Gardening
Today we are working in the garden. The rain during the night and the sun during the day bring the plants to hurry. Sylvain, the local men, is helping us with some power but also expertise. Today he cut the olive trees to such a shape that I almost started cry. But he replied that the olive tree needs to be cut in that way so the birds can fly through the tree crown. Ok....but I still like it more as it was before.
Walking.....
Making Pesto for our pasta dinner...and below my beloved quinoa with fruit and youghurt.
Crazy in mango
On the way back from our early French Class we stopped to buy some mangoes. All those I bought on Saturday are gone. I probably became addict to it and I served it every day in the fruit salad. They must be in season now as they are so delicious and perfectly ripe.
Gorgeous fresh food from the French Market
It is our great pleasure to walk between the market stands and to choose and buy from the rich selection of food. The freshness and the quality are unbeatable.
Pepiniere Appy
Today it was time to visit our local garden-nursery to buy some new plants. There are busy times for the family Appy who runs the largest nursery in our valley. They have supplied and planted plants in our garden from very beginning and we are frequent visitors by them.
Breakfast Outside
Yes, today I celebrated my first breakfast outside on the terrace. The fact is that I am not an early bird and breakfast time for me is between 9 and 10. I always start the day with freshly pressed orange juice (my husband does it every day year around) and not sweetened pomegranate juice. I also like my home-made sourdough bread roasted and "decorated" with a small slice of gruyere cheese. I try to avoid all half-fabricates as ham, salami etc. In the summer I prefer thin slices of ripe tomato on my bread. Today we also had a cooked egg and little of soya yoghurt with berries and nuts. A must for me in the morning is the coffee. I bought a coffee machine in Switzerland "Jura" which is absolutely amazing. I just need to push the button and the machine grounds the beans, and cooks my coffee how I like it....ristretto, creme, espresso, cappuccino etc. I buy the coffee beans in a specialized shop and I use Colombia coffee which is low in acid and gentle on the stomach.
Buckwheat Pancakes
After our light lunch I decided to cook something substantial for the afternoon as my husband is dealing with wood. It requires a lot of energy and I realized that he could not collect enough of it from our salad. So here we come American pancakes à la Normandy.
In France they used the buckwheat flour (sarrasin) for making galettes. I use it also for pancakes as this flour is much healthier than the white wheat flour. It tastes differently but we like it. I sweetened it with agave syrup which is low in GI. Using fresh berries is also a great enhancement of the nutrition as well as the taste....
Red Beetroot
In France you can buy the beetroot freshly cooked which saves you some time. I always buy 2-3 pieces and keep them in the fridge the whole week. I use them often in salad mostly for their nutrition but also for the color and taste. Sometime I shred them together with horseradish, sometime I chop them or like today I used the mandolin to slice them into thin pieces together with fenouil and red onion. I also added some chickpeas and marinated anchovies. The result was a pink colored mixture which I served together with various green leaves. This is the type food which helps to protect your body by strengthening your immunity system.
Mourre Nègre
This was a tough hike, 25km long and a vertical climb of 550m. It took 5.5 hours and I was pretty exhausted afterward. But after some food and rest on our terrace I was soon recovered.
This is very Swedish.....coffee and sandwich
Breakfast rolls
I went up early morning as I baked my favorite bread for our excursion today. We are preparing for our hike to the highest point (1125m) of Luberon mountains. The breakfast is packed and the sun is shining.....
Testing my new camera lens
My Quinoa Dinner
Quinoa is rich on protein and low on carbohydrates therefore it is wonderful as evening dish. It has been recommended to those who suffers of insomnia. So while my husband enjoyed whole wheat flour pasta with tomato sauce I preferred the quinoa for dinner. I cooked it and mixed it with yoghurt and grated apple. I served it with various fruits and berries. As my fruits were very ripe I didn't need additional sugar. In other case I would use agave syrup which is low in GI.
Home Decoration
When we built and decorated our house it was so much to decide about at the same time that we made it very simple. All walls were painted off-white. Now, after having lived in the house for a while I feel the off-white color a little boring. Finally, we decided to paint a front wall in our bathroom in red/orange color and the result is astonishing....So I am already planning another painting project in our bedroom. The color of the carpet in our bedroom is harmonizing with the adjacent bathroom.
