feel food club

Vegetarian

Creamy Pesto Rice with Roasted Fall Veggies and Crispy Chickpeas

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I am a huge fan of pesto, when made freshly and in season. We make it a lot in summer. Pick the basil from out herb garden, use olive oil our neighbors made themselves from their trees in Croatia, add some good Italian Parmesan cheese, some delicious pine nuts and a pinch of salt. That’s at simpel as it is and that’s why I love it! So few ingredients, so much flavor! But now it’s October! And unfortunately it’s getting colder and there is no way for the basil to grow in our garden. Still, we all love pesto and want to enjoy it and that’s why I decided to add a little twist to it! 

This pesto recipe is not like the traditional Italian one but it is as delicious! It is made with fall ingredients. Instead of the basil I decided to use Swiss chard, and the pine nuts are substituted for almonds. I kept the Parmesan cheese and the olive oil because I believe that these really make the pesto taste like pesto and make it insanely addicting. To make it you simply have to roast the nits a but because that enhances the flavor, and then blend it up with the Swiss chard and a pinch of salt. Yes, that’s right, only those three ingredients! NEVER blend pesto with the Olive Oil and the cheese. That’s just not how it’s done. At least not in Italy. After blending, the Olive oil and Parmesan are stored in by hand, one by one, slowly. This makes it really creamy instead of mushy! 

Pesto is also great in nutritional value! Although it is quite high in calories it is super healthy! The greens provide you with a lot of minerals, vitamins, and fiber! The nuts add some healthy fats and a protein kick as well as other nutrients! The olive oil also provides you with some more healthy fats, which help you absorb the proteins better and the cheese gives some essential protein. So if you love pesto, here’s another reason to add in on everything. But honestly, I believe that this recipe doesn’t only work great in this dish but also you can totally add that pesto on top of scrambled eggs, into pasta, on top of toast, or whatever is on your mind! 

For the grain as carbohydrates I decided to use white rice. If you want to make it even healthier use whole grain/ brown rice but it is quicker when using white rice since it doesn’t have as long cooking times! If you do not like rice at all but still want to tray making this recipe you can substitute it for another grain! Pasta or Quinoa would work great too! Together with the pesto, the rice gets really creamy, kind of risotto-ish but not completely. Adding pesto if any sauce to rice is such a great way to spice up things a little and get your traditional plain rice to a mouthwatering dish! 

So, now we have the rice and the pesto… but what even is a bowl without some toppings and crunch. With the vegetables you can really feel free to add whichever are your favorites. I used cauliflower and brussel sprouts because they are in season now. Also, the brussel sprouts add some more greens into the dish and I love using the cauliflower because it is a great vegetable which can easily take on the favor of the spices! That way you can really taste your seasoning! Drizzle a little olive oil on top and roast them until crispy! This also works really great for meal prep if you just want to roast a big bunch of vegetables in the beginning of the week!

The chickpeas are coated with a great amount of spices and a good amount of olive oil! The oil is necessary in order to get a crunch and to intensify the flavor. If you want to make them extra crispy, pan fry them, but they are also super delicious when made in the oven plus you don’t have to wash an extra dish! So it’s a win win! 

When it’s all put together it just makes such a bomb combination! The creamy rice (if you want to make it extra ? add some more fresh Parmesan cheese on top!), the hearty roasted vegetables and the crispy chickpeas just make such a great combo! It is such a great comfort meal with such delicious fall meal packed with local and seasonal ingredients! A perfect mid-week dinner and great for meal prep! I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do! 

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Creamy Pesto Rice with Crispy Chickpeas and Vegetables

An ideal weeknight dinner with a delicious twist on traditional pesto with crispy chickpeas and roasted veggies!

