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katharina.kuehr

Healthy Rhubarb Crumble Cake

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A nice, fluffy and juice layer of cake underneath a fresh and sweet layer of rhubarb topped with a healthy and crispy almond oat crumble. Is there anything else you want? Maybe having this healthy rhubarb crumble cake with a nice cup of coffee? you better don’t say no!

Why crumble cake?

Crumble cakes are one of my favourites. I love the different tastes and textures in each layer and the combination of them melting together in my mouth. Also, I think they are very fun to make and they always have something fresh in them with the fruits. I already have one crumble cake on my blog, an apple crumble cake, and it is so good! In this recipe I just added a spring twist on it instead of a fall one! Imagine this cake as a mix between my healthy apple crumble cake and my rhubarb compote!

I had my first crumble cake about 2 years ago. It actually also was a rhubarb one, and it was amazing! I can remember it very well because it was at a small café in Dublin where they had soo many different cakes! I shared one piece with my friends and let me tell you, it was amazing! So when I saw all the fresh rhubarb at the farmers market the other day, I decided to try to recreate it, but make it healthier. And let me tell you, I did not expect it to turn out THAT GOOD. I thought it would be fine but when I tried the first slice, I just wanted to eat the whole tray before photographing it. It is insane!! And really, it does not taste healthy or boring at all.

The layers:

The first layer is kind of a biscuit layer but a little healthier. It essentially comes down to only 5 ingredients! Who thought that you could make a cake with 4 ingredients only? Eggs, maple syrup, apple sauce (Apfelmuß in German, because so many asked me what this was), wholegrain flour, baking powder. That is it. The egg whites are separated from the yolks and whipped up until super fluffy and stiff. This makes the cake really airy. The applesauce makes it really juicy and the maple syrup makes it sweet. Both are combined with the egg yolk. Afterwards, the flour and baking powder as well as the egg whites are folded in. This need to be pre-baked a little.

The second, and middle layer is a fruit layer. This is even easier than the first one. You do not even need to peel the rhubarb (if you buy organic one preferably), just cut it into smaller pieces. Add it to a pot with some lemon juice and a date to sweeten it up (could use sugar or honey as well) and a splash of water. The heating up helps it to get a little softer and absorb the flavour of the lemon and date. Then this is added on top of the biscuit layer.

The last but definitely not least layer is the crumble. Contrary to conventional crumbles it is not based of sugar, butter and flour. NO. The base are oats and almonds. I like to use sliced ones but you could also just chop the up a little. Together with some chia seeds (optional) and coconut sugar (again, another sweetener works fine too, just a liquid one will not have the same crunch effect, so I would recommend substituting it out for white or brown sugar), and a little coconut oil it creates a sticky consistency. This on top of the fruit just tastes bomb. It is kind of like granola just on top of a cake. So good.

When to enjoy best?

So honestly, you are going to want to eat this at every time of the day. And basically you could. It would even work as a nice breakfast. It has about than 2.6g fibre, 3.3g of protein, and 14.2g of carbohydrates per slice. So having two slices for breakfast with some yoghurt on top wouldn’t be unhealthy. But this also makes a great snack or dessert. Even when having guests over this will be amazing! Or take it to a picnic?

Substitutions

If you do not like rhubarb at all, but still want a crumble cake, you can also substitute them out for berries, such as strawberries. It really is versatile but I believe that the little sour taste of the rhubarb just goes really well with the sweetness of the cake. Instead of whole grain flour, you could use plain one, and instead of the maple syrup you can totally go for honey, agave of coconut sugar. If you do not have almonds on hand, you can use any other nuts as well!

I hope that you like this recipe and it gives you some inspiration for cooking healthy! Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisiniere

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Healthy Rhubarb Crumble Cake

The best cake you´ll ever have! Fluffly and juice biscuit, topped with fresh and tangy rhubarb and a healthy and crispy crumble! SO good.

Course brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine austrian
Prep Time 20 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 35 Minuten
Servings 12 slices
Calories 113 kcal

What you will need

For the first layer:

  • 2 eggs
  • 100 g unsweetend apple sauce (Apfelmuß in Deutsch)
  • 60 g Maple syrup agave, honey or sugar work too!
  • 125 g wholegrain flour normal flour is fine as well
  • 1 tsp baking powder

For the second layer:

  • 250 g Rhubarb
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1 large date (or 2 small ones, about 30g)
  • a splash of water

For the thrid layer:

  • 50 g oats
  • 25 g sliced almonds or any nuts
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or any other sweetener of choice)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

    For the first layer seperate the egg yolks from the whites. Whip the whites until fluffy and stiff. In the meantime combine the yolks with the apple sauce and maple syrup. Combine flour and baking powder.

