Monthly Archives: May 2016
Sanity-Saving One Pot Pasta
Life is beautifully full these days. Between caring for an energetic toddler and running my own business while attempting to carve out some time to cook, have a social life, exercise, pursue creative things and do laundry? It’s full-on. And wonderful. And then there are days when I feel that I may just lose it.
We were sitting down to dinner the other night, to a very simple meal that I had thrown together in a mad dash. My husband took a few bites, looked up and said: “This is really, really good.”
“Really?” I asked in disbelief. “I actually cooked the whole thing in 10 minutes and in the same pot” (a triumph for me – I’m a bit of a tornado in the kitchen).
“This is the kind of thing you should blog, Sarah. People like simple things.”
Not that I had forgotten this fact, but I also feel the need to like, blow your minds most of the time. Or at least attempt to, ya know? This was not a blow-your-mind kind of dinner. It was made on a busy weeknight from stuff we had in the fridge and pantry, while a hangry 2-year-old clung to my bare legs since he had already pulled my pants off. If this situation sounds familiar, this dinner will be your new go-to. It’s simple, fast, easy, and most importantly, very delicious. Just because you’re going insane doesn’t mean that you’ve lost all sense of taste. In fact, saving one’s sanity often hinges on proximity to good food, as evidenced by post break-up ice cream binges, and bad-day-at-work pizza parties. I get it.
Legume-based pastas have been popping up in regular grocery stores all over Copenhagen lately, and I am loving them! They are made from just legumes (red lentils, green peas, adzuki beans etc.), they cook in about 6 minutes and contain unbelievably high amounts of protein and fiber, thanks to the only ingredient being, well, legumes. Although I have some “rules” in my diet which exclude most things that I couldn’t recreate in my own kitchen, these pastas are a serious life-saver when I don’t have a ton of time to make dinner, and a seriously great alternative to wheat pasta. I will compromise a little when my sanity is on the line, won’t you?
The brilliance of this dish, besides the fact that it is so fast to make, is that it’s cooked in just one pot! Although it differs from the one-pot pastas I’ve seen online where everything is cooked together from the beginning, my version requires a little bit of timing on your part, adding the asparagus and peas about three minutes before the pasta is cooked. Theoretically, you could toss everything together in the same pot from the get-go, but this produces overcooked veggies, and no one really digs that.
You can use any legume-based pasta you like this, in any shape that appeals to you. And, you can really pick any seasonal veggies that cook in the same amount of time or slightly less than the pasta. It’s great with broccoli, sweet potato, green beans, zucchini or snap peas. I even enjoy this dish cold – so it’s the perfect make-and-take meal for a picnic dinner.
If you are not vegan, this is delicious with some grated Pecorino Romano grated in, or crumbled feta.
Sanity-Saving One Pot Pasta
Serves 4-6
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
200g legume-based pasta (I used mung bean fettucini)
1 lb. / 500g asparagus
2 cups / 300g fresh or frozen shelled green peas
sea salt for cooking water and garnish
4 Tbsp. cold-pressed olive oil
zest of 1 organic lemon
3 Tbsp. capers (about 1 small 60g jar)
A large handful fresh mint, leaves only
Directions:
1. Put a large pot of water on the stove and heat over a high flame.
2. While the water is heating up, wash, trim, and chop the asparagus. Shell the peas (or take them out of the fridge / freezer). Wash and roughly chop the mint. Once the cooking water is boiling, salt it generously (it should taste salty).
3. Add the pasta and set a timer for about 3 before the suggested cooking time. Three minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus and peas. Cook for three minutes. Drain well and place back in the pot. Add the olive oil, lemon zest, drained capers and a few pinches of sea salt. Season to taste. Fold in the fresh mint and serve.
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The post Sanity-Saving One Pot Pasta appeared first on My New Roots.
Hamilton Beach 33473 Programmable Slow Cooker, 7-Quart, Silver Review
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes
Post sponsored by Cascadian Farm. See below for more details.
