Champagne Favours

I love champagne -what girl doesn't, right? It is always the right drink to have when in good company, even if there is nothing specific to celebrate.
In my opinion, extra brut champagne (or cava, for that matter) calls for some off the beaten track food paring, besides the obvious, cliched (and not very accessable) caviar.
Here are a few ideas to get you started. More to come.


French Fines de Claires Oysters

Open and serve  on a plate of crushed ice, lemon slices on the side. Have North American guests? Keep Tabasco® handy! Most of the time, they will enjoy a splash.
Many of you might get turned off by the thought of having to open oysters, but it is not that difficult, really. Just give it a try! This video will teach you how. Although you will need the oyster knife (usually not that expensive and quite easy to find), you can skip the purchase of a pricey (usually metal and not very comfortable) oyster glove. Instead, use any heavy-duty kind that will protect your hand.
First prepare your platter with crushed ice. Then start opening the oysters one by one, carefully placing them on the serving platter, making sure you first loosen them up from the shell.

Dates Wrapped in Organic Bacon

I bet you just had an 'aha' moment! How easy can it be, right?

You wrap a small piece of bacon (half a slice) around a date and hold it in place with a tooth pick.

It will take about 10-15 min in 410°F/210°C oven for the bacon to loose the fat and the dates to get warm. Never tried it before and the combination sounds weird? Believe you me, you are going to love it!

Make sure to buy pitted dates (far less jaw breaking and safer for everybody) and wet the tooth picks before use. That way they will not burn in the oven!

Iberic Figs Au Naturel

Why Portuguese or Spanish? The more common ones are Turkish. Delicious as they might be for certain occasions, they are huge and extremely sweet.

The Iberian kind have the perfect mouth size and are far more delicate (less sweet) taste. They will compliment your bubbly just perfect!

Serve them plane, just like that! Anything you do to them to pimp them up, will just ruin them.

Tropical Physalis in Tuxedo

Putting these guys into a tuxedo takes a bit of genious...and patience. But as you go along, you get better and faster at it. This trick will work just as well with small strawberries.

•wash your fruit and let it dry on a cloth

•part and melt some +70% organic chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave (600W for aprox. 4 min)

•open the physalis, gently push the leaves backwards and dip the orange ball in the chocolate

•let the chocolate harden in the freezer (it will take about 2 min.)

I used approx. 25 g of chocolate to cover 16 physalis. I put one chocolate covered physalis in the freezer, then proceeded to prepare and dip the following one. By the time I placed no. 2 in the freezer, no. 1 was ready to come out.

Sauted Brussels Sprouts

Even if you do not like Brussels sprouts, I promise you will like this version of it! It is also quick to prepare and brings color to your plate. Oh yes, and do not forget to check out its amazing health benefits.

What you need
•non-stick wok

Ingredients (side dish for 6)
•1,5 kg of (small) Brussels sprouts, washed and ends trimmed
•2 tbs of good quality virgin olive oil
•12 medium sized cloves of garlic, peeled
•2 tbs of agave nectar
•2 tbs of apple cider vinegar
•salt and pepper

What you do
•steam Brussels sprouts 'al dente' and let them cool down
(you could do this up to 2 days ahead and keep them in the fridge)
•heat the oil in a non-stick wok (low heat)
•add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes (do not let them get brown; you just want the garlic to release some of its flavor)
•increase the heat to medium and now add the sprouts
•pour the agave over the sprouts and cook the sprouts for about 5 minutes or until browned, shaking them around all the time
•add salt and pepper to taste
•just before serving, add the vinegar and shake your wok one last time

Butternut Squash Soup

There is butternut squash soup and ... there is this finger lickin' one!
Quite some years ago, I had this amazing butternut squash soup with my friend David P. at Le Garage restaurant in Amsterdam. We both agreed it was one of the best ones ever. Except maybe for his mom's, he said at the time.
I asked him to get me his mom's butternut squash soup recipe like 15 years ago ... still waiting!
Aries is very impatient, so a while ago I started experimenting, adding ingredients and omitting others, till I found what I think is the perfect balance.

