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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The vegetarian version of 'The Authentic' Pasta Bolognese!

Oh,  so tasty & fine!

To be honest, I'm not really a sucker for meat-replacement products. Not wanting to eat meat doesn't necessarily makes me want to eat fake meat instead. I'm not into the specific taste and structure of meat, and anything made that looks and tastes just like it, isn't really on my list of interests.

However, I do not live alone, and i'm the only 'real' vegetarian in this household. (And the only one that cooks.) Though, Wolf doesn't get any meat (yet), but he's not even two years old, so his opinion doesn't count. He just is a vegetarian, and loves his quinoa-veggies-lentils-egg-or-whatever-dinners deeply.
All the others dó like some meat sometimes, and I don't want to prohibit them from eating it, as long as it is of good quality and just not too often. I hope one day the choise of being a vegetarian will be one of themselves. (Of course I use some discreet propaganda here and there :-) )

This Pasta Bolognese is one of my favorite recipes, because it's always satisfying and very much appreciated by everybody eating it. And the funny things is, the kids really believe they're eating meat. Even Nicolaas didn't taste the difference at first (yes, I told him later on). It's because my kids assured me a Pasta Bolognese without meat is no Bolognese. So I found a meat replacement product from an organic brand named 'Provamel', which doesn't really look apealing at first sight, but works very well in a dish like this. It's made of soy and looks just like the real stuf. (There are so many brands out there, and it's all quite the same i guess.)

Of course I do get questions like 'but mom, why do you eat meat, while you're a vegetarian?' But for some reason, they never seem very much interested in the answer, which I just mumble away. They're happy to eat a real Pasta Bolognese. And that's it.

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Ridiculously good green Minestrone!

Let the sun shine in!

As i write this, we are at day 24 of our so called '30-day-elimination-diet' and are appreciating our new way of living, more and more each day. I think not drinking alcohol, or coffee for that matter, really makes a difference, but not eating gluten just changes everything. I really feel 'thin' and energised. Not that I've ever been 'big', but the bloated- and full feeling, I often felt at the end of the day, is as good as gone. And besides that, my skin finally starts to look the way it's supposed to be: healthy and shiney! 

The fact that all our effort really makes us feel better, healthier and cleaner is just something to celebrate and to share. A 30 day elimination diet is therefor one thing I can highly recommend to everybody.

So. What we'll eat than? What about this slightly adjusted recipe I found in the awesome cookbook Vegalicious: a green summer minestrone with freshly made pesto, that tastes ridiculously good? It's just made of freshly organic vegetables and herbs and looks like a little party in your bowl. 

Eating all these greens isn't only delicious, it's certainly good for you too: asparagus have a high content of vitamin C, E, K and folic acid (vitamin B11) and contain substances that help you break down fat stores. They stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in the intestines that make for good digestion. Basil, for example, gives relief from colds, coughs, asthma, headaches, and fever. It relieves mental fatigue, is enlightening mind and improves concentration. Also mint helps relieve colds and coughs, but also eases the gastrointestinal tract to rest after vomiting or nausea

Enjoy!

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Creamy risotto with peas & greens

Day 4: some backup information about the 30-day-challenge!

I have to admit, at the moment i suffer from headaches more than ever, but i'm convinced it is because of the fact my body is detoxing and getting rid of all the toxics, which have accumulated in my body in the course of years. Still, with a lot of joy we're pleased to continue our mission, and keep up the good work for another 26 days! This risotto will give you the same joy as a decadent creamy, cheesy risotto, but than without all the no-go stuff! 

Go here to see the recipe immediately!

I did some research about the restrictions that we have set for ourselves and would love to share this with you. 

Nr.1: No alcohol

Well, i guess this good old friend doesn't need a whole lot of explanation, but just to be sure: 

Alcohol contains a lot of extra calories, the ones you don't need (or want!). So, by drinking alcohol you will increase weight. People who use a lot of alcohol generally have poor diets and lack of exercise, and the risk of certain cancers and heart disease increases.

When your liver has to deal with the continuous process of 'high' doses of alcohol, its structure changes and won't function properly anymore. And of course; alcohol affects the ability to think logically.

And thinking logically is one of the things we só need!

Nr.2: No gluten

Gluten are proteins that occur naturally in áll cereals. This means wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and oats. Also in products made of the flour, ​​like bread, crackers and pasta. 

Gluten is not only bad for people with medically diagnosed gluten intolerance. Almost everyone is to some level: sensitive-, intolerant- or allergic to gluten. In fact, there is hardly anyone whose body is good at processing gluten. That means there are a lot of people who feel weak daily, lifeless or even sickly unnoticed because they suffer from gluten intolerance.

This doesn't mean everyone should immediately quit eating products containing gluten, though, it would be better to reduce your gluten intake significantly. Happily enough there a plenty of things you can eat, like for example rice, quinoa, corn or buckwheat and of course all the vegetables and fruits in the world. There also are a whole lot of 'normal' products for sale in many deli's or bigger supermarkets which don't contain gluten, like special breads, pasta's and crackers.

