Zucchini-Leek Soup with Chili and Cilantro

I had a huge lunch today. Schnitzel and french fries, thus I felt like a huge glutenous blob and wanted something light for dinner. I still had quite a bit of green vegetables at home, so I decided to opt for a light and, here it comes, VEGAN soup.

Ingredients:

1 Zucchini
1 Small leek
2 Scallions
1 Clove of garlic
1 Tsp Olive oil
400 ml Vegetable Stock (Instant)
1/2 Half of a chili
Couple leaves of cilantro

Method:
Chop all the vegetables into small cubes. Mince the garlic. Place a pot on the stove and quickly sautée the zucchini and garlic. Deglaze with the broth and add the leek and scallions. Cook on high temperature for about 10 minutes. Finely chop the cilantro and chili and add to the soup. Take an immersion blender and purée the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy

Skinny Pizza and Skinny Tarte Flambée

Are you craving a pizza, but do not want to feel like a huge blob after eating a whole pie? Try this easy and delicious alternative to the carb loaded original.

Ingredients:

1 Flour tortilla
1 Tbsp low fat sour cream
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
20g lean smoked ham cubes
2 Cherry tomatoes
1 scallion
1 Tbsp low fat grated cheese

Preheat Oven to 180 Degrees Celsius. Place the flour tortilla onto a baking sheet. Stir the sour cream with 1 Tbsp of water and mix in the oregano, salt and pepper. Spread the sour cream mixture onto the tortilla and slice the scallion and tomatoes. Arrange the vegetables onto the tortilla and sprinkle the ham and grated cheese on top. Place into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.


You can also do something similar to create a Tarte Flambée

You could also use tomato paste as a base for the sauce and then top the "Pizza" with ham, salami or fresh arugula.

Enjoy

Baked Turkey Breast Wrapped In Bacon And Stuffed With Spinach and Mozzarella

So I have decided to become somewhat fancy and cook something completely out of my comfort zone. A stuffed turkey breast. After watching countless episodes of Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey, I finally decided it was time to stop salivating over their fabulous creations and start cooking! A stuffed turkey breast was much easier to create than I had anticipated.

Ingredients for 2:

2 Turkey breasts
2 Thick slices of mozzarella
2 Slices of bacon (The good kind. No low fat stuff here)
2 Handfulls of fresh spinach
2 Tbsp of herbed cream cheese
5-6 Scallions
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
Olive Oil
1Tsp Butter
1/2 Cup of Cream
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius. Pat dry the turkey breasts and cut deep pockets into the meat. Spread the cream cheese into the pocket and stuff the spinach into the crevice. Place the mozzarella onto the breast and secure by wrapping the bacon slice firmly around the turkey breast.  Place into a baking dish and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile clean the scallions and chop into 3-4 parts. Sautée in a pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper until almost limp. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot and whisk in the mustard. Add the cream, some salt and pepper.

Plate the scallions as a nest on the plate and spoon the mustard sauce on top. Take the turkey breast out of the oven and place on top of the scallions.

Pretend you are a fancy cook and let everyone oooh and aaah over your fabulous wonder creation.

Enjoy.

Dorado With Spinach and Tomatoes

I recently bought some beautiful dorados at my grocerie store. Dorado has a lovely flakey meat and when mixed with lemon and garlic it is just a beautiful explosion of flavors.

You will need for 1 portion

1 Dorado about 300g
1 Lemon
2 Cloves of garlic
1-2 Spriggs of Rosemary
Olive Oil
Butter
1 Handful of baby spinach
3 Cherry tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees Celsius. Meanwhile cut the lemon in slices and insert 2-3 slices in the opening of the fish. Add rosemary and slice one clove of garlic and insert it as well. Season the fish with salt and pepper and place it into a baking dish. Place remaining lemons onto the fish and drizzle with olive oil. Take some alumium foil and rub butter onto the matt side of the foil. Wrap the baking dish with the butter side down and place it into the oven for about 35-40 minutes. Meanwhile clean the spinach and chop the tomatoes. Sautee with some olive oil and salt and pepper.  Serve with the cooked fish and enjoy.