Whenever my parents are in town visiting, we find ourselves eating breakfast out quite a bit. One of the places we hit serves their own version of blueberry cornmeal pancakes that are as large as the plate. While I like them, I’ve found I can make a similar variation at home that I love a bit more. I enjoy using frozen blueberries in place of fresh because they create a juicer pop when eating. The secret, I’ve learned, is to toss the blueberries with a bit of cornmeal then let them slightly thaw before adding them to the pancakes. The cornmeal soaks up juice which helps the pancakes to set better while cooking. Read more and see the recipe.
The post Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes appeared first on Naturally Ella.
Ninja Mega Kitchen System 1500 Food Processor Blender BL773CO Review
Green Pea, Millet & Mint Fritters
Elsa planted a few pea seeds in pots that we placed in our kitchen window a couple of weeks ago. It has turned out to be a fun little project as they have been growing rapidly and she has been measuring them every morning. Isac was very intrigued by the part where you water the seeds and has been a keen helper in that area. He has also started experimenting with watering a few other things in our apartment, like the pestle and mortar, my shoes and our living room sofa. We’re still waiting to see if any of them will start growing.
It would be a great story if I could tell you that we’ve been harvesting the peas from Elsa’s plants and used in this pea fritter recipe but her little hobby project will probably only leave us with a handful of tiny peas. So the peas in this recipe came from a different source.
I am not sure if fritters actually is the correct word as we don’t use any flour in this recipe and they are aren’t deep-fried either. Perhaps pea pancakes would describe them better? We however rarely get the chance to use the word fritters so that’s what we’re sticking with.
These are fresh and light with distinct tones of mint and spring. We enjoyed them for lunch but they could make for a nice breakfast as well. Apart from peas and herbs, we use cooked millet, eggs and ricotta cheese in the batter. They are quite delicate and need a gentle hand when flipped, but the easiest trick is to keep them quite small in size.
You could of course serve this with a number of different options but here we have simply wilted spinach with chili flakes for a bit of a punch, added a soft boiled egg and topped it with a dollop of yogurt, sprouts, radishes and lemon zest.
Pea, Millet & Mint Pancakes
Serves 4
We have listed the amount of uncooked millet that you need for this recipe but we recommend cooking a larger batch while you are at it. We always keep cooked millet or quinoa in the fridge so we easily can create patties like these or to make our soups more filling.
1 1/2 cup / 225 g fresh green peas (or frozen and thawed)
1 packed cup / 160 g cooked millet (1/3 cup / 70 g uncooked) (cooked quinoa or rice should work too)
1 spring onion, chopped
2 eggs
1 handful fresh mint and parsley leaves (6 sprigs, picked)
4 tbsp ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
salt and pepper
coconut oil, for frying
Wilted spinach
coconut oil
a few handfuls wild spinach
1-2 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper
Serve with
Yogurt
Soft or medium boiled egg (ours were cooked for 7 minutes)
Beetroot sprouts
Radishes
Lemon zest
Add 1 cup / 150 g of the peas to a food processor along with millet, spring onion, eggs, herbs, ricotta cheese, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times on high speed until mixed but still slightly chunky. Mash the remaining peas roughly with a fork and stir into the batter. Let sit for 20 minutes to let the ingredients come together (which will make them easier to fry). Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, wait until it’s hot and then use a large spoon to dollop the fritters into the pan and flat them out into rounds (depending on the size of the pan, you should be able to fit between three and five of them each time). Cook until they begin to set, roughly about 3 minutes and then carefully flip them with a spatula. If the batter feels too soft and runny, you can add some extra millet to it. Fry all the fritters and place on a tray to cool off just slightly while wilting the spinach.
Using the same frying pan, simply add the spinach to a little oil and chili flakes on a medium heat and let sauté for a few minutes until it has wilted down.
Place the spinach on plates, top with a few sweet pea fritters, yogurt, sprouts, radishes and a generous amount of lemon zest and soft boiled eggs on the side. Enjoy!
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PS! We have released an update for our Green Kitchen app which includes a search bar (finally, right!?) where you can search on recipe names and ingredients. We have also added more recipes, Quick Actions with 3D Touch and a whole lot of backend fixes that will make it run even smoother. All the recipes in the app are available in English, German, Spanish, Italian and French, with more languages coming. All this comes for free if you already have the app, just hit update in App Store!
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Friday FAQs: Swaps for beets, recreating restaurant dishes, coconut subs, and more!
