Tag Archive for: dinner

Spicy Pineapple Roasted Chickpea Tacos (Vegan)

The best homemade chickpea tacos – filled with a creamy avocado spread, spicy roasted chickpeas and a vibrant fresh pineapple salsa.

The best homemade chickpea tacos - filled with a creamy avocado spread, spicy roasted chickpeas and a vibrant fresh pineapple salsa.

Tacos are something I could eat every day. They are so versatile and you can make them extremely healthy. While we love tacos with some meat, we also change it up a notch every now and then. And these spicy pineapple roasted chickpea tacos are just the perfect recipe for these kinds of days.

I like to make our own taco shells, just because they are so easy to make and much better than the ones I can find in the stores here. But you know, if you’re in a hurry or feeling lazy, those are completely fine 🙂 If you feel like making your own, I have a recipe for them here.

The best homemade chickpea tacos - filled with a creamy avocado spread, spicy roasted chickpeas and a vibrant fresh pineapple salsa.
The best homemade chickpea tacos - filled with a creamy avocado spread, spicy roasted chickpeas and a vibrant fresh pineapple salsa.

Summer is just around the corner, although it’s feeling more like the beginning of Spring over here with a ton of rain, wind and temperature much lower than I’d like right now. But, I’m looking forward to warmer weather and I’m keeping my fingers crossed they come sooner rather than later. When they do I’m ready with these recipes.

We like to make really easy and quick dinners in the Summer because we tend to hang out outside most of the day and want to stay out as long as possible. And this recipe is extremely quick. While you’re roasting the chickpeas in the oven you can prepare the avocado spread takes a minute or two and then a few minutes to chop up pineapple, peppers, and onions, and parsley for the salsa.

The best homemade chickpea tacos - filled with a creamy avocado spread, spicy roasted chickpeas and a vibrant fresh pineapple salsa.
The best homemade chickpea tacos - filled with a creamy avocado spread, spicy roasted chickpeas and a vibrant fresh pineapple salsa.

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Spicy Pineapple Roasted Chickpea Tacos (Vegan)

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, brunch, Main Course
Keyword mexican, tortilla
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 6 tacos
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

  • 6 taco shells (recipe to homemade tortillas in the description)

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

  • 1 can (400g or 14 oz) cooked chickpeas
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp ground dried garlic
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 TBSP olive oil

Avocado Spread

  • 1 large avocado
  • juice of one lime
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • pepper to taste

Pineapple salsa

  • 1 cup finelly diced pineapple
  • 1/2 cup finely diced red pepper
  • 1/4 cup finelly diced red onions
  • 1/4 cup finelly chopped parsley
  • juice of one lime

Instructions

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

  2. Drain the chickpeas and place them in a bowl, together with all other ingredients for the chickpea and mix well.

  3. Place the marinated chickpeas onto a baking tray and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until they get golden and crisp.

Avocado Spread

  1. While the chickpeas are roasting peel and deseed avocado and place it in a bowl together with the rest of the ingredients for the spread. Use a fork to make a lumpy spread. You can make it as smooth or lumpy as you like.

Pineapple salsa

  1. Dice pineapple, peppers and onions finely and chop the parsley nicely as well. Add the juice of one lime and mix well.

Serving

  1. Once the chickpeas are done, heat the taco shells in a clean pan.

  2. Fill the shells with avocado spread on the bottom, then add some roasted chickpeas and top with fresh pineapple salsa.

The best homemade chickpea tacos - filled with a creamy avocado spread, spicy roasted chickpeas and a vibrant fresh pineapple salsa.

Vegan Rainbow Tofu Spring Rolls

Enjoy these refreshing and delicious tofu spring rolls filled with crisp vegetables, creamy avocado, and flavorful marinated tofu.

When it comes to fresh veggies there’s nothing better than spring rolls. And what is more, I’m not focusing on anything too traditional here. And that’s the fun part because you can use whatever veggies you have on hand and whatever is in season.

For this recipe, I’ve joined forces with my dear friend Kristina from Story on a plate. I have provided the recipe and food and together we’ve created this beautiful scene and photos! So credit for those to her as well and if you’re not following her on IG yet, go ahead and do that right now.

Whenever I make spring rolls I make sure to use veggies of different colors because that’s how we get different vitamins, right? And it’s just so pretty to see a beautiful rainbow of colors.

We come to the best part of these tofu spring rolls and that’s the marinated tofu. This marinated tofu is gold and this is coming from not such a huge tofu fan. Once I tried tofu marinated like that, I was hooked. And from now on I’ll be experimenting with flavoring tofu heaps more. What about you? What’s your favorite tofu recipe? I really wanna know!

If you’re a fan of tofu, I have a recipe for a Vegan Asparagus Quiche with tofu as well or Vegan roasted pumpkin curry with tofu.

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Vegan Rainbow Tofu Spring Rolls

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Tofu Marinade

  • 3 TBSP thai sweet soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP fresh or dried lemongrass chopped very finelly
  • 1/2 TBSP chili flakes

Rainbow Tofu Spring Rolls

  • 350 g medium or firm tofu drained and thoroughly dried/pressed
  • 8-10 sheets of 22cm/8.5" round rice paper 
  • 8-10 small letuce leaves
  • 5-7 radishes
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 small piece red cabbage
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • juice of 1 lime for preventing avocado to brown

Dipping Sauce

  • 2 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP thai sweet soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP hoisin sauce
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ½ tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Rainbow Tofu Spring Rolls

  1. In a rather large bowl mix all tofu marinade ingredients.

  2. After your tofu has beed drained and dried cut tofu into rectangles about 1 cm (0.5 inch wide).

  3. Place the tofu into the marinade and carefully toss to coat all sides.

  4. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a TBSP of cooking oil to the pan and cook tofu for 4-5 minutes or until all sides are golden.

Dipping Sauce

  1. Bring all the ingredients together mix well to combine.

Rainbow Tofu Spring Rolls

  1. Cut carrots into shin sticks (julienne) and red cabage into thin slices. Also thinly slice the radishes.

  2. Thinly slice avocado and as soon as you cut it squeeze some lime juice over the avocado to prevent it from oxidizing.

  3. Prepare your lettuce leaf and place some carrots, red cabbage and tofu inside and roll it into a tight roll.

  4. Prepare a large bowl with cold water for 2-3 seconds then drain for a second and place it on the counter smooth side down.

