Polish Christmas: Kutia (Wheat berries with poppy seeds)

#healthyeating #easyfoodcreation #PolishChristmas

Kutia is pretty much the same dish as pasta with poppy seeds except that it is popular during Christmas Eve primarily in the Eastern regions of Poland. It is healthier option but I still favour the taste of the pasta with poppy seeds I grew up with.

Ingredients:

1c poppy seeds

0.5c honey

0.25c Dried fruits: apricots, dates, figs, prunes

0.5c nuts and almonds

2tbsp whipping cream (optional)

0.5 (can be more) lemon or orange - juice and peel 

1c wheat berries

spices (optional): 3 cloves, 1 pot cardamom, 0.25 tsp nutmeg - grind into powder

1. Run boiling water through poppy seeds 3-4 times. Then pour 1c of  boiling water into a bowl, add poppy seeds and let it sit overnight.

2. Remove excess water. Place poppy seeds in a blender, add honey and lemon juice. Process for a few minutes; you should see milky liquid. 

3. Chop dried fruits and nuts into small pieces.

4. Cook wheat berries like all grains - 1:3 grain to water proportions, for about 40 minutes on a lower heat. Drain.

5. Mix all ingredients together.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. If it becomes dry after a couple of days you can stir in more cream, honey, and/or orange or lemon juice. It keeps well in the fridge for a week.

7. Enjoy!

Zurek (fermented rye soup) - traditional Polish Easter soup

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #eastertraditions

Over the last two years I had been making zurek, a traditional Polish Easter soup. It has been one of my favourite soups when I was growing up and I have to admit I missed it tremendously.  For the longest time I though this soup requires a lot of work so I stayed away from it, but in fact it is super simple. 

The base of the soup is a rye starter, which is rye flour, water, whole garlic cloves, whole allspice and a bay leaf that are fermented over 3-5 days. The starter stays in the room temperature, covered with a cloth. There is absolutely nothing that you have to do with it during the fermentation process. 
To make the starter, mix flour with water, then add garlic and spices. Flour to water ratio is about 1:5; the consistency of the starter should be similar to a crepe dough.

Ingredients:

1.5 litres of stock ( you can use a mix of stock and water, I often do that)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp fried shallots (optional, I find they add a lot of flavour)

4 slices of prosciutto (you can use bacon, pork fat, or any other fatty meat you want)

3 garlic cloves

2 white sausages (they should be plain if possible so they do not overpower the soup)

1-2c rye starter, it depends how sour it got during the fermentation process.

2 tbsp dried majoram

3 tsp horseradish 

5 tbsp cream (35%)

1. Fry on a medium low heat shallots, onion, and finely chopped prosciutto for about 5-7 minutes. You can add a little butter if the meat you are using foes not contain enough fat.

2. Heat the stock and water and add fried onions, whole (or chopped) white sausage, and pressed garlic cloves.

3. Cook it for about 30-40 minutes on a medium low heat (gas mark 2.8).

4. Add rye starter by adding about half and then adjusting as required. It should be a little sour but not too sour in taste.

5. Add majoram and horseradish. Mix well and taste if it has the right balance.

6. Finally add cream, start by mixing part of the soup with the cream to warm it up. 

7. Serve with cut into pieces hard boiled egg(s).

8. Enjoy!

Oat bran orange and black cherry muffins

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating

Today my son was calling for muffins and he picked the ingredients - orange and cherries. I picked oatbran and vanilla powder. So we whipped up some incredibly good muffins.

Makes 10 muffins.

Ingredients:

1 c oat bran

0.5 c buckwheat

0.5 c all purpose flour

4 tbsp flax, milled

1 tsp vanilla powder

10 frozen cherries 

1 orange, peel and 1 cup orange juice

0.25 c honey

50 g butter, melted 

1 tbsp baking powder

0.5 tsp baking soda 

1. Mix all ingredients, starting with dry ingredients.

2. Bake at 177c for about 30 minutes.

3. Enjoy.

Vegetarian Moussaka

#healthyeating #easyfoodcreationg #vegetarian #moussaka

One of my favourite dishes is moussaka. However, with meat prices, especially lamb, are going through the roof lately. I decided to find an alternative cheaper and healthier option.
I successfully replaced lamb with beans, mushrooms, yellow pepper and tempeh mix.

