Quark Stollen with Almond Paste

The holidays just aren’t the same without stollen. It’s been like this since I met J, many moons ago. I absolutely love stollen! J’s parents used to visit us in the UK from the Netherlands and would always bring some with them. They even include it in the food parcels they send to us at this time of the year. In 2008, our Christmas parcel went on a detour to Sydney, Australia and we didn’t get it until March... you can imagine how fresh the stuff was then, eek!!!

We’ve browsed store-bought varieties, but the ingredients make me want to hurl. Yuck! In 2009, I decided to make my own stollen for Christmas. Since I only started lindaskitchenlab in May 2010, I thought it would be better to wait closer to the holiday season to blog about it. Watch this space for Christmas 2010 whole wheat version.

Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins - Gluten Free & Vegan

Five years ago, I would never have thought I could walk into a bakery and not buy anything. I love my cakes, muffins and pastries. The only problem is that I’m allergic to American dairy. Eating anything is a little bit of a risk for me. Although I can drool at the cakes, I rarely eat them and when I do, I take a very small bite.

It was time to try another recipe from the Flying Apron’s Gluten-Free and Vegan Baking book. I love this recipe book, but it is RIDDLED with editorial errors. How this book got into print, I have no idea…

100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

We’ve always had a thing about cinnamon rolls. I can’t explain what it is. Maybe it’s the warm, sweet and inviting aroma of cinnamon? Maybe it’s the soft and delicious bread or maybe it’s the combination of both!

The only issue is that the cinnamon rolls you can usually buy, are packed full of saturated fats and all sorts of nasties. A classic cinnabon roll is 813 calories, total fat 32 g, 8 g saturated fat and 55 g sugars. They make me sick thinking about them!

I was thus on the search for a healthier option. Each one of these babies are only 340 calories, with a total fat of 3 g and 18 g sugar. They are also made with 100% whole wheat flour and are totally awesome. They make me want to sing just typing about them!

100% Whole Wheat Challah

Challah (pronounced “haa-laa”) is a traditional Jewish bread, made with eggs, flour, yeast and water.

I’ve never been particularly fond of challah. I guess it’s because I have images of those rock-hard challah loaves that are sold in supermarkets (grocery stores), which have a shelf life of 1+ months … eek! We’ve even bought freshly baked (from scratch) challah from a bakery in West Seattle, but again I wasn’t overly impressed.

The only reason I chose a challah recipe this week, was because it looked pretty. There, I said it!

Tofu and Vegetable Yellow Coconut Curry

I've been meaning to post this entry for a long time… but I keep forgetting! It’s a delicious vegan dish (when omitting the fish sauce), which I make when we have a meat-less dinner. You really won’t miss the meat in this recipe.

The curry is well flavored and very mild. I’d compare it almost to a korma. The addition of the creaminess from the coconut milk makes this dish ultra-dreamy. Serve this over freshly cooked rice.

Cheese and Black Pepper Baguettes

I’ve been getting into the habit of baking bread every Saturday morning. This Saturday was no different. My choice of bread today was cheese and black pepper.

I love fresh bread – making it, tasting it and smelling it. However, I’m ever so lazy when it comes to making it. I don’t spend however many minutes hand-kneading, or waiting several hours for it to prove. I usually prep the dough on Friday night, using my stand mixer. Pop the dough into the fridge overnight, and then on Saturday morning, I shape the dough, let it stand for 1 hour, before baking it. Simple – it works a treat every time!

Vegetable Curry Patties

I’ve been craving those yellow tinged Jamaican curry patties for so long! The last time I had one, was probably in 2004, when I was still living in London. The turmeric spiced, soft, yet short pastry, encased a delicious, curried minced (ground) lamb filling. I can taste them now.

The thought of curry patties had subsided until this February. This was when J had some vegetable curry patties whilst up in Vancouver B.C. They’ve been playing on my mind ever since!!!!

Vegan Gluten-Free Oat & Berry Bars

This weekend I didn’t have to work or be someplace else, which meant it was playtime in my kitchen!

