Easy Orzo Pasta

This recipe is extremely easy to make and ready in just 15mins! Which is a fantastic go to for a fast, filling and filled with flavour meal!

Personally I have served it with chicken kiev that we had leftover from night before, but if you wish to add some veggies to it, be my guest!

Recipe comes from website thereciperebel.com I’ve only changed few things in the recipe to match my own taste :)

Ingredients:

250g orzo type pasta

550ml of veggie or chicken broth (made from cubes is fine too ;))

3-4x peeled and minced garlic cloves

100ml of thick coconut cream from tin

A good handful of parmesan cheese grated (leave some for decorations)

Pesto (optional)

Grounded Black pepper for taste

Chopped parsley for decorations

Prepare the veggie/chicken stock, add it to a pan. Add your pasta and garlic. Simmer on small/medium heat for around 5-7mins, when stock is nearly gone, add coconut cream. Leave for 2mins.

Just at the end add your parmesan, 2x tablespoons of pesto and black pepper. Taste it if it’s need anything else and serve straight away with some grounded parmesan and parsley leaves.

Serve on it’s own or with other veggies or add like me as a side to your meat or fish of choice.

Delicious! Enjoy!

Pesto Gnocchi

There is something comforting in such a simple meals like that.

I honestly could not count home many days on the university a pesto type dish was my go to dinner!

They are filled with flavour! You can up the game with adding a bit of sautéed onion and garlic and then add a bit of pesto, or add some fresh spinach or any other variations you wish.
Gnocchi then are Italian type of dumplings. They are very easy to make and a perfect go to with a leftover boiled potatoes from night before.

You definitely can’t go wrong in mixing those ingredients then ;)

Recipe for Gnocchi comes from Thermomix as always :)

Ingredients:

500g of peeled, cooked and cold potatoes

2x tablespoon of semolina

decent pinch of salt

and around 200g or more (depending of the potato type! You might need more!)

1x egg

2x teaspoon of pesto (optional)

Prepare a pot to boil your gnocchi in, add pinch of salt and leave to boil.

In the meantime take a mixer bowl and add your potatoes, semolina, salt and egg, mash for a pure and then add around 150-180g of flour. If the dough is still super sticky add more until you are able to comfortably work with a dough.

When the dough seems easy to work with divide it for around 4 smaller balls, sprinkle with flour the base and start rolling with both hands a long “rope” that would be around 0,5cm thick or lower. Then cut smaller pieces for a size of a thumb nail and using a fork make a small press on each of the gnocchi.

Add your gnocchi into boiling water and cook from the minute they come up on top of the water for around 2-3mins.

Remove from water and then I usually panfried them with all the other ingredients that I wish to have it with (f.ex. Pesto), mix well, sprinkle with parmesan cheese (or other / optional) serve straight away and enjoy!

Butternut Squash Pumpkin Soup

This soup is proper autumn’y. It’s thick, it’s smooth, feeling you nicely and what’s the most important warming you up.

Trust me guys! After you taste this soup once you will not ever forget about it :)

I made it for my parents first trip to Ireland (it was in September) and because it was so insanely good I did not even manage to get a picture ;)

Since that time I have made a good few variations of it and they all work so well.

Original recipe comes from Thermomix.

Without further delays here it is:

Ingredients:

120g of freshly chopped onion (don’t worry you will then blend everything, so whichever way suits)

3-4x peeled, garlic cloves, sliced

1x thumb size peeled ginger, sliced

35g of coconut oil

900g of peeled (take off the middle part and seeds), chopped for smaller cubes butternut squash pumpkin. Now if you don’t have enough use sweet potatoes or some carrot. It truly work well with the sweetness.

400g of coconut milk from tin

120g of water

1x vegetable stock

1x decent sprinkle of spice paprika

a good ground of salt and pepper to your like in

Take a big soup pot.

Melt your coconut oil, add onion, garlic and ginger. Simmer on low heat for few minutes.

Then add all the remaining ingredients, bring to boil, lower the heat, cover with lid and cook until all the vegetables get lovely and soft - it should take you around 20mins.
When all is ready, blend everything, try to see if you need to add some spices and serve straight away!

Enjoy!

Leftover Salad

You know that feeling? So much food left from the night before or after holidays or some party? Why not to use in some good way?

I absolutely love meat from BBQ or oven or pan from the day before to just make a quick and simple salad for the next day.
You can have it for lunch or dinner either way will be a perfect meal :)

Ingredients:

Leftover pieces of chicken or any meat you wish to use - I leave the amount for you :)

1x big handful of ready to go salad mix

1/2x of sweet bell pepper, sliced for smaller pieces

1-2x tomatoes, cut for “half of the moon” style

around 30-40g of real feta cheese, break for smaller pieces

handful of olives

handful of grapes (optional)

small sprinkle of raisins/cranberries (optional)

sprinkle of pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Dressing:

1 1/2x teaspoon of daily use mustard

1/3x teaspoon of water

1/3x teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

1x squeeze of runny honey

Make a dressing- mix everything and leave on a side.