Ingredients:
2 larger potatoes
1 large eggplant
4 tbsp olive oil
250 g tempeh, cut into smaller chunks
250 g mushrooms
0.5 yellow pepper
150 g mixed beans (I used leftover beans I had on hand - chickpeas, cannelloni, kidney), cooked or canned
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
4 tbsp tomato paste
1tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp allspice
Cheese sauce:
1 egg
0.75 c milk
0.5 c cheese (I used smoked cheddar)


1. Thinly slice potatoes, spread some olive oil and a little bit of salt. Bake at 175c for 12-15 minutes.
2. Slice eggplant into thicker slices, spread some olive oil. Bale at 175c for 10-15 minutes.
3. Boil water; add tempeh. Boil for 2-4 minutes; drain and set aside.
4. In a meantime, chop mushrooms, pepper, onion, garlic.
5. Heat the pan and fry on a medium heat onion and garlic, then add mushroom, pepper. When mushrooms are getting soft add tempeh.
6. In a cup mix tomato paste with 0.5 water and herbs and spices. Add to the pan with vegetables and tempeh; mix well.
7. Arrange baked sliced of potato at the bottom of the baking dish; then add a layer of baked eggplant slices, then add about half of the vegetable mix. Follow by another layer of potatoes and eggplant, and remainder of the vegetable mix. On the to place any left over potatoes and eggplant.
8. Prepare the cheese sauce by blending milk with egg, then mix in the cheese. Pour on the top of the baking dish.
9. Bake at 175c for 40-45 minutes.
10. Serve hot.
11. Enjoy!

Simplicity at its best: Homestyle Cheesecake

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #cheesecake

Here is my favourite cheesecake. It is so simple yet demonstrates beautifully the whole essence of a good cheesecake - cheese!

Ingredients:

500g pressed cottage cheese or quark (look for a very low sodium variety)

7 eggs

0.75c sugar

80g butter

0.5tsp vanilla powder

1tsp baking powder

0.25c flour

A little bit of butter and a mix of 4 biscuits and 2tbspoatbran for the baking pan preparation

1.  Prepare the form by spreading the butter in the baking pan.

Blend biscuits and oatbran, spread evenly in the baking pan.

2. Place all remaining ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for 10 minutes until it is smooth. 

You may need to mix with a spoon occasionally.

3. Baking in preheated oven at 175c for 40 minutes.

Please note that cheesecake collapses after baking, it is normal.

4. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

5. Enjoy!

Artichoke Tart

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating

I managed to grab some of the archicokes we bought on the weekend, finally! They vanish super fast in my household. I had the artichoke tart on my mind for quite sometime but usually I waited too long to make it and no artichokes were left to make it.

Ingredients:

Crust

0.75c all purpose flour

0.75c spelt flour (or whole wheat) 

50-100g of butter, depending how buttery you want it. I like it quite buttery.

1 tsp salt

0.5c water

Filling

About 12 Artichoke hearts

0.5 larger onion, thinly sliced

1c Mix of grated cheeses (I used smoked cheddar and Danish blue, about 50-50)

0.5c milk

1 egg

1 tsp rosmary 

Salt, pepper

1. Mix all crust ingredients in the processor its dough mixing bit. It takes about 5-7 minutes. You can melt the butter to s up the process.

2. Roll the dough and place in the baking form. Place in the fridge for about 30 min. 

3. In a meantime sauté onion with a little bit of butter for about 5 min or until it is soft and lightly brown. Add artichokes and cook for further 3 minutes.

4. Bake the tart at 200c for about 5-7 minutes.

5. Mix milk with egg, rosmary, salt and pepper. Then mix in cheeses and add artichokes with onions.

6. Place artichoke mix in the tart pan. 

7. Bake for about 30 min at 200
8. Enjoy!

Colorfull world: Red slaw / bean cakes

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #healthyeyes #vegan

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating

Many of us struggle with adding more cabbage to our diet even though we know its health benefits. In Poland, red cabbage is very popular however, usually it is cooked and I feel it does not have the colour, taste or texture that appeals to me in that form. I found that I really enjoy its bright colour, crunchiness, and sweetness in the raw form much more.

