Pumpkin soup with Mr. and Mrs. pumpkin

Autumn is all about pumpkins :) I love their beautiful colours, and variety. In Switzerland there are stands with lots of pumpkins from small to big, for decorating or eating. One can stop by anytime, pick up a pumpkin and leave the money in the money box. I find this trust in Switzerland great, I don't think it would work in many other countries :)

Pumpkins are easy to prepare and give delicious meal for the whole family :) I like to roast them or make a soup out of them. Using warming spices such as nutmeg, cumin, cloves gives a warming, comfy and comforting feeling.

What will you need: 

- 1 medium pumpkin

- 1 tbsp coconut or olive oil

- 3 small onions

- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed

- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

- 3-4 cm ginger, finely chopped

- 1/2 tsp turmeric

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1/2 tsp coriander

- 1/2 tsp white pepper

- 1/2 pumpkin pie spice (optional)

- 2 tsp curry

- 2 tbsp sea salt

- about 3 cups vegetable stock

- a pinch of nutmeg

• First, cut the pumpkin into half, then remove the seeds with a spoon and place the pumpkin to a baking dish filled with water, covering about 2-3 cm of the bottom of the pumpkin. Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius and bake the pumpkin uncovered 45-60 minutes, or until tender.
  

• Let the pumpkin cool and then remove the flesh. Discard the skin.
• Heat a bigger pot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onion, cubed sweet potatoes, garlic and ginger. Saute for about 10 minutes, until onions are translucent and vegetables become softer.
• Add the spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, white pepper, pumpkin pie spice (if used) and saute for about a minute.
• Add the pumpkin flesh and the vegetable stock. You can add more water, if you would like a more liquid consistency. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes.
• Pureé the soup using an immersion blender or a regular blender until smooth and cream.
• Add salt and nutmeg according to taste.
• Garnish with fresh herbs, roasted pumpkin seeds, or sprinkle of nutmeg.

Enjoy :)

Baked sweet potatoes with "yoghurt" dip

Hi there. This time I have made some very very easy baked sweet potatoes with a soy yoghurt dip. Even if you don't make the yoghurt dip, try the sweet potatoes. They are really amazing for dinner with a side salad or leftovers from lunch :) They are the best to be eaten right after baking, otherwise they become too soft. I love them, and I hope you will too :):)

What will you need:

"Yoghurt" dip:
- 250 grams fermented soya yoghurt (I used brand  Soyananda)
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, pressed through a garlic press
- cayenne pepper, according to taste
- salt, if needed

Mix all ingredients in a smaller mixing bowl. Refrigerate :) easy, isn't it? :) 




Baked sweet potatoes:
- 2 bigger sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1/2 tbsp fresh marjoram
- salt, according to taste
- 1/2 Provence herb mix

1. Preheat the oven to 220° Celsius 
2. Wash and cut the sweet potatoes to wedges 
3. Put the wedges to a bigger mixing bowl, add the oil and massage it to the potatoes with your hands, so it is evenly distributed.
4. Add the herbs and the salt, mix well.
5. Line your baking dish with parchment paper and lay the sweet potatoes on it. Make sure that they don't overlap.
6. Bake on 220° for 23 minutes. Lower the heat to 200° and bake for 5 more minutes.

Enjoy :)

Xmas raw snow balls

These Christmas snow balls are very easy to make and will make you and your friends and family happy :) You can prepare such raw balls in a few minutes and pack them into a nice Christmas package for your friends as a gift.  This amount makes approximately 22 raw balls. 


What will you need:
- 180 grams of Medjool dates (or 13 bigger dates), soaked for 30 minutes
- 1 cup cashews, soaked for 2-3 hours
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- shredded coconut for coating

1. Place dates and cashew nuts to a food processor and pulse until they combine well, but the dough is not completely smooth. You should be able to see small pieces of cashew nuts.
2. Add remaining ingredients and pulse a couple of times.
3. Take a small part of the dough with your fingers and form small balls between your hands.
4. Coat the balls in coconut shred.
5. Refrigerate the balls for 2-3 hours before serving. The balls keep fresh in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Enjoyyy :)

Spicy breakfast porridge

Here is another super easy porridge recipe.  It is nice and warming in the colder winter days :)

 What will you need:
-  appr.1/ cup oats
-  appr. 1cup oatmilk
- 1 banana
- 1/4 tsp cardamon
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp powdered ginger 
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla
-  a pinch of salt
- 1 handful of hazelnuts
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup (or more according to taste) 

1. Roast the hazelnuts in a pan on high heat for about 5 minutes. I didn't use any oil for roasting.
2. Place oats with oatmilk to a pan and cook them on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the banana and the spices and cook for more 2 minutes. Turn off the heat
4. Place the oatmeal to a dish and top with roasted hazelnuts and maple syrup
5. Enjoy this warming breakfast :)
   

Very green smoothie

I call this smoothie a very green one, because this time I didn't add any other color to the smoothie, only green veggies and avocado ;) Ok, plus the pea protein powder :P The smoothie mug is as well green :) I got the mug from a friend of mine, and I am in love with it, I take it everywhere with me:):) It is from a Swedish company called Sagaform.  The smoothie holder is BPA free and it seals perfectly. No drops in the bag :):) 


Ok, so here is the recipe:

- handful of spinach
- 1/2 medium cucumber
- 1/2 avocado
- a bit of parsley (according to taste)
- 1 tbsp pea protein powder
- filtered water

Put the spinach, cucumber, parsley and water to the high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Add the avocado and the protein powder. Blend again.

