How to: Sweet Potato Toast

Servings: 1-8

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato
• coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
• seasalt / coconut palm sugar / honey / maple syrup

Savoury topping suggestions:

• egg
• guacemole
• hummus
• goatcheese & fig
• chicken & hummus
• avoaco 

Sweet topping suggestions:

• nutbutter & banana
• low fat Greek yoghurt & berries
• yoghurt, nuts & cinnamon
• homemade jam
• homemade healthy Nutella

Method:

Wack the oven on to a 190 degrees C.

No need to peel the potato. Just carefully slice it up in slides.

Divide the sweet potato toast parts on a greaseproof paper lined baking tray. Sprinkle with either coconut oil (sweet and savory ones) or olive oil (savoury ones) and either salt or one of the sweeteners.

Put the baking tray in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the sweet potato is golden brown on both sides (flip them halfway through).

When they come out of the oven, top them with whatever you like.

Japanese Honey & Soy glazed Sweet Potato

Daigaku imo, a Japanese dish that is usually eating during autumn. I only learned about it today but I fell in love with it right away. Sweet potato chunks covered in a sweet, salty and sticky glaze authentically made out of soy sauce and sugar ... need I say more? The sweet potato is slightly crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. The toasted sesame seeds add amazing nutty flavour.

 I slightly tweaked the recipe replacing the sugar for slightly healthier honey and I added miso and a little but of garlic and spice to the glaze, just because I luv it. I'm roasting the sweet potato in the oven, traditionally the potato is fried until crisp using a lot of oil. By using the oven instead you only need a teaspoon full, saving youself a lot of calories.

I'm using a purple  skinned, white meat sweet potato which is most often used for this recipe but of course you can use any sweet potato type you like.You can make the sweet potato on its own or add my suggested sides to create an entire Japanese lunch feast!

Sayōnara
X Fleur

Servings: serves 1

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients;

Glazed sweet potato:

• 1 medium sized (purple) sweet potato
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp good quality soy sauce
• 1/2 to 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp miso
• 1 tblsp sesame seeds
• sprinkle of cayennepepper (to taste)
• sprinkle of garlic powder (to taste)
• seasalt

Suggested sides:

• 1/2 avocado
• 1 egg
• 2 slices of smoked salmon
• 50 gr edamame beans
• 1/2 broccoli
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 red chili, chopped
• 1 tsp coconut oil (for frying)

Method:

Sweet potato:

1. Turn the oven on to a 200 degrees Celsius.
2.  Chop the sweet potato in large 2 cm chunks, leave the skin on!
3. Pop the sweet potato chunks in a bowl of water and let them stand for a few minutes, wash the parts to clear them of excess starch (the water is a bit turbid in the beginning, wash them until the water runs clear again) and pet them dry using a clean tea towel.
4. Toss the sweet potato with the sesame oil and a sprinkle of seasalt, spread them out evenly on a baking tray and pop them in the oven for 25 minutes, turn the parts half way.
5. In the meantime make the glaze: in a small bowl whisk together honey, rice vinegar, miso, soy sauce, cayenne pepper and garlic powder.
6. In a frying pan, toast the sesame seeds until golden brown and set aside.
7. Put the same pan back on a low fire and pour in the glaze, let it thicken for a few minutes and add the sweet potato chunks. Toss the pan until the parts are evenly coated in the glaze and look shiney and delicious. Sprinkle the sweet potato with the toasted sesame seeds.

Sides:

1. Put a frying pan on high heat and let it get really hot.
2. Add broccoli florets and grill them until they are slightly brown coloured. Put aside.
3. Turn down the heat, add coconut oil and add garlic and red chili, toss until golden and add to the broccoli.
4. Boil the egg, slice the avocado.
5. Serve the sweet potato with avocado, edamame beans, egg and grilled broccoli.

