This is a very quick and easy vegetarian dish, originated in Frankfurt Germany, that you’ll enjoy with your friends and family. The sauce is usually made of seven different kinds of herbs: borage, chervil, cress, parsley, salad burnet, sorrel and chives. I couldn't find some of them, so I just use a mixture of parsley, chervil and chives. You can also include dill, lemon balm, and tarragon.
Traditionally it's served with cold hard-boiled eggs and boiled (or baked) potatoes during the spring and summer seasons when the many herbs required by the recipe are found in abundance.

Eggs with Herb Sauce - Eier mit grüner Kräutersauce

adapted from Küchen Götter

1 bunch / 25 g Parsley 1 bunch / 20 g Chervil 1 bunch / 15 g Chives 150 g Plain whole milk yoghurt 200 g Schmand (German sour cream) 2/3 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp Lemon juice Sea salt Freshly milled black pepper 4-6 Medium eggs, hard-boiled

1. Wash and clean all the herbs. Spread them out on a dry towel or kitchen paper. Gently pat off water. Finely chop all the herbs.
2. In a large bowl, add in yoghurt, sour cream, and mustard. Stir until combined and smooth. Stir in chopped herbs and season with salt and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 more minutes.
3. Meanwhile bring a saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower eggs into water one at a time. Cook 6 minues, maintaining a gentle boil. Immediately transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water and stir until cool enough to handle. Drain, pat dry, and peel eggs.
4. Spoon the sauce onto plates. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise and arrange them on the sauce. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Keep the family warm, healthy and happy with this creamy fruity carrot soup topped with chopped parsley and pink peppercorns. Adding fresh orange juice to the soup to bring out the sweetness of carrots. I also added some white beans because they make the soup even creamier and richer when blended! Next time I will for sure add a few pinches of chilli flakes for some extra heat.

2 tbsp Olive oil 400 g Carrots, peeled and chopped 2 Garlic cloves, sliced 250 g Cooked white beans 1 tsp Fresh ginger, grated 1 tsp Curry powder 650 ml Chicken broth 100 ml Freshly squeezed orange juice 100 g Crème fraîche Sea salt Cayenne pepper powder 2 tbap Fresh parsley, choped (for topping) 1/2 tsp Pink peppercorns (for topping), optional Extra-virgin olive oil

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in olive oil. Cook chopped carrots and sliced garlic, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until just soft.
2. Add in white beans, grated ginger, and curry powder. Stir briefly. Pour in broth and freshly squeezed orange juice. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes or until carrot is tender.
3. Use a stick blender to puree until smooth. Stir in crème fraîche and season with salt and cayenne pepper.
4. Ladle into serving bowls, then scatter with chopped parsley and pink peppercorns if using. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately.

The blend of Belgian endive (aka chicory or witloof), fresh herbs, red chilli pepper and roasted pecans makes a colourful and refreshing salad. I would have added some pomegranate seeds for the colour and sweetness if I had some.
Belgian endive tastes juicy, tender, crisp with subtle bitterness which is beautifully offset by sweetness from honey in dressing. If you like, use walnut oil in the dressing and crumble some blue cheese over the salad.

3 Belgian endives 25 g Whole grain Dijon mustard 25 g Clear honey 25 g White Balsamic vinegar 50 ml Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and white pepper to taste Fresh herbs (savory, arugula, parsley, or chives) 1 tbsp Fresh red chillip pepper, finely chopped Pecans, toasted, optional

1. Cut the bottoms off of endives and discard any withered outer leaves. Separate the leaves and wash in cold water. Spin or pat the leaves dry.
2. Whisk the Dijon mustard, honey and white Balsamic vinegar in a mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture as you whisk to emulsify. Season with sea salt and white pepper to taste.
3. Drizzle half of the dressing with endive leaves. Toss gently and pile them on a large platter or divide them into two dinner plates. Sprinkle the chopped herbs, chilli pepper and pecans, if using, over. Serve immediately.

To yield the best result, use a Dutch-Oven with a tight-fitting lid. If you don’t have one, use an oven-proof, heavy duty pot with a lid. Baking the bread with a lid on traps steam inside the pot, creating the perfectly crispy crust. The bread is best eaten the day it is baked but can be wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days.

No Knead Craisin Pecan Bread

adapted from taste of home

300 g Organic bread flour 200 g Whole spelt berries, finely milled plus additional for dusting work surface 30 g Coconut sugar 10 g Fresh yeast, crumbled 1 tsp Ground cardamom (or cinnamon) 1 tsp Black salt 80 g Craisins 80 g Pecans, toasted and roughly chopped 480 ml Water (21C-24C / 70F-75F)

1. In a large bowl, whisk bread flour, whole spelt flour, coconut sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt. Stir in craisins and pecans. Add water to form a moist, shaggy dough. Do not knead. Cover and let rise in a cool place until bubbly and doubled, 7-8 hours. I left the dough, covered with a plastic film, in the fridge for 16 hours and 4 hours on my kitchen counter at room-temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 230C/450F. Place a Dutch oven with lid onto center rack and heat for at least 30 minutes. Once Dutch oven is heated, turn the dough onto a generously floured surface. Using a dough scraper, quickly shape into a round loaf. Gently place on top of a piece of parchment.
3. Using a sharp knife, make a 1/4 in. deep slash across top of loaf. Using the parchment, immediately lower bread into heated Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped, 20-30 minutes longer, partially covering if browning too much. Remove loaf from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

For a savoury snack or breakfast that's delicious, nutritious, and quick and easy to make, these spinach muffins with goat's cheese really hit the spot. They pair perfectly with soup or salad. For an extra flavour kick, add 1-2 finely chopped chillies (green or red) together with crumbled cheese. Instead of goat's cheese, you can use other cheese made with sheep's milk, for example, real Feta or even Roquefort.

40 g Bacon fat (or butter) 185 ml Full fat milk 100 g Baby spinach leaves 250 g White spelt lour 1 tbsp Baking powder 1/2 tsp Baking soda 1/4 tsp Black salt 50 g Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 2 Small eggs 2 tsp Dijon wholegrain mustard 150 g Soft goat's cheese (plain or herb flavoured) 6 Cherry tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Lightly grease 6 holes of a jumbo muffin pan or 10 holes of a regular one.
2. Heat bacon fat or butter and milk in a pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and stir for 1 minute until wilted. Remove from heat, cool slightly, then blend until almost smooth.
3. Sift spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda and black salt into a large bowl. Add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs, wholegrain mustard and spinach mixture.
4. Crumble in goat's cheese, then mix gently until just combined. Divide the mixture among 6 muffin holes. Prick tomatoes several times, then place one in the centre of each muffin.
5. Bake for 22 minutes for jumbo pan, and 16 minutes for regular, or until muffins are risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.