Summer essentials (incl. iced espresso, the Greek way)

Greece was amazing. I got the sunshine, technology break (well... a not so radical one ;)) and time to catch up with friends that I needed. Not to mention finally having access to proper iced coffee... I carefully observed how it's made so I can tell you how it's done --check it out at the end of the post ;)

John P shirt (a Greek brand), h&m shorts (old), & other stories crossbody bag (bought in the sale!), leather shoes bought in Spain 

Back-of-the-cupboard, perfect-plane-snack bars

Ah, what to eat when travelling. You end up spending so much money on overpriced, average airport food, and while nowadays they do have plant-based options, I actually (how old-school of me) enjoy trying to creatively scrape together the random bits I have left on my shelf into something that will keep me happy while I travel. So, after showing you how to pack, I thought I would get you covered on the cupboard-emptying, travel-fuelling snack department with these cereal bars I made. Try them out; they make for a very satisfying snack. They are easy to make and turn out much cheaper than those tiny bars that sell for about 2 euros a piece ...though whether there will be any left by the time I actually board my plane remains to be seen, because this experiment actually turned out --if I may say so myself- pretty delicious. The ingredients list is very flexible and can be adapted to whatever you have lying about in your cupboard.

My perfect plane companions: a home-made snack and a good book... So far I'm really enjoying The Casual Vacancy!

Un Café con Hielo (Por Favor)

We had a heatwave in Amsterdam last week -crazy, huh? 

I'm hoping this means only decent weather from now on... so I can wear all the summery things I love: Sandals, shoes that would *definitely* get ruined in the rain (OK, I actually sprayed them with waterproof spray because you never know), backless tops and airy cardigans and cropped jeans and... yeah. 

The only problem remaining now is educating Amsterdam cafés to the concept of iced coffee! I'm tired of getting a milkshake instead of what sounds pretty self-evident to me, so I've decided to share how I make my favourite summer (coffee) drink along with what I wore to go argue with the baristas at the local café -come along!

Quinoa Tabbouleh Super Salad

The other day I thought of making a tabbouleh-inspired salad, replacing the traditional bulgur with quinoa. Quinoa is an awesome superfood (as we are all aware by now :P), and I think it actually works even better than bulgur because it gives the tabbouleh extra texture and 'bite'.

This salad is very satisfying, yet at the same time zingy and fresh -perfect for spring (can you tell I'm excited?)! I supercharged my tabbouleh with roasted vegetables and chickpeas, but it's up to you to play with the recipe: leave out the oven veggies or add diced peppers, for example. The Mediterranean-inspired herbs and spices are what really makes the tabbouleh literally burst with flavour...

Angie's soup

My friend Angie is kind of a nutrition freak -I always have to ask her for clarifications at least once per sentence once she's started to explain something food-related, which is how our conversations usually go since she's determined to educate me to be healthy through my food choices. She recently had the chance to impart a few lessons since she came to visit... And I got to see how she puts them into practice with some delicious and super-healthy dishes, like this fragrant red lentil soup that I've been making on repeat ever since.

my roommate and I are book lovers so I always have naturally occurring props...

Zen bowls

So, a healthy, feel-good lunch (or dinner) that you don't need to fuss much about? Challenge accepted.

I love the idea of assembling yourself a bowl of goodness. It's all about some minor prep, so when you want to eat, all you have to do is open your fridge and put your bowl together however you like it. Which is why it's a zen bowl ;) More than a recipe, this is a guideline / inspiration so you can build yours... Obviously arranging prettily is an optional bonus! Read how I do it after the break ;)

avocado, sauteed garlicky spinach, roasted carrots, brown rice, and tahini dressing

Ice Cream for Breakfast!

Ha, that title got you, didn't it? I'm not even kidding though.

The thing is, I really like starting my day off with a breakfast that is jam-packed with healthy goodness (so I can have all the wine and chocolate later, haha). At the same time, I often use breakfast as an incentive to get myself out of bed, and there are days when I need a particularly sweet and tempting incentive to get out of said bed...

In other words, I want to have my cake and eat it too, and as it turns out, I've discovered that ice cream and a healthy breakfast are not so irreconcileable after all...

Five minute lunch wonder

It's been some time since I did food here, but this is too good not to share. I made this out of the random things I had in my fridge and it was delicious. It also happens to be really good for you (vegan, GF, full of good nutrients etc.), so here you go.

remembering to photograph halfway through the meal... 

Supa quick suppa (ha.)

Curried carrot soup with fried beans and coriander 

Summer is officially over, and I have started cooking soups again! In my continuing struggle to make them more filling (so I don't have to make something else to go with them, because who wants to be making elaborate dinners on busy September weekdays?), I improvised this one: A quick one-bowl meal that is vegan, healthy and delicious. It also has pretty colours with definite Instagram potential...

Pasta puttanesca or: pantry gastronomy

OK, maybe not quite gastronomy, but pretty amazing flavour without having to go to the market for fresh ingredients -just what you already have at home. This is actually where the name of this pasta sauce originated; pasta puttanesca means whores' pasta. The story goes that the ladies of the night couldn't go to the market to get fresh ingredients, and so used mainly preserved ingredients in their cooking. This is genuinely an instance of arte povera, in my humble opinion. Here goes my base recipe that you can adjust and experiment with to create great flavour in the easiest way.

Quinoa risotto

Quinoa risotto is super easy! The principle is the same as normal risotto, except you add egg yolk to help make it creamier, since quinoa doesn't release starch like rice does. I used champignons but you could use any kind of mushrooms you like :)

per person:

lug of olive oil, knob of butter
1 small onion, finely chopped,
1 clove garlic,
about 8 champignons,
1/2 tsp thyme,
1/2 cup quinoa,
1/2 stock cube
1 egg yolk
1 chunk parmesan, to grate
optional: 1/2 glass white wine, handful parsley, chopped


Soften the onion in a pot with the butter and oil on medium heat, then add the sliced mushrooms and garlic and sauté till the mushrooms have begun to cook. Add the thyme and the quinoa and sauté for another minute, then add the wine if you have it and let it evaporate, otherwise proceed to the next step, add boiling water -for every 1/2 cup of quinoa, add one cup- and the stock cube. Cover the pot and let simmer until the quinoa is ready and the water is almost(!) completely evaporated -just like with rice risotto, you don't want it to be completely dry because then it won't be creamy. You may have to add some extra water along the way, just check a couple of times. When the quinoa is cooked (this usually takes about 10 minutes), take it off the fire, add the egg yolk and parsley, mix, grate some parmesan in and over it, serve.



Note: if you're sceptical about raw egg yolk in the risotto, you could substitute some cream.