    Once the egg whites are stiff gently fold them under the yolk mixture, along with the flour, one at a time. When combined pour it onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8 minutes.

  2. In the meantime cut the ends of the rhubarb and wash it gently. Cut it into about 3cm (1 inch) sized pieces. Take the pit out of the date and chop it finely. Add both to a pot along with the lemon juice and a splash of water (about 2 tbsp). Bring it to a boil and simmer until the first layer is done baking.

  3. While the rhubarb is simmering, combine the oats, nuts and seeds in a bowl. Melt the coconut oil and combine with the sugar and vanilla. Pour it over the mixture and combine everything well. It should all stick together a bit.

  4. When the frist layer is done baking take it out of the oven. Add the rhubarb evenly on top and sprinkle with the crumble. Bake for another 7-10 minutes.

  5. Take out of the oven and let cool. Serve with some ice cream, whipped cream or a dollop of yoghurt and enjoy!

Italian Tomato and Eggplant Stew with fried Halloumi and Pita

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Fresh and sweet tomatoes with soft and slightly mushy eggplant plus tangy capers and olives. Oh, and not to forget about the good herbs and the Goey fried halloumi with fresh pita. Hard not to get hungry when reading this right?!

To be honest I have never had Halloumi until a few months ago. I spent a day with my besties in Bratislava and we were so tired after this super long day and went into a super cute little café. We just ordered some small snack like avocado toast and a greek bowl and in this bowl there was halloumi. And let me tell you, I instantly loved it. Maybe it is because I am a huge salt-addict (I know, that’s not very healthy but I just love it). Halloumi is pretty salty but tbh, that makes it real good right?

What goes well with Halloumi?

So I believe that everything that is with Mediterranean flavours goes super well with it! And everything with lots of herbs because herbs + halloumi is just the best combination. It tastes really yum with tomatoes, cucumber, olives, eggplant (=aubergine). Also, this might sound a little weird but believe me, it is also really good with oriental things like curry, hummus, falafel. Yes curry and halloumi goes with with each other. Might sound a little off but it is really good. If you want another halloumi recipe you can check out my Honey Eggplant and Chickpea Salad with Grilled Halloumi because that’s also really good!

Why Eggplant & Tomato?

Well because this combination with Halloumi is just so good. And Eggplant works so well in stews because it has a rather soft texture and makes it a little creamy-ish. Also it adds such a nice flavour. And tomatoes are always good. Especially in sauces or stews they are a must! They kind of build a „base“ for it and makes it saucy. And they are coming into season, so why not?

Fresh or canned tomatoes?

This really is up to you. They both work perfectly fine. If they are in season and you have them on hand, I would always recommend using fresh produce! But if you used canned ones make sure they are not all puréed. The best is if you mix them both. So use some fresh ones and some puréed sauce. That way you get some texture and sauciness. All the good things in it.

30-minute meal

You thought this couldn’t get any better? Well, it can! Because this comes together in less than 30 minutes. I know, so easy. Which means, it is perfect for a quick and healthy lunch or a cozy and simple dinner. Also, making it is not complicated at all! Actually the opposite is the case. It essentially comes down to chopping the ingredients and throwing them all together into a pot plus frying the halloumi in an extra pan. Yes, that simple.

What to have it with

Pita is my favourite go-to here because it is perfect to soak up the sauce and it has such a nice texture and taste. But if you do not like it or are intolerant to gluten or cannot find a good one you can also substitute it out for other things. Something like Quinoa, Pasta, Couscous or Rice would also work really well here. If you want to on the lighter side, you can also just serve it with a salad, which also is really good!

This is such a tasty meal for whenever you ar craving something comforting but healthy. Comes together really quick, is super family friendly, has lots of vitamins (& cheese ofc) and tastes amazing!

I hope that you will love this recipe as much as I do and that it will become a staple in your household!

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Italian Tomato and Eggplant Stew with fried Halloumi and Pita

Healthy, comforting and so full of flavor. A 30-minute, super quick and good weeknight dish!

Course bowl, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 456 kcal

What you will need

  • 1 red onion
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 650 g Eggplant about 2 medium sized ones
  • 300 g tomatoes fresh ones (best is a mxi of large ones and cherry tomatoes)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 200 g canned tomatoes (puréed)
  • 2 tbsp rosemary
  • 2 tbsp oregano
  • juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 60 g Capers about 3-4 tbsp
  • 40 g Olives about 3 tbsp, sliced olives
  • 300 g Halloumi
  • 2 Pita

How to

  1. Finely dice the onion. Heat up the olive oil in a pan and add the onion when hot. Sautée for about 2 minutes until fragnant.