Here are two recipes in one - bean cakes and red slaw.

Red slaw Ingredients:

0.5 head of small red cabbage, grated

1 Apple, grated

4 tbsp pumpkin seeds

3 tbsp dried cranberries

Dressing:

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

5 tbsp olive oil

Salt, pepper

2 tbsp dried thyme

Bean cakes ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and washed

1 c broccoli, blanched 

1.5 c Scottish oats

6 tbsp ground flax

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup of fresh herbs (basil, mint, dill, parsley, cilantro)

Salt and pepper

1. Prepare red slaw by mixing all ingredients.
2. Blend beans, broccoli, olive oil and herbs and spices, with flax mixed with 6 tbsp of water. Add oats and mix well.
3. Fry bean cakes on a medium heat for a few minutes on each side.
4. Enjoy!

Raw strawberry cheesecake

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #raw

One of the best desserts is strawberry cheesecake... It gets even better in a healthy raw vegan version when you replace flour, eggs, sugar, and cheese with nuts and seeds.

Ingredients:

Base:

1 c walnuts, soaked for about 1 hour, drained 

1 c sunflower seeds

0.5 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp raw carob powder

15 prunes

Filling:

1.5-2 c. Raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained

4-5 tbsp raw honey 

0.5 tsp vanilla powder 

Topping:

2 c strawberries

1. Place all base ingredients in a food processor. Blend all of them until it becomes sticky.

2. Press base into a pie dish.

3. Place filling ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth, creamy consistency. Stir as required.

4. Pour the filling onto the base, spread evenly.

5. Place strawberries into a blender and blend until smooth.

6. Pour strawberries sauce on top. 

7. You can make swirls with a fork by gently blending strawberries with a cashew creme.

8. Place in a freezer for 2 hour or more.

9. Serve cold.

10. Enjoy!

Beans and Seeds green creation

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #vegan #eatyourgreens

Ingredients:

2 cup green mix 

1 cup cooked chickpeas 

0.5 yellow pepper

2 large tomatoes 

3 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds

6 radishes 

1 cup fresh parsley

2 tbsp olive oil

1. Chop the vegetables.

2. Mix all ingredients.

3. Enjoy!

Time for Peaches: arugula, peaches and almonds

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #eatyourgreens #healthyeyes

I love ending the day with a delicious green salad. I stick to the basics and create simple dishes using my evening salad formula: leafy greens + nut/seed + fruit/veggie + optional dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup arugula

1.5 peaches

2 tbsp almonds 

25g of goat cheese (in a way it is part of the dressing, as it adds creaminess)

Dressing:

1 tbsp olive oil

0.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt (I have salt infused with mint and lemon, perfect match here)

1. Cut peaches into 6th or 8th, cut goat cheese into small pieces.

2. Add peaches, almonds, goat cheese on top of arugula.

3. Mix olive oil with balsamic and salt. Sprinkle over the salad.

4. Enjoy!

Salad: Arugula with Pears Salad

I enjoy adding some greens to my breakfast as it gives me some extra energy that I don't get from other food. This salad I ate for breakfast but it is just as perfect for lunch, dinner, or as a snack.

Ingredients:

2 cups arugula

2 tbsp dried cranberries

1 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 pear

Dressing:

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar (apple cider vinegar will work well too)

0.5 tsp dried mustard

Salt, pepper 

1. Cut pear into smaller pieces.

2. Mix greens, cranberries, sunflower seeds, pear.

3. Mix all dressing ingredients and add to the salad.

4. Enjoy!

Broiled Haloumi Peaches

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating

The summer time is all about peaches! 

"If I had my little way I'd eat peaches everyday ... ", just like The Presidents of the USA. 

