- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise or four pieces and scoop out the seeds and ribbing.
- Massage the inside of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the spaghetti squash cut side down on the baking sheet and use a fork to poke holes. Roast for 40 minutes or until lightly browned on the outside, fork tender, but still a litte bit firm. Do not bake too much otherwise you will end with a squash puree!
- Remove from the oven and flip the squash so that it’s cut side up.
- When cool to the touch, use a fork to scrape and fluff the strands from the sides of the squash.
- One of the best ways to eat spaghetti squash is to combine with pesto rosso sauce. It is also great when combined with spicy chickpeas. Mushroom kale and plant based parmesan combo is also great!
Spaghetti squash is a nutritious winter vegetable that offers lots of fiber, beta-carotene, folate and more. It offers a really fun, spaghetti-like texture and built-in bowl shape
Ingredients:
1 kg spaghetti squash
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Ingredients:
400 g red bell peppers
200 g san marzano tomatoes
600 ml water or veg stock + more if you need
2 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp roasted garlic puree
A pinch red chili flakes
2-3 tbsp onion cream to serve
Viola to decorate
Instructions:
1. Roast red peppers and garlic at 200 C for 15-20 minutes in the oven on a foil-lined baking sheet until tender and charred on all sides.
2. Then remove red peppers and garlic from the oven, let cool to the touch, and remove charred outer skin seeds and stems. Transfer to a high speed blender and add water to purée soup.
3. Then transfer back to pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
4. Let simmer on low for at least 10 more minutes. The longer it simmers, the deeper the flavor develops.
5. Serve as is or top with desired toppings, we used fresh dill, chili flakes, viola and onion cream.
Notes:
Veg stock recipe: https://www.gurmevegan.com/vegetable-stocks/
Onion cream: https://www.gurmevegan.com/how-to-make-onion-cream-2-ways/
Vegetable stocks are used as the essential of many dishes to improve their depth of flavour.
They are tend to be healthier, when no fat is used to cook the vegetables.
There are two basic types of vegetable stock; white and brown.
White vegetable stocks are typically colourless and milder and fresher in taste, adding a subtle flavour to dishes. These are made by simply adding the vegetables raw into a pot with water and simmering.
Brown vegetable stocks are richer and deeper in colour, adding a more robust flavour to dishes. This is achieved by roasting the vegetables until caramelised, before simmering them in water.
Which vegetables work best?
For a base, start with onion, garlic, celery, leek, carrot and peppers. The standard aromatics are bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme, dill and parsley stalks. You can then add other vegetables, herbs or spices to flavour your stock however you want.
Use sunchokes or celeriac for an earthier taste, butternut squash peel or apple for sweeter notes or fennel, star anise, cardamom and some tarragon for a stock with a pleasant aniseed flavour.
For a light stock, use a white stock base and add pea pods, artichoke leaves, woody asparagus ends or bean pods.
Ginger, tangerine and lemon grass in white stock give you a nice aromatic flavour.
For an intense stock, use a brown stock base and add umami-rich ingredients such as dried mushrooms, tomato and carrot purée and seaweeds.
Which vegetables don’t work ?
Avoid adding of any member of the brassica family; broccoli, cauliflower, kale and cabbage among others.
They will ruin your stock with a sulphurous and bitter flavour. Softer vegetables such as potatoes or pumpkin are no good as they break down too easily, creating a cloudy stock.
Preparation:
Preparing the vegetables
The fresher the vegetables you add for stock, the better the flavour will be. Collect peels, ends and trimmings to add to the pot for extra flavour while cooking and set aside to use in veg stock. It is also important to ensure they have been cleaned well.
All the vegetables should be chopped very finely. This is important because more of the vegetable will be exposed to water while simmering and also creates a larger surface area for caramelisation in the oven.
As a rule, always add an equal amount of water to the weight of the vegetables, or pour water into the pan until the vegetables are fully submerged but covered by no more than a few centimetres.
Instructions:
1. In a large pot, add the vegetables of your preference and sweat down until just starting to colour – around 10 minutes.
2. If using wine, add now and reduce by half. Then top up with water until the vegetables are just covered by a few centimetres. Bring to the boil.
3. Turn down to a simmer then add the spices such as bay leaves, rosemary, peppercorns or aromatics such as ginger or lemongrass.Continue cooking for at least 30 minutes, preferably 45 minutes to 1 hour. The flavor will deepen the longer it cooks.
4. Strain through or a strainer so you are left with a nice clear stock. Divide between storage vessels. Let cool completely before sealing. Use immediately or chill it.
Storage: The stock will keep for 3–5 days in the fridge or will freeze for up to 2 months
Aronia berries a.k.a chokeberries are dark purple, almost black berries that visually look similar to blueberries.
Fresh ones are very astringent and sour, with a hint of sweetness that’s brought out through cooking. Dried aronia berries express mild sweetness along with a tart with a tannic aftertaste. All of it will make your mouth pucker. It is hard to consume them raw. Of course you can make some nice smoothies with a combination of bananas, aronias etc. But in dessert recipes, be sure to taste for proper sweetness and add natural sweeteners if needed.
