Lettuce and couscous rolls

Finally I had the chance to make last night one of my favorite and healthiest recipes I've ever made. Though is not totally my idea, as I changed some ingredients of a recipe I saw in a book (or was it in a magazine?). I came up with just 4 basic ingredients to make one of the easiest, healthiest and delicious rolls I've ever made.

You will need just common Iceberg or Romaine Lettucce, couscous, cream cheese and some very thin smoked lean ham (Black Forest Ham, Prosciutto, or any alike) and some spices. 2 of these rolls and you will have a full tummy with a complete dinner and a happy face.

Ingredients
(for 3 servings)

• 6 big Iceberg or Romaine Lettuce leaves (better if unbroken)
• 6 thin slices of smoked lean ham
• 6 Tbsp cream cheese spiced up with pepper, garlic, paprika, herbs of your preference
• 6 Tbsp of couscous (around 1 cup uncooked) cooked following package instructions

Preparation

Cook the couscous following the package instructions. Season with some salt and pepper. Reserve. Partially cut the lettuce's stem to easier and carefully remove the biggest leaves. Wash them carefully and reserve them.

Fill a big frying pan with water and put to boil. Carefully place one by one the lettuce leaves, beginning with the hardest part, that was closer to the stem, and slowly, as the lettuce softens, introduce the rest of the leave into the boiling water and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and reserve. Continue until you have all 6 leaves ready. The idea is to shortly cook them in boiling water to soften the center of the leave, to make easier the rolling. Try not to over cook it, as soon as the stem is soft, remove it from the boiling water.

Building the rolls:

Place in a dish one of the leaves and open it. Then lie one of the ham slices all along the leave. Over the ham slice, spread one tbsp of the spiced cream cheese. Finish with 1 full Tbsp of couscous. Then carefully roll, starting from the steam and closing in the sides until the roll is done.

Serve with some spiced sour or yogurt cream and enjoy!

Tomato Soup

Red, red, delicious and provoking red. What's better than a delicious red tomato soup? So easy to make, full of vitamins, healthy and filling, and above all: dellliiicciouss!

Not much to add to introduce you to one of the easiest soup recipes I've ever made (except chicken-ginger soup). All you need are some tomatoes, tomato paste for that extra rich texture, some herbs and sour cream. If you want you can add some Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, I prefer Mozzarella, and some fresh basil leaves to decorate. Lovely!

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• 5 or 6 big red tomatoes (around 1 kg - 2 lbs)
• 8 - 10 Tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 leek (chopped)
• 1/2 red Paprika (diced)
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 4 - 6 tsp sour cream
• 1 ball Mozzarella cheese (diced)
• Salt, pepper, garlic for seasoning
• Your preferred herbs: Parsley, Cilantro (or Coriander leaves), Oregano and/or Basil (I used all!)
• 1/2 to 1 lt. water

Preparation:

Cut the tomatoes in quarters (cut in halves and then again in halves). Cut the paprika in dices.

In a sauce pan, heat the Olive oil, and add the chopped leek and the paprika. Stir until leek is softened.

Add the tomatoes and mix all well. Then add 2 or 3 glasses of water and stir well. Cover the sauce pan with a lid and let it boil for 5 to 10 minutes.

When you notice the tomatoes are soft, add the tomato paste and mix everything well. Add more water if needed or if you want a lighter soup.

Add the seasoning to your taste. If the soup its slightly sour, you can add 2 tsp sugar and mix. Cover with the lid and let it boil and cook for 5 more minutes. You will notice the soup is ready when you see the tomatoes almost dissolving and the soup begins to get more creamy.

Remove from the heat. Add the chopped herbs. At this point you can decide to serve it as it is (with some bigger pieces of tomato and paprika) or you can make a smooth cream using your blender, but please be careful with hot liquids! (better if you have a Stab-mixer, if not, blend by portions and never forget to cover your normal blender!)

Serve and decorate with fresh basil, sour cream and mozzarella.

Enjoy!

Spinach Quiche

Last time when we went to buy veggies and groceries, I had 2 beautiful and bursting dark green broccoli bunches in my hands. Then came my hubby and said: remember your son is tired of broccoli, can we change? I almost cried! haha! So well I moved on from greens for this week, and got some nice spinach leaves! (sadly frozen because can't find them fresh in this time of the year).

Some days later, I came up with the idea of using the last frozen pieces from a huge pumpkin I got last autumn, so I decided to combine them with the spinach and then the lightbulb turned on! It was an "Aha!" moment. So I came up with this delicious, easy and relatively quick to make Quiche recipe that I'm sharing with you now.