Nr.3: No dairy products

Chemical tests of milk show us that milk has a very high level of calcium. But the calcium in it, is indigestible for humans; it bonds with other calciums in your body which make you lose calcium. Milk also has hormones, both natural and man-made. The natural hormones are ment to grow a 65 pound calf, into a 1000 pound cow. And that's what it does to humans too. The artificial hormones given to cows, make the cows produce more milk. It's not only the similar effect as steroids on humans, but it also helps cancer cells grow. As a result, one is more likely to develop cancer when drinking two or more glasses of milk per day. Milk doesn't only cause problems by itself, but 75% of the world is lactose intolerant. So for those 75%, it makes them even sicker. I could go on, and on, but you should google it for yourself to get more info! (why cow's milk is unhealthy)

If you are afraid nót to get enough calcium by skipping dairy products, don't worry: green leafy vegetables contain calcium besides many other minerals and vitamins. So 100 grams of raw kale contains twice as much calcium as a glass of low-fat milk. A green smoothie is the ideal way to get not only enough calcium but also to make your blood less acidic.

Cabbage, Chinese cabbage, apricots, almonds, hazelnuts and other sea vegetables are all good sources of calcium.

Nr.4: No coffee

 To be honest, i thought it would be tougher to get up in the morning without my dearest Nespresso cappuchino, though it's part of the deal and we switched to freshly pressed juices like carrot-beet-ginger-apple-lemon juice! It's amazing how quickly you're awake!!

What Coffee does: it increases heart rate and elevates blood pressure. Caffeine stimulates the flow of stress hormones. Anxiety and irritability are guaranteed mood disturbances associated with caffeine consumption but equally important are depression and attention disorders. 

Caffeine inhibits the absorption of some nutrients and causes the urinary excretion of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and trace minerals. So you could be eating very healthy, but then washing it down with a coffee only to be losing some of those nutrients from food.

Thereby in several studies, eliminating coffee and caffeine seem to reduce the risk on urinary and prostrate problems, fibrocystic breast  disease, PMS, osteoporosis etc. etc.

Well, enough i guess to at least see what not drinking coffee for a month does to my body!

If you'd like more information on the effects of drinking coffee, i found a very good to read article here! (Nurturepod)

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Easy quinoa with mushrooms, arugula and thyme

Day 2: Easy quinoa with mushrooms, arugula and thyme 

Well, it's official. After all the parties; the famous Dutch 'Queens'- into 'Kingsday', the holiday of the kids with sleepovers and thus more get togethers with friends and drinks: it was time to just stop for a while. Get our bodies back in shape, get clean again and healthy. We decided to take a break on our grown habits: coffee in the morning, many products with gluten (bread, pasta's, potatoes etc), dairy (cappuchino's, cheeses..), our awesome glasses of Chardonnay (God, I miss you already), and all the other goods that go along.. (which might be vegetarian, but maybe not that healthy..)

Just none of it all for (at least) 30 days. Our  '30 day challenge' started yesterday, and though i thought it might be tough here or there.. it really isn't at all! (so far.. this is day two, i admit) But it just feels great being busy with your health in a good way; finding and creating new recipes without the stuff that makes you tired and look and feel exhausted! Fresh juices in the morning, great salads for lunch and awesome dishes for dinner...
While we actually just wanted to quit drinking alcohol for a month, we decided to go radical, and quit drink and eat many things of our normal diet.

Thereby, I bought the amazing new cookbook of Gwyneth Paltrow, (yes, she is a cookbook author, I didn't know that either) which just amazes me with beautiful pictures and incredibly simple but tasty recipes.
The book 'It's all good', which Gwyneth wrote with co-author and food-writer Julia Turshen, is really a must have, if you want to change your normal eating program for whatever reason, or suffer allergies like gluten- or dairy intolerances. This easy quinoa recipe is one of hers, and is so easy, it's almost amazing it tastes so good!

Oh, come on, and join us, it's only for 30 days!

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Lentil salad with roasted cauliflower and mushrooms

Lentil salad with roasted cauliflower and mushrooms

I think it was in France, last summer, when Nicolaas FINALLY agreed to eat lentils with me. It was  my 'one-can-of-lentils-a-day-period', which i somehow just get; those cravings for one particular ingrediënt. At the moment i am in my beet-carrot-pear-ginger-juice-period, which just feels awesome to start the day with. Followed by a cup of coffee of course. 

I still love lentils though. And somehow Nicolaas never did. He is a sucker for all kinds of beans, but lentils just didn't do it for him. Which utterly frustrated me of course, because i just didn't get how you could love beans, but refuse to like lentils. So of course, it became a matter of principle and whenever i asked him if he'd want some lentils - prepared in whatever way - he said no. 

You can imagine i just tried to make my lentil recipes better and tastier, until he couln't refuse any longer! Well, that day came in august 2012 on a majestic piece of land in France! I found a recipe with sweet red onions, fresh dill, tarragon, oil and wine vinegar. It was so good, he seriously grabbed it out of my hands. Pure and simple. It was the best! And since that day, i can make whatever lentil recipe i like, and share it with me sweet! It sounds like a fairy tale.

Here is another nice recipe for a lukewarm lentil salad with roasted cauliflower and mushrooms, fresh herbs and chili's. Originally form Happi-food magazine, it became one of my favorites too!

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