Styrian Potato Salad

Styria is a state (Bundesland) of Austria. It's located in the south-east of Austria and famous for its apples and pumpkins. Pumpkin seed oil originated in Styria, but is now known and loved all over Austria. It's dark brown-green in color and rich and delicious in taste. 

Whenever you read "Styrian salad" on an Austrian menu, it's prepared with pumpkin seed oil.

For 4 Servings: 

• 750 grams waxy potatoes
• 1 large white onion
• 150 millilitres vegetable stock
• 3 table spoons vegetable oil (I usually use rapeseed oil) 
• 3 table spoons pumpkin seed oil
• 3 table spoons brandy vinegar
• 3 table spoons pumpkin seeds
• salt
• black pepper

Cook the potatos for 20-30 minutes in a lot of water. Cut the onion into very small dices. Mix the marinade using the vegetable stock, the vegetable oil, the brandy vinegar, salt, black pepper and the diced onion.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Fold the potatoes in the marinade and let it sit for a couple of minutes to cool down as much you like. Traditionally Austrian potato salad is served warm, but it's also delicious when it's cold. If necessary, add some more salt and pepper.

Sprinkle pumpkin seed oil and pumpkin seeds on top.

Miso Soup

This is my favourite version of miso soup with dried shiitake mushrooms. Served with a bowl of rice it's a healty and delicios simple Japanese breakfast.

Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes

For 2 servings: 

• 400 ml vegan dashi
• 3 table spoons cooked dried shiitake mushrooms (e.g. from cooking the vegan dashi) 
• 2 table spoons shiro miso (light/white miso paste)
• a small piece of scallions

Cut mushrooms into pieces and scallions into small pieces. Bring the dashi to a boil, turn down the heat, put 3 table spoons of the heated dashi in a bowl and dissolve the shiro miso in it. Pour the mixture back to the dashi. 

Put shiitake mushrooms into two bowls, pour miso soup over them and sprikle with scallions.

Enjoy your meal!

Grandma's Hutspot

This is one of the dishes my Grandmother, who was Dutch, prepared for us kids when we visited her - and we all loved it. Hutspot is a traditional Dutch dish, that everyone in the Netherlands knows. It's simple to prepare, very filling and delicious as both a side dish or a main course - real comfort food.

Prep and cook time: 30 min
For 4 servings as a side dish or 2 servings as a main course:

• 500 grams potatoes 
• 300 grams carrots
• 1 large white or yellow onion
• 500 millilitre vegetable stock *)
• 3 table spoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 tea spoon dried dill
• salt
• black pepper

Peel and cut the potatoes, carrots and onion into pieces. Heat vegetable stock with dill in a large pot, add the cut vegetables and cook until they are soft.

Mash the vegetables and the vegetable stock with a potato masher. Add vegetable oil and as much salt and pepper as you like. Stir well.

*) I like my hutspot rather soft and creamy, if you want a firmer hutspot, use 350 to 400 millilitres of vegetable stock.

Enjoy your meal & eet smakelijk,

Vegan Dashi - Step by Step

I really love Japanese food and dashi is a staple, not only for miso soup but for many Japanese dishes. Usually dashi is made using konbu seaweed and bonito fish blakes, but I'm not a big fan of fish, so I usually make vegan dashi using konbu seasweed and dried shiitake mushrooms. Of course, this is not the original - but it tastes delicious and goes really well with any kind of Japanese dish.

I usually prepare 2,5 litres of dashi at once and freeze it in ice cube forms. You can store it up to 6 months in the freezer.

Prep and cook time: 45 minutes.

For 2.5 litres of dashi you need: 

• 2,5 litres water
• 3 pieces of dried konbu seaweed (~ 10 * 7 cm in size)
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms

Cut the konbu pieces from the side to increase surface.

Pour 2.5 litres of cold water into a large pot, add konbu seaweed and shiitake mushrooms and let it soak for 30 minutes.

Bring to a boil and remove konbu seaweed when it starts to boil. Boil the water with the shiitake mushrooms for 10 minutes.

Remove the shiitake mushrooms (you can cut these and use them as e.g. a soup vegetable for miso soup). That's it, your dashi is ready.

Enjoy your meal!

Orange & Pepper Sharmûlah

Sharmûlah or Chermoula (in Arabic: ‏شرمولة) is a kind of marinade used with fish, seafood and meat. There are many versions of this marinade, but there is alwaysfresh herbs, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice in it.

This version is prepared with orange juice, orange blossom water and green pepper. It's great with chicken or vegetables, such as slices of zucchini or eggplant, eiter for a tajine or a BBQ. 

Prep and cook time: 5 minutes

• 1 handfull fresh coriander leaves
• lemon juice of 1/2 lemon 
• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 teaspoons orange blossom water
• 2 table spoons pickled green pepper
• 3 teaspoons baharât
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons salt

Cut coriander, garlic and onion into piecees. Blend with all the other ingredients until you have a smooth marinade. That's it. Yes, really!

Enjoy your meal!

Berry & Almond Smoothie

I drank a smoothie very similar to this one in Chicago a couple of years ago. Unfortunately I can't remeber the name of the smoothie bar or where it was ...

Serves: 2
Prep and cook time: 10 min

• 100 grams raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 100 grams blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 table spoons honey
• 2 table spoons ground almonds
• 1/2 vanilla fruit
• 1/2 tea spoon ground cinnamon
• 300 ml almond drink 

Cut vanilla fruit lengthwise, remove vanilla pulp. Squeeze juice out of the lemon. In a blending container add raspberries, blueberries, lemon juice, honey, almonds, vanilla pulp, cinnamon and almond drink. Blend until it's smooth.

Enjoy your meal!

Rice & Almond Pudding with Raspberry Sauce

This is a lactose-free, vegan and vegetarian version of a popular lebanese recipe.

Serves 4

Prep & cook time: 15 minutes

• 200 ml rice drink
• 2 table spoons rice flour
• 2 table spoons ground almonds
• 2 table spoons sliced almonds
• 2 table spoons honey
• ½ vanilla fruit
• 100 ml raspberries 

Cut vanilla fruit lengthwise, remove vanilla pulp. Heat rice drink with 1 table spoon honey, vanilla fruit and vanilla pulp in a non-stick frying pan. When boiling, add rice flour and ground almonds. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring.

Pour the pudding into 4 tea glasses.

While the pudding is cooling, puree the raspberries with 1 table spoon honey. Add raspberry sauce to every pudding and top with sliced almonds.

Enjoy your meal!