Savoury Italian Pesto Porridge

Ciao amici! This recipe came to me inspired by my Milano adventure! This is the second time I tried savoury oats and even though you might find savoury oats odd and a bit scary, I'd really reccomend you give it a go! For me it's the perfect winter comfort food. And a nice variation to salads. This porridge is full of all the good Italian flavours that I love so much, the zucchini makes the porridge super creamy and the pinenuts and crispy garlic pieces add a nice bite! 

I'm using super good pesto Genovese that I brought from Italy. Good pesto's are a little more expensive but for me the taste is worth it. Also, the cheaper pesto's are usually a bit unhealthy as they have added sugar and use cheese, nuts and oil of inferior quality.

The same goes for the olive oil, only add it to top your porridge if it's a good quality one, this not only adds amazing flavour but also has many health benefits!

Try it out and enjoy!

Love,

Fleur

Time: 

Prep. time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons pinenuts
• 30 gr oats (approx. 4 tablespoons)
• approx. 150-200 ml water (depending on how thick you like your oatmeal)
• 1/4 zucchini
• 6 medium sized mushrooms
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (you can use dried as well)
• small bunch of fresh thyme (you can use dried, I prefer fresh)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon good quality pesto (or homemade)
• few cherry tomatoes
• 2 sundried tomatoes
• 20 gr freshly grated parmezan cheese 
• fresh basil leaves 
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon colled press extra virgin oil
• seasalt & pepper (to taste)

Method:

1. Put a frying pan on low to medium heat (no need to add oil, nuts have enough fat of themselves) and toss in your pinenuts, stir occasionally and fry them until golden brown, keep an eye on them while you continue cooking and make sure they don't burn!
2. Grate the zucchini using a box grater
3. Chop up the thyme, rosemary (leaves only!) and garlic as fine as you can.
4. Chop or break up the mushrooms in quarters.
5. Put another frying pan to medium heat and add coconut oil.
6. Add the garlic and about 1/4 of the  thyme and rosemary and gently stir until the garlic has turned light golden and you get a wonderful smell from the herbs (don't turn the fire to high, herbs and garlic burn easily!).
7. Add the mushrooms to the frying pan and mix them with the herbs and garlic, add salt and pepper. Fry the mushies until golden and set aside.
8. Put a saucepan to medium heat and add oats, water and the rest of the herbs. Let it cook softly for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until the oats have cooked and your porridge is thick and creamy. 
9. Take it of the heat and stirr through the pesto and parmezan cheese, add freshly ground pepper to taste.
10. Pour your porridge in a bowl and topp with cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, toasted pinenuts, mushrooms and optional extra chopped up basil leaves and extra virgin olive oil. 

Super Quick Zucchini & Brown Rice Noodle Ramen

I bring you this suuuper quick and easy ramen! What is ramen? It's a Japanese noodle soup, the base is usually a miso and soy sauce flavoured broth. The flavour possibilities for this dish are endless and there are many different variations.

This recipe follows exactly how I made it this afternoon (I just had to share the recipe with you today because I was so excited about how it turned out!), but you don't have to stick to it!! You can add any vegg you like (think broccoli, green beans, edamame, sweet potato, bean sprouts, paksoi), use up any leftover meat you have hanging around in the fridge: chicken, beef, pork it doesn't matter. I was lucky enough to have some leftover pork belly (I know, not the leanest piece of meat...) from my favourite Chinese restaurant here in Rotterdam! You can use your favourite (healthy) noodles (think soba noodles, glass noodles, wholegrain noodles) or even completely go for veggie noodles. Using a spiralizer you can make carrot, zucchini or even sweet potato noodles. I'm using 1/2 brown rice noodles and 1/2 zucchini noodles, making my ramen really low in carbs.

If you like Asian cuisine, ingredients such as ginger, sesame oil and miso paste are essential to have in your cupboard. If you have them in house already, you can really whip up this soup in a matter of minutes. 

I'm using normal mushrooms as well as dried shitakes. I'm directly soaking the dried mushies in my broth, they add amazing flavour!

