Smoky Spicy Butternut Squash, Millet with Cucumber and Mint, Butterbean and Cashew Dip & Guacamole

Hello everybody, I think it's time to start cookin' this blog again!
It's been a year since my previous post. During the past year I've started a new job and finished my studies after a pretty time consuming thesis project, so I've been quite busy. I just had no energy to think about what I ate and I didn't have any motivation to write the blog.

I have been learning a new way to think about food after the summer holidays. My weight was at an all time high and I felt a huge need for change. I haven't done anything too drastic but I have managed to figure out how to eat in a more balanced way and I have already lost over five kilos in less than two months! I still have some work to do to be able to feel as healthy as I'd like to, but I'm pretty confident I'm on the right track.

Let's think of this as a new beginning for the blog, too. I'll be posting more healthy recipes with a focus on vegetarian dishes, with protein and good carbs. Of course there will be some treats every now and then too. Balance is the woooooord!

Today I spent a bit of time in the kitchen cooking up a spicy and fresh veggie Sunday lunch, using ingredients I had in my cupboards and not really following any recipes.

Smoky Spicy Butternut Squash, Millet with Cucumber and Mint, Butterbean and Cashew Dip & Guacamole

Here come the recipes in the order I cooked them...

Butterbean & Cashew Dip
I bought some dried butterbeans at Punnitse & Säästä shop on a whim and as I had never used them before I didn't really know what to do with them... After looking for a recipe for a long time I just made this one up from my head, and I didn't really measure anything. You could use tinned butterbeans also. I made a pretty huge batch, so guess this will be my snack for the week!

Dried butterbeans , 4 dl or so
Cashew nut, 2 dl
Olive oil (I was out so used rapeseed oil)
Juice of one lemon
Honey, to taste
Nutmeg, to taste
Salt & Pepper

1. Soak the butterbeans in cold water overnight.
2. Cook the beans in boiling water for about an hour until they become soft. My beans took about 1,5 hours.
3. Rinse under cold water and peel off the skins of the beans if you like.
4. Add the cashew nuts and some oil to the beans and blitz with a stick blender. Add lemon juice and more oil until the mix is smooth. Season with honey, nutmeg, salt and pepper. 

Millet with Cucumber and Mint
Millet is an another ingredient I had not really used before. I had bought a packet months ago and decided to give it a go today. I cooked it for 25 mins according to packet instructions and the consistency was quite porridge-like. Not my favourite grain, I prefer quinoa or bulgur and they would also be a good option for this recipe instead of the millet.

2 dl millet (or quinoa/bulgur), cooked according to packet instructions
1/2 cucumber, diced small
Handfull of fresh mint, chopped
Handfull of parsley, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame seed oil
Juice of one lime
1 dl Feta cheese
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Enjoy!

 Guacamole
 I love guacamole, no need to say more! 

2 ripe avocados
Juice of one lime
1/2 fresh red chili, chopped fine
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Salt & pepper

1. Spoon the flesh of the avocados in a mortar and add the other ingredients.
2. Smash until you have the desires consistency.

Smoky Spicy Butternut Squash
It ain't autumn without butternut squash!

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 tbsp oil
Knob of butter
2 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 fresh red chili, chopped small
2 shallot onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, grated
Turkish yoghurt
Coriander & lime

1. Heat up the oil and the butter in a large frying pan at a medium to high heat.
2. Add the shallots, chili, paprika powder and turmeric and fry for around one minute. Don't burn it!
3. Add the garlic, soon followed by the squash. Fry until the squash is soft and cooked, about 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the cubes.
4. Serve with dollops of turkish yoghurt, coriander and lime wedges.



Hope you enjoy these dishes as much as I did!

Vegetarian Easter Lamb

 Every now and then it's fun to make vegetarian versions of meat dishes. I decided to attempt an Easter lamb dish with soy mince and think it was pretty succesfull! I improvised with the recipe as well as the measurements, and the "meatballs" were really easy to make.