Ingredients:

5 peaches, perfectly ripe, not too soft yet

150 g Halloumi cheese (other cheeses that do not melt during grilling. Look for  unripened cheese, there are some alternatives around the world) 

0.5 lime, juice and zest

4 tbsp honey

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used one infused with pears)

Seed mix:

20-30 pistachios (raw, unsalted) 

2 tbsp black sesame seeds

1tbsp milled flax

0.5 tsp cinnamon

0.25 tsp ground nutmeg

6 cloves

4 cardamom pods

1. Cut peaches into eights and remove pits.

2. Cut Halloumi into small pieces.

3. Mix honey, balsamic vinegar, lime and lime zest. 

4. Mix peaches with Halloumi and honey mix. Place in a baking dish.

5. Bake on a broil/grill setting at 177c for 20 minutes. The oven should be preheated. 

6. Prepare seed mix by grinding cardamom seeds and cloves. Chop pistachios into smaller pieces. Mix all seed ingredients together. 

6. Serve warm topped with a seed mix. 

7. Enjoy!

Smooth macadamia nuts smoothie

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #smoothie

I had some leftover strawberries and cantaloupe that needed to be used sooner than later so I decided to whip up

a quick snack - smoothie. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of cantaloupe

Handful of strawberries

1 ripe banana

4 figs

1 cup macadamia nuts

2 cups Water

1. Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender. 

You can add more water if you want it more watery; 2 cups result in a fairly thick  creamy consistency. 

2. Enjoy!

Salad: Get your Super Power

I find that some food gives me a lot of energy right after eating it and other drain anything that is left. This salad is one of the dishes that brings me to life, that is why it's perfect for lunch!

I composed it from a number of super foods for maximum nutrition.

Ingredients:

2c of young cabbage

2 kale leaves, stems removed 

1 large Apple (I like Granny Smith)

1 large carrot

2-3 tbsp dried cranberries

6 tbsp sunflower seeds

6 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

4 tbsp olive oil

Juice from half lemon (about 3-4 tbsp)

Juice from 2 inch grated ginger (about 1-2 tbsp)

2 tbsp poppy seeds

Salt and pepper

1. Grate cabbage like you would for coleslaw.

2. Chop kale into small thin strips.

3. Grate Apple and carrot ( large eye grater).

4. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. Mix the dressing and pour into the salad. Mix everything well.

6. Enjoy!

The salad is best served the same day, but can stay in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. 

Chilling with Lamb Chilli

#healthyeating #easyfoodcreations #lamb

Lamb is one of the few meats that I really like. Today I made a chilli with it; I made different variations of lamb chill in the past but this one came out really good.. 

Whenever I am working with meat dishes I make sure to increase the amount of Fabre rich foods to help in meat digestion.

Ingredients:

500g ground lamb

100g kidney beans, cooked

100g green beans

1 medium onion

3 garlic cloves

5 mushrooms

Allspice

Ground cumin

3 tbsp red lentils

Cayenne or chilli powder

1tbsp butter
500 g canned chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste

1. Chop green beans, mushrooms into smaller pieces, finely chop onion and garlic.

2. Melt the butter and cook onion and garlic for a couple of minutes, then add lamb and cook for further 7-10 minutes.
3. Move meat mixture into a larger pot, then add all of the remaining ingredients, mix well.
Cook on the medium low heat (gas mark 3) for 10-15 minutes stirring frequently, then lower the heat (gas mark 2.8) and cook for further 30-40 minutes.
4. Serve hot over rice or on its own.
5. Enjoy!

Dining on the budget: Lima beans cakes

#healthyeating #easyfoodcreations #onthebudget

I hear over and over again that you have to spend a fortune if you want to eat healthy. It is a myth!

You have to smart about your grocery shopping, get deals where you can. Also, I use the practice of one luxury item each weak (except holidays), which I call everything that cost over $8 per kg. 

Although I am not great with coupons, as I tend to forget about them, I see more of them for fresh produce in the supermarkets. I am trying hard to change my habits and start using them.

I make frequent visits to the bulk stores - Bulk Barn in Canada is the place where I get all my dry food - beans, lentils, grains, spices, even some tea. Again, each week they have specials so I time my visits accordingly. Two or three times a year they have coupons (they keep them in the store!), so that brings additional savings.

Canned food, I only buy when it is on sale - tuna, corn, tomatoes, tomato paste or at Costco if it turns out to be cheaper. Right now I have a good understanding how many cans I need until the next discount period, but I had to experiment for a little bit. 

I find a lot of pleasure in finding deals, having those luxury items each week, and keeping holidays extra special with food that I try to reserve just for these days. 