  5. Add the lettuce roll to the center of the soaked rice paper. Then add radishes in a row above the lettuce roll. This will be your outer side of the roll. Place some avocado on top of the radishes.

  6. Begin rolling your spring rolls. First, bring in the left and right sides. Then bring in the bottom side of the rice paper and begin rolling while maintaining some pressure. Be sure not to be too firm, otherwise, the rice papers might break.

  7. Serve immediately.

Shaved Asparagus Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette

A refreshing salad like this shaved asparagus salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette is a healthy delicious early Spring treat!

A refreshing salad like this shaved asparagus salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette is a healthy delicious early Spring treat!

I love my salads to be very flavorful and exciting. There I said it!

Slovenia is a country where green leafy salad is eaten at every lunch. There’s no way any Slovenian will make lunch and not serve it! But it can get boring after eating a plain old green salad that for years. So I like to add my little twists to make a green salad a little extra.

For this shaved asparagus salad, I’ve added, well… obviously some asparagus. Asparagus is extremely delicious and nutritious. It is loaded with fibers, folate, and vitamins. And if you didn’t know you can eat them raw, you now know! They are amazing raw, just as they are cooked.

A refreshing salad like this shaved asparagus salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette is a healthy delicious early Spring treat!
A refreshing salad like this shaved asparagus salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette is a healthy delicious early Spring treat!

For this recipe we are going to shave them with a vegetable peeler, so we get very thin strips of asparagus that are very delicate and still incredibly flavorful. You are going to end up with some leftover asparagus parts, and you can easily use them to make a delicious soup or use it to make vegetable broth.

I’ve added some extra stuff in there as well, to add some more flavor and crunch. We’ve got some pancetta, radishes, pine nuts and optionally you can add a hard-boiled egg on top. What a delicious combo.

For the vinaigrette, we only need a few simple ingredients and I can’t stress enough how only a couple of simple ingredients can make an explosion of flavor. So for this vinaigrette, you only need extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemons, garlic, salt, and pepper. This is such a versatile dressing. Very simple and it goes with almost any salad!

A refreshing salad like this shaved asparagus salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette is a healthy delicious early Spring treat!
A refreshing salad like this shaved asparagus salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette is a healthy delicious early Spring treat!

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Shaved Asparagus Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette

Course Salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 400 g fresh green asparagus
  • 100 g fresh baby leaf salad (any kind you like or a mix of salads)
  • 4 radishes
  • 70 g pancetta cubed finelly
  • 2 TBSP pine nuts

Lemon Vinaigrette

  • cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • a generous pinch of crushed black pepper

Extra topping (optional)

  • 2 hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

  1. First, prepare the vinaigrette. Finely chop or crush garlic in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

  2. Use a vegetable peeler to make thin slices of fresh asparagus. There will be some leftover asparagus, which you can't shave. You can set those aside and use them for soup or some other recipe.

  3. Finely slice radishes.

  4. Chop pancetta into small cubes. Place them in a skillet and cook over low-medium heat until the fat has rendered out and the pancetta has crispen and got some color.

  5. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

  6. Place shaved asparagus, fresh baby leaf salad, and sliced radishes into a big salad bowl. Pour over the vinaigrette and mix well. Add crisp pancetta, pine nuts, and sliced eggs on top.

  7. Serve immediately.

Serching for more asparagus recipes?

A refreshing salad like this shaved asparagus salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette is a healthy delicious early Spring treat!

Sauerkraut Börek

These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and the soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on their own.

These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.

Today, I’m sharing a dish we’ve been making a lot this Winter. And it’s honoring the deliciousness of sauerkraut, which we have on the menu at least once a week during the cold months.

What is sauerkraut?

Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage, that is usually cut finely, but you can also get the whole cabbage heads. I’m not sure if these can be purchased everywhere, but they are quite common in the Balkans.

The name sauerkraut comes form German and means sour cabbage.

While sauerkraut is not a traditional filling for börek, we can’t stop making it after tasting the sauerkraut börek. It is created with very simple ingredients, and the process is straightforward.

This recipe also includes the recipe for homemade phyllo dough, although the storebought is just as fine. Whenever I use the storebought, I prefer finding phyllo dough that’s very thin. It creates a very crispy and flaky skin on the börek.

These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.
These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.
These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.

How do you make the homemade phyllo dough?

Although it might sound intimidating to make your own phyllo dough, it’s actually not that difficult. Take it from me, I’m by no means an expert. If you ever stop by YouTube and check the professionals, you might easily be discouraged, but it really only takes a gentle hand while stretching the dough.

The dough is basically just flour, water, and salt. Optionally you can a little oil for flavor. I used olive oil for this sauerkraut börek, however, I don’t even put oil every time I make phyllo dough. The dough is very soft and is very easy to knead by hand. It might stick a bit at first, but once you get the gluten going you’re good!

Then all it takes is to rest the dough in an oiled bowl, covered with some foil, so it doesn’t dry out. After you’ve left the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes, you roll the dough just a little bit, oil the surface, and let it rest covered for about 20 minutes. This lets the gluten relax. After that, the dough is ready to be stretched. Gently slide your fingers under the dough, right to the center, and gently stretch towards yourself. Move around the dough and stretch. Always make sure you stretch the thicker parts and not the parts that are already very thin.

Some people also use the rolling method, however, I don’t own a long thin rolling pin, so I use this method, which is very common for the Balkans anyway. Here’s a nice video to show you how this method works.

While you can stretch the entire dough in one go and get one huge piece of dough, I find it easier to divide my dough into smaller doughs right before resting and then stretch each one separately.

Time to fill the börek

After you’ve stretched the dough you can fill it with the most delicious sauerkraut filling. I have to be honest with you. The person who actually created the filling recipe for this sauerkraut börek is my husband with a bit of help of my son. I’m usually responsible for making the dough and they get to do the fillings when we make any kind of börek.

These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.
These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.
These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.
These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.
These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.

I know, you’re probably waiting anxiously for the recipe, so let’s just dive in! If you’re interested in making another similar dish with phyllo dough, I also have a recipe for Chicken Spanakopita.

