Best Christmas Recipes

Hello there! Long time - no see. And already Christmas. The time flies with the speed of light. And since we all have to be ready and fit for Christmas I prepared a Special Edition ""Best Christmas Recipes".

As you know my priorities when cooking are time and health. Therefore the recipes are made of good ingredients, less sugar, more love, less fat, more harmony. All in all a perfect choice for you if you DO CARE :)

Here they are, my TOP RECIPES for your 3-course Christmas menu:

Starter

I find it very convenient to make an exact menu for the evening so that you do not get lost with all the different dishes on the table and the most important - so that you do not overeat as this is the worst we can do for our bodies. Therefore I propose to prepare a very easy, fresh and tasty appetizer.
For example, one of these:
 Fresh Figs with Roguefort and Balsamic Sauce

King Prawns with Mango-Avocado Salsa on a Carrot Pillow  

Main Course
 
 For the lovers of tender lean rabbit mean I have a special recipe from Paris - Rabbit under Creamy Wine Sauce with Rosemary

 

For those who want a real Christmas atmosphere with seasonal products on the table, here is the best venison recipe - Bacon Rolled Venison Tenderloin under Wine-Cranberry Sauce on an Arugula Pillow

And if you like duck I have something for you  - Baked Duck Breast with Fresh Salad 

Dessert 

 In our family the number one cake is always my  Chocolate Naked Cake with Mascarpone Cream and Fresh Berries .

However, you are always welcome to have a cozy  tea time with typical Christmas treats like ginger cookies. I have a wide range of recipes here. For example, Easy Ginger Bread Christmas cookies  or Hand Made Ginger Cookies that you can by the way also use as Christmas tree decorations. Or for sweet marzipan lovers - Marzipan Hearts in Dark Chocolate .
Mmmm , Yummy!!!!!

 

 And the next day you finally have time to prepare a complete breakfast like one of those in Breakfast Section here

My Breakfast Special is Wholewheat Banana Date Bread .

Wish you a lot of fun, merry Christmas and do not forget: everything is good in moderation!!!!

Healthy brekfast: Fried egg with Veggies, Smashed Avo & Whole Wheat bread

Beginning of winter brought me sore throat. Veeeery good :( But I have no time to get upset. My Bible has arrived - brand new culinary book by Jamie Oliver. And it is not simply his next book. This one is definitely special, especially for healthy lifestyle fans. Here it is: Everyday Super Food. Recipes for a Healthier Happier You. And today I tried the first recipe. Can't wait to present it to you asap. 

With the first pages I dove into a world where I feel myself as a fish in my own sea: healthy recipes, balanced combinations, spicy flavours, all in all a wonderful journey into the Super Food World. Today I woke up full of inspiration and created a variation of one of the recipes by Jamie which I am ready to share with you, my dear! 

Ingredients:

(serves 2) 

1 tbsp olive oil

2 large eggs

12 cherry tomatoes

2 mushrooms

1 bio lemon

1/2 ripe avocado

4 slices of wholewheat bread

2 brussels sprouts

1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce

salt, pepper

You know me, I just cannot follow the recipe as it is :) It is too strict for my creative soul. So this is a variation with a bit different ingredients and my own interpretation. Important is that you will get a balanced breakfast including a around 13 g of protein to feed the muscles, fibre from veggies to support your digestion, and healthy carbs to charge your energy battery. 

The first thing you will need is a non-stick sauce pan. Heat it with olive oil and fry an egg there. I usually heat it till maximum, beat the egg, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover with the lid. In 2 minutes I add 1 tsp of cold water and cover again for another minute. Then turn off the heat. It gets a nice fluffy texture. Finally season it with salt and pepper.

In the same saucepan prepare the veggie mix. Roast cherry tomatoes. Wash mushrooms and cut into slices. Same with brussels sprouts. Add them to tomatoes and roast for another 2 minutes. Salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, peel and smash avocado and season it with lemon juice. Spread the smashed avo on the toasted bread slices like butter. Serve with fried egg and veggie mix. Finish with a drizzle of tabasco sauce. Delicious.

Here you are: healthy breakfast is ready!

Easy, quick and tasty. Because good food is always a good idea!

