Healthy Apple-Cinnamon-Oat Bran Muffins

Whether you like to eat healthy or you are just looking forward to loose those few extra kilos you have been carrying around, healthy snacks seems to be a good step towards your goal. Greasy and sugary snacks seems to always be more handy and they surely are popular, but how good are they? We wanted and needed better snacks and looking for solutions on internet, a page from the magazine Women's Health popped up, showing some delicious muffins! We couldn't resist but try our own version of these beauties and it was a success!

If you are not really into healthy food or weight loss, just try it anyway because they are delicious! 

Ingredients (makes 8 medium muffins):
1/2 cup of oat bran
1 cup of wheat flour
1/4 cup of flaxseeds
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 egg
4 tablespoons of canola oil
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 apples
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 cup of cashew nuts

Pre-heat the oven to 180 ºC. 

In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, flaxseeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well.

Peel off the apples and chop roughly. Place in a blender and add lime juice and sugar. Blend until you get a nice and smooth puree. 

In another bowl, beat the egg and add the oil. Whisk until creamy and add the apple puree. Mix well and add the cashew nuts, roughly chopped.

Make a well in the middle of the bowl containing the dry ingredients and pour down the wet mixture. Stir the mixtures gently without overdoing it. Spoon into paper lined muffin forms. 

Bake for about 25 minutes (it depends on the oven) or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool down on a rack.  

Notes:

This recipe can easily be adapted to other ingredients. Replace the apples by bananas, pears, peaches, etc. or replace the cashew nuts by any other kind of nut.

Adapted from the healthy muffins recipe of Women's Health magazine.

Vegetarian Frittata

It is not the first time we post a frittata dish here. We like the simplicity of it. It is very easy to make, you can use all those ingredients left in the fridge at the end of the week and the result is (almost...) always tasty. 

Still in the mood to eat light meals, we choose a vegetarian frittata. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1/4 cup of milk

12 cherry tomatoes

1 small green pepper

1/2 zucchini 

2 tablespoons of coriander

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. 

Chop the zucchini and the pepper. Set aside.

Beat the eggs with the milk, salt, pepper and the coriander, finely chopped. Set aside.

Use olive oil to lightly grease the bottom of a small oven tray that can also be used on the stove (or a frying pan that can also be used in the oven). Heat up the oil on the stove and introduce the tomatoes to give them some colour. After a couple of minutes introduce the pepper and the zucchini and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the eggs mixture and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the tray to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes or until firm. 

Serve with a green salad.

Almost Tapas

Tapas, beer and a good conversation are the perfect combination! They are described as a variety of snacks or appetizers, and can be served hot or cold. The traditional tapas vary from different kinds of cheeses and hams, olives, potatoes, omeletes and others. At home, tapas can be anything you feel like eating, as long as it comes in different small dishes. 

This recipe is a vegetarian version of tapas, which goes a little against the spanish tradition, but traditional or not, it was all delicious! 

Roasted potatoes

Ingredients:

5 small potatoes

Rosemary

Salt

Olive oil

Wash the potatoes well and without peeling them off, transfer into a pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Let them boil for 2-3 minutes, or until the fork can go through a potato without breaking it. Remove the water and let dry. 

In an oven tray, sprinkle some olive oil and add the boiled potatoes and the rosemary. Roast in the oven until golden.

Roasted peppers

Ingredients:

2 green peppers

3 garlic cloves

Olive oil

Salt

Wash the peppers and roast them whole on an open flame (e.g. stove), stirring now and then to get each side roasted. Afterwards, transfer to a plastic bag, close it and leave it for 5 minutes or until the peppers become soft. Under running water, peel the skin off, rip off in smaller pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add chopped garlic, salt and olive oil to taste.

Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella salad

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes

150g of fresh mozzarella

Basil leaves

Oregano

Salt

Olive oil

Slice the tomatoes and the cheese and transfer to a serving plate. Spread oregano on top. Season with salt and olive oil and decorate with basil leaves.

Serve all the tapas with bread and don't forget the beer!

Gazpacho with Basil Ice

Christmas is over and after a really nice vacation at home, involving a lot of food, the Swedish and the Chef is back! 

After spending some weeks in the european weather, we are back to the hot tropical summer and all we want is to have something healthy and cold. Gazpacho, a cold soup, fulfills all the requirements to be the first recipe of 2013.