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Sauerkraut Börek

Course Appetizer, brunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Baking Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • homemade phyllo dough (recipe below) or 500g store bought phyllo dough
  • 1 kg thinly cut sauerkraut
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 TBSP paprika
  • 1 TBSP turmeric
  • crushed black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 tsp anis seeds
  • 1/4 tsp ground carraway seeds
  • 1 shallot
  • 2 red onion
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • cooking oil for frying the filling, brushing the pan and top the börek
  • 1 small egg + 1 tsp water for egg wash (optional)

Instructions

  1. Finely slice shallots and red onions and fry them on a tablespoon of cooking oil for a few minutes until translucent.

  2. Finely slice or crush the garlic. Add to the pan and fry for an extra two to three minutes.

  3. Add all the spices and fry for another minute.

  4. Drain the sauerkraut. Taste the sauerkraut to see how sour it is. If you find it too sour for your liking, you can wash it quickly under running water and then leave it to drain.

  5. Add drained sauerkraut to the pan and fry on medium heat for about 20 minutes. It should become a bit dryer and softer.

  6. Divide the filling phyllo dough into the same amount of parts as you have phyllo dough sheets.

  7. Spread one part of the filling onto one sheet of phyllo dough, but cover only one third starting from the edge. Start rolling from the side, where he filling is, then roll it.

  8. Shape it into a snail shape and continue filling another sheet of phyllo pastry. You can either add it to the snail, to ultimately create a large börek or create small separate böreks. If you create separate böreks, reduce baking time for 5-10 minutes.

  9. Generously oil the pan you'll be using to bake and place the börek onto the pan.

  10. Brush some oil on top of the börek. If you're doing an egg-wash, brush it over oiled börek.

  11. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes.

Homemade Phyllo Dough

Prep Time 15 minutes
Resting + Stereching Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 500 g high protein white flour (all-purpose flour works as well)
  • 300 g water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 TBSP olive oil (omit if you're using all-purpose flour)

Instructions

  1. Sift flour into a large bowl.

  2. Make a well and pour in the water. Add salt and oil to the water.

  3. Start mixing from the center with your fingers. It will be sticky, but once it all comes together it will go off your hands easily.

  4. Mix until you can see the dough coming together a bit, then you can start kneading to incorporate the flour in. Every flour needs a different amount of water, so you might end up adding more flour or leaving some flour in the bowl at the end.

  5. When the dough starts to become uniform transfer (this will usually take somewhere from 3-4 minutes) it to the bench and continue kneading for another 8 minutes. The dough should be soft and uniform. It will stick to your hands just a little bit, that's okay. If it sticks too much add a little more flour and knead it in.

  6. You can either leave the dough whole and end up creating a large piece of phyllo. I prefer dividing it into three parts, to make it easier when I'm stretching.

  7. Whatever method you use. Place the dough into an oiled bowl (or three oiled bowls) brush a little oil over the dough and cover with plastic wrap right on the dough. Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes. You can prepare the dough a day before, and store it in the fridge, then take it out and leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before proceeding.

  8. After resting, place a large sheet onto the table and generously sprinkle it with flour. Place the dough onto the floured sheet and roll it out a little bit. If I'm making one large dough I like to roll it out to about 40 cm (15 inches) or 20 cm (8 inches) if I divide the dough into three parts. The precise measurements don't really matter, just to give you a rough idea. Generously pour oil over the rolled dough and brush all over the surface. Be sure to cover the edges too. This will prevent the dough from drying out. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 20 minutes so the gluten relaxes.

  9. After that, you can start stretching. Make sure you cover a large area of the sheet with flour, so the dough will not stick.

  10. Place your hands under the dough and gently pull towards yourself. You will immediately see stretching happening. Move around the dough and to the same. Make sure, that you don't stretch the parts that are already very thin and continue stretching the thicker parts. In the end, you will end with edges that are a little bit thicker. You can continue stretching them for as long as the dough can handle it.

  11. Leave the dough to dry for a minute or two then you can start adding the filling.

These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.
These delicious layers of crispy phyllo dough and soft fragrant sauerkraut flavor of this sauerkraut börek are a perfect side dish or a meal on its own.

Bacon & Radicchio Risotto

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

Hi guys!

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite risotto recipes. I’ve cooked and improved it over the years. Although it has some pretty basic ingredients it has so much flavor and attitude.

It’s the season of radicchio and we eat it almost every day. Mostly in salads, but now and then we love to cook this creamy delicious risotto.

And in case you’re wondering if risotto is hard to make, because it needs to be of a specific consistency, it’s not hard, you just need to keep an eye on your risotto.

A perfect risotto should have be a bit on the ofter side of al dente and have a little bit of a creamy, not too runny, sauce.

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

Does radicchio risotto taste bitter?

It does, a little. Certainly far less than the raw radicchio. With cooking it looses a lot of its bitterness and the flavor is enhanced.

All other flavors that are in this risotto help elevate the flavor of radicchio and they also tame the bitterness. So you shouldn’t worry about the risotto being bitter, you probably won’t even notice it.

I have been making this risotto using bacon for ages. The traditional Italian version doesn’t include any meats and if you’re not a fan of bacon, you can substitute it with pancetta. You would still get the meaty flavor without the smokiness. Or you can omit the meat and get a rather traditional risotto, which is also very delicious.

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

In case you love risottos as much as I do, I have some other amazing recipes:

Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese

Wild Garlic Risotto

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Bacon & Radicchio Risotto

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings as a side dish

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice (200 g)
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick finely chopped
  • 50 g bacon cubed into 0,5cm (1/4 inch) cubes
  • 150 g radicchio cut into small pieces (2.5 cm / 1 inch)
  • 2 TBSP pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 4 cups vegetable broth simmering
  • ground pepper
  • 1 TBSP butter or olive oil for finishing

Instructions

  1. Place bacon cubes into a frying pan and cook over medium-low heat until golden and crisp.

  2. Continuing cooking over medium-high heat, add finely chopped onions and celery. Cook until translucent.

  3. Add radicchio, pine nuts, and rice cook for a minute until the radicchio wilts a bit.

  4. Add wine and wait until it evaporates. Season with some black pepper and continue cooking by adding one ladle of simmering broth at a time, waiting to completely absorb into rice before adding another ladle. When rice is on the soft side of al dente, the risotto is done.

  5. Remove from the stove and add a tablespoon of butter or olive oil.

  6. Serve immediately.

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

Dried Fruits And Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It’s the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!

This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It's the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!

I tried not to bake too much this year, since we’re in a lockdown and we have no one to share the sweets with. But I couldn’t resist baking another Christmas bundt cake. Do you remember the chocolate hazelnut bundt cake from last year?

I had the idea of making a bundt cake and then my son insisted on us baking a cake. He’s not very friendly with bundt cakes, since they don’t usually include any cream filling. So I tried to find a way to make him love it. And found the perfect solution.

