Pork Stir Fry on Quinoa

What to eat when you're in Barcelona in Spain? Hmmm... It has to be easy, and not "heavy" food, because it's extremely hot, and all you really wanna eat is watermelon and and ice cream. We ended up making this really delicious veggie stir fry with pork and quinoa and some tomato sauce to add some creaminess to the dish. It turned out way good. 

Ingredients:
1 lb pork cutlets
curry
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 medium bell pepper
10 mushrooms
Half cucumber
10 tomatoes
fajita spice mix
salt and pepper

1 cup quinoa
Tomato sauce (optional)

Directions:
1. Cook the chicken in a large pan
2. Meanwhile, chop the onion, garlic, bell pepper, mushrooms, cucumber and tomatoes.
3. Add the curry, onion, and garlic to the pan.
4. Cook the quinoa. 
5. Add the rest of the veggies to the pan and season
6. Serve with quinoa and tomato sauce

Sweet Chickpea Cookies

So the other day I had some leftovers of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) from the hummus I made, so I wanted to make these grain free cookies which I'd thought about making for a million years.

Ingredients:1¼ cups canned chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (165 grams) Peanut butter
¼ cup (80 grams) honey or agave
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
½ cup (90 grams) chocolate chips (I used 70 %)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips until creamy. Fold in chocolate chips and shape little balls/cookies on a cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, until golden. 

Chia Crispbread

One of my favorite snacks in the afternoon when you start to feel a little hungry is crisp bread with cream cheese and some kind of dressing. It's filling, and if you choose the right kind of bread you get a lot of good fats and other nutrients which are super good for you!! This is one of my favorite kinds. 

Ingredients:

0,5 dl (1/4 cup) chia seeds (chia frø)

0,5 dl (1/4 cup) pumpkin seeds (græskarkerner)

0,5 dl (1/4 cup) sunflower seeds (solsikkekerner)

0,5 dl (1/4 cup) gluten-free oats (havregryn)

0,5 dl (1/4 cup) buckwheat flour (boghvedemel)

2 tbsp flax seeds (hørfrø)

0,5 tsp salt

2,5 dl (1 1/4 cup) water

1 tbsp coconot oil

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and let them sit for about an hour to let the chis seeds absorb some of the water.
Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees (200 grader)

Steel Cut Oatmeal

So I read this really interesting thing that you have to soak your flours and grains before you use them.. It had something to do with something to do with some chemicals which had to be killed by the acids you add to the water, which can be anything from yogurt to buttermilk to lemon, but it was supposed to kill some things that supposedly should be bad for your digestion etc, so I decided to try it. Honestly I don't think there really was a difference.... But here's the method if you should be interested. 

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 tbsp yogurt (or lemon juice or buttermilk)
1 cup steel cut oats

1 cup water
1 banana
1 apple
Dash cinnamon
Handful dried cranberries 

Directions:

1. Soak steel cut oats in water and acid over night. Preferable 24 hours. 
2. Transfer oats into a sauce pan and add another cup of water. Cook over medium high.
3. Mash banana and peel and shred apple and add both to the oats. Add the cinnamon too.
4. When the water is all absorbed and oats are tender remove from heat and add the dried cranberries.

A Taste of Summer with Quinoa Salad and Chicken Skewers

I love summer. And I love grilled meat. It's not real summer till you've had grilled skewers and a fresh salad with lots of berries. Summer is just my favorite, because you eat more fresh food, and the weather is warm, and you have tons of watermelon. Here are some of my favorite summer recipes.

Quinoa Salad
2,5 dl quinoa
300 g strawberries
500 g asparagus
1 red onion
½ dl almonds
1 bundt mint leaves
100 g feta cheese
150 g edamame beans
DRESSING
1 lime
1 stbsp oliven oil
1 sp honey
Salt and pebber


Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa in water and cook according to direction on the package. 
2. Rinse strawberries and cut into slices. 
3. Wash asparagus, cut off about 1 inch of the bottom end and fry on a dry pan for a couple of minutes. Cut into pieces as well. 
4. Cut the inion into small dice, almost a mince. 
5. Chop almonds and mint.
6. When the quinoa is done pour it into a strainer and pour cold water over it to cool it down faster. Pour into a big bowl when it has dripped a little bit. 
7. Toss the fillings into the quinoa with edamame beans and feta cheese. 
8. Stir all ingredients for the dressing together and pour over the dressing before serving. 

Grill skewers:

Chicken breast cut into medium dice. 
Onion cut twice so it is like little boats.
A lot of cherry tomatoes.

Summer Berry Salad

I love salads, I love Berries, and I love Summer. That's why I made this super yummy berry salad which is perfect on a hot summer day.