We’re on the cusp of the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada, and I’m so thrilled that the weather forecast is promising sunshine and warm temperatures at long last! One of our plans for the weekend is to make our backyard more kid-friendly for Adriana, and I’m looking forward to creating a fun space that she can enjoy all summer long.
I’m so glad that you guys are enjoying my Friday FAQs. You can find previous weeks’ FAQs here: Week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5. If you’re looking for some camping-friendly food tips this weekend or next, be sure to check out question #3 in this post, and also read the comments filled with advice as well! I love answering your questions so keep them coming via blog comments or on social media, and I’ll select a handful each week to feature.
Also, just a quick note to let you know that my 21 Weeks pregnancy post is now live, and Issue 7 of In the Glow will be going out later this morning. This issue’s theme? You guessed it: long weekend recipes! You can sign up for our newsletter here.
Q1: Is there anything I could use instead of the pumpkin purée in your Gooey Pumpkin Spice Latte Pudding Cake? This really looks so creamy and delicious and I would love to make it, but where I live you can’t buy canned pumpkin purée and they aren’t currently in season either. Could you please help me out?
A: Great question, Nadja! I think you could try swapping homemade butternut squash purée; it should work best in terms of texture. If that isn’t an option, you might want to try mashed banana. I’ve been wanting to try a chocolate banana bread flavour of this very dessert! I hope this helps, and would love to hear how it goes if you try anything out.
Q2: Great series! I have a question as well: Over the years you have often successfully recreated food items from a store or restaurant. Do you have any tips on how to do this? I tried this amazing fake tuna in a vegetarian restaurant (it was wrapped in an avocado-topped sushi roll) and I’d love to recreate it! The ingredients were sunflower seeds, celery, leeks, organic soy sauce and seaweed. How would you start?
A: Oh wow, sunflower “tuna” in an avocado sushi roll sounds absolutely divine! The ingredients sound pretty simple, so it might not be too hard to recreate at home. I would probably sauté the celery and leek in some oil (coconut oil, perhaps), and then add the soy sauce to taste, followed by some soaked and chopped sunflower seeds (I’d use a food processor to chop them quickly). I have no idea if this is similar to what you were served, but you could always experiment! Sometimes I will use Google to search for ideas if I’m really stuck. Also, you might want to try my chickpea or almond “tuna” salad recipes for a fun twist!
Q3: Hi @ohsheglows do you have any suggestions for substitutions for the beets in the Pink Power Detox Smoothie? I really really really dislike beets!!
A: Hi there, Beets are a love it or hate it food, aren’t they? Feel free to try substituting strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or cherries—I think they would all be lovely!
Q4: Quick question…I saw that you drizzled a hummus and vinegar dressing over your cucumbers awhile ago on Snapchat, it looked amazing and I would love to know what you used in it!
A: Hi Liz, haha—yes I sure love that snack during pregnancy!! All I do is add a couple big spoonfuls of hummus into a small glass and then add a tiny bit of white vinegar to thin it slightly (be careful not to add too much and make it super runny—you still want a thick-ish texture so it sticks to the cukes). I have to warn you—it’s quite sour thanks to the vinegar, but if you’re craving that flavour there is really nothing better. 😉
Q5: Hi there, Thank you so much for your delicious recipes! I have doctor’s orders to stay away from coconut milk/coconut oil. Have you tried your Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup without? Do you think it would be just as tasty? Thanks again!
A: Hi Kelly, I haven’t tried this recipe without coconut milk myself, but I’d recommend replacing it with a homemade cashew cream, if possible. My suggestion would be to blend 1 1/2 cups water with 3/4 cup soaked and drained cashews until super smooth, then stir this in rather than the can of coconut milk. If cashews aren’t an option, an unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk might work in a pinch (although it won’t be nearly as creamy and rich). If you try anything please leave a comment in that post and let us know!
Comments of the Week:
“I just want to send appreciation for the beautiful work you do. I’ve been swamped at work, which means I’d rather order takeout than stop and cook a meal, but seeing new recipes download into the gorgeous recipe app inspires me to keep being diligent in making choices that are good for myself. Finally, I brought your Life Affirming Warm Nacho Dip to a potluck Sunday, and literally every person there said they loved it and wanted to know where to find the recipe. I am so delighted to share the joy of Oh She Glows with them. :-). Maybe I need to buy the book in bulk to give out at potlucks? Hee hee.”
