for the perfect balance of superfoods, hemp seeds are one of my favorites. I'm convinced, that based on ones specific diet, you don't just need to eat áll the superfoods you can find in order to stay healthy. Many superfoods overlap nutritionally, and too much of all these goods might be a bit too much (and too expensive!!) But for vegans or vegetarians hemp seeds are one of the most valuable nutritions one can take. Being veggie or vegan means you need to get your B-vitamins from other sources than meat or dairy products. (I do eat dairy, but keep it to the very minimum. You can read here why. Organically grown eggs are absolute healthy to eat though.)

2/3 of the hemp seed exists of a very high quality of protein which is very similar to our own body proteins and therefore easily absorbed. This means it actually gives energy, instead of taking it, like chemical- and pre-fab substances (the fabulous E's): they cost your body a lot of energy trying to convert it into something useful, energy you probably could spend better!

Besides the proteins, hemp seeds contain all 8 essential amino acids which our body can't produce itself. These amino acids are required to absorb the proteins and are needed as a basis for other substances that have an important role in your metabolism, including the happiness hormone serotonin. Yes, really!! These little fellows are actually great for your mood!

I could co on and on, (which I will, for just a little longer!) but hemp seeds are very well packed, as they contain omega 3-, 6- and omega 9 fatty acids in just the right ratio for absorption of the body. And like other superfoods, hemp seeds are rich in various minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, iodine, vitamin E, C and the B vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6. These B vitamins are very important when it comes to your energy.

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons daily, while lightly roasting them, eating them raw, making milk, or by using them in your humus. They are incredibly tasty, and an awesome way to keep a healthy body and a great mood!!

This veggie Ceasar salad, is almost a classic. But than slightly different!

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Spicy Roasted Chickpea salad

Eat yourself healthy and beautiful

As mentioned before, beans and legumes are absolutely one of my favourite things to eat, and especially chickpeas are high on the list. Not only are they incredibly tasty in many different ways (think humous, salads, soups, dough etc.) they are also very, very healthy.

Especially for vegetarians, chickpeas are a great substitute for meat (or eggs when you're vegan). They contain a high content of essential vitamins, like vitamin B12 for instance, which is generally only found in animal products.
Chickpeas are full of iron and vitamin C. Also, vitamin B6 and folic acid are important nutrients that make them so incredibly healthy. Eating chickpeas weekly, in whatever way prepared, retain a right level of iron.

In this salad I roasted the chickpeas for about 15 minutes with some sea salt and a generous amount of chilli powder. It makes them hot and crispy, which goes very well with the sweet and sour taste of the vinaigrette. If you like you can ad some butterhead lettuce in the end. Just divide it on your plate and add the roasted chickpea salad on top. Watch out, this is incredibly good!

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Ricotta-tomato pie

Hangover pie!

We just had the loveliest weekend ever. The weather was incredible, and reached unbelievable temperatures which is quite un-Dutch, especially when you have a wedding! Our outfits were absolutely stunning (it's true!) and a weekend without kids was - though we love them to the bones -let's say, a blast! 

 The wedding was like a fairytale, and the whole day was celebrated in the most beautiful hotel of Amsterdam; the Amstel Hotel. From beginning till end (and the end was early morning) was a feast! You can imagine, there is nothing better than a good days rest after a party like that. With good foods and drinks and no kids to take care off. Just me, my man and my kitchen.

We came up with this super tasty tomato ricotta pie, which is easy as hell, but really does the trick (especially when you're hungover!)
Absolutely worth trying, and even good when eaten cold. (Of course we saved some for the kids!)

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Oeuf Cocotte

Bonjour!

With a family of five, breakfast can be a real pain in the ass. Most days during the week we're in a hurry, (i don't know why, my alarm -ánd the little one- goes off at 7 o'clock, but we still don't make it) which makes it a challenge over and over again, to get something healthy into every mouth, get them dressed properly and to get those backpacks filled in time. I guess we're just an average family..

So, weekends should be spent well! Despite the fact our youngest is a terrible sleeper, he is also mr. Sunshine himself at 07:00 o'clock sharp. So no laziness in bed for me. But the fact we don't have to hurry, don't have to shower or get dressed immediately to run off, is absolutely a blast.

When everyone is awake (I mostly already have spent several hours reading a newspaper, or some  blogs i like) i just love to have breakfast, and sit at the table together.  Happily enough, the rest of my family enjoys that as well. To celebrate these little moments of joy it's even better to make something special! And something special i found for sure on another Dutch blog; www.sarahaandekook.nl. I had no idea what 'cocotte' meant. I just thought it was a way of preparation. Until i found out about my little pans i have stored in my kitchen cabinet; they are called 'cocottes'.
Very well indeed! They just needed to be filled with whatever i had in my fridge and some homemade pesto and sit in the oven for about 10 minutes!

Very very little tasty breakfast pans, which will enlighten your day for sure!

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Asparagus-Gruyere tart

Finally, the official asparagus season has begun!

Finally! Yesterday the asparagus season has started officially, which means we can cook, grill, chop, steam or mix these green or white fellows, until the 24th of june. And despite the fact we'll still be able to buy them off season, that just won't be as much fun. The'll be more expensive and not locally, which you for sure will be able to taste. So now is the time to get them and prepare them in tons of ways!

I found this simple but delicious recipe on Pinterest and it officially seems to be from Martha Stewart, although i found way more look-a-like recipes on the net. Some slightly different or with more ingredients added, but i decided to go for this particular one, with just some pure ingredients, olive oil, salt and pepper. And you know what, you can eat this warm or cold; either way, it's great! Just make sure to pour yourself a nice glass of Chardonnay, cheers!

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Baked chicory with orange butter sauce and red cabbage puree

Baked chicory with orange butter sauce and red cabbage puree

I think i had this piece of paper sticked to my fridge for about 6 or 7 months, before i actually descided to give it a try. I teared it out of my weekend edition newspaper, somewhere on a saturday or sunday afternoon, just because i loved the combination of colors, not realising it was actually a recipe, or no, better: a veggie recipe!

The recipe itself comes from Alain Passard, and was slightly adjusted by the writer of the article. Anyway, it absolutely isn't a hard dish to make, but a very, very colorful one, for sure! I descide to eat it with some mashed potatoes, which goes with it wonderfully well.

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Filled Pasta Shells with lemon-ricotta and caremelized mushrooms

Taste Explosion!

About a year or two ago, an awesome caterer settled around the corner of the home where we used to live. It's called after the name of the owner: Stach
It's an awesome place to get ready-to-go-meals, cooked freshly every day, and most of it is meatless. But more important: all the incredients are from local farmers and manufacturers, and picked by the season. You can imagine, we loved to go there after a busy day of work, and choose what ever we liked per person. It's a pitty it's a bit far now to go there more often, though it's better for my bankaccount for sure!

One of the first meals I bought there, were stuffed pasta shells with ricotta, topped with onions and mushrooms. It's delicate taste stayed in my mind for ever, and when they decided not to make it anymore, just to make room for new dishes which were just as good or even better, I just thought to give it a shot and make it myself.

This is the result, and believe me, it's like a taste bomb in your mouth! It's awesome! Even my kids couldn't recist the zesty mushrooms, and that's really something.

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