Originally from Spain, gazpacho is a tomato-based soup usually served cold, perfect for a hot summer day. There are several different recipes and you can make it more personal as well, adding your favourite flavours. 

Below, you can find the Swedish and the Chef version, served with funny basil ice cubes. 

Ingredients (serves 4):
6 tomatoes
1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cucumber
1 garlic clove
1 lime juice
500ml of chicken stock (recipe here)
Small bunch of fresh basil
Salt
Pepper
Tabasco sauce to taste
Baby basil leafs (for the ice)

Place all the ingredientes in a blender (except the ones used for seasoning), and blend for a few minutes. Season with salt, pepper and tabasco sauce.

Transfer to a bowl and cover. Leave in the fridge for at least 4h or overnight. 

Serve cold, with some basil leaves and basil ice cubes.

Notes:

If you prefer to find something to bite you can blend the ingredients for a less smooth result, or finely chop the ingredients and not use a blender at all! If on the other hand, you are looking for an extremely smooth texture, you should pass the mixture through a sieve.

Tabasco sauce can be replaced by any other spicy sauce.

To make the basil ice: combine a baby basil leaf and water in each well of an ice tray and freeze.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Lately, the Swedish and the Chef have been posting more salads and food for the summer. To please our readers on the other side of the globe, this time we bring you a warming winter dish. We were looking for something different and appetizing, and at the same time adventurous. We decided to go for chicken noodle soup, an asian inspiration. Many people around the world have this dish as their comfort food, but for us it was a big adventure as we are very inexperienced in asian cuisine and it was the first time with fresh pasta as well. We hope you like it!

Ingredients:

Chicken stock
Chicken bones
1 carrot
2 whole celery sticks
5 Bay leaves

1 garlic head

3L of water

Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and caramelise the chicken bones for a few minutes (2-4). Add the carrot and the celery, roughly chopped. Add the bay leaves and the garlic, cut in half. Caramelise for another couple of minutes. Add the water, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Pass through a sieve and set aside.

Fresh Noodles

300g of 00 flower + some more to dust

3 eggs

A pinch of salt

On a wood board, make a well of flower and the salt, and break the eggs in the center. Mix everything using your hands until the dough comes together. Knead for about 10 minutes, wrap in cling film and rest for about 20 minutes. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. Roll each of them until it is really thin, but it doesn't break. Transfer onto a clean cloth and dry for about 15 minutes (it depends on the temperature of your kitchen). Roll into a spiral and cut transversally, into stripes to form tagliatelle (or slightly larger). Set aside.

Soup
400g of chicken breast
40ml of cachaça
1 medium onion
1 celery stick
1 carrot
2L of chicken stock
Fresh noodles
1 small bunch of fresh parsley
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Chop the chicken breasts in cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Seal the pieces on a frying pan with some hot olive oil. When the meat is golden deglaze the pan with the cachaça. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pan, at medium heat. Add the onion, finely chopped, and cook for about 3 minutes. Add carrot and celery and cook for another 5 minutes. Add stock, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender (~8 minutes). When the pasta has been cooking for about 5 minutes, add the chicken pieces. 

Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley, chopped. Adjust seasoning if needed. Ladle into serving bowls and serve hot.

Notes: The dough for any fresh pasta likes warm atmospheres, so the use of a wooden surface during all the process is rather important. 

Instead of cachaça you can use any other kind of strong alcohol. 

Tomato, Rocket and Parmesan Salad with Mint Dressing

Last evening we were looking for something light and tasty. Something different, fresh, with good flavours and textures. This was the result. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Dressing
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
6 mint leaves
Salt
Pepper

Chop the mint leaves finely. Whisk all the ingredients together until the mixture is emulsified. Set aside.


Salad
A bunch of rocket
10 cherry tomatoes
75g of parmesan
50g of peanuts


Chop the tomatoes in halves.
Cut the parmesan into shaving slices using a vegetable peeler.
Roast the peanuts for a few minutes.
Mix all the ingredients for the salad. Serve with the mint dressing on the side.

Summer Salad with Orange and Aji Dressing

A summer salad that is good in every season. As a starter or as a side dish, enjoy some fresh vegetables dressed up in your favourite spicy sauce. We chose aji, the peruvian favourite spice. What about you?

