Avocado Veggie Panini

Sandwich are just so good and perfect for a take-with lunch or just like this when feeling hungry and wanting something fast done and prepared. 

One good thing about sandwiches - they are so vesitale about the filling, probabely everything goes for filling them - either cold or warm. 

Unexpectedly the weather was better than the forcast I heard said so - I in the late morning I decided to go for walking - so I grabbed my walking sticks and enjoyed a wonderful walk along the hills throught the forrest. Smelling all the spring sentence, seeing all the flowers growing.. I just love the springtime!!

After a long walk and shower I was really hungry. What could be better than a healthy sandwich......?? I really enjoyed it, sitting on the balcony with my cats around...

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Avocado Veggie Panini




Serves: 4

Ingredients

1½ tbsp. olive oil

1 minced shallot (onion or garlic works too)

230 g sliced baby portobello mushrooms

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 cups chopped kale, stems removed

salt to taste

2 avocados

8 pieces thick wheat bread

melty vegan cheese, if you want

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute til translucent. 
Add the sliced mushrooms and saute until lightly browned on the outside. 
Add the tomatoes and chopped kale and saute again until wilted and warmed through. Remove from heat and season with salt.

Peal and remove the stone from the avocado and mash with a fork in a bowl with. 

Spread some avocado on top of each piece of bread. Arrange the carefully the vegetable n the bread - (put enought vegetable on the sandwich, as the sandwich sink down when using the panini press). If you don't have a panini press, toast or grill the breadslices before or put the whole sandwich on the grill (bread down).

Add the cheese on top of the veggies if you want, cover with another slice of bread, and place on a preheated panini press. 

When the bread is browned on the outside, remove from heat. If you did not cut the tomatoes, be careful as they might burst when you bite into them and they will be hot! 

Warm Balsamic Kale Salad

What wakes you up more than a good and healthy dish when your coming home very tired. 

After a long weekend from Easter time I passed a workday with a lot of work. 

Coming home all I literaly wanted to do is fell back into bed - passing out the dinner. But beside this sleeping-demand - I still felt some hungre and I knew that I would wake up in the midldle of the night starving - cause I haven't eaten something for dinner. 

Making myself up into the kitchen to make myself something that won't take me too long to prepare. 

Looking into the refrigerator the left Kale just smiled at me and the the decision for a Kale salat with lots of vegetable was setteld. 

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Warm Balsamic Kale Salad

serves 2

Ingredients:

2 tbsp.  butter

¼ cup diced onion

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

8 mushrooms, sliced

4 cups kale

1 tsp., minced

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

¼ cup vegan cheese (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Direction:

Preheat a large pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. of butter. Add the chopped onions and peppers and saute for several minutes until soft. 

Add the mushrooms and the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter and saute for few minutes unti the mushrooms are browned. 

Add the kale, garlic and balsamic vinegar and saute until the kale had deep green colour but not wilted. Remove from the heat - give on lightly deep dish and serve with dizzled cheese over it. 

Season with salt and pepper as desired. 

Hope everyone had a happy Eater time....

After two evenings with the family or friends I enjoyed easter monday on myself with relaxing and of course good eating. 

Haven eaten a lot the last days and still having some leftovers in the fridge, I wasn't in the mood for an left-over-dinner. 

Usually I buy over the weekend a little more vegetables, than I really need - but hey you never know. Today I was really glad I did so. Cause all I wanted was something little  stomach-filling with just a salad. 

And so it happend that I made an old grabed out recipe for Spinach-Muffins. Perfect for my new Muffinform.

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Spinach Muffins

Wonderful, fluffy Muffins, probabely the best way to eat spinach!

12 Muffins

Ingredients:
300 g Spinach
salt
1 Onion
250 flour
1 pack baking powder
80 ml Oil
400 ml sparkling water
30 g pinenuts
salt and pepper

Baking or Muffinform

Preparation:
Preheat the oven up toe 190 C°. Clean the spinach and blanch in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain and chop very finely. 