Ingredients:

3 cups, cooked Lima beans (I soak and cook them myself, but you can use canned)

3-5 tbs Scottish oats

Salt, pepper

2-3 tbsp dried herbs (I used czubryca which I got in Poland, but any mix of herbs will work)

1 onion, chopped

3-5 garlic cloves, pressed

6 tbsp breadcrumbs

Water, as needed

Little bit butter

Oil for frying 

 1.  Melt the butter and sauté onion and garlic for a few minutes.

 2. Use a blender to blend Lima beans with onion. You may need to add some water to help it blend.

 3. Mix in the bowl blended beans with onions, add remaining ingredients except breadcrumbs. Mix everything well with a spoon. You should have a fairly dense consistency so you can form patties with your hands. 

 4. Roll patties in breadcrumbs.

 5. Fry for a few minutes on each side. 

 6. Enjoy!

Sunshine Breakfast: Millet pancakes

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #millet

We did not eat pancakes for a while so I though it was time to experiment a little bit to create something new. The result is a super simple recipe that is based on 5 simple ingredients. Since millet is high in protein and fibre these pancakes are very filling so one or three per person are enough. 

Makes 10 pancakes

Ingredients

1 c millet

1 large apple

1 banana

2 tbsp flax seeds

1-2 tbsp grape seed oil (you can use other oil or butter of your preference)

1. Grind millet into a flour. Usually I do it in 2-3 batches, that way you get a smoother consistency.

2. Grind flax seeds, add 4-6 spoons of water, let it sit.

3. Grind an apple and banana into a sauce. Depending how juicy is your apple you may need to add a little bit of water. 

4. Mix all ingredients together, add oil and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

5. Fry on a medium low heat for a few minutes on each side. There is no need to add any more oil for frying. 

6. Enjoy!

Muffin time: Oat, Apple, carrot and pumpkin seed

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #muffins

Here is another super easy muffin recipe. This time we throw away flour, eggs, sugar, oil - typical ingredients in baked goods, and replace them with oats, honey, fruits, veggies, butter and spices.

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

2 c oats, grinded into flour

1 carrot, finely grated

1 Apple, corse grated

1/3 lemon, juice only 

100 g honey 

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp baking powder

0.5 tsp baking soda

0.25-0.5 c butter, melted

Handful of raw pumpkin seeds

1. Mix all ingredients together. Let it stand for a few minutes.

2. Bake in a preheated oven at 177c for about 30-45 min depending how moist were your fruits and veggies.

3. Enjoy!

Polish Pierogi

#easyfoodcreations #PolishChristmas #pierogi

Pierogi, one of the most famous Polish dishes. They can be stuffed with vegetables, meat, fish, fruits, or any combination of these. Polish pierogi dough is quite a bit different than Ukrainian dough, it resembles more Chinese dumplings dough. 

Traditional Polish Christmas pierogi are stuffed with either cabbage and mushrooms, or just mushrooms. This year I made three stuffings - cabbage and mushroom, salmon dill, and spinach and feta.

Ingredients:

Dough:

All purpose flour

Hot water

proportions are 2:1 (flour to water)

Filling 1:

0.5kg  of sauerkraut
650 g of fresh mushrooms
100 g dried mushrooms
Cook all finally chopped ingredients for about 4 hours.

1. Make the dough in the food processor. It goes really fast as you can use boiling water; doing the same by hand takes more time as your water is much colder. The dough is fairly hard to work with by hand; even rolling it I find to be quite a workout.

2. Divide the dough into manageable sections, keeping the remaining dough covered so it does not dry out. Roll the dough into thin sheet (about 2 mm), then cut into round shapes with a cookie cutter. You an use pierogi making gadgets that would take the whole sheet at once.
3. Stuff each round sheet with about 2/3 teaspoon of filling.
4. Boil a large pot of water. Cook pierogi in a boiling water for about 5 minutes until start floating on top.
5. In Poland, generally we do not fry them. We serve them with a little bit of fried onion with butter or just butter or olive oil.
6. Enjoy!

Porridge series: Cremita de Maiz

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #porridge

We eat a lot of oatmeal for breakfast so this time I decided to  put some spin on our staple. In many countries the most common porridge is made from cornmeal (maiz).

