Tag: fennel

  • Oven roasted prebiotic vegetables

    Oven roasted prebiotic vegetables

    Prebiotic vegetables create a favorable climate in your gut for probiotics (good bacteria) to grow. Among prebiotic vegetables are: leek, onion, garlic, chicory and fennel.

    This dish has leek, fennel and chicory. The white and light greens color beautifully with the drizzled olive oil.

    Keep it really simple: slice the veggies in halves lengthwise, brush with olive oil and put in the oven on 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes or until some ends start to color brown.

    For serving, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

    Great with bread.

  • Almost-raw quinoa salad with rhubarb

    Almost-raw quinoa salad with rhubarb

    A deliciously fresh, tangy quinoa salad, light and filling.

    We’re used to eating rhubarb sweetened, boiled even to soften it up. But this celery like pink stalk can also be eaten raw and then it has a nice bite and nicely sour, tangy taste, perfect to complement more earthy flavors!

    A beautiful Summer dish (which is when you’ll find rhubarb on the markets), perfect for vegans because it contains proteins and healthy fats from different sources: green peas, pumpkin seeds and quinoa.

    The lemon zest goes together so nicely with the peas and olive oil, wow! You’ll want to remember that combo.

    While you’re preparing green peas, make some extra and watch out for my green peas ‘hummus’ recipe, coming soon ;).

    1. Rinse and prepare 1 cup of quinoa following the instructions on the packaging.
    2. Steam half a cup of green peas until nicely creamy with a gentle bite.
    3. Toast a handful pumpkin seeds in a pan until fragrant.
    4. In a bowl, mix two teaspoons of lemon zest with a good gulp of extra virgin olive oil and a spoonful of nut oil, such as walnut or pumpkin seed oil and a teaspoon of honey.
    5. Finely cut beetroot, fennel and rhubarb totalling one half to 1 cup.
    6. Mix everything together. Let sit for some minutes to let the flavours combine. Add salt, lemon juice and pepper to taste.
    7. Serve on a bed of velvety green leafs lettuce and sprinkle with more olive oil.

    Enjoy <3

    PS: If you like rhubarb, try my rhubarb smoothie or breakfast bowl recipe!

  • Rhubarb breakfast bowl & ‘very veggie’ smoothie

    Rhubarb breakfast bowl & ‘very veggie’ smoothie

    I like my smoothies creamy yet light and ‘very veggie’. My love Jan prefers his filling, nutty and just a hint sweeter than I do.

    We both often gladly compromise. Other days, we’ll create the very fruity/veggie base, pour half in a glass (for me) and then mix in some more nuts, seeds and dates to create his favorite.

    Thus, we both get what we need to get us going in the morning <3.

    Cut and put in the blender to create a creamy yet very veggie smoothie:

    • 1 big apple
    • 1 orange
    • 1 inch piece of rhubarb
    • 1 small raw beetroot
    • 2 spoons of fresh fennel (the vegetable, not the seeds)
    • 1 handful of pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or both
    • 2 spoons of flax seeds
    • 1 big spoon of avocado, for creaminess (can be replaced with cashew nuts)
    • 1 inch piece of fresh turmeric, or a spoonful of turmeric powder
    • dash of black pepper (necessary to make the curcumin in turmeric bio-available!)
    • 2 dates
    • dash (or two) of cinnamon
    • water

    Or, the create a breakfast bowl: double the amounts of nuts, seeds, avocado and dates. It’s nice to keep the breakfast bowl grainy by not blending the last addition of nuts etc, all the way. Top off with some more seeds and raisins.

    If you like the concept of the breakfast bowl (a perfect bowl of mixed nuts, fruits and veggies, which I love sooo much better than yoghurt and cereal), read this post, where I feature the favorite recipe of my friend and inspirator of this lifestyle dish: Simone van Putten.

  • Coconut Lemongrass Ginger Curry

    Coconut Lemongrass Ginger Curry

    While healing from Bell’s Palsy (a partial face paralysis) and chronic sinusitis, I notice my body feels like eating lots if roots, bulbs and brassicaeae.

    So I threw together this dish which has many different veggies and a light yet tangy curry flavor to enjoy all the goodness of anti-inflammatory ginger, prebiotic onions and fennel, and anti-cancer broccoli, among others. I don’t mean to make any health claims here, it just feels extra good to eat this stuff these days and thought I’d share it with you.

    Best to make this dish one day before serving, the flavours balance out real nicely overnight.

    For 1 person:

    Quart 1 onion, slice a few slices of fennel, roughly chop 1 stalk of lemongrass and 1 mild red pepper, thinly slice 1 garlic clove, 1 carrot and 1 small handful of ginger.

    Lightly fry/simmer all of these (possibly together with a teaspoon of fennel seeds or aywain if at hand) in a tablespoon of coconut oil.

    Cut one large tomato in small cubes and add to the fragrant mixture in the pan.

    Also add 6-8 dried kafir lime leaves, salt, pepper, about three tablespoons of santen, a cup of water, one tablespoon of honey, a star anise and a pinch of cinnamon.

    Stir until the santen has melted into the water to form coconut milk.

    When nicely fragrant and heated through, add a handful of broccoli and cauliflower florets each. Then turn off the heat and leave the dish to rest in the closed pan. Stir sometimes. Enjoy the next day with rice. You can heat up the dish and make the sauce as thick or thin as you like.

    Enjoy!

     

     

  • Roots, nuts & fruits with fennel

    Roots, nuts & fruits with fennel

    Don’t be depressed because the sky is grey, when there’s mushrooms and clouds and brightly colored leafs to enjoy. The wind, the rain, the waving of the grass in the fields, the stormy sky… and then the comfort of home with sweet and hearty tastes. Let’s love autumn.

    A very autumny dish that celebrated the abundance of green grapes and root vegetables during these rainy days. The sweet and earthy taste is grounding and soothing for the body. After a summer outside, it’s time to turn inward again.

    Or, you just like the amazing combination of celery and cashews, like me. For a nice snack or side dish, softly cook celery pieces in oil or butter, add the cashews and some fennel (or rosemary is also great!) and salt and pepper.

    Recipe Roots, nuts & fruits with fennel

    • Cut turnip, potatoes and celery stalks. Keep separated.
    • Heat oil and fry the potatoes with salt.
    • After 10 minutes, add turnip, slices of celery stick and one teaspoon of fennel seeds per person.
    • After another 5 minutes, when the potatoes are starting to brown and the celery is softening, add onion rings and cashew nuts.
    • When the potatoes are browned, the celery is soft and the fennel is fragrant, add the grapes.
    • Add honey and pepper to taste. Very nice with some Chinese 5 spices powder, too.

    xXx