On Saturday, I whipped up two loaves of Roquefort bread, granola and these vegan gluten-free oat & berry bars. I still had enough time to prep loads of veggie skewers for our barbecue dinner.

These bars are oaty, chewy and chock-full of berries. They contain no refined sugar and won’t give those annoying pangs afterwards. They are satisfying and taste really wholesome. The bars aren’t overly sweet and the berries have just the right amount of tartness, to make the bar really good.

Soy-Free Vegan Whipped Cream

I’ve never been a big fan of whipped cream, but I do miss it on occasion.

I’ve longed to find a dairy-free whipped “cream” that tasted good, but I daren’t try any. The store bought cream alternatives are usually jammed packed with nasties. I don’t want to replace the poison I want to avoid (milk/cream) and replace it with another poison.

Hong Kong Style Egg Tarts (Dan Tat)

I have a love for egg custard. It’s the combination of milk, sugar and eggs that is ever-so tempting for me. It could be plain old crème anglaise, crème patisserie or just a good ole egg custard tart. Portuguese, Chinese or English – I love them all. I am known to devour numerous egg tarts at one sitting.

Chinese egg tarts are usually made REALLY badly. The pastry is often too thick, the filling doesn’t taste like egg and is thickened with so much cornflour (cornstarch) that it makes the custard rubbery.

Leave of Absence

Long gone are the days of me frittering my time away, doing nothing in particular but procrastinating experimenting in my kitchen. My blog entries will slow down and dimish for the next few weeks. There are two reasons for this:

• When I first started this blog, I had lots of recipes from my private blog, which were already written up. I've been adding one entry per day, but this will slow down from this point onwards. I now have to work on new experiments, before blogging about them.

• On June 1st, I took up a project with allrecipes.com and I’m currently working 40 hours a week.

This working malarkey is seriously cutting into my procrastination time in the kitchen, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it. It’s absolutely ideal - I’m working remotely, so I can procrastinate, do household chores/other activities in between.

I’d like to tell you that my blog entries will be quite sporadic until the end of December, so please bear with me.

Until my next entry, have fun in the kitchen, cook a lot, eat a lot and laugh a lot!

Raw Pumpkin Seed Butter

I’m pretty new to nut and seed butters available in the US. Until a couple of years ago, I’d only tried peanut butter – the others simply weren’t available in the UK.

I’ve now made my own peanut, cashew, almond and coconut butter. I wanted to sample sunbutter (from sunflower seeds) and cheated, by buying it from PCC at $6.99 for an organic jar. It just reminds me not to go grocery shopping on an empty stomach! When I do, I can easily add $40 onto my bill! Anyhow, when I got home, I ripped the jar open and stuck a spoon in it, to try it. I didn’t know what to expect, I mean we both love sunflower seeds, how can grinding them into a paste make them taste any different? Well, the grinding does make them taste different. The stuff is truly addictive, I couldn’t stop spooning the deliciousness out of the jar and into my mouth (with a clean spoon each time, of course!)

100% Whole-Wheat Walnut Bread

I wasn't expecting much when I made this bread. When I sliced into it, it was another thing. The loaf had a nice crumb, sliced well and was immensely soft and fluffy inside. I had to do a double-take on the recipe to make sure it was 100% whole-wheat and it was! It’s delicious on its own, with mature cheese or butter.

As you probably know, I’m working my way through Bernard Clayton’s complete book of breads – it’s an awesome book. I’ve still to find a recipe we don’t like!

Mexican-Inspired Quinoa Salad

A friend of mine, M inspired me to make this salad. I changed the quantities a little and played around the seasoning, but it was one tasty salad! I’m making it again this Friday, I can’t wait.

It’s an all-in-one meal - you have quinoa, black beans, green peppers, tomatoes and avocado tossed together with fresh coriander (cilantro), cumin and lime juice. What’s not to like?

