feel food club

spring

Summer Poke Bowl

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The all beloved and super trends bowl. I mean, how can you not love it? Rice, fresh seafood (or tofu), all the veggies, fresh fruits, covered with a super good sauce. What do you need more? Step away from classic and make this super tasty summer version!

What even is poke?

Poke is a traditional dish that originated in Hawaii. It usually is raw fish (just like Sashimi) over rice. This rice mostly is prepared as sushi rice. The fish usually is marinated before with soy sauce and then it all is assembled in a bowl with lots of veggies.

My poke bowl love

I have always been loving sushi. I also have always loved all kinds of bowls. And therefore I love poke bowls. Before it even was a trend I would always get it when I saw it on the menu. Because it is so good. And then, luckily, it became a trend and now you can find lots of places in Vienna that serve extremely delicious poke bowls. My absolute favourite one is HONU TIKI Bowls because they are just the best ones! Me and my bestie almost always go there to have them! Insanely good.

Since we went there (and still go there) very often, we also spent a lot of money on them. And they are not cheap. Raw and fresh seafood is pretty expensive and so are other fresh ingredients. So I thought, why not making it at home? It is easy, healthy and pretty tricking tasty.

How to build up a poke bowl:

Similar to my guide for a buddha bowl I am now gonna explain to you how to best build up a poke bowl.

  • We need to start with a base. Traditionally I would use white rice or best, – – Sushi rice if you have that on hand. It is filling and adds a nice texture. If you want to can also use greens as a base to have more of a salad version or you could also do half half.
  • Next we need our source of protein. Raw (or also cooked works fine) fish such as tuna or salmon but you can also long for tofu or grilled chicken, prawns or beef.
  • Next up our marinade. This is important because it adds a lot of flavour to your protein and the entire bowl. I love doing a teriyaki sort of marinade but feel free to do something else.
  • Of course we also need some veggies. Here you are totally free and you can add whatever you want. For me, edamame or peas, cucumbers and tomatoes are always a must! But honestly, everything works well here!
  • Not to forget: Fruits! May sound a little weird a first but it is a game changer. It adds so much sweetness and freshness to it, that’s insane! I promise you, you will love it
  • A crunch: Here I love to use spring onions, sesame seeds, nori, or some sort of nuts. This just adds such a nice twist to the texture! Absolutely love it!
  • The sauce: Maybe this is the most important part of the entire bowl! Why? Because you are going to mix everything with it, and if it is not good, everything won’t be good. Here you can long for a mayo based one (which not always is the healthiest choice) or some soy sauce or peanut sauce.

What is in this bowl?

As a base we are using Sushi rice. The one I use is from Reishunger and it is super tasty! Btw: with the code REISKATIE you can get your favourite rice for free there!

Get the rice here!

As for veggies we use peas, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, cucumber and wakame (these are alleges which you can get at your asian restaurant or your fish market).

Fruitwise, we are going for apricots. they are coming into season now and they are regional. If you don’t like those, go for mango instead.

Our protein is salmon or tuna. I always make both of them because in my family we like different ones. But you can also use tofu if you want a vegan version, and leave out the fish sauce in the marinade

So next on to the marinade, it is sort of a teriyaki one. Super good and addicting!

Our crunch are spring onions, which are super good here! They add a crunch and some freshness.

Last but not least: the sauce. A peanut sauce. This stuff is seriously good. And seriously addicting. But also super easy!

Are poke bowls healthy?

Yes they are! Well usually, you always have exceptions. But rice is not unhealthy, raw fish is healthy because of its high protein content and it is not fried or prepared with a lot of oil. Plus, in poke bowls you always have tons of veggies, which also give you loads of vitamins, just as the fruits does. The sauce on top is not always healthy, so make sure to check what you are using. Mayo-based ones are not always healthy. What you should also look out for is that you do not always choose soy sauce based sauces because they are loaded with vitamins. So all in all, pretty healthy.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do (because I am obsessed with it) and enjoy it all throughout summer. It is such an easy one, I would really recommend making it!

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Summer Poke Bowl

A summery version of the all time favorite and healthy dish! Raw fish with plenty of veggies, rice and a super tasty peanut sauce!

