feel food club

Diet-Specific

Crispy Balsamic Brussel Sprouts with Honey Feta Caramelised Walnuts

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Let’s just agree on one thing; veggie side dishes are underrated. It is true, very true actually that all side dishes are underrated! To be honest, I do not need the main part of the meal, just the sides if I was asked. Imagine this: super crispy balsamic vinegar glazed Brussel sprouts baked in the oven and topped with warm walnuts that are coated with honey and molten Feta. Sounds good, right? If you tried this, you would agree that sides are underrated!

What is special about this dish?

The walnuts are prepared in a very special way, which I have never seen before. They are coated with a slightly sweet molten feta. I promise you, this is good (really, you could only eat this)! The Brussel sprouts are more „traditionally“ prepared but still equally as good! The balsamic vinegar adds very much taste and the oil and sea salt make them really crispy.

Is this dish healthy?

Yes and yes! Brussel sprouts = super healthy. Loaded with Vitamins, fibre and nutrients. They actually have been the food of the month October, you can read more about them here. The walnuts are incredibly high in healthy fats and they have many other health benefits. My uncle always said, eat them while studying because they improve your brain (it actually is proven that they improve brain function) – so yep, also these are healthy. And feta? It is pretty high in protein and way healthier than most other cheeses. So all in all, very very good.

How to make them?

This is incredibly easy. First you need to finely slice the Brussel sprouts and roast them in them in the oven. No mess in the kitchen but lots of flavour. Then, you need to prepare the nuts. This means, roughly chop the nuts and add them to a pan. When roasting nuts, you do not need any oil (when using a non-stick pan). Then you add the crumbled (or finely chopped) feta along with the honey and a pinch of sea salt. The heat of the nuts will melt down the feta and make it goey and creamy. This then combines with the honey and it is incredible. When you let it cool just a little bit, it will all crispen up, and then its perfect. When the Brussel sprouts are golden and crispy, take them out and to with the nuts. That’s all.

When and how to best have them:

I love this as a side dish for anything. Not only as a side but also as a topping. For example with a roasted meat, especially now in fall, it is amazing. But also on top of buddha bowls, rice bowls or even on top of pasta it would be amazing. There are no limits, it truly upgrades any dish. Plus, it is pretty family friendly because you get your nutrients through the veggies and it still tastes amazing because of the slightly sweet nuts. It kind of is like comfort food but still healthy.

Substitutes

Brussel sprouts – other veggies like pumpkin, sweet potato or broccoli would also work very well, just notice these would take longer to roast
Walnuts – almonds, pecans, hazelnuts
Honey – maple syrup, agave, other liquid sweeteners
Feta – I would not recommend substituting that (if there really is no way around, maybe with another soft cheese)

I hope that you will love this recipe and that you will enjoy it all throughout fall. Goes well with everything anytime. A must try – especially because it is so easy!

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Crispy Balsamic Brussel Sprouts with Honey Feta Caramelised Walnuts

Crispy and golden brussel sprouts topped with sweet and goey walnuts coated in molten feta. A perfect, comfortiung and still healthy side dish!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 25 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 4 side servings
Calories 245 kcal

What you will need

  • 600 g brussel sprouts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 60 g walnuts
  • 60 g feta
  • 2 tbsp honey

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash the brussel sprouts and pat them dry. Slice them into about 3-4 mm thick slices. Toss the in the oil and salt and lay them out on a baking tray, leaving space inbetween them. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and roast for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

  2. Roughly chop the walnuts and crumble the feta into small pieces. Add the nuts to a non-stick pan and turn onto high heat. Roast them for about 2-3 minutes. Add the feta and honey. Let the feta melt down and the gently stir through until the walnits are coated with the feta cheese. Turn down to low heat.

  3. When the brussel sprouts are done roasting, top them with the caramelized nuts and serve! Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Quinoa Breakfast Bowls with Herbed Tahini and Perfect Poached Egg

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If you know me, you know I L-O-V-E brunch! Like a lot! I have got brunch guide and brunch recipes to celebrate this part of the day! And to add to this collection I had to include a bowl! This combination of fluffy quinoa, yammy eggs and that delicious creamy tahini sauce is absolutely amazing!!! 

Whoever says breakfast is not the best meal of the day must be from another planet. It truly is the best! It is the thing you start your day with, the first thing you put into your body. It sets the tone for the day and it is soso delicious! 

What is special about this dish? 

