You don't need heavy creams to make a good soup!

Parsley Soup with Mushrooms

This is one of the recipes that I borrowed from one of my favorite chefs, Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Cheap and easy, who doesn’t like that from a top chef, such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten!

Parsley is often a herb that is though of as decoration, however, there are plenty of health benefits associated to this herb

  

Ingredients

-1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley

-3 tablespoons olive oil

-1 onion, minced

-1 leek, trimmed of hard green parts, roughly chopped and rinsed

-1 parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped (or potato)

-salt and freshly ground black pepper

-1 liter chicken broth or vegetable stock (if you want a vegetarian version)

-150 g mushrooms

-1 small shallot, minced

-1 clove of garlic, chopped finely

Directions

1.Wash the parsley and separate stems and tops.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a casserole and stir in onion, leek, parsnip/potato and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the parsley stems and pepper to taste and stir again.

2. Add 1 liter of chicken stock (or vegetable stock). Simmer, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are very tender, 30 to 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, wash and trim the mushrooms (add mushroom stalks to the soup). Chop the caps and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in another skillet over medium-high heat and add the shallot, garlic and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have given up their water and are tender (~10 minutes).

4.When the vegetables are soft, add remaining parsley leaves and cook for another minute. Mix with a blender until the soup is smooth. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with pepper/salt if needed. 

5.Serve with a portion of mushrooms at the bottom of each bowl and top with a ladleful of hot soup.

Tip:

-Make soup fun to drink/eat for kids by adding some garlic crostini’s or breadsticks.

-Cook in batches: I make this soup in big batches and freeze them in 1 liter containers. Cook once, enjoy many times!

Looking for easy and convenient? You got it!

Healthy no bake granola bars

When I saw a similar recipe a while ago my first thought was, this can’t be good,...

As a chef you need to challenge yourself so I tried it anyways because a lot of people are asking me for easy recipes. 

Made it and loved it,…this is my version,…

Ingredients (~makes 12 bars)

-200 g rolled oats (you can also use gluten free oats)

-handful of nuts, like walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pinenuts (pick a few different ones),

loosely chopped or whole

-10-15 cl maple syrup

-8 dates, pitted (optional)

-1 tablespoon coconut oil

-1 teaspoon cinnamon

-3 tablespoons natural unsalted almond butter (or peanut butter)

-1 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla extract)

-pinch of salt

Directions

1  Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form

a "dough" like consistency (mine rolled into a ball) (~optional step)

2  Mix the dry ingredients: oats and nuts.

3. Prepare the liquid mix: warm the maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Add the processed dates, coconut oil, almond butter, cinnamon powder and almond

extract.

4  Stir the liquid mix into the dry ingredients until the dry ingredients are completely mixed

in with wet ingredients.

5  Prepare dish: line the dish with parchment paper (as a frame of reference, I used a 16

cm to 26 cm glass dish, but other dimensions will work as well, smaller dish will result in

thicker bars).

6   Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set

in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.

7  Remove bars from pan and chop into 12 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up

to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh and to store them longer.

If you use them directly out of the freezer, let them sit for a few minutes at room

temperature and they will be ready to eat.

Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree Celsius oven for 15 minutes before you start if you like the toasted flavor but this step is not required.

Other combinations: add dry fruits, chocolate chips, rice cereal.
For extra protein: add chia seeds, flax seeds

Healthy comfort food - beef steef

January is an interesting month with a double personality,...

First of all, after the holiday season filled with rich, indulgent foods, most people are looking for healthy, nutritious light recipes.

But January is also one of the coldest months,…so everybody is craving comfort food.

This next recipe does the job for me,…and kids like it too!

Beef tagine with plenty of vegetables

Ingredients (8 people)

-1 kg stewing beef, cut in cubes (ask for lean cut of beef)

-olive oil

-1 onion, peeled and chopped

-600 g chickpeas, drained

-600 g chopped tomatoes (canned is ok)

-500 g carrots, chopped

-1 squash, cut into 5 cm chunks

-1 liter vegetable stock (low sodium vegetable stock)

-100 g dates, take stones out and chop in 2-4 pieces

-2 tablespoons flaked almonds, toasted

-handful fresh coriander leaves

-250 g cooked quinoa or couscous

-Spice mix: 1 tablespoon ras el hanout, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon

ground ginger, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cinnamon

(this looks like a lot of spices for it’s actually not a spicy stew)

Directions

1.  Prepare spice mix and mix it with the beef. If you have time let it sit in your refrigerated for several hours so spices can mix well.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the meat over medium heat for 5 minutes in a casserole-type pan or a tagine. Add the chopped onion and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock  and bring to a boil. Put lid on the pan and continue cooking (simmer) for another 1 ½ hours.
3. Add the vegetables: chickpeas, carrots, dates and squash and let stir for another 15’ or until the meat is soft. The beef should be really tender and flaking apart.
4. Add some salt and pepper (cayenne pepper for a spicier version) and serve with some toasted almonds and fresh coriander leaves.
5. Serve with couscous or quinoa if you like a gluten-free option

Tips & Tricks:
-Great make-ahead dish and freezes well. I always prepare more than needed and freeze a portion to have an extra meal available when I don’t have time or a desire to cook.

-Easy to make this dish vegetarian, just leave out the meat and add some extra veggies if needed. Other great options: cauliflower, parsnips.

-Make sure the stew simmers and does not cook vigorously.