As always, feel free to make your own changes, I always come up with ideas of mixing veggies. Dare to mix your own! and enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 200 gr / 2 cups All purpose wheat flour
• 100 gr / 1/2 cup Cold Butter or Margarine
• 1 egg
• 20 ml / 2 Tbsp water
• Pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 200 gr / 8 oz Pumpkin (diced and previously cooked in boiling water for around 10 minutes)
• 200 gr / 8 oz Spinach leaves (frozen or fresh)
• 3 eggs
• 1 leek diced
• 1 cup sweet corn
• 1 cup diced red paprika
• 1 Tbsp ginger powder
• 2 Tbsp herbs of the season (try italian or mediterranean mix: parsley, basil, majoram, rosemary)
• Salt, pepper, garlic for seasoning
• 1/2 cup of cheese for Gratin

Preparation:

Pre-heat your oven at 200 °C /392 °F. Start with the pastry.

In a bowl, add the salt to the flour and mix well. Then add the cold butter or margarine and with a knife or a pastry spatula divide or cut the butter in smaller pieces at the same time as mixing with the flour. When the butter or margarine is distributed in smaller pieces add the egg and continue mixing while "cutting" with your spatula.

Then begin to knead with your hands until forming a soft dough. Transfer the dough to your working table previously spreading some more flour in the surface to avoid sticking too much. Continue kneading until you get a soft textured dough. Cut 1/4 or a bit less of the dough and reserve.

With your rolling pin to make the big ball flat until you get a thin layer big enough to cover your baking plate (better if you have a pie form, but a normal cake or lasagna plate can also work). Try to keep the layer thin, no more than 5 mm (3/16").

Cover your plate, making sure you're covering all the sides as well. Don't leave open spaces or bubbles. Trim the excess off the borders and reserve. Pinch with a fork evenly through all the surface of your covered baking plate.

Bake for around 15-20 minutes (check until the borders begin to get a darker yellow color, do not over-do because it can get burnt in the second baking period).

While the pastry is the oven, mix your previously cooked pumpkin, the spinach, eggs, leek, ginger and seasoning. Use your mixer, food processor, or stab-mixer. Once you get an homogeneous mix, add the corn and the diced paprika and mix with a spoon or spatula.

When the pastry is baked, fill with the mix you just made and decorate with the cheese for Gratin and thin stripes made with the reserved pastry dough.

Bake for around 25-30 minutes (time varies in every oven) at 200°C/392 °F, until the borders and the pastry stripes begin to get that yummy golden color.

When done, move out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut, serve and enjoy!

PS: my hubby and my sun are not close friends of spinach. This time they loved it!

Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancake)

Kartoffelpuffer, or potato pancake, is one of the typical german foods I've come to love. But sadly as many of the most delicious german dishes, the classical Kartoffelpuffer should be seen as an enemy for anyone who is in a diet, or those who just don't want to abuse of fat and carbs. But I found a way to make them with very few oil, no flour, and much more healthier and still delicious!

I added carrots, and removed the flour, added onions, eggs, seasoning, mix and to the pan! This way you can enjoy without feeling too guilty, this yummy german recipe. You can accompany it with a fresh salad or with a dip made with yoghurt and some herbs.

Ingredients:
(around 12 - 14 portions)

• 4 - 6 medium to big potatoes
• 2 medium to big carrots
• 1 small onion
• 2 eggs
• salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs for seasoning
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil for the pan

Preparation:

Wash carefully the potatoes and the carrots. Peel them and grate them. Chop the onion in very small dices. Mix all in a big bowl. Then add the eggs and the seasoning, and mix everything well.

Place your frying pan in the heat, add the Tbsp olive oil, and distribute it along the pan's surface. With 2 Tbsp, form the small pancakes, a bit smaller than a toast. Press them a bit to make them flat.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes on each side. Serve warm and enjoy!

Müsli bars

Following my list of healthier recipes, I came up with the idea of making some chewy and totally delicious Müsli bars! I have a lot of different nuts to be used, as well as a bag of Müsli ready to eat (add milk or yogurt and done) which has been my almost daily breakfast. I had the thought to make something else out of it, and all of a sudden had the clear image of myself making these healthy bars. Just some honey, some more nuts and you will have these delicious treats with not a gram of sugar or butter!

Ingredients:
(around 20-25 mini bars)

• 180 gr. / 6.35 oz Müsli (oat flakes, raisins, some nuts)
• 50 gr. / 1,76 oz Almonds (complete, crushed or slices. I prefer complete)
• 40 gr. / 1,4 oz Sunflower seeds
• 10 gr. / 0,35 oz Dried grounded Coconut
• 10 gr. / 0,35 oz Sesame seeds
• 2 Tbsp Corn Starch and 2-3 spoons of water (not more than that!)
• 3 - 4 full Tbsp Honey

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix Müsli, seeds and nuts alltogether.

