I am taking some time off from the blog, in order to work on my portfolio and personal website. I’ll publish the new recipes as soon as possible….In the meantime I share some photographs taken in studio. Your feedback is very much appreciated, as always 🙂
One of the main ingredients in the new recipe…Sweet or savoury???
Whole spelt and rolled oat crackers.
makes 2 baking sheets (24 cm x 33 cm) of crackers
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
100 g whole spelt flour
50 g rolled oats
40 g flax seeds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
130 ml water
salt to taste
Method.
1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients and knead well, until you get a nice and compact dough.
2. Cut the dough into three pieces. Dust with some flour, then roll out each piece of dough between two sheets of baking paper (make the dough as thin as possible).
3. Remove the sheet of paper on top and then, using a cutting wheel, roughly cut out and shape the dough into small squares.
4. Line two baking sheets with baking paper and bake the crackers at 180°C /356° F (with the fan on) for 15 minutes.
5. Serve with the fresh vegetable and shrimp salad (see the recipe).
Crackers integrali di farro e fiocchi d’avena.
Per 2 teglie da forno (24 cm x 33 cm) di crackers
Difficoltà : facile
Ingredienti
100 g farina di farro integrale
50 g di fiocchi integrali d’avena
40 g di semi di lino
3 cucchiai di olio extra vergine d’ oliva
130 ml d’acqua
sale q. b.
Preparazione.
1. In una terrina grande, mescolate tutti gli ingredienti e impastate fino ad ottenere un impasto omogeneo.
2. Tagliate l’impasto in tre pezzi. Spolverate con un po’ di farina, poi stendete con un matterello un pezzo di pasta tra due fogli di carta da forno (cercate di renderlo il più sottile possibile).
3. Togliete il foglio di carta da forno sulla parte superiore dell’impasto e poi, con una ruota tagliapasta, tagliate dei piccoli quadrati. Ripetete l’operazione con il resto dell’impasto.
4. Ricoprite due teglie con carta da forno e infornate i crackers a 180 ° C (con la ventola) per 15 minuti.
5. Servite con l‘Insalata con gamberi e avocado.
February is American Heart Month, a month-long campaign to raise awareness about the risk of heart diseases and unhealthy lifestyles; it is also a way to remind us that we have to take care of our hearts and ourselves on a regular basis. One way to do that is to improve our diets by adding more fresh vegetables, whole grains and limiting unhealthy fats, in order to lower the cholesterol levels in our blood.
We all know that these healthy foods contain a lot of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, which are extremely important for our system, more than this, they also contain fibre, another important element that helps maintain low cholesterol levels in our blood. As a consequence, we have to cut down on unhealthy fats like the ones contained in full-fat dairy products, heavily processed food and fatty meat… It doesn’t mean we have to completely avoid these foods, we just have to be a little bit more aware about what we eat.
Healthy eating doesn’t necessarily mean tasteless food…
I am a firm believer that healthy dishes can be tastier than unhealthy processed food. In fact, the less you cook, manipulate and process the ingredients during the preparation method of a recipe, the tastier the food will be, as you preserve the nutrients contained in it…As a consequence, your body will benefit with a boost of energy and good health!
Of course, today’s recipes are dedicated to this topic..
Fresh vegetable and shrimp salad.
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
Serves 4
300 g of shrimps
1 large avocado
16 cherry tomatoes
150 g mixed salad (with fresh carrots and mixed salad leaves)
2 spring onions (optional)
the juice of a lime
a little extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method.
1. Fill a small pan with water, then cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and poach the shrimps for 5-7 minutes (until they turn pink), then drain and set a side.
2. Wash, clean and dry all the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into halves, the avocado into small chunks and mix with the salad. Slice the spring onion and add it to the vegetables.
3. Divide the salad into 4 equal portions, then add the shrimps and season with a little extra virgin olive oil, the juice of a lime, salt and pepper.
4. Serve the salad in bowls with a few whole spelt and oat crackers on the side.
See also the whole spelt and oat crackers recipe
Insalata con gamberetti e avocado.
Difficoltà : facile
Ingredienti
Per 4 persone
300 g di gamberetti
1 avocado grande
16 pomodorini ciliegia
150 g di insalata mista (con carote fresche)
2 cipollotti (facoltativo)
il succo di un lime
un po’ di olio extra vergine di oliva
sale e pepe q.b.
Preparazione.
1. Fate bollire dell’acqua in una pentola. Spegnere il fuoco e immergetevi i gamberetti per 5-7 minuti (fino a quando diventano rosa), quindi scolate e mettete da parte.
2. Mondate tutte le verdure. Tagliate i pomodorini a metà e l’avocado in piccoli pezzi, poi uniteli all’insalata. Tagliate il cipollotto a fettine molto sottili e mischiatelo alle verdure.