Course bowl, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Marinating 2 Stunden
Servings 4 servings
Calories 590 kcal

What you will need

  • 600 g tuna or salmon in sashimi quality (meaning you can eat it raw)
  • 250 g rice
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 200 g broccoli
  • 100 g peas
  • 200 g asparagus green or white whatever you want, but when using white you need to peel it first
  • 1/2 large cucumber
  • 200 g tomatoes
  • some wakame optional
  • 4 apricots
  • 1 spring onion

For the marinade:

  • 50 ml soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce optional
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1 tbsp sriracha/ hot sauce optional
  • 1 tbsp honey or maple

For the peanut sauce

  • 100 ml full fat coconut milk
  • 30 g peanut butter about 2 tbsp
  • 30 g soy sauce about 2 tbsp
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 1/2 lime juiced

How to

For the fish:

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Cut up the fish into 1-1.5 cm sized cubes and add to the marinade. Marinate for 2 hours or longer. The longer, the more intense the flavor will be.

The rice:

  1. Prepare the rice according to package instructions. When done, remove from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Then mix the rice wine vinegar with the sugar and mix it into the rice. Set aside.

The veggies & fruit:

  1. Steam or boil the broccoli, (green) asparagus, and peas for about 5 minutes in salted water, then drain. Cut the cucumber into small cubes. Half the tomatoes when using cherry tomatoes or also cut them into small cubes when using large ones.

    Depit the apricot and also cut it into small cubes. Finely slice the spring onions.

The sauce.

  1. Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. When it is too thick, add some water to thin it out.

Assemble!

  1. Divide the Sushi rice onto the bowls. Next add the fish with the marinade followed by all the veggies and fruit except for the spring onions. Top with the sauce and then lastly add the spring onions! Serve and enjoy!

Enjoy,
Happy cooking,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Black Quinoa Teriyaki Burger (vegan)

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Burgers; the ultimate comfort and fat food. The embodiment of unhealthy. But can you make it healthy? I can tell you, yes you can! This is a healthy, plant based and incredibly delicious version of the most popular fast food. A healthy black quinoa teriyaki burger.

Why aren’t burgers healthy?

First things first. We always hear burgers aren’t healthy. But what exactly is it that is not healthy? A lot of people think it is the bun. Because bread has the reputation to be unhealthy. But I need to disappoint you if you were believing that because this is not true. Bread is a good source of carbohydrates and vitamins. Also it has some protein and little fat and sugar (although store bought burger buns may have a lot of sugar, so keep an eye out for that). Sure, if you choose a wholewheat burger bun it would be healthier. But this is not what I am referring to. The unhealthy parts of most burgers are the meat, cheese, bacon and sometimes even sauces.

The meat oftentimes is not healthy because usually fatty meat is used. This adds more flavour but also more calories and more fat. Bacon goes along the same way. Bacon mainly is made of fat and sodium. Which both is not healthy for us. And of course the cheese. Sure, cheese does have protein but again, the fat is the less healthy macronutrient here. Do not get me wrong, fat is not necessarily bad for our bodies and we do need it to live but the amount which is in one burger is not really healthy anymore.

The when I said that sauces aren’t always healthy, this may have surprised you. Why , you think? In most burgers you can find mayonnaise. High quality mayonnaise is made out of oil and egg yolk. This is not unhealthy when consumed in right amounts. It is high in calories but those calories have a nutritional value. But most store bough mayonnaises have hundreds of other ingredients in them. Most of which you cannot pronounce. This is not very good for our bodies. To summarise: high quality mayonnaise can be healthy when consumed in right amounts, highly processed ones are not good for us.
But mayonnaise isn’t the only sauce. In many other sauces there is a lot of butter or sugar added to get more flavour. Butter and sugar both, I think most people are aware of that, are not great sources of nutrients. While oftentimes we assume that the sauces do not make much of a difference, they actually do. 2-3 tablespoons of high calorie sauces can quickly add up to 200-300 kcal. So be aware the next time you choose it.

About balance

But please, after reading about the nutritional information about burgers, do not say that you will not have them again. Having a good and super tasty burger once in a while is more than alright. Not stressing out about it too much also is important for a healthy relationship with food. Just be aware that this is not the ideal meal to nourish your body and it should be consumed in moderation if you want to eat a healthy diet.

How to make it healthy

I think we now have talked enough about why it is not healthy. So let’s focus on making it healthy. This comes down to super easy swaps. For example instead of taking a beef patty you can substitute it for a plant based one. Here we are making one out of black quinoa from Reishunger (you can get it here). But you can also long for one made out of beans of ground turkey for example. Instead of bacon we are using mushrooms. May sound a little boring at first, but once you’ll try it out, you’ll be convinced. Instead of store bought low quality mayonnaise, you can use a homemade one. Or you can use ketchup without added sugar. If that’s too boring for you, I am sure you are going to find sauces at the supermarket that do not have a lot of added sugar. Last but not least, we probably need something else. Avocado. Don’t be fooled thinking that this is just another ago trend because it isn’t. Avocado in your burger is life changing.

