feel food club

fall

Super Comforting Oven Baked Stuffed Cannelloni with Pumpkin Sage Ricotta

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Holy moly, this is a long name! But this dish deserves this. Really. I know that I say this for pretty much every fall recipe, but this is fall comfort food at its finest. Pasta (heaven itself) stuffed with creamy ricotta and pumpkin with sage, all added into a dish, tossed in a creamy pumpkin sauce and baked in the oven with some feta. If your mouth is not watering by now then I don´t know what makes it do so.

What is special about this dish?

The combination of flavors. Usually you would only get stuffed cannelloni with a tomato sauce or a Bolognese sauce and stuffed with ricotta and spinach. But not this recipe. Instead of the normal filling we are making a fall filling! Roasted pumpkin that is flavored with sage in a creamy ricotta mixture. The pasta also is not tossed in tomato sauce but a creamy pumpkin sauce and topped with feta rather than mozzarella! A few twists that make a nice and fun change.

Is this dish healthy?

Yes-ish. Well, the main ingredient is pasta. Pasta is a great source of carbohydrates and also protein. It has always had the reputation of being unhealthy, but this is not true at all. Pasta gives you a lot of energy (and a lot of happiness too) but it is not super high in other nutrients. If you want a meal that is more nutrient dense, you could long for wholegrain pasta, which is a healthier option with more fiber and nutrients!

Then we have ricotta, which is sort of a cream cheese but Italian stye (anything Italian style is good!). It is lower in calories than cream cheese and has about half of the fat of it and more protein! Plus, it tastes super good. Besides this we also have eggs, which are a great source of vitamin B12, and protein and not to forget about the star of the show: the pumpkin!

 

Pumpkin is the food of the month of November, so you can actually read a bunch about it in my Nomvember top 5 blog post! It is not only a very tasty, and the most popular fall vegetable but it also Is low in calories and high in nutrients! A great addition to any meal!

How to make it:

I am going to be honest; this dish is a bit of work and takes some time (which we now have in quarantine). The filling of each and every cannelloni requires some patience, but it is a very fun cooking activity as a family or friends! 

In terms of difficulty, this is not very challenging to make! You need to start with roasting the pumpkin with the sage and oil in the oven! In the meantime, you can boil the pasta. While this is boiling you can make the ricotta filling by mixing ricotta, Greek yoghurt, milk, vegetable broth and pumpkin. Fold in the rest of the pumpkin into the mixture.

Now you need patience. Fill every shell with the mixture and lay out in a baking dish. Pour over the sauce and crumble the feta! Now it just needs to be baked and then enjoyed with lots of enjoyment! 

I hope that you will genuinely enjoy this super comforting yet healthyish recipe and that it will become one of your fall staples! 

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Oven Baked Stuffed Cannelloni with Sage Pumpkin Ricotta

Comforting, healthish, delicious. An amazing fall twist on the classic packed with flavor! Enjoy!

Course dinner, Main Course
Total Time 1 Stunde
Servings 6 servings
Calories 449 kcal

What you will need

  • 1 hokkaido pumpkin (about 800g)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage
  • 500 g cannelloni
  • 300 g greek yoghurt
  • 300 g ricotta
  • 300 ml vegetable broth
  • 100 ml milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cardamon
  • 150 g feta cheese

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Peel the pumpkin and cut into about 1cm sized cubes. Finely chop up the sage. Mix the pumpkin with the sage and olive oil and lay out on a baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.

  2. In the meantime boil the pasta according to package instructions but undercook them by 2 minutes.

    In the meantime combine he greek yoghurt, ricotta cheese, egg, nutmeg, cardamon, salt and pepper until creamy. Fold in 2/3 of the roasted pumpkin.

  3. When the pumpkin is done baking, add 1/3 of it to a food processor along with the vegetable broth, milk, and about 1/4 of the ricotta mixture. Blend everything up until creamy.

    Take one piece of pasta at a time and fill with abotu 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture. Lay into a baking tray and repeat until all pasta and all of the mixture is used up. If there is some more of the ricotta mixture left, just blend it into the sauce again.

