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!

Oat flakes pancake with apples

Do you know that Oat flakes are one of the most versatile and healthiest food out there? And also so cheap and easy to find? Do you have idea of all the benefits it provides for our health and good digestion? Yep? Well then Let's have a great breakfast, supper, or just an afternoon tea snack with this deliiiiicious, easy, fast and healthy pancake recipe!

I'm almost sure after you learn to make it, you will want to make your pancakes all the time like this! It is filling, it is healthy and the taste of the oat flakes.. yuuumm! And even more with the apples... though you can change the fruit, or just without. Maybe a bit of honey, or a slice of fresh white cheese (cottage cheese maybe?). Hmmm I'm getting hungry!

Ingredients:
(for 6-8 portions)

• 150 gr / 1 cup aprox. Flour
• 120 gr / 1 cup aprox. Oat Flakes
• 4 - 6 Tbsp Sugar (better if brown)
• 2 Tbsp Margarine or Butter
• 2 eggs
• 400 ml / 2 cups Milk

Preparation:

Wash, remove core and peel your apples. Cut them in halves and slice them thin.

Pre-heat a pancake or a frying pan with 1 tsp margarine. In a big bowl, add all the ingredients and mix everything with a whisk (manual or electric, makes no difference), until everything is well mixed. Add some cinnamon if you wish. I like them with an extra taste when I make them with apples, so I added a hint of cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

Once the pan is hot, with a serving soup spoon, add one portion and distribute it along the surface of the pan, while is still liquid. Let it cook for a minute or 2, and turn around.

Add the apple slices until you have half of your pancake covered. Let cook until the surface of the pancake has mini holes, or it begins to look dry. Fold the pancake on its half, covering the apple slices. Let half a minute and then turn around (this helps to close it better). Let it around one minute more.

Serve and enjoy while its warm. You can accompany with some thin lines of honey. If its summer, I strongly recommend it with a ball of vanilla ice cream. Also you can add whisked cream, or chantilly. Or just alone... any way you eat them you will love them!

Enjoy!

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!