November 1, 2019
Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Serves 2-3
olive oil
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
1 potato
400g cauliflower
200ml coconut milk
400ml vegetable broth
1 tsp mustard
salt, pepper, curry powder, chili flakes, sesame and cumin
Heat up the oil in a pot and add thinly cut onion, garlic and potato. Add cauliflower florets stir fry for some minutes, then pour coconut milk and broth into the pot. Cook for about 20-30 minutes until cauliflower florets are tender. Then blend and season the soup with salt, pepper and mustard. Serve with chili flakes, sesame seeds and cumin. Enjoy!
October 9
Carrot Coco Soup
Serves 2-3:
4 cardamom capsules
1 tbs cummin
1 tbs chilli flakes
olive oil
4 big carrots
some ginger
60g red lentils
400ml coconut milk
400ml vegetable broth
salt, pepper, curry powder
cilantro
coco chips
Toast the cardamom seeds, cummin and chilly flakes in a pot, then add olive oil, carrots and ginger. Stir fry for a while before you pour lentils, coconut milk and broth into the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, then blend the soup until it is creamy. Decorate with cilantro and coco chips. Enjoy!
September 26
High protein shakshuka
Serves two
1 small onion
1 red pepper
1-2 cloves garlic
400g tomatoes in a can
a cup of chickpeas
2 tbs harissa paste
lemon juice
2 eggs
paprika powder, salt, zatar
olive oil
feta, parsley
Heat up olive oil, chopped onion and diced peppers in a frying pan, then add garlic and a can of tomatoes, some chickpeas and spices. Simmer for about 30 mins before you add the eggs to the sauce. Cook for another 8-10 minutes, sprinkle parsley and feta crumbles on top and serve the shakshuka straight out of the frying pan.
Its a quick, healthy, protein rich middle eastern/ northern african meal for anytime of the day (usually eaten as breakfast, but it is yummy all day long). Enjoy!
June 12,
Vegan Bananabread
60ml canola oil
140g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g flour
50g almond powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
70g walnut and pecannut bits*
3 bananas
*a salty nut mix gives that extra yumm to your bananabread...
Mix everything together, then add the smashed overripe bananas.
Bake at 180 degrees Celcius for about 40 minutes on the sevond last platform. Enjoy!
••• Yogi Style Bananabread: vegan, sugarfree and glutenfree •••
3 bananas, smashed
80g dates, finely chopped
50ml almond milk
40ml coconut oil
275g buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
50g walnuts & pecannuts, finely chopped
Bake at 180 degrees Celcius for about 45-50 minutes.
May 7
Vegan Asparagus Tart
Serves four:
250g green asparagus tips
spelt dough round
vegan feta
vegan pesto
vegan ricotta*
Vegan Ricotta
100g of macadamia nuts
3-4 tbs water
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
Spread the vegan ricotta on the dough, add asparagus, crumbled feta and some pesto. Bake at around 220 C for about 15 mins. Enjoy this light springtime meal together with a green salad.
Serves four:
250g steamed green asparagus
1 glass of cooked chickpeas
2 tbs lemon infused olive oil
2 tbs tahina
salt and white pepper
Mix all ingredients in a blender until you get your detoxifying spring style hummus! Enjoy!
February 3, 2019
Protein Bagels /Buns
Super easy to make as they contain only four ingredients.
for four buns
1 cup greek yoghurt
1 cup flour
2 tbsp baking soda
salt
Pour yoghurt in a bowl, add flour, baking soda and salt and whisk until you get a creamy dough. Then form four balls and make bagels or buns out of them.
Preheat oven at 180 C and bake the buns/bagels on top shelf for 25 mins.
Together with avocado mash and a soft egg they make my sunday breakfast perfect! Enjoy!
December 12, 2018
vegetarian & vegan apero sticks
Everyone is making Christmas cookies these days, but also sayory goods come out of the ovens.
Here are some impressions of apero sticks with different fillings.
Cut filo dough diagonal into 16 small triangles. Place on each one one coffee spoon of filling. Cut the ends or fold them in.
Muhammara (vegan pepper-walnut paste)
Pistacho-Pesto
Feta with Zatar or olive oil peppermint/parsley mix
Feta with red pesto
Pre-heat the oven at 180-200 C. Bake the apero sticks until they are golden (15-25 mins) at the middle of the oven.
enjoy!
August 28
Oriental Cawliflower with Dates and Tahina
1 cawlifower
pine nuts
8-10 dates
salt
cinnamon
olive oil
lemon juice
tahina
This oriental-vegan dish is quickly prepared and tastes absolutely yummy! Cut the cawlifower into little pieces and marinate them with lots of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of cinnamon while the oven gets pre-heated at 200 degrees Celsius. Put the raw califlower-roses in a heatproof dish, sprinkle some water on top and let them bake for about 10 minutes. Then add a handful of pine nuts and again some water droplets and bake for another 5 minutes before you finally add the small date pieces (and maybe more water drops). Keep the dish in the oven for further 5-10 minutes until the cawlifower gets soft. Serve wirh lemon juice and tahina. Enjoy!
August 17
Bulgur with green veg pesto
Last week in Porto I came across this yummy green pesto with fresh vegetables. I loved it so much that I have tried out the recipe at home, here it comes:
Serves four
a bunch of arugula salad leaves
green asparagus
a small leek
a dash of olive oil
some pine nuts
goat cheese
salt, pepper
Quickly blanch the vegetables. Then put them in a blender together with the arugula salad leaves, the pine nurs and the olive oil. Add creamy goat cheese and condiments to the green veg pesto and serve together with bulgur, pasta, risotto or quinoa. Enjoy!
