Vessy's day » healthy

Veggie oat bars

Vessy — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:31:14 +0000

These veggie oat bars are a great option for healthy and nutritious breakfast on the weekday mornings or even for an afternoon snack. These are easy to prepare – all you need to do is combine all ingredients in a bowl then bake for about 30-40 minutes. List of ingredients is totally adjustable to your taste and most importantly you can easily use your leftover veggies and cheese so they don’t go to waste. You can add more and different veggies and types of cheese.
Usually on the weekends we have pancakes for breakfast, but during the weekdays it’s hard to find time in the mornings for cooking, so I usually make a batch of these veggie bars in the evening.
These are really delicious and healthy since they are made only with oats and no white flour is used, but keep in mind that they will not be fluffy and light as if made with white flour…
Oat make these bars a bit dense and rich, but they are still very delicious.

Ingredients:
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
200 grams (7 oz) mozzarella cheese (fresh or yellow, your choice), shredded
2 large red peppers, chopped into small pieces
1 large leek, white and green parts, chopped
1 tablespoon of basil
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
200 grams (7 oz) instant oats

Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line a baking dish /15x25cm (6″x10″)/ with parchment paper, all the way up to sides.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add all the rest ingredients and stir to combine.
Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes, then set to cool off a bit before slicing it.
Keep in an airtight container.

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Healthy banana pancakes (gluten free)

Vessy — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 12:50:35 +0000

Since I made my first batch of these pancakes I have been making them almost every week.
This recipe is simple and quick to gather. It is very important to beat the whites as per instructions, otherwise pancakes will not be as light and fluffy as they should be. Egg whites give these pancakes air and volume, since there isn’t any flour in them.
Batter is really simple and quick to prepare and if using a large pan you can cook 3-4 pancakes all at once, which will save you some time.
I promise you that once you try this recipe, you will continue to make it every weekend.
Enjoy a healthy breakfast and a lovely weekend!

Ingredients (makes about 20 medium pancakes):
200 grams (7 oz) oats (gluten free brand)
2 large bananas
150 ml. (5 fl. oz) milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 table spoons honey (agave, maple or raw sugar), more or less, to taste
A pinch of salt
3 large egg whites

In a food processor add oats and process finely. Add bananas, milk, cinnamon, honey, salt and process until nice and smooth. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
***If you don’t have a food processor, use a hand-held blender to puree bananas and to them add oats and the rest of ingredients.
****If you don’t have a hand-held blender just mash bananas with a fork and then to them add oats and all the rest of the ingredients.
In the meantime, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold in egg whites to the oat batter.
Grease your pancake pan with a little bit of vegetable oil (coconut is best) and cook pancakes one by one on medium heat. Use a large spoon to pour a little bit of the batter in the pan. Keep pancakes small, it will be easier for you to flip, since they are gentle and break easily.
Serve with extra honey/agave, fruits, jams.. whatever you like!

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Yogurt raspberry pops

Vessy — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 10:26:34 +0000

These yogurt raspberry pops are a great way to have a healthy summer snack! These are made of Greek yogurt, fresh raspberries and sweetened with honey. You could use other sweetener of your choice – agave, coconut sugar, maple syrup – these are all great healthy choices of sweetener. I really love the taste of yogurt & honey, but when there are also raspberries involved, then I can’t resist it! It’s like the perfect trio!
Although it’s September already, I refuse to accept that summer is almost over. Nights & mornings are definitely getting chillier, smell of cinnamon begins to tempt me and those pumpkins on the market do look appealing, but there is no way I would let summer go easily. I am still having my coffee on ice in the mornings and I would probably have it that way till first signs of winter, saying “we have a few more sunny days left”. But when it comes to ice-cream, I am not one of those gals, that cuts ice-cream off the menu, just because it’s not summer. We have ice-cream in the freezer all year long and we love it, especially if it’s healthy homemade chocolate one (my personal favorite). My husband really likes all fruit ice-creams and dessert. If I ask him to choose between a chocolate dessert and a fruit one, he will choose the fruit /i-n-s-a-n-e, right?/.
So, go enjoy a delicious, healthy fruit pop and have a lovely and extra sunny September! Don’t let summer go…. yet.