How to build the perfect burger:

This is a very important part. This can change your burger 180°. No but honestly you can ruin so much when you build it the wrong way.

  1. toast your bun. This crispness it up and adds a lot of flavour. No matter whether you are doing this in a toaster of a pan, this step is essential.
  2. Sauce. Right on top of the bun that is the first layer, we are adding a sauce. Ketchup, homemade mayonnaise, barbecue sauce. Whatever.
  3. Greens. They won’t change much of the taste but much of the vitamins you get in. Also it is important to add a layer of greens before adding something else because when you add the patty or something else like tomatoes or cucumber right onto the bun it will get soggy.
  4. The patty. Pretty self-explanatory.
  5. Bacon/Mushrooms/other add ins. they have a good flat surface to lay on.
  6. Soggy veggies. Now you can add tomatoes, cucumber, or anything else containing a lot of water. It s not next to a bun so it won’t turn anything soggy.
  7. Avocado/ sauces. To finish it up, a nice layer of sauce or smashed avocado to add extra flavour and consistency.
  8. the top bun. Again, I would recommend to toast it.

The Quinoa Patty

Making a burger out of quinoa may sound a little weird but it is so good and so easy. The black quinoa adds an extra bit of flavour and depth to it. You can find black quinoa at Reishunger.com . It is important to completely cook the quinoa through until it has absorbed all of the liquid. This way it will give a perfectly mushy consistency when blending. What also is important is the seasoning. Since it does not have as a strong flavour itself as meat does, we need to season it well. Here we are doing it with a super simple teriyaki sauce.

Meal prep and serving:

You can batch make the quinoa patties and freeze them before cooking. Whenever you wanna have one, let them thaw a little bit and fry them up in a pan.
The burgers are best served with some homemade fries or sweet potato fries or just a simple little salad.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and have fun cooking it!

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Black Quinoa Teriyaki Burgers

Healthy Plant Based Burgers. A ton of flavor. A ton of goodness. Pretty easy, pretty good.

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 25 Minuten
Total Time 35 Minuten
Servings 2 burgers
Calories 695 kcal

What you will need

  • 100 g quinoa
  • 5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1.5 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp sriracha or hot sauce
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 200 g mushrooms
  • 1/2-1 Avocado
  • 2 burger buns
  • a handful greens

For the vegan mayonaise (makes about 8 servings)

  • 125 ml soy milk can use any plant based milk alternative
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 200 ml oil
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1 tsp salt

How to

  1. Add the quinoa to a pot along with 200 ml of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes until all water is absorbed completely.

  2. In the meantime make the vegan mayo. Add the milk alternative, oil, salt and vinegar into a tall container. Take an immersion/ hand blender and place it on the very bottom. Turn the speed onto low and pull it up in one go until you have reached the surface of the liquids. Keep blending until it begins to emulsify and becomes creamy. Add the mustard and continue to blend for about 1 minute until it if smooth and creamy. Place in the fridge.

  3. Slice the mushrooms into about 0,5 cm thick slices.

  4. In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, maple syrup, hot sauce and conrnstarch. Make sure there are no big lumps of cornstarch in the mixture.

  5. When the quinoa is done transfer it to a food processor. But make sure it has really absorbed all liquids, otherwise the burger patty will fall apart. Add about 2/3 of the teriyaki mixture to it and blend well. It should all stick together and form a big ball.

    Slightly flour your hands so they are dry. Divide the quinoa mixture into 2 and form them into patties. Do this by first rolling a ball in your hand and laying it on a flat surface. Then press it down with the palm of hand to make a flat surface.

  6. Heat up half of the oil in a pan. Sautée the mushrooms in there for about 3 minutes. reduce the heat and add the remaining teriyaki sauce.

  7. Mash the avocado. Half the burger buns and toats the bottom half.

  8. Heat up the remaining oil in another pan. Once hot add the quinoa patties and fry on each side for about 3-4 minutes.

  9. Once the bottom bun is toasted add a generous spread of mayonaise. Top it with some salad. Add the black quinoa patty on top. Then theh mushrooms and some sliced cucumber if using. Lastly, add the mashed avocado and the top half of the burger bun. Serve and enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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!

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!