Adding lots of chocolate and dried fruits did the job. He’s a big fan of both! And I love how they made the cake a bit juicier and creamier. We also added some orange zest, because it’s almost Christmas and you can’t have Christmas without some orange zest, right? For me, it’s one of the most distinct flavors of Christmas.

This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It's the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!
This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It's the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!
This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It's the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!

It’s super easy to make this dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake!

One of the reasons I love bundt cakes is how easy they are to make and how well they usually last in terms of freshness. Definitely not in terms of not-eating them, because we finished it in a day!

All you need to do to make a perfect bundt cake is beat sugar and butter together. There’s not so much butter in this recipe, so don’t get scared if the mixture is not as fluffy as for example a buttercream. It still needs to get airy and brighter, though. You add the eggs one at a time and finish with flour and milk. At the very end, you add chocolate chips and dried fruits and pour it all in a bundt pan.

It’s a very simple cake and you can eat it as is or make a simple glaze with icing sugar and milk.

This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It's the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!
This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It's the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Dried Fruits And Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

  • cup all-purpose flour (180 g)
  • ¾ cup sugar (150 g)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter (110 g)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla seeds (or vanilla extract)
  • zest of half an orange
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnammon
  • ½ cup chocolate chips (80 g)
  • ¼ cup raisins (35 g)
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries (35 g)

Simple glaze

  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 1-2 TBSP milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease a 6-cup bundt cake pan with butter.

  2. In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes, until fluffy.

  3. Add eggs one at a time, and make sure to incorporate the first fully, before adding the second.

  4. Add vanilla and orange zest and mix quickly.

  5. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

  6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Then add 1/2 of the milk and mix on low speed. Continue with 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the milk, and finishing with the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture.

  7. Add chocolate chips and dried fruits and use a spatula to gently incorporate them in the batter.

  8. Pour the batter into a greased bundt cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. If you're doubling the recipe add 10-15 minutes to the bake.

  9. The bundt cake is done when the toothpick comes out clean.

  10. Wait for 10-15 minutes before removing the bundt cake from the pan.

Simple glaze

  1. For the glaze mix together icing sugar and milk to get a smooth paste. First, start with 1 TBSP of milk and add more, little by little, until you get the consistency you like.

You can find the recipe in Slovene here.

This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It's the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!
This dried fruits and chocolate chip bundt cake is packed with Winter flavors and rich chocolate, topped with a quick and simple glaze. It's the most delicious Christmas bundt cake!

Persimmon Salad With Orange Dressing

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.

Time for another hearty salad. I posted a recipe for a fruity winter salad in the winter and now I’m posting another recipe for a salad that uses delicious seasonal fruits. This time it is persimmons. One of my favorite fruits of the season. One other way I like preparing them is to make homemade pudding, with no starch whatsoever.

Okay, back to the salad. For this salad you can use any variety of persimmons that has a solid center when ripe, so you can cut it in slices or wedges. The varieties that are only ripe when gooey are not okay, since they won’t hold its shape and honestly the texture would probably feel awful in a salad. So let’s stick with a solid meat persimmon! But make sure they are ripe.

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.
When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.

What other ingredients are in this persimmon salad?

Lots of green leafy lettuce. You can uuse any variety you like or have in your garden. I used endive in my salad. The other leafy lettuce I used is radicchio. I love it both for color and its flavor.

There’s also some thinly shaved carrots for bite and freshness. And I topped it all with some chopped almonds and goat cheese.

And now the best part…

The orange dressing. This persimmon salad wouldn’t be so delicious without the orange dressing. The orange adds a nice freshness to the salad and I also added a little turmeric, just because we all need to boost our immune systems right now, do you agree?

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.
When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.
When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Persimmon Salad With Orange Dressing

Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Persimmon Salad

  • half of a green leafy lettuce chpped into bite sizes
  • half of a radicchio chopped into bite sizes
  • 1 small carrot sliced with a peeler
  • 2 small persimons cut into thin slices or small wedges
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese (100g)
  • 2 TBPS almonds chopped

Orange Dressing

  • 2 TBSP freshy squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • pinch of turmeric
  • pinch of black pepper

Instructions

  1. Add all dressing ingredients in a mason jar, close the lid and shake util well blended.

  2. Place all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl, pour over the dressing and toss to coat all the ingredients.

You can find the recipe in Slovene here.

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.
When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.

Pumpkin Gnocchi With Sage And Prosciutto

These soft nad pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are one of my favorite fall comfort foods. And they are super easy and quick to make!

These soft and pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are one of my favorite fall comfort foods. And they are super easy and quick to make!

What would fall be if we didn’t enjoy in some enjoy in a nice pumpkin dish. Today were’ making homemade pumpkin gnocchi with a some delicious goodies. There’s butter, there’s prosciutto, there’s sage and then there’s also some grated pecorino on top.

Can you think of anything better?

If no, then keep reading.

How to make homemade pumpkin gnocchi?

It all starts with cooked pumpkin. This is super easy and quick. Even though pumpkins are very tough when raw and sometimes a pain to cut, they get cooked very quickly. And what is more a lot of the pumpkins (the sweet varieties at least) have a skin which also gets soft and they don’t need to be peeled at all.

For these gnochi, I did peel them, to keep that smooth color look, but if the skin is soft, you dont need to peel it.

So to make the gnocchi you need to purée the cooked pumpkin add in flour and an egg, some salt, and mix it all up. Be careful not to overmix, otherwise, you might end up with rubbery gnocchi. When it starts holding together this is when you can stop mixing.

Shape the dough into long strips and roll them out, and cut into nice bite-size pieces. This is super important! Place them on a lightly floured sourface or they’ll stick.

They cook very quickly as any other gnocchi, so this is a super fast meal, which you know I love!

These soft and pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are one of my favorite fall comfort foods. And they are super easy and quick to make!
These soft and pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are one of my favorite fall comfort foods. And they are super easy and quick to make!
These soft and pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are one of my favorite fall comfort foods. And they are super easy and quick to make!

What about the sauce?

This is the best and simplest sauce there is! I mean, we’re talking butter, prosciutto and sage.

All you need to do is melt butter and quickly fry sage and prosciutto. Throw in the cooked pumpkin gnocchi and add some grated pecorino and you have a perfect fall meal.

