Having days off from work does so good. I have the time to relax, meeting friends or trying myself on recipes I never made before. But not today - no time - and beside I was hungry and it had to be a fast done lunch. The first Panzanella I ate wasn't in italy as guessed - no I ate it in New York on my Holiday trip a few years ago. I immediatly fell in love and wondered why I never saw this salad to be served in Switzerland??? On the web I found different kind of recipes and I tried many out, till I found one of my favorite veganized Panzanella. Simple but without the shaved cheese.
2 Whole Grain Hamburger Buns 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper 1 can Heirloom Tomatoes, halved 1 can Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped 4 tablespoons Red Onion, diced 10 large leaves Organic Basil, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup Light Champagne Vinaigrette Direction: Preheat oven to 350. Cut bread into one inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until bread becomes golden brown. Let cool. Combine tomatoes, artichokes, onion and basil. Toss with vinaigrette. Add cooled bread cubes, toss and serve.
Hope you enjoyed a great christmas eve together with you're beloved ones! We only celebrated on the 24th, as most of us got parents-in-law and wanted to celebrat with them as well. For christmas eve I made the appetizers and my mother made the whole dinner. A lot of work. Therefore I invited them the next day and my mother could spend a free day from cooking.
The dinner should be a light one for three persons. I craved my books, my mind and the recipes below are what I made. Enjoy your days off from work with skiing, relaxing in front of the fire or whatever, just hope you got a nice day.
50g blanched hazelnuts, toasted 1 pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented ½ Perfectly Ripe Avocado, peeled and stoned 16 individual chicory leaves (from about 2 large heads of chicory - 1 white, 1 red) For the dressing:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp white wine vinegar ¼ x 20g pack tarragon, leaves only, finely chopped 1 tsp Dijon mustard
1. Plunge the shredded kale leaves into a pan of boiling water, return to the boil and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and plunge into cold water, then drain and dry on kitchen paper.
2. Roughly break up the nuts in a pestle and mortar. Cut the grapefruit and avocado into small cubes and place in a bowl with the kale and nuts.
3. Place all the dressing ingredients into a bowl, season and whisk to combine. Spoon a little salad into each chicory leaf and arrange on a serving plate.
Christmas is coming closer and closer. Holly time I really do like this time - if only it wouldn't be such stressfull at work. All the "end-of-year"-stuff that had to be done before Christmas. This year I did not even had the time to make a stop at the christmasmarket of even going to the city. Luckely I don't wait till the last time to go for presents, I kept my eyes open trought the whole last 5 month, made it much quiter and easier around Once when being at a congress in "Murten" (city in the middle centre of Switzerland) and using the free afternoon to walk around in the little, cute center of the city, I entered a little store with all kind of special spices, gravys, snacks, mustard from Texas -wow! I was immediatly caught about the variousity and I knew that I would find some presents - and not even planing it before. - That's the way I mostly get a present. The unexpected ones are the best..... This year I had the idea to make a homemade present for every couple sitting at the decorated table, placed in front of theire plate. The idea was pretty easy found, a chutney. I bought all the needed ingredients and filled the kitchen with a great spicy-sweet-taste in the air.
For two Glasses (400ml) 8 fresh Figs or dried ones 1 knob piece of ginger 1 garlicknob 300 g Onions, chopped 80 g tried apricots 2 Cardamons 1 Tbsp. oil 1 staranis 70 g sugar 2 Tbsp. whitwine vinegar 250 ml red wine (or if you prefer balsamico) Salt fresh grounded black pepper
Direction:
1 Rinse figs, pat dry, peel and dice. Peel and chop ginger and garlic. Peel the onions. Dice along with the apricot. Crush cardamom pods. 2 Heat oil in a pot. Fry ginger, garlic, star anise and cardamom. Add onions and apricots and cook about 3 minutes. Pour vinegar and wine. Let simmer all together while stirring for about 15 minutes. 3 Add Figs and cook for a further 3 minutes, mix or puree everything trough (not if you desire chunchy bites). Allow Chutney to cool a little bit and season with salt and pepper. Immediately fill in jars and seal. The chutney with fresh figs will be good for about 2 weeks, stored in the fridge. The chutney stay's longer good if you use dried figs. It is especially good with vegan meat and cheese.
Christmastime, always the time when you enjoy being together with your family, lighting the candles in the evening, maybe a fire in your chimnee. Hopefully some snowflakes falling outside - just so great. It's always a magic, special time. Unfortunatly most people don't really know why we're are celebrating Christmas and that's sad.
Anyway. Every years from the beginning of december till christmas we have a christmas market in the city (I posted pictures the year before) and beside clothes, goods, sweets, spices, candles a.s.o. there're alway the "houses" were they serve food and sweet things.