July 30
Quinoa-Broccoli Burger with Muhammara
Serves 4
1 Broccoli
1 Onion
1 cup of quinoa
1 cup of chickpea flour
1/2 cup of water
1 tbs Tahini
1 tbs olive oil
salt, pepper and chili flakes (curry)
sesame oil for frying
2 pointed bell peppers
1 galic clove
50g walnuts
Harissa, cummin, salt and pepper
2 tbs lemon infused olive oil
Grill the peppers at 220 degrees for about 15 mins until it is easy to peel them. Put all ingredients for the Muhammara in a blender until you get a creamy dip.
Cook quinoa, then let it cool down. Chop broccoli and onion into very small pieces. Larger pieces can be put into a blender together with chickpea flour, water, lemon infused olive oil and tahina. Add quinoa and then form small balls out of it. Flatten the balls that you get some nice quinoa-broccoli patties. Fry in sesame oil until you get a golden crust. Serve with Muhammara. Enjoy!
July 3
Pink Soulfood Sauce with Vegan Ricotta and Pasta Pearls
Fregola Sarda are small pasta pearls originating from Sardegna and similar to bulgur. They go very well along with this pink soulfood sauce loaded with proteins, calcium and betaine with helps to raise your seretonin levels..
serves two:
1 cup Fregola Sarda
1 cup macadamias raw and unsalted
juice of half of a lemon
2-3 tbsp water
salt, pepper, thyme and oregano
1 beetroot, cooked
1 garlic clove
lemon infused olive oil
salt, pepper
While the pasta pearls are cooking there is enough time left for preparing the pink soulfood sauce and the vegan ricotta.
Put macadamia nuts, lemon juice, herbs and spices in a food processor and add some water until you get a ricotta-like mousse. Put some of this vegan ricotta aside for the decoration later.
Now add the cooked beetroot, the garlic clove and a dash of lemon infused olive oil and blend until you get your pink soulfood sauce. Add salt, pepper and some chili flakes for the extra kick.
Serve the pink sauce with fresh herbs and crushed macadamia nuts. Enjoy!
serves four:
400g white quinoa
salt
2 Tbs olive oil
1 lemon
150g cashew mousse
400ml water
safran
800g spring vegetable such as green asparagus, cherry tomatos, snow peas
1-2 spring onions
1-2 garlic cloves
salt, pepper, chili flakes
1 Tbs nut oil
cashews for decoration
Cook white quinoa in salted water until tender.
Prepare a bowl with olive oil and lemon peel.
Blend cashew mousse, water and safran spice until you get a creamy sauce.
Stir fry the vegetables, spring onions and garlic cloves in the nut oil, then add cashew sauce, let it simmer for a while and seasoning as well as some lemon juice if you like.
Mix quinoa, vegtables and sauce in the bowl together with the lemon peel infused olive oil, add some toasted cashews and serve this yummy and fresh spring quinoto immediately. Enjoy!
April 10
Skyr Soulfood with Oranges, Dates, Figs, Pomegranate Seeds, Hazelnuts and Honey
Skyr is an Islandic yoghurt, similar to Greek Style yoghurt but very low in fat and very high in proteins. It is an ideal quick and light snack after doing yoga or sport.
serves one
1 cup of skyr
2 dates
1 fig
half of an orange
hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds and honey
Put skyr into a bowl and add the dried fruits and orange cubes. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top and decorate with hazelnuts and honey.
Enjoy!
April 1, 2018
Easter Brunch Scones with Thyme and Zucchini
serves 10 - 12 scones
500g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon herbs de provence
1 zucchini (ca. 200g)
salt and pepper
300 ml oatmilk
1 teaspoon olive oil
Mix flour, baking soda and herbs together, then add grated zucchini (wind excess moisture out with a kitchen cloth or paper) and salt and pepper. Pour milk and olive oil into dough and bake for about 12-15 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius. Enjoy with vegan cream cheese or guacamole. Happy Easter!
December 29, 2017
Corina’s vegan peta da legums*
serves two - four
2 medium sized potatoes
2 fennels
2 handful spinach
olive oil
curcuma, salt, pepper and paprika
soy cream fraîche
spelt paste
Stir fry the vegetable and season it. Add vegan soy cream and let it simmer for a while. Then put the veggie mass by side and let it cool down before you spread it onto the spelt paste.
Bake for about 30 mins in the oven at around 200 degrees Celsius.
Bien appetit.
*Who wants to know more about romansh (the fourth official language of Switzerland), yoga therapy, yoga retreats or natural cosmetics can get in touch with
Corina and check her website.
December 22
Pumpkin Quinoto
The Peruvian cuisine ranks among the best in the world, but not only cheviche is famous all over thr globe, quinoa is getting big all over as well. While I was travelling thru Peru I had this yummy quinoto at la bodega verde in Lima. I have exchanged some ingredients (normal cream cheese/mozzarella with creamy goat’s cheese) and here you find my version of quinoto con zapallo.
Serves two
100g pumpkin
100ml water
Olive oil
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
1 tbsp goat’s cream cheese
Parmesan
Salt, pepper
Mint
Cook pumpkin until its soft, then blend it until you get a purée.