These soft and pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are one of my favorite fall comfort foods. And they are super easy and quick to make!
These soft and pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are one of my favorite fall comfort foods. And they are super easy and quick to make!

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Need some extra pumpkin recipe ideas. Here are some of my favorites:

Pumpkin Gnocchi With Sage And Prosciutto

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

  • 400 g cooked pumpkin
  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • TBSP butter
  • 2 slices prosciutto cut into thin strips
  • 100 g grated pecorino cheese (a little less than 1/2 cup)
  • 8 sage leaves
  • 1 TBSP salt for cooking gnocchi
  • pumpkin seeds

Instructions

Pumpkin Gnocchi

  1. Puree cooked pumpkin in a food processor and add it into a mixing bowl.

  2. Add flour, egg and salt and knead everything together, but don't over-knead or the gnocchi will be rubbery.

  3. If the dough is too sticky to roll, add a litlle bit more flour. It also helps if you let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

  4. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each to about thumb width. then cut into thumb-size pieces.

  5. Place shaped gnocchi on a lightly floured surface until cooking.

Cooking Gnocchi

  1. Bring a large amount of salted water to a boil and add gnocchi. When the gnocchi float to the surface they are done. This should take around two minutes. If they don't float it's possible that they stuck to the floor or to one another. Use a wooden spoon and gently stir the water.

Butter Sauce

  1. Prepare the sauce before cooking the gnocchi.

  2. Melt butter in a large skillet.

  3. Add sage leaves and prosciutto strips. Roast for a few minutes until they get crisp.

  4. Turn off the heat.

  5. When the gnocchi are cooked drain them well and add to the skillet. Add grated pecorino and mix well.

  6. Serve immediately with some extra pecorino and chopped pumpkin seeds on top.

Notes

Pumpkin gnocchi can be frozen. Place them on a lightly floured baking tray and freeze. When they are frozen transfer them to a container of choice.

These soft and pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are one of my favorite fall comfort foods. And they are super easy and quick to make!
These soft and pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are one of my favorite fall comfort foods. And they are super easy and quick to make!

Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger

This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.

This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.

Here we go with another burger recipe!

I love my beef burgers but today I have a special plant-based recipe for you.

When Nataša from The Amaze burgers wrote to me and asked if I wanna try their pea-protein burger patties I felt really excited to try them out. And I was excited to make an entirely plant-based burger.

My first thought was it needs to have a smoky taste and something that resembles bacon. So after a bit of testing, I decided on making my own mushroom bacon. And it tastes delicious. Why haven’t I tried this before? I’m pretty sure this is going to be my favorite topping form now on.

And to add some tang, I made quick-pickled radishes. Super easy and so so delicious. It adds some nice freshness and crunch to the burger.

As far as the patty goes I used the Amaze patty but you can use any patty you like such as bean or chickpea patty.

This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.
This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.
This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.
This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.

So what’s in this delicious plant-based cheeseburger?

Nothing but the best 😀 And it’s all about color, smoky flavor and freshness. Just like I love my burgers. So here’s what’s in these burgers:

  • a delicious soft burger bun,
  • some baby spinach or arugula,
  • plant-based burger patty,
  • vegan cheese,
  • vegan mushroom bacon,
  • homemade pickled radishes,
  • and smoky BBQ sauce.

Okay, I know you’re probably hungry by now, so let’s just head to the recipe.

This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.
This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.
This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger

Course Main Course
Keyword mushroom bacon, plant-based burger, vegan burger
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4 burgers
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Mushroom Bacon

  • 250 g mushrooms (button mushrooms, shitake…)
  • 2 ½ TBSP olive oil
  • 2 TBSP soy sauce
  • ½ TBSP maple syrup
  • ½ TBSP smoky BBQ sauce
  • ½ TBSP smoked paprika (or additional BBQ sauce)

Quick home-pickled radishes

  • 100 g radishes
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3 TBSP unrefined cane sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Other ingredients

  • 4 burger buns
  • 4 plant-based burger patties
  • 8 vegan cheese slices
  • ½ cup smoky BBQ sauce
  • a bunch of fresh baby spinach

Instructions

Mushroom Bacon

  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a baking sheet with baking paper.

  2. To prepare the marinade, place all mushroom bacon ingredients except mushrooms in a small bowl and mix until well combined.

  3. Clean mushrooms with a brush and remove stems. Cut mushroom tops into thin slices, about 3-4 mm.

  4. Place mushroom slices in the marinade and gently toss to cover all mushrooms from both sides.

  5. Transfer mushroom slices to the lined baking sheet making sure there's not too much excess marinade on the mushrooms.

  6. Roast in the preheated oven for ten minutes then flip the mushrooms and bake for another 10-15 minutes. The mushrooms should be a bit crunchy on the edges and they will firm more after they cool. If you see mushrooms burning, lower the heat and bake for a longer time.

Quick home-pickled radishes

  1. Wash radishes and remove the greens.

  2. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan, stir well and bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 more minutes over medium heat, then let cool to room temperature.

Making the burgers

  1. Cook your vegan burger patty as per instructions, adding two slices of vegan cheese two minutes before finishing, covering the skillet to help melt the cheese if necessary.

  2. To assemble the burgers, cut burger buns in half. Spread a tablespoon of BBQ sauce on each half of the buns.

  3. Place some spinach leaves on the bottom bun. Place burger patty with melted cheese on top. Add mushroom bacon, pickled radishes, and some more spinach. Top with the other half of the bun and serve immediately.

This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.
This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.
This Juicy & Smoky Plant-Based Cheeseburger recipe is all about smoky flavors and freshness. These vegan burgers include the most delicious vegan mushroom bacon and quick homemade pickled radishes.

Mediterranean Style Mussels In Wine Sauce

This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.

This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.

I’ve been scared of cooking mussels for a very very long time. In fact, I’ve just recently discovered how easy they are to make.

So how did I even get started?

We took our son out to eat some seafood and we ordered mussels after years of not eating them. He loved them so so much and we did as well. After that, I felt inspired and wanted to try them out. There’s one recipe that excites me the most and it’s this recipe. I’ve tested a few over a few months and wrote my own, like I make it.

The recipe is really a very popular way of cooking mussels in this part of the Mediterranean, where I’m from. This is just a variation and there’s also one with tomatoes, but I don’t think I’ve ever tried that one. Note to myself: make the tomato version!

This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.
This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.

Okay, so this Mediterranean style mussels recipe is literally the simplest dish you’ll ever make. And also one of the most delicious ones. Just imagine the flavors of the sea mixing with some good wine, garlic, and parsley. Doesn’t it already sound so delicious?