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 25 Minuten
Total Time 40 Minuten
Servings 2 People
Calories 635 kcal

What you will need

  • 100 G Rice
  • 100 g Chickpeas caned, washed & rinsed
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 handful sage
  • 180 G Brussel Sprouts
  • 180 G Cauliflower
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 Tsp Paprika Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp Chilli Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

For the Pesto:

  • 2 stalks Swiss Chard
  • 20 g Almonds
  • 20 g Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1,5-3 tbsp Water can sub for olive oil for even more flavor
  • 1 tsp salt

How to

That‘s how it works:

  1. Roast the almonds in a non stick pan over medium high heat for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  2. Into a food processor add the almonds, the Swiss chard and the salt and pulse until combined! Pour the mixture into a bowl and alternately add the grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and water into the mixture until it gets all creamy and rich! If you want to make it all Italian, you can only add olive oil, but I decided to make it a little lighter so I mixed it with water.

  3. In the meantime preheat the oven to 180C. Wash and rinse the brussel sprouts and cut them in half. In a bowl combine them with about 1/2 tbsp of Olive Oil and the balsamic vinegar. Spread them onto a third of a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

  4. Cut of the cauliflower into smaller pieces. Add them into a bowl, along with chili, paprika, and turmeric, 1/2 tbsp of olive Oil and salt. Combine them all and place on another third of the baking tray.

  5. Wash, drain and tap the chickpeas dry for extra crispyness. Add the Olive oil, sea salt, and finely chopped up sage into a bowl along with the chickpeas and toss it. Add them to the remaining third of the baking tray and bake everything for 20-25 minutes!

  6. In the meantime cook the rice according to package instructions. About 3 minutes before it being done, add the pesto into the pot, keeping 1 tabslespoon aside. When done, stir it all together and you will see that the parmesan cheese has melted and it is all creamy.

  7. By now the vegetables and chickpeas should be done and crispy too!. Seperate the rice and onto two bowls. Top them with the vegetables and chickpeas and drizzle the remaining pesto on top. Grate some fresh parmesan for the finishing touch and enjozy!

Seed Coated Beetroot Balls

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Need some inspirational recipes for pink food? Then you have to try these sesame coated beetroot balls! Packed with so much flavor, a great texture, fluffy and soft, a beautiful pink color and coated in crispy seeds. Served in a bed of hummus and salad and topped of with some crumbled feta! Isn’t Fall a great season? With all the good seasonal food? At least I think so! 

Beetroots are such a healthy vegetable. They are packed with fiber and loaded with vitamin B9, which helps to form the DNA and RNA and helps the protein metabolism. Moreover they contain good amounts of manganese, potassium and Vitamin C. Also, they are great for vegetarians and vegans because of their high iron content. 

Beetroots are also proven to have numerous health benefits. When consumed they can control your blood flow levels, lower blood pressure, and increase your exercise performance! They help preventing cancer and are really low in calories. If all of this information hasn’t convinced you yet to try it than maybe look at that color! It’s so pink and pretty! 

The only reason why I did not cook with beets very often was because I did not know how to prepare them! I always thought of them being really difficult to prepare but actually they are really simple! You can either boil them, or steam them or bake them. I prefer baking the most because you can put it into the oven for about 50 minutes and don’t really have to leave an eye on it. It is so incredibly simple, I don’t know why I haven’t realized this earlier. Really missed out on something. 

After the little chunks have been baked, they just need to be combined in the food processor with a few other ingredients to get a doughy consistency. If you do not have a food processor you can just combine all the ingredients with a potato masher or a fork, simply bake the beets for a little bit longer! Form the balls, and roll them in the seed mixture. The seeds are really nutritious too and add an extra kick of protein to the balls, as well as some crunch. Think falafels but with beetroot and baked. 

If you feel like turning in the oven for just two servings isn’t worth it, than I have good news for you! Firstly, you can meal prep beets on the weekend so you have them in several dishes throughout the week, and secondly, you can make these balls in a big batch and freeze them (without baking). Whenever you need them, just take them out of the freezer and bake them in the oven and voila! 

