GlobeTrotteuse

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

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.

There are no many recipes in our family which are so beloved like this one. I learnt to cook it when I studied in Bratislava and since that the recipe has been on my regular menu. The origin is Hungarian but as Slovakia has always been influenced by the Hungarian neighbours it is not surprising that this dish has been nationalized also there. For 4 people you need:

4 large chicken legs

1 onion

1-2tbs paprika powder (the best you can find, the hungarian paprika powder works best for this recipe)

1dl white vine

0.5l chicken broth

2dl creme fraiche (light version works well)

2tbs lingonberry jam

2tbs white flour

salt and peppar

olive oil

chopped parsley

These are very early strawberries imported from Spain and they do not posses much taste. However, the color and the sign of Spring were so appetizing that I bought them. In order to enhance the taste I dipped them in dark chocolate. Part of them we will take with us as a present to our friends this evening to the aperitif.

For those who follow my blog it is not surprise that I have salad on my menu again. The true is that I serve a salad every day, in the winter together with a bowl of warm soup and in the summer just as is. I really do not put much time to it. All my salad are an improvisation based on what is available in my fridge. As always and also due to the fact that our house is located 30 min drive from a nearest shop I shop fruit and vegetables in quantities and therefore I always can make a soup and a salad out of it. You just need to add some protein like pieces of chicken, shrimps, scallops, tofu, eggs or as in my case just marinated anchois.....and some good oil to drop around and that's it.

I will serve the mango lassi as dessert tonight after the lamb. This is an indian dish and is light and healthy without any sugar. The only condition is that the mango needs to be perfectly ripe (frozen mango works as well). You also need a mixer and in my case I use the greek yoghurt which has a more creamy consistency but also includes more of fat. Mix together the yoghurt and the pieces of mango, pour ove r to serving bowls or glasses and allow to cool in the fridge. Serve cool.

Today we have the dinner for friends as I mentioned earlier. We went to the market this morning and collected also the ordered lamb leg. The butcher released but kept the bone in the the leg so I could remove it easily after the roasting and cut nice slices across the leg without any bone. It looks like a great idea so I hope it works. Now the leg is in the oven at 175°C in 2.5 hour. I have already roasted cherry tomatoes in the oven at 120°C in 1.5 hours and after I tossed them with black olives, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. I will serve it together with th e lamb and potatoes pure.

This cake has been with my family for long time and from time to time I break my calorie intake and bake this delicious cake. You can find it in many Swedish bakeries but to me is their version too sweet and too heavy so I never buy it but instead bake it. Baking is a kind of therapy so from time to time I fall into it.

Ingredients:

2dl egg whites (approx. 6 eggs)

2.5-3dl sugar

100g chopped hazelnuts (I roast them before in order to get better taste)

1dl flour

1 1/2tbs cacao powder

Filling:

2dl cream (original version 3-4dl)

1 canned mandarines

Inspiration to this bread I brought with me from Stockholm and the bakery Gateau. It is the same sourdough bread as the multigrain bread but instead of grains I used hazelnuts, walnuts and soaked dried apricots and sultanas. I also added 1 grated apple and little of yoghurt. The dough fermented overnight in the fridge and I baked it in the morning, ready for our Sunday breakfast. As it has so much flavor I prefer to eat it only with a piece of swiss gruyere cheese. Simple but so delicate with the sweetness in the bread and the distinctive but not overpowering taste of the cheese.

I love bread and can hardly imagine a life without it. But I also know that bread is a source of many carbohydrates and if you do not burn them it becomes part of you body fat, particularly after 50. So I am very careful with the balance and after an substantial breakfast I am ready for our 16km hike which is my solution to healthier life.....and the sun is already waiting:

I am between two journeys and therefore pretty busy. I also discovered that I hadn't any bread in my freezer and I have to bake. My favorite bread is the multigrain bread which contains a lot of grains and seeds and is baked on 80% rye and 20 wheat flour. I baked it in the morning before I went to my hairdresser and when coming back I could serve it with a simple rocket, cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella salad. Simple, fast and healthy..... Just now it is 15°C and sun in Provence and I do not feel inspired to pack our suitcases for Sweden.....

I have never used endives before because I didn't know what to do with them. This is a very common and popular vegetable in Provence and it is available all year around as it grows in cellars in darkness. In Morocco the chef at Villa des Orangers served it with apples, dried fruits, walnuts and a few drops of Argan oil. If you do not have argan oil use olive oil. The endive are slightly bitter but together with the sweetness from the dried fruit it is a great combination.

1. Souk the dried fruits (sultanas, apricots and cranberries or what you have) for 1 hour in water.
2. Wash the endives and save a few leafs for decoration. Chop the rest together with a green apple.
3. Arrange the leaf on the plate together with the chopped endive and apple. Sprinkle over the sultanas, cranberries, chopped apricots and the walnuts. Drop over the argan/olive oil.

I am so satisfied with this recipe because it doesn't require any salt, any dressing, just the natural flavor, then it is as its best. I serve it as a starter.

