Back with vegetarian pasta dishes and some life updates, Yoga related!

Hello! I know it has been sooo long, but I have a good excuse this time! I trained to become a Yoga teacher and started working straight away 😀 I feel so blessed with the opportunities i have been given here in Italy..

Besides my teaching time in the beach during all summer I was working 3 days a week in my other half parents restaurant, so that took a lot of my time too, and it was exhausting.

We had a proper summer 3 months of sunny 35 degrees, actually i couldn’t take it anymore, after living so many years in London it will take awhile to get use to . As I was alone most part of the summer I really couldn’t justify cooking fancy food, or cook at all…I mainly ate salad from my garden, eggs, cheese, fruit and all the veggies you can eat raw 😉 It was quite healthy and refreshing actually.

But now I’m settling back in my routine and actually did a proper planner of my days, so they don’t go idle (watching series and instagram eheh) and I am back into the kitchen, when I a not practicing Yoga or teaching classes ( I still don’t have that many, but hopefully they will increase) or studying (which I tend to do a lot).

So I decided to pack a few pasta dishes, some vegan and some vegetarian, they are mainly for inspiration as they are very simple and quick to make, so we cannot use the excuse that healthy recipes take long time or are hard work. And pasta is healthy, just eat in moderation, with really good fresh ingredients and you are ready to go, and if you _really_ want swap regular pasta for wholewheat or quinoa or brown rice pasta, I don’t as I eat very once in awhile, may 3 times a month, as I am a rice kind of girl 😉

Enough of blah blah and let’s look at this delicious dishes, if I may say :

This is a really easy fresh pasta dish (which you just boil for 3 to 4 minutes) Mixed with a simple sauce of white beans, cherry tomatoes, good quality olive oil and some parsley ❤ Delicious and super healthy and quick, Can be done under 15 minutes.

This is the old school Pasta with Peas that is part of Italian tradition, I added some carrots because I had one laying around, the original is without but I love my veggies and I think it gave a nice sweetness to the dish. This is a one pot dish, so even better, it takes around 20m beginning to end. Fry onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and add fresh chilies to taste, add the carrot chopped as small as you can so it cooks really fast and let it be here for 5 minutes, add a touch of white wine (optional, but if used wait a couple of minutes before adding another ingredient). Add the peas, stir for another 2 minutes and add half a cup of tomato sauce (passata, good quality). If you would like add half an organic vegetable stock cube and some black pepper. Add boiling water to this mixture, enough water to cook the pasta and have some sauce left. You can add little by little too if you are not sure. Season with sea salt, and serve as soon as the pasta is ready ( to 10 minutes).

Hope all is well, and get used to see me often now! Have a lovely day/night depending on wherever in the world you are ❤

Food inspiration chia crepioca with salad and baked veggies / Crepe de tapioca com salada e vegetais assados

Food inspiration for you ❤ This was our dinner tonight, hence the dark lighting. It was so delicious! Crepioca (crepe made with tapioca, it’s GF–> 2 eggs,2 tablespoons of tapioca and 2 TB of water + seasoning and if you like you can add some cheese too) with chia seeds, onion and parsley, served with an orange, avocado, fennel, nuts and lettuce salad and baked veggies. This crepe is for 2 people. All recipes in past posts.Enjoy x

Insparaçao para o vosso jantar (este foi o nosso, hoje) :Crepioca de sementes de chia, cebola e salsa(fritar um bocadinho antes a cebola e salsa em azeite antes de juntar a massa do crepe) : crepe feito com farinha de tapioca ( sem gluten–> 2 ovos, 2 colheres de sopa de tapioca e 2 colheres de sopa de agua *temperos a gosto e se desejarem podem adicionar queijo ralado), como acompanhamentos fiz uma salada de laranja, abacate, alface, amendoas e funcho e vegetais assados no forno. Todas as receitas estao em outros posts.O crepe serve 2 pessoas. Bom apetite 😉

Simple scrambled eggs with greens and vegetables / Vegetais no forno com verdura e ovos mexidos