Ingredients (for approx. 5,5 l)
•4 butternut squash (approx. 1 kg each)
•4 medium onions, chopped
•2 big (or 4 small) garlic cloves, pressed
•3 l of vegetable stock
•1 1/2 tbs of (medium hot) curry powder
•1 big can (400 ml) of coconut milk
•2 tbs of (coconut) oil
•salt and pepper

What to do
•cuarter the butternut squash and steam it till the meat is soft (approx. 40 min.). In my rather small basket, it was able to steam one squash at a time
•sauté the onions and the garlic in a deep pan for approx. 5 min. (till they are clear and tender)
•add the flesh of the butternut squash (remove skin and seeds), mix and cook for another 5 min.
•add 3 l of vegetable stock and the curry
•bring everything to a boil and add the coconut milk
•turn down the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes
•turn the fire off and let it rest for another 10 minutes
•pour the mixture into your Vitamix® (or similar blending machine) and blend till smooth
•add salt and pepper if needed

Remarks
Making good soup takes a lot of love and time. So I like to make tons of it at a time and then freeze it...

Lifefood

Last month a friend told me about Lifefood products. She has recently 'converted' to a paleo diet and needed a 'crutch' to wean off the bread and crackers.
I am usually very suspicious of processed food, no matter how 'healthy' they appear to be at first sight. But knowing how thorough my friend M. can be, I just knew I needed to check it out.

I ordered their crackers and got a few 'energy bars' for free, to try out.

I inspected the products and I could not find anything not healthy about them:

•they are 100% raw
•they have no (added) sugar
•they contain no grains
•they have no dairy

The taste of the energy bar and of the crackers is amazing.

There are a couple of drawbacks:

•the products are German and so far, the only 'local' distributors are within the European Community. So shipping costs and possible import taxes for you living outside Europe, will add up
•the products themselves are not particularly cheep either. A box of crackers (85 g) will set you back approx. Euro. 4,25

My advise: wean off the bread as quickly as you can and don't use crutches. Treat yourself to Lifefood products on a special occasion!

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

This year I celebrated my first Thanksgiving ever in the USA. It was a wonderful 'no pressure' event.  No kids spinning their wheels because of Santa Claus, no stress about wrapping presents. It was all about spending time together, catching up with family we had not seen for a while.  The kitchen is where we all hanged out, drinking, talking and cooking for the grand finale at the table.

Thanksgiving is pretty much the 'un-official' kick-off of the cranberry season.

I came home with a few recipes that I tried out, changed, 'paleorized' and voilá.  Here is a cake that doesn't kill the benefits of cranberries (by adding tons of sugar), is beautiful,  and tastes amazing!

You need

•blender (or hand mixer)

•minipimer
•2,5 l loaf pan (13,5 in. long x 5 in. wide x 3,4 in. tall)

Ingredients (for approx. 8 servings)

•coconut oil for greasing

•680 g of fresh cranberries, washed and drained

•2,5 cups (250 g) almond meal

•6 eggs

•1 tsp baking soda

•1/2 cup (120 ml) + 4 tbs of agave nectar

Baking the cake

•preheat the oven to 356F (180C)

•in a small saucepan, cook the cranberries and 4 tbs of agave nectar over medium heat, stirring, while cranberries pop (about 5 to 6 minutes)

•grease the pan

•pour the cranberries into the pan and spread evenly

•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy, start pouring the agave into the mix, while you keep the blender running

•add the baking soda to the almond meal

•add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend well

•pour the batter over the cranberries into the pan

•bake for approximately 30 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)

•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. 

•let cool slightly, then run a spatula (or knife) along the edges of the pan
•invert the cake into a wire rack (if you find that some of the cranberry ends up sticking to the pan, don't panic! Just scrape it off the pan onto the cake. It will all settle nicely once it has cooled down completely

Tips & remarks

•I bake in an electric oven where the heat spreads very evenly. I have baked in a gas oven before and notice that for some reason, there is some 'heat loss'. So I have had to increase the heat in a gas oven by 5C/41F
•have a close look at the cranberries when you wash them; there are always a few that are 'off'. You don't want those in your cake!
•after you invert the cake, out of the pan and let it rest, you will notice the cranberry juices will start to soak the cake. Don't worry...that's the idea!

American Pancakes

One of the things I just have to have once in a while, is a good helping of American pancakes with my Sunday breakfast.
I experimented with different recipes -even the one in the Primal Blueprint Cookbook. They all either disappointed me or turned into a big disaster.
Finally, a pancake recipe worth tasting. After trying these delicious and fluffy coconut flour pancakes with some Canadian (or Midwestern) true maple syrup, there is no way you will even consider going back to Aunt Jemima nor Krusteaz pancake mix; not even if they paid you!