Ingredients for the raspberry sauce:
120 grams (4 oz) raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons honey (more or less, to taste)
For the yogurt base:
400 grams (14 oz) Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
For decoration:
2-3 tablespoons homemade coconut granola

Place raspberries and honey in a small pot. Cook over medium-high heat until raspberries soften and begin to release their juices (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from the heat, pure with a hand-held blender and strain through a fine mesh. Discard the seeds and set aside the raspberry pure.
In the meantime combine Greek yogurt, honey and coconut extract in a bowl. Stir to combine.
Once raspberry pure is at room temperature you can assemble the pops. Pour 2-3 teaspoons of yogurt into each ice-pop and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the freezer and pour a couple of teaspoons of the raspberry puree. Put back in the freezer for 15 minutes. Repeat these steps until your pops mods are all full. Once you add the last layer, sprinkle a little bit of your favorite granola on top. Freeze completely.
***If you don’t have the time to make layered pops, just combine raspberry puree & yogurt, then full your pops with the mixture and freeze until hard.

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Chocolate ice-cream with chocolate topping (healthy&vegan)

Vessy — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 10:52:33 +0000

This recipe is for all of you guys, who love chocolate and could never ever resist a good chocolate treat. But don’t we all search for healthier desserts nowadays?! This chocolate ice-cream is not only absolutely delicious but it’s also healthy, so healthy that you can eat it every day, without any gilt. Recipe is pretty much classic – bananas for good creamy texture, coconut cream, because it’s healthier than regular cream and also super flavorful, coconut butter, because every good ice-cream needs a little bit of fat, healthy sweetener like agave, honey or maple – your choice, and of course good quality cocoa powder for the chocolate flavor. If you have some extra cocoa butter in the fridge, I would suggest adding a tablespoon or two to the ice-cream for even richer chocolate flavor.
Well, for this recipe you don’t need an ice-cream maker but if you have one, you can totally use it. But if you are like me and have no space for an ice-cream maker, you will love this recipe cause it is great even without churning it. As many low-fat, no-churn ice-creams this one freezes pretty hard, but if you leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving it will be good to go.
Proportions of ingredients are optional, so if you want your ice-cream sweeter, then add extra honey or maple, if you like it extra chocolaty you may add additional teaspoon or two cocoa powder. The same goes for all the rest ingredients. I usually add less honey/maple, keeping it less sweet, the way my husband like it, and then prepare this amazing chocolate sauce where I add a little bit extra honey to balance the sweetness of the ice-cream. This way everyone at home is happy – my husband is having the ice-cream less sweet and I have it just right with a generous amount of the chocolate sauce on top.
If you swirl in a couple of tablespoons of the chocolate sauce before you put the ice-cream in the freezer, once chilled it will hardens like real chocolate and you will end up with delicious chocolate chips into the creamy coconut ice-cream.
Proportions of the chocolate sauce are also optional, just adjust the thickness and the taste on the go – the more cocoa powder the thicker it will get, add more or less honey/maple/agave, depending on your taste.

Ingredients for the ice cream:
2 large bananas
100 grams (3,5 oz) cashew nuts, soaked overnight or for 1 hour in hot water
1 can coconut cream
2 tablespoons coconut butter, melted
2 tablespoons cocoa butter (optional), melted
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 tablespoon honey/agave/maple syrup
About 50 grams (1,7 oz) cocoa powder
Ingredients for the chocolate sauce:
50 grams (1,7 oz) coconut butter, melted and cooled slightly
2-3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cocoa powder

In your blender, add bananas, cashews, coconut cream, coconut butter, cocoa butter, coconut extract, maple syrup (or agave/honey) and cocoa powder. Blend on high speed until nicely smooth and creamy. No chunks of the cashew nuts should be visible. Cashew nuts will blend smoothly if soaked long enough.
**** In case you want to make a swirl black & white ice-cream: blend all ingredients except cocoa powder. In a small bowl pour out 1/3rd of the “white ice-cream mixture” and set aside. Add cocoa powder to the rest of the mixture in the blender and blend for a few minutes or until fully incorporated. Fill your ice-cream container with the chocolate mixture up to half then swirl in the white mixture using a spoon. Pour the rest of the chocolate mixture and stir gently to combine with the lower layer of white ice-cream. Cover and put in the freezer.
Serve with the chocolate sauce, nuts or fruits of your choice.
To make the chocolate sauce: in a small bowl melt the coconut butter. Set aside to cool off a bit, then add honey/maple and cocoa powder. Stir until smooth. It may seem a bit thinner at first, but if you set it aside for about an hour and it will thickens a lot. Keep left over sauce in the fridge and reheat when you need it.