Stir fry shallot and garlic clove, add quinoa and water and cook it until the quinoto is nearly done. Add pumpkin purée, cream cheese, parmesan, salt and pepper and cook it to perfection. Then sprinkle some mint leaves on top and serve. Disfrutan!
November 1
Sweet Pea Soup with Coconut Chips
serves two
Sweet peas are loaded with proteins, vitamin A and C and other healthy minerals that give us a glow, shiny hair and inner balance.
2 spring onions
1 garlic clove
some coconut oil
250g frozen sweet peas
200ml vegetable broth
salt
pepper
honey
a dash of apple vinegar
200ml coconut milk
toasted coconut chips for decoration
Stir fry onions, garlic and sweet peas, add vegetable broth and condiments. Heat the soup up for a while before adding coconut milk. Cook for another few minutes. Then blend everything until you get a creamy consistency. Sprinkle coconut chips on top of your soup bowl, serve and enjoy!
October 26
Serenity Breakfast Bowl
serves two
1 banana
1 papaya, mango (or half of a pinapple)
1/4 cup of almond or coconut milk
1 tbs honey
coconut flakes
macadamia nuts
cacao nibs
peach slices or other fruit/berries for topping
Blend the fruit pieces (preferably slightly frozen) with milk until you get a smoothie-bowl like consistency, then add honey and fill the puree into small bowls or glasses. Decorate with toasted coconut flakes, macadamia nuts and cacoa nibs, fruit slices or homemade granola.
Enjoy your power-and vitamin-loaded serenity breakfast bowl!
October 5
Chocolaquafabamousse with a Heart of Sweet Orange
Cacao Beans are pure soulfood: soul comforting, stress level easing and serotonin boosting, hence healthy beans!
serves six
100g of dark chocolate
120ml aquafaba
1-2 tsp cream of tartar
orange marmalade
almonds for decoration
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Beat the cold aquafaba (straight from the fridge) together with cream of tartar to firm white foam. Softly and slowly mix the white foam and the dark melted chocolate.
Fill the chocolaquafaba into small glasses. Add a spoonful of orange marmalade (the heavier marmalade sinks slowly) and put the Chocolaquafabamousse with a heart of sweet orange in the fridge for about two hours to cool down. Enjoy pure soulfood!
September 15
Beetroot-Hummus with Honeyed Goat Cheese, Grapes, Thyme and Nuts on Flatbread
Fall is back and with it soulfood from the warm oven..
serves two to three
1 beetroot (cooked)
1 can of chickpeas
1 garlic clove
1 lemon (juice only)
1-2 tbs lemon-infused olive oil
1 tbs tahini
salt, pepper
flatbread
grapes
goat cheese
honey
thyme
walnuts
pine nuts
Spread beetroot-hummus on flatbread, add goat cheese and honey.
Bake for 15-20 mins until the goat cheese looks golden brown and then sprinkle grapes, thyme and nuts on top. Enjoy!
August 24
Cosmopolitan Gazpacho
As the temperatures are rising today and this weekend again, here another Spanish cold soup classic with a Caribbean twist with an exotic note of mangos.
300g cherry tomatos
1 super ripe mango
half of a cucumber
1 tbs lemon infused olive oil
1-2 cups of cold water
salt, pepper and chili flakes
Italian parsley and black sesame for decoration
Mix all ingredients but the garnish with a blender until your soup has the ideal consistency, otherwise add more cold water.
Put the soup in the fridge for some minutes and then enjoy a bowl of fresh and sweet Cosmopolitan Gazpacho.
August 14
Ajo Blanco de Nicaragua
This cold soup was one of the best meals I had on the Nicaraguan mainland. It was in Granada in la Espressionista, one of the hippest cafes in Centroamerica. Now, the weather here in Europe is almost as hot as back then in April in Granada... so prepare yourselves this yummy soup and enjoy the summer and the sunshine.
serves two
3 cups of white almonds (sliced or whole)
2 cups of ice cold water
1 garlic clove
1-2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs white balsamico
sea salt
some basil leaves
1 cup of watermelon
mix all ingredients but the watermelon in a blender until you get a creamy soup,
put some watermelon cubes into a bowl and pour ajo blanco on top. serve cold and enjoy a Nicaraguan twist of this Spanish recipe. buen provecho!
July 14
Vegan Tiramisu With Raspberries And Lemon
Three to four servings
Lemon syrup
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs icing sugar
Stir well juice and icing sugar
Lemon cream
250g (1cup) vegan almond whipped cream
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs lemon syrup
1 lemon (juice and peel)
Mix all ingredients until you get a fluffy cream
100g vegan cookies (flaky coconut ones are best)
250g raspberries
Crumble the cookies at the base of a dessert glas. Add syrup, then one layer cream and one layer raspberries. Repeat these four steps until your dessert glass looks nice. Decorate with some extra crumbles of cookies or mint or thyme leaves.
Put in the fridge for a few hours so cookies can get really soggy from syrup. Serve cold and enjoy a sweet moment.
July 4
Fruity Fresh Summer Salad
This fruity and fresh grapefruit- avocado salad is quickly prepared and really tastes like summer and sunshine. Pink grapefruit is antioxidative, slimming and fat burning and a true vitamin c and pectin booster.
serves two
3 baby romain lettuce
1 avocado
1 half of a grapefruit
some almond sticks
feta crumbles
olive oil
condimento bianco
liquid honey
salt, pepper, cilli flakes
Cut lettuce, avocado und grapefruit in small pieces, add feta and almonds and then sprinkle olive oil and aceto balsamico bianco and some honey over the salad. Enjoy summer time on your plate!
