Quark Oatbran Bread
Friday, June 27, 2014A delicious and healthy bread with Magerquark (German fresh cheese, almost fat-free), oat bran, and eggs. Dense, moist, gluten-free friendly and a perfect compliment to salads and soups.
Oat bran is the outside casing of the oat grain and contains soluble fiber, which helps lower your cholesterol and provide a number of other health benefits.
Gluten Free Quark Oatbran Bread
adapted from Fitness Dessert
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- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 25-cm loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Stir together the Magerquark, milk, eggs, and egg whites in a mixing bowl. Add in oat bran, baking powder, thyme leaves, herb salt and black pepper. Combine all the ingredients with a hand mixer until well combined.
- Spoon the thick batter into the prepared loaf pan. Garnish with thyme branches. Bake in the center of hot oven for about 35 minutes.
Quinoa Chicken Salad with Lemon Balm Walnut Vinaigrette
Sunday, June 22, 2014A wholesome quinoa salad with chicken breast leftover, bell pepper, and arugula tossed with a lemon balm walnut vinaigrette. It is quick and easy to make and equally good warm or cold.
Lemon Balm Vinaigrette | Salad |
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- Soak quinoa in plenty of fresh water overnight. When you are ready to cook the quinoa, strain the quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse well, until the water runs clear.
- Heat the water with a little sea salt in a medium saucepan. When the water comes to a boil, add in the soaked quinoa. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes. Stir and then leave uncovered for another 10 minutes.
- Mix all dressing ingredients except walnut oil together, then slowly blend in the oil. Mix well before serving.
- Place cooked quinoa, diced chicken breast, bell pepper and arugula in a salad bowl. Toss with the prepared vinaigrette. Serve over Belgian endive leaves if desired.
Peach Strawberry Popsicles
Tuesday, June 17, 2014These naturally sweetened popsicles are bright, refreshing and healthy. Fresh, sweet, juicy peaches and strawberries are perfect together for a simple and tasty summer treat. I didn't add additional sweetener other than a very ripe banana, you can of course use sugar, syrup or honey instead. Peaches can also be replaced with mango, apricot, or pineapple or a mix of all.
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- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Gently lower the ripe peaches into the boiling water. Leave it there for 30 seconds or until the skin splits. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and plunge them into an ice water bath. After 10 seconds or so, remove them and peel.
- Roughly chop the peaches and place them in a blender together with lime juice, and banana. Process until smooth.
- Pour half portion into the 8 ice moulds, add in diced strawberries and top with the remaining. Insert sticks, then freeze at least 4 hours or until firm.
Quinoa Chia Bread (Gluten-free, Vegan)
Friday, June 13, 2014Incredibly nutritious and bursting with plant protein, this bread, both grain-free and vegan approved, adapted from The Healthy Chef, is simply made with quinoa which is naturally gluten free and gives a light and slightly crunchy texture with a lovely nutty flavours. Quinoa contains all nine essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein. Chia seeds, a great source of skin-loving omega-3 as well as fiber and calcium, work as a binder which helps hold all the ingredients together.
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- Soak quinoa in plenty of cold water overnight in the fridge. Soak chia seeds in 125ml of water until gel like. It can be done overnight too.
- Drain soaked quinoa and rinse well through a sieve. Drain thoroughly and place in a food processor. Add in chia gel, remaining water, applesauce, baking soda, salt, and lemon juice. Process for 3 minutes. The bread mix should resemble a batter consistency with some whole quinoa still left in the mix.
- Spoon the batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top with pumpkin seeds if desired. Or you can divide the batter into 12 silicon muffin cups.
- Bake the loaf for 60-70 minutes at 180C/350F, 40 minutes for the muffins, until firm to touch and bounces back when pressed with your finger. Remove and cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Store wrapped in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Sprouted Chickpea Salad with Pesto Yoghurt Sauce
Monday, June 09, 2014Chickpeas, also known as Garbanzo beans, are a legume and contain high levels of phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that can make legumes hard to digest. Sprouting process will help neutralize or eliminate all of these problems, while enhancing the nutrient content.