Chocolate Chia Pudding

The first time I heard about chia was from those annoying ch-ch-ch-chia adverts – arggh! Searching for that link just now, reminds me why we don't have TV, ha.

You can in fact eat chia seeds - they’re tiny nutritional powerhouses. Chia (salvia hispanica) belongs to the mint family and is commercially grown for its seed. The seed’s extractable oil is highly concentrated with omega-3 fatty acids. They also contain a high proportion of protein, dietary fiber and significant levels of antioxidants.

Tomato and Pepper Risotto

I love rice in almost all forms… I am after all, of Chinese descent. When I was growing up, we had rice at every dinner. In the mid-90’s, I was at university with a Swiss/Chinese girl, D who made the most delicious risotto. The only problem was that her risotto was loaded with fat. The amount of cream, cheese and butter she added to the pan, makes me feel like fainting now I think about it.

Wheat Germ Bread

WARNING: When baking this bread, it will make you salivate at the delicious aromas emanating from your oven. The wonderful depth of the black treacle (molasses) paired up with the buttery undertones, is reminiscent of either gingerbread or a parkin loaf baking.

When the loaf is finally done, you really have to wait about 10-15 minutes at least for it to cool slightly before cutting into it. I find this absolute torture – to me, it’s like forbidden fruit that you’re not supposed to eat. You should wait about 45-60 minutes, but after 10-15 minutes, it was fine.

Salmon & Bak Choi in a Green Coconut Curry

We eat oily fish about 1-2 times a week. With salmon being so accessible in the Pacific North West, it’s no surprise that it features heavily in our diet. This is one of our favorite salmon dishes.

The curry has the hotness from the spices, which is tamed by the thick and creamy coconut milk. The salmon is poached and the bak choi is lightly blanched, so it’s all pretty healthy. It's a really good week-day dinner.

Dark Chocolate Muffins - Gluten-Free & Vegan

I never thought I’d be baking a chocolate muffin that was gluten-free… vegan maybe, but never gluten-free. I was inspired when I finally got myself to The Flying Apron in Fremont, Seattle. This place is somewhat out of our way, but it was my birthday weekend and I wanted to try it.

The Flying Apron Bakery is absolutely awesome – it sells vegan and gluten-free items and uses almost all organic and unrefined ingredients. These days, it IS possible to enjoy mouth-watering cupcakes, muffins, shortbread and cookies even if you are vegan and/or have allergies.

"Cornish" Pasties

I’ve tried the traditional Cornish pasties in Cornwall, with the chunks of steak, swede (rutabaga) and potato in a delicious pastry. I’m also guilty of grabbing a factory “Cornish” pasty, whilst rushing through a train station on my way to work/home. It’s unfortunate that most people have never tried a real Cornish pasty, but is accustomed to the minced (ground) meat in gravy variety with a puff pastry exterior.

I apologize in advance to any Cornish readers. These pasties have nothing in common with the traditional, delicious pasties that originate from Cornwall. They aren’t made with beef, but with chicken; they don’t have swede (rutabaga), but carrots; the vegetables are cubed, not sliced; the filling is cooked before stuffing and they don’t have the typical short crust pastry (half fat to flour ratio). In a sense, to call these “Cornish” is probably an abomination, but I’ll live with that.

Olive Oil Roasted Kabocha Squash

My dearest Butternut,

I’m so sorry… I’ve been bad, very bad. I never meant for our relationship to end in this way, but I now have a new love. His name is Kabocha. Kabocha lives in the squash section of the produce department at PCC. The only reason I picked up Kabocha, was because you weren’t available for dinner that night.

Do not despair Butternut, Kabocha will take good care of me. He’s sweet, full of beta-carotene, iron, vitamin C and potassium and has traces of calcium, folic acid and B vitamins.