A bowl for breakfast. With greens and quinoa? I do not think that this is the average breakfast. It is a combination of 2 amazing things: breakfast + bowls. So it can only be good! So I think this whole dish is special. But also the Tahini Sauce is kind of pretty amazing! 

How to make it:

It actually is not very hard to be honest! Cooking quinoa is not difficult at all! It is like cooking rice actually. So taking 1 prt quinoa, 2 parts water and some salt, bringing it to a boil, reducing it to a simmer and letting it simmer until soft and the water is soaked up! Preparing the veggies is not complicated either. I prefer to sauté the chili garlic greens and baking tomatoes and mushrooms because The greens shrink down and soften best when made in a pan and the tomatoes get most flavor when prepared in the oven. For the sauce we only need to blend up all of the ingredients and that’s it! 

I know that most people will be afraid of poaching eggs. And yes, it is a little tricky at first, but it won’t take long and you know how to do it! To start, bring a large but rather flat pot with water to a boil. Once it started boiling, turn down the heat so it only simmers slightly. Then we add a generous splash of vinegar to the water. Crack each egg into a small bowl, but be careful so the yolk does not break apart. Once the water simmers, we take a wooden spoon and create a swirl in the water. It will keep that swirl for a while itself (without having to do it with the wooden spoon anymore) and that is when we gently and carefully slide the egg in. Then we let it sit for a bit before repeating it with the next one! I know that this may sound a little overwhelming at first but when following it step by step it will work out!

Is this healthy?

It is not only yummy but it is healthy too! Quinoa is super nutritious and high in protein and carbs! The eggs also contain lots of protein. The veggies help you to get your vitamins in and the green Tahini sauce adds some unsaturated fats and more vitamins to keep you full! It is a very balanced meal all in all and super delicious! 

I really like to have this as a weekend brunch, a meal prep breakfast or even lunch! You can truly have this at any time of the day and you will enjoy it! The flavors work in such great harmony together and it all just is an explosion of flavors in your mouth! 

I hope that you will enjoy this and that this will be a fun twist to your regular breakfast game!

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Quinoa Breakfast Bowls with Herbed Tahini and Perfect Poached Egg

Delicious. Easy. Healthy. And so so good. Perfect for brunch, breakfast, lunch, dinner or anything inbetween.

Course bowl, Breakfast, brunch, Main Course
Cuisine oriental
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 bowls
Calories 583 kcal

What you will need

  • 150 g Quinoa
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 handful spinach (you can also use something like kale for example)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 chili
  • 100 g cherry tomatoes
  • 100 g mushrooms
  • 2 tsp honey

For the green Tahini Sauce

  • 2 tbsp Tahini
  • 2 tbsp plant based yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp chopped Parsley
  • 1 tbsp chopped basil
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1 tsp chopped mint

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Add the tomatoes and halfed mushrooms to a baking tray. drizzle with the honey, some olive oil and sea salt. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

  2. In the meantime add the quinoa to a pot along with 300ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the liquid is soaked up and the quinoa is fluffy.

  3. In a pan heat up the olive oil. finely slice the garlic clove. Cut the chili in half and remove the seeds. Slice the rest into thin slices too. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and chili and fry for 1 minute. Add the greens (that have been chopped into bite sized pieces before) and let cook on medium high heat for 5-8 minutes.

  4. For the poached egg bring a large, flat pot with water to a boil then reduce the heat so a slight simmers. Add a generous splash of vinegar. Crack each egg into a small bowl, but be careful not to break the yolk. Take a wooden spoon and create a swirl in the water and carefully slide the egg in. Then we let it sit for a bit before repeating it with the next one! Let each one in the water for about 3-4 minutes, then take out and let the excess water drip off on some kitchen paper.

  5. Blend all the ingredients for the Tahini sauce in a blender.

  6. To assemble the bowls add the quinoa, greens and veggies to each one. Top with the eggs and finish off with the green sauce. Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière 

Super Easy Healthy Matcha Cheesecake in a jar

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Easy, Matcha, Cheesecake perfectly portioned out just to take one whenever you want. Crispy, delicious cookie swirled in slightly sweet matcha-flavoured no-baked (healthy) cheesecake cream. Sounds good? Well, because it is good! And the best thing, it also is easy!

What is special about this dish?