In a small saucepan, add the honey to heat. While heating (is quite fast, you have to be very fast during the whole process), quickly dissolve the corn starch with the spoons of water, to create a fluid but thick paste. When the honey begins to boil, add the corn starch and mix fast. Remove from fire almost as you add the starch. Keep moving the mix to avoid cooling too fast.

Quickly add the honey with corn starch to the müsli-nuts mix. Mix thoroughly until everything is well mixed and very few nuts or müsli are not adhered to the rest.

Pour or place this mix inside a clean plastic bag (I used the ones for freezing food). Spread carefully with your hands over a flat surface, until it is at your desired thickness (around 8 mm/0,3 in. thick). Then with your rollpin, make flat and break some bigger nuts to spread them more. Be careful to make all ends straight to have an even square or rectangle.

Let it cool in your fridge and keep flat for at least 2 hours. Then cut the bag (you can use baking paper as well but the bag gives you more control on the shape), and slice in rectangles or squares. Store them separately, better if wrapped with baking paper.

Eat them and enjoy, or give them away as healthy and yummy treats to your loved ones!

Veggie-Lasagna

Who doesn't like a good Lasagna? Ok Ok, this is not the classical Bolognese-Lasagna, but full of vegetables that makes it irresistible for all of us Veggies lovers!

I love to invent, to create and to add new ingredients or combination of them to well known recipes I am used to make. That's how I always come up with different mixes for pastas, or rices, or stews. This time I didn't want to spend much time when cooking, and when I opened the fridge, all we had were veggies, veggies and more veggies. As I know that the rest of the family are meat lovers, I found myself wondering what to make with so many veggies. So I decided to make use of the rest of the lasagna from the Tomato Lasagna, and created something new. I confess I didn't know how the result was going to be. And was well worth it!!!

What I love from cooking with pasta (in different kinds) is that you can always come up with something new, or you can adjust a recipe to your taste. So if you don't particularly like some of the ingredients, you can omit or change it. It will be good anyway.

Ingredients:
(4-6 servings)

• 2 Tomatoes
• 2 Carrots
• 1/2 red Paprika
• 2 Zucchini
• 1/2 Onion
• 15 - 20 Brussels Sprouts
• 6-8 slices of smoked ham (like Italian Prosciutto, or German Rohschinken)
• 6-8 Tbsp Cottage Cheese
• 6-8 Tbsp Sour Cream
• Cheese for Gratin (Edam, Gouda, Parmesan)
• Lasagna Noodles
• Salt, pepper, basil, garlic for seasoning

Preparation:

Slice thin all the veggies. In a sauce pan half full of boiling water, cook the Brussels Sprouts for around 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a pan with few Olive Oil and cook the Zucchini until they are reduced in half their size, but don't over cook them, we want them half cooked and a bit crunchy.

Mix the cottage cheese with the sour cream and add some pepper. In your Lasagna tray, add the ingredients as shown in the picture: noodles, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, onion, ham, noodles, Brussels sprouts, carrots, paprika. To close add the cottage cheese with sour cream mix and end with some Cheese for Gratin.

Bake at 200°C / 392°F for around 15 minutes, then raise to 230°C / 446°F for 10 minutes or until the upper cheese is golden brown.

When done, remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy with a good cup of white wine!

Fish with orange cream sauce

Fish! not the singer, though I like Marillion, I never really liked his solo career. Now here I am talking about Fish, this delicious and healthy gift from nature. I love fish, specially fresh, soft white fishes. Here in Germany one of the most common fishes to find is "Seelachs" which I believe in English is called "Alaska Pollock".

In Venezuela I loved to eat "Corvina" which is one of the most common fishes to make the delicious and typical from the coast "Pescado Frito" (fried fish, which is the whole filet fried and served with french fries and salad). So back to Germany, I've been cooking usually this white rich flavored "Seelachs" and "Lachs" (Salmon).

Today I'm presenting a short and very fast recipe made with this white fish (Alaska Seelachs or Alaska Pollock), and I guess it can be done with any similar white soft meat fish, that it is not only very tasty but also really low-fat!. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:
(2 - 3 servings)

• 600-800 gr. White Fish filets (Alaska Pollock, Halibut, Trout)
• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Ginger powder
• 2-3 Tbsp. Orange zest (peeled orange skin)
• 3-4 Tbsp. Orange juice
• 3 Tbsp. Heavy Cream, Crème fraiche or Smetana
• 1 tsp. Marjoram
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Preparation:

Wash well the fish filets and dice them. In a hot pan, pour the olive oil, when hot, add the fish dices and cook them well.

Add salt and pepper. Mix and let the fish cook. Then add ginger, marjoram and orange zest. Mix well.

Add the orange juice and let it reduce a bit. Here you can add some white wine for more taste. To finish add the cream of your choice (for a lower-fat option I recommend Smetena or german "Schmand").

