Healthy Spring Summer Rolls

Have you ever realised that you just go with the flow and you desperately need to stop and stare? This has been my condition for couple of weeks recently until I just couldn't neither sleep well, nor relax. And then I decided it was time to change. Maybe not fully change everything but at least my attitude. Because in the end work is just work and "life is what you miss when you are busy making your own plans", right?

Nowadays, we are victims of a speedy life when time is precious and everything is done on our ways. But the thing is, when we are trying to recall even what we ate yesterday we can hardly remember the menu... Hm... Of course! If a person eats, watches a movie, talks to a friend and checks an extremely interesting Instagram account she has bumped into by chance and all of it simultaneously, the brain does not really concentrate on a particular activity. Which means that our body is actually not really expecting the food we are consuming at such moments and we do not even notice how we eat our daily portion in a bite. 

And therefore another trend gets even more popular. SLOW FOOD. Slow living, slow time, slow food... Whatever you call it. We have to just go back to the basics. Eating and enjoying each bite. Because that is what brings us the most benefit. Add a good company to this, cook your food together and then enjoy it at the big table. That is what a slow life should be like... 

My input in the slow living today is a wonderful recipe of spring rolls. Made in the summer but that does not matter because they taste perfect during any season. Done very quickly. And suitable even for parties.

Ingredients:

yields 8 rolls

8 rice paper sheets (*easy to find in the Asian stores)

200 g fresh salmon

1/2 avocado

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/2 cucumber

10 cherry tomatoes (*my choice San Marzano)

2 cups salad leaves

1 cup precooked black rice

1 cup precooked quinoa

Philadelphia cheese 

fresh herbs

soy sauce

1 tsp Wasabi

The trick with the rice paper is that you need to soak it in a cold water in order to make it flexible and sticky. So prepare a bowl with cold water and set it aside. Wash the veggies and cut them into pieces (medium size, not turning into mush). Wash salmon loin and cut it into long pieces about 1 cm wide and 0.5 cm thick. Put the first sheet of rice paper into the water and keep an eye on it. The water should just cover it. Wait until it gets flexible and take it out. Put it on a plate and start filling. So just put a salmon string into the middle, Then some rice beside it, add veggies alongside, Philadelphia and herbs. Then fold as shown below.

   

Do the same with the second sheet and continue until you wrap all of them. As you've already understood you can use any vegetables you like and be creative.The original recipe would contain sushi rice but using black rice or red rice, quinoa will be much healthier and more beneficial for you so the choice is up to you :)

Serve the rolls with say sauce mixed with wasabi. Just dip the roll into the sauce and enjoy the taste...

Fro home-made to gourmet. 

XoXo

Anastasiya

Blueberry Ricotta Cheesecake

Last summer days... Who could have thought that it will pass by that quickly?! While looking back on all that we managed to do this summer and trying to catch the last moment I realized that one recipe is still waiting to be posted. Because it is a pure summer delight and also my childhood memories. Since I come from a little green town on the river Uzh in the western part of Ukraine, I am used from my very childhood to be close to the nature. My father likes going to the forest and gathering fresh mushrooms after the rain. My mom is always creative thinking of what to cook with fresh regional treats. My grandparents having a nice garden always provided us with berries, fruit and vegetables. I remember my sister saying that I am very lucky to have all that when she moved abroad. But back those time I did not fully realize her point. Only when I moved to Germany I understood how important is to know where does the product come from because it is much healthier to eat regional and local. Yes, there is such a great variety of everything you want here. But there are some products you will hardly find here. Blueberries! No, of course, you may buy blueberries here. But these are totally different spices. They are actually huckleberry, much bigger than what I am talking about. And your tongue is not getting violet after eating those. How?!?! How happy I was when I saw these wonderful wild blueberries in one of the big supermarkets here!!!!! After two and a half years of searching I already gave up. 

And here I am with a wonderful magic recipe specially for you - Blueberry Ricotta Cheesecake. Of course, you may follow this fluffy cheesecake recipe or my very first low-fat recipe and sprinkle blueberries on top of those but today I propose you a combination of ricotta and cream cheese. 

Ingredients:

for the crust
1 1/2 cup wholewheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup softened butter

for the filling:
250g ricotta
500g cottage cheese
3 large eggs
2 bananas
2 tbsp sugar
lemon zest from 1 lemon
vanilla seeds (from 1/2 vanilla pod)
1 tbsp cornstarch or pudding powder *(optional)

for topping:
150g fresh wild blueberries

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 18-20 cm round ovenproof form with baking paper. 

