Breadsticks

This iBreadstick3s the perfect thing for dinner parties. It makes a great side dish with starters like soup or salad. It is also a great way to finish pastry leftovers.

I like to serve bread sticks in a pretty glass, which makes them a decorative item as well.

You could also serve these tasty sticks with a good dip.

To make the bread sticks, simply brush strips of puff pastry with egg, then sprinkle with pepper, salt and any toppings you like, such as grated cheese, seeds and spices such as paprika, thyme or rosemary.

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Read more soup recipes or salad inspiration.

Gnocchi bake

This dish may take you 40 minutes to make, but it is less than 10 minutes work to prepare. You can even create the whole bake a day or two in advance. Which means any person who can operate an oven can finish the dish when you want to eat it.

Gnocchi is a kind of pasta made from potatoes, which gives them a great chewy texture. I like making this pasta myself, but this dish is my “go to” when I want an easy meal.

If you have little oven dishes. You could also make individual servings.

I like to serve a green salad with this dish for some extra veg.

Gnocchi bake (3 portions)

  • 500 grams of gnocchi (1 pack)
  • 400 grams of my no fuss tomato sauce
  • 100 grams of cheese, pick your favorite melting cheese: grated Dutch cheese, cubes of blue cheese and/or mozzerella
  1. Boil the gnocchi for a couple of minutes, your gnocchi is cooked when it floats on the surface.
  2. Strain the gnocchi and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
  3. Mix the gnocchi and tomato sauce.
  4. Top with cheese.
  5. Now your bake is ready for the oven, or for your fridge.
  6. Bake in the oven at 220 degrees C for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden.

Find more oven bakes here or more Italian dishes.

Winter omelet

We love having curly kale in the winter. This healthy veg is full of flavor and nutrients. The other day I had some leftovers, which inspired me to create a tasty lunch. This omelet tastes great warm or cold. Making it an easy treat to bring for your worklunch as well.Omelet2

When I finished cooking this dish, I was worried that this healthy creation would have no flavor. However, the strong flavors of the kale, artishoke and feta come together beautifully. It is also very filling, making it easier for me to stick to my new years resolutions. My colleagues had a taste, and insisted I share the recipe, luckily it is surprisingly easy!

Winter omelet (2 – 3 portions)

  • 150 grams of finely sliced curly kale (could be replaced with cavolo nero or spinach)
  • 200 grams of (tinned) artishoke hearts, in wedges
  • 100 grams of feta
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp soft curd cheese, known as “kwark” in Holland
  • 1 tbsp of oil for frying

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  1. Blanch your kale for one minute in boiling water.
  2. Drain and cool your kale.
  3. Mix the kale, eggs and soft curd cheese and season to taste.
  4. Heat a frying pan and add your oil. Get your pan as hot as possible.
  5. Add your mix and lower the heat right away.
  6. Spead the artishoke pieces over your omelet and push them in gently.
  7. Crumble your feta over your omelet and push in gently as well.
  8. Cover and fry on a low heat until your egg has set.

Enjoy your omelet with a salad and a glass of white wine!

Read all my recipes here!

Winter sprout quiche

I love eating Brussel sprouts and now I am happy to tell you about a new way to enjoy this winter vegetable, in a quiche. The bitterness of the sprouts is such a great combination with the egg and the cheese! The whole family polished their plates the day I cooked this quiche.Spruitenquiche2

Sprout quiche

  • 1 recipe of short crust pastry or a ready made puff pastry
  • 200 gram of boiled sprouts
  • 1 onion, finely sliced and gently fried till tender
  • 100 gram of small bacon cubes or a handfull of pine nuts for vegetarians
  • 150 gram of grated cheese (cheddar or young Gouda)
  • 3 eggs
  • 150 ml of cream
  1. Pre-bake your quiche base for 10 to 20 minutes until just cooked at 210 degrees C.
  2. Spread your ingredients on your pizza base and fill your pie with a mix of eggs and cream.
  3. Bake at 220 degrees C for 20 degrees or until golden.

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For more quiche inspiration, look at my asparagus quiche or spinach quiche. This quiche taste great with a simple tasty salad. For more sprout inspiration, look at the sprout cappuccino.

Simple pizza alternative

FlammKuchen2If you love pizza, you will love this recipe! You use the same recipe for the base, but the topping is completely different. This German dish is popular with my son and his daddy. We may have stumbled on a new family favorite (after pizza that is).

This dish makes a great dinner if served with a tasty salad but it also makes a great party snack or a simple lunch.