Everything, basically. Cheesecake usually is made of a buttery-cookie crust and a cream cheese and cream filling, and then it is baked. This recipe could not really be further away from this. But it still is as delicious. Instead of buttery-cookie crust, we have a delicious healthy cookie. And instead of natural flavoured, high fat filling, we have a lighter, super creamy filling, that is not baked. And of course, there is the matcha in here!

What is Matcha?

Matcha is a green tea actually. It is most of the time sold in a powder form which is made from green tea leaves. IT originated in east Asia, where it is consumed a lot too. Especially in Japan it is very common to drink it. But how has it made it way to Europe and America? Well, Matcha contains a lot of caffein (because green tea does so too) and it has an incredibly high amount of antioxidants, which means it is really healthy. That’s why it has kind of been celebrated as a superfood in the past years and that also is why you can find a matcha latte on basically every menu in any coffee shop! It has a slightly bitter flavour and definitely is not something for everyone’s taste buds. To be honest, I do not even like it too much really. But in this recipe it tastes amazing! I promise. SO it really is for matcha lovers and non matcha lovers!

Is cheesecake healthy?

I am sorry to tell you that, but no it is not. Why? Lets start from the bottom. As I already mentioned, it is usually made out of cookies combined with butter. Extremely high in fat and sugar and with basically no nutritional value. And then the filling; cream cheese, cream and sugar. Not very nutrient-packed either. But is has loads of sugar and fats. The only positive thing is that it is pretty high in protein in comparison with most other cakes.

How to make cheesecake healthy

I have never made a regular baked cheesecake in a healthy form to be honest. BUT I have made a vegan healthy baked cheesecake and it turned out beyond bombastic! You can find the recipe here! But I can tell you a little about how to make no bake cheesecake (mousse) healthy. Instead of a regular cookie crust, you could make healthier cookies with oats or wholegrain flour and natural sweetener! And for the filling you could mix a few things. I like to mix yoghurt, greek yoghurt, curd cheese (topfen) and some cream cheese. The combination tastes really good, is way lower in fat and very high in protein! As we still need some sweetness, I like to swap out refined sugar for a more natural sweetener like maple syrup or honey for example.

How to make Matcha Cheesecake in a Jar?

This is incredibly easy actually. It comes down to two things; Making the cookies and making the cream. To make the cookies you need to blend oats, coconut shreds, coconut sugar and egg, then spread it on a baking tray and bake. That’s it. The mousse is not much more difficult. You simply add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix until creamy. Yes, that’s it! When the cookies are done and cooled, you break them apart and swirl them into the cream. Then you only have to portion them out and that already is it! Incredibly easy right?

When to have it

Whenever you want. I think it is perfect as a snack or dessert because it has the perfect serving size for just a little sweet craving, but you can really have it at any time of the day. I also think it is great if you are having friends over for dinner because you can prepare it beforehand and just take it out of the fridge!

I genuinely hope you enjoy this recipe (as much as my cousin and my best friend, because they keep asking me for when I am making it again 🙂 )! It is super easy, super delicious, and pretty healthy. Definitely worth giving a try for both – matcha lovers and non matcha lovers.

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Healthy Matcha Cheesecake in a jar

A delicious, easy and pretty healthy twist on the regular cheesecake. Creamy and sweet matcha mousse with swirled in cookie chunks.

Course Dessert, Snack
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
cooling time 30 Minuten
Total Time 1 Stunde
Servings 8 servings
Calories 185 kcal

What you will need

For the cookie:

  • 60 g rolled oats
  • 25 g coconut shreds
  • 1/2 egg
  • 40 g coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

For the cream:

  • 250 g Topfen like cream cheese just lighter and slightly different in texture
  • 125 g cream cheese
  • 200 g greek yoghurt
  • 200 g yoghurt
  • 50 ml maple syrup
  • 3-4 tsp matcha

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. For the cookies add all the ingredients to a food processor. Take about 2 tablespoons at a time and form a cookie on a baking tray lined with parchement paper. The dough will be very sticky, but this is the way it is supposd to be. Bake them for about 12-15 minutes.

  2. In a large bowl add all of the ingredients for the cream. Whip them up until creamy and well combined. Adjust sweetness and matcha to your desire by adding a little more if you want. Let chill in the fridge.

  3. When the cookies are golden brown, take them out of the oven and let them cool. Then break them apart into small chunks and whip them into the mousse. Divide it onto small jars or bowls and keep in the fridge!

    Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

The meanest green sandwich with grilled halloumi and lemon spinach

by 2 Kommentare

Who doesn’t love a good sandwich? And not just a good one but a really delicious and healthy one. Marinated lemon tomato spinach paired with pesto, avocado and perfectly grilled and soft halloumi. Every single bite is a pleasure. 

Sandwiches are truly one of the best meals you can have. I mean, they consist of bread, and who does not love bread? And you can fill them with whatever you like!! Pretty genius to be honest. But really, today we are not going to make a basic boring sandwich. We are going to make a next level sandwich that makes your mouth water and still is ready in 15 minutes! 

What is special about this dish?

It is the unusual fillings if the sandwich! How often is the bread just spread with butter or mayonnaise and topped with ham and cheese? Way too often in my opinion. Not only, that it really is not healthy, but kind of boring right? In this sandwich we have an incredibly delicious combination of incredibly delicious marinated spinach that is tossed in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, dried tomatoes and chili flakes, some delicious creamy avocado, a gentle spread of pesto, and let’s not forget about the star of the show, the soft halloumi. If you have never had the combination of avocado and halloumi, then now it’s high time.

Are sandwiches healthy and how to make them healthy

There definitely is no yes or no answer to this question. This really depends SO much on what the sandwich is made out of. If you have some white toast with butter, cheese and ham, then no, it is not healthy. There is no fiber but lots and lots of fats in it. But if you make one like this, it is fair to say that it is healthy. You have got nutrients and vitamins from the spinach, healthy fats and vitamins from the avocado, and a bunch of fibre and complex carbohydrates from the whole grain bread. The halloumi is nit super duper healthy but it is super delicious and the combination is what makes it. The sandwich is very well balanced out with healthy ingredients such as spinach and also deliciousness as the halloumi. 

But how can you make a healthy sandwich? With very easy changes, you can get a big difference in the nutritional value. It already starts with the bread. Instead of white toast, you can long for whole grain bread. More fiber and more complex carbs which will provide more nutritional value and will keep you full for longer. Then it comes to the spread. Instead of using butter, you can long for avocado, pesto or hummus for example. They all are loaded with unsaturated fats and are a healthier choice over butter. 

Then, what I always love to do is adding some kind of veggies. You can do some salad, like in this sandwich, or you can also do something else like cucumber, bell peppers, radishes or whatever you like! And for me, personally I always like to have something to be kind of the „star of the show“. So something kn the middle that really fills the sandwich and makes it taste amazing. This could be halloumi, scrambled eggs, smoked or pan fried tofu, smashed chickpeas or anything else to your desire. 

How to make this sandwich:

This is truly simple. First you need to marinate the spinach. For that you just need to combine the oil, tomatoes, lemon juice and chili flakes. Next you need to toast the bread. This is not obligatory but crispy bread just tastes better in my opinion. Next, you need ti spread the pesto on both sides. This way the bread will not taste dry and it adds a bunch of flavor. Now, we need to pan fry the halloumi. For this just add the halloumi to a pan and heat it up. And then it already is down to being assembled. Yep it is that easy! 

I really love this sandwich as a brunch, a quick lunch or an easy but still fancy dinner! It is packed with so much flavor, pretty healthy and incredibly delicious while it still is super easy to make! 

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do and will make it ok repeat! 

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Meanest Greenest Sandwich with Lemon Chili Spinach and Grilled Halloumi

a delicious, easy and healthy sandwich that is ready in basically no time! Perfect dor meal prep or as a quick lunch!

Course Breakfast, brunch, lunch
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 5 Minuten
Total Time 15 Minuten
Servings 2 Sandwiches
Calories 413 kcal

What you will need

  • 4 slices Whole grain bread
  • 1/2 Avocado
  • 125 G Halloumi
  • 2 Handful Spinach
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Chopped dried tomatoes
  • 1 Tsp Chili flakes
  • 1/2 Lemon juiced
  • 2 Tbsp basil pesto

How to

  1. Combine the olive oil, chopped dried tomatoes, chili flakes and lemon juice in a bowl. Add it to the spinach and mix to combine. Let sit to marinate for about 10 minutes.

  2. Toast the slices of whole grain bread. Slice up the avocado. Heat up a pan and add the halloumi. Fry for about 2-4 minutes on each side.

  3. Spread the pesto on one side of every bread. Add the spinach on top, followed by the halloumi, the sliced avocado and close with the second slice of bread!

  4. Serve and enjoy!

Happy cooking, 

Enjoy,

Katie