Colorful Summer Chickpea Salad

Hi there,

so today I want to show you the recipe for this amazing colorful summer salad with chickpeas and pomegranate. It is not only pretty it is also very good for you: the chickpeas have a lot of iron, calcium and protein and the pomegranate has a lot of B-vitamins and iron too. That's why this salad is very good for vegetarian and also vegan (just do the recipe without feta-cheese) people, it gives you a lot of nutrients that are in meat, fish, milk, eggs,... .

I love this salad on hot days because it is so refreshing and also easy to prepare! 

In the last months I made this salad a lot for friends that came for dinner/lunch. I served it as a side dish and everyone loved it!! 

Ingredients: 2 cans (250g) chickpeas

                         1 pomegranate

                         1 cup cherry tomatos 

                         150g feta cheese

                         1 small red onion

                         1 bunch of parsley/cilantro

     Dressing: 1 garlic clove (use as much as you want)

                             4 tbsp olive oil

                             2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

                             the juice of 1/2 lemon

                             1 tsp honey

                             salt and pepper 

Before I start with the instructions a little tip on how to get the seeds out of the pomegranate because it is kind of tricky and can get very messy.
- cut the pomegranate in half (not trough the crown, so not like an     
  apple)
- brake the two halfs again in smaller peaces with your hands 
  (careful it might splash very red juice)
- carefully take out the grains with your fingers

There you have it!! It is kind of difficult but after you do it once or twice you'll get the hang of it
                                                                     

1. Make the dressing by just combining all the ingredients
2. Take the chickpeas out of the can and rinse them with water and put them
    into a salad bowl
3. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them into the bowl
4. Cut the cheese into little cubes and the onion into rings
5. Wash the parsley and cut it into the size you want
6. Mix everything

That's it!! 

                 

                

 I hope you enjoy this salad!!

Tell me what you think of it and how you would change it!

xxx

Claire

Healthy Cantuccini

Hello there,

today I thought I'd show you the recipe for a healthy version of the Italian biscuits "Cantuccini".

I love them so much, that I already made them 6 times in the last few weeks! 

They are filled with fibers and healthy fats, so they are not only a "no-regrets" treat but healthy and good for you.

These are cookies you can serve with tea and coffee or just snack on.

Ingredients: 1 cup wholemeal flour
                       1 1/3 cup ground almonds
                       1/4 cup brown sugar
                       1/4 cup honey/maple or agave syrup (what you prefer)
                       2 eggs
                       2 tbsp almond butter
                       1/2 tsp cinnamon
                       1 tsp vanilla extract
                       pinch salt
                       1/2 cup almonds (you can use more if you want)

Instructions: 1. In a big bowl mix all the ingredients (apart from                                      
                             the whole almonds) together.
                             It may seem a bit dry at first but just keep mixing   
                             and it should get a doughy consistency.                                           
              
                        2. Add the almonds by folding them in with your hands.    
                             Don't use them all at once, step by step add about     
                             otherwise they won't spread in the dough.
              
                         3. Make three about 3cm (1 inch) thick dough rolls and                     
                             place them on a backing tray.
              
                         4. Bake them for 10 min at 180 degree Celsius (350 F) in the ov                                                                       
              
                         5. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a little bit.
                             Cut the rolls slightly diagonal in 1-2cm thick slices to get the Cantuccini 
                             shabe.  (It is kind of challenging to cut the rolls without them falling apart.
                             You can shape the biscuit by pressing it together with your fingers...                        
                             but they don't have to be perfect)
                 

                           6. Place the baking tray again in the oven at the same for about 15-20 min                                   
                                 until they turn gold-brown.
                       
                            7. Let them cool down and enjoy!!

                       

I hope you recreate these Cantuccini and enjoy them as much as I do!!

I would love to hear what you think of this recipe!

Thanks for reading!

xxx

Claire