Raw Chocolate Cheesecake

Raw-food purists would never call this raw, as it has cashews in it. So to call this raw, isn’t entirely true – alas…

Although raw, by definition is also vegan – I would like to point this out to people who aren’t huge raw-food fans, like myself. So, not only is this cheesecake raw, it’s also vegan and has no processed sugars in it. You can of course sweeten it with agave nectar or maple syrup, but this will no longer make this cheesecake “raw”.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Pepper Soup

This is a classic favorite of ours. I was first inspired to make this soup when I used to buy tinned soup… yes, I really did use to buy tinned soup. Baxter’s did a nice butternut squash & red pepper and a really delicious Cullen skink.

How hard can making butternut squash and red pepper soup be? To enhance the flavor of the vegetables, I roasted them until they are caramelized in spots. Then you simply liquidize everything together – easy-peasy. I used to make huge batches of this soup, and freeze it into portions for evenings when I’m too lazy to cook.

Raw Raspberry and Chocolate Fudge Cake

Who would think that a cake that was vegan, gluten-free and raw could taste so darn good? Well, believe me, it does!

It’s also packed full of goodies, such as omega-3 fatty acids, flavonoids, monounsaturated fats, dietary fiber and more.

This cake is definitely not low-calorie, but if you compare the nutritional value and health benefits of eating this cake compared to that of a conventional cake made from refined flour, sugar, fat and eggs, this cake wins hands-down every time.

British Cheese Scones

In this entry, I’m going to open a can of worms labeled “scones”. British scones are significantly different from American scones. British scones are light, fluffy, quite dainty and round; American scones are denser, heartier, bigger and usually wedge/triangular-shaped. The British scone is closer to an American biscuit, than it is to an American scone. And British biscuits are what Americans know as cookies… ok, now the language issue has been dealt with, I can now discuss British scones.

Olive Oil Roast Chicken with Mediterranean Vegetables

Even though I absolutely love roast chicken, I’ve never made it for J. Why? Well, he prefers meat in slabs and doesn’t particularly care for skin or bones.

I’d been eyeing up this roast chicken recipe for quite a while, and I decided to make it for Christmas dinner, whether J liked it or not (I told him that I’d skin and slice the meat off the carcass for him). It had been far too many years, since the last time I enjoyed the succulence of a well-roasted chicken.

Udon Noodles with Prawns and Vegetables in Black Pepper Sauce

A dish like this at your average Oriental (Asian) restaurant would be glistening from the excess oil they use. On the very rare occasion that I do go to these restaurants, the amount of oil that they use is so great, that it makes the dish so heavy that I can’t finish it. Now, boys and girls – that’s saying something, because I eat a lot! The heavily-oiled dishes make me feel bloated, sits in my stomach like a lead-brick and takes forever to digest - ugh!

Fresh Egg Pasta

Italian pasta or Chinese egg noodles are practically the same thing – a mixture of flour and eggs. Pasta is one of those easiest things you can make, and you can really tell the difference when it's homemade.

If like me, you’ve bought fresh pasta and cooked it at home, the cooking time can really make the difference from an al dente pasta to a soggy mass. I hate that! When using this fresh pasta recipe, you don’t get any of that soggy pasta - it’s all al dente all the way!

Sweet and Spicy Almonds

I had a bag of raw almonds sitting in the freezer for a little while, and whilst searching for food porn one evening, spotted this recipe for sweet and spicy almonds. I just HAD to make them!

I’ve slightly adjusted the amounts of ingredients in the original recipe. The result are almonds that are crunchy, sweet, salty, spicy and ever-so-slightly medicinal tasting – I guess that’s due to the fennel seed. And remember, almonds are good for you!

Vegan Chocolate Brownie Bites

These do NOT last long in my house – I just can’t help myself!

Their fudgy brownie center is simply made of dates, walnuts*, vanilla and cocoa, which is then drenched in molten chocolate^. The taste and texture sensation is incredible – you initially get the crack of the chocolate when you bite into one, which then allows your tongue to be tantalized by the dark, chocolately, goodness inside… reminiscent of a fudgy brownie. They taste so decadently sinful, yet they aren’t.