Lately (excluding christmas, of course) we have been enjoying eating in a simple way most of the time,so we eat a lot of roasted veggies, cooked greens, salads and some eggs. This is my latest favorite meal Just bake potatoes, carrots,onions or whatever you have on your fridge, like sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, fennel, etc.. once it’s done scramble some eggs mixed with a bit of roasted vegetables. Cook some greens on the side, depending on it, you can boil it for a few minutes or do it on a frying pan with a bit of olive oil and serve with a salad or raw vegetables. And match tea grade I, it’s expensive but a tiny bit goes a long way, and it’s so good for you. (http://www.matchasource.com/matcha-tea-health…/14.htm)

Ultimamente aqui por casa andamos a comer coisas simples, sem demasiados ingredientes ou processos de cozedura ( o Natal nao conta!). Para este brunch fiz vegetais no forno, escolham os que preferirem ou tiverem por casa, como batatas, todos os tipos, cenouras, cebolas, nabos, couve de bruxelas, brocolos, etc, adicionar temperos desejados e deixar cozinhar bem, normalmente uns 40m. Fiz tambem verdes, cozinhei em agua durante 5 minutos, depende da qualidade, os meus eram caseiros e duritos, mas se for tipe espinafres podem so saltear na frigideira. Fiz tambem ovos mexidos misturados com um bocadinho dos vegetais no forno. Servir com uma salada ou vegetais crus. E tambem um cha’ verde, este e’ matcha na sua forma mais pura, e’ um bocadinho caro, mas dura imenso tempo. (http://saude-info.info/beneficios-de-saude-do-matcha-cha-verde.html).

Vegan pumpkin soup with little pasta/ Sopa de cabaca/abobora e pevides

Versao Portuguesa mais abaixo.

As you know we portuguese like our soups, and this one is a great one! Pumpkin and little pasta Soup 🙂
Cook 3 medium carrots with 2 medium to big potatoes (if you wash them very well, no need to peel them),300grams of pumpkin puree or pumpkin cubes, 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a bit olive oil for 5 minutes. Add water around 5 or 6 cm above the chopped veggies, add salt, black pepper, turmeric (1 teaspoon), paprika and let it cook for 20 to 30 minutes (until soft). Blend until you get creamy consistency (if it’s too liquid you can let it cook for another few minutes until it thickens or just add a bit of potato starch.
Add 1 cup of peas, 5 or 6 blocks of frozen spinach (or a whole fresh bag) and half a cup of little pasta, I used the oval one, my favourite. Let it cook for a further 15 minutes and serve with bread, wholesome one preferably. Bon appetit 🙂

Sopa de cabaca e massinhas de canja
Aqui em casa o jantar e’ quase sempre sopa, tento variar de acordo com os vegetais disponiveis durante o ano, mas a base e’ sempre parecida 🙂 Nada melhor que sopinha de Inverno!
Numa panela colocar 2 colheres de azeite com 3 cenouras medias, 1 cebola, 2 dentes de alho,2 batatas grandinhas( tudo cortado em pedacos pequenos, se lavarem bem a batata e coura nao e’ necessario descascar), 300 gramas (+/- nao faz grande diferenca) de pure de cabaca/abobora ou cabaca aos pedacinhos e deixar cozinhar uns 5 a 10 minutos. Adicioar agua, 5 ou 6 centimentros acima dos vegetais. Temperar a gosto com sal, pimenta preta, pimentao doce e acafrao das indias (se houver, e’ mais pela qualidade medicinal que pelo sabor) e deixar cozer durante 20 a 30 minutos, ou ate todos os elementos estiverem bem cozidos. Passar a sopa ate obter um creme. Se estiver demasiado liquida, deixem cozinhar mais um bocadinho e acaba por evaporar, ou adicionar 1 colher de maizena e e’ mais rapido. Se estiver muito densa e’ so colocar um bocadinho de agua.
Colocar 1 taca de ervilhas congeladas, espinafres frescos ou congelados (5 ou 6 cubinhos congelados ou umas 400 gramas de fresco, fresco deve ser adicionado uns 5 minutos antes de estar tudo feito) e 1/2 taca (ou mais se desejarem) de pevides (massa de canja) e deixar cozinhar durante 15 minutos ou ate a massa ficar al dente.
Tirando o Caldo verde qual e’ a vossa sopa preferida? 😉

Pad Thai italian way / Massa Pad Thai

Versao portuguesa mais abaixo

Pad Thai my Italian way :