Salad with quail eggs & prosciutto

Vessy — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 10:26:28 +0000

My recipe for this beautiful salad is just what’s needed on a hot summer day. It is absolutely delicious and so nutritious that you will not need any additional meals, just a glass of white wine (I would strongly suggest).
This salad, like many others, is totally adjustable to your taste and what’s in your fridge. You don’t need to run to the store for quail eggs if you don’t have on hands, just use regular eggs. You can easily add other salami, instead of prosciutto; use buckwheat, bulgur or cous-cous instead of quinoa; add some raw nuts for extra nutrition and power; skip the asparagus if not in season or add grilled zucchini or eggplant. Do it as you like it.
At this point it may seem like a lot of work, but trust me, this salad is delicious and worth the time.
Out here in Bulgaria, we have this traditional salad called “shopska salad”, made of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and feta cheese, seasoned with olive oil, vinaigrette, salt and pepper. That’s probably the most popular salad around here. This salad is on family tables almost every day, all year long. It’s classic and we love it.
When I was living in the states, back in the day, the most popular salad, that almost everyone around me had, was the Caesar salad with ready made dressing. Feel free to correct me, don’t want to sound like an expert here. I remember us having a lot of romaine lettuce salad with all kinds of commercial dressings, too. This is ok I guess, cause you can have a salad on the table in no time, but around here we rarely use commercial dressings, even if you want to buy one from the store, you may not even find any, except in the big supermarkets.
So, back to salads. I have to say that people eat a lot of salads around here. There are so many types. Sometimes, on a restaurant menu, salads’ list is longer than the main courses’ list.Often many people end up having a salad as a main course. But the salads I am talking about are very rich – they have vegetables, meat, some kind of pasta, quinoa, bulgur, raw nuts, eggs, fish and etc. During the hot months of the year, we often prepare a big bowl of salad and enjoy it with a glass of white wine. By the time for main course we are already full and end up having a light meal, after all. That’s what I am talking about. Summer is all about fresh ingredients, staying as cool as possible, avoiding greasy food and just enjoy a healthier time of year.

Ingredients for the salad:
3-4 tablespoons cooked quinoa (*see notes)
3-4 asparagus stalks
4 hard-boiled quail eggs, halved
Mixed green leafs
A handful of baby spinach
5 slices of prosciutto

For the dressing:
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 teaspoon balsamic vinaigrette
A pinch of sugar to balance the lemon juice and balsamico
Salt & pepper

To cook quinoa, in a small casserole bring a little bit of water to the boil. Add quinoa and cook for 5 minutes then drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
*You can easily cook few additional tablespoons of quinoa and keep in the fridge, covered. You can keep quinoa in the fridge up to a week so this way you will have cooked quinoa for salad recipes whole week long.
Cut asparagus into small pieces and cook in a little bit of olive oil for about 2 minutes, stirring to cook over all sides.
In a large bowl add green leafs, baby spinach, a couple of tablespoons of quinoa, asparagus and eggs.
In a small bowl combine ingredients for the dressing then pour over the salad. Give it a good stir, arrange prosciutto slices over and serve immediately.

Mirin glazed tofu with shiitake and zucchini

Vessy — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 09:24:16 +0000

I am so happy to share with you this beautiful, golden brown tofu with delicious sweet glaze and healthy and flavorful vegetables on the side.
This dish is a great option for all of you guys on a vegetarian or even vegan diet. This meal is nutritious, super delicious and quick to prepare, despite of the long instructions.
I adapted this beautiful recipe from Emma’s food blog – Emma’s Little Kitchen. If you feel like cooking anything else vegetarian or having a piece of healthy chocolate cake, then you should definitely check out her website.
Thanks for stopping by! I will love to hear what you think of this recipe!