  4. Once all the pasta is filled, pour the pumpkin sauce on top and crumble the feta. Bake at 220°C for another 5-7 minutes! Serve and 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

My October Top 5

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We are fully into fall now and all feeling it. Days are getting short, skies are getting grayer and we are getting our coats out again.. but it also is the season of loads of tea, hot chocolate, cozy evenings and beautiful walks in nature. To make your October a bit better I have got my 5 favorite things for you here, that will take this month next level! 

Food of the month – Brussel sprouts

This is one of the most controversial foods ever. I do not know a single person that is feeling kind of „fine“ about brussel sprouts – either you love them or you hate them. And I really do not understand everyone who does not like them. The flavor, the texture, everything about them is so good. And they are really healthy too. 

You could probably already tell by their color that they are healthy (is there even a green food that is not healthy?) heir incredibly high amount of antioxidants can help lower your risk of chronically diseases. And, as pretty much every veggie, they are high in fibre and low in calories. Fibre is an essential component of a healthy diet for ultimate gut health and a well-working digestion. Besides, they have an incredibly high content of Vitamin K. Actually 100g provide you with more than your daily need of Vitamin K. So yes, they are a great health veggie. Plus, they are super easy to prepare. Throw them into curries, stews, a wok or just roast them as they are with a little olive oil and sea salt. You can make the Vegan Rice Noodle Salad with Crispy Tofu or my Super Green 20-minute Curry ! There are more recipes to come this month, so stay tuned!

Recipe of the month – Unbelievably Good (Healthy) Vegan Half Baked Cheesecake with Figs & Secret Ingredient

Figs again? Yes! I definitely love figs – that’s why we have another fig recipe in my favorites! And this recipe especially is insane! The vegan “cheesecake” is some next level goodness. Don’t be afraid when you hear vegan and cheesecake in a sentence but trust me and this recipe and you’ll be surprised how good it is.

It’s healthier than regular cheesecake, SO easy to make, incredibly tasty and if you do not like figs, top it with truly and fruit – you could go for blueberries, raspberries or just with nothing on top! This truly is one of my absolute favorite recipes so it just had to be included here. 

Product of the month – Wien – Food. People. Stories – by NENI

Earlier in September I was invited to the introduction of the new cookbook from the Molcho Family (founders of NENI), called Wien by Neni. No this is not sponsored in any way but I decided to choose this as the product of the month because I am genuinely in love with this book. 

It is for sure not your average cookbook. You can really feel the hours of love, work and committed it took to write it. Besides their amazing recipe creations (like Stuffed Onions with Cashew Tahina or Chicken Gyoza with Caramelized Kimchi and Date Marinade) but they also included recipes from their favorite restaurants in Vienna (such as Mochi, Mayer & Freunde, zum Herkner…)! And you get to know the family, their story and all of their favorite addresses in Vienna. No matter whether it is for Brunch, a fancy dinner, an American diner or a nice bar, they have got you covered! 

I would not recommend this book without having tried to make anything out of it. I tried the Roastbeef with Tomatoes and Green Pepper Salsa and it was amazing! So worth the purchase – especially when we are confronted with the possibility of having to stay at home any day at the moment! In this case, you would not run out of ideas to cook (besides the one from my blog :))! 

Workout of the month – ShapedByIB 20 minute Scorch 

Aka death by crizou. You may think it only is a 20 minute workout, how hard can this be? Well, I guess you have never pushed yourself through a ShapedByIB workout! 

What even is that? Shaped By IB is one of the most popular fitness and workout locations in Vienna. It is located in the heart of Vienna, in the cellar of a ship. Pretty cool right? As if that wasn’t enough, for every workout you get a gadget that measures your heart rate all throughout the workout and gives you information on your heart rate and burned calories while you are working out. Really innovative and so much fun! The workouts are made of a strength (on the floor) and cardio part (on the treadmill) as for the original workout or a strength (on the floor), a cardio (on the treadmill) and a boxing part (with boxing bags) when you do the Scorch! Whichever workout you choose, you are going to feel sore the next day for sure. 