Vegetarian Easter Lamb "Meatballs" with Brussel Sprouts and Spinach

1 bag of frozen soy mince (I used Hälsäns kök färs)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
Chili paste, to taste

1 pot of sour cream
100 g feta cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
Plenty of fresh mint, finely chopped
Crispy fried onion, 2 tbsp (the stuff you normally put on salad)
1 egg
1 dl almond flour

Brussel Sprouts
Spinach
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
Butter
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1. Heat some oil on a frying pan. Sautee the onion until soft, then add garlic, chilli and the soy mince. Fry for around 5 minutes, season to taste.

2. Mix the sour cream, feta, lemon zest, mint and crispy onion together in a large bowl. Add the mince and mix together. Add the egg, mix again, finally adding the almond flour until the mix stays together to make the meatballs.

3. Make even sized meatballs from the mix on a sheet of parchment paper and bake for around 20 mins in 200C.

4. While the meatballs are cooking, clean the brussel sprouts by cutting the stem and removing outer and browned bits. Cut the sprounts in half or quarters according to size. Wash the spinach. Warm up the butter on a frying pan and fry the sprouts until slightly browned. Add the spinach at the end and cook until just wilted. Season to taste.

5. Plate and serve! Goes well with a soft red wine, yesterday we opened a bottle of Australian Shiraz/Cabernet that was a gift from a friend and had been waiting for while. What a tasty meal it was!

Sunday Brunner

Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner all in one, what's not to love?

Today we had a friend over for "brunch" as an advance thank you for taking care of our dog while we're away on holiday in Paris.

Menu du jour:

Saint Clair Vicar's Choice Sauvignon Blanc Sparkling, Marlborough, New Zealand

Beetroot Carpaccio with Goat's Cheese

LaiLai Pinot Noir, Chile

Herb crusted Salmon Fillet with Creamed Leeks and Sugarsnap Peas

Vinho Verde Alvarinho, Portugal

Metsuri Cheese with Fig Jam and Rye Crispbread

Rose Flavoured Macarons

Taltarni Brut Taché, Tasmania, Australia

Table setting

The best wine today, unusual sparkling out of Sauvignon Blanc that worked as an aperitif as well as with the starter and the main.

Beetroot carpaccio

Vinos

Herb crusted Salmon Fillet

I <3 Creamed Leeks

Lovely Johanna

Main Course

Metsuri Cheese

Rose - Macarons AND Bubbles

Pretty happy with these, although half of the batch failed - but more about that in a post coming soon...

 So this is what you might get for taking care of our dog - who wants to be next? :)

Ps. Consumed life encourages you to drink responsibly !! (In other words, we did not finish all those bottles of wine during this meal)

On the menu on Shrove Sunday

Crème Ninon

Wolfberger Cremant D'Alcase Brut, Alsace, France

*

Potato Blinis with Whitefish Roe, Cured Salmon and Creamed Forest Mushrooms 

Dr Pauly Bergweiler Blitz Riesling, Mosel, Germany

*

White Chocolate & Macadamia Yoghurt with Blood Orange & Pomegranate

 

 Recipes will follow after some sleep...

The Heavenly Veggie Parcels

I will finally give you the recipe for those tasty looking parcels I already wrote about earlier. I already shared the recipe in Finnish on my friend Mari's blog Pumpkin Jam, as she asked me to do a guest post on there. She is a big inspiration to me and probably the reason why I ever got into blogging in the first place. She is an amazing writer, she should do it for a living in my opinion. There is a big blogger community in Finland but I haven't been very active so far, but I would love to get to know more people who love food as much as I do. I don't know if it is a problem that I write in English, I have been thinking if I should switch to Finnish just to "fit in" a bit more. However, for now writing in English feels more comfortable.

Anyway, here comes the recipe. It is a slightly altered version from The Modern Vegetarian cookbook by Maria Elia. I found it at the sales and while I was deciding if I really should own an another cookbook (need more shelf space!!!) I saw the recipe for these parcels and walked to the till with the book. I want to cook more interesting vegetarian food, not just the basic stuff. Today I have cooked one more recipe and will do another this evening, but more about them later. This  one really impressed me and my dinner guests, definately worth the little effort it takes!