Ingredients:

4 cups of greens (spinach, Lettuce, Ice Berg etc)
1/2 cucumber
6-8 mushrooms
6-8 fresh strawberries
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Dressing:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamico
salt and pepper

Directions:
Cut the greens up a little bit. Cut cucumber, mushrooms, and strawberries into slices. Toss all of the ingredients in a big bowl. Mix the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the salad before serving. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Almond Butter

I feel like almond butter is extremely expensive to buy, and in Denmark it is pretty much impossible to find. I haven't seen it anyhow, but then it's good that it is so easy to make homemade! Pretty much all you need is almonds. And then a little bit of salt if you want. 

All you do is just blend about 2 cups of almonds in a blender or a food processor until the oils starts to separate, and it magically turns into a almond butter. It's really that easy, so I truly don't understand why more people don't make it homemade.

And just FYI it's not just almonds you can do this with. You can use pretty much all kinds of nuts, so if you want to make peanut butter, or cashew butter, go for it! It's the exact same procedure. 

Paleo Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

I have a love for chocolate and bananas. Banana is like the greatest natural sweetener of them all if you ask me. So if you have some ripe bananas go ahead and use them for baking and don't just throw them away!!! Also I really think you should try this recipe, because it's seriously one of the best things I've ever tried, and completely guilt free, also for vegans!

Ingredients:

2 bananas
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in food processor and blend on high for 1-2 minutes. Scoop out batter into bowl and add most of the chocolate chips, gently mix to evenly distribute.
2. Press batter into 8x8 pan greased with Coconut Oil.
3. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over top and bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
   
   
   
   

Pear Crumble Mug Cake

Are you looking for a delicious fruity and hearty dessert? And besides from that, do you love oats and paleo stuff? Well I do. And this treat is perfect for a night with crazy cravings for a sweet treat.

2 servings
Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup almond meal/flour
1 tbsp honey (substitute with agave for vegan)
1 tbsp almond milk
pinch of salt
1 pear

Optional: Ice cream, yogurt

Directions:

Cut the pear into little slices or squares. In a separate bowl, mix oats, almond meal, and salt. Melt the honey in the microwave for 20 seconds and stir into the oat mixture with the almond milk.
Put pear slices in the bottom of two mugs and top with the crumble. Microwave for minute and serve with a scoop of ice cream or vanilla yogurt, or some plain greek yogurt, if you are craving something more sour than sweet.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

If you are looking for some healthy gluten-free muffins with lots of protein for a good breakfast or just a healthy treat, these muffins are perfect for you! They took me about 40 minutes to make and bake, and they are just super delicious. 

If you are not a big fan of blueberries, go ahead and substitute with either raspberries or strawberries or whatever you would like. Also try to experiment with the flavor of the protein powder. I used banana cream, because I think blueberries and banana goes well together, but another excellent flavor would just be vanilla or something like that. Whatever you would like!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (50 g) oats
• 1/2 cup (50 g) coconut flour
• 2/3 cup (80 g) frozen blueberries
• 1 handful almonds
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 tsk. baking powder
• 1/2 cup almond or soy milk or water
• 1/2 cup water - depending on texture. You want it pretty firm, not too runny.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Blend oats and almond in a blender for just a couple of seconds to make a kind of flour. 
3. Combine with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Divide evenly into a muffin tin. 
5. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.
6. Let them cool and enjoy with a nice cup of almond milk!

Cauliflower Salad

This salad is super quick and easy to make, plus it taste devine! I personally love the crispy cauliflower, and then with some odor from the beans and carrots makes it even more delicious. The dressing is just a simple vinegar with a little twist from the syrup which makes it super sweet and yummy. 

Ingredients:

2 cups cauliflower florets
2 inches cucumber
2 carrots
1/2 cup edamame beans

Dressing:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamico vinegar
1 tsp fruit syrup

Directions:

Cut the cauliflower into little bits and put in a bowl. Cut cucumber and carrots and add to the bowl with the beans as well. 
Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and stirring until combined. Pout over salad and enjoy!

Thai Soup with Coconut Milk

I seriously love the asian kitchen. It is just one of my favorites. Without question. I actually think that we eat it too rare, but it is kind of hard, because it usually is very spicy and uses a lot of authentic ingredients etc., but there are options! And this soup is one of them. And it's my favorite. It's just nothing less than an amazing soup that I will make a million more times for sure.

Ingredients:

Noodles (rice noodles, buckwheat noodles, or whatever you would prefer)

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp red curry paste (depending on how spicy you want it)

3 large carrots

1 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1 can coconut milk

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 chicken breasts (leave out if you want it vegan)

1 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Cook noodles according to directions on package. Set aside.

