Chocolate Chia Pudding with Raspberries [vegan]

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, chia is still a novelty ingredient for me and I am fascinated by it: it is almost difficult to believe that so much goodness can be hidden in such tiny seeds, and dietary fiber is one of them. Since 34% of Chia is dietary fiber, it makes it one of the best sources in the world.

All types of plant food include dietary fiber – components that our body cannot absorb or digest so they go through our digestive system almost intact. And what it means to us is that high fiber food, in general, has less calories for the same volume as other types of food, which helps maintain a healthy weight.

Based on dissolving (or not) in water, there are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Chia seeds are a great source of soluble fiber which is very beneficial to us because:

• it reduces the risk of heart diseases by helping to lower the blood cholesterol and
• it reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by slowing down the absorption of sugar.

Adults should daily consume 20-35g of dietary fiber. If we consider having recommended 2 tablespoons of chia seeds (25-30g) per day, that tiny amount will provide us with approx. 40% of recommended daily intake of fiber in one go!

Since chia is so beneficial to our health then why not start a day with a delicious and easy to prepare chia breakfast? Which in truth is so good, it could be also served as a dessert.

INGREDIENTS (for 1 breakfast or 2 dessert portions):

125ml almond milk,

2 tbsp chia seeds,

1 tsp cacao powder,

4 tsp maple syrup,

100g raspberries.

METHOD:

1. Pour the chia seeds into a small bowl with the almond milk, stir well with a fork and put to a fridge for min. 1.5 hours or overnight. If possible, stir again after 15 min.
2. Add the cocoa powder and 2 tsp of the maple syrup to the chia and stir well.
3. Liquidise or mash the raspberries with the 2 tsp of maple syrup.
4. Serve in a glass layered chocolate chia and raspberries.

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Healthy Avocado Brownies [gluten free]

Who doesn’t love brownies? For sure I don’t belong to this group of people because I love them like almost everything else that contains chocolate. I especially adore brownies that my daughters have baked for the last few years. Their brownies are moist, chocolaty and rich. They are unfortunately also full of calories and fat as there is butter and plenty of sugar in them… So whenever I have those brownies, my guilt grows proportionately to the number of pieces I eat.

That’s why when I came across a brownie recipe that uses avocado instead of butter, I quickly had to test it out. To be honest I wasn’t ecstatic about the final outcome: I used chocolate with a very high percentage of cocoa solids and the cake was on the edge of being bitter. As I really liked the concept of healthier brownies, I didn’t want to give up and adjusted the recipe to make it sweeter without adding any more sugar. So I used a different type of chocolate and added lots of nuts as well as cranberries. That strategy worked really well: the result of my second attempt was most delicious.

INGREDIENTS (for 16 pieces):

100g dark chocolate (no more than 65% cocoa),

2 medium, ripe avocados, peeled and roughly mashed,

150g sugar,

2 tsp vanilla extract,

2 eggs,

40g cocoa powder,

45g almond flour or ground almonds,

40g dried cranberries,

100g mixed nuts (cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts), roughly chopped,

METHOD:

1. Preheat an oven to 175 Celsius degrees (or 150 for fan ovens).
2. Line a small (e.g. 14cm x 24cm) baking tray with a parchment paper.
3. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a pan of simmering water.
4. Put to a food processor the avocados, sugar and vanilla extract; process them till smooth.
5. Stir in the melted chocolate then add the eggs and process again till everything is combined.
6. Add the cocoa powder and almond flour, mix well until combined.
7. Stir in the dried cranberries and nuts; transfer to the baking tray and smooth the top.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Based on a Half Baked Harvest's recipe  

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Lemon Cake with Chia Seeds

When it comes to Chia seeds, I am still on a voyage of discovery and experimentation. I read how healthy they are and therefore intend to use them as an ingredient in my food as often as possible. I have already tried them out in a few simple recipes (I will post them soon) but what I really wanted to do was to bake a cake with this novelty ingredient.

Chia reminds me a bit of poppy seed so I used it in a lemon cake as a substitute for poppy seeds. The cake turned out delicious: very moist with crunchy little bits. And although I do realize this is not the healthiest cake in the world (I tried to use healthy rapeseed oil instead of butter but it didn’t work), I am sure that adding chia seeds certainly made it healthier.

INGREDIENTS (for 8 portions):

175g butter, in room temperature,

175g sugar,

200g flour,

2 tsp baking powder,

Zest from 3 lemons,

2 tbsp lemon juice,

3 eggs,

100g Greek yoghurt,

2 tbsp chia seeds,

Icing:

100g icing sugar,

1 tbsp + 1tsp lemon juice.

