9 February 2017

Black bean salad with charred sweetcorn and oven-baked tortilla chips

Sandra main dishes, mains, salads bean salad, black bean salad, black beans, cashew cream, cashew sauce, gluten free, homemade tortilla chips, roasted sweet potatoes, sweetcorn, vegan, vegetarian 1 Comment

It’s cold and grey outside, so let’s bring in those warm colours and fresh and sunny flavours! This week I treated my family to this Mexican-inspired black bean salad and put a big smile on their faces. It combines some of my favourite ingredients that are just meant to be put together: smoky black beans, […]

1 February 2017

Dutch gingerbread cake

Maaike breakfast/brunch, cooking with children, quick & easy, snacks, sweet cake, gingerbread, healthy snack, homemade, rye, vegan 0 Comments

In my search for healthy school and work snacks, I have been baking several gingerbread cakes lately. This one is moist and spicy and not too sweet. Besides that, it is quick and easy to make. Gingerbread Ingredients 250 g rye flour 250 ml (almond) milk 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cloves 1 tsp ground ginger […]

25 January 2017

Quinoa porridge with cinnamon, coconut and fresh fruits

Sandra breakfast/brunch, quick & easy breakfast, gluten free, quinoa, quinoa porridge, vegan 2 Comments

More grains for breakfast this week! Well, seeds, actually, because the base for this week’s breakfast is quinoa. If you’ve read more of my recipes, you’ll know I just love quinoa. When boiled, it’s good in sweet as well as savoury dishes; when ground, it makes a flavoursome gluten free alternative to wheat flour and […]

11 January 2017

Harira with orange zest and grilled red pepper

Sandra main dishes, mains, soups gluten free, grilled pepper, harira, lentil soup, Moroccan food, vegan 1 Comment

During the highlight of the school year, the annual school Christmas dinner, every child brings something home-cooked to share with their classmates at night. A few years ago, my daughter returned from this event quite excited, telling me about the wonderful soup a Moroccan classmate had brought. Her enthusiasm resulted in a playdate in which […]

4 January 2017

Reboot bowl – crisp greens in herby broth

Sandra main dishes, mains broad beans, gluten free, leeks, macro bowl, peas, vegan 0 Comments

After a long and lovely indulgent festive month, it’s nice to get back into rythm again. To take a moment wondering what this year will have in store for us, what new experiences lie ahead and how we’ll respond to them. Start off with new year’s resolutions, make plans or decide to just see what […]

28 December 2016

Festive bites 2/2: herby stuffed chestnut mushrooms

Sandra festive, quick & easy, snacks mushrooms, vegan 3 Comments

Following the recipe for our cottage cheese filled courgette rolls, here’s another quick and savoury bite for festive occasions. These stuffed mushrooms are a family favourite we often serve at parties and dinners, because they’re not only delicious but also, since they can be completely prepared ahead, very practical. Basically, they’re just mushroom caps topped with […]

28 December 2016

Festive bites 1/2: cottage cheese filled courgette rolls

Sandra festive, snacks cottage cheese, courgette, courgette rolls, gluten free, zucchini, zucchini rolls 1 Comment

We’re nearing the end of a long, festive month! At our place, we usually fill the table for festive gatherings with a variation of small vegetarian dishes to suit everyone’s liking. To keep myself calm during the organisation process, this year I’ve fallen back on trusted recipes from chefs who never let me down (say, Ottolenghi, Alice […]

15 December 2016

Last-minute gift: thyme-infused olive oil

Sandra basic recipes, festive, quick & easy, side dishes, sides, snacks herb oil, homemade gifts, thyme, vegan 0 Comments

As will be the case with many of you, at the moment my thoughts revolve around the two main questions: which Christmas dishes will I be serving in ten days and do I have nice gifts for everyone involved? I love homemade gifts, to give and to receive. One issue which regularly gets in the […]

7 December 2016

Bean salad 2/2: cavolo nero with scarlet runner beans and roasted purple Brussels sprouts

Sandra festive, main dishes, mains, salads, side dishes, sides bean salad, beans, Brussels sprouts, cavolo nero, gluten free, vegan 2 Comments

In my previous post I told you about the joint kitchen project I undertook with my friend the other day. We set out to each make our own version of a bean salad, using one of the beautiful bean varieties harvested from her vegetable garden. The previous post ended with the recipe for Anca’s salad; in […]

7 December 2016

Bean salad 1/2: colourful pinto bean salad with fresh herb dressing

Sandra main dishes, mains, salads, side dishes, sides bean salad, gluten free, pinto beans, roasted pepper, vegan 2 Comments

This summer I posted about my friend Anca’s wonderful vegetable garden. At that time the two of us had headed into the kitchen to each make our own version of kohlrabi salad using her home-grown purple kohlrabi. Apart from kohlrabi, her garden produced aubergines, lots of different tomato varieties, berries, exotic herbs and many different […]