I love to serve them on a bed of hummus because I am a hummus addict but if you prefer something else, Greek yoghurt for example would be really great too, or even some mashed avocado. On top some crumbled feta, it adds some freshness and I think the combo of beets and feta cheese is just bomb. Of course, if you prefer a vegan option, you can leave that out but if you are not vegan, I would definitely recommend to add it on top. 

Also, what I love to eat it with is some homemade focaccia. It basically is pizza, but only drizzled with some olive oil and fresh thyme. So good! If you don´t have the time or patience to make homemade focaccia, baguette, naan, or pita definitely works to. Or if you want to keep it low-carb, then leave the bread out!

I really enjoy making this recipe in fall because I believe that it is a healthy and funny way to switch up the game when preparing beetroots. It is not too hard but tastes amazing! I hope you like it and if you do so, I would really be thankful if you could leave a comment. Also be sure to tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere or #unepetitecuisiniere so I can see it! Happy fall, and I hope tht you will enjoy it!

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Seed Coated Beetroot Balls

A really delicious and nutritious way to add a twist onto your classic beet preperation.

Course brunch, lunch, Main Course
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 1 Stunde 5 Minuten
Total Time 1 Stunde 20 Minuten
Servings 2 people
Calories 438 kcal

What you will need

  • 5 beets
  • 1 white onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 60 g Quinoa
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp herbs de provence (or any other herb-based seasoning
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp chia seeds
  • 3 tsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp olive
  • 3 tbsp hummus
  • 1 big handvull salad lambs lettuce or arugula or spinach works best
  • 40 g feta cheese
  • some more olive oil to drizzle on top
  • some focaccia or pita to serve

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Peel the beets and cut them into 1cm sized chunks. Layer them out on the baking tray, generously salt, and let them bake in the oven for about 50-60 minutes. After that time peek in with a fork. The beets should still have a little grip, and should not be too soft becaus eotherwise the mixture will be too soggy later on. Meanwhile cook the Quinoa according to the package instructions!

  2. Once baked add them into a large food processor. Add the 2tbsp of breadcrumbs, the cornstarch, salt quinoa, and the herbs. Pulse until combined and a crumby texture is created.

  3. Take the mass and form small balls. If you have, take an ice cream scoop and evenly portion them out into about 6 even sized balls. In a small bowl mix the seeds and the breadcrumbs. Roll the formed balls in the mixture so they are covered. Place them on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil. If you have an oil spray, you can use this.

  4. Bake them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until crispy. Spread the hummus onto two plates. Top with the salad. Add the beetroot balls on top and spinkle with the crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle some more olive oil and serve with some focaccia or bread. Enjoy!

Fall Tabbouleh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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Who doesn´t love a stuffed potato. Maybe with some sour cream and beef, or with roasted vegetables and guac or whichever combination you like. Roasted potatoes with some sort of stuffing is just such a comforting and easy meal. I love it on weeknights because everyone can pick their one fillings and it is just a family meal. Because they are so versatile I like to add a twist in them whenever I make them. Sometimes I make them a little more American with loads of cheese, sometimes Mexican with salsa and avocado, sometimes a mix.

This time I decided to not only switch up the filing a little but also go for sweet potatoes instead of normal potatoes. I honestly love sweet potatoes and I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before. The crispy skin and the soft inside is just so good combined with the spices. In order to really get those spices into the potato, you have to use oil when baking it. Without oil, it won´t ever get that deep flavor and that crispiness. I use a spice mix that consists of most people´s pantry staples. It just intensifies the sweetness of the potatoes but gives them an extra kick. 

I wondered what filling would go well with sweet potatoes and a thousand ideas crossed my mind until it came to me to just combine two of my favorite dishes. Stuffed potatoes & tabbouleh! If I wouldn’t had created that myself I would have called it genius. It literally tastes so amazing. It’s going to be your new favorite. Easy weeknight and easy to prep, perfect meal prep dish, ideal for weekends when the family and friends are coming together, just perfect for any occasion.