Ingredients for batter (makes about 10 medium pancakes)
•4 eggs room temperature
•1 cup of almond milk
•2 tsp vanilla extract
•1 tbs of honey
•1/2 cup of coconut flour
•1 tsp baking soda
•1/2 tsp crushed sea salt
•coconut oil for frying

Ingredients for topping
•coconut oil/cream
•maple syrup
•fresh fruit (berries, strawberries and/or bananas will work best)

What you do
•Preheat a frying pan over medium-low heat
•beat the eggs until frothy
•add the almond milk, vanilla and honey
•in a different bowl, combine the dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking soda and sea salt and mix
•add the wet mixture into the dry until well incorporated
•grease pan with coconut oil and ladle some batter into the pan for each pancake; immediately afterwards spread the mixture slightly with the back of a spoon
•cook each side (approx. 2-3 minutes) until dry

Remarks
I like my pancakes medium sized, thick and golden brown (to each its own) and stacked (at least 2), then topped with some coconut cream, swimming in maple syrup and occasionally, with fresh fruit on top!

Shepperd's Pie, My Way

After the 'mad cow desease' scandal, 'pork pest' and numerous detections of illegal levels of dioxin in European chicken meat, I looked into how farmed animals are raised and fed. I was disgusted and realized eating any kind of farmed meat just could not be healthy. Let alone that the way animal products are produced and consumed is basically destroying the planet.
In agreeing with dr. David Servan-Schreiber, animals products should be 'occasional foods' not the main thing of our diet. Have a plate full of vegetables and a side of meat or fish (rather than the other way around). Keep your weekly intake of farmed animal products to say approximately 200 grams; if possible stick to either organic grass fed or better still, 'wild', non-processed meat products.
Scientific publications show that chemical contaminants of farmed animals accumulate in their fat and are largely to blame for the inflammation that fosters the development of cancer (Servan-Schreiber 2011:125).

A few months ago I discovered a butcher in the Netherlands that distributes outdoor reared beef of Highland Cow, a type of animal that grows up in 'the wild', grazing in Dutch natural parks. After 16 years of having no kind of meat what so ever, I decided to dust off my Shepperd's Pie recipe.

You need
•oven proof (Pyrex) pan 20 x 30 x 6 cm (7,5 x 11,5 x 2,5 inch)

Ingredients (for 4 persons)
•500 g (1.1 pounds) of minced beef
•1 small onion, chopped
•1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
•1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
•1 garlic clove, pressed
•60 g (2.1 oz) of mixed nuts (1), chopped
•50 g (1.1 oz) of raisins
•12 green olives, sliced
•1 hard boiled egg, chopped
•1 celery root, peeled and chopped (2)
•120 ml (1/2 cup) of unsweetened almond milk (3)
•2 tbs + 1 tbs of good quality virgin (coconut)/olive oil
•(Himalayan) salt and (freshly grinded) peper to taste
•1/2 tbs Herbes de Provence


Preparation
•Warm up the oven to 250°C (480 °F)
•Bring your pan to medium heat and stir fry the minced beef with a bit of salt, allowing it to release all fat
•Remove and drain the minced beef
•Warm up the 2 tbs of oil in a clean pan and fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes (3 to 4)
•Add the peppers and stir
•A few minutes later (5) add the minced beef, nuts, olives, raisins and Herbes de Provence
•Blend all ingredients and stir for an additional 5 minutes
•Taste the mixture and if necessary, add a bit of salt
•Turn the fire off and add the hard boiled egg. Mix gently
•Pour into the oven dish and disperse evenly
•Steam the celery root and mash. Add the almond milk, some salt, pepper and 1 tbs of good quality virgin oil
•Top the meat mixture with the celery root mash.
•Put in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Remarks
(1) My idea of 'mixed nuts' is: walnuts, macademia, cashew and pecan. Peanuts are not 'nuts' and in my book, should be avoided. Peanuts do not grow on trees (but under the ground) and are known to have a high dose of aflatoxin, a cancerous substance.
(2) For other 'mash' options look at Patato Blues in this blog
(3) Depending of how much the celery root preserved its moisture during steaming, you might need a little more or less. I would say, add the almond milk little by little

Airplane Survival Kit

So, you are taking a trip by airplane.... You will need to prepare, because you will find absolutely nothing healthy, paleo, let alone organic on your tray.
Flying a North American airline? All the more reason to plan your meal(s)!