But, as with most of us, Covid-19 has also affected Shaped By IB. But they did not complain and tried to make the best out of the situation with innovation. And truly, what they did is great. The Team from Shaped by IB created an online Platform with workouts based on the Shaped by IB principle – but such you can make at home and without equipment. All you need is a monthly or yearly membership and you have access to over 50 workouts with new ones coming every month! 

My favorite at the moment is the 20 minute Scorch from trainer Chris. A mix of cardio, strength and boxing and it hits hard. If you want to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone, you need to try this. After you have pushed yourself through this workout to give everything, you will feel amazing!! The feeling after really is unbeatable!

Inspiration of the month – Linda Sun

You have probably never heard of her – much like me up until a few weeks ago. Actually I discovered her through a friend who shared a video of mine with me, and now she is one of my favorite food youtubers (is that even a thing! out there! 

What does she share? 

Lots of pancakes and sweaty workouts! No but really, besides that she shares a lot of delicious recipes, realistic eats, super inspiring talks about body positivity, a healthy relationship with food and lots of positive vibes. Her videos just inspire one to live the best life we could and enjoy it to the fullest! I can only recommend her from the bottom of my heart! She’s such a cute girl! 

Happy October

I hope you like and enjoy this inspiration! These really are things that make my life a little bit better on a daily basis, an I hope they do the same to you! I am wishing you a wonderful fall and an amazing start into October!

All the best,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

P.s.: if you are wondering where that delicious green smoothie in my hand is from – it is from Colour Cups, which is a start up which makes incredibly good smoothies and porridges, freezes the ingredients, and delivers them to your home! You reheat or blend them and your breakfast is ready to go in 2 minutes! We have visited them last week and were absolutely amazed!

My October Top 5

by 1 Kommentar

We are fully into fall now and all feeling it. Days are getting short, skies are getting grayer and we are getting our coats out again.. but it also is the season of loads of tea, hot chocolate, cozy evenings and beautiful walks in nature. To make your October a bit better I have got my 5 favorite things for you here, that will take this month next level! 

Food of the month – Brussel sprouts

This is one of the most controversial foods ever. I do not know a single person that is feeling kind of „fine“ about brussel sprouts – either you love them or you hate them. And I really do not understand everyone who does not like them. The flavor, the texture, everything about them is so good. And they are really healthy too. 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_0592-1-768x1024-1.jpg

You could probably already tell by their color that they are healthy (is there even a green food that is not healthy?) heir incredibly high amount of antioxidants can help lower your risk of chronically diseases. And, as pretty much every veggie, they are high in fibre and low in calories. Fibre is an essential component of a healthy diet for ultimate gut health and a well-working digestion. Besides, they have an incredibly high content of Vitamin K. Actually 100g provide you with more than your daily need of Vitamin K. So yes, they are a great health veggie. Plus, they are super easy to prepare. Throw them into curries, stews, a wok or just roast them as they are with a little olive oil and sea salt. You can make the Vegan Rice Noodle Salad with Crispy Tofu or my Super Green 20-minute Curry ! There are more recipes to come this month, so stay tuned!

Recipe of the month – Unbelievably Good (Healthy) Vegan Half Baked Cheesecake with Figs & Secret Ingredient

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_0144-683x1024.jpg

Figs again? Yes! I definitely love figs – that’s why we have another fig recipe in my favorites! And this recipe especially is insane! The vegan “cheesecake” is some next level goodness. Don’t be afraid when you hear vegan and cheesecake in a sentence but trust me and this recipe and you’ll be surprised how good it is.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_0028-683x1024.jpg

It’s healthier than regular cheesecake, SO easy to make, incredibly tasty and if you do not like figs, top it with truly and fruit – you could go for blueberries, raspberries or just with nothing on top! This truly is one of my absolute favorite recipes so it just had to be included here. 