All-Butter Croissants

I’ve been spoilt, so spoilt that I’ve tasted fresh croissants in France. And once you’ve tasted the real deal in France, nothing will ever come close in comparison. So, if you ever happen to be visiting France, do NOT, I repeat do NOT try their fresh croissants. Otherwise, you’ll suffer a life-long torment in searching for the perfect croissant again.

Bean-Free Sun-Dried Tomato "Hummus"

A hummus with no beans I hear you cry. Am I mad? Probably – but I’m not mad for making this no-bean hummus. If you try it, I promise I won’t call you mad – just let me know how much you enjoyed it.

It’s smooth, slightly sweet and garlicky, yet being light and fresh at the same time. I had to stop myself eating the whole batch with carrot sticks when I whipped up this batch! Hmm... I wonder what's going to feature in J's packed lunch tomorrow...

Low-Fat Berry Muffins

On getting home from work one day, I was really craving something sweet and tasty. I was far too tired to go back out to PCC to grab something nice, so I searched through one of my cookbooks and saw a recipe for raspberry muffins.

These muffins are not only delicious, but they are light and fluffy, low in fat, quick to make and vegan (if using milk-substitute). They are mildly sweet, have an explosion of berry goodness with a moist, yet light interior. I devoured three of them as soon as they came out of the oven! I may try a savoury version next time - think cheese and herb!

Kale Chips

Kale is one of those leafy greens that we should all eat more of.

It belongs to the Brassica family, which is a group of vegetables that include cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and collard greens. It is this group of vegetables that are now known for their health-promoting benefits, due to their sulfur-containing phytonutrients.

Kale is an excellent source of vitamins K, A and C, manganese as well as containing decent amounts of dietary fiber, copper, tryptophan, calcium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), potassium, iron, magnesium, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty-acids, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), protein, vitamin B1 (thiamin), folate, phosphorus and vitamin B3 (niacin) [1].

Spaghetti Bolognese

This is a dish that’s wonderful for a week-day dinner. It takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish, and if feeding two people, it has over six portions of fruit and vegetables per serving.

My method of cooking this dish probably strays far from the traditional way, but I'll live with that.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

This is probably one of the easiest recipes that produce the most wonderful peanut butter cookies, that you’ll ever encounter.

They’re also gluten-free and simply full of peanut-ty goodness.

Frisian Sugar Loaf - Suikerbrood

A few years ago, my Mother-in-law introduced me to suikerbrood. I remember her serving it up thickly sliced on a small plate with tea. My brother-in-law made some comment about either I’d love it or hate it, but he loves it. It turned out I loved it! What is there not to love about bread that is swirled with cinnamon and pockets of sugary goodness?

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

Friday is either pizza-night or soup with focaccia-night. When it’s the soup option, it has to pretty hearty – it is after all, the main meal of our day. The recipe easily serves four, but the two of us eat it in one sitting.

Slimmed-Down Leek & Goat Cheese Quiche

Here’s the slimmed down version of quiche, as promised.
To slim down quiche, I use unbuttered filo- (phyllo-) pastry for the crust, I also use half water and no-fat milk/unsweetened milk substitute to the egg mix. I don’t particularly miss the buttery short-crust pastry, because the filling carries the quiche off.

Chocolate Layer Cookies

Another one of my recipes I dig up for when we need a hostess gift. These are a little more tedious than the Viennese Fingers, but the resulting biscuits (cookies) are not only beautiful, but also delicious.

These bite-sized biscuits (cookies) are layered vanilla and chocolate shortbread that are crisp, buttery and coated on one-side with dark (semi-sweet) chocolate.

High Fiber Bran-Nut Bread

This bread is full of fiber! I’d love to call this bread, “make-you-go-bread” - but it doesn’t sound very appealing, does it?

This bread calls for baking powder as opposed to yeast, so in essence it’s a “quick” bread. The bread is best if you make it a day before serving. This will allow the flavors to develop and make slicing easier.

