Mushroom Lentil Salad

Mushroom Lentil Salad

The perfect filling meaty salad for a meatless Monday. We had the salad as a side, but it would be great as lunch. The texture was really great and the pop of tartness from the lemon, and the nuttiness from the arugula worked perfect with the mushrooms.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• ½ cup green lentils, cooked according to instructions on the package

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking the mushrooms

• 300 g baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

• 1 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 lemon, peeled and cut into filets

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, as dressing, optional

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1-2 handful arugula

Directions:

Boil the lentils until tender according to instructions on the package. I boiled mine in a mushroom base, for flavor. Set the lentils aside to cool.

Fillet the lemon with a sharp knife. Cut the top and bottom off the lemon. Set your knife where the white meets the flesh and start cutting downward in a curved motion following the shape of the lemon. Keep doing this until you have peeled the lemon. Carefully cut the filets out. Save the juice, to use in the dish.

Heat the oil over high heat and cook the mushrooms, until tender. Lower the heat to medium high. Add red pepper flakes and the minced garlic, and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the lentils, chopped parsley, lemon juice and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving toss in the arugula and lemon segments. 

Enjoy!

Grapefruit Avocado Salad

Grapefruit Avocado Salad

The healthy colorful salad contain two of my favorite ingredients: avocado and grapefruit. The slightly sourness and sweetness from the grapefruit pairs well with the creamy avocado. When I stumbled upon this recipe, I had to try it, and it was a winner for sure.  

This is how I made the salad:

This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Elise Bauer from Simplyrecipes.com.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados, peeled and sliced
• 2 grapefruits, peeled and cut into filets
• lettuce

Dressing:

• ½ shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 50 ml olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix and emulsify the dressing in a bowl and set aside.

Fillet the grapefruits with a sharp knife. Cut the top and bottom off. Set your knife where the white meets the flesh and start cutting downward in a curved motion following the shape of the grapefruit. Keep doing this until you have peeled the grapefruit. Carefully cut the segments out as filets.

Arrange the avocado and grapefruit segments on a platter, on top of some lettuce. Drizzle the dressing on top, and serve immediately.

Enjoy! 

Bondepige med Slør - Apple/Rhubarb Dessert

Bondepige med Slør - Apple/Rhubarb Dessert

This is an old classic Danish dessert, normally made only with applesauce, rye bread crunch and whipped cream. But I wanted to add some spring flavor and freshness to the dessert. So I added some rhubarb sauce. This dessert is a keeper, for sure.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Apple Sauce:

• 6-8 apples (Pink Lady)

• 100 g sugar (depending on how sweet you want the Apple Sauce)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

• 50 ml water

Crunch:

• 200 g rye bread without seeds

• 50 g butter

• 50 g brown sugar

• 50 g sugar

And:

• 1 portion rhubarb sauce

• 250 ml heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Apple Sauce:

Peel and core the apples and cut them in small pieces. Cook the apples with sugar, water and vanilla paste, until they are very soft. Cool the Apple sauce in the refrigerator.

Crunch:

Grate the rye bread. Melt the butter in a pan and toast the rye bread in the butter over medium heat, until light crispy. Add the sugars and let it just caramelize and coat the rye bread. Spread the crispy rye bread on a piece of parchment paper, mix in the brown sugar and let the crunch cool completely.

Whipped Cream:

Whisk the cream until little over soft peak, be careful not to over-whisk the cream, because it will become grainy and eventually turn into butter. Do not add any sugar, you want the clean taste of the cream. 

Assembly:

Layer the sauces with the crunch in a serving glasses and top of with the whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Ymerdrys - Rye Bread Crunch Topping

Ymerdrys - Rye Bread Crunch Topping

When I grew up in Denmark we had two options for breakfast during the weekdays. We could have 1. quick oats with milk and a sprinkle (or spoonfulls if my mom didn't look) of sugar or 2. Ymer (a fermented milk product) or A38 (milk fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus) with a good sprinkle of rye bread crunch topping aka ymerdrys. Both healthy breakfasts born long before we had the cereal isle in the grocery stores, or at least before me and my brother discovered it.  

I always opted for the A38 and ymerdrys. So when I tried to make it, I was in heaven. Now I have the perfect breakfast: Yogurt with ymerdrys and fresh raspberries. A perfect start to your day.

Ymerdrys can be made as healthy as you like. This recipe is my version, but you can skip the butter and toast the breadcrumbs and sugar in the oven at 400℉ (200℃) for about 10-20 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 50 g butter
• 250 g rye bread, grated
• 50 g sugar
• 50 g brown sugar

Directions:

Grate the rye bread. Melt the butter in a pan and toast the rye bread in the butter over medium heat, until light crispy. Add the sugars and let it just caramelize and coat the rye bread. Spread the crispy rye bread on a piece of parchment paper, mix in the brown sugar and let the crunch cool completely before using.

Use the topping on yogurt or in desserts.

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Sauce - Rababerkompot

Rhubarb Sauce - Rababerkompot

My mom made the first rabarberkompot aka rhubarb sauce as soon as the rhubarbs from our yard was big enough to use. The thin short rhubarbs was sweet and a clear sign that the summer was begun. 

Ingredients:

• 500 g rhubarbs

• 225 g sugar

• ½ vanilla bean pod, the seeds from

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Clean the rhubarbs and cut them into bite-sized pieces, place the in an ovenproof dish. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and mix the seeds with the sugar. Sprinkle the sugar on top, and toss until the sugar is evenly distributed. Place the vanilla  pod in between the rhubarbs.

Bake the rhubarbs for 20-40 minutes until soft, and the sauce is thickened. If the juices evaporate to quickly cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Let the rhubarb sauce cool and use as a jam, as a sauce in desserts or eaten with a meat dish.

Enjoy!