Product of the month – Wien – Food. People. Stories – by NENI

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_5873-scaled-e1601447925914-768x1024.jpg

Earlier in September I was invited to the introduction of the new cookbook from the Molcho Family (founders of NENI), called Wien by Neni. No this is not sponsored in any way but I decided to choose this as the product of the month because I am genuinely in love with this book. 

It is for sure not your average cookbook. You can really feel the hours of love, work and committed it took to write it. Besides their amazing recipe creations (like Stuffed Onions with Cashew Tahina or Chicken Gyoza with Caramelized Kimchi and Date Marinade) but they also included recipes from their favorite restaurants in Vienna (such as Mochi, Mayer & Freunde, zum Herkner…)! And you get to know the family, their story and all of their favorite addresses in Vienna. No matter whether it is for Brunch, a fancy dinner, an American diner or a nice bar, they have got you covered! 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_5837-768x1024.jpg

I would not recommend this book without having tried to make anything out of it. I tried the Roastbeef with Tomatoes and Green Pepper Salsa and it was amazing! So worth the purchase – especially when we are confronted with the possibility of having to stay at home any day at the moment! In this case, you would not run out of ideas to cook (besides the one from my blog :))! 

Workout of the month – ShapedByIB 20 minute Scorch 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Image-30.09.20-at-08.42-1024x577.jpg

Aka death by crizou. You may think it only is a 20 minute workout, how hard can this be? Well, I guess you have never pushed yourself through a ShapedByIB workout! 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_6999-584x1024.jpg

What even is that? Shaped By IB is one of the most popular fitness and workout locations in Vienna. It is located in the heart of Vienna, in the cellar of a ship. Pretty cool right? As if that wasn’t enough, for every workout you get a gadget that measures your heart rate all throughout the workout and gives you information on your heart rate and burned calories while you are working out. Really innovative and so much fun! The workouts are made of a strength (on the floor) and cardio part (on the treadmill) as for the original workout or a strength (on the floor), a cardio (on the treadmill) and a boxing part (with boxing bags) when you do the Scorch! Whichever workout you choose, you are going to feel sore the next day for sure. 

But, as with most of us, Covid-19 has also affected Shaped By IB. But they did not complain and tried to make the best out of the situation with innovation. And truly, what they did is great. The Team from Shaped by IB created an online Platform with workouts based on the Shaped by IB principle – but such you can make at home and without equipment. All you need is a monthly or yearly membership and you have access to over 50 workouts with new ones coming every month! 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_7001-734x1024.jpg

My favorite at the moment is the 20 minute Scorch from trainer Chris. A mix of cardio, strength and boxing and it hits hard. If you want to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone, you need to try this. After you have pushed yourself through this workout to give everything, you will feel amazing!! The feeling after really is unbeatable!

Inspiration of the month – Linda Sun

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Image-30.09.20-at-08.50-1024x247.jpg

You have probably never heard of her – much like me up until a few weeks ago. Actually I discovered her through a friend who shared a video of mine with me, and now she is one of my favorite food youtubers (is that even a thing! out there! 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Image-30.09.20-at-08.51-1024x540.jpg

What does she share? 

Lots of pancakes and sweaty workouts! No but really, besides that she shares a lot of delicious recipes, realistic eats, super inspiring talks about body positivity, a healthy relationship with food and lots of positive vibes. Her videos just inspire one to live the best life we could and enjoy it to the fullest! I can only recommend her from the bottom of my heart! She’s such a cute girl! 

Happy October

I hope you like and enjoy this inspiration! These really are things that make my life a little bit better on a daily basis, an I hope they do the same to you! I am wishing you a wonderful fall and an amazing start into October!

All the best,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

P.s.: if you are wondering where that delicious green smoothie in my hand is from – it is from Colour Cups, which is a start up which makes incredibly good smoothies and porridges, freezes the ingredients, and delivers them to your home! You reheat or blend them and your breakfast is ready to go in 2 minutes! We have visited them last week and were absolutely amazed!