Enjoy :)

Chickpea-avocado curry spread

I make something out of chickpeas almost every week. I soak a whole pack in water for a night, cook them the next day and think about different ways to use them up :) This time I came up with a combination of chickpea and avocado spread, which was inspired from a spread I had in a restaurant before :) 
Here comes the result: 

What will you need:

- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 medium avocado
- 2 small or 1 medium tomato
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 heaping tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- a bit of cayenne pepper (according to taste)
- salt and pepper, according to taste 

Place all ingredients to food processor and process until a smooth paste is formed. Serve with bread,  sweet potato chips, on faltbread or next to a salad :)

Enjoyyy :) 

After party green juice

 

Here is the scenario: you have been partying all night and had a bit too much to drink ...familiar?  Now there is next day in the morning and your head is hurting... familiar again? :))) This is the perfect time to make a super energizing green juice, like this one. This super delicious vitamin bomb will keep you awake and you will not need to grab a cup coffee. It will as well help you with hangover, because its very alkalizing and it is full of vitamins!
Of course, you can drink this juice any other day, even if you were at home all night :D 

What will you need: 
- 5 kale leaves, stems removed
- 1/2 medium cucumber
- appr. 2cm ginger
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- 1 medium sweet apple
- 1/2 lemon

Juice all ingredients in a juicer. Serve in a stylish glass and sip it slowly. Enjoy every ingredient and feel how the juice helps your body to awaken.  Drink your juice 15-20 minutes before breakfast on empty stomach, so all nutrients can be absorbed.

Enjoy :)

Breakfast oatmeal porridge

I love oatmeal for breakfast. It is really the easiest thing to prepare and takes only a few minutes. Basically no time, for such a goodness :)
It is nutritious, delicious and warming when it is getting cold outside. There are literally hundreds of variations of a tasty breakfast made out of oats. Here is one of them:

What will you need:
- appr.  1/3 cup oats
- appr. 1 cup of water
- 1 handful of frozen raspberries
- 1 handful of mulberries (or any dried berries)
- 1.5 tsp hazelnut butter (or any nut butter you like)
- 1 tbsp date syrup
- 1 tsp flax-seed


We are normally using these 2 types of oats from Demeter. Both of them are pre-cut to smaller pieces, which are faster to cook. The second one is gluten-free, which is great for someone with gluten intolerance :)

Direction:

1. Place oats with water to a pan and cook them on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the frozen raspberries and cook for more 2 minutes until berries are warm. Turn off the heat
3. Place the oatmeal to a dish and top with hazelnut butter, mulberries, date syrup and flax-seed
4. Serve and enjoy :)

 

Oriental raw balls

These balls are very easy to make and remind me those oriental sweets from the middle east. I guess that is because of the cardamon. Try them out, they are fast, 100% gluten and refined sugar free healthy treats :)
 


What will you need:
- 1cup of brazil nuts soaked, overnight
- 1/2 orange juice, freshly squeezed - optional 
- 15 Medjool dates, soaked in orange juice (or water) for 30 minutes
-  1 handful of dried wild apricots
-  a pinch of salt
-  1/2 tsp ground cardamon
- sesame seeds for coating




Place the Brazil nuts to the food processor and process until  a sandy texture is formed. Add the remaining ingredients and process until everything is well combined and a smooth dough is form. Form balls with your hands and coat them in sesame seeds.

Enjoy :)

Post workout raw balls

These balls are perfect after a strength training workout, as they provide proteins, vitamins and healthy carbohydrates to fuel your muscles. In addition...they taste great too:) 

I have used mulberries in this recipe, but feel free to use any dried berries. Mulberries are native in China and are very low in calories. 1 cup of mulberries contain only 60 calories. They consist of 90% healthy carbohydrates, which are perfect after any workout, as they will fuel your muscles. Other health benefits of these cute berries are (source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/408406-health-benefits-of-mulberries/)

 

• they are high in fiber, which helps the body to control blood sugar level,  promote sense of fullness and prevent over eating
• unlike other berries, mulberries are high in iron. 1 cup of them contains 14% of recommended iron for women and 32% for men
• they are rich in Vitamin C and K. Vitamin C helps iron absorption, therefore they are perfect if you need to boost your iron intake. Vitamin K contributes to bone tissue development and also helps control the thickness of the blood
• they are a great source of Riboflavin (Vitamin B2). B2 helps defend tissue damage against free radicals. It also supports oxygen transport by helping to make red blood cells, and aids in converting food into energy. 

What will you need:

- 6-7 Medjool dates, soaked for 30 minutes
- 3/4 cup of hazelnuts, soaked overnight
- 1 tsp cocoa
- pinch of salt
- 1 handful of Mulberries (you can use any dried berries)
- 1 tbsp chia seeds, soaked for 30 minutes
- coconut flour for coating (or coconut flakes)

1. Drain the hazelnuts and place them into a food processor with an S-blade. Process until hazelnuts are broken down to small pieces
2. Add remaining ingredients until a sticky dough is formed and everything is well combined together 
3. Take a small part of the dough and form balls between your hands.  Coat the balls in coconut flour (or coconut flakes) generously 
4. Place the balls to the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy :)