feel food club

30 minute

Quick Roasted Pumpkin & Quinoa Salad with enjoy by NENI red cabbage

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If there is any season that calls for cozy, roasted food, it is fall! That comforting flavor of softly roasted pumpkin in combination with the freshness of the Orange and the crunch of the red cabbage with pomegranate seeds is just unique. A perfect balance of fall comfort for those cloudy days while still keeping some freshness! A very, very underrated combination that you definitely NEED to try!

What is special about this dish?

It is not quite a salad, neither is it really a bowl. It is something inbetween – something really tasty though. What is more, it actually is super simple to make and does not take long. And what is really soecial is the combination of orange and pumpkin. Normally you would probably not combine these two but surprisingly they do taste really good in combination!

In addition to that, we are using the new NENI cabbage with pomegranate seeds in this bowl with just is the dot on the I. This addition adds a lot of flavour, nutrients and crunch while it does not take any additional work or preparation because we can just get it from the supermarket.

Is this dish healthy?

Definitely! This bowl is a bowl full of goodies for you! Where should we start? With the base maybe: the quinoa is loaded with nutrients. In here we have got some protein, fibre, amino acids, vitamins, and and and. You can read more about why quinoa si so healthy in my January Top 5! The rest of the base is spinach or another salad, which not only makes you feel full but also is a great source of vitamins, fibre and water!

The rest of the bowl also has some decent nutritional value: the pumpkin has a solid amount of fibre to keep you full for long as well as several vitamins, including Vitamin A, C, E and Iron, which have shown to improve the immune system. This is great for the colder months ahead of us! In the dressing we can find more vitamin C from the orange, which also will keep your immune system healthy. The pumpkin seeds to top it off are a great source of healthy fats, which are essential for several functions in your body including your brain to work properly.

isn‘t red cabbage a lot of work?

It definitely is more work than just chopping cucumbers. However, we want to keep this dish as simple, easy and quick as possible so we are taking the easy and delicious way out! How? With enjoy by NENI Red Cabbage! You can find it at SPAR in Austria! It is pre-made and ready to eat! I love it in this dish, however you can really add it to everything you like, have it as a salad or a side! It is super tasty, not expensive and a great quick solution to making red cabbage!

How to make this dish?

What is so great about this recipe is that it really does not take long to make. It is best if we start by preparing quinoa and pumpkin since this is what takes the longest to make. The quinoa just needs to be brought to a boil with water and salt and then reduced to a simmer. The pumpkin on the other hand, needs to be cut into about 1cm thick slices and we also need to remove the seeds. The reason for why we cut it into about 1cm thick slices is that those do not take this long to cook! If you prefer otherwise you could also cut them into cubes or half circles or any other shape of your preference! The pumpkin now is tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs before it can be fried in a pan. Here we do not need any additional oil since the pumpkin has been marinated in olive oil anyway.

While this is cooking, we can start making the dressing for which we just combine some orange juice, olive oil, and vinegar and prepare the remaining ingredients for the bowl. For the yoghurt dip, we can solely combine some greek yoghurt, sour cream and parsley, we can prepare the pomegranate and take the red cabbage out of the fridge. Once the pumpkin and quinoa is done cooking, we can already assemble everything and enjoy it!

Ideal for mealprep!

This salad is great for meal prep! When you keep it in the fridge, it soaks up the flavours of the dressing even more and gets even more delicious! It kind of turns into a tabouleh, which tastes amazing! You can take it to work, to school or uni and it‘ll still taste great after 2-3 days! Plus, you do not need to heat it up!

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Quick Roasted Delicata Squash & Quinoa Salad with enjoy by NENI Red Cabbage

a bowl full of fall goodness, and definitely not your average salad! the combination of warm roasted pumpkin and fresh orange quinoa along with crunchy red cabbage will not only keep you full for long but also satisfied and happy!

Course bowl, lunch, mealprep, Salad
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

For the pumpkin:

  • 1 medium sized delicata squash (about 400g)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp mediterranean dried herbs or oregano
  • salt & pepper

For the rest:

  • 120 g Quinoa
  • 2-3 handful spinach or other salad
  • 50 g sour cream
  • 50 g greek yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 50 ml orange juice (from about 1/2 orange if you are using fresh one)
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 package enjoy by NENI Rotkrautsalat mit Granatapfelkerne (red cabbage)
  • pomegranate & pumpkin seeds

How to

  1. Start by adding the quinoa to a pot along with a pinch of salt and twice the amount of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let simmer on medium heat until the liquid is absorbed. Turn down to low heat and let sit for another 5ish minutes until the quinoa is light and fluffy.

  2. In the meantime cut the delicata squash into about 1cm thick rings and remove the seeds. You can leave the skin on if you wash the pumpkin before. Add it to a bowl along with the olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Then fry in a pan on medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and soft.

  3. In the meantime mix the olive oil, white wine vinegar and orange juice and toss it with the quinoa and spinach.

  4. In another bowl combine the greek yoghurt, sour cream, parsley and a little salt to make the dip.

  5. Once the pumpkin is finished, divide the quinoa-spinach mix onto bowls, top with the pumpkin, the dip, fresh pomegranate and pumpkin seeds and enjoy!

I genuinely hope that you will enjoy this recipe as much as we do and have an amazing time cooking!
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Spicy Tomato Rice with Crispy Pan Fried Feta

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Regular rice was yesterday, we take the game next level and start to make tomato rice. Sounds odd? Just think of Paella – no big difference! But instead of combining it with fish, we are making a vegetarian version. Instead of cooked prawns we are taking pan-fried feta cheese and let me tell you, it is better. Crispy, salty goodness combined with spicy tomatoey carb heaven can only result in a happy tummy and a happy soul.

What‘s special about this dish?

Well, first that we are cooking the rice in canned tomatoes instead of water only. This adds a bunch of flavor and makes it more exciting. The process of cooking it is the same as with regular rice though. Then it also is spiced up with herbs and spices and voilà! 

Then also the feta cheese. Feta always is a great addition but pan fried feta, holy moly, is a next-level addition (&addiction)! The feta is covered in eggs and then breadcrumbs. The frying then makes it crispy on the outside and runny and molten on the inside, which then is a perfect combination! 

Healthy(ish)

Is this healthy? We can definitely say that it is packed with nutrients but it definitely is not, we have to be honest, the super-duper healthy bowl. Still, it is a greatly balanced bowl and definitely healthy for the soul.

We have a good mix of carbs, proteins, fats and vitamins. The rice provides a healthy amount of carbs that will keep you energized for a while. If you are looking for an option that also is high in fiber, you can also switch the regular rice for whole grin rice. 

The feta not only comes with a bunch of flavor, but also with a decent amount of protein. It also contains some saturated fats, but rather little compared to most cheeses. The oil we are frying it in makes sure our bodies get a healthy amount of unsaturated fats and vitamins. Plus, the tomato sauce also is a source of vitamins and fibre. So all in all a very balanced dish! 

How to make it?

As mentioned before, preparing the rice is fairly simple. We just sauté some onion and garlic in a little oil, add the rice, canned tomatoes, water and a little salt. Once it all comes to a boil, we need to reduce the heat to medium low and cover it for about 10-15 minutes. Once all water is absorbed, the heat needs to be turned down to low heat anf the rice will sit for another 3-5 minutes, this helps it to fluff and get really soft. All that now is left to do is to stir in some tomato sauce for even more flavor and creaminess and that‘s it! Pretty simple right?

The feta cheese is a bit more complicated, but not too much! To crumb it, we first need to cut it into smaller pieces. These do not all have to have the same size, but should be about 2-4cm. This is important because if they are too big, it will be very difficult to fry them. So now they are tossed in an egg and then in breadcrumbs. Afterwards the pieces of coated feta can be fried in some hot oil for 2-4 minutes per side until crispy, golden brown. Flip them carefully with a thin, flat spatula, so it does not fall apart. Well, and that already is it! Now it already is time to assemble everything and top it with some slices olives and herbs! Voilà!

This meal is great for a nice and cozy dinner or if you want to impress someone with a fancy meal. It actually is ready in fairly low time, just about 25-30 minutes and is an explosion of flavours. We love making this on repeat and I hope that you will enjoy doing so too!

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Spicy Tomato Rice with Crispy Pan Fried Feta

Definitely not your average rice. Creamy, spicy tomato rice with crispy on the outside and molten on the inside fried feta. Heaven in a bowl. Perfect for a cozy dinner or whenever you want to impress with a fancy dish! Plus, ready in 25 minutes!

Course dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

For the rice:

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 chili
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 150 g rice
  • 200 ml canned tomatoes (puréed)
  • 100 ml water
  • 3 tbsp tomato sauce

For the feta:

  • 200 g feta cheese
  • 5 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • oil for frying (NO olive oil – use flavour neutral oil)
  • black olives and dried herbs for serving

How to

The rice:

  1. Start by finely mincing the garlic and chili. Heat up the olive oil in a pan, fry the garlic and chili in there for about 1-2 minutes until fragrant, add the rice and fry for another minute, stirring constantly. Cover with water and canned tomatoes, generously salt. Peal the onion and cut it into 4 pieces, add it on top. Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium heat and let it simmer. Once all water is absorbed, turn the heat down to low and let it sit for another 5-7 minutes. Before serving, remove the onion and stir in the tomato sauce.

The feta:

  1. Cut the feta into about 2x4cm and about 1cm thick sized pieces. Crack the egg and whisk it. Coat the feta pieces in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs. Heat up a generous amount of oil in a pan. Once hot, add in the coated feta. Fry for about 2-4 minutes until golden brown and crispy. When flipping them, do so very carefully with a thin spatula, in order for the feta not to fall apart. Fry for another 2-4 minutes on the other side.

  2. Divide the tomato rice onto the bowls and top with the feta. To finish, sprinkle with some chopped, black olives and dried herbs!

    Enjoy!

Have fun cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Quick & Easy Stuffed Curry Hummus Pita with Beluga Lentil Salad

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Imagine sitting in the green grass on a sunny day, in the shade of a cherry tree and enjoying a soft and warm pita bread stuffed with creamy and tangy, Indian inspired curry hummus, together with a refreshing lentil-veggie-and feta salad and topped off with some smooth avocado and a sprinkle of sea salt. Definitely sounds like something I would love to try.