One thing I mostly buy during this christmas time are chrunchy roasted sweet almonds (thought I don't really like almonds) but those chrunchy ones just taste soo great - hard to resist.
This year I still hadn't the time to go to the market and therefore I decided to make them on myself. They are simple and quick done.
Ingredients:
1 dl water
200 g sugarr
1 tsp. vanille sugar
maybe 1 hint of cinnamnon
200g unpeeled amandes
Direction:
Add everything exept the amandes into a pan and cook up. When cooking add the amandes. Cook under constantly stirring, till the sugar stick to the amandes and they look chrunchy. Shortly roast till amandes "shine". Immediatly give the roasted sweeted amandes to a lightly oiled backing sheet, spread out and let cool!
They taste chrunchy and sweet and of course so course. If you like amandes then you're defently going to love those chrunchy sweet roasted amandes. They are just tasting so great and they can be always bought during pre-christmas time at the christmas ferry. People just love it. No one can resist them ;)
Yesterday evening we had a pre-christmas family meeting at my aunt's home. This year was the second time we made it this way, cause we won't me each other on Christmas. Like last year my uncle made Fondue and like last year I brought my own food with (as I'm the only vegan person in the family).
I said that I would bring a part of the dessert and this was a home made vegan festive lemon cake, my sister made a mangocream. Like on easter they were really surprised that a cake can be made without eggs.....
I still don't know why non-vegan persons think a cake without eggs couldn't work or even taste. BUT it does and there's no different!
Anyway, they liked it and that was more important!
If you're thinking about you could do for dessert on christmas eve this cake defently will be worth a try!
Let me know if you made the cake or what ever else you made. Meanwhile I will give you the recipe of this great lemon cake. Weather you make it on christmas or not.
I really can't tell if this special known baked - normaly in the stoneoven - pizza-like loaded bread is called Flatflamebread, translated to english. But for me this was the logical word- so sorry if I wrote it wrong. Hope you understand anyway.
Before being vegan I ate a few times a Flatflamebread, and sometimes I'm in the mood for it, as it's lighter than a pizza - as the bread is thinner and not so loaded - more like an appetizer. The first flatflamebread I made the vegan way was very good, but this was years ago and yesterday I saw the frozer flatflamebread at the supermarket and all I wanted is to grab it - BUT it's not vegan. So I decided to go home and make another one on myself (still better ;-)
I kept the flatflamebread very simple (as known) just some vegan cheese and a vegetable. Perfect if you're in the mood for a pizza but a lighter version!
Serve the flamebread plain or with a salad (as I did). Enjoy this easy dish!
Time: 1 hr
Plus dough resting time, or you use a bought one (faster) Ingredients
For 4 pieces
10 g of yeast
250 g of flour
100 g whole milk vegan yogurt
6 tablespoons olive oil
salt
750 g Hokkaido pumpkin
Pulp of 4 figs
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tsp. brown sugar
cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons melted vegan margarine
Leaves from 1 sprig of thyme
250 g vegan cheese grated, or prepared one,
200g radicchio, trimmed and tease
Direction
Dissolve yeast in 4 tbsp warm water. Place the flour in a bowl and make a hole. Pour in yeast , yogurt , 2 tablespoons oil and 1/ 2 tsp salt and knead to a smooth dough . Shape into a ball and leave covered in a warm place for 2 hours.
Cut Hokkaido into quarters , remove seeds and cut into slices. Puree Fig fruit flesh with lime juice , sugar, cayenne pepper , 1 pinch of salt and 4 tbsp oil .
Cut four times baking paper in sheet size. Preheat oven to 250 degrees with sheet metal. Knead the dough , divide into 4 portions and let rest for 5 minutes. Wrap each portion of dough between two sheets of plastic and roll paper thin .
Put each piece of doughtarte on a piece of baking paper. Top with pumpkin slices and brush the squash with butter. Season the Tarte with thyme , salt and pepper and sprinkle with grated vegan cheese. Pull Tarte with the baking paper on the hot plate. Bake in portion (space in the oven!) on the 2nd shelf from the bottom about 6 minutes.
Mix Radicchio and fig sauce and serve together with the Tarte .
Sunday, bright shining sun but very cold. All I wanted was to spend a lazy day with some hours in the kitchen, but when I saw the bright, sunny weather outside I had to go for a morning walk around the neigbourhood to get some fresh air. The walk did very good and my mind was cleared and filled with fresh cold air. READY to start the kitchen work. The fresh air made me hungry, so lets start with lunch/dinner dish.