In a food processor mix all the ingredients for the crust until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Press mixture over base and side of prepared baking form. Bake it for 15 minutes until golden brown. You can also use wholegrain biscuits for the crust just blending them with butter.

In a bowl mash bananas with sugar and using an electric mixer beat them with ricotta, adding cottage cheese. Add some flavors by putting lemon zest and vanilla seeds into the cheesy mixture. At this point add cornstarch or pudding powder to make the mixture set. This step is optional as you see from the ingredient list. It is recommended if the cheese you are using is very creamy. Otherwise you can skip it without concerns. One by one add the eggs and mix well. Do not overbeat. Pour the filling over the baked crust in the form. Spread the blueberries evenly over the top of the cake.

Baking time - 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 160° C and bake 20-30 minutes more. It depends on the height of the cake. The higher - the longer baking time. The cheesecake is done when the borders are a bit puffed and the center almost set but still moves a bit when the form is shaken.

After that let it cool down until room temperature. I know this might be a challenge in some sense. Proper cooling is very important to create a proper texture and avoid cracks. Make sure to cool cheesecake completely on a wire rack on the counter before refrigerating for at least 4 hours before serving.

Here you go - colorful cheesecake SUMMER EDITION :)

 

 

Pear Galette with Whole Wheat Crust

WOW! Two months ago was my last post here. Seems like eternity... But I am back! With more energy after a good vacation, positive thoughts, new culinary experiences and a lot of tasty recipes.  With a slogan "Eat local and seasonal" I want you to try this wonderful recipe - Galette. What kind of summer without a crispy home made fruit galette?! Especially when there are so many choices of fruit, berries and other seasonal tastiness. This time I had couple of sweet pears and thus my choice was clear. An advantage of the recipe is a great combination of healthy ingredients with sweet juicy taste. If you are trying to reduce your sugar intake, this is exactly what you need. By the way, you can also try sugar-reduced version of Apple Flower Tart or sugarfree Pear Almond Tart. The first step to improve your nutrition plan is to substitute white flour with whole wheat flour. And therefore these recipes serve perfectly to #eatyourselfslim

Ingredients
180g whole wheat flour of your choice
80 g unsalted cold butter
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp ice cold water
5 medium pears
1 tbsp Demerara Black Sugar
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
1 tbsp hazelnuts

Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together. Cut the butter into cubes, then add to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or just put these ingredients into a kitchen machine. Add 4 tablespoons of ice cold water and stir in. Add the additional tablespoons of water if necessary for the dough to hold together. Shape into an circle and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Peel and slice the pears 0.5 -1 cm thick. Place them in a bowl adding lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and mix well. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll into a large circle, rolling from the middle out, rotating the dough every few rolls. Lay the dough onto a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can also roll the dough out directly on the parchment paper, then move the parchment paper and dough to the cooking sheet.

Place the pears on the dough starting from the center and leaving 5 cm border around the edge. Gently fold the edges towards the center. Meanwhile beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the dough with beaten egg-water mix.  The pears should not be brushed. Just sprinkle them with some Demerara sugar and hazelnuts. Bake for 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Important is to make sure that the bottom is baked. So if needed, extend the baking time depending on galette size and oven properties.

Let it cool on the baking sheet and enjoy the summer treat with a perfect cup of coffee!

Bon Appétit!

Raspberry Kiwi Smoothie

One more month passed by... Man, it was changing April! Rain, hail, sun and temperatures below 0. All in all - a period when "when-will-the-summer-finally-come?" question was theme of each day. People got exhausted from lack of sun and surplus of rain. A wish to stay in bed under warm blanket almost overcame myself. But I survived. Now back on track I am happy to share a lot of new recipes with you.  And since today we have  eventually a sunny warm day I want to emphasise it with a bright smoothie recipe.

Ingredients:

yields 2 portions

4 kiwi

1 cup raspberries (frozen or fresh)

4 bananas

0.5 cup water

Smoothies are full of vitamins and fibre, therefore make a perfect alternative to sugary sparkling drinks, lemonades and juices. As you know, the latter only cause a sugar spike and therefore it is much healthier to consume fruits with flesh. Smoothies can also make a wonderful colourful breakfast. In other words, it is SMOOTHIE TIME! I hope you've already tried Vitamin Boost Smoothie because today we have a perfect combination of kiwis, banana and raspberries. Sweet, sour, full of vitamin C, Е, РР, А, В1, В2, В3, В6, takes your stress away and boosts your metabolism. 