This soup makes a great simple lunch, nourishing and quite filling as well. Hope you guys like it.

Enjoy!

Serves: 1 

Time: 

Prep. time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500 ml water
• 1 good quality stock cube (chicken, vegg, beef etc.)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons miso paste
• 1 medium boiled egg
• 80-100 gr leftover meat (chicken, beef, pork etc.)
• 10 gr brown rice noodles
• 15 gr zucchini noodles (use a spiralizer)
• 3 mushrooms, chopped in quarters
• 10 gr coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 garlic
• squeeze of lemon/lime juice (to taste)
• 1/2 cm fresh ginger
• red chili (to taste)
• sesame seeds (for decoration & taste)
• 10 gr dried shitake mushrooms
• 1/2 carrot, skin removed and chopped

Method:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a small pan, at the stock cube, miso paste, soy sauce and sesame oil
2. Add the garlic using a garlic press, and grate in the ginger (you don't need to peel it)
3. Add mushrooms, spring onion, carrot, dried shitake and brown rice noodles
4. Let your broth boil softly for about 10 minutes, untill the noodles are all dente and the carrots and other veggies have soften
5. Taste your soup and add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste
6. Add your leftover meat and zucchini noodles and let them heat along with the soup for about a minute
7. Pour your broth in a bowl, add your noodles, veggies and meat
8. Slice open your boiled egg and add it to your bowl
9. Dress your bowl with chopped coriander, red chili and sesame seeds to taste

Are you trying this ramen? Let me know I'd love to see!

Xo Fleur

Asian stuffed salmon & soy omelet

I get real creative when i'm hungry, these kind of recipes are the result! I have played around more often with omelets and asian flavours, but this omelet... so simple to make with only a few ingredients and SO good. 

I always try to make sure to add as much veggies to my lunch and dinners as possible, this means that I always stuff my omelets with loaaads of vegg. As you can see on the photo, my omelet did not handle this well and broke. If you follow my instructions carefully this won't happen to you :) !

If you have trouble getting your hands on edamame beans you can use a double amount of peas or other greens such as normal green beans/broad beans for example.  

Adding soy sauce to the egg is my latest discovery. It makes the omelet suuuuper flavourful and it adds a beautiful brown colour to the egg. Be careful with adding salt though since the omelet is already quite flavoured and salty from the soy sauce.

Enjoy!

Serves: 1 

Time: 

Prep. time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 good quality eggs (free range and organic if possible)
• 60 gr frozen peas
• 60 gr frozen edamame beans* (soy beans)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• pinch of horseradish (optional)
• 1/2 avocado, in slices
• 2 slices smoked salmon
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1/4 red chili, chopped (or to taste)
• seasalt & black pepper (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil 

*you can use fresh peas and edamame beans as well (skip step 1 & 3), I get my frozen and peeled edamame beans at my local Chinese supermarket. 

Method:

1. Put a kettle on with water and bring to a boil (approx. 1/2 l)
2. Put your beans and beans in a bowl together
3. Pour the boiling water over your greens and cover the bowl (e.g. with a plate or a cloth) and let them stand untill they have 'cooked' properly
4. When your beans are all dente (just try one), get rid of the water and rinse your greens with cold water, set aside
5. In another bowl, whisk up your eggs together with the soy sauce and horseradish
6. Put a frying pan on a low to medium heat and let it heat up for about a minute
7. Melt the coconut oil, spread it out over the surface of the pan and add your egg mixture
8. For the first 10 seconds alternate between tilting your pan around and using a spatula to move around the egg, creating waves
9. When the egg has set around the edges but is still 'wet' in the middle: turn of the heat and let your omelet glide on a plate
10. Pour the edamame beans, peas and spring onion on one half of the omelet, add the slices of salmon and avocado
11. Season to perfection with seasalt and pepper and sprinkle over the chili if you like it spicy!

And? Have I persuaded you into making this beauty for lunch? Tag me on Instagram, I'd love to see!