That warm and soft sweet potato and the freshness of the tabbouleh just go so well together. Paired with the super delicious Tahini Sauce it is just so good! Since tabbouleh is a pretty summery dish I think I added a fall twist to it. Some small chopped up apples, raisins, nuts, and some Swiss chard. I tossed it together with the Couscous and dressed with simply Olive Oil and lemon juice. It helps bring out the flavor but doesn’t overpower them. The different fruits and veggies add such a variety in flavor, a great crunch, and so much color. It feels like eating the rainbow with this salad. 

The real addiction in this dish is the Tahini Sauce. So Good. Really simple ingredients, Tahini, lemon juice, mustard, water, vinegar, and oil. It just has such an amazing flavor and because of the Tahini it makes the dish a little more oriental. The lemon gives a great contrast to the hearty ness of the sweet potato and paired with the guac (which technically is optional, but actually not) you won’t go back to sour cream. The drizzle on top is so satisfying and damn good.

This entire combination of warm sweet potato, crunchy tabbouleh, creamy guac and refreshing Tahini dressing is bomb. It is not complicated to make which will make it your new favorite dish. So easy to meal prep and prepare in general as you can roast some sweet potatoes in the weekend and make some of that good tabbouleh and just take it whenever you need. If you do make it be sure to tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere or with #unepetitecuisiniere and leave a rating. I honestly really really like this dish and I hope that you will like it too!

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Fall Tabbouleh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Super comfortable and healthy fall dinner

Course dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 30 Minuten
Cook Time 50 Minuten
Total Time 50 Minuten
Servings 2 people
Calories 650 kcal

What you will need

For the Sweet Potatoes:

  • 1 large Sweet Potato about 500-600g
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Curcuma Powder

For the Tabbouleh

  • 70 g Couscous
  • 3 stalks Swiss chard
  • 1/2 Apple
  • 100 g Tomatoes
  • 1 small Red Onion
  • 1/3 Cucumber
  • 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Chopped Parsley
  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • Salt & Pepper

For the Tahini Sauce

  • 1 tsp Tahini
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp Maple Syrup
  • 1-2 tbsp Almond Milk can substitute for water
  • 1 tbsp Water
  • 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice

To finish it off:

  • 1 small Avocado
  • 1 stalk Spring Onions finely chopped

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the sweet potato in half. In a samll bowl mix all the spices together with the oil. Brush both sides of the cut sweet potatoes with the oil-spice mixture and place o a baking tray. Once the oven is heated up, place them in and bae for about 45-50 minutes.

For the Tabbouleh:

  1. Prepare the Couscous according to the package instructions. Chop the tomatoes, the bell pepper, the appla, the cucumber, and the swiss chard in cubes, a little smaller than 1cm. Finely mince the onion. In a large bowl add all of the vegetables, the couscous and the parsely. drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil on top and gently combine everything until is it well mixed through.

For the Tahini Sauce:

  1. Add all of the ingredients into a small bowl and mix or into a small blender and blend until you get a smooth and runny consistency. If you prefer to have it thinner, add more water or almond milk, if you want it thicker, add more Tahini.

To finish it off:

  1. Smash the avocado and generously salt and pepper it. Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven and place them on two plates. With a fork carefully smash the inside of the potatoes and take some of the smashed filling out so you have more space for the filling. Add the Tabbouleh into the muld you just created. Top with some of the mashed avocado and drizle with the Tahini sauce. Serve as it is or with a small side salad if you prefer. Enjoy!

Fall Harvest Salad (V, S)

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Fall is officially here and the temperatures are going down. Although the weekends are still super nice and sunny, you know that fall is here as soon as the leaves start to turn red, brown, and yellow and the first chestnuts are lying on the ground. Fall is such a great season, such beautiful colors and beautiful landscapes. So beautiful. Fall also means comfort foods to me and hot soups. But only because the season changes doesn’t mean just eating unhealthy comfort foods. There are so many great seasonal foods you can pack into super delicious salads. 

