Beet burgers

Posted on September 17, 2015 by elsje

My friend loves taking me to great lunchrooms. At one of these fabulous lunches I tried my first beetroot burgers, and I was hooked. Unlike other vegetarian burgers this burger does not try to replace meat, it is a totally new flavor sensation providing great texture and filling you up for the rest of the day.

Obviously, it is also a very healthy alternative to your regular meaty version. But that is not why you should try this. This is a new flavour you have to introduce to your pallet, the healthy part is just a bonus!

I have to honestly admit this dish isn’t for everyone, especially meat lovers that think veggie burgers are blasphemy. And you have to love beetroot. I do think that offering lots of garlic rich yoghurt sauce will help convince your family members.

These burgers and sauces can easily be made a day in advance, making them the perfect easy home made fastfood!

Beet root burgers (4-6 burgers)

1 uncooked medium beet root, finely grated
800 grams of tinned beans, I used field peas (we like to call them kapucijners in Holland)
1 onion, grated
2 eggs
2 cups of oats

Mash up the peas (in the foodprocessor), I like leaving some chunky pieces for texture.

Mix in the beet root, onion and egg. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Add half the oats and let the mixture stand so the oats can soak up the moisture. After 20 minutes, check the mixture and add oats as needed. You want a firm, non-sticky mixture that still holds together well. I like to compare it to how my meatball texture feels when it is just right.

Shape your burger paddies, dust with oats to prevent the paddies from sticking if needed and let them rest for at least 30 minutes. For the practical busy moms I recommend making these a day in advance.

Fry your paddies in some oil on a high heat for a few minutes on each side. After making the paddies crusty on each side, place the paddies in the 220 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Serve with some fresh crispy buns, some lettuce, a spicy yoghurt sauce and a yoghurt mint sauce (you find the recipe with the posh fish and chips recipe).

Spicy sauce

1 tomato in small cubes
1 onion finely sliced
1 finely sliced chili pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
handfull of freshly sliced parsley and/or koriander

Blend half the tomato, union and chili to a pulp. Mix the pulp with the other ingredients and season to taste.

My mighty Moussaka

Posted on September 2, 2015 by elsje

One of my favorite restaurants to visit is a Greek restaurant. I love the Mediterranean spices, and the hint of the orient. It is one of the few types of restaurant where I can choose tasty freshly grilled meats as well as seafood, or a jummy slow cooked lamb stew. I am also partial to their yummy yoghurt sauce, tzatziki!

I have always loved Greece’s answer to the lasagna: the moussaka! Recently it occurred to me that I could easily turn this recipe into a vegetarian dish. My meat loving husband was nearly finished with his dinner when he realized there was no meat in his food. He had enjoyed the texture and flavor too much to notice what was missing.

On the practical side of things, this recipe has plenty of upsides too. I made the actual dish a day in advance. The next day I baked the moussaka, which made for a nice fuss free evening for me and my toddler. This dish will definitely be on a family favorite list for a while.

Moussaka

Sauce:
- 1 tin of depuy lentils ( 310 gram )
- 1 tin of diced tomatoes ( 400 gram )
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp mint
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 large union, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
- 1 glass of white wine
- Half cube of vegetable stock
1 aubergine in slices
3 medium large potatoes
Topping (you substitute this with bechamel sauce, this is my lazy cheat version):
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 tub of cottage cheese ( 200 gram )
150 gram of grated cheese

You will need an ovenproof dish, I used one of 27 by 18 cm.

Before you do anything else. Boil your potatoes until they are soft.
Prepare the sauce;
- Fry your union in some olive oil until soft.
- Stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin and thyme. Add the wine and let it simmer for a few minutes.
- Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients.
- Bring the sauce to a light simmer. Leave it to simmer for about an hour.
While the sauce is simmering, prepare your other ingredients;
- Slice the aubergine length ways. Drizzle the slices with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Fry the slices in a griddle pan on each side.
- Let your potatoes cool, then slice them.
- Wilt the spinach down in some oil in a really hot pan. Let the spinach cool and slice it roughly. The spinach needs to cool in a collinder now. Drain as much of moisture out as you possibly can.
- Mix your topping ingredients.
When all your components are ready, you can layer your moussaka in an oven proof dish:
- One layer of sauce
- One layer of spinach
- One layer of potatoe slices, don’t forget to season these.
- One layer of sauce
- One layer of aubergine
- Spread out your topping
- Sprinkle with the grated cheese
- Season with some freshly ground pepper
(You can keep the dish overnight before this step) Bake the moussaka in a 220 degree C oven for about 30 minutes until bubbly and golden.
Let your moussaka stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Pea Puff Pies

Posted on July 23, 2015 by elsje

This is a recipe that I invented in order to finish our leftovers. Feel free to use any form of leftover vegetables and meat for this recipe. I have also made similar pies using cauliflower, broccoli, spring union or asparagus.