Ingredients for the tofu:
4 teaspoons honey or agave for vegan
5 teaspoons mirin
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/3 teaspoon shredded fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sunflower oil (or other flavorless oil)
300 grams (10,5 oz) extra firm tofu, drained and cut into thick slices
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
For the vegetables:
30 grams (1 oz) dry shiitake mushrooms
A few tablespoons sunflower oil
A handful of wild garlic, chopped (or garlic cloves, if you don’t have green garlic)
4-5 green onions, chopped /+ extra for serving/
1-2 large kale leafs, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, chipped into small sticks
Fresh coriander, chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame

Start by placing dry shiitake mushrooms in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Keep in the water for about 15 minutes or until double in size and soft. Drain and set aside until needed.
In the meantime prepare the tofu:
Combine honey, mirin, soy sauce and ginger in a small bowl.
Place tofu in a shallow dish and pour the honey-mirin mixture over it. Gently rub the mixture into the tofu and set aside until needed.
Heat a little bit of oil in a large pan. Add tofu and cook on both sides until golden brown. Remove tofu from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, add what’s left of the honey-mirin mixture and cook over medium heat for a minute or until hot. Add the rice vinegar and cook, stirring constantly until it thickens and vinegar evaporates (1-2 minutes). Remove from heat and transfer the honey-mirin glaze into a small bowl. Set the pan aside because you can use it to cook the vegetables in it too.
Cook the vegetables:
In the same pan, heat a little bit of sunflower oil over medium heat. Add shiitake and cook until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, heat some more sunflower oil, add garlic, green onions and kale, cook for a few minutes or until soft. Add zucchini and saute for a few minutes. Add shiitake and stir to combine. Remove pan from heat, then season vegetables with salt, pepper, fresh coriander, tablespoon of toasted sesame oil and a few pinches of sesame.
Distribute vegetables between plates, place a piece of tofu on top then pour a little bit of the honey-mirin glaze over the tofu and veggies. Sprinkle some fresh green onions and coriander on top if you like.

Homemade coconut & blueberry granola

Vessy — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 07:58:06 +0000

Homemade granola takes about 30 minutes to prepare and is totally worth it! Homemade granola will give you a great portion of nutrition and a healthy start of the day, plus you can make it exactly as you like it.
There are many combinations of flavors for granola, so you don’t need to stick to my recipe 100%. You should add whatever fruits or nuts you prefer, so that you end up with your favorite breakfast bowl. The only thing you need to keep in mind is the proportion of wet and dry ingredients, so when substituting one dry ingredient for another, make sure to keep the same quantity of the wet ingredients. When you add extra dry ingredients, you will need to adjust the quantity of the wet ingredients, too.
I would love it if you share with me your favorite flavors and combinations!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temperature
280 grams of old-fashioned rolled oats
140 grams raw nuts – almonds, cashews, pistachios
A pinch of salt
5 tablespoons (30 grams) coconut chips
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/3 cup dry cranberries

Preheat your oven to 180C (350F), fan-forced. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl combine honey, vanilla and butter.
In another bowl combine all dry ingredients except coconut, chia and cranberries.
Add butter-honey mixture to the nuts and oats and mix well to coat all dry ingredients (use your hands if you prefer).
Spread the moist mixture in a thin layer on the baking paper and bake for about 15 minutes or until granola is golden brown. Remove from oven and add the coconut chips, chia and cranberries. Stir again and let granola cool to room temperature.
Serve with yogurt, coconut, soy, almond or regular milk.
Keep in an airtight contained, in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Healthy strawberry ice-cream (vegan & gluten free)

Vessy — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 21:08:04 +0000

I am obsessed with homemade ice-cream lately. My husband and I love ice-cream and no matter what, we always keep a box in the fridge, usually a homemade one.

We don’t own an ice-cream maker and probably never will, but this is not stopping us from having a nice and delicious homemade ice-cream. There are many ways to make a homemade ice cream and many flavors to choose from, but the best part of all is that you can choose every single ingredient on the list and make yourself a good, healthy one!

This particular recipe is vegan, low on fat and carbs, which makes it a great option for those who watch out for carbs and fat in their diet. Well, it is not totally carb free, but it contains just natural sweeteners and just as much to make this ice cream sweet but not too sweet.