Sun Dried Tomatoes Hummus with Cucumbers

Last weekend I was back home in Hamburg to see the family. Now everyone in my family is a huge foodie. They can have hour long conversations about how to make a steak perfect or at what temperature a  turkey or better yet a goose becomes just right. Even I find it to be tedious at times. Now this weekend my parents had a couple of friends from Rotterdam visit. They are connaiseurs of food and are used to gourmet molecular tiny peppeles of frois gras menues. Needless to say Momma dearest and I were slaving away in the kitchen to make the entire menu.

For hors d'oeuvres I made my famous hummus. I have been making hummus for a good 10 years, but this times I decided to venture out of the traditional tahini, garlic, lemon hummus and mix it up a bit. It's easy, it's delicious and for us europeans it is something that you just don't get every day. So here in Germany, it is gourmet!

You will need
1 Can of chickpeas
Juice of one fresh lemon
2 Tbsp Tahini
Salt
Pepper
Good Olive Oil
2-3 Tbsp of Yoghurt (try to use 3,5% Fat or Greek)
5 Sun dried Tomatoes with oil
1 Tsp cumin
Water

1 cucumber


Drain the chickpeas and put them into the food processor. Pulse them a couple of times, so they look well chopped. Add the lemon juice and tahini. Mix it all up again. Add salt and pepper. While you mix those ingredients, slowly pour in the olive oil. The Hummus should be really nice and smooth. So you have to do it by feel. Add the yoghurt to give it some more tanginess. Then chop up the tomatoes and add them to the mixture. Add the cumin. Depending on how chunky or smooth the dip is add water until the desired consistancy is reached.

Pour the hummus into a bowl and sprinkle a bit of olive oil and paprika on it for garnish. Peel the cucumber and cut it into sticks. Use these for dipping.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers with Tomato Sauce

My roommate and I have been very social and have been cooking together now on almost a daily basis. Next to our usual habit of making artichokes (recipe to follow), we have found are old love to stuffed peppers with hamburger meat in a delicious tomato and basil sauce. This recipe is so easy to make, it is almost shameful to write a post about it.

2 Red bell peppers
2/4 Lbd of Hamburger Meat. I used a mix of pork and beef. But any type of minced meat will do.
1 Egg
1 Small red onion chopped
1 Tsp tomato paste
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of Chilipowder
Tabasco
Dried Herbs such as Parsley, Dill, Oregano

1 can of crushed tomatoes with basil
1 Tbsp of heavy cream
1 Cup of low fat grated cheese such as gauda, emmenthaler or mozzarella

Preheat the Oven to 180 Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

 Wash the peppers and cut of the top. Cut out the seeds and white parts. Put aside.Mix the meat, egg, onion, tomato paste and the spices and herbs. If you want to taste the mixture, just fry up a bit in a pan and taste it. If need be you can add some salt or other herbs. Lowfat Fetacheese is also a delicious option.

Stuff the mixed meat into the peppers and set aside. In a casserole dish pour in to crushed tomatoes and mix in the cream. Set the peppers into the sauce and top off everything with the grated cheese.

Put the dish into the oven and bake for about 30-45 minutes.

Serve this with rice or a nice fresh salad.

Enjoy!

Poached Egg on Salad

There comes a time in a persons life when you are starving and the fridge just does not want to give you anything inspiring. For times like these, I always have some fresh eggs and salad in the fridge.  Many people are scared to make poached eggs because it seems to be such a difficult task, but with just a tiny bit of practise anyone can do it.

1 Fresh Egg at room temperature
2 Cups of leafy greens
2 Cherry tomatoes.
1 Small slice of cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp Vinegar

3Tbsp Olive Oil
1Tbsp White balsamic vinegar
Mustard
Honey
Salt
Pepper

Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
 
meanwhile make a vinaigrette out of the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper by whisking everything together.

Chop the greens and tomatoes and place in salad bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette onto the salad.

Once the water is boiling crack the egg into a small bowl and add 1Tbsp of vinegar to the water. This will bring the boiling water down to a simmer.

Here comes the tricky part:
 Take spatula and start to rotate the water clockwise. While the water is moving gently slip the egg into the water. Use the spatula to gently nudge the egg into place. The eggwhite should be intact and around the yolk like a nest. Let it sit in the hot water for about 2-3 Minutes. Gently lift the egg out of the water and let any excess water drip of. Place onto salad and top with cheddar cheese. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top and serve.

Enjoy