This porrage cooks relatively quickly and has a pretty smooth consistency.

Ingredients:

1.5 c milk (you can used a mix of water and milk, I often do that)

1 tsp butter (optional)

1/3 c cornmeal 

1 tsp cinnamon 

0.5 tsp vanilla powder 

0.25 tsp grated nutmeg

2 tbsp honey or raw sugar 

Pinch of salt

1. Put milk, butter, cornmeal, spices (and sugar if you are using it) in the pan on a medium heat and cook stirring until it starts boiling. Then lower the heat to low high (2.5-2.8) stirr occasionally. It should be done in about 20 minutes.

2. Let it rest for a minute or two, stir in more milk to make your desired consistency, add honey.

3. Top your porrage with grated apple, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and raisins. 

4. Enjoy! 

Charming Winter: Snow chocolate ice cream

#winterwonderland #icecream #easyfoodcreations

Over the last few days we received over 120cm of snow. Many people ask what to do with the snow... I'd say take advantage of it! Here is a super fast ice cream you can make using fresh snow. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp of chocolate powder

1-2 tbsp of icing sugar or other sweetener

0.5 tsp vanilla powder

1 packet of vanilla sugar

0.75c whipping cream (you can use a mix of cream and milk)

3c fresh snow

1. Mix all ingredients other than ice with a whisk.

2. Pour mixture into a bowl with snow and mix with a spoon.

3. Serve right away as they melt really fast.

4. Enjoy!

Green smoothie: green and yellow

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #greensmoothie #raw

I had been a crazy maniac of green smoothies when I first discovered them some 5 years ago. For about 2 years I had them for breakfast everyday, rotating my greens and all that. I drunk them though my pregnancy which probably helped as I did not feel noutious even once. 

Many people say that green smoothies do not taste good and they tried various mixes without success; hopefully some of my hints will be useful.

There are some key rules that will help you create better tasting smoothies:

- Bananas, prunes, dates, figs, raisins - add as sweeteners. Sometimes one extra date changes everything.

- If you need your smoothie to have less intensive taste add some lemon, cucumber, orange, or ginger

- Typically I don't use milk just water or coconut water but had used homemade nut/seed milk in the past. Various fruit and veggie juices could work very well too. Cows milk?... well it is up to you but I wouldn't.

- Creamy fruits such as avocados, bananas create great green puddings. If you want them in you smoothie use less or compensate with other more watery ingredients.

- You can add oats to your smoothies. Typically I like to soack them in water for at least few hours before adding them to smoothies to ease digestion.

- don't overdo it, the simpler the recipe the better. Keep it down to 3-6 ingredients.

Serves: 2 cups of smoothie

Ingredients:

3 large kale leaves, take stems out

1 whole celery stick

1 Granny Smith apple, take core out

1 banana

1/3 lemon, peel it

1.5 c water

Put all ingredients in the blender. The rule is to put ingredients that are toughest to blend at the bottom. In this case order is: greens, celery, apple, lemon, banana, water. Order is especially important if you do not have a very powerful blenders such as blentec or vitamix. 

Enjoy!

St. Patrick's cupcakes -Pistachio and Green tea Cupcakes with Avocado Icing

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #stpatricks #vegan

The upcoming St. Patrick's day got me thinking about "green" food and how I can create something new and delicious, and of course at least partially healthy.
I decided to try cupcakes this time, a small change to my usual muffins creations. This recipe will work equally well if you skip the icing so it is up to you.

Serves 7 muffins

Ingredients:
0.5 c all purpose flour
0.5 c oat flour (I grind oats rather than buying oat flour, it is cheaper and does not involve a lot of effort)
2 tbsp flax meal
6-8 tbsp green tea (liquid)
1 tsp green tea leaves, grounded (I used sencha but matcha would work too)
2 cardamon pods, keep seeds only
0.25 c brown sugar
1 packet of vanilla sugar
1 tsp baking powder
0.5 medium size zucchini
25 pistachios
0.25 c melted butter (you can use oil instead, typically I would use grapeseed as a replacement)
pinch of salt
Icing:
0.5 avocado
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
0.5 ripe banana
1 tbsp icing sugar
(If you want chocolate icing add 1 -2 tsp cocoa powder)

