Aubergine-Tomato Stew

Ingredients

1 cup water
2 medium sized to large aubergines
4 Tomatos
1 small red onion
1 large clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried parsil
freshly ground black pepper

What to do with this

• Put the water in a large pot  and put it on medium heat.
• Cut the washed aubergines in bigger junks (they will become very soft and some will disintegrate) and put them into the pot.
• Cut the tomatos in bigger junks, too, add them to the pot with the  aubergines.
• Cut the onion in small pieces, add them to the pot.
• Squash the garlic or cut it in small pieces, add it to the pot.
• Mix everything well.
• Add the spices, mix again.
• Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
• Serve on its own, as a side dish or with toasted bread, rice or couscous.
• Enjoy!

Cocoa-Medjool Date-Walnut Rolls

Ingredients

12 Medjool Dates, stones removed
1.5 cups raw walnuts
dash of salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 teaspoons water


What to do with that

• (Depending on the size of your food processor, you might like to split the nuts and dates in two batches.)
• Grind the walnuts and salt in a food processor until finely ground.
• Add the dates, cocoa powder and vanilla extract and process everything together. It will become a thick mass. Add the water and keep mixing.
• Once everything is mixed together, spoon out the mass onto a plate, wet your hands with water and form a roll about 2 inch thick. Take a knife and cut into as many portions you want to create. With wet hands roll each piece into a ball and put it on a plate or small storage container. 
• Once all pieces are rolled, put the container/plate into the fridge. After about 20 minutes you can cover it with plastic wrap without it sticking to the rolls.
• Let them rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
• Enjoy.

Variation: roll the individual portions in ground almonds or coconut before putting them in the fridge.

Mashed Rutabaga with Spanish Saffron and Terragon

Ingredients (for 4 portions)
1 medium sized Rutabaga
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp Spanish Saffron
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
fresh Terragon


What to do with that

• Fill a large pot with 2 inches of water and bring it to boiling point.
• While the water heats up, peel the Rutabaga (one safe way would be to cut it in half, put the cut side down on the cutting board and the slice away the skin from top down, away from you, towards the cutting board)
• Cut the peeled Rutabaga in junks of approx. 2 inch cubes
• Add a teaspoon of salt to the boiling water, stir.
• Add the Rutabaga junks to the water. Make sure that all the pieces are submerged in water, if not, then just add some more water (cold one is fine).
• Heat up the pot until until bubbles start to rise but not to a full rolling boil. 
• Turn back the heat to medium, stir again, cover the pot and let the Rutabaga cook for 20 minutes. Check inbetween that the temperature is fine and it didn't start a rolling boil. Stir everything around on that occasion too.
• Check with a fork whether the Rutabaga is already soft. If not, let it cook another 10 minutes. Repeat until the cubes are soft enough to be squished with a fork.
• Drain the content of the pot into a large sieve or fish out the Rutabaga and dispose of the cooking water. 
• Mash the Rutabaga with whatever you prefer (a fork, a potato masher, food processor ...)
• Put the empty large pot back on the stove on medium heat and add the butter.
• Once it's melted, add the Rutabaga and the milk. Stir everything thoroughly.
• Add the nutmeg and the  Saffron. Stir again.
• Keep on stirring until you like the texture of the mash. If it's too thick, add some more milk. If it's too liquid, keep on stirring, water will evaporate and the mash will thicken.
• Once you're happy with it, switch off the heat.
• Rinse the Terragon, portion the mash on plates or bowls, top with terragon.
• Enjoy!

Cabbage-Tomato Soup

Ingredients (for 6 Main Dish portions)

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 green cabbage, cleaned

4 Roma tomatos, diced in 1 inch cubes

1 Onion, cut in medium size pieces

1 clove garlic, cut in slices

2 herbal soup cubes

1.5 liters of filtered or spring water

What to do next

• Put a large pot on medium heat
• Add onion and oil into the heated pot, stir to coat the onions with the oil
• Let the onions cook until they become softish and translucent but before they get brown.
• Add the sliced garlic, stir to coat, cook for about a minute until fragrant
• Pour in 1,5 liters of water, stir to solve anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
• Add the soup cubes.
• Cut cabbage in medium size pieces (I usually prefer about 2 inch long and half an inch wide but that is very flexible. I just wouldn't shred it.)
• Before adding the cabbage to the soup base, mix once more to help dissolve the soup cubes.
• Add the cabbage, stir to coat with the soup.
• Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium so it continues boiling but not to aggressively.
• Put a lid on the pot and let it boil for 15 minutes like that.
• Add the roma tomatos.
• Stir, cover the pot again and reduce the heat further to let the soup simmer for another half an hour or so.
• You can test now and then whether the cabbage is soft enough to your liking. Once it is, work is done and it's ready to be eaten.
• Enjoy!