In a smoothie maker mix 2 bananas, 4 kiwis and 1/4 cup water. Blend thoroughly and pour equally into the glasses. Then combine raspberries, rest of the water and bananas. Mix and carefully pour over the first layer. Easy, right?

I decorated them with wonderful flowers and how did you serve yours? 

Share your posts with hash tag #gourmetbalance on Instagram. Check my profile here and enjoy May!!!

Blueberry Creamcheese Coconut Cake

Spring has officially started. And even though Hamburg's weather hides this miracle I already have the proof. The birds started singing so loud and so diversely that all the other city noises disappeared. The sun shows up more often granting us its' attention, the wind becomes weaker and the days are now much longer. So long that when I came yesterday back from work I could even make nice pictures of a meal for my next post. Yuppy! Sounds like a plan ;)

But coming back to now and here I want to share an easy recipe of a Blueberry cake with Creamcheese. Why will you like it? Because it is easy, healthy, wholewheat, full of flavors, sugar free, low fat and clean. And if you plan to invite guests for Easter this cake will be the right decision. I baked it last weekend to make our coffee time even more colourful. And since in our family the cakes with creamcheese are always welcome I made a little improvisation from available ingredients. As a basic recipe I used my mother's sponge cake called "Eskimo". Even if you ask me the recipe in the middle of the night I will tell you directly all the steps. This basic recipe is always good to have for the times when you cannot make long research among all the cooking books and food blogs. Main thing - it should be bullet proof. And trust me - it is!

So having the basic recipe you can always be creative and complete it with any cream or fruit you prefer. Even without cream filled with apples it tastes perfectly. So note it, share and enjoy;)

 Ingredients:

yields 23 cm cake

for sponge cake (adopted from mother's "Eskimo")

100g wholewheat buckwheat flour

50 g white flour

30 g wholewheat spelt flour

2 mashed bananas

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamon

2 tsp baking powder

10 tbsp ice cold water 

4 eggs

0.5 cup agave syrup

sprinkle of salt

for the syrup

raspberry jam

for the cream

500 g low fat creamcheese

3 tbsp coconut cream
5 sheets gelatin
lemon zest from 1 lemon
1/3 cup agave syrup
250 g blueberries
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the sponge cake preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your springform in advance: butter and line it with parchment paper. Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Into the bowl with egg yolks add mashed bananas and agave syrup. Using a hand mixer whisk all the time in the medium speed  and add gradually 10 tbsp of cold water, cinnamon, cardamon, sift all flour types with baking powder. Set aside.

In another bowl beat egg whites with a sprinkle of salt until stiff peaks. Fold accurately egg whites into the dough not to ruin the air bubbles. Pour the dough into your springform and bake for 30 minutes or until inserted skewer comes out clean.

Let the cake cool down completely. Cut off the top of the sponge to make it even and only then slice it into 2 equal layers. 

For the cream mix creamcheese with agave syrup and coconut cream. If you are wondering which coconut cream I am referring to, do not be scared. It is just a thick top cream from coconut milk. Add lemon zest and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl pour cold water and soak gelatin sheets for about 5-7 minutes*. Then preheat them on a low heat and stir into the cream. Drop in half of washed blueberries and fold couple of times. Ready!

*If you are using gelatin powder, just follow the instructions on the package. 

And now it's time to assemble the cake. Put bottom layer on a plate, brush it with raspberry jam. Spread the cream evenly over the sponge. Then cover it with the second layer and spread some frosting on top and from the sides as well. Decorate it with the blueberries. Place the cake into refrigerator for at least 4 hours. 

Tip!

If you prefer sugar free cake, use e.g. stevia sweetened jam of your choice or skip this step. If you find the jam too thick just mix it with some water. It is up to you.

Enjoy Easter time and the Blueberry Cake!!!

 

Rosemary baked fish: special recipe with the best tips of fish scaling from Croatia

Hello September! I do not stop wondering how quickly flies the time. It strolls down like a mountain river leaving only memories behind... And then you stop in the rush of the day, wake up at one point, and understand how quickly is everything happening... How come that it has been already two weeks since autumn came?! (yes, I know here they count the start of the season later, but not in Ukraine:) I am still with my thoughts back there, in our dream vacation, warm Croatia and on the seaside... where you can be an idle person, lying the whole day and doing only things you have mood for. While discovering Croatia we were lucky not only to be lazy but also to get some special culinary tips and tricks, which I appreciate very much. One of those was concerning the way to scale the fish. The trick is that you do it in the sea. YES, IN THE SEA! Same actions, but just in the sea. So we took all the needed equipment (sharp knife) and fresh fish from the local market and went to enhance our skills. I have to admit in our family my husband is a professional in these tasks, so I was taking pictures ;)