    In the meantime chop the eggplant and tomatoes into about 2 cm sized chunks or half the cherry tomatoes, if using. Add them into the pan and sautée for another 2 minutes on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium high and stir in the tomato paste and sauce and the herbs. Let simmer for 10 minutes and then add in the juice from half a lemon, the capers, olives, some freshly cracked black pepper and some salt. Let simmer for another 10 minutes.

    While this is simmering slice the halloumi into about 1/2 cam thick slices. Place them on a grill or a preheated (grill)pan and fry them on medium high heat for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

    Heat up the Pita in the oven.

    When everything is ready add the stew onto the plates and place the fried halloumi on top. Serve with the fresh pita and enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière <3

Asparagus and Strawberry Salad

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This salad is like spring in a bowl. So mush freshness, fruitiness but also savoury goodness. Super easy to make, full of vitamins, perfect side dish or light main course. Absolutely in love!

Spring honestly is my favourite season. Everything is starting to bloom and coming back to life. Flowers are so colourful and the markets are full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Including two of my favourites: Asparagus and strawberries.

How we typically eat Asparagus

Asparagus is something very typical in Austria. We usually have it with Risotto, as a side or very very typical with potatoes, ham and molten butter or sauce hollandaise. But while this is good once in a while I feel like it is really heavy and not healthy in the long term. This salad, on the other hand is something very light and refreshing.

Which Asparagus works best?

Definitely a mix! Use some white stalks and some greens because the combination of the slightly different flavours is just super good! If you want, you can also use purple asparagus although I would not necessarily recommend to buy it extra for this. I have tried it out with purple asparagus but it lost its colour while cooking and turned green. So it was a bit of a pity.

How to cook asparagus?

This actually is not as easy as many people think. I mean it is to hard but you just need to know how. Green Asparagus is super easy. You just need to cut off the ends of the stalks and boil it in salted water for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick the stalks are. White asparagus is slightly different. It also needs some boiling water, you need to salt it, and add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of sugar. This takes out the bitterness of the asparagus and makes it really good!

Do you need to peel asparagus?

Depends. Green asparagus does not need to be peeled. Neither does purple one. White one on the other hand needs to be peeled!! Generously! I would recommend to peel it twice. If it is not peeled well it will have strings when eating and that’s not good tbh.

Fruit in salad?

A big YES!!! This is game changing! Especially the combination of strawberries and asparagus is insane! The sweetness of the strawberry pairs perfectly well with the freshness of the asparagus. If you do not have strawberries on hand or do not like them, you can add in raspberries instead, which also must taste really good!

Other add-ins:

Here you can be really creative! What would 100% work well is some kind of cheese like mozzarella, burrata cheese, cottage cheese or feta. Those would make it really good! Also, grilled chicken breast or prawns would take this next level but also hard boiled eggs.

When & how to eat it?

You can have this as a nice side dish and leave it as is or make a little more and add in something like hard boiled eggs for example and enjoy it with some freshly toasted bread or couscous to have it as a filling salad!

I hope that you like this recipe as much as I do and that you will make it many times this spring!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Asparagus and Strawberry Salad

Not your average asparagus side dish but much better! Sweetness of the strawberries paired with the taste of fresh asparagus is just heaavenly!

Course Appetizer, lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 4 sides
Calories 149 kcal

What you will need

  • 500 g white asparagus
  • 500 g asparagus
  • 500 g strawberries
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 handful mint
  • 1 handful basil
  • 1 handful parsley
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp maple or honey
  • 1 tbsp butter or magarine
  • 1 tsp sugar

How to

  1. Bring a large pot with water to a boil. Peel the white asparagus generously (about 2x). Cut the ends (about 3cm) of both, white and green asparagus and throw them away. Cut the asparagus into about 3-4cm sized pieces.

    Add the butter (or magarine) and sugar into the boiling water and salt it. Add in the white asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add in the green asparagus and cook for another 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick the stalks are. You can test if they are ready by pieking through them with a fork. If they almost fall off the fork, they are done. Then drain them.

  2. In the meantime remove the green part from the strawberries and half them or cut them into quarters, depending on how big they are. Slice the spring onions and seperate the onion rings from each other.

  3. Roughly chop up the basil, mint and parsley.

  4. Add the asparagus, strawberries, spring onions and herbs into a bowl. In a seperate small bowl combine the olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon and the maple syrup. Toss the salad in the dressing and serve!