Next week, I will finally go again to Ticino, the Southern most canton of Switzerland where this yummy, light and even no so unhealthy Pizza creation comes from. Since the first time I have tasted the pizza estiva at Ristaurante Portico on Pizza Grande in Locarno I fell in love with it and now it is one of my fast & favourite recipes for a nice summer vegetable snack.
pizza dough extra thin
ricotta cheese
green asparagus tips
cherry tomatoes
zucchini
spring onions
mozzarella pearls
arugula
Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese on the pizza dough, then decorate with vegetables, add mozzarella pearls, salt, pepper and some extra vegin olive oil.
After backing the pizza in the pre-heated oven for about 15 mins, sprinkle some arugula op top and enjoy. Buon Appetito!
May 26
Halloumi with refreshing bulgur-salad
2-3 servings
This oriental meal is healthy due to its superfood components and it tastes so summer-like-yummy, ideal for a lunch or a nice BBQ... now that the temperatures here in Europe start raising again...
1 cup bulgur
2 cups of water
some salt
cook bulgur until its soft, then let it cool down...
1 avocado, in dices
8-10 cherry tomatos or sun-dried tomatos in halves
1 spring onion,
mint and Italian parsley
salt, pepper and chili
put all ingredients into a salad bowl
1 lemon (juice)
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs tahini
mix them together, this is your creamy dressing for your salad
250g halloumi cheese
1 garlic clove
some honey
some olive oil
3-4 lemon slices
salt, pepper, chili
Sprinkle some olive oil and honey over the halloumi cheese, lemon slices and garlic, add spices and bake for about 20 mins at 200 degree Celsius in the oven until the halloumi gets a golden crust.
Enjoy the warm cheese with the refeshing salad!
Pura Vida is the name of this South Beach Cafe where I am enjoying a smoothie that's called "Welcome to Miami" made of fresh mangos, passion fruits, bananas and honey. I am celebrating today the one year anniversary of my website
Serenity Style and its blog. As all snacks here at
Pura Vida, the recipes on my blog are mostly based on superfoods, too. As is this birthday cake, the vegan mango cake, maybe it is a bit more of a soulfood than a superfood recipe, but hey, it contains two ripe, fresh mangos (best right from the tree of my friend's garden in Bangkok) and therefore tastes so yummy.
2 ripe mangos
130g flour (I mix 100g white flour with 30g coconut flour)
30g cornstarch
75g coconut flakes
190g sugar
8g baking powder
5g baking soda
90g coconut oil
130ml coconut milk or rice-coco-milk
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and then add the diced mangos. Put the dough into a round baking form and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes.
Enjoy the mango cake with some icing sugar, raspberries or pure!
April 28
Chickpea Curry with Cawliflower Mash
Cawliflower makes your skin firm and glowing, chickpeas and turmeric are favourites in ayurvedic cuisine for centuries, so with this vegan and gluten free dish you can style yourSELF beautiful, healthy and serene!
1 cup of chickpeas
1 onion
coconut oil
curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
1-2 tsp tahini
ginger
1 lime
1 chili
cilantro or mint
cashew, sesame, coconut chips, almonds
cawliflower
salt, pepper, nutmeg
1-2 tbs macadamia nut oil
Cook cawliflower in salted water until it gets soft, add oil (or butter) and seasoning, then blend the cawliflower until you get a creamy mash.
Stir fry chickpeas and sliced onion in coconut oil, add curry powder, coconut milk and tahini as well as grated ginger and let them simmer. Season with lime juice, chili, mint, cilantro, seeds and nuts and enjoy this healthy, beautifying and yummy chickpea curry with cawliflower mash.
April 16
Vegan Brownies with Raspberries and Coconut
120 ml aquafaba (liquid of cooked chickpeas)
1 tsp cream of tartar or baking soda
190 g sugar (white or brown)
Beat the aquafaba and cream of tartar well with a mixer until you get a foamy, opaque mass, then add sugar and keep on whipping until you get soft to firm peaks. Then add...
75g cacao powder
75g flour
a pinch of salt
60 ml coconut oil
2 tbs almond, oat or coconut milk (or 1 tbs milk and 1 tbs rum)
2 tsp vanilla extract
...and keep whipping.
If you like it very chocolaty, or if you want to get rid of some easter bunnies, add a handful of cacao nibs or cracked chocolate into the dough.
Fill the baiser mass into a 20x20cm baking tray and sprinkle raspberries and coconut flakes on top and then put the brownie-dough into the pre-heated oven for 30-50 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Use a toothpick to check upon the dough. If you have small crumbles sticking to it, then the brownies are ready, inside still moist and outside crunchy. Sprinkle some icing sugar over the brownies and serve with raspberries. Happy Easter and enjoy!!
