Winter Potage.

There is nothing better than a winter potage for a cold and damp weather. It is a very consistent dish that warms you up deeply and re-mineralizes your body.

For this recipe we will use sweet root vegetables that will ground us, seaweed for mineralizing, tofu and chickpea for a quality protein and much, much love.

Ingredients:

-One cup of chickpea soak overnight in 5 cups of water.
-Two onions Chopped.
-Two carrots cut in slices.
-A sweet potato cut into little-size cubes.
-About 100gr. of pumpkin cut into medium-size cubes.
-A grated big ripe tomato.
-Two smashed cloves of garlic.
-Tofu 200gr. cut into little cubes.
-15gr of dry seaweed hydrated or 50gr of fresh, preferably Nori, Kombu or Wakame.
-1 tablespoon of miso.
-Olive oil.
-Sea salt.

Process:

Place the chickpea in a pressure cooker and cover them with cold water. Cook for about 60/70 mins. and keep the broth.
In another cooking pot, hit some olive oil in a low flame and add the chopped onion and the smashed garlic, cook them stirring until they are golden.
Add the tomato and stir for about 5-8 mins. more. Add the other vegetables, the chickpea with the broth , the tofu and the seaweed. Season with salt and let it cook for about 30 mins.
Dissolve the miso in a cup with some of the broth and add it to the pot at the end of the process, once the potage is cooked. Stir and let it rest for 3-5 mins before you serve, perhaps accompanying a whole grain like wheat or rice.

¡ Que aproveche !

Vegan Holy Cake!

With coconut sugar, ginger, cinnamon and lemon zest.

I learnt this recipe from my dear friend Francesca and I have made so many versions of it. I like Holy cake because you can use your creativity by changing the ingredients and it always comes out good.
It is a great cake for breakfast or snack for the whole family and it is a very simple and healthy recipe. I recommend to use organic ingredients.

Base ingredients:

-5 cups of flour of any kind, you could also mix different varieties.
-2 cups of brown sugar (Coconut, cane...).
-1+1/4 cups of sunflower, extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil...
-2 cups of a cold liquid (water, juice, vegetable milk,...).
-2 teaspoon of soda bicarbonate.
-A pinch of salt.

Optional ingredients:

-Grated lemon zest.
-Chocolate.
-Cinnamon.
-Ginger.
-Turmeric.
-Apple.
-Grated carrot.
-Grated courgettes.
-Nuts.
-Coconut flakes.
-Orange/lemon juice.
-Etc., etc., etc...

Process:

Preheat the oven 200ºC

Lets start by combining all the dry ingredients in a bowl (including any optional ingredient of your choice), except for the soda bicarbonate. Stir.
Add the oil and keep stirring until it is well mix.
Add the cold liquid and stir very gently, from the bottom to the top of the bowl.
When everything is well mix, add the soda bicarbonate (right before placing into the oven!) and mix it well. Place in the baking tray and cook 180ºC for 45 mins.
Let it cool down and enjoy!

With beetroot and carob. 

Pizzi, my favourite souther-Italian-style bread.

Today I have a recipe from an amazing land I have lived in for almost three years. This place is called Apuglia, and it is located in the deep south of Italy. Apuglia is one of those places in the world where you can notice the riches of  a blend of cultures that have populated this area since ancient times. It is a magic place and when you live there, sometimes you have the feeling of travelling back in time, in the best sense of the word. 

I have incredible memories from the period I lived in "The boot's heel", it is the mother-land of some good friends of mine and I took many influences from it's traditional cooking in exchange of a piece of my heart. I  learnt a great deal about food when I lived in Lecce and I will share one little treasure with you today. You can notice Italian's good taste through the traditional food, it is just so genuine, rich and tasty but in many cases not suitable for wheat/gluten avoiders. 

The "Little treasure" I am going to share with you is a kind of bread called Pizzi. When it comes about bread, I have to say that this is one of my favourite recipes. It is easy to make and taste so delicious. You will probably find this kind bread only in this part of the world and you have a few versions of it, depending on the village or the bakery.

Ingredients:

-Wholegrain wheat flour 500gr
-Water
-Cherry tomato 100gr
- One zucchini
- One onion
- A handful of black olives (preferably with the "stone")
- Four table spoon of olive oil 
-Half a cube of fresh yeast
- Four teaspoon of  sea salt

Process:

In a bowl, mix and dissolve the yeast with some warm water, the oil and the salt. 
Chopped the onion, zucchini and cut the cherry on half. Add this vegetables and the olives to the mix and start adding flour to make a dough, using a wooden spoon or your hands kneading the mix until it takes a solid and elastic consistence.

Leave the dough in the bowl and cover it with a cloth for at least three or four hours until it rises. 

Turn on the oven 180ºC and preheat for ten minutes.

Make fist-size buns and place them in a oven tray with baking paper on the bottom. Bake them for 30-35 mins.

Buon appetito!

Aubergine or Eggplant dip.

Here is a nice dip recipe. It's a Aubergine or Eggplant dip, also known as Baba Ganoush or caviar d'aubergines. 
It's a tasty spread very easy to make and I like it with toasted bread or pita triangles.

Ingredients:


-3 medium size Aubergines.
-130 gr. of sesame paste (Tahini).
-1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
-3 tablespoon of freshly-squeezed lemon juice.
-2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed.
-A few leafs of parsley.
-1 teaspoon of sea salt.
-A pinch of chili, cumin and smoked paprika.

Process:

Preheat the oven 190-200ºC.
Prick the Aubergines a few times and place them into the oven tray with baking paper on the bottom. Let them cook for at least 20-30 minutes until they are completely soft. Let them cool down.

Once they are cold, split  the skin, take the pulp and blend it with the rest of the ingredients. Taste and add more salt, lemon or spices if necessary. Serve drizzle with some olive oil or herbs and some nice toast bread or pita triangles. It is also a nice spreadable for sandwiches. It can be made and refrigerated up to 4-5 days prior to serving.

Enjoy!

Raw Coconut & Lemon Bliss Truffles.

Today's recipe is one of the easiest, healthiest and nicest dessert you can delight your guests with: Raw dates,walnuts, coconut and lemon truffles, just this four ingredients...isn't that amazing?

I have seen and done so many versions of this recipe but I will post here my favourite and most people favourite. It's as simple as tasty and it keeps well for a few days in the fridge, even though they won last for long once you try them!

Ingredients:

(For 25-30 truffles approx)

-Dates (preferably organic) soaked over night-250 gr.

-One small lemon (preferably organic) juice and grated zest.

-One handful of walnuts soaked over night.

-Coconut flakes-120 gr.

Process:

Soak dates and walnuts in mineral water separately and over night. Soaking dates will make them softer and easier to work with. Soaking walnuts will break up enzymes inhibitors on the fruit's skin. Strain and rinse them.

Blend the dates along with the lemon juice, the lemon zest and most part of the coconut flakes (90 gr. approx).

When all looks like a paste, chop the walnuts and add them. Mix all well with a spoon and make the truffles using your hands. Coat them with the remaining coconut flakes and that is all.