Half way through the Orthodox lent and why I am doing it

It is that time of the year when Orthodox Christian people reflect about their life through eating simple plant based food for six weeks before Easter. But wait, that's difficult ?! - were my daughter's words ..

What I didn't tell her is that the "eating bit" as a matter of fact is easy. The difficult bit is the spiritual site of it. We reflect by staying calm, being thankful and grateful, forgive, pray and more ....

Don't forget who you are and where you from - that's why I am doing it ....💧💛💦💛

I make my simple food looking good as well as being tasty by adding colours and textures, it works ....

This dish is perfect for quick and easy lunch or snack. It can be eaten hot or cold.

Ingredients:

120g fine polenta

550 - 600 ml water

salt and pepper 

8 to 10 black olives, chopped

4 to 5 sundried tomatoes, chopped (optional )

2 spring onions, chopped

1 fresh sliced tomato

dry oregano 

fresh parsley

olive oil

Cook the polenta in the water that you added a splash of olive oil and salt.

While still warm add the veggies and pour into an ovenproof dish ( oiled ).

Top it up with sliced tomatoes and season with oregano, salt, pepper and some more olive oil.

Grill for 5 minutes on high temperature or oven bake on 200 C for 10 - 15 minutes.

This salad is made by leftovers with added some fresh ingredients to keep me happy and healthy..

I used cooked brown rice

cooked brown lentils

handful of chickpeas

I place those three ingredients into a small steamer for 5 minutes.

When food plated, I then add fresh spinach, chili, purple cabbage, avocado and my favorite condiment  Gomashio ...

Best vegan carrot cake

You can find the recipe on my blog, here is the link.

How ever, I added a coconut cream on the top as well as some seeds.

To make the coconut cream simply whisk the cream of one coconut milk ( discard the water, use it later in a smoothie ) 2 Tbsp maple syrup or powder sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

This is the seeds that I used to top up the cake.....

Yummy food over a busy weekend

It's been a busy bank holiday over here full of celebrating, cooking, eating, laughing, playing and more.
First, it was my 13th wedding anniversary which always involves a special meal and a nice bottle of something bubbly.
The very next day we celebrated my sister in law's birthday in a very nice Italian restaurant.
But that's not all, the day after, our youngest child turned four and that was a busy and exciting day for all of us.
Here is some of the food we enjoyed over the weekend!

Classic hummus in a company of a fresh french radishes 

300 gr cooked chickpeas

1 Tbsp tahini

juice of half lemon

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blended until smooth.

Store in a glass jar in fridge up to 3 days.  

Baked squash with roasted veggies 

serve 4

1 butternut squash 

vegetables of your choice: peppers, courgettes, onions, broccoli 

cooked kale or fresh rocket leaves 

pumpkin seeds

salt and pepper

olive oil

Cut the squash into half, don't need to peel it.

Using a knife make a cross cutting at the top, season with salt and pepper and brush it with some oil.

Bake the squash up side down on 180 C for 30 minutes, then add the vegetables and turn the squash over.

Roast everything for further 20 minutes or until the veggies are done.

In a meanwhile, cook the kale and dry-roast the seeds.

Cut the squashes on half lengthwise and serve with the veggies sprinkled with seeds.

 

Strawberry cake 

200 gr fine flour

90 ml oil, I use coconut oil, melted

300 gr fresh strawberries 

2 eggs

90 gr brown sugar or 4-5 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla exstract

milk if needed

Place 200 gr fresh strawberries into a blender and blend until smooth.

Chop up the rest of the strawberries.

Place the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl, whisk all up, add the dry ingredients and a splash of milk if cake mixture is dry.

Add the chopped strawberries and pour the mixture into a bottom loose cake tin, size 20 cm across.

Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes on 180 C.

Serve with custard and some fresh strawberries.

Peanut butter cookies 

220 gr spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 Tbsp peanut butter

2 Tbsp coconut oil

4 Tbsp honey or maple syrup 

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract 

pinch of salt

50 gr chopped nuts, I used pecan 

50 gr currants 

Melt the coconut oil, add the peanut butter and set a side.

In a mixing bowl, place the dry ingredients, add cooled oil and butter mixture as well as the egg.

Mix everything using a wooden spoon.

Add the nuts and currants.

Scoop out a medium size cookie dough, form a cookie with your hands and place it onto a baking tray.

Repeat until you use all the dough.

You can make a pattern on the top, using a fork.

Bake the cookies for 10 - 15 minutes on 170 C.

 

Breakfast blueberry cakes

350 gr self-raising wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

150 gr fresh or frozen blueberries

2 eggs

200 gr plain yogurt

100 ml oil

zest and juice of half lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

100 gr mashed banana

4 Tbsp honey

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, add the yogurt, oil, zest and juice of lemon, vanilla, honey and mashed banana.

Fold in the dry ingredients followed by the blueberries.

Spoon the mixture into a muffin tin ( buttered ) for 12 muffins and bake for 25 - 30 minutes on 200 C.

Get them out as soon as they are baked and cool them down a little bit before eating. 

Лимонов колач со тиквици / Lemon and courgette cake

Try to make this delicious cake as a weekend treat, the recipe is from my favorite food blog called Pinch of yum, here is a link if you would like to visit it.I made a few changes like the sugar quantity and I have halved the oil and replaced it with a butter. Oh yes, the shape of the cake is different as well !!!

Потребни состојки:

2 рендани зелени тиквици

кора од 2 лимона

1 ванила

3 јајца

100 мл маслиново масло

100 гр мек путер

100 - 150 гр кафеав шеќер

2 чаши од 250 мл брашно

1 лажичка сол

1 лажичка прашок за пециво

пола лажичка сода

3 лажички мак

Измешајте ги сувите состојки, додајте ги матените јајца заедно со шеќерот како и маслото.

Ренданите тиквици изтискајте ги за да им излезе течноста.

Додајте ги во смесата како и кората од лимон.

Ставете ја смесата во калап за печење по желба, во мојов случај куглоф.

Печете на 170 степени околу еден час.

Ingredients:

2 grated courgettes

zest of 2 lemons

2 tsp vanilla extract 

3 eggs

100 ml olive oil

100 gr soft butter

100 - 150 gr brown sugar

2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp poppy seeds

In a large mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with the sugar and add the oil and butter.

Squeeze out any liquid from the courgettes using your hands.

Add them to the cake mixture as well as the lemon zest.

Spoon the cake mixture into a baking tray and bake it for an hour on 170 C

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

Р'жeн колач со јаболки и боровинки / Apple and blueberry rye cake

Fresh fruit cake, not so sweet and not so spicy. The rye flour gives it a nice, slightly nutty flavour.
Gosia, this one is for you !

Потребни состојки:

200 гр интегрално пченично брашно

100 гр р'жено брашно

2 мали лажички пециво

1 мала лажичка цимет

многу малку сол

120 мл масло

4 - 6 лажици кафеав шеќер

3 јајца

3 јаболки, рендани

1 чаша јогурт

100 гр боровинки, смрзнати или свежи

За овој колач ке ви треба округол калап со пречник од 20 см, намрсен.

Во подлабок сад ставете ги сите суви состојки.

Во друг сад ставете ги жолчките, маслото и јогуртот и матете со рачна маталка.

Белките изматете ги со миксер.

Додајте ги сувите состојки во мокрите, измешајте убаво и на крај додајте ги изматените белки, јаболките и боровниците.

Смесата ставете ја во калапот за печење.

Печете го колачот на 170 степени околу 1 час.

* шеќерот може да се замени со мед, боровниците со сецкани ореви а јогуртот со млеко. По желба може да се додаде и кора од лимон.

Ingredients:

200 gr wholemeal plain flour

100 gr rye flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon 

pinch of salt

120 ml oil

4 - 6 tbsp brown sugar

3 eggs, separated whites and yolks

3 apples, grated 

1 cup of yogurt

100 gr frozen or fresh blueberries 

You will need a round cake tin 20 cm wide.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, place the egg yolks, yogurt and oil and whisk them together.

Whisk the egg whites with a electrical mixer until stiff.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix it all up and add the apples, blueberries as well as the egg whites.

Spoon the cake mixture into the buttered cake tin and bake the cake for 1 hour on 170 C.

*instead of sugar you can use honey, substitute the blueberries for chopped walnuts and use milk if you haven't got a yogurt.

If you wish, you can add some lemon zest.

Enjoy!