METHOD:

1. Preheat an oven to 180 Celsius Degrees (160 for fan ovens).
2. Put a disk of parchment paper on the bottom of a round 18cm-diameter cake tin and grease its side.
3. Beat the butter and sugar till fluffy, add the rest of the cake ingredients and beat until everything is well combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the hot oven for 50-60 minutes (when a wooden stick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, the cake is ready).
5. Cool down the cake at first in the tin and after 10 minutes on a wire rack.
6. Prepare the icing by mixing the icing sugar with the lemon juice, pour it over the cake.

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Homemade Granola with Red Berries

Granola is such a great solution to quick breakfast: you only have to pour it into a bowl, add your favourite type of milk or yoghurt and voila, ready to eat! Of course you can also add some fruit and honey or other sweetener, if you wish and have time, but it is not necessary as there is already so much in granola itself: oats, nuts, dried fruit, etc. However, if you look closely at the ingredients’ list on some of the pre-packaged granola, you may find out there it contains too many additives that are not necessarily the healthiest.

The best way to overcome this problem is to make your own granola. It will contain exactly what you like and want, and furthermore you will be able to limit the amounts of sugar and fat, too. And making it is really easy: it is just a question of mixing the ingredients and putting them into an oven. The only problem with the homemade granola may be that because it tastes so good, you will also have it at other times than breakfast. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of rolled oats,

6tbsp olive oil,

4 tbps honey,

1 cup raspberries,

1 cup chopped strawberries,

2tbsp pumpkin seeds,

2 tbsp sunflower seeds,

4 tbsp chopped hazelnuts and Brazilian nuts.

METHOD:

1. Preheat an oven to 170 Celsius Degree (150 for fan ovens).
2. Pour the oats to a heatproof bowl.
3. Mix the olive oil with the honey, warm up till runny (it can be done in a microwave) and pour over the oats, stir very well to coat all the oats.
4. Add the berries, stir and put to the hot oven for 30 minutes.
5. Take the dish out from the oven, stir in the seeds and nuts, put back to the oven for 20-30 minutes.
6. Store it in an air-tight jar for a few days.

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Almond Meringue Roulade with Chestnut Filling

A few weeks ago I was having a friend over for late lunch. I knew she - just like I - liked meringues so I had no problem with choosing a perfect dessert for her: meringue roulade with – this time – chestnut filling. I got to the kitchen in the morning only to discover I had neither corn nor potato starch that I always used for my meringues. Before setting off to a shop, I decided to look for an alternative recipe. As always BBC Good Food site helped me solve my problem: I found a recipe in which ground almonds were used instead of any type of starch.

This meringue was completely different than the one I always used for my roulades: it was thinner and actually crispy. I was a bit worried it was going to break while I was rolling it but it seems that keeping it under a damp cloth after it was baked did make it pretty elastic. The whole cake tasted really divine and probably better than if I had used my original recipe as the almond-y meringue complimented the chestnut filling really well. And it all happened by chance ;)

INGREDIENTS (for 8-10 portions):

4 large or 5 small egg whites,

220g caster sugar,

1 tsp almond extract,

1 tsp white wine vinegar,

50g ground almonds,

2 tbsp flaked almonds,

300ml double cream,

5-6 tbsp sweetened chestnut puree.

METHOD:

1. Preheat an oven to 190 Celsius degrees (170 for fan ovens).
2. Line a 25cm x 35cm (or similar) baking tin with baking paper.
3. Whisk the egg whites till stiff; continue whisking and add 1 tbsp of sugar, beat for 10-20 seconds more and add another 1 tbsp of sugar, continue until you have used all the sugar.
4. Gently stir in the almond extract, vinegar and ground almonds.
5. Spread in the prepared tin, sprinkle with the flaked almonds, put to the oven and bake for 30 minutes till golden and firm.
6. Remove from the oven, cover with a sheet of baking paper and a damp tea towel.
7. Whip the cream till stiff; stir in the chestnut puree.
8. Remove the tea towel from the top of the meringue but keep the baking paper. Carefully flip the meringue upside down so the top with the flaked almonds is now on the bottom on the paper.
9. Gently peel off the paper and spread the chestnut filling on top.
10. Roll the roulade carefully, use the paper to help you.

The meringue recipe comes from BBC Good Food site.

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Leek and Potato Soup with Truffle Oil [vegetarian]

Although Leek and Potato Soup might be a classic in some countries, in Poland (or at least in the area I live) it is unknown. A few years ago we went to Italy for our skiing holiday. We reached our destination after two days of driving but since it was too early to go to our hotel, we found a busy, family type restaurant for lunch. And that was the place where I tried this soup for the first time.

