Healthy TV snacks....

Last weekend, since the weather was quite rainy my an boyfriend and I did one day full of our favorite TV shows.

BUT...we need something to snack as well. Something healthy, delicious and easy to eat on the couch.

So I created a few spreads and some healthy crackers to munch on while watching TV shows.

• wholegrain crackers As we all know wholgrain flour contains more fiber than white flour and keeps you fuller for a longer period. 
• tofu & berry spread                                                                                                                Tofu is a natural and low-calorie protein source. Moreover it contains high amounts of iron and calcium. In addidtion the berries in the spread provide healthy antioxidants.
• Cottage Cheese, garlic & basil spread
  One glove of garlic contains good amounts of manganeses, vitamin B6 and a sulfur compound called allicin which can reduce blood pressure and lowers your cholesterol levels (decreasing risk of heart diseases)
• eggplant & sesame spread
  One cup of eggplant provides about 10% of your daily fiber needs as well as significant amounts of potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6.
• Greek yogurt, lemon & pepper spread
  Lemon contains quite a lot healthy ingredients for example vitamins C, B6, A and E as well as folate, iron, calcium and pantothenic acid. In addition pepper is a good source for manganese and vitamin K.

So...now that you are informed about all the healthy ingredients we can start cooking:

Let's go, here are the directions:

Start with preparing the eggplant. Cut in half and make a few cuts across the cutting area. Then place them (with the cutting area down) on a lined baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes on medium to high heat. Don't forget to check once in a while so it won't burn.

Meanwhile you can prepare the Cootage Cheese, garlic & basil spread. Just place one cup of low-fat Cottage Cheese, one glove of garlic and one cup of fresh basil in a blender and mix until it becomes a smooth consistency.

Add a pinch of salt and put in a nice little bowl.

For the Greek yogurt, lemon & pepper spread it's quite the same procedure. Put one cup of Greek yogurt, one tablespoon of black pepper and the juice of one lemon in a blender. 

When everything is well combined add a little bit of lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Place it in another bowl and keep refrigerared until needed.

Now your eggplant must be done (the cutting area should be brown and the eggplant soft).

Take a tablespoon and spoon the flesh in a blender. Add two tablespoons of toasted sesame and mix well. Add a pinch of black pepper, a little bit of salt and one teaspoon of grounded caraway and fennel seeds.

Ready to serve in a nice bowl as well!

For the last, the berry & tofu spread place one cup of mixed berries and ¾ cup of natural tofu in the blender. Mix until everthing is smooth, creamy and well combined. Add one tablespoon of honey and blend again. Place it in another little bowl and serve with all the other spreads.

For the wholegrain crackers mix 2 cups of wholegrain flour with about ½ to one cup of water. It should be a thick and kneadable consistency. Add one teaspoon of salt and knead all together to a ball. Roll out (about -2mm thick) and cut in triangles bake on medium heat until crispy.

Now you're ready for your TV shows.

Tell me in the comments which show to like best (I'm currently looking for a new once since I finshed „Vikings“ last weekend) and enjoy your healthy TV-snacks.

xo

Andrea

Dinner with friends....sesame crusted chicken with oven veggies

This weekend we had friends invited to our place.

For dinner I wanted to cook something special but not over the top. And...since my new laptop finally arrived...it was the best opportunity to test my new cooking app (actually it was the first app I installed!)

But I didn't find exactly what I had in mind. So I made my own recipe.

Sesame crusted chicken breast with oven roasted vegetables.

Doesn't it sound delicious??

Plus: Sesame has quite a lot of health benefits. For example it contains up to 20% high quality protein and moreover micronutrients such as magnesium, zinc and calcium (good for hair and skin). Furthermore the high fiber content keeps you full throughout the day.

Let's go...here are the directions:

Mix one tablespoon of soy sauce with one tablespoon of honey and one glove of garlic for every chicken breast. For example if you cooking four servings, you need four chicken breast wich means four tablespoons of honey and four tablespoons of soy sauce and for gloves of garlic. Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until everything is well combined.

Place your chicken breast in a bowl and marinate with your soy sauce mix. Cover it with foil and let it sit for at least six hours. I recommend letting it sit overnight.

Take your chicken breasts an roll them in roasted sesame seeds and place them in a ovenproof dish. Bake for about 20 minutes until it's cooked thoroughly and golden.

Meanwhile you can prepare the veggies. Slice up two bell peppers and two zucchini (makes four servings again). Put them on a lined baking tray and sprinkle with a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt. 

Put them in the oven too...but don't forget to stir once in a while. As soon as the bell peppers turn brown your veggies are done and you can remove chicken and veggies from the oven.

Ready to dine!

I hope you enjoy! (...as much as I did)

Please don't forget to subscribe to my blog or follow me on social media if you like my recipes.