It only takes you a few minutes to prep and a few minutes to cook. The only thing that requires a bit more work is cleaning them, but it’s actually really easy.

So how do you clean the mussels?

First, make sure you buy fresh mussels. They should smell like the sea. I tried googling how long the mussels really last but the answers are so different. Since I don’t live next to the sea, I can’t get them straight from the water. This would be amazing and if you have that chance, I recommend buying them the same day they were harvested.

For the unfortunate ones: I tend to buy them if they are a day old and no more. Then I prepare them the same day or in the worst-case scenario the next day.

When it comes to cleaning the mussels, first you need to throw away dead or damaged mussels. Toss the mussels with a broken shell. If the shell is open tap it lightly against the counter and if the mussel starts to close after a few seconds, then it’s alive and you can keep it, if not, toss it. If the mussel is closed and the shell is not damaged it’s good to go.

After you’ve tossed away the bad ones, pour some water in a bowl and add a bit of salt. Place mussels in the salted water and wait for 30 minutes so they can release all the dirt which has accumulated inside the shells.

And that’s it. It’s very easy and so worth the extra few minutes of cleaning them.

This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.
This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.
This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.
This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Mediterranean Style Mussels In Wine Sauce

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword mussels, steamed mussels, wine sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

  • 1 kg fresh mussels
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 5-6 garlic cloves finelly chopped
  • 2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 3 TBSP breadcrumbs

Instructions

Cleaning the mussels

  1. Before cleaning the mussels be sure to only keep the ones that are alive. If the mussel is closed and the shell is intact, keep it. If the shell is open tap the mussel lightly against the counter and wait a few seconds. If it starts closing, this means the mussel is alive. If nothing happens toss it.

  2. Scrub the mussels to remove any debris or mud. Remove the "beard" of a mussel, which is the thick cluster of hair on one side of the mussel.

  3. Place mussels in cold lightly salted water for thirty minutes. In this time they will release the grit and dirt from inside the shell.

  4. After thirty minutes remove the mussels from the water and give them a quick rinse.

Cooking the mussels

  1. In a large pot, fry chopped garlic in olive oil for about a minute stirring constantly.

  2. Add wine, chopped parsley and breadcrumbs to the pot and wait until it boils. Add cleaned mussels. Cover and lower the heat. Let steam for 10 minutes. Only eat the mussels that have opened. Toss the closed ones.

  3. Serve warm with some bread or pasta.

This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.
This Mediterranean style mussels recipe is the easiest and super delicious! With just a few simple ingredients you get maximum flavors. Wine, garlic, and parsley make the most delicious sauce.

Fruity Winter Salad with Mustard Dressing

When it comes to winter salad recipes, nothing beats arugula and kale salad with avocado, apples, feta, hazelnuts and some delicious mustard dressing.

When it comes to winter salad recipes, nothing beats arugula and kale salad with avocado, apples, feta, hazelnuts and some delicious mustard dressing.

The temperatures are finally getting more wintery over here, but there’s no sight of snow whatsoever!

Either way, a hearty winter salad with some fruits, cheese, and nuts is making me feel like Winter is as it should be.

It’s the beginning of a new year and it’s the time when a lot of us (including me) look more closely at what we eat. The thing is, in my personal experience if we give ourselves a tough challenge of eating lots of veggies we tend to fail soon if we’re not used to it.

I think it’s because we go to boring veggie foods. And I don’t mean veggies are boring, but they may seem this way if we don’t lift them up with some delicious add-ons.

And that’s what I love this salad!

It has some amazing leafy greens, but what it gives it heart and soul (and a chance that we’re not going to fail the healthy eating habit!) is the fruitiness of apples and pomegranate, creaminess of avocado and almond mustard dressing, flavor kick from feta cheese and some crunch from hazelnuts and also pomegranate.

It’s really such a simple Winter dish (or side dish), but I honestly couldn’t stop eating it when I first made this.

I used kale and arugula as the leafy green part, but if you grow or have excess to any other leafy greens I’m sure they will work just as well. As for the apple part, you could also use pears or some red oranges. Or all of them.

When it comes to winter salad recipes, nothing beats arugula and kale salad with avocado, apples, feta, hazelnuts and some delicious mustard dressing.
When it comes to winter salad recipes, nothing beats arugula and kale salad with avocado, apples, feta, hazelnuts and some delicious mustard dressing.
When it comes to winter salad recipes, nothing beats arugula and kale salad with avocado, apples, feta, hazelnuts and some delicious mustard dressing.
When it comes to winter salad recipes, nothing beats arugula and kale salad with avocado, apples, feta, hazelnuts and some delicious mustard dressing.
When it comes to winter salad recipes, nothing beats arugula and kale salad with avocado, apples, feta, hazelnuts and some delicious mustard dressing.
When it comes to winter salad recipes, nothing beats arugula and kale salad with avocado, apples, feta, hazelnuts and some delicious mustard dressing.

I’ll be a little shorter today. My poor sick son is asleep so I’m just trying to write this post and recipe as quickly as I can before he wakes.

Anyway, have a lovely weekend friends!

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Fruity Winter Salad with Mustard Dressing

Course Salad, Side Dish
Keyword winter salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1 cup kale sliced
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 apple
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
  • 1/4 cup hazelnuts chopped

Hazelnut Mustard Dressing

  • juice of ½ Meyer lemon
  • 4 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 TBSP almond butter
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

Hazelnut Mustard Dressing

  1. Whisk all ingredients until you get a uniform dressing.

Salad

  1. Remove pits from the apple and avocado. Remove avocado skin. Cut apple and avocado into thin slices.

  2. In a large bowl mix arugula and kale slices and dress them with the dressing.

  3. Add apple and avocado slices on top and sprinkle with crushed feta cheese, pomegranate arils, and crushed hazelnuts.

  4. Serve immediately.

When it comes to winter salad recipes, nothing beats arugula and kale salad with avocado, apples, feta, hazelnuts and some delicious mustard dressing.

Vegan Roasted Pumpkin Curry

This vegan roasted pumpkin curry recipe is super comforting and is a proper late autumn dish. Nothing beats mixing pumpkin with coconut milk and fragrant spices.

s vegan roasted pumpkin curry recipe is super comforting and is a proper late autumn dish. Nothing beats mixing pumpkin with coconut milk and fragrant spices.