Sunday....Dimanche
This is the food palette which I served today. For lunch we had salad with green salad, avocado, red beetroot, tomatoes, cooked salmon and also the leftovers from my cauliflower dish. Then we went for a hike and after we had returned home we spent the rest of afternoon in sun with a cup of tea and my oats cookies. For dinner I roasted a chicken together with sweet potatoes. I served it with a lot of carrot and green salad. We also enjoyed a glass of local red vine. As desert we had a fruit salad, similar as yesterday.....
Saturday dinner
Our pizza is made of whole wheat flour and is very thin. The tomato sauce I cook with onion, garlic, olive oil, tomato and rosemary. We like to garnish it with nordic shrimps which I defrost and peel before spreading them over the pizza. I use only a little of cheese so I dare to claim that our pizza is healthy. I also top the pizza with fresh rocket and few drops of chili oil just before serving.
As desert I served a delicious fruit salad with ripen mango, raspberries, pears, strawberries, blueberries and fresh mint.
Cauliflower and Oats Cookies
These are two newcomers from my favorite blog 101 Cookbooks. I love the cauliflower, which is first cut in tiny pieces and then roasted in oil together with onion and garlic. After being cooked I seasoned it with salt, pepper, chili and spread over some roasted pine nuts and flakes of parmegiano. As I hadn't any fresh herbs I chopped some green salad and mixed it together. You can serve this dish as a side dish or as a main vegetarian dish together with a salad.
The oats cookies are great as they do not include any SUGAR, FLOUR nor EGG. You can find the recipe here
Coming back home
Yesterday we finally arrived home after 3weeks in Sweden. I am so grateful for those weeks because I had the opportunity to stay with my daughter Macky. I have a small family and therefore I am carrying so much for the relations I have. Coming home after a long journey is also special, particularly when the home is in Provence where it is so much sun and where the life is so simple. We drove from the airport and couldn't enough appreciate all the trees in blossom along the motorway. There are small lovely flowers wherever you look.
I also appreciate to be back on my diet......local organic FOOD.
Herring gratin
I am still in Stockholm and supporting Macky....and myself to loose some kilos. We start the day by visiting the local gym. My job is then to plan, to shop ingredients and to cook a light dinner. It is not so easy to figure out meals after meals without carbohydrates therefore my fantasy has been seriously challenged. It has to be healthy and low in carbohydrates, which means no potatoes, rice, pasta, beans etc. Today I found some fresh herring filets and made a gratin which we enjoyed together with a salad. However for those who are not on diet mashed potatoes will make the perfect side dish.
For 4 people you need:
0.5 kg herring filets
3 hard-boilled eggs
Swedish caviar paste (available at Ikea)
dill
salt, pepper
Crushed, canned tomatoes
red onion
fresh tomatoes (optional)
- Crush the eggs and mash it together with the caviar paste and chopped dill.
- Place the herring fillet with skin side down, spread over the egg mixture and roll each filet with the egg filling inside.
- Place in a buttered oven-proof dish
- Spread over the chopped onion and add the tomatoes. Season with pepper and salt
- Bake in an oven at 200°C approx. 25-30min.
Window Dressing
We are all longing for the Spring but the Winter is still in charge here in Stockholm. At least we have dressed the windows in Macky's flat with herb plants and spring flowers. You would not believe what effect this have on the frozen souls.....
American pancakes
After the early morning gym and some cleaning of Macky's flat I decided that I need some kind of reward......in form of american pancakes on cafe Sirup. These pancakes are done with a baking powder in order to obtain the puffiness. You can order them with different fruits, chocolate and/or whip cream. I enjoyed them simple with blueberries and maple syrup. For you who want to make them at home I found the following video
A Sunny Day in Stockholm
It is still cold (-3°C) in Stockholm but the sun brought today a little of the spring atmosphere. There are so many beautiful spots here and it is so easy to get close to the nature. I walked many hours and after my morning session in the gym I am now tired but satisfied.....Macky and I are sitting in her cozy flat and watching Master Chef on TV.... happy days.