Cut carrots into small sticks. Cut chicken into small bite sizes as well.
Heat oil in a skillet and stir in curry paste. Cook chicken in the oil and fury paste. Add carrots and stir for about 30 seconds. Add Chicken stock, water, and coconut milk. Boil carrots for a minute or two before you add the soy sauce and frozen peas. Let it simmer for just a couple of minutes to let the peas thaw. Add the noodles as the last thing.

Enjoy!

The Danish Open Faced Sandwich

To make good Smørrebrød (as we call it in Denmark) is really an art, but one of the most delicious things in the world. The good thing about it is that you can be super creative and make it with almost anything you like. All it requires is good rye bread, lunch meat or fish, and whatever other toppings you would like.

This one is one of my favorites, and it's super simple. Just a couple of slices of avocado and topped with a tablespoon of cottage cheese and salt and pepper. 

This is one of the classics. Start out with putting some kind of green base on the base. I used spinach in this case, but lettuce or rucola or whatever you would like would be good. Then you take a hard boiled egg and slice into 1/8 inch slices. Top with slices of tomato and cucumber and some mayonnaise, and don't forget salt and pepper.

 A thing that is very popular in Denmark on rye bread is different kinds of fish. Usually some kind of canned fish. In this case, I used tuna, and made a simple tuna and egg salad and put it on a base of spinach and topped with a couple of sliced tomato and cucumber. 

Other things to put on rye bread:

Nutella (SO GOOD)

Lunch meat

Boiled potatoes with mayonnaise

Peanut Butter with banana slices

Oatmeal w. fruit and nuts

Oatmeal is my favorite thing in the morning. Without any exceptions. So here's one of my favorite recipes for oatmeal. You can go ahead and top it with whatever you would like. My favorite is fresh fruit, nuts, and honey though, but also dried fruit and other things, just be creative!

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup steel cut oats

3 cups water

1 cup milk of choice

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 banana (for sweetness, honey would work too)

Toppings

Directions:

Cook oats and water until all is absorbed. It takes about 10 minutes. When all the water is absorbed add milk, salt, and cinnamon. Mash the banana and add as well. When milk is absorbed and oats are completely cooked, serve oatmeal with desired toppings and drizzle with honey. 

Paleo Chocolate Muffins with Pumpkin

Who doesn't love when treats are healthy and completely guilt free? Well at least I do, and these chocolate muffins turned out simply amazing. They were so good. No eggs, gluten free, no dairy. Completely vegan and paleo and low carb, fat, and calorie. They just have it all!

Ingredients:
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sweetener (stevia, splenda, palm sugar etc)
6 tbsp melted coconut oil
3 tbsp psyllium husk (I used ground flax seed instead)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
In a mixer, combine pumpkin, sweetener, melted coconut oil, husk or flax seed, and vanilla. Mix until combined. While mixing add in the baking powder, soda, coconut flour, and cocoa powder. Mix until all combined. Finish by adding cranberries and chocolate chips.
Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Falafel with Tahini sauce

I have to admit... I love authentic food from all over the world, and middle east is no exception.Therefore i kind of took a risk when I made my American host family (where the children usually looove the plain tasting very, well, American food if you will) this meal which is very popular in Israel especially. Falafel is basically just chickpeas mixed with onion, garlic, parsley and other spices, so it's super simple to make, and is super delicious. Luckily when I served it, first for my host sister, she just looked at me with these huge eyes and said: "I love this"! So I guess it was a success!

For the falafel:
1 cups roughly chopped white onion

6 garlic cloves
2 cans chickpeas, drained
1 cup lightly packed parsley leaves
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup all-purpose flour
Oil, for sauteing 
Pita bread, for serving
Tomatoes and cucumber

For Tahini Sauce:
1¼ cups greek yogurt 
¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Add the onion and garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor and pulse just until they are finely minced. Remove the mixture and set it aside.
2. Add the chickpeas, parsley, salt, chili powder, and cumin to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until they are roughly blended but not pureed.
3. Return the onion mixture to the food processor, along with the baking powder and just enough flour so that when you pulse the processor, the mixture begins to form a small ball and is not sticky. (Note: Start by adding ¼ cup of flour, and then the remaining ¼ cup. You can add more if the mixture is still too wet.)
4. Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
5. While the falafel mixture is chilling, prepare the tahini sauce by whisking together the yogurt, tahini and lemon juice. Season it with salt and pepper, cover it and place it in the fridge.
6. Once the falafel mixture has chilled, use a small ice cream scoop or spoons to form the mixture into balls.
7. Set a large sauté pan over medium heat and add oil to coat the pan. Let the pan pre-heat for 3 minutes then add the falafel one by one, browning them on the first side for 3 minutes, then flipping them once and browning the second side until the mixture is cooked throughout.
8. Place three or four falafel inside a halved, warmed pita and drizzle with the prepared tahini sauce, tomatoes, and cucumber.