Heart-warming winter foods

Some leftover vegetables? Roast your winter vegetables in the oven with some herbs  Roasting vegetables caramelizes them, which brings out the full flavor.

You can use pretty much any vegetables to prepare this recipe.

Here is one of my favorite combinations

Ingredients

-1 onion, peeled and cut in 4 pieces

(pearl onions are even better but they take some time to peel,…)

-8 whole garlic cloves, peeled

-4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced in ~1 cm pieces

-2 large parsnips, peeled and slices in ~1 cm pieces

-100 g (mixed) mushrooms, cut in 2

-1 zucchini, cut in ~1 cm pieces

-4 thyme sprigs or sage leaves or rosemary sprigs

-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

-1 teaspoon sea salt

-1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

-2 tablespoons lemon juice, some lemon zest

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 ºF/200 ºC.

2. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and herbs until the vegetables are coated evenly and season generously with salt and pepper.

3. Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes (depending on size you cut the vegetables), tossing a few times, until the vegetables are tender and golden.

4. Ready to serve !

Tips and tricks

-This is a dish you can make ahead of time and leftovers can be used cold the day after in a salad.

-You can also use other vegetables: butternut squash, cauliflower, broccoli  green/yellow/red peppers, cherry tomatoes, any root vegetable will do.

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.

Les verrines,… a very French thing to impress your guests with and it has a stylish presentation!

Ohhhh and maybe the best part of all, you can make these in advance so you have time to enjoy your visitors,…no stress in the kitchen!

Verrine with tuna and mango guacamole

Ingredients (4-6 servings)
-2 avocados, peeled and pitted
-1/2 mango, peeled and cut in small cubes
-1 small red onion, minced
-juice from ½ lime
-salt and cayenne pepper (or small chile pepper) to taste
-fresh coriander, chopped
-150 g fresh tuna (or salmon), cut in small cubes
-vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon of wasabi

Directions

1.Prepare the guacamole
Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Mash the avocados. Add the mango, onion, lime juice, spices and koriander.

2.Prepare the vinaigrette 
Add together all the ingredients: olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice and wasabi.

3.Prepare the tuna
Mix the vinaigrette with tuna and let sit for 15’.

4.Assemble the verrine
One layer of guacamole, one layer of tuna, a layer of guacamole and finish with tuna.

Optional: You can garnish with fresh coriander, sesame seeds or something green.

Tips
-You can make the guacamole in advance. Save guacamole in a long container and cover with a plastic wrap so no air can get in. Leave the pit of the avocado in.
-The verrine can be made several hours in advance.

Verrine with quinoa, eggplant tapenade, prosciutto and pinenuts

Ingredients (4-6 servings)
Quinoa
-100 g quinoa, rinsed
-vinaigrette for quinoa: 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon, pinch of pepper and salt

Caviar
-3 eggplants
-100 g tomatoes (from a can is ok)
-1 onion, ruffly chopped
-1 clove of garlic, chopped
-spice mixture: 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander,1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of cayenne pepper
-handful chopped flat leave parsley
-1/2 lemon: juice and zest
-pepper, salt to taste (if needed)

-3 piece of prosciutto, cut up in small pieces
-handful of roasted pinenuts

Directions

1.Prepare the quinoa
Cook the quinoa following the instructions on the packaging. I usually use 1 cup quinoa and 1 1/2 cup of water. Make sure you don’t use too much water or the quinoa will be too mushy.
Let the quinoa cool down and mix with the vinaigrette (olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper).

2.Prepare eggplant tapenade

Preheat the oven to 180 C and poke the eggplant six or seven times with a fork so steam can escape and roast the eggplant for 30-40’. The eggplant is ready when the inside of the eggplant is soft.
Let the eggplants cool down and cut the eggplant in 2 (in the length) and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil and saute the minced onion and garlic (~2 minutes at medium heat). Add spices, tomatoes and eggplant flesh and let simmer for 5-10’.
Add lemon juice/zest and add salt if needed.
Let the eggplant tapenade cool down. 

3.Assemble the verrine
One layer of eggplant caviar, one layer of quinoa, some prosciutto and pine nuts and repeat the layers. Garnish with some parsley or another herb or green.

Tiramisu with a Belgian twist- speculoos tiramisu

Ingredients (~6 servings)
-250 g mascarpone 
-50 g powdered sugar
-12 speculoos cookies (I like the Lotus brand)
-2 egg yolks
-1 egg white
-2 or 3 tablespoons Amaretto
- ~20 cl strong black coffee (espresso)
-2 tablespoons cacao (for decoration)

Directions
1.Prepare the mascarpone mixture
Whip up egg yolks, gradually adding the powdered sugar (until foamy
mixture) and add amaretto and mascarpone. Mix well.

Beat egg whites until quite stiff and fold egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.

2.Prepare espresso

3.Assemble the verrine
Dip speculoos cookie briefly in the coffee, do not oversoak the cookies so they remain a little firm. Place cookie at bottom of verrine and add a layer of mascarpone mixture and repeat the layers 2 to 3 times. Finish with mascarpone mixture.
Add cocoa powder to the top when you are ready to serve the tiramisu.