Take a bigger bowl, add your chopped tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, chicken and all the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle with your dressing and enjoy!

Yes! It is that simple ;)

French Onion Soup

Another classic! This soup I actually know, because of my aunt. She was always making the best onion soup! It was soooooo yumy! And that cheese on top with toasted baguette? Just pure heaven!

French Onion Soup

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hour 15 mins Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Ingredients

• 5-6x big onions (yellow or red), sliced

• 5 tablespoons of olive oil

• 2x tablespoons of clarified butter

• 1x teaspoon of sugar

• pinch of salt

• 2-3 bay leaves

• 1 handful fresh thyme sprigs

• ½ bottle of white wine (more dry, then sweet)

• 3x garlic cloves, peeled and chopped finely or minced

• 750-900ml of beef broth or vegetable broth (in original recipe is with beef broth)

• pepper

• baguette

• cheese - Gruyère, parmesan

Prepare everything around you.

Take a big pot, heat it up on a medium high heat with olive oil and butter. Add sliced onions, garlic, pinch of salt, sugar, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and simmer on low heat until onions are soft and caramelized – around 20 mins.

Add wine and simmer, until almost all wine evaporate – around 15 mins.

After that, add stock and leave it to simmer for around 35-40 mins. Get rid of bay leaves and thyme. Check if it needs some extra salt and pepper. If you prefere your soup more thick, take a mug, filled it in 1/3 part with water, add some flour, mix it very good (it’s important!), add some soup to it first and then slowly start adding that liquid into your soup. Bring to boil, check how it taste.

Now you have two options of serving:

1. Easy one – make pieces of toasted baguette with melted cheese on top and serve it with a bowl of soup. Sprinkle with fresh thyme.

2. Spectacular way – take oven safe bowls, fill them with soup, each of them cover with 2x slices of baguette sprinkle with some olive oil and covered with cheese. Bake it in the oven for around 4-5 mins, to let the cheese melt. Enjoy!

Poached Eggs with Asparagus

I can only say – classic, from all the classics recipes! Since we have a season for asparagus, make it for your friends, family and loved ones around you or just for yourself :) It’s so good! And extremely easy! :)

Poached Eggs with Asparagus

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1x bread roll/ slice of baguette

• couple slices of parmesan cheese

• couple asparagus

• 1x poached egg

• olive oil

• garlic

• salt and pepper

1. Bread: Preheat oven for 200C or electric grill or grill pan. When it’s ready you can cover piece of bread roll/ baguette with some olive oil and make a toast. When it’s nice and gold take 1x garlic clove and rub garlic into bread roll.

2. Egg: In the meantime make Al’s Poached Egg.

3. Asparagus: Take a pan filled it with water and bring to boil. Take fresh asparagus into your hands and holding each of them in the end break it easily. You will see how far from the end of asparagus you need to take, to break it. But don’t go more then half! When water is boiling, add pinch of salt and blanch your asparagus in it for around 3 – 4 mins. That’s enough for them :) (If you would like to use them later on, have the bowl filled with ice cubes ready and just move asparagus after blanched from boiling water to ice cubes with water).

4. Making: Take your lovely crunchy piece of bread, add couple slices of parmesan, put your asparagus on it and cover with freshly made poached egg. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Spring Salad

Spring is here! Can you feel it? Can you see more sun outside? If your answer is ‘yes’  – that salad recipe is like little healthy mix full of vitamins for you to feel even better :D But if your answer is ‘no’ – that recipe is like a little sun on your plate! And it’s soooo yummy! Do I really need to tempt you more? ;)

Spring Salad

Prep time: 15 mins Total time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• two handful of rocket salad

• 1x sweet bell pepper, chopped the way you want it

• half of cucumber, sliced

• 1x fresh carrot, first peel it from skin (if you need to) and then using your vegetable peeler, make a thin slices of carrot - see on picture

• 2x tablespoons of Dijon mustard

• 1x tablespoon of honey

• ½x teaspoon of lemon juice

First make your dressing – Honey & Mustard Dressing.

Then prepare every vegetable, mix it in a bowl and cover with your lovely dressing. Serve with piece of fish or meat or just enjoy on it’s own! :)

P.S. If you want to, you can always add some pan fried sesame seeds or sunflower seeds or anything else that you feel it will work good :)

Quick Pita

Couple weeks back, I was tired, hungry and getting grumpy, waiting on a train. I was just walking around the train station and I saw something that I couldn’t resist. It was a lovely, crunchy piece of fresh baguette with some cheese and rocket salad on top. When I ask what is it – it was baguette with goat’s cheese, fig jam and salad. And it was divine! Something you really need to try!

Quick Pita

Prep time: 3 mins Cook time: 2 mins Total time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 1x pita bread or baguette

• 1x handful of arugula/ rocket/ rucola salad

• some good quality goat's cheese (but not too intense in smell)

• fig jam or apricot jam - it just need to be more sour then sweet

So that’s easy – toast your pita bread. Then inside spread with jam, sprinkle with goat’s cheese and rocket salad. Yeaaaah! That’s how easy it is! I just love it! Enjoy! :)