Rectify your seasoning and serve. As companion some cooked potatoes or fresh cooked vegetables (broccoli, carrots, peas, etc) goes perfect with this fish. Enjoy!

Tomato Lasagna

Officially I am in diet :). Difficult as you might think, because I love to cook, among many other things I love to make with my own hands, cooking might share No. 1 position with Bags-making

So as you will notice in the coming weeks, I will be posting low-fat and low-carbohydrats recipes. I try always to make all my meals as low-fat as a I can, but I always tended to munch a lot of carbs. They are not a monster to defeat, we just have to be friendly to them and tell them from time to time: No.

Today I will share with you a yummy recipe that came to me from my husband's secret box of recipes (to give it a cool name), shared from his mom, and I think also from his grandmother. All 3 of them know a lot of how to combine well food groups as all 3 live with diabetes, the 2 different kinds, and all 3 are in excellent health conditions!

So for this Tomato-Lasagna, you will only need tomatoes, fresh mozarella, fresh cottage cheese, some basil, very few heavy cream and some lasagna noodles. Very fast to make and some minutes to bake, but please, enjoy slowly! :)

Ingredients:

• 1 kg. Tomatoes
• 400 gr. Mozarella (diced)
• 300 gr. Fresh Cottage Cheese
• 1 handfull fresh Basil / 1-2 Tbsp dried Basil
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 100 gr Heavy Cream
• 100 gr Cheese for gratin (Edam or Gouda works best)
• Lasagna Noodles

Preparation:

Wash well all your tomatoes. Dice them and place them in a big bowl. Add the mozzarella dices, basil (if fresh cut the leaves in smaller pieces) and olive oil. Mix everything well. (Here you have done a Caprese Salad).

In another bowl mix the Cottage cheese, heavy cream and the cheese for gratin. Season with salt and pepper.

In your Lasagna baking pan, cover the bottom with a layer of lasagna noodles. Then add a part of the Tomatoes-Mozzarella mix. Now add another layer of lasagna noodles. Now add a part of the Cottage cheese mix, then the tomatoes-mozzarella. Close with a last layer of noodles and on top the last of the Cottage cheese mix. Add some freshly grounded pepper on the top and some basil for an extra touch.

Bake at 180°C / 356°F for around 20 minutes.

Apple Breakfast

Yup! Apples again. Continuing with the apple recipes, I wanted to show you this recipe I learnt from my husband. It is not only delicious, yummy, but super ultra healthy! And its basic ingredients mix is delicious to enjoy, to nurturing our body, but as well our face-skin or can be used as well as a quick stomach/digestive system healer after strong foods, or after having some problems that make you go to visit the bathroom too often hehe (more tips ahead!)

This is basically a quick and raw mix of Apples, always perfect Yoghurt, Oatmeal flakes, sugar honey (better instead of sugar), grounded hazelnuts, cinnamon and cloves.

This mix is a powerful and energizing breakfast that will fill you up with energies while it nurtures you, protects your digestive system, and add all the extra benefits from all its ingredients.

Ingredients:
(2-4 servings)

• 2 Apples
• 4-6 Natural Oatmeal flakes
• 6-8 Tbsp Natural Yoghurt (without sugar)
• 4 Tbsp Grounded Hazelnuts
• 2 Tbsp Sugar / 2 Tbsp Honey (you can use sugar if you don't have honey at hand, as when I made the photo)
• 1 tsp grounded Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp grounded Cloves

Preparation:

Carefully clean the apples, remove the core and peel them off. Slice them in halves, and then the halves in smaller pieces. Or you can grate them, depending on the texture you want to enjoy in the end. Grated: Softer creamy. Bigger pieces: you can actually munch the fresh apple.

In a big bowl, mix all except the yoghurt.

Then add the yoghurt and mix energically and very well.

Serve in separate smaller bowls. Enjoy!

Tip: tastes even better after letting it rest for some (5 to15) minutes.

Other uses:

Face-Skin Healer Mask:

Grate 1/2 apple, 2 Tbsp natural yoghurt, 2 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp oatmeal flakes. Mix all and you will obtain an excellent nurturing, cleansing and refreshing (skin healer I call it) mask. After cleaning very well the skin of your face, apply the mask carefully and leave it for around 15 minutes. Wash away with warm water (don't use any kind of soap). Dry with a soft warm face-towel. Your skin will thank you!

Stomach/Digestive system healer:

As in the Face-Skin Healer Mask, for 1 person: grate 1/2 apple, 1 Tbsp honey (half amount), 1 Tbsp oatmeal flakes and 2 Tbsp of natural yoghurt for each half apple. (In case of intolerance to milk products, you can use same amount of warm water). Just let the sick person eat the mix and rest.