Ingredients:

1 cucumber

2 tomatoes

5 radishes

100g of white cheese

4 tablespoons of orange juice

1 garlic clove

Fresh coriander

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons of vinegar

1 teaspoon of yellow aji powder

Salt

Pepper

For the salad dressing, combine the garlic, minced, with a pinch of salt until it becomes a paste. Add the orange juice, the aji and the vinegar and whisk. Add the olive oil in a stream, whisking until it forms an emulsion. Whisk in the fresh coriander, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the tomatoes (seeds off), the cucumber (seeds off), and the white cheese in brunoise. 

Cut the radishes into thin slices.

Toss all together in a bowl and add the salad dressing.

Serve with coriander springs and toasted bread.

Notes:

The aji powder can be replaced by chilli powder, fresh chillies, or other flavours of your taste.

Creamy Avocado Linguine with Strawberries

I really enjoy dishes that surprise me. The kind that you look at and start imagining the flavours in your head, but then it tastes completely different taking your palette by surprise. This dish was created using the few ingredients available at home, and if in the beginning it felt strange, once we tasted it we started loving it. 

Don't be fooled by the sweet look, try it before you judge it. I wish you a surprising experience too!

Ingredients (serves 2):

300g of Linguine
10 strawberries
1 large avocado
1 bitter orange, juiced
1 handfull of fresh basil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup of olive oil
Fresh grated parmesan
Salt

Cook the pasta in salted water until it is al dente. 

Chop the strawberries in quarters. 

In a food processor, combine fresh basil, garlic, orange juice, olive oil and salt. Blend for a few seconds. Add the avocado flesh and blend again until smooth and creamy. Correct seasoning if needed. 

In a large bowl toss the pasta, with the avocado mixture and the strawberries. 

Serve with grated parmesan and extra strawberries.

Notes:

If you don't have bitter orange substitute it by lemon or lime.

Grilled Salmon: the simple way

Simple food can look great and taste even better.

This is a simple recipe, but what a great way to get a delicious dinner after a long day at work, without spending what's left of your energy in the kitchen.

Have fun and have a nice rest!

Ingredients (serves 1):

180g of salmon
1 large potato
70ml of milk
20g of butter
50g of peas
1/2 lime juice
5 tablespoons of olive oil
A pinch of salt
A pinch of pepper
A small bunch of parsley

For the sauce, mix the lime juice, the olive oil and the parsley, chopped. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and adjust the olive oil if needed, until the flavours are well balanced. Set aside.

Cook the potato in salted water until is cooked through. Afterwards, add the butter and mash everything, adding the milk slowly (at room temperature or lukewarm). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pass the mash through a thin sieve to obtain a creamy texture without lumps.

Grill the salmon, seasoning it with salt just before.

Boil the peas until cooked. 

Plate all the elements, spreading the sauce on top, and serve. 

Baked bolognese

Liking a dish is also about memories. If you taste a dish and it brings you back to your childhood it is most likely a great dish. However, it is not easy to cook something and make others go on that trip with you. The chef decided to give it a try, and this dish intends to bring you to my hometown, back to the playful times of school and lunches at my aunt's house. It worked with the Swede...

Ingredients:

500g of beef mince
300g of penne
2 medium onions
3 large tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 cup of water
100g of parmesan + some more to sprinkle on top
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Start by preparing the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan, add the garlic and one finely diced onion. Cook until tender (~2 min.) and add the chopped tomatoes, the tomato paste and the water. Bring to a boil and afterwards turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until it's reduced.  Add the paprika and the cayenne pepper. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Cook the penne in salted water for about 6 minutes. It should still be firm by the end. Drain it, sprinkle some olive oil on top and set aside. 

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add the other onion. Throw in the meat and cook until done, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato sauce and cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning and turn off the heat. 

Combine the meat with the penne and add the parmesan cheese. Transfer to a baking tray or terrine and sprinkle some more parmesan on top. Put in the oven at about 180 ºC, for about 20 minutes or until the parmesan becomes golden and crispy. Cool down a few minutes before serving.

Notes:
In the tomato sauce, chop the tomatoes as fine or as roughly as you like. Roughly chopped means you will get a texture with small bits in the end.
You can add dried tomato pieces on each individual plate when serving.

*Inspired by and dedicated to Dila