VIKINGS RYE FOCACCIA

Already vikings were growing rye believing it gave them more strengths.
94% of rye is produced in Europe and
rye bread is very popular in Nordic countries.

Ingredients:

30g yeast

320g water

25g olive oil

100g rye flour

385g plain flour

9g salt

handful herbs / chopped

20g olive oil 

Mix yeast with water.

Add olive oil.

Mix flours with salt and add it to the liquid.

Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.

Add the herbs.

Knead another 5 minutes.

Form the dough into ball and put it into deep bowl.

Cover with a towel and let rise 1 hour.

Punch the dough back after first rise.

Rise it another hour.

Preheat oven to 250C or 480F.

Transfer dough to baking sheet and dimple with your fingertips.

Brush with oil.

Let rise another 1/2 hour.

Bake the bread for 10 minutes in 250C/480F and then 30-40minutes in 180-200C/390F.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL SUMMER CHICKEN SALAD WITH CRANBERRIES

This is a perfect salad.

Let me tell you why.

It looks good and colorful. How the food looks is one of the first sensory criterias. The sight of this chicken salad makes your brain decide to eat it or not.

I guess it tells you to eat it :).

It is full of good protein, vegetables and herbs.

It makes your body happy and gives you right energy.

It makes you jump in a hot summer evening and scream :

"Life is beautiful"

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 smaller chicken breast 

2 tbsp harissa or other chili sauce

2 cloves garlic/ pressed

pinch of salt

olive oil

2 avocados / chopped

1 spring onion / chopped

2 baby tomatoes

1/2 pomegranate

8 dryed cranberries

handful of chopped chives and basil leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1/2 tbsp cherry vinegar

pinch of salt

Marinate chicken with harissa, garlic and salt.

In a large pan over medium heat cook the chicken in olive oil until golden brown on both sides.

Cool the chicken and cut in cubes.

In a bowl toss together chicken, avocado, spring onion, tomatoes, pomegranate, cranberries, chives and basil. Season with salt and add olive oil, balsamic and cherry vinegar. 

DARK CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOPS

Dark chocolate with high cocoa level is good for you. The more cocoa beans the higher is the nutritional quality of the chocolate.

Cocoa is a great source of flavonoids, that have anti-allergies, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory activities.

Ingredients:

Dark chocolate

Dried fruits mix

Pistachios

Lollipop sticks

Melt the chocolate. 

Put a lollipop stick on the baking sheet. Spoon a round thick circle of chocolate around the edge of the lollipop. Add dried fruits and nuts.

Chill or wait until firm.

VEGETABLE STIR FRY WITH HOMEMADE PLUMSAUCE

It is not complicated to prepare homemade healthy food for you and your family.

Buy whatever vegetables you want and mix them all together with some good olive oil, soy sauce and homemade plum sauce.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 onion /chopped

2 cloves garlic /crushed

2 cm fresh ginger /crushed

1 broccoli /chopped

2 carrots / chopped

5 baby tomatoes / halved

1 cauliflower / chopped
handful of chopped walnuts

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

salt/pepper

olive oil or sesam oil

Plum sauce:

3 ripe plums / chopped

2 tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup / 200 ml water

In a large saucepan boil plums over medium heat with sugar and salt. Boil 15 minutes or until plums are very tender. 

Press the plums through sieve and put aside.

Heat large sauce pan on medium heat and add some oil. Saute onions with garlic and ginger. Add carrots. Mix well and add some more oil if needed. 

After 1 minute add all the other vegetables.

Add soy sauce

Mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Stir fry 4-5 minutes.

Add plum sauce and stir well for 1 minute.

DAD'S PICKLED SUMMER GHERKINS

Ooooooh

Pickled Gherkins

Gherkin - what a funny name isn't it?

:)

Ingredients: 

As many small gherkins as you want

For 1 l water:

1.5 tbsp corser/sea salt

0.5 tbsp sugar

handful dill

handful black currant leaves

2-3 garlic cloves / halved

Add cold water in a big bowl and leave the gherkins there for 1 hour.

Cook the water with salt and sugar. Let it cool down.

In a large jar place some black currant leaves, some dill and garlic. Put 1 layer of gherkins on the top. Then add again black currant leaves, dill and garlic and put another layer of gherkins on the top. Do it as long as the jar is full. Add some black currant leaves on the top.
Add salt/sugar water.

Leave it overnight in fridge.

You can already enjoy them the next day.

This recipe is linked to Foodie Friends Friday 

CARROT BUNS

Visited farmers market yesterday.

Bought some strawberries and dill and beetroots.

Went by some tourists just when they took a photo.

So now I am on their photo.

How many other photos are there all over the world with me on the background?

Interesting to know but I will never find answer to this question.

7-9 buns

Ingredients:

250 ml plain yoghurt

20 g fresh yeast

20 g sugar

1 egg

2 carrots/grated

1.5 tbsp sea salt

100 g rye flour

400 g plain flour

75 g  butter/ cold cubes

some rolled oats for garnish

In a mixing bowl mix yeast with yoghurt and sugar.

Beat the egg and put 2 tbsp in fridge.

Add the rest of the egg, salt, carrots and flour to the yoghurt mix and beat on low speed for 3-5  minutes.

Add butter cubes one after another to the dough. 

Cover and let rise 2 hours.

Make small dough buns. Put some rolled oats on the top.

Let rise another 40 minutes.

Bake at 200C /400F for 10-15 minutes until buns are golden brown.

Take the buns out of the owen.

Brush quickly with beated cold egg.