Leek and Potato Soup is already delicious by itself but truffle oil really moves it up to quite another level. Although the below recipe obviously is not exactly the same as at that restaurant, the soup is as lovely as the one I had a few years ago. I have made it so many times since then and it is always greatly appreciated by everyone. It is important though to have a really high quality truffle oil: the one with truffle’s pieces rather than one with just its aroma.

INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 portions):

30g butter,

450g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-3cm cubes,

450g white parts of leeks, sliced,

1 onion, cut into cubes,

850-1000ml vegetable stock (it can be made with this concentrated stock paste),

250ml milk,

salt and pepper,

truffle oil for serving.

METHOD:

1. Melt the butter in a medium size pot.
2. Add the potatoes, leek and onions, season and then stir well to coat in the butter.
3. Scrape the sides of the pan with a spoon so all the vegetables are on the bottom, put a disc of grease-proof paper on top of them and cover the pot with a lid.
4. Decrease the heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the paper, pour in 850ml of stock, bring to boil and cook for approx. 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
6. Liquidize the soup in batches and transfer to a cleaned pot.
7. Add the milk, adjust the seasoning and bring to boil again. If the soup is too thick, add more of the stock.
8. Serve the soup in bowls, drizzled with the truffle oil.

Based on BBC Good Food recipe

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Peking Duck

I can’t really say which cuisine is my favorite one but Chinese is for sure in my top 3. I love it for the different stir fries, variety of dumplings and for the one and only Peking Duck. I used to have it only in restaurants as I thought it was really difficult to prepare. But then one day I came across a recipe for this dish that seemed really easy, and gave it a try. It was really very good. But then, I read a bit more about Peking Duck preparation and adjusted the recipe accordingly. And although I am sure Chinese restaurants have their special tricks to prepare it, the duck cooked as per the instructions below is really easy to make and tastes like it came straight from a very good Chinese restaurant.

I do make Peking duck just for 4 of us but it is also a great dish to serve (with other Chinese starters) to a group of people: everything can be prepared in advance, the duck will be ready exactly when you want it to be and it takes only minutes (or seconds, if you use a microwave) to steam the pancakes just before serving.  And it is fun for the guests to roll their own pancakes.

P.S. If you have a vegetarian among your guests, cut tofu into 2-3cm cubes, mix with some teriyaki sauce and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Then put to the oven with the duck for the last 20-30 minutes. My vegetarian daughter says it tastes almost as good as the real thing with all the trimmings and most importantly – it allows a vegetarian to participate in the special way of eating this meal.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions, or 6-8, if served with other dishes):

1 duck,

1 tbsp honey,

75ml warm water,

1-2 cucumbers cut into long, thin sticks,

1-2 bunches of spring onions, sliced into strips,

Hoisin sauce,

pancakes.

METHOD:

1. Remove any feathers that are left and cut off the excess fat from the duck.
2. Boil a kettle of water.
3. Put the duck to a big bowl and pour boiling water over it (if necessary, turn the duck so the water can be poured all over it), keep in the hot water for 2-3 minutes, and then pat dry it completely with paper towels.
4. Mix the honey with warm water and coat the duck’s skin in it (using a brush).
5. Put the duck into a bowl and keep in a fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. The duck should stay dry so use a bowl in which it can “stand”.
6. Heat an oven to 170 Celsius degrees (150 for fan ovens).
7. Put the duck (breasts up) on a roasting rack placed over a roasting tin and roast for 4 hours.
8. Increase the temperature to 220 Celsius degrees (200 fan ovens) and roast for 30 minutes more.
9. Carve/shred the duck’s meat including the crispy skin into small pieces and transfer onto a serving dish.
10. Put separately on serving plates the cucumber, spring onions, hoi sin sauce and warmed up (steamed or microwaved) pancakes. If you microwave them, cover the plate with pancakes with cling film and microwave for approx. 30-40 seconds on Medium.
11. When the meal is served, everybody helps themselves to a pancake, spreads a bit of Hoisin sauce on it, puts the pieces of cucumber, spring onions, duck and optionally a bit more sauce and rolls the pancake.

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Pistachio Cookies [gluten free]

Whenever I go on holiday or for a short break, I prefer to go to a different destination each time. There are simply so many wonderful places to visit and there are only so few days of holiday.  But I have some exceptions from this rule and Rome is one of them. I love this city, I could walk there for hours every day and it really doesn’t matter to me that I have already seen some of the places there several times.