February 17
Wintersalad with fresh goat cheese
This quickly prepared salad tastes so yummy, fresh and healthy. Enjoy the vitamins!
serves two
1 beetroot
1 orange
1 handful of grapes
2-3 handful of spinach
Cut everything into pieces and decorate with fresh goat cheese, pomegranate seeds (or cranberries) and hazelnuts.
for the dressing you need
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs honey
juice of half an orange
salt and pepper
February 11
Sweet Potato-Coco-Mash with Floribbean Salad
I got inspired by the Floribbean Cuisine for this super yummy and healthy meal. As in southern Florida, lots of the ingredients are typically Caribbean such as mango, coco, lime and sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin a, mangoes and avocados are superfood anyways, so what do we want more? Maybe it would be nicer to eat this dish in the Caribbean...
for four portions
2 sweet potatoes
3 shallots or spring onions
2 tbs toasted coconut flakes
1 cup of coconut milk
salt, pepper, chili
cilantro
1 mango
1 avocado
12-16 cherry or date tomatoes
some feta
juice of a half lime
some olive oil
salt and pepper
Boil sweet potatoes and shallots and mix them in a blender, add coconut flakes and coconut milk and spices, decorate the mash with cilantro and serve together with the Floribbean salad. Enjoy!
February 3
Sweet Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries
Serves two:
1 lb brussels sprouts
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs honey
1 tbs cider vinegar
salt, pepper, chili, thyme, cinnamon
1 orange (peel and juice)
2 handful of cranberries
1 handful of almonds
Cut the brussels sprouts into halves and boil them in water for a short period. Then marinade the vegetable with the mixture of olive oil, vinegar, honey, OJ and spices and put it in a medium warm oven for 10 minutes. Then add cranberries to the marinade and pour the the rest of the marinade on the brussels sprouts and keep them in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Serve with almonds. Or you prepare a lukewarm brussels sprouts salad: cover the vegetable with the mixture of water, oil, vinegar, juice and spices and then let the vegetable cook for 15-20 minutes in a pot. Add the cranberries after a while, so they can get soft, too and serve with almonds and some extra balsamic vinegar.
January 29
Parmesan- Pine Nut-Polenta with Swiss Chard
The green leaves are rich in vitamin A and E which are important for a healthy skin. This superfood veggie is a perfect ingredient for a gluten free winter dish.
serves two
1 cup of polenta
0.5 lb Swiss chard
1 garlic clove
1 small shallot
some olive oil
Parmesan
pine nuts
hazelnuts
salt, pepper and chili
Roast the nuts in a pan while the polenta is cooking in a pot. Then stir fry Swiss chard with garlic and shallot and season the vegetables. Decorate the dish with parmesan cheese and nut mix. The left overs can be reheated and taste still yummy the next day. Enjoy!
January 20
Berry trifle with coconut flakes
This cute little desert is kind of healthy, as I prepared it with vegan almond whipped cream and vegan cookies, yummy raspberries and of course coconut flakes. I miss the tropics and so I caught a little bit of that flavor in a glass...
cookies
vegan almond whipped cream
coconut flakes
raspberries
Crunch a cookie (preferably with chocolate chunks) into a glass, add a layer of whipped almond cream, sprinkle some coconut flakes and raspberries on top, then repeat this layering process once or twice more until your glass is full with layers of soulfood.
Enjoy and dream of coconut palm trees and sunshine.
January 13, 2017
Quinoa with Tomatoes and Spinach
The other day we had a small gathering in the evening and enjoyed this powerfood..
serves two:
1 cup of quinoa
8-10 fresh date tomatoes
4-5 sundried tomatoes (still olive oil soaked)
a handfull of basil leaves
some arugula and baby spinach leaves
pine nuts
salt and pepper
Mix the fresh and sundried tomatoes together with the basil leaves in a blender until you get a creamy tomato sauce
Place some green leaves on a plate, add quinoa and sauce and sprinkle some pine nuts over the plate. Enjoy this healthy, vegan, glutenfree and superyummy meal and get energized.
December 12, 2016
Mediterranean flatbread with tomatoes, Kalamata olives, basil and feta
This is a quick and easy way to get a snack for lunch or dinner and one of my all times favourites...
serves 1-2:
one "flatout flatbread" or pizza dough "extra fina"
some cherry tomatoes
some Kalamata olives
1 clove of garlic
fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper and herbs
heat the oven and bake the flatbread until you get this crispy pizza crust. Enjoy!
The curcuma (turmeric) in the curry powder serves as remedy in ayurvedic healing therapy as it boosts the immune system and works against circulatory problems due to its aphrodisiac effect.
serves four:
some coconut oil
1 sweet potato
2 carrots
1 zucchini
1 yellow bell pepper
curry powder
chili salt
pepper
1 small broccoli
1 small can of pineapple inclusive the juice
1 tbs honey
1 small container of coconut milk
almonds and cashews
Cut the veggies and stir fry (all except the broccoli) them for a while, season with curry powder, salt and pepper. Then add pineapple inclusive their juice, a spoon of honey and coconut milk.
Let the veggies and pineapple cook until they are almost done. Add broccoli and simmer until all veggies are soft and ready to eat. Serve with rice or enjoy this healthy veggie curry on its own.
November 25
Sweet Potato and Beetroot Soup
The bright red beetroot-garlic-walnut-sweet potato-combo boost your immune system with many good vitamins and important minerals such as fluoride and folic acid. Those veggies and nuts makes your hair, skin and theeth shiny and is on top of that super yummy. An article from Women's Health has inspired me to create this soup.
Serves two - three:
1 swee potato
1 small onion
2 beetroots
2 cloves of garlic
2 handful of walnuts
2 cups of vegetable broth
some lemon infused olive oil or coconut oil
chili flakes, lemon pepper and salt
Cut all veggies in small pieces and stir fry. Then add broth,nuts and condiments and let simmer for a while. When the veggies are soft enough for the blender, bend them until your soup gets a nice and creamy consistency. Decorate with nuts, seeds, sage leaves or lemon peel and enjoy a healthy meal.