I have never tried the real deal, but really wanted something a bit different today, so I reaserched the big interweb for some inspiration, I looked up for a simple version of this dish and I had all the ingredients, so this was my go at it 🙂

Cook your noodles, I had homemade Italian strozzapreti (which means strangled priest, what a weird name!) so I used that ones.
On a frying pan cook 1 clove of garlic,1 piece, small of fresh chili, 2 anchovies (or mix fish sauce with the soy sauce, further down) and a piece of ginger 1cm in olive oil (all has been processed on my food processor but you can chop it really finely, when it starts gaining color add 1 shredded carrot,1/2 a cup of chopped spring onions (i used just the green part) and 1 cup of peas, cook for 5 minutes in medium high heat. Add seafood mix ( you can use just prawns, chicken…) and let it cook for another 5 to 10m.
On a bowl add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 heaped teaspoon of tamarind paste and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, mix well and let it sit there while everything else is cooking.
Add the drained noodles (pasta) to the seafood, mix well. Add the soy and tamarind sauce and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Top with crushed peanuts It’s such a lovely dish! Have you ever tried Pad Thai?

Pad Thai feito a minha maneira com um toque italiano.

Cozinhar a massa que escolher, normalmente no Pad Thai usa-se massa de arroz, eu usei uma massa feita em casa italiana desta regiao que se chama Strozzapreti (que significa padre estrangulado, um nome bem curioso!). Nao cozinhar a massa demais porque depois vai continuar a cozinhar mais uns 5 minutos com omolho.
Numa frigideira colocar azeite, 1 dente de alho, 1cm de gengibre, um bocadinho de malagueta fresca (tudo picado muito pequenino) e 2 anchovas (se tiverem, senao pode-se usar molho de peixe e misturar com a soja, explico mais abaixo). Quando comecar a ganhar cor, juntar uma cenoura ralada, 1 taca de ervilhas e 1/2 taca de cebolinho picado, cozinhar durante 5m. Adicionar um misto de marisco (ou so’ camarao, ou marisco e cubinhos de frango…) e deixar cozinhar durante quase 10m ou ate cozinhado, dependendo do que se colocou dentro, carne demora mais tempo.
Numa taca misturar 3 colheres de sopa de molho de soja, se nao usou as enchovas colocar 2 colheres de sopa de molho de peixe, 1 colher de cha’ bem cheia de pasta de tamarindo e 1 colher de cha’ de acucar castanho, mexer bem e deixar de lado enquanto o resto cozinha.
Adiconar a masa escorrida ao marisco e mexer muito bem, adicionar o molho de soja e tamarindo e deixar coznhar durante 2 ou 3 minutos. Servir com amendoins picados. Delicioso e completamente adaptavel Bom almoco

Crepioca, sweet and savory, join the “new” craze! Crepe de tapioca, toca a provar!

In Brazil tapioca flour is widely used, it’s gluten free and gives the most amazing texture.

It can be quite “empty” but if you join some chia, flax and good toppings it’s much better than your regular wrap or crepe.

 

No Brasil a farinha de tapioca e’ bastante comum, usada em diversos pratos e nao tem gluten o que e’ bastante vantojoso para pessoas com alergias ou para pessoas que desejam reduzir o consumo de trigo. Eu adoro a textura da tapioca para fazer estes crepes ou wraps. Esta crepioca pode ser um bocadinho vazia em termos de nutricao por isso eu adiciono linhaca, chia e escolho os toppings e acompanhamentos com cuidado para aumentar o valor nutricional da refeicao.

For this savoury crepioca, you just add 1 egg , 2 tablespoons of tapioca or potato starch, which would change the name to something else I used 1 of each. This is the basic recipe which works amazingly as a wrap#glutenfree .To add more nutrition I add chia seeds, spring onion and spices like black pepper, chili, turmeric and some pink salt. I had some shredded chicken frozen so I decided to use it as the filling (defrosted, and warmed in a pan,of course) and served this with a fruity salad .