I am not sure what exactly it is, but there is something about picnicking that just hits different. For some reason, picnic season always is the best season, still it can get a little bit boring if you always make the same dishes every time. Obviously, we can easily avoid that!! Therefore with this (super tasty) dish, we are introducing a picnic recipe series, so you’ll always have something delicious to make for your next picnic brunch!! And really, this is good. The fact that my dad (who is very skeptical when it comes to vegan food and things like hummus and lentils) finished half of it before I left for a picnic.

What is special about this dish?

Kind of everything. Usually, you would dip Pita into Hummus or another dip, or you would fill if with something like falafel or chicken. Well, here we are doing neither. We actually are more or less, combining two dishes. Pita + hummus and beluga lentil salad. It may sound a lot at first, but trust me, the combo is amazung. Plus, it really is super duper easy to make and comes together in 20 minutes. And it is super meal prep friendly, easy and not messy to eat, which makes it perfect for a picnic.

Plus, it features two of the most delicious products from NENI am Tisch. NENI makes (incredibly tasty) oriental inspired food, has many, many, amazing restaurants and their own products. We are using their beluga lentils and their curry hummus here, to make this recipe even easier and quicker. You can find all their products at SPAR, Edeka, Globus & Tegut.

Is this dish healthy?

Yes, yes, yes. I mean, look at it! It already is so beautifully colourful – how can something this colourful not be healthy? Let’s break it down a little bit. As for the lentil salad, we have several different components. The lentils themselves first, they are very high in fibre and a great source of plant based protein. Plus, they come with many other nutrients. Then, also in the lentil salad we have got several different. veggies. First up the sweet potatoes. Sweet Potatoes are a nutrient bomb basically, loaded not only with deliciousness but also with carbohydrates, fibre and lots and lots of vitamins.

Then we have a mix of several different veggies. Here it really is up to you what you want to use! I love some cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions and avocado. You could also add in some asparagus or corn or whatever you like. Depending on which veggies you choose, the vitamins and minerals will vary a little, but you will definitely get a bunch of them! Then we also have some avo (obv) for some healthy fats and a sprinkle of feta (which is optional and really good) for some salty goodness and a bit more protein and fats. Not to forget about the pita, which gives us all the energy we need through its carbohydrates. If you want to go a bit healthier with that, you could swap it out for a wholegrain pita.

How to make this dish?

We need to start by preparing the sweet potatoes because they take the longest. To do so, we chop them into about 1cm sized cubes, toss them with some salt, pepper, paprika and oil and then bake them at 200°C for about 20 minutes. In the meantime we can just go ahead and prepare the lentil salad. For this we just chop up the veggies and toss it with the NENI lentils, then we only slice up some feta and avocado.

When the sweet potatoes are done, we can also toss them with the lentils and then we can start stuffing the pitas. To do so, we first spread some curry hummus onto the insides of the pita. Then we fill them up with the beluga lentil salad and top them with avo and feta. And that already is it!

The perfect picnic dish!

This really is IDEAL for picnic. You don’t make a mess while eating it because you can just take bites from the pita. Plus, it is really easy to prepare and does not loose in taste even when it is not eaten right away but stored in the fridge for several hours. Moreover, if there is any lentil salad left, you can just store it in a separate container and take it with you too. And lastly, it already looks so beautifully summery, you’ll really, really want to take this onto a picnic!

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Quick & Easy Curry Hummus Stuffed Pita with Summery Beluga Lentil Salad

Easy to make, packed with flavor and soso delicious – just the ideal picnic food. A soft and warm pita filled with summery flavours of a fresh beluga lentil salad and a curry hummus. All in all – a dream

Course dinner, lunch, picnic
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

  • 1 small sweet potato (about 400g)
  • 1/2 tsp paprika powder
  • 1 tbsp oil (flavor neutral)

For the lentil salad:

  • 1 package NENI "Orientalischer Beluga Linsen Salat" (or 200g cooked beluga lentils with lemon juice, olive oil & herbs)
  • 1/4 cucumber
  • a handful cherry tomatoes
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 3-4 radishes
  • a handful mixed greens
  • 100 g feta cheese

For the rest:

  • 5 tbsp NENI Curry Hummus
  • 1-2 pita

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into about 1cm sized cubes. Toss them with the oil, paprika powder, salt and pepper and lay onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes until soft.

  2. In the meantime wash the cucumber, radishes and tomatoes. Half or quarter the tomatoes, chop the cucumber into bite.sized pieces and finely slice the radishes. Add them to a bowl along with the lentils, greens, the crumbled or chopped feta and the sliced avocado.

  3. 3 minutes before the sweet potatoes are done, you can add the pita into the oven so it gets re-heated. Then take everything out, toss the sweet potato with the lentil salad and cut the pita in half. Spread the curry hummus into the inside of the pita and then fill it with the lentil salad. Enjoy!

I hope you really enjoy making and eating this and have a beautiful picnic!

Love,
Katie

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