While we were wandering around Rome a few years ago, we came across a bakery. It was really small and not fancy at all but the biscuits on the display looked really appetizing and - as we checked later – they tasted divine.  We ended up going there almost every day, we also recommended it to everyone who was going to Rome. Oh, I didn’t mention this was also Julia Robert’s favorite cookie place when she was filming “Eat, Pray, Love” in Rome.

So whenever we went to the Eternal City, this little bakery was a staple point to visit, almost like Fountain di Trevi or the Colosseum.  And then last year we found out it was not there anymore. Supposedly it moved to a different location but we never found it… We have missed all their biscuits so much that I knew I would have to try to recreate at least the favorite one: pistachio cookies. I adapted the below formula from an Italian recipe for almond biscuits. They are probably not the same as the original recipe, but I can assure you they taste wonderfully of pistachios and Rome.  

INGREDIENTS (for approx. 25 cookies):

250g pistachio nuts,

150g icing sugar,

2 egg whites,

extra icing sugar for coating.

METHOD:

1. Process the pistachio nuts in a food processor until you get “pistachio flour”.
2. Add the icing sugar and stir.
3. Whisk the egg whites with the electric mixer till stiff.
4. Gradually add the egg whites into the pistachio and sugar mixture; stir till all ingredients are combined and you end up with a sticky dough.
5. Let the dough rest for 12 hours in a fridge.
6. Preheat an oven to 160 Celsius degrees.
7. Form small balls from the mixture (approx. walnut size), coat them in icing sugar, place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and flatten slightly.
8. Bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes, the cookies shouldn’t get golden so they remain soft inside.

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New Year's Resolutions - how to set goals [and stick to them for life]?

We all know people who every year make new year’s resolutions. We all know people who every year make the same new year’s resolutions. We even may belong to that group. Why can we never reach these goals? 

The answer to this question is not easy. For some of us having new year’s resolutions might be sort of a tradition: we set them every year (without even thinking too much about them) because everyone else does. Some of us are full of energy and good will in January therefore right at the beginning we work religiously on meeting our resolutions, but as time passes we are less and less enthusiastic about them. But why? Are our goals simply too ambitious or does lack of motivation hinder our success? 

Making a change is difficult but making many big changes at the same time is extremely difficult, thus maybe it is better to start with one or a maximum of two small amendments to our life. So if we want to improve our diet, instead of avoiding junk food completely, let’s start with quitting only biscuits or crisps. This should be so much easier to achieve from one hand and from the other – once we are successful – it will motivate us to doing more.  

Organizing a support system might also be helpful in achieving our goal. So if we are, for instance, eliminating crisps from our diet, it is better to avoid the temptation and simply not to have any at home. Additionally, once we tell our family and friends about our resolution, not only will they not offer any crisps to us, but we may feel more obliged to stick to this plan as we want to avoid embarrassment of admitting to failure.

Once the goal is chosen, we have to set the start date for realizing the plan. Any day is good enough as long as it is realistic. Beginning our adventure with outdoor jogging in winter when it is cold and icy is not the best idea since we will probably very quickly start looking for excuses not to go outside. But when we do start, it is important to keep a record of how we do in realizing our plan. For instance, writing down daily or weekly in a calendar time spent on exercising will make us feel great and even more motivated when we do well. And when we don’t achieve the planned hours, we will be able to easily notice that, think about the reasons and adjust the workout plans accordingly. So if we were to, for example, workout 3 times per week in the evening in a gym but we end up going only once because we are too tired, going there in the morning or exercising at home will resolve that problem. 

When we accomplish our goals we will already feel wonderful but why not celebrate the success in a special way that will make us want to achieve even more? We can for instance reward ourselves with a small gift whenever we lose 2kg or reach planned hours of workout in a month. Obviously the reward shouldn’t undermine the achievements thus celebrating the first month without biscuits with a huge cake is not the best idea! 

However, after the celebration there is still a lot of hard work because we want to make sure that whatever we have achieved is a permanent change for life. It probably will not be easy but writing down how this change has improved our life and how great we feel about it will certainly help. And keeping on eliminating the tempting triggers (biscuits, crisps, easy excuses) is very important too.  

Having read this post, now you may think it is a few weeks too late. But I feel you have read it just in time. If you have already given up on fulfilling your new year’s resolutions as they seemed unachievable, hopefully after reading this post you will get back to them. Maybe you will adjust them so they are not that demanding, or maybe you will concentrate just on one goal remembering that small improvement is better than no improvement. And if you haven’t set your resolutions yet, now with this newly gained insight, it is going to be so much easier. 
And it really doesn’t matter the New Year was a few weeks ago because nobody said you have to wait for New Year to improve your life. 

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