Here are a few ideas that will keep you in check, are easy to stash in your carry-on luggage and will pass security no problemo. Fill up your zip-locks and you are set to go!

• a hard boiled egg;
• smoked salmon (mackerel or eal)
• a slice of Nutty Autumn Loaf 
• a piece of cooked left-over fish or (game) meat
• sliced fresh fruit
• sliced carrots and cucumber
• mixed nuts
• dates, dried prunes and/or dried figs
• + 70% dark chocolate

For flights to the USA, remember that the perishables you took with you and did not finish, will have to stay on board when you de-plane.

Port Baked Apples

Apple is a 'low profile' kind of fruit, that is often bypassed for more exotic types. I say it is time to get rid of its boring reputation! Here is a recipe that will knock your socks off!
Not only does it combine amazing flavors that will jump start your taste buds, you can prepare everything ahead of time, and then shove the dish in the oven, just before you sit down to have your main course. The time they take to cook is perfect for you to entertain your guests and enjoy the meal. No diving into the kitchen to give your dessert 'the last touch' while missing out on table gossip and fun.

What you need
•baking dish
•pestle and mortar (1)

Ingredients (serves 4)
•4 large baking apples (such as Jonagold, Brambley)
•4 tsp coconut cream + a bit more for greasing your pan
•1/2 tsp of grounded cloves (1)
•1/2 tsp of grounded bay leave (1)
•3 tbs almond slivers
•1/2 tsp of grounded cinnamon (1)
•2 tbs agave nectar
•2,7 ounces (75g) of  raisins, minced
•juice of 1 orange
•juice of 1 lime
•1 cup of port wine

Putting it together
•Preheat the oven to 350F (180C)
•ground the bay leaves and cloves
•mix the cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, coconut cream and agave nectar to a paste together with the minced raisins
•mix the the orange juice, lemon juice and port wine
•add 2 tbs of almond slivers
•let the flavors do their work for a minimum of 30 min.
•wash your apples with warm water and dry them
•use a knife to remove the core of the apples (2), making sure the top opening is wide (creating a sort of funnel)
•take a sharp kitchen knife and make a careful incision in the skin of the apple, all around the middle (this will prevent them from exploding in the oven). Look at the detailed picture.
•grease your baking pan with some coconut cream and place the apples inside of it
•stuff the coconut/raisin mixture into the hole of the apples and afterwards, gently pour the liquid port mixture,  a little at the time, into each apple. A lot of the fluid will just sit in the pan. That is fine.
•place the apples in the preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes (check with a toothpick; it they are soft, they are ready)
•put the apples in a bowl and pour the juice from the pan over them


(1) Grinding a dry bay leaf or a clover can be a bit of a hassle and is time consuming. So yes, if you do not own a pestle and mortar, you are pressed for time and you are in a country where you can find a mix called 'spice',  you can replace all the above dry ingredients by 1 1/2 tsp of spice.

(2) I don't like using an apple corer to remove the inside of the apples because it is difficult not to damage the bottom of the apple. If you get a hole on the rear end of the apple, your mixture will leak once in the oven. You want the mixture to stay inside the apple for the best result.

A grapefruit knife (knife with a bent tip) will make the job easy, but a regular small kitchen knife will probably do as well.

Towering Cholocate Indulgence

This weekend we were invited to dinner at a friend's house and I offered to take dessert. This wasn't me just being nice, I was just being selfish act, trying to look out for myself!
What is nice about this recipe is that you can basically prepare everything ahead of time and then last minute, give it the 'finishing touch' .
You can work with the basics of my Wicked Chocolate Cake, so far one of the most popular cakes in my blog.

You need
•parchment paper
•a round 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan
•food processor
•food ring tall 5,5 cm/2 inch and diameter 8 cm/3.15 inch

Ingredients (makes dessert for 4)
•1/2 cup (120 ml) of sunflower seed oil (1)
•2/3 cups (94 grams) of coconut flour
•1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened good quality cacao powder
•1/2 tsp baking soda
•1/2 tsp sea salt
•6 medium sized eggs
•3/4 cup (180 ml) agave nectar
•1/2 cup (120 ml) water
•1 tbs vanilla extract

Ingredients for filling and frosting
•8 ounces (230 grams) fat juicy dates, spitted
•4 ounces (115 grams) of dark (70 % or more) chocolate
•3 tbs (45 ml) of sunflower seed oil (1)
•pinch of black pepper

Ingredients for decoration

•20 pistachio nuts, unsalted and chopped

Baking the cake

•Preheat the oven to 170C (350F)

•grease the pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper (cut a round circle for the bottom and then a strip to cover the side. The grease will make the paper stick to the pan).

•combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside

•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy add the wet ingredients, bit by bit, letting them blend in nicely

•add the dry ingredients into the wet, allowing them to mix well till the batter has become a whole

•pour into the pan and make sure the mixture is spread evenly

•bake for 40 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)

•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. Then take it out of the spring form, put it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.

Date jam

•put dates into a food processor and section them to a paste

•scrape the dates out of the processor and put them into a small pan

•heat the pan slowly and add some water (probably about a medium glass), bit by bit, till you reach the ideal consistency to spread and a bit more (when the date paste cools down, it will harden some. So do not let it cool down completely before you apply it to the cake).

Chocolate frosting

•melt the chocolate in a small saucepan at low heat

•add the sunflower seed oil bit by bit

•add a pinch of black pepper

Putting it all together

•cut out 4 round cakes using the food ring and then slice each cake (now cool) in half

•spread the date jam on the cake and then top it with the next layer. Save the prettiest, flat layer for the top.

•just before serving, pour the hot chocolate over the cake tower and sprinkle the pistachio nuts on top

Tips & remarks

•I bake in an electric oven where the heat spreads very evenly. I have baked in a gas oven before and notice that for some reason, there is some 'heat loss'. So I have had to increase the heat in a gas oven by 5C/41F

•Unsalted pistachio nuts are difficult to find where I live. So I have sometimes bought the salted ones, rinsed them with water and let them dry before chopping them. Worked like a charm.

(1) Hard core paleo diets like to stay away from seed oils because they are extracted using heat. You could use coconut oil instead (keep away from the ones that have been chemically deodorized). 

Red Cabbage Slaw

Red cabbage is an amazing source of vitamins and minerals that will promote your well-being:
•it is low in fat
•it has anti-aging effects
•it is good for eyes and skin
•enhances immunity
•cleanses the body
•has anti-cancer agents

And don't you find it incredibly colorful and beautiful? One look at it and it makes me want to prepare it in some sort of way. That is sometimes tricky. Not everybody likes it cooked (me, for one, I definitely do not).

Here is a salad that passed the test of my friends, more than once. It is very simple, really fresh and tasty.

Ingredients
•half a head of red cabbage. Quartered, cored and shredded.
•2 Granny Smith apples. Cored and diced
•150 g of walnuts, quartered
•3 tbs of apple vinegar
•5 tbs of grape seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
•peper and (Himalayan) salt to taste

Putting it together
There is absolutely no science to it. Just toss all ingredients together and presto! Except I have a few tips for you:
•warming the walnuts in a pan will enhance the flavor. When the walnuts start releasing the 'nuttig' odor, they are ready. No need to 'roast' them. Let them cool down before adding them to the salad
• the red cabbage will need at least an hour to 'absorb' the flavors of the dressing and nuts, so make sure to toss and mix all ingredients well, a little while before serving
•add the apple at the very end. Red cabbage has the tendency to turn everything red....

Minnesota Wild Rice

Depending on who you read, quinoa and wild rice can be part of a paleo/primal diet...or not.
One thing is for sure, wild rice is not related to Asian rice types. It is also very high in protein,  amino acids, dietary fiber and very low in fat.
According to Mark Sisson, wild rice falls under the same category as sweet potatoes: 'primal', yes. But not every day.
I was introduced to wild rice a long time ago, on my first trip to Minnesota, where my husband grew up. I love everything about it: the way it looks, its unique taste and its cultural background. So I prepare it as a treat, maybe once a month.
There are many things you can make with wild rice. I once got wild rice meal from my Saginaw friend Patti to make yummy pancakes! In the Duluth area, people use it for soups -I don't particularly like it that way. My favorite is as a side dish for fish, fowl or meat.

Wild rice is found in the midwest of North America and it is harvested by several native american cultures, still today. For some tribes, such as the Ojibwa, it is considered a sacred component of their culture. The way the wild rice is harvested is prescribed by state and tribal laws; it is done by canoeing in between the plants and bending them with wooden sticks (called knockers).