Grilled squids with lemon-garlic sauce

It's a loooong time since my last post...WOW... unbelievable. This summer was quite different from the previous ones. The major point is, of course, that Hamburg could not really enjoy the summer as there were about 5 really warm days since June in total. And then in a routine you get lost somewhere in the everyday problems between work, gym, home, cleaning, husband's birthday, wedding anniversary etc. And then you only notice - two summer months are gone :(

But nevertheless, I enjoy this season a lot. Summer is always full of fresh and local fruits, berries, meaning - a lot of smoothies, pies, desserts and even more. But today not about that. I will follow up with summer fruit recipes in my next posts. Menawhile I would like to stay in memories back in our vacation. 

Croatia, +45 degrees C, Biograd na Moru. When having such a nice grill near our apartments we could not keep away from it and ended up having grill-dinner everyday. Because it is just amazing - meeting sunset with a nice fresh grilled fish, veggies, local wine and calm atmosphere. This was the evening of squids. My grill-chef-husband was the one to cook them and I'm lucky to share the recipe with you. 

Ingredients:

4 big squids

1/2 lemon

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp origano

1/2 tsp salt

6 garlic cloves

Firstly, the squids have to be prepared. To make it properly I (and my husband) recommend you to follow these steps:

1. Grasp the head, pull it carefully, twisting if necessary. The internal body and tentacles will come with it. 

2. Cut the tentacles from the head. They are situated below the eyes. There is a  beak in the center of the tentacles. Squeeze to remove and discard.

3. Set aside the the tentacles. Discard the head and ink sac.

4. At the top of the body, there is a clear piece of cartilage. Pull it out and discard.

5. If the squid has an outer spotted membrane-type skin, pull it off and discard.

6. Wash the tube an tenticles thoroughfully under cold running water.

Then they will look like you may see on the picture below.

It is time to prepare the sauce. Best combination for squids (and this is how they are usually served in Croatia), is lemon-garlic sauce. Mix oil, lemon juice, salt, origano and mashed garlic. Pour part of the sauce as pregrilling marinade. The rest put aside for serving.

The best way is to grill the squids on the open fire grill. They will become firmer and loose their juice. So be prepared :)

As a side dish you may also grill zucchini or other veggies (pepper, mushrooms, tomato etc.)

Of course, you can also use baking oven instead of grill. You might need a bit longer time then.
On the grill you will approximately need 15-20 minutes until readiness, changing sides every 3-5 minutes. To make them really crispy, pour the water out of them as they get ready. You will notice that they are quite juicy :)

Immeadiately after taking squids out from grill, pour them with the sauce from all sides. Being warm helps them to get the most of the flavors from the sauce.

I used 1/4 of avocado to serve. It's up to your taste, what to choose as a side dish. But a good white wine is a must here :) We chose Malvasija this time.

Enjoy the summer.

Because good food is always a good idea.

P.S. Hopefully you also like fish and seafood. Otherwise I seem to be literally attacking you with such recipes during my last posts.

Cook your food - explore and enjoy

The process of cooking is the main link in the food chain: between the point of buying the ingredients and the moment of eating the fresh-made dish. Therefore cooking is the most important phase if you do care about your health and the health of the people you are cooking for.

Nowadays people prefer to buy some staff full of harmful conservatives than to cook clean meal with simple ingredients. Others have someone to cook for them which seems quite a good idea;) But not affordable for the majority.

Just think about it. If you cook your food you choose the ingredients. Of course you want the best for you and your family. That is why you will probably buy rather a nice fresh piece of meat than a no-idea-what-it's-made-of Cordon Bleu in a department of frozen food. You will not use additives. You will not cook junk food. That's quite messy everyday. You will not use the cheaper replacement as you are cooking for yourself and not for thousands of consumers. As a result you have healthy home-made food on your dinner table. The more love you invest, the healthier your family will be.

I often hear replies like "I don't have time for cooking" or "Oh no, it takes so much time. I'd better eat somewhere out or buy hamburger on my way". Wake up! We always find time to post our selfies on Facebook or search for some information in internet. Cooking connects us with our bodies. The time you're investing in it will come back in the form of good health, strong relationships in your family and positive thinking of your children. Cooking can be a good way to spend your time together with your children or partner.

Mark Bittman in his article "Kitchen Little" (May 7, 2013; New York Times) wrote "Cooking is not so much a matter of right or wrong but of learning what you like." and I totally agree with every single word. The whole phase of cooking allows you to combine tastes and flavors that you like, find out new combinations, forms and colors. And you will see that the field for your creations is endless.

Cook your food.
Explore and enjoy!