Have a great and glammy start into the winter season!
November 19
Serenity Style Smoothie
Here comes my signature smoothie for a serene start into the day:
half of a frozen banana cut in slices
1/3 cup of oat milk
some raspberries
coconut chips and almonds
Mix milk and bananas in the blender until you get a smooth banana-ice-cream.
Top with raspberries and toasted coconut chips and almonds.
Enjoy a serene morning moment!
November 8
Apple-Hazelnut Hummus with Seed Crackers
I came across this yummy, sweet and refreshing hummus when I discovered the restaurant Makamaka in Barcelona three years ago. Since then I went every year at least once to that restaurant to snack mySELF serene! Seed crackers go very nicely along with this hummus, so try them out and maybe you love them, too. It's easy to make at home, even though the original in Barcelona is a trip worth alone there...
Hummus:
1 jar of chickpeas
1 apple (Golden Delice)
a handful of toasted hazelnuts
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs tahina
salt
Blend all ingredients in a blender until you get a creamy mousse and serve hummus with toasted hazelnuts.
Seed Crackers:
½ cup flax seed flour or flax seed or buckwheat flour
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
2 EL chia seeds
1 cup water
some salt (thyme, Herbs de Provence)
Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix them. Then let them sit for 30 mins before you spread the dough on a baking tray with baking paper, lightly cut some squares and then put the tray for 30 mins in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Let the crackers cool down 30 mins in the closed oven in order to be crunchy. Enjoy dipping!
November 3
Tropical Tomato Soup Nicoletta
Serves 4:
1 Onion
1 Garlic Clove
1 Piece of Ginger
Coconut Oil
800g of canned tomatoes
800ml vegetable broth
1 Mango
Salt, Pepper, Paprika-and Currypowder, Chili Flakes
100ml Coconut Milk
Chop onion, garlic and ginger finely and fry in coconut oil. Add tomatoes and broth and let the soup simmer for a while. Add mango and spices and then blend until you get a nice soupy constistency. Pour coconut milk to make the soup smoother and decorate with cilantro or basil. Serve lukewarm.
More about Nicole's cookery and photography on
Instagram.
Enjoy!
October 30
Socca - chickpea tortilla
This week I was in Nice and here comes a yummy and not so unhealthy snack from Nice: SOCCA. They eat the Socca (chickpea tortilla) like a pancake or fried as chips (which you get at NCE airport and all around town easily). You can load onto them whatever you like. It is then like a vegan and glutenfree pizza or a protein and fiber rich alternative to eggs for breakfast.
I put some avocados, cherry tomato, cottage cheese and some "Olive/Paprika" spread onto my chickpea tortillas.
For the dough you need
250g chickpea flour/farina
250ml water
3 tbs olive oil
sea salt
Put all ingredients together, let the dough rest for 30 mins and then bake this chickpea dough in a pan like you would do with a pancake.
Bon appétit!
serves four:
1 beetroot cut in cubes
olive oil
1 shallot
a handful of rosmary leaves
a cup of risotto rice
a glass of red wine
3-4 cups of vegetable broth
some parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Heat up olive oil and let shallot and rice fry for a bit. Add beetroot and rosmary and condiments. Then pour a glass of red wine and some vegetable broth into the pot and let the risotto simmer for some time. Add more broth from time to time until the risotto has its unique texture. Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve. En Guete! (Swiss German for Bon app!)
1 passion fruit
2 tbs spicy mustard
2 tbs apple vinegar
4 tbs olive oil
salt, pepper and some honey
green salad (spinach, lettuce, romain lettuce)
1/2 mango
1/4 cucumber
1/2 avocado
1 peach or stone fruit
1 wedge watermelon
a handful of mint
For an extra portion of proteins add feta cheese or macadamia- and cashewnuts.
Enjoy the vitamins!
This is a quickly prepared meal. Depending in what you have in your fridge, you can put those items on the tarte, too. For instance sun-dried tomatoes go very well with the pumpkin.
1 dough for tarte flambee
1 small Hokkaido pumpkin
ricotta or goat cream cheese (and 1 egg)
honey
feta
some macadamia nuts and pumpkin seeds
sage
salt, pepper and other herbal spices
Put dough into a baking dish then spread ricotta, goat cream cheese or ricotta-egg-mixture on it. Decorate with pumpkin cubes and sprinkle feta and honey on top. Add spices and bake for 10-15 mins at around 200 Celsius.
Toast macadamia nuts and sage and some pumpkin seeds in a pan and sprinkle them before serving these tartes flambees. Bon appétit!
Piña a la Santana was originally a recipe called Pollo a la Santana and was prepared by our chef Sofia on board our boat Santana. We loved this healthy meal and so I have cooked it several times since we sailed from San Blas, Panama to Cartagena, Colombia.
Carribean Serenity in a bite!!
serves two:
1 small can of pineapples in juice
1 mango
a handfull of raisins
coconut oil
salt, pepper, curry powder, paprika powder, chili flakes and honey
if you would like some protein with the fruits, add chicken breast filets
heat the coconut oil in a pan and add pineapples, mango (and chicken) cut in pieces
then add juice of pineapples and a bit of water, honey and condiments
coconut rice boiled in ginger water goes perfect along with this light meal
toast some almonds and coconut flakes for decoration
Enjoy a blissful bite! Buen provecho!
Hello Autumn! Hello Pumpkins!