That morning we decided to buy something different than dorado or sea bass... Sarpa salpa, known commonly as the salema, salema porgy, cow bream or goldline, is a species of sea bream, recognisable by the golden stripes that run down the length of its body, and which might cause hallucinations when eaten. In fact, these curious figures were unknown to us up to the time I made a research for the post. When scaling the fish in the sea, you "kill two rabbits at once" - the outcome is scaled fish and already salted (from natural source, what could be more natural?!). 

Pay attention to the fact that the knife has to be sharp in order to make everything quickly and accurately.

My main concern was - where will we throw out the rests? It is not the most pleasant thing afterwards to swim among fish entrails. But no worries! The nature has foreseen already everything and sea-gull was right there and veeeery hungry.

And here is the recipe:

Ingredients: (for 2 portions)

2 fishes (we chose sarpa)

pepper, rosemary

salted sea and sweet heart :)

Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or if available prepare the grill (as we did here). Sprinkle the fish in and outside with rosemary and pepper. Bake 20 minutes under foil and another 15-20 uncovered (depending on the size of the fish).

I leave the side dish up to you. My choice was pumpkin puree as I really missed it. For my husband the only way to get full is to get some carbs as a side dish, so whole wheat pasta was his choice.

Here are some nutrition facts about fish:

• For individuals who do not consume dairy products fish and seafood can be a significant source of calcium
• Fish including salmon and sardines canned in oil as well as sea vegetables such as kombu, nori, and dulse are good sources of calcium
• Fish and seafood are good sources of healthy fats such as omega 3s which are an essential part of a balanced fat intake

Bon Appétit!

Cauliflower pizza

Catching the last summer days in Hamburg and enjoying a nice company with my dear friend I ended up with quite a long blog break :) But I'm pretty sure you will forgive me. Because there are not so many people, whom you are always happy to see, no matter how long passed by after the last visit. Once a year, or once in 5 years, you always find the words to say, thoughts to share and stories to tell. You talk about the topics you've never discussed, and find out a lot of new and interesting, you support and get it back, share happiness and always stay there for a friend, do crazy things together and just listen to each word. And I appreciate it much!!!

After the visit of my dear friend I had to dive deeply into work and another week passed by. Usual working days, just the weather got more autumn-like. An extra opportunity I got these days was a Gardening and Decor workshop last Friday, that brought me into atmosphere of creativeness and team spirit. I will update you on my new skills in the next post. The last weekend we spontaneously decided to have a short trip to Amsterdam, which appeared to be a fairytale place... And so we are here: September, autumn breeze and bright yet less warm sun rays fall into my window before they disappear. Sitting in a warm room with a cup of tea I am writing to you, my reader.

Today I decided to make a colourful dish as a sign of leaving summer and reminder of warm Italian food. P-I-Z-Z-A! And who hates pizza?! Especially if I say that this one is a healthy variety and can absolutely stay in line with Italian companion. Cheesy, juicy and crispy, all in one - cauliflower pizza. And if never tried it, you JUST HAVE TO BAKE IT!

Ingredients:
Recipe adopted from The Iron You

1/2 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
20 gr mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Filling

6 tablespoons thick tomato sauce
6 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp green beans
1 tbsp sweet corn
8 black olives
20 gr mozzarella cheese
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 220°C. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with olive oil. Wash the cauliflower and rice it in a food processor rice until evenly chopped. Afterwards transfer cauliflower rice to a microwave dish and put into microwave for about 8 minutes, until cooked.

Place the cauliflower rice in a tea towel and twist it to squeeze out as much moisture as you can. This is very important. The cauliflower rice needs to be dry. Otherwise you’ll end up with a mushy dough, not a crusty one.

Transfer the cauliflower rice to a mixing bowl and add egg, mozzarella, oregano, sea salt and pepper. Mix well. Using your hands, press the mixture onto the baking sheet and shape into a round form. The dough is ready. Spread the tomato sauce and add any filling you like. I chose beans, olives, tomatoes, egg. Feel free to be creative at this point. This type of recipe usually is good when you need to utilise last couple of olives, one egg, some rests of the cheese and maybe ham, that are waiting in the fridge...

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy the healthiest pizza without harm. Because good food is always a good idea ;)