Para esta crepioca salgada adicione 1 ovo e 2 colheres de tapioca (tambem se pode misturar como eu fiz e coloquei 1 de amido de tapioca e outra de amido de batata), mexer bem e colocar na frigideira anti aderente bem quente, nao e’ necessario oleo, a crepioca vai comecar a libertar-se sozinha da frigideira, quando descolar e’ so virar esperar mais 1 minuto e esta pronta. Se quiserem derreter queijo, a melhor maneira eh nao virar a crepioca, isto e’, quando estiver a descolar, colocar o recheio desejado e dobrar como se fosse uma omelete, esperar um bocadinho e depois sim virar , mas sempre com a forma meia lua, nao abrir e deixar tostar um bocadinho do outro lado. Adicionei tambem a massa sementes de chia, cebolinho, pimenta preta, malagueta seca, curcuma e sal cor de rosa ( isto a massa). O recheio foi apenas frango desfiado (que tinha congelado, basicamente assei um frango inteiro e deois desfiei e dividi em refeicoes e congelei, para ser mais practico. Acompanhamento foi uma salada maravilhosa com diospiro maca, azeitonas, folhas verdes, tomate e radicchio.

For this breakfast /snack  just mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch and cook in a non stick pan without any oil, so easy to flip!! Top with your favourites, mine you know then by now –> banana, peanut butter, cinnamon and mapke syrup . you can add some chia seeds, nuts, flax to make it more nutritional
Para este pequeno almoco fiz uma crepioca recheada com manteiga de amendoins, banana, canela e xarope de acer para o crepe mais facil do mundo misturar 1 ovo com 1 colher de sopa bem cheia de amido de tapioca, cozinhar numa frigideira anti aderente sem oleo, tao facil de virar, mesmo, quase se faz sozinho este crepe para aumentar o valor nutricional pode se acrescentar nozes, linhaca, chia ou cacau. Yummm

Have you ever tried this? If yes, what are your favorite toppings? And if you make this, do let me know.

Love,

Sandrina

 

 

Food diaries :)

Let me leave you a link in case you wonder what portuguese food looks like, in a way more unhealthy but totally delicious way :

http://www.momondo.co.uk/news/portuguese-mouth-watering-dishes/

What I have been eating! Lentils, healthy cookies, chickpeas, soup and a lot of fruit , portuguese fruit tastes soooo good!

O que tenho comido em Portugal, lentilhas, grao de bico, bolachinhas saudaveis, muita fruta e sopinha. ❤

For the soup : chop 4 potatoes, 2 big carrots, 2 garlic cloves 1 medium onion, salt, pepper and olive oil. Let it boil for 30 minutes and blend. In the mean time wash and chop 2 types of cabbage ( you can use kale and white cabbage for example), when the soup is blended add the greens and let it cook for a further 15 to 20m (depends on the thickness of the cabbage). I never peel potatoes or carrots just wash them very well.

For the chickpeas makes 4 good size meals : 800g of chickpeas (in a jar, already cooked) and 3 eggs. Boil in water and salt for 25m. Drain and take the skin out of the eggs and chop them. Dice a small onion (white), add chopped parsley and 3 tablespoons of olive oil, adjust the salt and add chili flakes or piri piri or black pepper. Mix everything together (very well until the eggs fall apart and tyhe yolk sticks to the chick peas) Add black olives on top and it’s done.

Chocolate chip healthy cookies made with almond meal,oats, pieces of dark chocolate, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 of dark mascavado sugar and 2 eggs. #glutenfree #dairyfree

 

Soak lentils during the night, next day chop onion and garlic and cook it in olive oil, add tomatoes and courgetter and let it cook for a bit, add lentils and plenty of water with salt and chili flakes. Cook for 30 minutes or until soft.

Vegan dishes – sweet potato, quinoa, millet, kale!

Today I have a few simple dishes for you, the 1st is a side dish of golden couscous with kale: lightly cook the kale on a pan with a touch of oil, add water with quite a bit of turmeric, salt and pepper to the couscous, once done mix Kale and couscous together. Serve as a side dish or let it cool down and use as part of a salad.

2nd is baked sweet potato with quinoa and millet cooked with asparagus and mushrooms.
Bake the sweet potato for 40m at 160C or until sof, no need to add salt or oil. On a pan cook garlic, onion with olive oil, once soft add the mushrooms and asparagus, let it cook for 5 minutes, add quinoa and millet (soaked previously for a few hours), and fry lightly, at this point you can use a bit of white wine or beer (if you want), otherwise just add water like you would with rice, add seasoning and let it cook for 20m or until water is absorbed.

