#aesthetic #alternative #candy #fit #food #fruit #health #healthy #inspiration #strawberry #sweet #foodporn

#aesthetic #alternative #candy #fit #food #fruit #health #healthy #inspiration #strawberry #sweet #foodporn

Read More

Strawberry milkshake is surely a classic in its group although probably everyone prepares it slightly differently: some add cream, some - ice cream; some use very ripe bananas, some - frozen bananas. For a very long time I prepared it as either a treat/snack or - sometimes - as an accompaniment to breakfast.

This time I wanted it to be a wholesome breakfast and that is why I added chia seeds to my more-or-less usual ingredients. Why was chia supposed to make the difference? You may remember from one of my previous posts that chia seeds are not only nutritious but also an excellent source of dietary fiber. Additionally, these seeds are weight-loss friendly because:

• due to a pretty high (for a plant food) content of proteins - approx. 16%, they reduce appetite and
• since chia can absorb up to 10-12 times its weight in water, it becomes gel-like, expanding in your stomach making you feel fuller so you want to eat less calories.

That way when you have this milkshake in the morning you can be sure that not only you have a delicious and nutritious start to your day but also you will not feel hungry for a few hours. And did I mention it takes only a few minutes to make it?

Chia Seeds and Strawberry Milkshake[vegan]

Ingredients

• 200g fresh or frozen strawberries
• 2 bananas
• 200ml rice milk (or any other type of milk)
• 2 tbsp chia seeds

Takes 3 min, serves 2.

Instructions

1. Process everything in a blender for 40-60 seconds.

Read More

Meringue Cake with Strawberry Cream

Meringues are one of my favourite types of cake, and honestly I could have them a few times a week. However, due to the high sugar and calorie content, I try to restrict myself – but every now and then I either make a meringue cake, or have it as a special treat.

Some time ago I had a wonderful strawberry meringue in a restaurant, and I really wanted to make it myself. I had made meringues before, so that part was not an issue; but the cream was a different story. I wanted it to taste of strawberries, but too many liquidized strawberries could make the cream too runny and the cake would lose its shape. I had to have a few trials before I managed to get the right proportion of ingredients to get a delicious cream – but all the effort was definitely worth the final result!

INGREDIENTS (for 6-8 portions):

Meringue:

4 egg whites,

200g caster sugar,

1 tsp white wine vinegar,

a pinch of salt.

Cream:

250g strawberries plus a few more for decoration,

6 tbsp icing sugar,

125g mascarpone cheese,

150ml double cream.

METHOD:

1. Take two pieces of baking paper and draw 20cm-diameter circle on each one; then put them on two baking trays.
2. Pre-heat an oven to 180 Celsius degrees.
3. Put the egg whites to a big, clean and dry bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat them with an electric mixer.
4. When they are stiff, start adding sugar (while you still beat the egg whites): add one tablespoon at a time and carry on beating for 20-30 seconds before you add another tablespoon of sugar.
5. When you have used all the sugar, keep on whisking for another 2-3 minutes, then add the vinegar and beat for another minute.
6. Divide the beaten egg whites into 2 portions and carefully spread them on the drawn circles, put both baking trays to the hot oven.
7. After 5 minutes decrease the temperature to 140 Celsius degrees and bake for 90 minutes; afterwards turn off the oven, open its doors slightly and keep it open for 5 minutes. Close the door and keep the meringues in the oven for a few hours or overnight.
8. Liquidize the strawberries, press them through a fine sieve, add the sugar and stir till the sugar dissolves.
9. Put the mascarpone to a bowl, beat with the electric mixer on low speed and add 14 tablespoons of liquidized strawberries*.
10. Whisk the double cream till stiff and gently stir with the mascarpone and strawberry mix till combined.
11. Put one meringue disc (the worse looking one) on a serving plate, spread the strawberry cream on it and place the second meringue carefully on top, decorate. If you prefer, you may keep some of the cream and use it to decorate the top of the cake.
12. Keep refrigerated till needed.

* You may end up with more liquidized strawberries then needed. However you should add only 14 tablespoons, otherwise the cream might be too runny.

  

Read More