All posts tagged: SUPERFOOD

Heirloom Beet Carpaccio with Feta and Walnuts

Heirloom Beet Carpaccio with Feta and Walnuts

I’ve mentioned before how much I love shopping at our Farmers’ Market in Darmstadt*! It’s my go-to place for fresh, seasonal, and local products, which I love to share with you in all sorts of recipes on my blog. So, imagine my excitement when I spotted red and yellow heirloom beets! I knew it was finally time to show you my favorite recipe—Heirloom Beet Carpaccio with Feta and Walnuts. Candy striped beet and Feta? They’re a dream team! Not only do they make my carpaccio look colorful and gorgeous, but they also taste absolutely delicious. The beet is nice and crunchy, the feta is soft and salty, and the walnuts add a perfect nutty flavor. My favorite dressing ties it all together—it’s made with red onion, juice from 2 bitter oranges, good olive oil, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. It’s the perfect finishing touch for this carpaccio! Now, I can’t always find bitter oranges at the market, so I get them from my trusted greengrocer. Depending on the season, I switch up the dressing with …

Creamy Wild Garlic Hummus with Crispy Flatbread Sticks

Creamy Wild Garlic Hummus with Crispy Flatbread Sticks

It’s wild garlic season, and today, I’ve got a simple recipe for you! I whipped up a Creamy Wild Garlic Hummus with Crispy Flatbread Sticks. If you’re not familiar with hummus, it’s a Middle Eastern dip made primarily from chickpeas. Now, onto my version! I’ve infused it with wild garlic, giving it a beautiful green hue and a deliciously subtle spiciness and garlic flavor. Wild garlic is like a fancier, milder cousin of regular garlic, so it’s perfect if you’re not a fan of the strong garlic smell. Watch my preparation video on Instagram

Oriental Chickpea-Couscous Salad

Oriental Chickpea-Couscous Salad and Book Review “Ein Bauch voll Glück”

*ad / cookbook review* Do you lack the time for a healthy diet and snack your way through the day? Do You invest time in more important things than in your own body and your health? But a healthy diet with balanced, fiber-rich, and fresh food is an investment in your health. Perhaps when you think of a healthy meal, you think of boring dishes lacking flavor. Yet there are so many delicious and healthy recipes that reduce stress, and make you happy. Like in the Good Mood Kitchen by Annelina Waller, where things go happily. So today, I have a vegan and gluten-free recipe for an oriental chickpea-couscous salad and a book review, “Ein Bauch voll Glück.”

Majoon – Banana Date Ice Cream Shake with Lotus Biscoff معجون با لوتوس

Majoon – Banana Date Ice Cream Shake with Lotus Biscoff معجون با لوتوس

It’s finally warm again, and what could be better than a cooling, refreshing, and rich ice cream shake? My Majoon – banana date ice cream shake with Lotus Biscoff معجون با لوتوس also helps to keep you cool. Majoon, sometimes called Vitamineh, is a popular energy shake from Iran. This delicious and natural ice cream shake is made with bananas, dates, nuts, vanilla ice cream, cream, Lotus Biscoff caramel biscuits ( unpaid ad), and caramel Topping. Prepare my creamy caramel ice cream shake before drinking to avoid the ingredients separating again. Stay cool!

Sharbat-e Khakshir Nabat – Persian Summer Drink

Sharbat-e Khakshir Nabat – Persian Summer Drink

Do you crave for a refreshing summer drink on hot summer days? We drink Sharbat-e Khakshir Nabat – Persian Summer Drink in Iran when it’s hot. A healthy and delicious Persian refreshment drink made from Sophia herb seeds, fresh spring water, rose water, lemon juice (optional), ice cubes, and saffron candied sticks. This drink cools you from the inside, is quick to prepare, tastes delicious, and will quench your thirst. The seeds are heavy, and sink to the bottom of the glass and should be stirred just before drinking. The stirring makes them dance their way to the top. If you travel to Iran, you should try Sharbat-e Khakshir Nabat – Persian Summer Drink in a Ab Miveh Forooshi (juice bar), you can get this cool refreshing drink at every corner. Find here some more Sharbat recipes on my blog.