Hoje fica aqui 2 pratos simples, o de cous cous e couve : cozinhar o couscous com bastante açafrao das indias sal e pimenta (de acorodo com as indicaçoes). Numa frigideira adicionar um fio de azeite ou agua e cozinhar a couve ate tenra, mas nao desfeita. Misturar a couve com o couscous e servir como acompanhamento ou deixar arrefecer e fazer uma salada, adiconando vegetais crus.

O 2o prato é batata doce assada no forno durante 40m sem condimentos a 160C e quinoa e painço (ou sò quinoa) : cozinhar uma cebola e 1 dente de alho com azeite, depois adicionar aspargos e cogumelos e deixar cozinhar durante 5 minutos, acrescentar vinho ou cerveja se desejar, colocar a quinoa e painço e fritar durante 5 minutos, adicionar agua (mesma quantidade como se fosse arroz 2 para 1 ), colocar sal, pimenta e outros condimentos que gostar, deve estar pronto em 20m ou quando a agua estiver completamente absorvida. Bom apetite!

Baba Ganoush

I love middle eastern food, definitely one of my favorite cuisines 😀

Baba Ganoush : (Arabic بابا غنوج bābā ghannūj, is a Levantine dish of cooked eggplant (aubergine) mixed with onions, tomatoes, olive oil and various seasonings.

I roasted 2 aubergines for 40 m at 180C, peeled them and put it in a food processor with olive oil, raw garlic and raw red onion, salt and pepper,lemon juice and tahini. Eat it with some kind of bread or crackers

Baba Ganoush é uma entrada servida com pao no medio oriente e na zona do mediterraneo. Fiz o pure com beringela assada (durante 40m a 180C e tirei a pele) , sumo de limao, alho, cebola roxa, sal, pimenta e pasta de sementes de sesamo (colocar tudo na trituradora durante uns 2 minutos) ❤

Mediterranean Feast! Uau

I’m in a great mood today, woke up early, went for a long walk with my other half and it was really sunny  So when I came home I made homemade “nutella” a different recipe, coconut cake (both to be shared another day) and a Mediterranean feast! All was homemade except the falafel ( I bought an organic mix and did it at home).
Guacamole : 1 big avocado (ripe), 1 tomato, 1/4 of a red onion plus salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice, all processed in a blender for a few seconds.
Hummus : 1 can of chickpeas, 1 big tablespoon of tahini (unhulled), olive oil, a big squeeze of lemon , 2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper (if you want it more creamy or spreadable just add more water like I did instead of olive oil – you still use a bit of olive oil but not all of it to make it smoother).
Salad : ripe tomatoes, lots of parsley, red onion and in the end I added pomegranate (took the picture before).
For the falafel, you buy the mix and add water, boil it and after lightly fry it.
I made myself a wrap, and it was _delicious_!

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Hoje acordei super bem disposta e cedo, entao deu tempo para ir passear com o meu parceiro, estava um dia maravilhoso cheio de sol! Quando cheguei a casa decidi fazer “nutella” caseira, uma receita diferente da outra que postei uma vez, esta é mais decadente, mas ainda assim saudavel. Fiz tambem bolo de coco com cobertura de chocolate (ambas as receitas irei postar noutro dia). E por fim um jantar mediterranico que consistia de :
Guacamole : 1 avocado grande, 1 tomate bem maduro, 1/4 cebola roxa, tudo junto com um bocadinho de sumo de limao, sal, pimenta e azeita na trituradora durante uns segundos, ate macio mas inda com pedacinhos.
Hummus : 1 lata de grao de bico processada tambem com 1 colher de sopa de pasta de sementes de sesamo com casca (tahini), azeite, bastante sumo de limao, sal, 2 dentes de alho e pimenta ( nao usar so azeita para ficar macio, usar um bocadinho eo resto fazer com agua, para nao ficar demasiado gorduroso).
Salada : fiz com bastante salsa, tomates bem maduros, cebola roxa e no fim adicionei roma, mas ja tinha tirado a foto.
Falafel : bolinhas fritas feitas com farinha d grao de bico – comprei uma mix biologica e so segui as instrucçoes de preparaçao, é bastante simples.

Com isto fiz um wrap, usando uma tortilla, estava uma delicia!