You can also make a delicious vegetarian version by replacing the meat with some tasty nuts or maybe a stronger cheese.

I serve these pies in individual ramekins, this way I can accommodate everyone’s busy schedule. But you could easily make one large pie, just increase your cooking time slightly so the pie is cooked and warm in the middle.

These pies are a simplified version of a soufflé. The egg makes them puff up beautifully and creates a light texture. The measurements below are an indication. Feel free to adjust them to your taste. Add more egg for more rise and a more “eggy” flavor.

This recipe only needs stirring and measurements are not crucial so you could easily make these together with your toddler. For more toddler cooking tips, read this post.

For a simple dinner, serve your Pea Puff Pies with some HP sauce and a tasty salad. You could make these pies as a starter, especially if you use a more fancy vegetable like asperagus.

Pea Puff Pies (for 4 small pies)

150 gram of mashed potato
2 free range eggs
100 grams of grated cheese (keep some aside for on the top)
100 grams of shredded chicken
150 gram of peas (or any other veg you like)
Salt and pepper to taste

Simply warm mix your ingredients and spoon the batter into the greased ramekins. Sprinkle some cheese on top.

After preparing your pies you can keep them for a few days in the fridge until you are ready to eat them.

Bake your pies in a 220 degrees C oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until puffed up and golden.

Enjoy!

Fabulous five BBQ recipes!

Posted on July 17, 2015 by elsje

It’s summertime and we are crazy for barbecues. Here comes my list of favorites!

Mustard chicken. Makes for sweet and succulent morsels of chicken every time! Tastes great with some potato salad and a flower salad!
Fried sweet potatoes. I found a great recipe on www.theyummylife.com, still have to try it!
I love having a good baked potato. I am the least patient cook in the world. So I pre-cook my potatoes in the microwave. Simply wash your potatoes and prick them all sides with a fork. Cook them in your microwave for 3 minutes, then turn them around, feel if they are soft as this means they’re cooked. If not blast them for another 2 minutes, then check them again. Wrap your potatoes in foil and crisp them up on your barbecue.
Zucchini/courgette or aubergine are great for grilling too. Just slice in 5 mm slices. Sprinkle them with olive oil and thyme. Season to taste and grill on each side.
Grilled asparagus, precook them if the stems are thicker. Just lightly coat them with olive oil. Season them after grilling and dress with a few drops of lemon.

For more great barbecue side dishes:

No fuss tomato sauce

Posted on July 15, 2015 by elsje

This is the easiest way to make tomato sauce ever! You make it with fresh ingredients and the flavor is so intense. The bog secret is that the ingredients are not fried but roasted. You can use this sauce with your pasta or as a pizza sauce. Both my son and my husband have approved this recipe, it is finger licking good!

This recipe is enough for a family pasta meal. But you could easily make a large batch and freeze the rest of the sauce. The sauce can also keep in the fridge in a jar for a week.

No fuss tomato sauce

6 tomatoes
1 onion
1 handfull of fresh thyme and rosemary
1 tbsp dried oregano
Honey
Olive oil
Optional: 1 chili pepper for a kick
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven at 220 degrees C.
Halve all the tomatoes and place them sliced side up on a baking tray.
Peel and quarter the onion and peel the garlic. (Slice the chili in chunky pieces.)
Scatter the other ingredients between the unions.
Sprinkle the tomatoes, onions, garlic and chili with thyme and rosemary.
Drizzle with honey and oil
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour, untill your ingredients are nicely roasted.
If you are making this in advance, shutdown your oven and let it cool while leaving the tomatoes in.
Blend the roasted ingredients to a smooth paste.
Mix in the oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Funny farfalle with chanterelle cream sauce

Posted on July 7, 2015 by elsje

I love trying new ingredients, and the other day I found some forest mushrooms in my supermarket. As I love any mushroom, I had to buy and try it.