In my recipe, which you will find below, I made a slightly juicy aronia jam in its most natural form, avoiding adding any additives such as pectin. You can prepare it in advance and store it in your fridge and use it for sweetening by pouring it on the porridge you will make in the morning.
Ingredients:
250g aronia berries
1 cup water
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp grated ginger
150g coconut sugar
Instructions:
1. Grate your ginger, lemon zest and place in the lime juice, add the coconut sugar, stir well.
2. In a deep pot, add the aronia berries, cover with 1 cup water. Cook on medium-low heat until they are soften and absorbs the water.
3. Then add the ginger lime mixture over the aroniaberries. Stir well.
4. Place your jam in a clean jar, close the lid.
5. Place the jar in a deep pot, cover with water, cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
Whole-grain sorghum contains more fiber and protein compared rice and is higher in just about every other nutrient. It takes a little longer to cook than regular rice and requires more liquid. You can also soak for 1 hour before cooking or overnight to make this process easier.
Ingredients
1 + 1/4 cup sorghum cooked ( cook for about 70-85 minutes, in some cases it may take longer, use pressure cooker if you prefer)
1 red onion finely chopped
1/4 cup dried chanterelle mushrooms ( soak in warm water for 10 minutes them cut into small pieces)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large tomato chopped
1 small jalapeño chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp concentrated almond milk + 4 tbsp water ( or almond milk)
1 tsp oregano
Instructions
1. Cook your sorghum, set aside.
2. Place chopped jalapeño, tomato, olive oil, chanterelles and garlic, saute on medium-high heat, add 2-3 tbsp water and continue to cook until mushrooms are soften well.
3. Once done, add concentrated almond milk and water, stir well.
4. Add the cooked sorghum in the pan, toss well with the chanterelle mixture. Cook on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes or until sorghum absorbs all the water and tender.
5. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
If you are having cold symptoms, make this drink and drink 2 times everyday. Plus, it is truly invigorating and a great way to start your day with. You will get a strong but good taste and I believe you will love it. One of my favorite medicine I am used to make this everyday and wanted to share with you.
Tip: People usually add black pepper as piperine, an active compound in black pepper, can improve the bioavailability of turmeric. But according to Medical Medium, there is no benefit of this. I skip adding blackpepper. You can use if you prefer.
Ingredients:
100 g fresh ginger,
100 g fresh turmeric,
3 large garlic cloves,
3 kg orange
Method:
1. Grate the turmeric and ginger (wear gloves, otherwise your hands and nails will turn yellow!)
2. Juice everything in a slow juicer.
3. Transfer to glass or bottle. Shake and drink immediately.
Storage: Stays fresh in the fridge up to 3 days but it is best when drink in the same day.
This mixture may have antibacterial and antiviral properties, which can help to protect against flu’s and colds. Also, this drink may support your immune system as it’s rich in antioxidants and may also have anti-inflammatory activities!
Pea sprouts are related to the sugar pea, making it a good substitute for peas in recipes. Its sweet taste does well in combinations with bitter and tangy dishes.
They grow fast, taste delicious and are rich in Vitamin C, A and protein. Growing pea shoots is easy.
The fruits of your work in just in two weeks is rewarding and motivating. They only need two hours sun a day. So prefect to grow them in nordic climates in winter.
How to make your own pea sprouts at home?
1. Soak the peas in water for 24 hours.
2. Chose one 2 inches 7-8cm deep pot.
3. Fill your container with compost, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the top.
4. Sow the seeds on top of the compost
5. Cover the seeds with a layer of compost .
6. Water the surface lightly.
7. All you need to do now is keep the compost moist. Check it everyday. If you are in summer, you will see sprouts within 2-3 days, in winter it may take longer.
8. They will have grown 3 – 4 inches tall. Then crop and enjoy your harvest!
Ingredients:
1 kg courgette
1 medium beetroot
2 medium carrots
1 bunch celery stalks
1 large onion
4-5 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili flakes
750 ml water + more if you need
Instructions:
1.Peel and chop zucchini, beets, carrots, garlic and onion.
2.In a large presser cooker, add all ingredients, cover with filtered water.
3.Cook for 15 minutes until tender.
4. Transfer mixture to blendtec wildside jar. Process until silky smooth.
5. Add back to the pot.
6.Stir in olive oil. Heat a little bit. Add salt and red chili pepper. Serve warm.
7. Decorate with pea sprouts and nasturtium leaves if desired.
Peppers can be dehydrated at home. Like air drying, there is no equipment required. There is also no cost incurred with preserving your peppers when drying them indoors.
Steps:
1. Thoroughly clean peppers, making sure they are free from dirt.
2. Thread a cotton thread into a thick needle and knot the end.
3. Sort the peppers by size and string them on the rope.
4. If the place to hang is not too wide, it is ideal to string 10-12 pieces on a rope.
5.Leave them in a well-ventilated, dry space.This can take weeks, maybe longer, than air drying them outside due to lack of sunlight. You will be noticed that if you are drying the green peppers like jalapenos, they will turn red when dried.
6. Once completely dried, transfer to a coffee grinder, grind and store the ground spice in an airtight container ready to be sprinkled on an array of dishes.