3. Dividete l’insalata in 4 parti uguali, quindi aggiungete i gamberetti e condite con un filo d’olio extra vergine d’oliva, il succo di un lime, sale e pepe.
4. Servite l’insalata con dei crackers di farro e avena.
Vedete anche la ricetta dei crackers di farro e avena
A healthy recipe, for a change! 🙂
A melt-in-the-mouth dark chocolate and raspberry soufflé is definitely a wonderful way to indulge during a romantic Valentine’s evening.
I know, making a soufflé for the first time can be a little bit scary, however it is quite a simple dessert to make, despite its reputation….Just remember to handle the soufflé with great care and serve it as soon as it comes out of the oven, otherwise this dessert will lose its lift.
Cooking tip. Grease and chill the soufflé dishes for at least 5 minutes before cooking, then grease again with a little butter before pouring in the soufflé mixture. This operation will prevent the soufflé sticking to the dishes during the cooking process.
Dark chocolate soufflé with raspberries.
Medium difficulty
Ingredients
Serves 2-3
2 small egg yolks (at room temperature)
3 small egg whites (at room temperature)
60 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
60 g fresh raspberries, washed and dried (at room temperature)
15 g butter, plus a little bit more for greasing the moulds
45 g honey, or agave syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Method.
1. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
2. Grease 2-3 soufflé moulds (8 cm in diameter, or larger if you use only 2).
3. Stirring gently, add the butter and the honey to the melted chocolate. Let cool a little.
4. Add the egg yolks and then the raspberries, crushing them lightly using a fork. Mix well.
5. Separately, whip the egg whites with a teaspoon of lemon juice (the lemon juice will help the whipping process).
6. Combine the whipped egg whites with the other ingredients. Mix all the ingredients gently using a spatula.
7. Fill the moulds up to 2/3 and bake at 160 ° C for 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh raspberries and serve immediately.
Soufflé di cioccolato ai lamponi.
Media difficoltÃ
Ingredienti
Per 2-3 persone
2 tuorli piccoli (a temperatura ambente)
3 albumi piccoli (a temperatura ambiente)
60 g di cioccolato findente al 70 %
60Â g di lamponi freschi (a temperatura ambiente)
15 g di burro e un po’ di più per imburrare gli stampi
45 g di miele (oppure sciroppo d’agave)
1 cucchiaino di succo di limone (per montare meglio gli albumi)
Preparazione.
1. Fate sciogliere il cioccolato a bagnomaria.
2. Imburrate 2-3 stampini da soufflé di circa 8 cm di diametro (o anche un po’ più grandi, se ne usate solo due).
3. Unite il miele e il burro al cioccolato sciolto, mescolando dolcemente. Lasciate intiepidire.
4. Aggiungete gradualmente anche i tuorli e i lamponi. Schiacciate leggermente i lamponi con una forchetta e mescolate bene.
5. A parte, montate a neve gli albumi con un cucchiaino di succo di limone.
6. Unite gli albumi montati agli altri ingredienti, mescolando delicatamente dal basso verso l’alto.
7. Riempite gli stampini fino a 2/3 e infornate a 160° C per 20 minuti. Guarnite con dei lamponi freschi e servite subito.
…Something truly special for Valentine’s Day!
Today I am sharing a recipe for pineapple lovers! This pineapple and oat smoothie has lots of health benefits and a wonderful refreshing flavour! Really something to try…
This amazing drink is packed with vitamin C and manganese, contained in large quantities in the pineapple; it also contains rolled oat,  a good source of vitamin B1, iron, antioxidants, fibre and vegetable proteins…..A truly delicious smoothie, perfect for breakfast or as an energising drink!
You’ll love it!!
Pineapple and oat smoothie.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
300 g pineapple, cleaned and without the core (roughly half a big one)
1 apple (of your choice)
30 g whole oat flakes (rolled oats)
200 ml almond milk
1 cardamom pod (use only the seeds)
Method.
1. Peel and cut the fruits into chunks.
2. Place the fruit in a blender, then add 200 ml of almond milk, 30 g of oat flakes and a few crushed cardamom seeds. Add also three ice cubes and blend everything until smooth.
3. Garnish with some fresh mint leaves and serve.
Frullato di mela e ananas con fiocchi d’avena.
Tempo di preparazione: 5 minuti
Ingredienti
Per due persone
300 g di ananas, pulito e senza la parte centrale (circa metà di un ananas grande)
1 mela (la varietà che preferite)
30 g di fiocchi d’avena integrali
200 ml di latte di mandorla
1 piccolo baccello di cardamomo (usate solo i semini all’interno e scartate la buccia)
Preparazione.
1. Sbucciate e tagliate la frutta a pezzi.
2. Mettete la frutta nel frullatore, quindi aggiungete 200 ml di latte di mandorle, 30 g di fiocchi d’avena e qualche semino tritato di cardamomo. Aggiungere anche tre cubetti di ghiaccio e frullate tutto, fino ad ottenere una crema.