I decided a simple pasta would do this ingredient justice. My son loved the flavor of the pasta and the sauce, but returned the fried chanterelles to my plate. Oh well, the texture of mushrooms isn’t for everyone, and I was happy to receive extra mushroom.

This recipe would work with any flavorsome mushroom, or even a mix. You can easily leave out the ham for a vegetarian option.

If you are going all out, garnish your pasta with freshly chopped parsley for some freshness and drizzle with some truffle oil.

Funny farfalle with chanterelle cream sauce (serves 2 and 1 toddler)

250 grams of pasta
150 grams chanterelle mushrooms
1 shallot, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
100 grams of ham in fine ribbons
1 glass white wine
150 ml cream
Handful of chopped flatleaf parsley
Some olive oil and a knob of butter

First boil your pasta according to the instructions. While your water boils and your pasta cooks, you can make your sauce.

1. Clean your chanterelle mushrooms and cut them in similar size pieces.
2. Gently fry the chanterelle mushrooms and union in the butter and olive oil until soft. Add salt and pepper to your mushrooms.

3. Add the garlic and the wine. Let this mix stew for a few minutes so the alcohol can evaporate.
4. Stir in the ham and add the cream. You can turn off the heat on your sauce until your pasta is cooked.
Drain your pasta when it is cooked.
5. Warm your sauce and pasta while combining them.

Sprinkle with parsley and dress with some olive oil or truffle oil and enjoy!

Simple Seasonal treat: Spinach quiche

Posted on May 30, 2015 by elsje

As you might know. I like making vegetable quiches and pies. This is a lovely way to eat your spinach!

For a vegetarian alternative I would replace the bacon with a handful of toasted nuts like pine nuts.

Spinach quiche

Pastry:
- 100 gr flower
- 60 gr butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 50 ml water
Filling:
- 300 gr of fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 100 gr Bacon cubes
- 125 gr soft goats cheese of feta cheese
- 3 free range eggs
- 75 ml cream
- Pepper and ground nutmeg to tast

Prepare your base as described in my asparagus pie recipe.
While your base bakes:
1. Clean your spinach leaves.
2. Fry your leaves in the oil until all spinach has wilted.
3. Place your spinach in a collinder and let the access water drain out.
4. Fry your bacon cubes until they are crisp.
5. Wisk and mix your eggs and mix in your cream.
Build your pie:
1. Divide your spinach and bacon over the base.
2. Pour over the egg and cream mixture.
3. Crumble the cheese over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes in a 200 degrees C oven.

Simple Seasonal treat: green asparagus pie

Posted on May 20, 2015 by elsje

I love eating vegetables at their absolute best. Asparagus are one of the most seasonal vegetables for me. During the asparagus season I am always looking for simple dishes that do this tasty ingredient justice.

The cheese and eggs in this recipe enhance the asparagus flavor. Serve it with a salad , a glass of white wine and you have a complete and healthy spring meal.

Feel free to use ready-made short crust pastry or quiche dough, for an even easier meal.

Because I am a busy mom, I like making pies ahead. That way, I can play with my toddler when I get home from a busy day while the pie warms in the oven. To warm up your pie place it in a preheated oven of 160 degrees C for twenty minutes.

Asparagus pie

This recipe is for a 25 cm quiche mold.

Short crust pastry:
- 100 g flower
- 60 g butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 50 ml water
150 gr green asparagus
Filling:
- 3 free range eggs
- 75 ml cream
1 cup of grated strong cheese like old Gouda or Parmigiana
Pepper and ground nutmeg to taste