CORNFLAKES CHICKEN NUGGETS

Looking for healthy and yummy food for your family - here it is 

Cornflakes Chicken Nuggets

It is so easy to do and 

you will be loooooooved.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

450g Chicken Breast /cut into Nugget size bites

1 egg / beaten with pinch of salt

60g cornflakes / crashed in plastic bag

50g Grated Cheese (Parmesan)

1 Garlic Clove / crushed

juice of 1 Lemon

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

Mix cheese and garlic in plastic bag with cornflakes.

Dipp the chicken bits in beaten egg and then put them all into plastic bag.

Shake the bag so all the chicken bits are coated with cornflakes mix.

Grease the baking sheet.

Arrange chicken on the baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Pour lemon juice over.

Eat with yummy dips.

CREAMY SALMON POTATO SALAD

For me this salad represents summer.

New potatoes with sour cream and fresh dill from the garden.

You can add whatever fish or meat you like.

My favorite is with hot smoked salmon.

Typical Nordic food

Serves 4

Ingredients:

400g / 3 cups cooked new small potatoes 

2 hard boiled eggs / halved

150-200g / 1 cup sour cream/creme fraiche

100-150g / 2/3 cup salmon (or roast beef, ham)

If you use salmon then juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp mustard (I prefer dijon or english)

handful of chopped dill

pinch of salt/pepper

Mix sour cream with mustard, chopped dill and salt/pepper.

Pour lemon juice over salmon. 

In a large bowl toss together potatoes with salmon chunks and sour cream mix.

Top with halved eggs.

FISH A LA WALLENBERG

Wallenbergare is a luxury swedish meat patty named after a swedish famous family. It is usually made with ground veal, eggs, cream and breadcrumbs. 

Here is my version with fish.

( My little son loves it :)

Ingredients:

Burger:

200g boneless Salmon fillets

200g boneless Zander fillets /or some other white fish

80-100 dl double cream

1 egg

2 toasts without crusts/ crumbled in food processor or ready breadcrumbs

white pepper

handful of basil / chopped

pinch of salt/pepper

oil

Place the fish in a food processor. Process until smooth.

Add double cream, egg and chopped basil, salt, pepper.

Mix well. Shape into patties.

Mix pinch of white pepper with breadcrumbs.

Make little fishpatties and sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top. Fry the patties with some butter or oil . 

If you want to make burgers with bread, here is my easy Burger Bread recipe:

Burger Bread:

250ml Milk
20g fresh yeast
20g sugar
1 Egg
1,5 tsp Sea Salt
250g Plain Flour
250g Rye Flour
75g Butter
Sesam Seeds and Rolled Oats

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in (finger) warm milk and sugar. Beat the egg and put 3 tbsp in the fridge. Add the rest of the egg, salt and flour to the milk and beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Then on high speed for 5 minutes. On the low speed add butter cubes one after another to the dough.

Cover and let rise 1 hour in a warm place.

Knead for 5 minutes and divide the dough in small dough balls. Let rise another 40 minutes.

Top with sesam and rolled oats.

Brush with beated cold egg. Bake at 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Burger "Sauce":
2 avocados / mashed
1 little onion / finely chopped
2 tbsp sour cream/creme fraiche
dash of lemon juice

BUCKWHEAT CRACKERS

Midsommer is soon here.

This is perfect little snack for summer solstice party.

Or however you call it in your country:

Adonia

St. John's Feast Day

Ligo

Lida

Midsommar

Ivan Kupala Day

Juhannus

Alban Hefin

Gwyl Ganol yr Haf

Sankthans

Jaanipäev

Keskikesä

Rasos

Ingredients:

1 cup/ 150g plain flour

1 cup/ 100g buckwheat flour 

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp sesam seeds

1 tbsp linseeds

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup/ 115 g heavy cream (a bit more if needed)

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and pepper. Add butter (I am doing it with a food processor but you can make the dough by hand if you wish so). Mix well.

Pour in the cream and pulse until rough mass forms.

Scrape the dough out onto a clean work surface and gently squeeze it together. Add a few more drops of cream if the dough will not hold a soft shape. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes for up to1 hour.

Preheat an oven to 350F / 177C.

Unwrap the dough, cut it half and place one half on lightly floured baking paper. Roll out the dough into a rectangular sheet as thin as possible. Add the seeds evenly on the top of the dough. Roll over the sheet once more. Cut the sheet of dough into shapes now if you wish.

Place the sheet with the baking paper on the oven pan and bake until they are crisp and light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Do the same with the second half of the dough.

Eat with cream cheese&avocado spread.

The Crackers recipe is modified after Williams-Sonoma recipe.

This is Bake Along event organized by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids.

ASPARAGUS&MELON&DATE SALAD IN PARMESANO BASKET

 Just a salad.

Easy, or?

Only when you master the art of combining a salad with the right balance between the 4 basic tastes -sweetness, saltiness, sourness and bitterness - 

a whole new world opens up to you.

It's time for Revolution...

Serves 1 (just double the amount for 1 more)

Ingredients:

40g or 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Handful of mixed baby salad 

2 asparagus 

2 dates/ chopped

1 tbsp good olive oil

1/2 tbsp cherry vinegar

2 slices of melon /peeled and chopped

pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 200C /400F.

(You can do the parmesan basket also on the pan)

Spread thin circle of grated parmesan evenly on the baking paper. Bake 4-6 minutes in oven until golden brown. Let parmesan cool 1/2 minute and then carefully remove it from the paper. Drape it over a bowl or water glass. Shape it into a cup form.and let it cool. Then remove it from the bowl and voila, you have a parmesan basket.

Snap of the woody ends of asparagus. Cook them 1-2 minutes in salty water. Cut asparagus into smaller pieces.

Fill the basket with salad, asparagus, melon and dates.

Add olive oil and cherry vinegar and pinch of salt.

This recipe is linked to Foodie Friends Friday