I love, love, love butternut pumpkin soup. It is so healthy, vegan and bright orange that you instantly get into a happy mood while eating this spicy soup.
serves four:
1 kg butternut pumpkin
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
coconut oil or olive oil
some fresh ginger
1 l water
curry powder, salt, pepper, paprika powder, safran, chiliflakes and fresh sage
Fry shalot and garlic clove in coconut oil, add pumpkin (cut in cubes) and water. Let it cook until the pumpkin is soft, add spices and then blend everything together until you get a think soup. As the butternut pumpkin has a nutty flavour and a creamy texture, you do not even need extra cream! Decorate your orange bowl of happiness with sage (and if you like some pumpkin seeds) and spoon yourSELF serene!
Soulfood Serenity with coconuts and berries. Not really a healthy dessert, but hey, seize the day, especially when you have to celebrate a birthday or a get together with friends.
Almonds and other fruits are an option if you want to bake more seasonal. Try almonds and pears for instance..
For a spring form pan of 23 cm diameter you need:
150g soft butter
100g sugar
200g white flour
1 tbs of vanilla sugar/ extract
1 tbs baking soda (powder)
2 eggs
5 cl almond milk
250g of raspberries or blueberries
Stir all ingredients together until you get a fluffy texture. Then put the dough in a spring form pan. Then cover it with berries (the more the better) and crumbles.
coco-crumbles:
100g flour
75g sugar
80g butter
50g coconut flakes
1 tbs vanilla sugar/extract
Put the items together in a bowl and form crumbles by rubbing the butter/sugar/flour mix between your hands.
Bake the cake for 45-50 mins at 180 Celsius in the middle of your oven.
Enjoy a piece of heavenly cake and snack yourSELF serene!
Here comes a healthy protein bowl for a light lunch or a treat after having exercised.
serves 2-3:
2 cups of chickpeas
1 cup of sweet corn
1 cucumber
some pieces of feta cheese
salt, pepper
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Felix, the creator of this yummy recipe is not only creative in the kitchen, he takes great pictures, too. Check out his photographies
here.
It is time for another soulfood recipe:
Think coconut, serotonine and sunshine.
Even though I am not a vegan, I love vegan almond whipped cream which is an alternative to cow milk cream and has lots of good fats and is somehow sweeter in its taste which is perfect for this yummy Crispy Coconut Toblerone mousse.
This fast version of chocolate mousse can be done with any chocolate you like. I use, if not Crispy Coconut Toblerone, Fleur de Sel from Lindt.
You need 10 minutes to prepare this sweet dream:
1 cup (250g) of almond whipped cream
125g of chocolate
Break the chocolate into small pieces, melt it (bain-marie) and blend the whipped cream with the liquified chocolate. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds or berries on top and enjoy the sweet sensation. Have a happy sunday!
Tonight will be one of the last warm summer evenings on my balcony. That is why a light and creamy lemon-basil risotto is the right meal for some italianità at home.
serves two-three
1 cup of risotto rice (carnaroli)
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
olive oil (the best is lemon infused olive oil for this dish)
1 glass of white wine
juice and peel of half of a lemon
3-4 glasses of water with lots of sea salt or clear soup (bouillon)
Heat up the olive oil and add onion, garlic and rice and let them fry for a moment, then pour lemon juice and wine in the pot. Slowly let the risotto simmer and add water/bouillon from time to time, always stir.
4-5 tbs goat cream cheese
sprinkles of parmesan
a handful of fresh basil leaves (or thyme, rosmary or sage)
lemon peel zests
salt and pepper
When the risotto has a creamy texture, add goat cheese (I use Chavroux, it is mild and low-fat) and parmesan, basil leaves and lemon zests and some seasoning.
Buon appetito!
Tonight I am going to dine at my favourite Lebanese restaurant in Zurich:
Moudis Lecker Garten. I love this light and healthy cuisine so much! Here is a sweet version of hummus. Serve it with carrot sticks or home-made sweet potato chips.
serves four:
6-8 dates
1 jar of chickpeas (220g)
1 garlic clove
1 tbs tahini paste
6-8 almonds
1-2 tbs olive oil /lemon infused olive oil (or add a dash of lemon juice)
salt, pepper, chili flakes, sumac or any oriental spice you like
Put all ingredients together and blend until you get a thick, creamy chickpea-mousse.
Enjoy!
These light and fluffy oven-eggs are an easy breakfast oder dinner dish that is full of good proteins.
serves two:
2 eggs
100g or 4-5 tbs cottage cheese
6 cherry tomatoes
salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, chili flakes
Beat together the eggs and cottage cheese and spice this protein mixture with your favourite herbs.
Put the dish in the oven for 15-20 mins at 200 Celsius. Or put the mixture in a pan and enjoy a light, fluffy and healthy frittata. Have a great sunday!
Quinoa, the superfood from the Andes is super healthy as it contains a lot of proteins and is glutenfree.
I use red quinoa for this recipe as the red one has a nuttier flavor than white quinoa plus the color looks more appealing to me. Or you can use quinoa tricolore (Trader Joe has a good one) as it looks even better when you have black, white and red quinoa in this salad. Quinoa tastes more intense the darker the color gets. So it is up to you if you prefer white, red or black or a combination of the three of them.
serves four:
1 cup of quinoa
1 handful of pomegranate seeds or cranberries and toasted or caramelized almonds
1 soft avocado
10 - 12 cherry tomatoes
2 handful Italian parsley and mint
2 spring onions
olive oil, cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper and chili flakes for the dressing
Enjoy this super yummy superfood salad with some grilled chicken or just by itself. It tastes very good even the day after the BBQ...