Ingredients (serves 4)
•190 g (1 cup) of wild rice;
•1 l (4 cups) of water
•pinch (1/2 tbs) of (Himalayan) salt
•250 g (8,8 oz) of fresh mushrooms (1), sliced
•1 medium onion, chopped
•100 g (3,5 oz) of slivered almonds
•freshly ground pepper
•6 tbs of coconut oil

Putting it together
•Rince the rice thoroughly in a strainer; place it in a (heavy) saucepan, add the water and the salt and bring to a boil. Cook for aproximately 45 minutes or until the rice has 'puffed'.
•Remove from heat, put the rice back in the strainer and pour some cold water over it, to stop it from getting too soft;
•in a saucepan, fry the chopped onions, the almond slivers and mushrooms with the coconut oil
•add the rice and mix it with the rest of the ingredients
•add pepper and (extra) salt to taste

(1) Depending on availability and budget, you can use different kinds of mushrooms for color and more (or less) exotic flavor. In autumn, where I live, mushrooms are abundant. So if possible, I will mix brown buttons mushrooms, shiitakes, portobello and chanterelles because of their colors, textures and most importantly, their amazing health benefits.

Potato Blues

What I hear very often from my friends is that they miss their potatoes, rice, bread and pasta so much, that following a healthy diet is just too much to handle.
There are a couple of ways to deal with the potato blues, all at your finger tips. Have a look around.
Check out the vegetables that will help you forget all about the french fries and pasta bolognese.  All of the ones listed below have a low glycemic index and because of it, get the thumbs up to either bake in the oven or mash.

•sweet potato
•celery root
•white carrot
•carrot
•(butternut) squash
•pumpkin

Peel the tuber and then bake in the oven with some oil, pepper and (Himalayan) salt. Or steam the vegetable, mash it, and add some almond milk. Then pour in a few drops of good quality virgin olive oil to enrich the taste. Salt, pepper and voila! Or add coconut milk to your pure (instead of almond milk and olive oil). That will work beautifully too and give it an exotic twist!
Be adventurous, experiment and try putting in additional herbs and not just to enhance flavor...  Check out their incredible medicinal qualities:

•oregano
•tarragon
•rosemary
•thyme 
(these go best with vegetables prepared with olive oil)
•cumin
•turmeric
•curry 
(for mash prepared with coconut milk)

Taste Buds Kicking Tuna Relish

If you cannot do without a steak -but do not eat meat-, tuna is what you need. I don't know any other kind of fish that comes closer to a piece of "moo'!
Grilled in a iron skillet pan is definitely the best way to go. Make sure to first heat it up to piping hot temperature. Then add a few drops of (coconut) oil and give it a 'vuelta y vuelta' (Argentine's use this term for 'searing' meat a few seconds on one side and then a few more on the other).
You like your tuna to be 'more than just pink', even a bit raw in the inside, otherwise it will dry out and taste like...cardboard :-D
Depending on the thickness of your steak, it will take a few seconds more or less (keep an eye on the side of the piece and watch the heat penetrate the fish).

Some (preferably Himalayan) salt and pepper from the mill will do. But if you are looking for something to kick your taste buds, here is an amazing relish for you to try out:

Ingredients (for 2 tuna steaks)
•4 sundried tomatoes in oil -cut in strips
•1 medium shallot - finely chopped
•1 anchovies in oil -minced
•1 tsp of agave syrup
•2 tbs virgin olive oil
•1 1/2 tbs of red wine vinegar
•2 tbs of dry sherry (if you use medium dry sherry instead, you can omit agave syrup)
•5 basil leaves

Putting it together
•put all ingredients in a bowl and let all the ingredients soak up flavors for at least 1 hour
•just before serving, take some scissors and cup up the basil leaves in the mixture and stir

Remarks
There are different ways to serve this:
a) You can either make individual steaks and top it with the relish or
b) You can slice the tuna steaks, arrange them carefully in a flat dish and then pour the relish on top. This way the tuna will get cold quickly, but that's fine. It will taste awesome as a 'cold' tapa dish as well!

Not quite T.R.'s Celery Root Soup

Number three on my list of favorite winter soups is my own adaptation of Tal Ronnen's celery root soup. Tal Ronnen is a well known American cook, and a master at creating gorgeous meatless meals. My mother-in-law brought me his beautifully photographed cookbook called The Conscious Cook (2009) from the US a while ago, and his celery root soup (quoted by Oprah, as being 'the most popular soup she makes'), is one of the recipes I adopted but adapted to better fit my needs.
Don't let the looks of the root put you off... This soup is delicious!