2-3 tsp psyllium husk

1. Grind 20 pistachios, set them aside. Reserve 5 pistachios for decoration.
2. Prepare flax meal - mix it with 5 tbsp of green tea and set aside.
3. Grind zucchini with remaining green tea to a smooth consistency. Set aside.
3. Mix all dry ingredients well. Then add wet ingredients to mix everything well.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 177c for 20 minutes.
5. Let them cool before decorating with icing.
6. Prepare icing by blending avocado, sugar, lemon and banana. Once the mix is smooth add psyllium husk to thicken the mix.
7. Decorate cupcakes with icing, then sprinkle with crushed pistachios.
8. Enjoy!

Canadian Pancakes

#easyfoodcreations #CanadianFood #pancake

Today, something Canadian. 

We get maple syrup from a local producer as it is delicious and they were the first people who persuaded me that maple syrup can be good if it is done right. We go see them every year; do the maple tour with them where they show the whole process of making it. It is quite fascinating.

I like the early season syrup as it is lighter and less sweet, as season progresses the syrup gets darker and sweeter. However, from this place end of the season syrup is not as dark as some brands I see in the supermarket ...

Some local brands of maple syrup found in the supermarkets are ok but others are awful. Poor quality brands often dilute the syrup with water and sugar... Producing an overly sweet, disgusting tasting stuff.

Ingredients:

2c all purpose flour

2tbsp baking powder

2c milk

2 eggs

Pinch of salt
sugar (optional, typically I don't add any sugar as they are more versatile and can go with sweet and savoury dishes)

1. Mix flour, baking powder, milk, egg yolks, salt.

2. Beat egg whites until they are stiff. 

3. Fold egg whites into the pancake mixture.

4. Fry on a medium low heat on both sides. Depending on your pan you may need to add fat for frying;  typically I don't add any fat and they do not stick. 

5. Canadians often eat them with sausage, beans and maple syrup. I like them with fruits and maple syrup but they also go well as a replacement for bread.

6. Enjoy!

My Yummy Medicine Cabinet: Super A Soup

#easyfoodcreations #YummyMedicineCabinet #healthyeating

Here is on of my favourite soups that helps me battle cold, flu, sore throat, and sinusitis.

It is packed with healing ingredients that help me get back on my feet fast. Can it help you fight your influenza too?

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium butternut squash, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 inch ginger root, grated

2 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp fenugreek seeds, ground

1-2 tbsp butter

4c stock (vegetable or chicken) 

2c water

1. Melt the butter in a pot, over low heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes.

2. Add stock, water and remaining ingredients.

3. Cook over low heat, gas mark 2.6, for about 40-50 minutes. 

4. Let it cool down a little bit then blend it to a smooth consistency. 

5. Enjoy!

Polish Christmas: Pasta with poppy seeds, dried fruits and nuts

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #polishchristmas #kluskizmakiem

For me there is no Christmas without this dish! The dish is quite specific as it is not very sweet in comparison to typical western desserts so I know not everyone will like it. Even Polish people who did not grew up eating it at Christmas may not appreciate its taste.

As a kid, I remember waiting impatiently the whole year, especially Christmas Eve for this dish. Since it is a dessert it always came last after we ate almost all 12 dishes. If I had to choose pasta with poppy seeds or gifts as a kid, I am not sure what would I pick...

Ingredients:

1c poppy seeds

0.5c honey

0.25c Dried fruits: apricots, dates, figs

0.25c nuts and almonds

2tbsp whipping cream (optional)

0.5 lemon or orange - juice and peel 

2c pasta (I used home made pasta, see my recipe for pasta)

1. Run boiling water through poppy seeds 3-4 times. I find poppy seeds in Canada quite bitter so it is an important step. Then pour 1c of  boiling water into a bowl, add poppy seeds and let it sit for an hour or so.

2. Remove excess water. Place poppy seeds in a blender, add honey. Process for a few minutes; you should see milky liquid. 

3. Chop dried fruits and nuts into small pieces.

4. Mix all ingredients together.

5. Serve warm or at room temperature. If it becomes dry after a couple of days you can stir in more cream, honey, and/or orange or lemon juice. It keeps well in the fridge for a week.

6. Enjoy!