This is another recipe for a great, healthy and cold summer soup. My Gazpacho differs from the original Andalusian Gazpacho as I got the recipe from a Catalan chef. The almonds make the soup not only very thick but they make the difference! It is so yummy!
serves two:
1 red pepper (or yellow or orange, as you like)
3 tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1 garlic clove
1 piece of zwieback or old, toasted white bread
25g almonds
a dash of vinegar (white balsamico is best)
some drops of extra virgin olive oil (I use lemon infused one for more freshness)
chili flakes, salt, pepper and mild paprika powder
Blend all ingredients until the soup gets a thick consistency. Serve cold, decorate with almonds or EVOO if you like and buen provecho!
This very refreshing emerald green summer soup is tastes best when you eat it cold. The preparation is easy, you just cut, blend, toast, decorate and done!
serves two
if you are not into melons, just use more cucumber, but then you will miss a sweet note...
1-2 cucumbres
half of a green melon (galia melon)
2 tbs cider vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs cold water
1-2 pieces of toasted white bread (zwieback)
1 garlic clove
ginger, salt, pepper, chili flakes
fresh herbs (mint, basil or dill)
some feta and toasted pine nuts (or almond slivers) for decoration
Mix all ingredients (even some of the herbs) in the blender, put the soup into the frigde while you are toasting the pine nuts /almond slivers and cut the feta into small dices. Then serve the cold soup with the feta/pine nut/herb decoration and enjoy!
Bon appetit!
This recipe from Sicily is made with a lot of EVOO and vegetables from the garden. Depending on the family or region, the vegatables can vary, but there are always eggplants and tomatoes in a Caponata siciliana. You can either serve it cold as salad or antipasti or warm as side dish for meat and fish.
I made this dish the day before yesterday as a healty salad. We had a wonderful BBQ (halloumi, chicken, veal) and enjoyed the evening a lot. As I love chickpeas, full of proteins and fibers, I added them to my Caponata zurighese.
For 4 portions
1 eggplant
2 tomatoes or two handfull of cherry or date tomatoes
1 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 glass of chickpeas
1-2 garlic cloves
a lot of extra vergin olive oil
thyme, sage, pepper, salt
Cut vegetables into small pieces, then soak them in EVOO and add spices and herbs.
Put the vegetable mix onto a baking tray, layered with a baking sheet and bake the vegetables for 1 hour at about 150 C.
Serve lukewarm with balsamico and enjoy!
Everybody talks about Rio, here you get a taste of Rio:
Acaí berry bowl with cunchy granola
Half of a banana
1 acaí berry superfood pack from
SambazonBlend until you get a smooth texture
Granola
1 banana
2-3 cups of buckwheat
1 cup of sesame, sunflower, chia seeds
1 cup of coconut flakes, cashews and almond slivers
1 tbs honey
1 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs cacao powder
1 tbs vanilla paste (or vanilla sugar)
Mix and stir all items well until the seeds and nuts stick to the banana, then coat the the baking tray covered by a baking sheet with the dough and bake for 20 mins at 180 C, make some clusters (use a fork) out of the nutty banana dough and bake the granola for another 5 mins until it is golden brown.
What a powerful and healthy start into the day! Bom apetite!
August 8
Avocado Hummus with Mint & Hazelnuts
Greetings from Muscat/Oman!
This super yummy and healthy superfood mousse tastes very good with toasted bread, pita or pretzel chips or simply with carrots or cucumbers.
Chickpeas contain heaps of proteins, minerals and fibers and avos are due to their unsaturated fats super healthy, too.
1 cup of chickpeas
some water or olive oil
1 tbs tahini paste
a dash of lemon/lime juice or lemon olive oil
1 ripe avocado
some mint leaves (the more, the yummier)
salt, pepper, chili flakes (and one garlic clove)
toasted hazelnut for decoration
Happy dipping!
August 4
Zucchini-Spaghetti with Broccoli and Almonds
I got inspired to this italo-californian recipe while stopping at the Famers Market next to some almond tree plantations in the Californian Central Valley on my way to Yosemite National Park. This light and healthy meal tastes super yummy even cold as salad (just add white balsamico or lemon juice).
for 2 servings
2 Zucchini
1 Broccoli
1 Garlic Clove
Olive oil (preferably lemon olive oil)
Salt, Pepper and Chili
Almonds
Parmesan
Make spaghetti with the incredible Spiralizer (from OXO Good Grips) out of the zucchini and steam them together with the broccoli and the garlic clove. Add a drop of olive oil, salt, pepper and chili and let it steam for a little more.
Meanwhile toast almonds.
Sprinkle some almonds and Parmesan over the gluten-free/ vegan spaghetti and enjoy!
Less is more... There are so many antioxidants and serotonin in this cake, that this must doubtlessly be a healthy sunday treat. Enjoy it pure or with fresh berries of your choice.
3 eggs
200g sugar
125g flour
125g butter
200g dark chocolate
2 tbs cherry water (clear brandy)
Mix and stirr eggs and sugar until you get a foamy dough, then add flour. Melt butter and chocolate and add them as well as the cherry water to the dough. Mix and fill the dark, lushious dough into a cake form, then bake the cake at 180 C about 20 mins.
Simply chocolicious!
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