You need

•(Vitamix®) blender

•large saucepan

Ingredients 

(for 12 cups/3 l of soup)

•2 tbs of virgin olive/coconut oil

•2 medium celery roots, peeled and cut into cubes

•2 medium onions, chopped

•3 l ( cups) of vegetable stock

•2 tbs of white almond butter

•1 bay leaf

•freshly ground salt and pepper

•a few green celery leaves (for decoration)
•fresh salt and pepper

Putting it together

•In a large saucepan, warm the oil and add the chopped onion over medium heat. Sauté until soft for a few minutes. Stir frequently until slightly see-through;

•Add the celery root and continue to sauté, stirring frequently until slightly softened (about 5 minutes)

•Add the vegetable stock

•Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer till vegetables are soft

•Add almond butter

•Remove bay leaf

•Let it cool a bit and then blend until smooth

•Return to the saucepan and season with black pepper and/or salt to taste

Presentation

Place a spoonful of very finely chopped celery leaves in the center of each serving. 

Pimped Broccoli Soup

Here is another amazing winter soup. Without a doubt, this one is my husband's all time favorite! Quite basic at first sight, but wait and see what you can do to it!

You need

•(Vitamix®) blender

•large saucepan

Ingredients 

(for 12 cups/3 l of soup)

•2 tbs of virgin olive/coconut oil

•1 leek (including tender green part), chopped

•1 medium onion, chopped

•850 g (1.9 lbs) of washed and trimmed fresh broccoli florets and stalks

•2 l (8 cups) of vegetable stock

Toppings (per serving)

•1 tbs of parmesan cheese or

•50 g of smoked salmon, diced

•1 egg

Putting it together

•In a large saucepan, warm the oil and add the chopped leek and onion over medium heat. Sauté until soft for a few minutes. Stir frequently until slightly see-through;

•Add the broccoli and continue to sauté, stirring frequently until slightly softened (about 5 minutes)

•Add the vegetable stock

•Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer till vegetables are soft

•Let it cool a bit and then blend until smooth

•Return to the saucepan and season with black pepper and/or salt to taste

Presentation

Return the pan to the burner and reheat the soup gently (do not let it boil). Crack a raw egg (per serving) and poach it (approx. 5 min.). Ladle the soup into the bowls, making sure not to break the egg. If this is not your thing, you can opt to garnish your broccoli soup with 1 tbs of Parmesan cheese (my husband's favorite). If you prefer to stay off dairy, like I do,  top your bowl with cubed smoked salmon. This soup makes the perfect winter lunch!

Joanna's Carrot Soup

As the days get colder, windy and rainy, nothing gives me more comfort than to prepare and then savor, a good bowl of homemade soup!

Soups are nutritious, easy to freeze, you can take them to work and if you dress them up a bit, they can make the perfect opening to your three course meal at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I will be sharing a few soups 'with a twist' the coming weeks, starting with my godmother's, classic. She introduced us to this recipe during our first visit to Sherborne, where she used to live. It is simple, but with a few extraordinary ingredients, it turns into the dish everybody goes crazy for.

I must be honest with you, if you like thick soups to be smooth, silky and very creamy (like the ones served in good restaurants), you will need to save up and acquire a Vitamix®. There is just no blender in the world that even comes close to the performance of this machine. It is an investment, yes, but if you love cooking and health food, put it on your wish list. You will not regret it. It is an investment for life.

Of course you can prepare soups with other (hand)blenders, they will just turn out more grainy.

You need

•(Vitamix®) blender

•large saucepan

•frother

•zester/paring knife

Ingredients 

(for 1 gallon/3,8 l of soup)

•2 tbs of virgin olive/coconut oil

•2 medium onions, chopped

•1,5 kg/8 cups of washed and cubed carrots

•3 l/12 cups of vegetable stock

•the zest an orange (one big curl will do)

•1 inch piece /1 tbs of grated fresh ginger

•cold almond milk

•salt and pepper

Putting it together

•In a large saucepan, warm the oil and add the chopped onions over medium heat. Sauté until soft for a few minutes. Stir frequently until slightly see-through;

•Add the cubed carrots and continue to sauté, stirring frequently until slightly softened (about 5 minutes)

•Add the vegetable stock

•Add the fresh ginger (if you have a strong blender, you will not need to grate it first);

•Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer till vegetables are soft

•Let it cool a bit and then blend

•Return to the saucepan and add black pepper and/or salt to taste

Presentation

I have served this soup for Christmas before in a cappuccino cup, then added frosted almond milk on the top. Not only does it look amazing, I was surprised to see how it also keeps the soup warm (giving you plenty of time to serve everybody). Finally, you can add a couple of fine orange zest curls for looks. Always a success!