Hey Ruth, Oh I’m so thrilled to hear that the app is inspiring you so much! I can relate to feeling the urge to order takeout lately, and I agree that sometimes all it takes is scrolling through some beautiful dishes to ignite the inspiration again. I’m also happy that my Life Affirming Warm Nacho Dip (p. 83 of The Oh She Glows Cookbook) was such a hit. It’s a favourite in this house. Thanks for spreading the love!
“Hi Angela! I’ve been following you for about a year now and love your recipes, your little stories, and your take on life! I even started a blog of my own which, along with some of my own recipes, features my progress as I cook ALL the recipes from your cookbook. You’ve liked a few of my tweets on the subject, which was such a thrill for me 🙂 This week is the last week of my self-titled “#osgcookbook challenge” and I’m super excited—just 3 recipes to go! I wanted to ask you—do you have any suggestions for substitutes for the apples in a lot of your smoothies? I have an allergy, so I’ve been using pears, but I’d love to explore other options. Thanks in advance!”
Hey Ashley, I’ve been following your #osgcookbook challenge, and I’m super impressed by all the dishes you’ve made and shared! Thank you so much. I hope that even more people find your challenge now, and are inspired to do the same. (If anyone wants to check it out, Ashley’s blog is here.) As for subbing apples, I think pears are a great swap, but if you want to mix it up you can try changing up the flavours with mango, peaches, oranges, plums, grapes, or berries. Each fruit will change the flavour of the smoothie, so it kind of depends on the recipe, but I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those really! Let us know what you come up with or if there are any recipes in particular you’d like help with.
Happy weekend everyone!
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ThermoPro TP07 Remote Wireless Digital Kitchen Cooking Food Meat Thermometer with Timer for BBQ Smoker Grill Oven, 300 Feet Range Review
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Green Kitchen Smoothies
A pre-copy of our newest book, Green Kitchen Smoothies has landed in our kitchen and we are giddy as kids about it (and really proud)! Whilst we were working on the smoothie pack for our app, last summer, we realised how versatile smoothies can be and how much we loved both drinking and making them. We often enjoy smoothies for breakfast, as a healthier midday alternative to sweet snacks and drinks, as a dessert and always after a workout. So you can imagine how thrilled we where when our publisher asked us if we wanted to develop more blends and gather them all into a book that you could hold, read, flip through, give away, collect and hug (or maybe that’s just us?).
Our hope is that both experienced smoothie enthusiasts and newbies will find drinks to love in this book. It’s loaded with new smoothies, juices and nut milks, along with our favourites from the app and blog – a mix of simple smoothies and real showstoppers (with layers and toppings). We have also included granola, muesli and nut butter recipes along with lots of really handy tips and tricks. Almost 60 recipes in total, 160 pages thick and a bit smaller in size than our first books and therefore sold at a slightly lower price point (so everyone can afford one or two or three…).
We are obviously bias, but we think it’s the most gorgeous smoothie book out there. We have put a ridiculous amount of energy into creating unique photos for every smoothie and we have perfected all of the recipes meticulously. This time we even took in help from a separate tester on the other side of the globe, to make sure all the blends would taste good regardless of ingredients, season or location.
It is released in the UK and Australia on June 16th and you can pre-order it from Amazon.co.uk (UK) or Booktopia.com.au (Aus) now! It will be released in the US on August 2 but it is already available for pre-orders on Amazon.com.
The book is also being printed in German, Dutch, Swedish and Danish in September and we will add links for pre-ordering as soon as we have that info.
We are coming to London!
To celebrate the launch of the book, Luise and I will be in London during the second week of June for a bunch of talks, supper clubs, events and book signings. We will do a talk at the Good Roots Festival on June 11th together with Sarah Britton, Deliciously Ella, the Hemsley sisters and a bunch of other inspiring people. Tickets seem to already have sold out but you might be able to sign up, in case they release extra tickets. We will post more info about our events really soon! The latest info will probably reach instagram first, so keep your eye out.