Healthy living doesn't mean to me a slogan only which promotes physical activity and good nutrition, it is a way of living my life. There is so much delicious food which not only tastes but also makes you feel gorgeous. So why to avoid it? Our lunch today was a green salad with sliced duck breast (left-over from New Year), pomegranate, ripe mango, avocado  and a vegetable soup. As usual I used vegetables which were available in my fridge, so no extra shopping, together with a large amount of fresh herbs. In the winter I like to accompany the salad with something warm like the soup. Look for the colors, texture and variety ......

This is a very simple starter and so delicious. I guess that there are many variety of this famous dish and I have my own as well:

2/3 of peeled shrimps

1/3 of smoked salmon

Dill, red onion, apple, spring onion or the white part of leek

Creme fraiche, lemon juice, horseradish

Chopped everything and mix together with creme fraiche and season it with pepper, grated horseradish and lemon juice. Keep it cold.

Finally, the leftovers from Christmas as herrings, gravlax, meatballs are gone and I am starting to cook again. We continue with our daily hikes and I need to serve the meal pretty fast after we returned home.... which means a little bit of planning. During the night I defrosted a nice piece of tuna fish in order to serve it with my vegetable and coconut milk stew. For the stew I am using the vegetables available in my fridge but the variation is endless.

I used the following :

- Chopped vegetables as sweet potatoes, pepper, onion, garlic, fennel, carrot,

- tomato paste, turmeric, grated ginger

- parsley

- chicken stock (cube)

- Coconut milk, white wine, lemon juice

Method:

1. Cook onion and garlic in olive oil and after a while add all vegetables and stir additionally for a few minutes.
2. Add tomato paste, turmeric and grated ginger. Pour over a little of water, white wine and add chicken stock cube.
3. Cook for 15min. Add coconut milk and continue to cook for 5 min.
4. Before serving add the chopped parsley and season it with pepper, salt and lemon juice.
5. Pan-fry the tuna fish from both sides leaving the middle raw. Serve thick slices of fish on top of the stew.

The color, the smell and the taste of this cross-over dish is just amazing......

The process takes a couple of days as the salmon needs to be turned on all sides in the marinade before it is ready to be sliced and plated.

To make this dish you need:

• 2 x 1kg fresh salmon fillet with skin (all bones removed)
• 0.5dl sugar
• 0.5 dl salt
• 0.5 dl coarsely crushed rose pepper
• 0.5 dl cognac or brandy
• dill

Mix sugar, salt and pepper and pat the mixture properly into the fish. Pour the cognac over and sprinkle with dill. Put the salmon fillets together with the skin side facing out. Store it in a plastic bag on a plate in the fridge for 3 days and turn it twice per day.

When serving, remove the marinade and slice the salmon into thin slices, carpaccio style. Serve it with a mustard sauce, freshly ground pepper, lemon wedges and bread.

The mustard sauce, you can find ready made in selected stores, but you can also make it at home according this recipe:

It turns out that this tiny seed is actually a nutritional powerhouse!  This super food is loaded with vitamins and minerals.  Specifically, it is a great source of folate, iron, magnesium and zinc. The fact that it has magnesium, copper and phosphorous means that quinoa is especially good for those that have migraine headaches, atherosclerosis and diabetes.  When it comes to fueling up for exercise or dropping a few pounds, cooking quinoa really makes sense.  This is thanks to the fact that one cup of cooked quinoa has just 220 calories.  Quinoa is a great source of healthy carbohydrates, and also provides 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein per serving.

For an overall nutrition advice look here

The bamboo steamer represents a very easy and healthy way of cooking. I have it in several sizes and use it frequently for steaming fish and vegetables.

Today morning we had our last French lesson and on our way home we stopped at the supermarket and bought mussels for lunch. You just need to wash them. Then chop garlic, onion, celery and carrots and cook them in olive oil for a while. Add a little of white wine and when it starts boiling add the mussels. Put the lock on and cook for 3-5min until the mussels have opened. I served it with chopped parsley and with bread. Mussels which have not opened after the cooking have to be discarded.

After coming home from Paris our fridge was pretty empty. Furthermore we had Christine by us the whole morning and were busy with cleaning the house. So what to eat for lunch? I always have food in my freezer as we live outside the city and have almost 40 minutes to drive to our nearest shop. I cooked risotto on arborio rice by following the description on the package but I additionally spiced it with turmeric. Turmeric is often call "poor man's saffron" due to its colour, but it is an outstanding healthy spice.  Then I defrosted green peas and shrimps, only with cold water without cooking, and served it with shredded red chili and coriander (which survived in the fridge during our absence). I also dropped over a little of avocado oil and press over a little of lime.

The sun is back but it is still unusually cold in Provence. We went to the market today as every Saturday, for the coffee with friends and for buying the fish. This time we decided for the mediterranean fish Rouget, the name comes probably from the color of the fish. It will be a light dinner, roasted fish in oven with lemon, chili and garlic, a few potatoes and salad. Tomorrow morning we go to Paris for a couple of days....no big plans just to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere in Paris, visit some museum and Claude Monet exhibition in Grand Palais, some Christmas shopping and of course a lot of comfort food and a few glasses of deep red wine for keeping the warmth.