If you don't have a frother, there are alternatives for foaming milk that will work for almond milk as well, and help you get the same result!

Complementing Wild Salmon

Fish is one of my main sources of protein. I eat it every day. From my carnivore friends I often get the question: 'what fish can you recommend that is not ... fishy?'.
If possible, always smell raw fish before you buy it. If it smells 'fishy', it is probably not kosher. The catch of the day should be odorless.
I have to admit that complimenting fish with the perfect sauce, salsa and/or herbs can be kind of a challenge. What works for one type of fish might not necessarily work for the other.
I love wild salmon! Here in the Netherlands, where I live, it gets flown in all the way from Alaska! Like any animal living in freedom, Alaskan salmon gets tons of exercise and is quite lean. So it cooks super fast (approx. 6 to 8 minutes) and, if you don't eye hawk the oven, it will dry out.

Here is an easy recipe to compliment oven baked wild salmon :

Ingredients
•1/4 cup (59 ml) fresh lime juice
•a handful of fresh cilantro leaves
•1/2 cup (120 ml) good quality virgin olive oil
•salt & pepper
•2/3 cloves of garlic
•1 red chili pepper

Putting it together
•crush the garlic cloves into a bowl
•add lime juice
•whisk in the olive oil
•deseed the red chili pepper and chop it finely, then add it to the liquids
•add pepper and salt to taste
•cut the cilantro with scissors into the bowl
•put the slightly salted salmon (no skin) in a greased oven dish and pour the mixture on top of it, just before putting it in the oven.

Remarks
•I advise to prepare this marinade a few hours in advance and cover it. Add the cilantro half an hour before pouring the mixture on the fish.
•the amounts here will give you enough mixture to cover a large piece of salmon (good for 6/8 people).
•cook the salmon in a very hot oven (450F/230C) for aprox. 6/8 minutes.

Meskouta

I am sure that by now you must be thinking that I have a true sweet tooth (which I do!) and that I bake cakes all day long (which I really do not). Actually savory is more my forte in the kitchen. But somehow, lately, weddings and birthdays have been providing me with the perfect excuse to dust off old sweet recipes and try some new ones...
So here is Meskouta (or Maskouta), a traditional orange and almond cake that has orange as a key ingredient. It was my friend Lotty whom told me about this incredible Moroccan cake she made last summer (that passed the test of her baking queen Finnish, very critical mother-in-law). She encouraged me to try it since, she said, first of all it was a 'no brainer' and second, it would fit my health bill.
So I did. And indeed, it is fresh, simple and fool proof.

You need

•parchment paper

•a round 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan

•hand mixer

•minipimer

Ingredients

•2 well cleaned oranges

•2,5 cups (250 g) almond meal

•6 eggs
•1 tsp baking powder
•1/2 cup (120 ml) of agave nectar
•1 ounce (28 g) slivered almonds

Baking the cake

•boil the (whole) oranges in water for two hours. Then allow them cool down completely. This might take quite a while. Preferably, let them sit in the empty pan overnight after boiling and disposing of the water.
•preheat the oven to 356F (180C)

•grease the pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper (cut a round circle for the bottom and then a strip to cover the side. The grease will make the paper stick to the pan).

•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy start pouring the agave into the mix, while you keep the blender running
•add the oranges and puree them with a minipimer till they have become one with the egg/orange mixture
•add the baking powder to the almond meal
•add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend well
•pour into the spring form
•sprinkle the slivered almonds on top

•bake for approximately 45 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)

•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. Then take it out of the spring form, put it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely

Tips & remarks

•I bake in an electric oven where the heat spreads very evenly. I have baked in a gas oven before and notice that for some reason, there is some 'heat loss'. So I have had to increase the heat in a gas oven by 5C/41F

•if you find that the almonds on the top get too dark too quickly, lower the heat a little bit by 41F (5C).
•I have read that Meskouta may vary depending on the family traditions. Some people will add nuts to it or some vanilla to the mixture...