Piccalilli – English Mustard Pickle

Piccalilli – English Mustard Pickle

Let’s start pickling today! I came across this incredibly delicious Piccalilli – English Mustard Pickle as I visited London. So I want to share the recipe with you, as the pickling is simple to prepare and super healthy. I made the British version, which originates from India. You need fresh vegetables like cauliflower, diced zucchini, red bell pepper, carrot, and onion to prepare it. Their delicious taste comes from a broth of apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, mustard seeds, mustard powder, turmeric, coriander, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Piccalilli has a mild spiciness, a nice crunchy texture, an intense yellow color, and is bound creamy. Simply delicious!

Big Bean Burger Plant Based

Big Bean Burger Plant Based

It’s Veganuary and I made vegan pinto bean burgers with smokey flavors. Now you probably think a burger without meat, but does it taste good at all? Well, everyone here in this house is absolutely blown away. The vegan option is made with very simple ingredients and lots of flavor. A savory patty made of pinto beans, mushrooms, walnuts, parsley and chickpea flour is packed into the burger buns. Special spices provide a wonderful smoky aroma. They are topped with crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and sour burger pickles. They become juicy with pickled red onions or with a delicious onion jam. Add some ketchup or burger relish on top and the vegan delight in a healthier fast food version can begin. The vegan burger is plant-based, gluten-free, and simple and inspires vegans, vegetarians, and all those who find vegan not so great.

Morabay-e Anjir – Fig Jam مربای انجیر

Morabay-e Anjir – Fig Jam مربای انجیر

Between July and November is fig season and I got some very nice examples from our neighbor. I don’t know why I have not yet planted my own fig tree in the garden, but it’s definitely time to do. Morabay-e Anjir – fig jam مربای انجیر is made from fresh whole figs and is infused with cardamom, vanilla and saffron. Believe me, the spicy and oriental sweet fragrance is a true joy for your senses. In daily life, quince, carrot, rose or cherry jam are more popular in Persia. Honey-sweet fig jam, on the other hand, is served with bread, butter or clotted cream more on special occasions for breakfast. A sweet delight for real gourmets.

Bread Salad with Fresh Herbs

Bread salad with fresh herbs

What the Italian his Panzanella, is to me my bread salad with fresh herbs. The taste of crusty toasted Arabic bread and freshly chopped herbs, such as mint, flat-leaf parsley, basil, and tarragon, is incredibly crunchy and refreshing. Fruity pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and tangy feta tickle your palate. A slightly tart dressing of pomegranate pulp, olive oil, golpar, sumac, salt, and pepper tops this salad off. The bread salad tastes fresh, and savory, and is also filling and super healthy. Love serving it on hot summer days as a cooling and light meal. It’s also great as a mazeh (mezze) or as a side dish with rice and meat dishes. If you’re looking for a delicious and quick summer recipe, my Bread Salad with Fresh Herbs is the perfect choice for you.

Majoon - Date Ice Cream Shake with Nuts معجون

Majoon – Date Ice Cream Shake with Nuts معجون

Do you also prefer only to eat ice cream in the heat? Well, today I have a perfect healthy ice cream recipe for you. My ice-cooled Majoon – date ice cream shake with nuts معجون is a great way to cool down not only during the summer. Majoon means a “combination of products”, as it contains many different ingredients. Dates provide a natural sweetness, ripe bananas, vanilla ice cream and cream make the ice cream creamy, and the nuts in and on the ice cream as topping add crunch. I used walnuts, pistachios, almonds, and cashews. Finally, garnish with some date syrup and Majoon is a sweet, tasty, and also healthy snack for between meals!