THE RIGHT GOODBYE-SUMMER TOMATO SPINACH SALAD

Using the last tomatoes of this year's harvest I can't simply do something ordinary - it must be the celebration of tomato flavour remembering which we will live until next year's yield.

Today I am going to share with you how to make the right goodbye-summer tomato salad.

Ingredients (serves 2):

3 handfuls of super ripe tomatoes (various colors, sizes and shapes)
a bunch of spinach
a small chilli, deseeded
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Cut the tomatoes in various ways - in circles, segments, the smallest ones in halves, use your imagination here - the more shapes you have here, the better. First I saw this trick in one of Jamie Oliver's books, and certainly - it works, it works so greatly with tomatoes, everyone should definitely try it!

Pick the spinach leaves, roughly chop the big ones and leave the small ones whole.

Thinly slice your chilli and mix it with tomatoes and spinach.

To prepare the dressing combine balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, classic proportions - 1:3 but you should try the dressing and ajust it to your personal taste. There are no strict rules here but to follow your heart. When the right amounts of balsamic and oil are mixed add a little of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper but remember to leave the dressing slightly undersalted, you will know later why.


Dress the salad, put it in 2 plates and sprinkle with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, salt and pepper flakes will look just fantastic on top!



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BEST DETOX YET FILLING QUINOA SALAD

We all know these days when holidays are over, you try your regular clothes, they don't look as good as they used to before, and panicked you decide to go on a strict diet what certainly ends up with a collapse.

Slow down. A couple of extra holiday kilos is no kind of a real problem but much of a problem in your head. After days when you ate pies and potatoes for dinner it may seem so hard to stop because in our heads loosing weight is always untasty, hungry and sad.

No, it's not.

You just need to change your menu a bit. You want to detox your organism, you want to speed your metabolism, nourish yourself with vitamins, add just a little bit of extra physical activity (1 hour of walk per day will do the work!) and voilà - you're back to normal!

What I offer you today is a super tasty, filling, detox salad. It's a vitamin treasure, a detox heaven in a bowl!



Ingredients (serves 2):

For the salad:

1/2 cup quinoa (we used a mix of red, white and black quinoa)
half of a hot chilli pepper
a cucumber
a small bunch of your favourite greens
a half of a white onion

For the dressing:

extra virgin olive oil
a lemon for squeezing
a clove of garlic
ginger root for grating
sea salt

Method:

Cook quinoa in a slightly salted water. Set aside to cool a bit. Wash and drain your greens and chop them roughly. Thinly slice the halves of chilli (don't forget to deseed it or it's gonna be really hot!) and onion. Chop the cucumber in small cubes.





To prepare the dressing smash and finely chop your garlic clove, grate a little of fresh ginger, mix them with sea salt and then add a splash of extra virgin olive oil and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice. I don't write the exact amounts of each ingredient because it's such a great fun to try and add, try and add the salt, olive oil, lemon juice until you get the taste you love. It's all really a personal choice, some like it sour, some like it salty, others like it hot and others - tender. Start with small amounts of everything and play with the taste until you get your own!



When you're done with making the right dressing simply mix everything together and serve!



This will be the greatest detox lunch. Feel good and Bon Appétit!



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THE HEALTHIEST PUMPKIN PIE EVER

When it comes to October the first thing you can't wait to make is definitely pumpkin pie. This year I tend to use less flour, less sugar, less oil - it's all about the way you feel and look. I believe sweet treats can and should be healthy.

Here it is, the healthiest pumpkin pie ever. Gluten-free. Butter-free. Absolute love.

Ingredients (serves 8): 

For the crust:

2 handfuls of mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts)
2 handfuls of dates
3 tablespoons oats (substitute with rice flour for gluten-free version)
1 cm thick piece of fresh ginger
a pinch of salt
a splash of olive oil

For the filling:

half of a medium pie pumpkin
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground hot pepper
1 egg
1 tablespoon rice flour

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Cut a medium pie pumpkin in half, you will need just a half of it.



Take one half and cut it in 4 pieces.



Place the pumpkin pieces in the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes until the pulp softens.

While the pumpkin is in the oven let's make the pie crust.

We will need a blender or a food processor. Take 2 handfuls of mixed nuts. I used almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts, you can choose any nuts you love.



Take 2 handfuls of dates and 3 tablespoons oats.



Place all the ingredients in the food processor, add your ginger, a pinch of salt and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.



Blend the ingredients until they turn into a crumbly crust. You can test it by rolling a small amount of it in your hands: if the crust sticks together then it's perfectly ready. Line a tart mould with parchment paper, press the crumbs into the mould and place in the fridge while preparing the pie filling.



For the filling put the pumpkin out of the oven and turn the heat down to 180 C, we will need it for baking the pie. Scrape the pumpkin pulp off the peel, let it cool for a while, add to the food processor together with an egg, sugar, rice flour and spices.



Puree the ingredients and pour them into the cooled pie crust.







Put the pie in the oven and cook it for 25-30 minutes until the filling thickens. Let cool and serve with a spoon of creme fraiche on top, it greatly balances the sweetness of the pie.

Bon Appétit!

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SUPER REFRESHING CELERY PESTO

I just love always to try to alter classic recipes to get a new taste in a familiar way.

This time it's everyone's favourite pesto. Try celery leaves, add some parsley and a couple tablespoons water and you will have all light, super refreshing yet creamy and comforting green goodness.



Ingredients (serves 4):

2 good handfuls of celery, leaves picked and roughly chopped
a handful of flat leaf parsley
1 garlic clove
a handful of pine nuts
extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cold water
sea salt
a lemon for squeezing a little of juice

Method:

Lightly toast your pine nuts in a pan to make their flavour intense but save the creamy texture.

In a food processor pulse your garlic, celery leaves, parsley, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons cold water, a pinch of salt and extra virgin olive oil to taste. You can start with about 3 tablespoons, then add more until you get the desired texture. At the end squeeze just a little bit of lemon juice and stir it into the sauce, it will give you the best freshness you can only imagine in pesto.



A classic recipe also requires grated Parmesan cheese which I safely omit as pine nuts work just greatly in getting the creamy texture so you probably would not want to add extra calories when you can simply go without them.



The most popular way of using pesto is definitely adding lots of it to pasta. The popularity and wide spreading of this way doesn't make it dull or tasteless though. On the opposite, pesto pasta is a great comforting, filling and so pleasant to eat dish.



You can also add some pesto to your tomato soup, or use it to dress a steak, to put on the top of your pizza, to mix with grilled vegetables or cover your fish with it - all these things will work, no doubt. Just remember to cook enough of your dish because most probably you'll want some more!



Bon Appétit!

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