Peal and chop the onion very finely and glaze in hot oil till translucent. Add the chopped Spinach and season with salt and pepper. 

In a bowl wisk together flour, baking powder and 1-2 tsp. salt. Wisk under the oil and sparkling water. 
With your hand-dought-hook knead under the pinenuts and spinach. 

Oil the forms and fill with the spinach-dought-mix. 

Give in the hot oven and bake for about 20-25 min. 


Then you have to do is enjoy your vegetable muffins! ;)

Artichoke creme/mayonnaise

Yesterday I worked and cooked in the kitchen till 4 p.m. and washing clothes. Tired sitting on the sofa I suddently had the Idea to create a artichoke mayonnaise for Easter Time. 

How this happen: During the last days lunchtime I opend a buyed yar with artichokecream and it was soo creamy it almost tasted like a mayonnaise. And then I asked myself if it is possible to create a mayonnaise made of artichokes. 

My result end up to be a really close to be a mayonnaise. For me it taste like a mayonnaise, just a lighter version without the milk. Since then I make this kind of Mayonnaise many times - and now for Easter time. 

I fell in Love with it! And I found it much better than the normal Mayonnaise -which never really pleased me at all..

Of course this kind of mayonnaise can be used for various kinds - just try out with what you prefer to it. 

Wish you all a very Happy Easter weekend

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Artichokecream-mayonnaise

Ingredients:
1 can of artichokehearts, drained
5 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice 
some grounded garlic
salt and pepper
Optional: a splash of Agavenectar
dried chives

Preparation:
Cut the artichokehearts smaller and give in a blender. Blend till chunky. Then add the cutter chives and blend again. 

While whisking slowly add the oil and whisk till creamy. Maybe you have to add some more oil to get it really creamy. Season. Ready

Miso Sesam roasted yellow squash

On the weekend with great sunny, warm days I went walking toward the forest wanting to harvest some fresh arugula, Years ago I found a good place where a lot arugula grew, and so I made a walk up there. First I wasn't finding immediately, but after a while there it was and I harvest a big amount. 

On my way back home I was thinking what to prepare with it, as there are so many possibilities. 

From the first amount I made a argula pesto for the next day and for today I planted to use it topped over a warm dish. 

I stopped at the marked a grapped some yellow squash. The dinner was born. 

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Miso Sesam Roasted Yellow Squash

4 - 6 Persons

Ingredients:

500 g yellow zucchini, halved, seeded and cut into thin pieces

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. Molasses

1 tsp. tamari

1 Tbsp. agave nectar

1 Tbsp. yellow miso

1/4 cup fresh squeezed (or bottled) orange juice

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

4 Tbsp. water

one big extra firm tofu, pressed, cut into cubes

Topping as desired

Preparation:

Preheat oven up to 220 C, rack in the middle

Take a large bowl and toss the cutted squash with 1 Tbsp. sesam oil. Grease a baking sheet and spread the squash over it and roast for 40 minutes, turning over half in time. Till golden on both sides. 

Meanwhile wisk together Molasses, Tamari, Agavenectar, Miso, Orange and Lemon Juice, Lemon zest, water and the remaining tablesppon of sesame oil. Add the cubed Tofu and toss well, till the tofu is all over covered, set aside to marinate. 

When the squash is golden on both sides, remove from oven, transfer in a baking dish and pour the tofumixture over it and toss. Bake uncovered for about 30 min till almost all the marinate disapeared, remove and season if needed. 

Serve topped with some roasted sesame seeds, arugula and and rice, serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Mushroom-Curry with Almonds

Curry's are well know an loved - before cooking I always think what compares best with the ingredients, and sometimes the dish just happens.

Weeks ago I made some pickled shiitake mushrooms - I've prepared for Appetizers. 

