Fresh and tangy veggie fried noodles

I have a thing for noodles eversince I’ve first tasted them. I used to eat noodles at least four times a week which is quite unusual considering that I live in the middle of central europe.

I got a new wok last week and I was super excited to try it. So I decided to do a quick stir fry today. I ended up putting in it veggies that can sound a little wierd in a stir fry, but my aim was to create a very fresh, tangy and summery dish. I succeeded.

Feel free to change the amount of veggies I put in this. I guess it’s a little too much.

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serves four, prep time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 8 minutes

Ingredients

250 g rice noodles
2 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
100 g frozen peas
100 g frozen corn
4 cm piece ginger, cut very finely
3 garlic, cut very finely
toasted sesame seeds (optional)
cilantro and mint (opinional)
coconut oil

For the sauce:
3 tbs soy sauce (preferably low-salt)
2 tbs brown sugar or sweetener of your choice
juice of half a lime
1 tbs toasted sesame seed oil
1 small bird’s eye chili, deseeded and finely cut

Instructions

1. Prepare the rice noodles: put the dry noodles into very hot water and cover until cooked – this takes about 7 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
2. Make the sauce: combine the ingredients in a tiny bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. The taste should be balanced: not too sweet, not too salty and not too acidic.
3. Put a wok and a bit of coconut oil on high heat and when screaming hot, add onions, carrots ginger and garlic. Cook for a minute, then add frozen peas and corn, zucchini.
4. Cook until the veggies are browned – this takes only about 5 minutes and add cooked rice noodles and sauce. Continue to cook until just combined and the sauce starts to bubble.
5. Remove from heat and serve with toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, mint and lime wedges.

How to make a basic salad

In the hot summer heat I have huge cravings after nothing but simple salads. No need fot any special ingredients, just a few sesonal veggies from the market will do with any kind of cheese, nuts and a vinaigrette.

However, I suggest using the best ingredients you have on hand. Raw veggies taste good only if you use the freshest produce you can find. I recommend you using unsalted, toasted nuts since toasting them intesifies they flavour. You can use basicly any kind of nuts or seeds: almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts…

Do not serve salad in a deep bowl. Instead, use a regular plate. Chop your greens and after placing them on your plate, put a few drops of your vinaigrette on them. If you put the vinaigrette only on the top, the bottom of the plate will be tasteless.

You can add some more veggies: tomatoes, cucumber or peppers…

…and some olives, shaved cheese and toasted nuts.

The salad would be tasteless without a viniagrette. It is probably as versetile as a salad: you can use any kind of oil, herb or spice you want to. My favourite is the dijon mustard-honey viniagrette, but this time I sticked to the basics.

Here is an amazing poster about viniagrettes: http://lifehacker.com/make-your-own-awesome-salad-dressing-with-this-simple-c-1530646384

 

#rabbitlife

Super simple cherry cake

Since I can’t imagine a week without eating something sweet like a cake or cookie I usually bake something in the middle of the week.

I got a huge box of cherries from my grandma so I decided to bake a cherry cake.

It was actually even more simple than I first thought. It took me less than 30 minutes without the baking. Stoning the cherries was quite messy though.

It was a perfect brunch, and unless my mum eats all, it will be a sumptious breakfast. I put lots of cinnamon on it.

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serves 8, prep time: 30 minutes, baking time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

130 g plain flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
50 g caster sugar
1 egg
5 tbsp milk
80 g butter, melted + more for greasing
4 tsp baking powder
370 g cherries, stoned
cinnamon or icing sugar for dusting

For the topping:
25 g plain flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
25 g caster sugar
25 g butter, at room temperature

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease a 20 cm round cake tin.
2. Stiff the flour, sugar and cinnamon into a bowl. Add egg, milk and butter. Then combine with an electic whisk. Beat well to make a thick mixture. Spoon it in the tin and spread it evenly. Scatter cherries over the mixture.
3. Make the topping. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and rub it together with your fingers to make a crumb. Scatter it over the cake
4. Bake for 30-355 minutes. You cak check if it is ready with a skewer. Remove from oven and leave it until it is cook enough to handle, then remove cake from the tin and serve.

Cocoa & Coconut milk oatmeal with raspberries

Yesterday was the very last day of my high school years. I have holidays until the beginning of September so I’m going to have free time. Lots of free time.

In the mornings I am usually too hungry to make anything special. So I just grab some oats and toast them, or soak them the night before.

Luckily, this isn’t the recipe that required must time and attention either. Perfect for those lazy morning of mine. The raspberries are from my wonderful grandma’s farm. She produces all kinds of fruit and veggies and sells them at a market near a huge lake in Hungary called Balaton.

Cocoa & coconut milk oatmeal:

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serves 4, prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
4 cups water
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (I used organic)
sweetener of your choice
toasted coconut flakes to decorate
different coloured raspberry
pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Put the oats, water, coconut milk, cocoa powder to a saucepan. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to boil, and simmer for 12 minutes or until reached a desired consistency.

2. Serve with raspberries and toasted coconut flakes. Put honey or maple syrup on top if required.

 

Quinoa bowl with veggies and miso gravy

I made this recipe just before a huge history and literature exam. I had to be quick, because I still had notes to read through.Luckily, the exam turned out to be great. I will have my results on Wednesday, I hope I get As.

Anyway this bowl is great. It is perhaps something you would eat in autumn, but it was still amazing now.

The gravy is quite salty so i do not recommend to salt the sweet potato a mushrooms.

Angela inspired Quinoa bowl:

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serves 2, cooking tme: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the sweet potato and quinoa
60 gram quinoa
1 big sweet potato, chopped into 1 cm wide pieces
olive oil

For the mushrooms:
4 big portobello mushrooms, chopped into 0,5 cm wide pieces
2 garlics
balsamic vinegar

For the miso mustard butter sauce:
4 tablesppons soy sauce
2 tablespoons miso
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
a pinch of smoked paprika
juice of a lime
60 gram butter or margarin
fresh cilantro
pepper, maybe salt

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa. Toss the potatoes in olive oil and bake them for 20-35 minutes at 190°C. After 15 minutes flip them so both sides will be equally brown.
2. After thorougly washing the mushrooms, saute them over medium heat in olive oil. Add garlis, balsamic vinegar and a little water if needed. Saute for 10-15 minutes until it reduces in size.
3. Prepare the sauce! In a smaller saucepan melt the butter or margarin and add the ingredients. Bring to boil and remove from heat. Whisk until smooth.
4. Prepare the bowl!