Flamm kuchen (3 medium pizzas)

  • 1 recipe of pizza dough
  •  Sauce, mix:
    • 250 gram Quark (or ricotta if you can’t buy this ingredient)
    • 100 gram creme fraiche
    • Pinch of nutmeg
    • Salt and pepper
  • 200 gram bacon in thin strips
  • 1 onion finely sliced
  • Optional: a few handfuls of grated cheese

  1. Warm the oven up to 240 degrees C.
  2. Roll out your pizza dough and prick holes in the bottom with a fork. (this prevents it from rising to high in the center)
  3. Spread a generous amount of sauce on the dough.
  4. Sprinkle the bacon, onion (and cheese) on top.
  5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

For a vegetarian option you could top your flamm kuchen with blue cheese, union and artichokes. Look up our favorite pizza recipes here.

Beet burgers

BietenB2My 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!

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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.

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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.

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Lunch salads

Recently I descided to challenge myself and eat more healthy for lunch. What this comes down to is lots of salads! I would like to share to tasty simple salad recipes here.

Each recipe makes a tasty one person lunch or a great side dish or starter with dinner.

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Eggy salad (1 serving)

  • 2 soft boiled eggs in wedges
  • 1 spring onion
  • 1 handfull of chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 tomato in cubes
  • Simple honey mustard dressing

Simple honey mustard dressing

  • 1 tbsp of dyon mustard
  • 1 tbsp of honey
  • 1 tbsp of mayo (find a recipe for making your own here)

Combine the dressing ingredients in a jam jar and shake.

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Fig and blue cheese salad (1 serving)

  • 2 handfuls of your favorite salad leaves
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 handful of fried bacon cubes
  • 1 handfil of chopped nuts (I used almonds here but walnuts or pecans would be perfect!)
  • 2 fresh figs in wedges
  • 1 hanful of crumbly blue cheese
  • Drizzle with olive oil and a good balsamic vinegar
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly crushed black pepper

Read more about salads here.

 

Corn muffins

CornMuffin2These corn muffins make a great side dish with Mexican food or a barbecue. I first made these when I was looking for a side dish with  a chillli that I could make a day in advance. They are silky and soft. These muffins don’t dry out too quickly. They are great with a generous helping of butter or dipped in a hearty chilli sauce.

Corn muffins (10 muffins)

  • 125 grams of plain flour
  • 75 grams of corn flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 20 grams of sugar
  • 175 ml of butter milk (or regular milk)
  • 1 egg
  • 35 grams of butter
  • 1 cup of corn kernels
  • Optional: handful of semolina for the crunchy top
  • Optional, for extra filling:
    • Fried onion rings
    • Slices of jalapeno peppers

Preheat your oven at 200 degrees C.

Mix and combine your dry ingredients. Mix and combine your wet ingredients. Combine all your ingredients.

Divide the batter over the muffin tins. Place the filling in the middle of the muffins. Sprinkle each muffin with some semolina for a crunchy top.

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I like to hint at the filling by placing a pepper or onion ring on the top. This prevents my toddler from eating a spicy muffin.

Bake your muffins for 20 minutes or until risen and golden.

These muffins taste great warm but they also keep or freeze very well.

Read about more BBQ favorites here.

Simpel starters: salmon salad

Salmonsalad2This salad is a great way to make the most of slices of smoked salmon. This salad is inspired on carpaccio. It is an easy way to impress your guests without too much fuss. If you buy good quality salmon, you just need to bring the ingredients together to create a beautiful harmony of flavors and textures.

I like making 4 individual servings, but if you want you can make a large serving platter.

Salmon salad (4 servings)

  • 200 grams smoked salmon
  • 2 handfuls of your favorite lettuce leaves
  • 1 (spring) onion finely sliced
  • 1 handful of pine nuts
  • olive oil
  • 1 lemon. Use half for dressing the salad and cut the rest in wedges for presentation.
  • parmesian
  • Optional: sliced tomato and cucumber

Salmonsalad3

After slicing your ingredients, assemble your salad. Dress your leaves with olive oil and lemon juice and divide them over the plates. Spread your ingredients over the leaves. Finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkling of sea salt.

This salad also works great with slices of fresh tuna.

Simpel starters: courgette soup

GSoup1In the summer I find myself overwhelmed my the bounty of produce. One vegetable that grows in abundance in the summer is the courgette. When I have a large surplus, I like to make this soup. It can be eaten warm or cold, my favorite! When it is cold you really appreciate the smooth texture and the subtle flavors.

Courgette soup

  • 2 courgette
  • 500 ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion
  • 1 cup of Greek yogurt
  • Fresh herbs to your taste
  1. Dice your courgette and finely slice your onion.
  2. Gently fry your courgette and onion in the oil for five minutes.
  3. Add the stock and let this mix simmer for 15 minutes until the courgette is soft.
  4. Blend your ingredients to a smooth soup and add in the Greek yogurt.
  5. Mix in some finely sliced fresh herbs like dill, basil or mint.
  6. Season to taste. If you plan to eat the soup cold, season you soup well as cool soups need intenser seasoning.

Gsoup2Combine with some carrot soda bread for a healthy vegetarian lunch!