Today I was in the mood for a curry with mushrooms and I thought about using the pickeled shiitake in the curry. 

Well the pickled shiitake takes time (about 2 weeks) but if you like pickled food, the waiting is quite worth it. Weather your using the pickled shiitake in this recipe, it taste good anyway. 

Feel free to do the way you like and enjoy!

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Mushroom-Curry with Almonds

2 Persons
45 min

Ingredients:
250 g mushrooms
100 g Pickled Shiitake Mushrooms (Recipe below - not fast done) or just soak them for at least an 1 hour in the required ingredients),,,,,
half a onion
50 g carrots
125 g rice
salt
1.5 EL rape oil
50 g frozen baby peas
pepper from the mill
dried thyme
1.25 tbsp curry powder
0.5 EL flour
0.15 l soymilk
50 g soycream
20 g almonds without skin
1.25 stalks parsley

Preparation:
Clean the muschroom, maybe half them.Drain the buyed pickled Shiitake (otherwise drain the self short pickled Shiitake). 
Peel Onion and chop fine. Clean, peal Carrots and cut into cubes. 

In a pan with boiling broth cook Rice according to packed. 

In a frying pan, preheat oil and strongly fry the the mushrooms, add the vegetables and fry further 5 min. Taste with salt, pepper and thyme. Dizzle the currypowder and flour over it, and deglaze with Soymilk and Soycream, cook and let cook for 2-3 min. 

Meanwhile fry the Almonds in pan without oil and set aside, wash parsely, shake dry and cut into strips. Add to the mushroompan.

Drain the cooked rice and arrange on a plate and top the Mushroomragout, garnish with chopped Parsely and Almonds. 


Pickled Shiitake Mushrooms:

4 cups dried shiitake mushrooms
   (about 1⁄3 oz.), stemmed
1 cup light or dark soy sauce
1 cup sherry vinegar
3⁄4 cup sugar
2  3" pieces fresh ginger, peeled

1. Put mushrooms into a medium bowl, cover with 5 cups boiling water, and press mushrooms down with a plate to keep them submerged. Let steep for 15 minutes. Strain mushrooms through a sieve set over a medium bowl, reserving 2 cups liquid.

2. Combine mushrooms, reserved liquid, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and ginger in a 4-qt. saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let cool. Transfer ingredients to a 1 1⁄2-qt. container, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

MAKES ABOUT 6 CUPS

Zucchini alla Carbonara

There are so many Vegetable that I really love, sometimes hard to decide what to cook. When I can't decide between the different vegetables - I just take one and prepare it mostly unusuall...... 

Well, anyway. 

A Carbonara sauce always must come up with a lot of cream and bacon? That's not true! In this recipe, almond paste and tofu are used.

Totaly delicious and I really like this version!

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Zucchini Spaghetti alla Carbonara

4 Persons

These  Spaghetti are very delicious and filling vegan Version of Spaghetti, coming with healthy and with less calories. 

Ingredients:
100g white Almondcream
1 small bunch of Arugula
150 g smoked tofu
1 small onion
1 garlicknob
4 Tbsp. Oliveoil
1 Lemon
5 Zucchini (about 1 kg)

Direction:
Wisk the Almondcream with 200 ml water.

Wash the Arugula and spin dry, chop very thin a third of it. Chop the smoked Tofu in fine cubes. Then chop the onion and garlic very finely.

From the Lemon peel some fine strips.

Wash and dry the Zucchini and with you Spiralslicer make Spaghetti out of it.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oliveoil in a frying pan and fry the tofu for about 2 min. Reduce heat, add chopped garlic and onion and fry further 2 min.
Give the Almondmixtur, Lemonzest and the chopped Arugula to the pan and shortly cook up.

Salt the spiralized Zucchini, mix with 2 Tbsp. Oliveoil and carefully stir under the sauce and let steam for one minute. 

Arrange on a plate and top with the left Arugula. 

Enjoy it!