Have a great week and stay tuned for more healthy recipes.

xo

Andrea

Energy Easter eggs...Easter candy health edition

Hopefully all of you are enjoying the Easter preparations so far.

You know…Easter is one of my favorite holidays (besides Christmas) throughout the year. Not only because it’s around my birthday…also because it’s getting warmer outside, flowers start to bloom and spring is on his way!

So now…let me introduce today’s recipe: The energy Easter eggs.

It’s my personal intention to create healthy subsitutes for Easter candy or junk food in general because I’m not a fan of giving that much chocolate/junk food to children. When I was younger I always get a huge amount of chocolate bunnies and other candy. I literally couldn’t eat them all and I had to give more than a half to my dad and my brother. Today as a nutritionist and a passionate amateur chef I have the skills to create these healthy but nevertheless delicious substitutes. And… I wanna share it with as many people as possible to show everybody that a healthy diet is not hard to achieve and doesn’t require any sacrifices.

So here are the directions:

Place one cup of wholegrain oats, ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and a pinch of salt in a big bowl. Stir a little to blend everything well.

Heat up pan and dry roast 2/3 cup of grated coconut, ½ cup of sesame and ½ cup of sunflower seeds for a couple of minutes. As soon as they start to become brown remove from the heat and add them to the oat mix. Stir again.

Then add one cup of crunchy peanut butter (unsweetened) and a little vanilla extract. I slightly warmed up the peanut butter which made it easier to blend everything together.

Grab two teaspoons and some more grated coconut and sesame seeds to decorate your energy Easter eggs. Of course and for the sake of colored Easter eggs you can use a few sprinkles as well.

By using the two teaspoons you can easily form the oat and seed mix into eggs and roll them in sesame/grated coconut/sprinkles afterwards. Place them on a plate or lined baking tray and let them harden for about half an hour.

Now they’re ready to dig in.

 

Here are the ingredients summed up:

I whish everybody a wonderful and happy Passion Week, have a great Easter Sunday…

…and please, please, please send me pics of your energy Easter eggs or your colored Easter eggs! :P

Enjoy

xo

Andrea

Happy New Year....with some snacks!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!

I hope all of you had an awesome New Year’s Eve and great start into 2015.

I know it’s a little bit too late to come up with some snacks for the party…but there’s always the next year and the next party.

So…I spend New Year’s Eve at a party with my boyfriend and friends. It was so much fun and the fireworks were amazingly beautiful.

Usally, when I’m welcoming the New Year with my family we always had fondue. But at the end of 2014, since I had been invited to that party, I went for some handy and delicious snacks.

Ham&cheese croissants, cheeseballs and a walnut chickpea spread….sounds tasty, right? And…they’re perfect for a little bite between two glases of champagne.

Ready? Here are the directions:

For the croissants, slice up one small onion. Dice 100g of ham and 100g of raclette cheese into small cubes. I recommend a savory type of cheese but feel free to take any cheese of your choice. Then heat up a pan and pour in one tablespoon of oil. Stir fry the sliced onion. As soons as it turns slightly bown add the ham. Stir fry for another couple of minutes and turn down the heat afterwards.

Meanwhile you can roll out the puff pastry. Make sure that the pastry isn’t too cold otherwise it will break. (Room temperature works best.) Take a sharp knife und cut the pastry into triangles. Spread about one tablespoon of cheese and the roasted ham onion mix on the wide side of each pastry triangle. Then, beginning at the wide side, roll up the whole piece. (For better understanding see the drawing.) Place each croissant on a lined baking tray. Continue the process until the entire puff pastry is used up. Bake your croissants for about 15 to 20 minutes at 200°C.

Meanwhile you can prepare the walnut chickpea spread.

Put 200g of walnuts into a blender. Blend until they are finely grounded. Then add 400g of precooked chickpeas and a little bit of water. Blend again until it’s smooth. You can always add more water if it’s too crumbly. Place the spread into a bowl and season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Store it in the fridge until needed.

To prepare the cheesballs mix 250g of cream cheese and 100g of crème fraiche together in a bowl. Make sure that all is combined well then season with black pepper. Put it in the fridge to chill about ten minutes. This will make it easier to form the balls.

Afterwards take two teaspoons, form a dumblings and roll each of them in herbs, black sesame or curry powder. Place each of your cheeseballs on a round shaped cracker and store it in the fridge again until it’s needed. If you want secure the balls with a toothpick or cocktail stick.

And…new year, new design…here is a short summary of the ingredients. Let me know if you like it.

Enjoy your party snacks and have a wonderful 2015!!

Don’t forget to send me some pics!!! I’d love to see how you spend New Year’s Eve.

xo

Andrea