Rosemary Focaccia

We absolutely love fresh bread, especially when it’s baked at home. From the soft crumb with the fluffy interior, to the crusty crumb with the chewy interior; from the complex crumb, which is densely packed with bran to the wonderous fruit and nut studded loaves. We love them all! Focaccia is no different. We love focaccia!

Hazelnut-Butter Cookies

These slightly sweet cookies have a wonderful aroma from the roasted hazelnuts, that shine through with a buttery melt-in-the-mouth richness. They are another one of my favorite hostess gifts I like to make, and they are sure to please.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

You’ve probably guessed that there's a certain someone in this household that LOVES chocolate, and that certain someone is not I.

This cake contains no flour, butter or refined sugar, but it has a very dark secret. The secret being that its base is made of black beans. You read correctly, black beans!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Something wonderful happens when you add roasted red peppers to a plain hummus recipe. It’s slightly sweeter and has a different dimension to it altogether – truly delectable. Although I'm pretty sure I've never seen a roasted red pepper hummus in the Mediterranean.

It goes well in sandwiches as a spread, as a dip with pita chips, crudités or anything you fancy.

Whole-Wheat Pita Bread

There’s a wonderful hole-in-the-wall-restaurant, near Paphos in Cyprus called Feta’s corner. If you ever happen to be there, make sure you go and try their meze for dinner. The cook there sure knows how to cook, she was no gourmet chef, but man, she could _REALLY_ cook! She even transformed a piece of liver into what tasted like a mouth-watering steak (and I dislike liver). The meze is a great way of trying almost sampling everything on the menu. As the small dishes came and went, the waitress kept our bread basket topped up with whole-wheat pita bread – mmmm!

Potato Rolls

I usually eat healthily, although this photograph paints a different picture. I do on occasions, have a burger and fries. But even then, everything is homemade and the fries are baked. I also eat a huge-five-portion-fruit/veg salad with this meal. The total of this meal was 800 calories, not bad going considering most of my dinners are around 700 calories.

Dark Chocolate & Roasted Hazelnut Spread

We used to love Nutella. So much so, that one Christmas, my brother-in-law bought us a humungous jar (3 kg, 6.6 lb) from Luxembourg. Let’s say that jar didn’t last very long!

When we relocated, we ceased to consume it. The Nutella available in the Americas contain modified palm oil, whereas the European variant contains vegetable oil. I would have liked to say that the European stuff is better, but sadly, it’s not. I was blissfully ignorant of the ingredients at the time. All variants of Nutella, regardless of which country it’s sold in, contains soy lecithin and artificial vanillin - two ingredients that I choose not to eat. Read about soy lecithin and vanillin in my nitty gritty pages.

Tofu "Cream" - Yofu

Since we've developed dairy allergies, I’ve really missed a good creamy yoghurt. Any dairy-alternative yoghurt usually has ingredients that I choose to avoid and/or they taste absolutely disgusting.

If you’re not offended by the slight beany flavor from tofu, it is a good dairy-free alternative to yoghurt. It’s great on its own, with granola, fresh fruit and to spread on cakes. I’ve also swirled chopped tinned apricots/apricot compote through it to make a fruity-yogurty dessert, yoghurt-tofu, yofu.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Cupcakes weren’t called cupcakes when I was growing up, they were called fairy cakes. Fairy cakes in those days were nothing special – they were usually served at a child’s birthday party, and that was it.

Nowadays, cupcakes and their availability have not only been spreading throughout the US but they have infiltrated many markets Worldwide. It’s not as if cupcakes are new, it’s the way that they’re beautifully decorated, the flavor combinations and being marketed more at adults that make them popular.

Cuban Bread

I’ve been slowly working my way through "Bernhard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads". Today it was “Cuban Bread”. Don’t even ask me why it’s called “Cuban”, because it has exactly the same ingredients as a French bread – flour, yeast, salt, water and a bit of sugar.

This bread is super-easy. I made it the evening before using my stand mixer, stuck it in the fridge for a cold prove, then in the morning, punched it down and shaped it, left it for 1 hour and then started to bake it.