Simple Roast Salmon Salad with Tahini Dressing

Last week I was lucky to buy a huge piece of wonderful farmer salmon, so fresh and flavorful and... healthy pink - I just couldn't resist it!

And now I would love to share with you what I call "the ideal dinner". Greens, proteins and a lovely dressing. Perfect!

Simple Roast Salmon Salad with Tahini Dressing

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 x 200 g salmon pieces (try to buy farmer salmon, the difference is just huge!)

2 big handfuls of your favourite greens (I took arugula and leeks)

paprika

good quality olive oil and sea salt

For tahini dressing:

3 teaspoons tahini paste

3 teaspoons water

1 garlic clove

a lemon for squeezing

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Brush your salmon with a little olive oil and rub it with paprika and sea salt. Place the pieces on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, it should be enough.

For the dressing finely chop a clove of garlic, take 3 teaspoons tahini paste, 3 teaspoons water, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice, add a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well. Taste it and adjust the quantity of lemon juice and salt if necessary. Play with the taste until you get what you like. For me usually work even quantities of tahini paste, water and lemon juice and about half of teaspoon salt but it's all to personal taste.

Serve your salmon over a light green salad, add segments of lemon and top with this wonderful tahini dressing. This is a perfect evening meal!

Bon Appétit!

Healthier Macaroni and Cheese

Several years ago I made my choice in foods and life style to stick as much as possible to all kinds of health and beauty stuff. I believe everyone shall inderstand one day that it just doesn't work in another way: you want to stay young and attractive as long as you can - you have to know what you do and what you eat. Non-starchy vegetables, proteins and a right quantity of unsaturated fats are your best friends, it's like an ABC for building your dietary intake. Simple, not hard to stick to, no need of staying hungry. Seems like perfect!

Still there are those magic products we are all crazy about - comfort foods which our moms cooked us in the childhood and keep cooking when the family gather together. Foods that bring nice emotions inside, foods we rely on like a sedative when we are not feeling okay. Crispy baked potatoes? A big burger? A bag of chocolates? Macaroni and cheese? I love these things too, I just don't want to agree that this should be totally useless food comforting your soul and meanwhile destructing your beautiful body.

I understand you can't give it 100% of health but you definitely can not make it 100% useless. Add fresh light pesto to baked potatoes. Take a whole wheat bun for your burger. Substitute a part of your cheese with mashed vegetables in mac and cheese. At least balance your meal with a good portion of green salad! It's still your favourite comfort food, just made with a little hint of health, try it and you will see it's worth it!

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 1/2 cups dry pasta

2 cups frozen green beans

200 g light cheddar cheese

4 tablespoons milk

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

good quality olive oil

sea salt

Directions:

Cook your pasta according to the instructions until al dente.

To make the sauce pulse your frozen beans in a food processor. Finely chop your garlic, heat a little of olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan, add garlic and thyme leaves and stir for a moment for the oil to incorporate the flavor. Add your beans and continue stirring for a couple of minutes, then add grated cheese and about 4 tablespoons milk. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

Mix the sauce into your pasta and enjoy!

Bon Appétit!

Mama's Matzo Balls Soup

I tasted matzo balls soup for the first time when I visited my friend in Israel. His mom cooked a delicious soup with lightest matzo balls ever. Fluffy and mild they made me fall in love with them immediately. What a weird surprise it was to find out they were made of an "instant matzo balls mix" certainly full of stuff that would better be in a chemistry lesson summary than on a foodstuff label.

I still couldn't leave it like that and promised myself to make these gorgeous matzo balls 100% natural. And here is the result - a perfect recipe for the lightest and fluffiest matzo balls. Perfect for a friday night meal with your family. Filling, comforting and so peaceful.

Matzo Balls

Ingredients (makes 30 balls):

100 g matzo meal (3/4 cup)

2 eggs, devided

1 1/2 tablespoons good quality olive oil

1 garlic clove

1/2 yellow onion

1 tablespoon dried parsley

about 7 tablespoons water

a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Finely chop garlic and onion. In a bowl lightly beat egg yolks and add matzo meal, olive oil, garlic, onion, dried parsley and a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well and add about 7 tablespoons water to help the ingredients to combine.

In another bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form and mix them gently into the matzo paste. Place the bowl in the fridge for half an hour, the paste will become rather firm. With your hands form little balls taking aboul 1 heaped teaspoon of paste at a time.

Put the balls into boiling water and cook for 15-20 min on a medium heat. These matzo balls go perfectly with classic light chicken soup.

Light chicken soup

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken (organic or free range is always prefferable)

3 litres cold water

3 garlic cloves, washed but unpeeled

3 celery stalks

1 yellow onion

2 medium carrots

1/2 teaspoon curcuma

5-6 whole black peppercorns

a small bunch of fresh thyme and sea salt

Directions:

Remove the skin from your chicken, we don't want excess fat in our soup. Place the chicken into your pan, add smashed garlic, roughly chopped vegetables, thyme, spices and sea salt. Add cold water, bring to the boil, turn the heat down, cover with a lid and let simmer for 2.5-3 hours. Remember to skim from time to time.

When ready, pour the stock into plates, add a couple pieces of vegetables, matzo balls and serve. You will love it!

Bon Appétit!