 Parcels with Mushrooms, Spinach, Beetroot, Lentils and Mozzarella
 (4 big portions)

Ginger Vinaigrette Dressing
1 cm piece ginger
1 garlic clove, grated
30 ml rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
75 ml sesame oil
2 tsp dijon mustard

Lentils
225g puy or brown lentils (I used green as had it already)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and pepper
4 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Mushrooms
4 large portobello mushrooms (couldn't get any so used around 400g of button mushrooms)
2 tbsp olive oil (I used butter, always for mushrooms)
salt
pinch of chilli flakes

To put together you need
Fresh spinach
300g mozzarella, torn into small pieces
200g cooked beetroot, sliced into wedges
4 squares of parchment paper (38cmx38cm), scrunch and dampen under warm water, squeeze water of. this way they look prettier and are easier to work with
4 strips cut of parchment paper (2cmx38cm)

1. Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients together.

2. Wash the lentils. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic, sautee until softened. Add drained lentils and just enough water to cover them. Simmer until tender, about 20 mins, adding water if needed. Drain and dress with ginger vinaigrette when still hot. Season with salt and pepper, add coriander.

3. Clean the mushrooms and remove the stalks. Drizzle with olive oil(or butter), season with salt and chilli and cook in a hot pan for 3 minutes on each side.

4. To assemble, preheat the oven to 190c. Place the spinach at the bottom of the parcel, top with mushroom(s), lentils, beetroot and mozzarella. Tie the sides of the papers together with thw paper strips. The parcels can be made in advance and cooked when everyone's ready to eat!

5. Place on baking tray and cook for 15-20 minutes or until throroughly heated.

I served a simple salad of rocket, fennel and parmesan with the parcels. A light red wine goes beautifully with this, really complementing the earthy flavours.

Sunday dinner with good friends, good food and wine

 When we invited our good friends over for Sunday dinner, I announced that I would like to be cooking it all by myself. This has not really happened much before, as my significant other happens to be a professional chef. Somehow he always ends up taking over in the kitchen whenever we want to have something slightly better than a everyday salad or pasta.

So, I planned ahead for a three course menu which ended up looking like this:

Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup with Crayfish

2009 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling, Rheingau, Germany

Parcels of Beetroot, Green Lentils, Mushrooms, Spinach and Mozzarella served with a Salad of Rocket, Fennel and Parmesan

2008 Krug'scherhoff Pinot Noir, Rheinhessen, Germany

Banoffee Pie

 The wines were bought during our Berlin trip in August, I liked the Riesling a lot but as I tasted the Pinot Noir I started dancing and laughing, I absolutely loved it. Beautiful berries with cherry, cranberry and strawberry aromas, velvety lightness and balance, no tannins. Match made in heaven for the beetroot and lentils. I am not ashamed to say I was proud of myself today, definately the best dinner I have ever cooked, without any help. Need to do this more often!
Next some pictures of the night, I will be posting the recipes in the next few days when I am less tired.

 

Sushi Sunday

Our ingredients

 Sushi Sunday - I could make this a habit. Lazyish day with long walks with the dog, Toy Story 3 on DVD and making sushi. Or Andy making and me taking pictures. Sundays are more or less the only days he has time to cook at home, so I let him. We hadn't made sushi together before so it was about time

Speedy sushi making

  I got the ingredients yesterday from Hakaniemi, we made two different fillings; raw salmon & avocado and tuna with cucumber. We also made a salad from fresh spinach, raw salmon and avocado with a dressing from sesame oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, garlic and honey, as well as sesame seeds.

Rollin'!

 We had miso soup as a starter, super easy, just boil the kettle and add hot water to a sachet of stuff that looks like mud! Would've been nice to add tofu but since we didn't have any I made it extra seaweedy with this sea salad stuff. It's a mixture of dried seafoods and you can use it in salads or soups. I got it from the organic food shop Ekolo in Hakaniemi.

Miso soup Moomin mugs

 With the meal we had a piccolo bottle of Pommery POP rose Champagne. The bubbles complimented the fattiness of the salmon, avocado and Japanese mayonaisse, it was a good match. Shame it was just a piccolo...

After a Sunday like this it almost doesn't feel too bad to get back to studies tomorrow, it's just that waking up at 6:30 was never my favourite thing. Let's hope that I'll still find time to cook and blog after the everyday life begins again. Bye bye holidays! 

Salmon, avocado and spinach salad with sesame dressing

Maki rolls

California roll style