    Enjoy!

Notes

If you want to have it as a main dish just make more (about half more, so 6 servings for 4 people). You can then also add in other things like hard boiled eggs, feta or mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken breast or prawns! 

3 Ingredient Strawberry Chia Jam (healthy & vegan)

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It is the perfect combination of sweet, creamy and tangy. But instead of a lot of white sugar we are using whole food sweeteners, fresh fruits and seeds to achieve the best taste, texture and color. An essential staple in my household. It pairs perfectly with literally anything from yoghurt bowls, to bread and rice cakes.

An Austrian Tradition

In Austria, where I am from, it is very common to eat jam. And lots of jam with bread and butter. It is an Austrian tradition I guess, and both of my grandmothers have taught me how to make the classic. You will find it on every single typical Austrian breakfast table or in any breakfast restaurant. We love it. Most of the time it is paired with a Semmel (a white bread) and some butter. The go-to breakfast.

Why is jam not healthy?

And because it is so typical and popular I decided to make it a little healthier. But what actually is not healthy in it? I mean there is fruit in it! – That is right. There is fruit in it. But because we cook it, a lot of vitamins get to loss. Not all of them but many. Additionally, when we add lots of sugar and gelatine this is not healthy either. We all know that sugar is not the best friend of a healthy diet, especially not white and refined one. To make it healthier I recommend using a healthy sweetener such as raw honey, pure maple syrup or coconut sugar. These still contain sugar but also other nutrients, such as antioxidants and fibre which helps control the sugar rush in your blood.

Is jam vegan or vegetarian?

The answer might surprise or shock you: no it is not. At least most you can find in a supermarket are not. The reason for this is that they contain gelatine in some form. Either pure gelatine or mixed into the sugar. And gelatine is made from animal bones. This means that it is neither vegetarian nor vegan. When you want to buy one that is vegetarian or vegan you have to carefully study the labels and check that it doesn’t contain any gelatine. What is used in most places is called agar-agar or agartine.

How to make homemade jam:

This actually is really simple. Probably easier than you think. And it does not differ much from regular jam. As a first step you add your raspberries to a pot. They can be fresh or frozen, whatever you have on hand. Depending on ho sweet your berries are and how sweet you like your jam to be, you add as much or as little sweetener as you like. If you want, and it makes it really tasty, you can now add a squeeze of lemon juice. It adds some freshness and brings out the flavours even more. Then we let everything simmer for a little while until the strawberries have softened up a lot. Now it is time to transfer it to a blender. If you really do not like the texture of chia seeds in your jam, add them now but adding them later really adds a nice texture to it! So we are blending it up, adding it back to the pot and bringing it to a boil again. Then we let it cool a bit and you will immediately see how it starts to thicken up. After cooling, transfer it to a jar and store in the fridge for a few weeks.

Does it only work with strawberries?

NO! Definitely not. You can make this jam with any fruit of your preference. I also find it to be super tasty with raspberries, apricots, pineapple or orange. Do it with whatever sounds good to you!

How to best eat it:

So, this really is up to an individual! I personally like it most with a rice cracker and some cream cheese. This combination is just out of this world and makes a great snack or dessert. But in a yoghurt bowl, on a toasted slice of sourdough bread or with some brownies it tastes amazing too! Even with cake it works well! Just use it for whatever you would use normal jam too.

I hope that you like this recipe and that you will try it out soon!
Stay healthy & have fun cooking!
Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Strawberry Chia Jam (healthy & vegan)

A healthy version of the classic. Quick, simple and so good! Crazily addicting, perfect addition to any sweet meal!

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 15 servings à 2 tablespoons
Calories 83 kcal

What you will need

  • 750 g strawberries
  • 150 g chia seeds
  • 100-200 g pure maple syrup or honey or cocnut sugar (a healthy sweetener of choice)
  • juice of 1 lemon (optional)

How to

  1. Remove the green leaves from the strawberries and then cut them in half or in quarters. Add them to a pot along with the maple syrup and the lemon juice.

  2. Bring to a boil and let them boil until they are soft and mushy, for about 5 to 10 minutes. If you have one that is heat safe, transfer it to a blender or a food processor, otherwise purée it with a hand blender.*

  3. Pour it back into the pot and add the chia seeds. Bring to a boil again and then take it off the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. You will immediately see how it starts to thicken.

    Transfer to jars and store in the fridge for up to 5 weeks.

Notes

* you can add the chia seeds before blending if you want a smoother consistency. But adding them after makes it really interesting!