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C.
Make your short crust pastry:
1. Rub the butter into the salt and flower until the texture resembles bread crumbs.
2. Combine the crumbles into a dough by stirring the water in gradually. Combine the dough, don’t knead it. If you fuss around less with your dough, your dough will be more crumbly. For an even more crumbly result, wrap your dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Make your pie base:
1. Roll out your pastry to a 5 mm thickness.
2. Line the a greased quiche mold with your delicious pastry.
3. Line your mold with some baking parchment and fill your pie with dried beans or actual baking beans.
4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
While your base is in the oven, prepare your asparagus:
1. Remove the hard section of each asparagus. This is usually about 2 cm, depending on how fresh your asparagus is.
2. Place your asparagus in a pan of cold water. Bring the water to the boil.
3. When the water boils, immediately take your pan of the heat and cool your asparagus in cold water.
4. Let your asparagus dry.
Prepare your filling by mixing the cream and eggs.
Take your base out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. (Leave your oven on!)
Build your pie:
1. Cover the base of your pie with cheese.
2. Pour in half your filling.
3. Sprinkle with pepper and nutmeg.
4. Arrange your asparagus. You might need to trim your asparagus a bit for this step. Try to make one nice even and neat layer of asparagus.
5. Add the rest of the filling.
6. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
Bake your pie in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees C.

Enjoy!

BBQ favorites: mustard chicken

Posted on May 11, 2015 by elsje

We love having barbecues! This year I will be sharing our favorite recipes for this occasion.

This is our favorite way for eating chicken from the barbecue. You might think that this marinade is way too sharp, but this one of those recipes where heating really transforms the flavor. The mustard transforms into a sweet and delicious crust when grilled.

This marinade is bold in every way, with a whole garlic bulb and lots of thyme, preferably fresh. Don’t hold back on the salt, chicken needs a large amount of salt to bring out all of it’s flavor.

Another advantage of using this marinade: the crust it forms seems to keep the meat tender and moist. This mustardy chicken is delicious with my potato salad and some green salad.

Mustardy chicken

1 jar of sharp Dijon mustard (250 ml)
1 head of garlic, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp course sea salt
Free range organic chicken:
- 1 chicken – This marinade is enough for a whole roast chicken. For a barbecue cut your chicken into manageable pieces.
- or 6 chicken breasts – This recipe could also be used for chicken breasts if you don’t like eating of the bone. If you cut the chicken breasts in half, you get a nice size.
- or 12 chicken wings for smaller snacks.

Apply your marinade ingredients straight on your chicken and spread your marinade evenly. This marinade should form a thick coating that crusts up.

Always test if your chicken is cooked by slicing into a thicker section. If the liquid running out of it is clear, and the meat is white, your chicken is ready to eat.

If you are going to cook your chicken on the barbecue. The key is turning your chicken over frequently above medium heat coals.

If you are going to use the oven:

1 whole roast chicken – about 1 hours at 200 degrees C for a medium size chicken
6 chicken breasts – about 30 minutes
12 chicken wings – about 20 minutes

Sweet mini veggie burgers

Posted on April 30, 2015 by elsje

I love making my own vegetarian balls and falafel look-a-likes. I was looking for a new way to cook with sweet potatoes. I sometimes find them overly sweet. This is why I thought of a sweet potato and chick pea mini burger. I packed the mini burgers full of flavors and textures complementing each other. Instead of mixing salt into the burgers, you coat them with it. The sesame seeds add even more flavors.

These little veggie burgers make it easy to eat a vegetarian meal, because they are so satisfying and filling.

Sweet veggie burger

1 tin of chickpeas (265 grams)
1 large sweet potato
1 cup of grated grated carrot
1 finely sliced union
1 garlic clove finely sliced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp carraway
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp crushed black pepper
For the coating:
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp sea salt

Sauce:
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tbsp mayonaise
- 3 tbsp greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp mint
- 1 tsp dill
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced

Preparations
1. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C.
2. Prick some holes in your sweet potato and place it in your microwave for 3 to six minutes until it feels soft to the touch.
3. Fry your union and carrot in some oil until they are soft.
4. In a blender, chop your chickpeas. Don’t blitz them to a pulp, keep some chunky bits in for a bite.
Shaping your mini veggie burgers
1. Mix all the ingredients the veggie burgers. Mold them into mini burgers or balls, whatever shape makes you happy.
2. Mix the coating ingredients in a plate. Place the mini burgers in the coating on each side.
3. Place the mini burgers on baking parchment on an oven tray. Be careful your mini burgers are delicate and slightly crumbly!
Bake the veggie mini burgers in your oven for 20 minutes or until golden. You can bake your mini burgers for 15 minutes, then refrigerate or freeze them. They can be reheated at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.
Mix the ingredients for your sauce and prepare your side dishes while your mini burgers bake.

Veggie mini burgers taste great squashed inside pita bread with some Dutch Ceasar Salad on the side.

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