Alive and full of nutrients, this simple sprouted chickpea salad with pesto yoghurt sauce is perfect balance of flavours and textures, and tastes SUPER. If you are not fond of the raw taste, steam sprouted chickpeas for 10 minutes or use canned one instead.
Salad | Pesto Yoghurt Dressing |
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- To sprout the chickpeas, rinse and soak the chickpeas for 24 hours. This starts the sprouting process by waking them up with rehydration.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly. Place them in a colander over a bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas once every 8-12 hours for 3-5 days, depending on how long you like your sprouted chickpeas. If you prefer your chickpeas cooked, steam them for ten minutes.
- Whisk the yogurt, pesto, lemon juice and zest together in a small bowl. Taste and season well with salt and pepper.
- Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently with the dressing until well combined.
Quark Cheese Berry Popsicles
Wednesday, June 04, 2014These popsicles have German Quark cheese in them which is packed with protein and perfect for a hot summer day treat. Quark is a very common fresh cheese that you can get it everywhere here in Germany. Alternatively, you can use Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese.
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- Stir all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Spoon the mixture into the moulds and smooth the surface. Insert popsicle sticks and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Vegan Gluten Free Seeded Oat Bread
Saturday, May 31, 2014This bread tastes AMAZING and uses only wholegrain oats, lots of seeds (sunflower, hemp, pepita, chia, psyllium, and flax seeds) and almonds. It is high in protein and fiber. It is gluten-free and vegan. If you are interested in fat-free baking, here is the similar one I baked last year using homemade pearsauce in place of oil and the result was great too.
The psyllium husks provides a binder for the bread, in place of the gluten found in traditional flour. You can find them from health food stores or online.
Vegan Gluten Free Seeded Oat Bread
adapted from David LebovitzDry Ingredients | Liquid Ingredients |
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- Toast the seeds. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Spread the sunflower, hemp and pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and toast until they start to brown, about 15 minutes, stirring halfway during baking.
- Grease or line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper. Place all the dry ingredients into a big bowl. Then pour in the liquid ingredients. Mix it all up with your hands or a wooden spoon.
- Once it’s well-mixed, scoop it into your prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top so it looks nice. Cover it with plastic film and leave it in the fridge for at least a few hours, up to a whole day.
- Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180C/350F. Remove the bread from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Bake the bread for about an hour or so, then take it out and gently remove the loaf from the pan. Let cool completely on a cooling rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.
Sprouted Quinoa Salad with Apricots
Monday, May 26, 2014Quinoa is a rich source of dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin E and phosphorus. Quinoa is also gluten-free, making it a good grain substitute for people with wheat sensitivities. Sprouting produces enzymes which aid digestion and also helps the absorption of minerals. For easy directions on sprouting quinoa, check out these instructions from Healy eats real. If you’re searching for a light summer salad, look no further! This light and delicious salad features sprouted quinoa along with fresh apricots, oakleaf lettuce, onion and a basic white balsamic vinaigrette. It's perfect for the lunch or a picnic.
Salad | White Balsamic Vinaigrette |
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- Combine all the ingredients into your jar or shaker and seal well. Shake vigorously to thoroughly mix together all ingredients and emulsify the oils and mustard. Shake vigorously before use.
- Rinse quinoa thoroughly and place in a jar or bowl and cover generously with cold water. Let quinoa soak for about 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain and rinse the quinoa. Place a piece of cloth over the neck of the jar and secure with a rubber band.Place jar in a bowl with the cloth covered side down so the excess water will drain out. You can drain the quinoa in a colander lined with a kitchen towel. Repeat this rinsing step twice a day for two days. You will see little thread-like sprouts coming from the quinoa.
- The sprouted quinoa can be eaten raw or if preferred, just cook them with equal parts of water for about 20 minutes.
- Place sprouted quinoa, oakleaf lettuce, sliced red onions and quartered apricots in a mixing bowl. Dress with vinaigrette and toss until well combined.