Guys, I’m sharing one of my favorite autumn comfort foods – a pumpkin curry. And guess who also loves pumpkin curry? My friend Tereza from Tereza’s Choice. We created this recipe together and oh fun this was. Okay, it was also a bit stressful, since I accidentally erased ALL the images from the card on my camera!! We almost finished shooting and this happened. So I almost couldn’t share this recipe with you this week or at least not with photos. Luckily my dear brother found a way to get those files back.

And drrrrumroll! Me and Tereza have another recipe for you and we’ll share it soon 🙂

s vegan roasted pumpkin curry recipe is super comforting and is a proper late autumn dish. Nothing beats mixing pumpkin with coconut milk and fragrant spices.
s vegan roasted pumpkin curry recipe is super comforting and is a proper late autumn dish. Nothing beats mixing pumpkin with coconut milk and fragrant spices.

Are you drowning in pumpkins? We are here, but I don’t mind that. I love pumpkins and I never get tired of eating them. They are so versatile. You can use them in savory or sweet dishes. They are super healthy and soooo easy to prepare and really quick too. Who doesn’t love that?

My preferred way to cook pumpkins is to roast them. I roast them, when I make pumpkin soup, I roast them when I make pumpkin cupcakes, I roast them when I make pumpkin risotto… You get the picture! I love how roasting brings extra sweetness and depth from the pumpkins.

Curries are such a great comfort food because they are quick and easy to make and because of all the spices and flavors. I usually make my own curry spice blend, but you can use your own or a bought one. I find using the curry blend that’s available in stores here in Slovenia is very strong and makes each dish taste the same. So I try to avoid it and usually make my own in a coffee grinder.

s vegan roasted pumpkin curry recipe is super comforting and is a proper late autumn dish. Nothing beats mixing pumpkin with coconut milk and fragrant spices.
s vegan roasted pumpkin curry recipe is super comforting and is a proper late autumn dish. Nothing beats mixing pumpkin with coconut milk and fragrant spices.
s vegan roasted pumpkin curry recipe is super comforting and is a proper late autumn dish. Nothing beats mixing pumpkin with coconut milk and fragrant spices.

Okay, I’m not going to bore you with the details. The recipe is pretty easy and straightforward. Basically foolproof 😉

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Vegan Roasted Pumpkin Curry

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Anja Burgar & Tereza Poljanič

Ingredients

Curry

  • 2 TBSP coconut oil  (or grape seed oil)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 TBSP fresh ginger minced
  • 2 TBSP garlic minced
  • 2 TBSP curry spice blend (link to recipe in notes)
  • 1 pumpkin or butternut squash peeled and cubed
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 TBSP lemon juice
  • 200 g firm tofu

Serve

  • coconut yogurt
  • 2/3 cup roasted cashews
  • chopped parsley
  • flatbread (link to recipe in notes)

Instructions

  1. First set your oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

  2. Peel and cube the pumpkin, transfer to a baking tray and lightly oil. Put in the oven for at least 20 minutes until soft.

  3. Meanwhile, heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add coconut oil, onion, and ginger. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

  4. Add the curry spice blend and fry for another 2 minutes.

  5. Next up add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

  6. Then add the coconut milk, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, slightly reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  7. At this time, check on your pumpkin, if it’s soft, transfer it to a blender and blend with a bit of water until smooth. Add to your pan and coconut milk and adjust the flavor with salt and lemon juice. Don't be shy with seasonings – this curry should be very flavorful.

  8. Leave aside and fry your cubed tofu on 3 Tbsp coconut oil until it gets a beautiful brown crust.

  9. Serve as is or with flatbread, over rice, quinoa, or buckwheat. This dish gets elevated with the addition of some coconut yogurt, cashews, and parsley for serving.

  10. Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days. Enjoy!

Notes

Recpe for Hot Curry Spice Blend here.

Recipe for Herbed Buckwheat Flatbread here.

s vegan roasted pumpkin curry recipe is super comforting and is a proper late autumn dish. Nothing beats mixing pumpkin with coconut milk and fragrant spices.

Goat Cheese & Pear Chutney Burgers

The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!

The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!

I’m so happy to post this recipe. We’ve been making a ton of burgers this summer. We bought a badass extra mini grill that we can use on our tiny balcony and it doesn’t smoke. So we do lotsa grilling these days 🙂

I’m slowly accepting that the fall is actually here and it’s not going anywhere for a while. Hello, sweater weather! So with that in mind, our burgers have gone from summery fresh to delicious mouthwatering warming delights. Too poetic? Sorry ’bout that. I just love these so much!

One more thing! I’ve created this recipe in collaboration with Trauth Design Gastrowear. They provided me with the most beautiful apron, that you can see in the photos. I just love the sense of detail that they put into their aprons.

The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!

Anyhoo, wanna know what these burgers are all about?

If there are burgers that screams fall they’re these pear chutney burgers, for sure!

I mean homemade pear chutney and goat cheese? Paired with super simple avocado cream, pancetta, and arugula? Is there anything better?

And the good thing is that it’s a mixture of indulgence and healthy stuff. I don’t like burgers that are too heavy and overly greasy and just plain too much everything. So I’d like to think it’s well balanced and still super delicious. You should have seen our little guy nibbling on one of them 🙂

Do I need to make my own pear chutney?

Of course not! If you can get one somewhere, go for it. Nothing like that here, so I have to make my own. The recipe makes more than you need for four burgers, but you can easily store it for a week in a refrigerator or freeze it for later.

I won’t keep you away from the recipe for much longer. Let’s start cooking!

The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!
The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Burger

Course Main Course
Keyword beef burger, burger, pear chutney
Servings 4 burgers
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Brugers

  • 4 burger buns
  • 4 beef burger patties
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese
  • 4 pancetta slices
  • a handful arugula

Pear Chutney (makes more than needed for 4 burgers)

  • 3 cups finely chopped pears (400g)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (80g)
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar (200ml)
  • 2 small onions finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp crushed chipotle
  • 1 tsp salt

Avocado Cream

  • 2 avocados
  • 3 TBSP lime juice
  • 1-2 TBSP water
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pear Chutney

  1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 40-50 minutes stirring every now and then.

  2. Let the chutney cool for a few hours before use.

Avocado Cream

  1. Make avocado cream right before cooking the patties.

  2. Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth and creamy.

Burgers

  1. Cut buns in half and place them in a grill pan and cook until char marks appear.

  2. Place the bacon slices into the same grill pan and cook on medium heat for a few minutes, until they get golden. Turn around halfway through.

