Spanakopitatin

 This "upside down spanakopita" is really good because the filo is baked on top and then flipped to become the bottom, which makes for a really crispy crunchy result. Apparently it is an Armenian variety of spanakopita but I haven't verified whether that is actually true. Either way, we all loved it as an alternative of our trusty version. The recipe on Instagram didn't quite match the video so I adapted it, below. 

1 packet filo pastry 

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

2 shallots, sliced in half rings or green onions sliced

Lemon zest 

Red chili flakes

300gr feta cheese or vegan alternative 

300g fresh spinach (I actually used 400g plus some sliced mushrooms)

2 large eggs beaten or vegan alternative 

100gr hard cheese, grated (parmesan or kefalotyri (?)

50g melted butter or vegan alternative 

Fresh dill & mint, chopped

Baking paper 

Line a large baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Drizzle over olive oil, sprinkle salt & peper, followed by a sprinkling of chopped dill & mint. Crumble over a little bit of feta, scatter the onions over the tray. 

In a bowl beat the eggs, crumble in remaining feta, add grated cheese and herbs. Add lemon zest and red chili flakes. Mix well. 

Lay 1/3 of the spinach on the tray in a sturdy pile in the middle with a generous border. Spoon over half the cheese mixture, then another layer of spinach, the other half of the cheese, then the last of the spinach. Gentle push it down and into shape. 

Melt butter, add 2 tbsp olive oil, mix. Open filo pastry and brush top sheet with the olive oil mixture, lay it face down on the spinach. Continue like this until you have used up all the filo, covering the spinach well and brushing the top layer with olive oil mixture. Squish the filo pastry to ensure all sides of spinach are covered, if it breaks a bit that is fine. Stab the top 3-4 times to let air out. 

Bake for approx 35 minutes at 180-200 degrees (start at 200, turn down a bit after 20 mins) until dark golden. Take out of oven, let cool for approx 5 mins, then lay another sheet of parchment paper over the top plus another baking tray or a cutting board and flip carefully! Cut into triangles and serve. 

Slightly adapted from @dominthekitchen (Instagram)

Mariëtte's cauliflower canelini bean mash

 Mariëtte made this in Sweden based on a recipe from her local supermarket, the ICA. I made it today again and it is really tasty and very nutritious. My browser translated it by to Dutch automatically but if yours doesn't then the Swedish is not too hard to understand the recipe anyway. 

https://www.ica.se/recept/?recipeid=727640

The humble leek

This was so good! Simple and super easy. Eat with for instance some baked potatoes and maybe a tomato salad, cucumber salad or lettuce, dressed only with good olive oil, salt and pepper. From NRC, Janneke Kookt. 

Voor 4 personen:

8 dunne of 4 niet al te dikke preien; 1 ei; 1 sjalot (25 g schoon gewicht), gesnipperd; 2 goeie el (50 g) dijonmosterd; 2 el rodewijnazijn; 100 ml extra vierge olijfolie; 1 el fijngehakte bieslook of peterselie

Snijd een stuk van het groene deel van de prei af (gebruik dit voor een bouillon), maar laat ook een stukje zitten. Snijd dit groene stukje, van bovenaf, kruislings in tot aan het witte deel. Spoel de prei goed schoon onder de kraan. Breng een grote pan met water aan de kook. Voeg een ruime hoeveelheid zout toe – denk aan 10 gram per liter water – en dompel de preien erin onder. Geen zorgen als dat niet meteen lukt omdat de preien te lang zijn. Ze worden na een paar minuten zachter en dan lukt het meestal wel. Kook de preien tot ze helemaal gaar zijn.

Kook het ei in 8 minuten hard. (Dit gaat overigens prima in de pan met prei.) Laat het schrikken, pel het, halveer het en wip de dooier eruit. Hak het eiwit fijn en houd het apart. Doe hetzelfde met de eidooier. (Nb. you can easily skip this part and then it is vegan :))

Doe voor de dressing de sjalot, mosterd, azijn, olijfolie en een snuf zout en versgemalen peper in een mengbeker. Zet de staafmixer erin en pureer tot een dikke, lobbige dressing.

Laat de preien goed uitlekken. Leg ze op een schaal en schenk er een royale hoeveelheid (maar niet per se alle) dressing over. Bestrooi met het gehakte eiwit, de dooier en de bieslook of peterselie. Serveer warm.

Peach cake (vegan)

 https://twomarketgirls.com/vegan-almond-peach-cake/ this is an awesome cake recipe, even if you don't like tahini (you don't taste it as). Relatively healthy and very tasty. 

Vegan healthier (and tastier) carbonara

Carbonara is cheese, bacon, eggs - about as far away from vegan as you can get. This is a healthier and vegan option from bbc good foods with plenty of vegetables and actually better than the original. 

250 grams of (whole-wheat) pasta is ample for 4 people. Creamy taste thanks to raw cashew-based sauce and grated zucchini to complement the pasta. I did add vegan bacon strips which I felt completed the carbonara experience. 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-carbonara#commentsFeed 

Great vegan alternatives: pancakes and Ottolenghi cauliflower cake

I made the pancakes for breakfast and the cauliflower for dinner. Not that you think I'd combine these as a meal! Just as a post. 

First, vegan pancakes, not difficult but a good recipe is hard to come by so for archival purposes here we go: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/fluffy-vegan-pancakes/ I skipped the almond extract because I don't have any and did half-half on white & whole wheat flour for a more nutritious result. 

Second, Ottolenghi's delicious cauliflower cake, which calls for a ton of eggs. Eggs being a horrible industry, better to seek alternatives and here it is: http://thesashadiaries.com/2018/04/03/vegan-cauliflower-cake-ottolenghi-inspired/ I added flaxegg because I didn't have enough gram flour but probably a good idea anyway (2 tbsp of broken flaxseed plus same water).  let sit for a bit before adding, same effect as eggs). 

Both recipes easy and probably have all ingredients in the house at any time. 

Pasta with sprouts. What??

Yes, pasta with sprouts. There are many recipes out there (perhaps surprisingly) but this one is the one you should go for as it is super easy and tasty. I am posting it here because I made it recently and then spent ages trying to find exactly this recipe back again. 

Substitute cream with oatly haver cuisine or whatever that is called in your country. And unlike the title of this blog, no it is not a dessert. Or perhaps it could be 🤷🏻‍♀️

https://veggiedesserts.com/brussels-sprout-pasta/