Variation: Any kind of veggies can be added of course, the more fragile they are, the later in the cooking process they should be added to not overcook them. Raw meat can be added to the onions in the beginning for instance or leftover roast in the last few minutes just to reheat it.

Soy Chicken with green beans and portobello mushrooms

Ingredients

1 Chicken breast, cut in bite size pieces
2 Portobello mushrooms, cleaned, sliced
2 handful green beans
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 garlic clove, cut in slices


What to do next

• Heat a frying pan to medium heat, add chicken and soy sauces.
• Once the chicken is cooked through, take it out of the pan and put it aside.
• Pour away the remaining soy sauce that is still in the pan and rinse out the pan.
• Add 1/4 cup water to the pan and reheat to boiling point on medium heat.
• Add the green beans and the sliced garlic.
• Cover the pan with a lid and let the beans steam for about 5 minutes.
• Stir the beans, add the portobello pieces.
• Cover and steam for another 3 minutes until almost ready.
• Add the chicken, mix everything together, steam for about another 2 minutes.
• Mix everything once more, arrange on a plate and enjoy!

Oatmeal with Maple Syrup

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp Maple syrup


What to do next

• Mix the first 3 ingredients in a pot
• Bring to a light boil while constantly stirring and watching that it does not 'escape' the pot.
• Turn down the heat to simmer and keep on stirring until the oatmeal thickens.
• Pour into bowl, add Maple Syrup.
• Enjoy!

For variation try replacing the maple syrup with different kind of jams or fresh fruits.

Steamed Bok-choi with sugar snap peas and steamed spicy shrimps

Ingredients (per portion)

1 large Bok-choi
2 handfuls of sugar snap peas
10 medium sized shrimps, cleaned
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp vegetarian hoisin sauce


What to do next

• Wash the Bok-choi thoroughly and cut it in manageable pieces
• Clean the sugar snaps
• Devein the shrimps, rinse them again
• Heat a big frying pan (big enough to hold the cut Bok-choi later on) to medium heat
• Add the soy sauces and the shrimps
• Turn the shrimps after about a minute or once they are not translucent anymore
• Once shrimps are ready, take them out of the pan and put them aside.
• Without rinsing the pan, add the Bok-choi. Add a small amout of water with it to avoid burning and to quick-start the steaming process. Cover with a lid.
• After 3 minutes, add the sugar snaps.
• Stir the vegetables every couple of minutes until Bok-choi is soft.
• Add back the shrimps and stir again. Wait a minute for them to reheat.
• Enjoy!

Coconut jello with no sugar added mixed berries

Ingredients (for 4 portions)

~50 g creamed coconut milk
1/4 cup evaporated 2% milk3/4 cups filtered or bottled water
1 sachet powdered gelatin
1 tsp cane sugar
4 cups frozen no sugar added mixed berries

What to do next

• Put everything together into a small pot and bring to boil.
• Keep stirring for about a minute, watching, that the milk is not overflowing (it might rise really fast!)
• Switch off heat and keep on stirring a little to make sure all the coconut and the gelatin has dissolved.
• Rinse 4 individual dessert bowls or cups, anything that can handle liquid close to boiling point, with cold water (keeps the gelatin mix from sticking to it).
• Divide the coconut gelatin mix into the four bowls/cups.
• Let cool to room temperature.
• Store the ones you don't need the same day in the fridge.
• I topped my coconut jello with a supermarket bought berry mix (without added sugar), that I quickly defrost with the microwave before the dessert is needed. I put 1 cup (frozen state) per one dessert cup. Of course this is interchangeable with whatever fruits one likes, as long as there is no sugar added.

Zucchini Noodles 'Alfredo'

Ingredients per portion:

2 zucchinis
1 Tbsp cream cheese
3 Tbsp evaporated 2 % milk
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

What next:

1. Wash the zucchinis thoroughly
2. Cut the zucchinis into noodles *)
3. Put the noodles in a bowl and sprinkle them with salt. Let it rest for 30 mins. This will pull out some water and keep the end result from being too soggy.
4. Heat a frying pan to medium temperature and add the remaining ingredients.
5. Once everything is nicely melted together, increase heat a little and let everything boil together for about 30 sec. The sauce will be thickening.
6. Put the zucchini noodles into the sauce in the frying pan and mix everything together. If you like your noodles with more bite, then they are ready to be eaten now. If you like them softer, let them keep cooking for a few more minutes.
   They will let some water, which makes the sauce very liquid and less sticking to the noodles. You can increase the heat to full and let it boil down quickly to evaporate the access water. Once you like the overall composition, they are ready to go.
7. Enjoy!

*) I use a "World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer" but you can also use a regular mandoline slicer or simply cut ribbon like noodles with a sharp knife.