3. Guarnite con qualche foglia di menta fresca e servite.
Rich in calcium, antioxidants and vitamin E, almond milk is a wonderful healthy drink, widely used in vegan recipes… And today we are going to make it from scratch!
This recipe is very easy to prepare, it doesn’t require any fancy equipment and is quite quick to make! As you’ll see in the recipe method, we are basically going to separate the almond pulp from the juice, in order to extract the milk.
Almond milk is another incredibly versatile ingredient, as it can be used in the preparation of smoothies and can replace dairy products in many recipes, both sweet and savoury; while the almond paste, obtained during the process, can be used in cake and biscuit recipes.
Almond milk (basic recipe).
Soaking: 30 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
for 1 bottle (1 l.)
100 g of raw shelled almonds (better unpeeled)
1 l. of water
a few ice cubes
a pinch of salt
You need
1 blender
1 bowl
1 funnel
1 glass bottle
1 strainer
a cloth (like a cotton napkin)
Note.
To make a slightly sweeter almond milk you can add 3 boneless dry dates and blend them with the almonds, then sift everything, as described in the recipe.
Method.
1. Place the almonds in a bowl and fill with 200 ml of hot water. Soak the almonds in the water for 30 minutes, then drain (keep the soaking water, you’ll need it later!) and remove the skin from the almonds.
2. In a blender, blend the almonds with a few ice cubes and then gradually add the soaking water (this will preserve part of the substances contained in the almond skin). Blend everything, until you have a creamy mixture.
3. Pour in 800 ml of water, add a pinch of salt and blend for a few more minutes.
4. Using a funnel and a strainer, sift the mixture and pour the milk into a bottle. Use a cloth (or a cotton napkin) to squeeze all the juice out of the almond paste.
5. Put the lid on the bottle and place the milk in the fridge. Use within three days.
Method variation.
In the method described above, we soak the almonds in hot water, in order to soften the pulp and remove the skin (this method is particularly useful if you want to use the pulp in another recipe). However, you can soak the almonds for 30 minutes in cold water, instead, and then blend them with the skin. Then you have to strain the almonds with a strainer through a cloth, pressing the mixture with a spatula. This process might take a little longer, but it’s better if you want to make sure you use raw almonds.
You can flavour your almond milk with honey, maple or agave syrup, vanilla extract, cocoa powder…You choose!
Latte di mandorla (ricetta base)
tempo di riposo: 30 minuti
tempo di preparazione: 20 minuti
Ingredienti
Per una bottiglia (da 1 litro)
100 g di mandorle sgusciate (meglio non pelate)
1 l. d’acqua
qualche cubetto di ghiaccio
un pizzico di sale
cosa serve
1 frullatore
1 ciotola
1 imbuto
1 bottiglia di vetro (da un litro)
1 colino a maglie fitte
un tovagliolo di cotone (oppure un canovaccio)
Nota.
Per rendere più dolce il latte di mandorla potete aggiungere 3-4 datteri (senza seme) e frullarli insieme alle mandorle, poi filtrate tutto, come descritto nella ricetta.
Preparazione.
1. Mettete le mandorle in una ciotola e ricoprite con 200 ml d’acqua bollente. Fate riposare per 30 minuti circa, poi scolate (mettete il liquido d’ammollo da parte) e spellate le mandorle.
2. Mettete le mandorle con qualche cubetto di ghiaccio nel frullatore e incominciate a frullare, versando a filo l’acqua dell’ammollo (questo per dare sapore e conservare parte delle sostanze contenute nella buccia). Continuate a frullare fino ad ottenere una cremina senza grumi.
3. Versate nel composto cremoso 800 ml di acqua con un pizzico di sale e frullate ancora per qualche minuto.
4. Utilizzando un imbuto e un colino, filtrate il composto e versate il liquido in una bottiglia. Dopo aver filtrato tutto il liquido, strizzate bene la polpa di mandorle con un tovagliolo.
5. Mettete la bottiglia con il latte di mandorla in frigorifero e consumate la bevanda entro tre giorni.
Una variante della preparazione.
Nel metodo descritto qui sopra, utilizziamo l’acqua calda per rimuovere con facilità la pellicina e ammorbidire le mandorle (questo metodo è particolarmente indicato se si vuole riutilizzare la polpa ottenuta dalle mandorle in altre ricette). Come variante, potete immergere le mandorle in acqua fredda per 30 minuti e poi frullarle con la loro pellicina. In questo caso, dovrete filtrare bene il composto attraverso un panno e un colino, premendo con una spatola per accelerare il processo. Questo metodo richiederà un po’ più di tempo, ma è meglio, se volete essere sicuri di utilizzare mandorle crude.
Foodfulife 