Breakfast/ Snack bars

We were on a long day walk the other day when I came up with the idea of making a breakfast/snack bar I could take along with me whenever, wherever. I had made the mistake that morning to not eat any breakfast thinking I wasn't hungry so why should I eat if I am not hungry... I was reminded why a few hours later!
The good thing is that it gave me the idea to make up a recipe for those bars and here they are for you now!
They are ultra easy to make and you can keep them for at least a week in a closed container.

Et voila, the recipe, pour vous:

Breakfast bars

- 1/4 Cup brown linseed
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup almonds
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup dried figs
- 2 Tbsp Hemp protein powder
- 1/4 Cup coconut sugar

Put the linseeds in a bowl with the water and let it sit for about 15min.

Grind the oats in a food processor. Add the almonds, pumpkin seeds and figs and process until roughly ground. Place in a bowl.
Add the linseed and water mixture, mix well and add the hemp protein and sugar. Mix well.
Shape your bars and place them on a baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for about 15min. Let them cool down. Eat! or store...

French celeriac "remoulade"- the healthier way

I was testing a celeriac soup recipe for one of my next classes at Divertimenti in London when I was left with half a celeriac unused. This is the sort of thing that gets my creative juices going as I just feel so free to do anything I want, and only if I want. No pressure to create something for a class or for guests, this is completely up to me to make anything or not, and I feel totally free to make something that I want, and no one else needs to want or like it! This is often how the best ideas come and the most satisfactory creations appear in my kitchen! So in the end I thought I would share it with you...

Celeriac is very much used in France and the "remoulade" is a dish that is as old as the oldest stones if the country probably (although I have not verified that fact...). It is a very simple salad made of grated celeriac, a very mustardy mayonnaise. This is THE tip, as all the teachers at cookery school repeat "il faut mettre beaucoup de moutarde!", in other words put a lot of mustard. 

The only thing is I don't like mayonnaise, I don't like that there is egg and so much oil in it. 

So I came up with this option: using yogurt.

This not only healthier (in that case it means not as fat) but a lot quicker and easier! 

As I don't eat much dairy, I used soy yogurt but feel free to use normal yogurt. 

Enjoy this lovely wintery salad, let me know how it goes and I'll be back with more creations soon... 

Celeriac Remoulade

- 1/2 Celeriac (about 400g)

- 1/2 Lemon juice

- 2 tsp Dijon mustard

- 5 Tbsp Soy yogurt

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- Sea salt

- Black pepper

Peel and grate the celeriac. Put it in a salad bowl and pour the lemon juice over, some sea salt and mix well. The lemon juice will prevent the celeriac to go brown so don't miss that step!

To make the dressing simply mix the yogurt with the mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Pour the dressing over the celeriac and mix well.

Et voila, c'est prêt!

Bon appétit!

Happy new year! A hearty nutritious stew to start the year.

Happy New Year to all of you my dear readers!

May this year be filled with new experiences, excitement, love, creations and hearty healthy food!


In this beginning of the new year, I feel more than ever the need to create.
Infact I have taken up drawing lessons again and it is such a joy to make marks on paper, I can't believe I did not do it for so many years!
Like yoga, cooking, or anything really, i find it sometimes hard and daunting to start making the first mark, but once the process is started, it feels amazing and liberating!

For this New Year's stew, I started putting onions in the pan, then added ingredients I had I thought would go well together and little by little this stew came together beautifully.

So here is a hearty stew recipe for you, I hope you like it as much as me and my guests have liked it. So Happy New Year again and bon appetit!

Sweet potato, beetroot and kale stew

Serves 4-6

1 red onion, peeled and diced small

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp fresh or dried thyme

5 small carrots, peeled and cut in chunks

5 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks

4 small potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks

1 raw beetroot, peeled and cut in chunks

1 Tbsp yellow (or red) lentils

200g curly kale, stalk removed and ripped in small pieces

(200g Tempeh, optional)

1 tsp vegetable stock powder ( I use the Marigold brand)

Water to cover 

Salt and pepper

In a big saucepan, sauté the onions with a drizzle of olive oil. Let the onions cook under medium heat for 5 min. or until soft and slightly caramelised. 

Add the thyme and all the vegetables apart from the kale. 

Add the stock powder, and enough water to cover the vegetables half way. 

Cover the pan with a lid and cook under medium heat for about 15-20min, or until the vegetables are soft. 

Now add the kale and mix well, cook for another few minutes, until the kale is soft but still bright green. Season with salt and pepper. 

If using Tempeh, cut it in chunks and pan fry it in olive oil until crispy. Serve on top of the stew. 

Bon appetit!!