It's been a while since I made vegetable tarte and I knew there's a frozen dought in the fridge waiting for me to be done, perfect for this meal I've been thinking about.
In this savory tomato galette recipe the red onions are a little sweet from caramelization and a little sour from red-wine vinegar, but they complement the slow-roasted plum tomatoes perfectly. The result is rich and deeply satisfying. Serve this rustic tart with a green salad for a light lunch or a roast vegan meat for a hearty dinner.
Rustic Onion & Tomato Galette
Makes: 8 servings
Active Time:
Total Time:
Ingredients: Pastry Dough:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup vegan cream cheese
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons cold soymilk (or any other you prefer)
Tomato Layer:
12 small fresh plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon water plus 1 tablespoon, divided
Onion Layer:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5 cups sliced red onions (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
4 ounces crumbled vegan goat cheese
Preparation
To prepare pastry dough: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it starts bubbling, cook, stirring and watching carefully so it doesn’t burn, until golden brown, 2 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a metal bowl and refrigerate until solid again, 25 to 30 minutes.
Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse once or twice to mix. Cut the butter and cream cheese into pieces; add and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add canola oil and pulse until it looks like wet sand. Add milk and pulse until small clumps form.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and press into a ball, then press the ball into a disk about 8 inches wide. Wrap in the parchment and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day before rolling out.
Preheat oven to 320°C
To prepare tomato layer: Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place cut-side up on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place garlic cloves on a square of foil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon water. Wrap into a package and place on the baking sheet. Roast until the tomatoes are very soft and beginning to brown on the bottom, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.
To prepare onion layer: Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until just starting to lightly brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 30 to 35 minutes. Stir in raisins, vinegar and 1 teaspoon thyme.
Unwrap garlic; when cool enough to handle, squeeze out of the skins into a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon water and mash together into a smooth paste.
Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
To roll out pastry: Place a large sheet of parchment on a work surface and dust it with flour. Place the pastry disk in the center and lightly dust with flour. Roll out into a 15-inch circle. The pastry may crack a bit as you roll it, so go slowly and just nudge the cracked parts back together, pressing lightly. Dust with more flour as needed and keep the circle as even as you can, but don’t worry about rough edges.
To assemble & bake: Spread the onion mixture over the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Spread the garlic paste over the onions. Place the tomatoes, cut-side up, on top of the onions in a circular pattern. Scatter cheese over the tomatoes and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme.
Use the parchment paper to lift the edges of the pastry and fold loosely over the filling in 2- or 3-inch sections at a time. The pastry may crack as you lift and fold it, but that’s fine. Lift the galette on the parchment and transfer it, parchment and all, onto a baking sheet. Trim off any overhanging parchment.
Bake the galette until the filling is bubbling hot in the center and the pastry is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
Let cool at least 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Lift parchment and galette onto a serving platter.
Use a spatula to very slightly lift the galette so you can slide the parchment out. Serve the galette hot, warm or at room temperature.
Note:
Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate pastry dough for up to 1 day.
Yammy was the piece of Tarte good!!!!!! Hard to resist eating more.....
First Advent: Yesterdayafternoon I made a quick Advent wreath, I know not really special or even great, but I had no time preparing one and therefore mine's just a plate with some stars, glammer and candles. If I would have used greens the cats probably would play with it - and that's not what I wanted.
As most sundays I do a lot of work in the kitchen. Cooking, preparing dips, spread, sauce and so on. This day I first prepared my lunch: a healthy one. As I already precooked Pasta on hand and some vegetables to be done and my vegan pesto.
Damm this salad was good. It's been a while since I ate Pesto....and I realized that I really missed the taste of herbs and so on.
The good thing about this dish? It could be eaten hot and cold and at the low temperature I ate it of couse hot ;)
1/2 cup shelled pecans , walnuts or pine nuts (I used pine nuts)
1-2 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup good tasting extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Sea salt, to taste
Direction: Pesto
Combine the fresh herbs, nuts, and garlic in a food processor and process the mixture until it turns into a coarse meal. Slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle as you pulse the processor on and off. Process until it becomes a smooth, light paste. Add enough olive oil to keep it moist and spreadable. Season with sea salt, to taste.
Cover and store chilled for at least an hour to saturate the flavors. I like to pour a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil over the top to help keep it bright green.
Makes roughly a rounded cup.
Direction: Broccoli, Pasta
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and reserve the water to blanch the broccoli. Place the drained pasta in a large bowl and set aside.
Bring the pasta water back to a boil, then add the broccoli. Boil broccoli for 2 minutes, then place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the broccoli and add to the pasta.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pasta and broccoli and gently fold to combine the ingredients.
Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours prior to serving so that the flavors can combine.