  3. Use the same pan to cook burgers. Increase the heat and cook the burgers to your desired doneness. Cooking them 3-4 minutes a side will give medium-rare burgers.

  4. Cover the bottom halves of the buns with avocado cream. Add some arugula. Place the burger patty on and top with crumbled goat cheese, pear chutney, pancetta, and some more arugula. Cover the top halves of the buns with avocado cream and place on top of the burgers. Serve immediately.

The recipe for these goat cheese and pear chutney burgers are the true fall delights that are going to make every fall grill party a success!

Creamy Chard And Fennel Soup

Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!

Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!

I hope you’re all feeling great and excited about slightly (but really just slightly) cooler late Summer days! These are my favorite. The weather is great and the produce this time of year is just perfect. We’ve been eating a lot of corn lately (mostly cooked, but I have plans of grilling it one of these days) and whenever we can, we make the cream cheese tart with tomatoes and other veggies that I posted last week.

Tomorrow I’m meeting my dear friends from Story On A Plate blog and we’ll prepare something sweet with plums. I love Kristina and Mateja, the girls behind the blog. Both so creative and the nicest people. But I’ll let you know more about what we’ll be making next week. Make sure you subscribe, so you don’t miss this!

Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!
Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!

Let’s focus on this beautiful soup…

We’re growing fennel for the first time this year and honestly, I can’t believe we haven’t tried it before. They are so easy to grow and do I need to mention how pretty they look in the garden?

I’m not a huge fan of raw fennel, but I love it when it’s either cooked or roasted. It loses its strong anise-like taste and becomes very sweet, perfect for a late Sumer soup.

We also grow lots of green leafy veggies including chard. I love how these match the sweet fennel with their earthy flavors. If you don’t have chard on hand, you can replace it with spinach or arugula.

Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!
Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!
Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!

A quick story…

After I made this soup, I gave it to my two-year-old son to try for dinner. He ate the whole bowl. I cooked fish and some potatoes to eat after the soup (which he absolutely loves). Instead of eating potatoes and fish, he asked me to pour him more soup. He ate three full bowls of this soup!

It’s either the soup or I’m lucky to have a kid who loves veggies. I’d like to think it’s both 🙂

Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!
Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!
Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!
Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Creamy Chard And Fennel Soup

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Soup
Keyword chard soup, fennel soup, soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-size fennel bulb
  • 1 small onion
  • 200 g chard (about 5 cups whole leaves)
  • 1 medium-size potato
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • seeds for garnish (pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds…)
  • olive oil for cooking and garnish

Instructions

  1. Clean the fennel bulb to remove dirt and cut in quarters lengthwise. Thinly slice each quarter.

  2. Peel and cut the onion in half and slice thinly.

  3. Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes and leave to rest in cold water.

  4. Wash the chard. If there are any bigger leaves, cut away the stems. You'll be cooking those separately.

  5. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a hot pan and add sliced onions and fennel. Sauté for 10 minutes or until they turn golden. Make sure to stir now and then to prevent burning.

  6. Drain the potatoes and add them to the fennel and onions. Add the separate stalks from the chard at his point too. Add boiling water and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and let cook for 10 minutes or until the potato is fork-tender.

  7. Add the rest of the chard, cover and cook for two to three minutes. Remove from the heat and pour everything in a blender. Add heavy cream, salt, and pepper and blend until the soup is smooth and silky. Add more boiling water if necessary.

  8. Garnish with some olive oil, heavy cream, and seeds. Serve warm.

Creamy Chard And Fennel Soup
Super easy and quick recipe for delicious healthy chard and fennel soup. Creamy and sweet!

Summer Harvest Cream Cheese Tart

Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.

Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.

Can you believe it that it’s almost the end of August? Before the Summer begins I always have lots of plans and prep for all the activities like it’s going to last for a year. And then it goes by so so quickly. I don’t usually mind because I love Autumn, but this year the Summer was super short here. I would love for it to last for at least a couple more months.

Anyway, tomatoes are here. And peppers! I found these perfect colorful tomatoes at a local farm before we had our own. Well, we had a few and I mixed those in. Aren’t they pretty? I mean the color is amazing but they taste even better.

They are getting more abundant now so I’m planning on making this summer harvest cream cheese tart again sometime soon along with the roasted tomato galette that I’ve been making for years.

Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.
Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.
Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.

After finding these beautiful tomatoes and peppers I really felt like making something similar to pizza but with less work. I love how easy it is to make it. A puff pastry crust, a garlicky cream cheese spread and fresh summer harvest veggies like tomatoes, peppers, and onions. It’s a perfect late Summer dish! You can add other veggies that you find in the garden right now.

Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.
Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.
Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.

How to make a perfect puff pastry crust?

This crust doesn’t need any pre-baking, but I do have a few tips that make this crust beautiful and delicious.

  1. Score a cm (1/2 inch) edge around the crust. This is going to separate the edge from the middle where the filling will be.
  2. Make some holes with a fork in the center part of the crust where the filling will go. This will prevent the crust from puffing up and give a nice crunchy crust.
Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.
Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.
Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.
Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.
Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Sumer Harvest Cream Cheese Tart

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword puff pastry tart, summer tart, tomato tart
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet of puff pastry
  • 4-5 big tomatoes
  • 1 bell pepper or any other pepper

Cream cheese Spread

  • 1/2 cup cream cheese (100g)
  • 1 TBSP honey
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 garlic clove
  • a few basil leaves

Garnish

  • basil
  • pine nuts
  • sesame seeds
  • 1 egg for egg wash

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.

Cream cheese spread

  1. Finely chop basil and garlic.

  2. Add garlic, basil, salt, and honey to cream cheese and mix with a spoon to get a silky consistency.

Tart

  1. Place the puff pastry onto a sheet pan lined with baking paper. You can make a rectangular tart or make them any other shape.

  2. Score a 1cm (1/2 inch) edge around the puff pastry like shown in the images above.

  3. Using a fork make holes in the center part of the pastry.

  4. Spread the cream cheese filling onto the center of the tart.

  5. Cut onions, tomatoes, and peppers into thin slices and place them on top of the tart.

  6. Using a fork, whisk one egg and spread a thin layer over the edge of the tart. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds.

  7. Bake in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden and crunchy.

  8. Serve warm or cold. Garnish with fresh basil and pine nuts.

Celebrate the late Summer produce with this delicious summer harvest cream cheese tart.