For a base I used this beautiful silken tofu, I got from BioMarketBalev. This tofu is great for all kinds of desserts, because it soft and smooth like cotton, low on carbs and fat and would give a great texture to any vegan dessert you are making. So, when shopping for this recipe, just look out for the “silken tofu”, that’s what you need.

Enjoy and happy cooking!

Ingredients:
100 grams (3,5 oz) raw muscovado sugar
450 grams (16 oz) fresh strawberries, cleaned and roughly chopped
250 grams (9 oz) silken tofu
60 ml. (2 fl. oz) nut milk (use your favorite or whatever you have on hands; use cow milk for non-vegan)
50 grams (2 oz) cashew butter (or almond if you prefer)
25 grams (1 oz) coconut butter, softened (or regular butter for non-vegan)
40 grams (1.5 oz) agave (or honey for non-vegan)
1 teaspoon xsantan gum

In a small saucepan add sugar and strawberries. Cook over medium-high temperature for about 5 minutes or until strawberries release their juices and flavor. Set aside to cool completely.

In a blender combine all ingredients, together with the strawberries and blend until smooth. Pour into a freeze safe container and freeze for at least 4 hours.

Before serving, remove from freezer for 30 minutes.

Chicken & kale tortillas

Vessy — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 11:49:57 +0000

These super easy and quick tortillas are not only delicious, but also healthy and nutritious.
These are ready in under 30 minutes, if you are using store-bought tortillas.
I see nothing wrong in buying ready-made tortillas, in fact I usually keep one package in the fridge, just in case we are in need of a quick and casual meal.
The best thing about tortillas is that you can fill them up with anything you have in the fridge. This is a good way to use any left over meat and not-so-fresh veggies.
In this recipe, I used kale, peppers, leeks and onions, but you may add any other vegetable you like and have on hands.

Ingredients for the chicken:
500 grams (18 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, chopped into small pieces
Juice from 1 orange
1 table spoons soy sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

For the vegetables:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks, chopped
3-4 spring onions, chopped
5 red peppers, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
200 grams (7 oz) kale, chopped
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt & pepper

For serving:
6 large tortillas
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Combine chicken, orange juice and soy sauce in a large bowl and set aside until you chop up the vegetables.
Chop up the veggies. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add veggies and cook until all of the water they release evaporates, and they are tender, but still fresh looking. Add soy sauce and cook for another minute. Soy sauce will quickly evaporate and what’s left will begin to caramelize. Stir veggies to coat with the caramelized soy sauce and remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, keep warm.
In the meantime heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet and add the chicken, together with half of the marinade. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until all juices evaporate and chicken bites begin to brown. Remove from pan and set aside, keep warm.
Brush skillet that you used for cooking the veggies, with olive oil and start warming up tortillas, one by one, cooking them both sides.
The moment you remove one tortilla from the skillet and add another, sprinkle a little bit of shredded mozzarella cheese over the hot tortilla. Then sprinkle a little bit of the chicken and veggies and wrap up.
Repeat with all tortillas.

Cream of peas and carrots soup

Vessy — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 12:11:16 +0000

This soup is not only super delicious but healthy and quick to prepare, too.

I believe, almost every veggie soup could use a little crème fraîche or cream and a small potato for extra thickness, creaminess and deliciousness. Not this, thou! This soup is so amazing as it is, I can’t believe it.

I usually prepare this soup when I am dieting, cause it’s low on calories, has no cream, potatoes or other anti-dieting ingredients. It’s basically cream of healthy, nutritious vegetables! But this one is totally worthy of being on your table any other day of the week, dieting or not.

God bless curry, basil and thyme, which may seem to you like an odd combination at the moment but wait till you taste it.

Of course, when not dieting you can totally serve this soup with a spoon of crème fraîche, roasted nuts, croutons, bacon or cheese.
And did I tell you how quick you can whip this one up – only one pot and 30 minutes of simmering.
Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
6-7 carrots, chopped
150 grams peas (frozen or fresh)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 medium head cauliflower
1 l. vegetable broth
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
A few basil leafs
Salt and pepperHeat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, carrots, peas and curry and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cauliflower and vegetable broth and bring to simmer. Add basil, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until all vegetables are soft.
Puree with a a hand-held blender and serve immediately.