With this salad I tried to bring all of the beautiful fall colors into one bowl. The orange in the pumpkin, the red in the pomegranate seeds, the yellow in the pear, the brown in the almonds, and the green from the spinach. It is like eating the rainbow. A lot of people see salads as summer-food but I think that they are a great way to switch up things and not only eating soups and heavy dishes. This one is super refreshing because of the dressing but still really hearty because of the war roasted pumpkins, and the nuts. 

I used Delicata Squash because I think it works great in Salads and or roasting. It has a slight sweet taste and is not quite as dense as for example Hokkaido pumpkin. It is super simple to bring out the flavor and it roasts for only 20 minutes which I think is really great. I seasoned it very simply because I think that otherwise it would overpower the flavor of the rest of the salad. You can use any pumpkin you like but the roasting time will vary depending on the type of pumpkin. 

As a base I decided to go for baby spinach because of its mild flavor and it soaks up the flavor of the dressing easily. I simply love the slightly buttery taste and texture. If you do not like spinach you can go for anything else, lambs lettuce would work great too but I would not recommend kale because it needs more heartiness in a dressing to taste really good in a salad. You can also do a mix of different ones, it would work really great too if you decide to make it a little fancier! The pear on top adds some sweetness and soft butter-like texture, which goes really well with the salad base and the crunch of the toppings. 

For a little crunch I added the pomegranate seeds and the almonds. You can buy prepackaged pomegranate seeds but I like to to buy a whole pomegranate and take them out myself. It is a little work, takes maybe like ten minutes but you do not need unnecessary plastic packaging, they are fresher, and they last for longer, which I think is great. The almonds just give the whole salad some richness, healthy fats, and protein. I really like the heartiness and kind of dryness of almonds as I think they pair very well with the soft, juicy roasted Delicata Squash but some walnuts would work really well in szuch a salad too! Walnuts are a great seasonal food in fall and also regional here in Austria but I unfortunately did not have them on hand when I made this salad.  

For the dressing I decided to use Tahini because it is my favorite ingredient when it comes to salad dressings. It makes it so incredibly creamy and tastes so good! Also Tahini is a great healthy fat and contains a lot of vitamins. I mixed it with some Dijon mustard, lemon juice, a little olive oil, some of the pomegranate juice that ran out when I took out the seeds, and a tiny splash of maple syrup. Just mix it all up and voila, so delicious!

I really like this salad to enjoy as a light lunch and making it fresh but it also works great as meal prep if you store the dressing separately. It comes together really quickly and simple and is such a great healthy fall dish! If you decide to recreate it, make sure to tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere or with #unepetitecuisiniere! I hope you will enjoy and like it as much as I do.

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Fall Harvest Salad

A healthy and delicious salad to enjoy al of the seasonal foods that fall brings us.

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Prep Time 20 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 people
Calories 379 kcal

What you will need

For the Salad:

  • 200 g Baby spinach
  • 1/2 Pear
  • 1/2 Pomegranate
  • 400-500 g Delicata Squash
  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 30 g Almonds

For the Dressing:

  • 1 tbsp Tahini
  • 2 tbsp Pomegranate Juice
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 tbsp White wine vinegar

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. Cut the Delicata squash into about 1cm thick slices. Remove the seeds and place them in a bowl. Generously salt and pepper them and mix the with the Olive oil. Place them on the baking tray and make sure that they do not overlap. Bake them in a preheated oven at 180C for about 20 minutes.

  2. While the pumpkin is baking, wash the spinach and the pear. Plcae the salad into a bowl and cut the pear into about 1.5cm large cubes. roughly chop the almonds. Cut the pomgranate in half and take out the seeds. I believe it is easiest to carve them out with a fork into a bowl and then take out the parts from the shell thaat came with it. Add the two fruits to the spinach along with the chopped up nuts.

  3. Add all the ingredients for the dressing into a bowl and mix well until combined. By now the pumpkin should be cooked through, so take it out of the oven. Mix the dressing with the salad, divide it onto two plates and top it with the roasted squash. Serve and enjoy!