An absolutely delicious vegetarian moussaka

Moussaka may well be one of the most delicious dishes ever! It´s perfect to make when you have potatoes that must be used. I'm not so fond off the traditional bechamel sauce so I chose to make a feta cheese sauce instead. The result was incredibly, incredibly yummie!

Ingredients:
(Approx. 4-5 port.)
300 g potatoes
700 g eggplants
Olive oil
Herb salt
Cheese for topping
Tomato sauce:
1 yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
500 g diced tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
1 dl dry red lentils
1 dl water
1,5 tsp oregano
1,5 tsp basil
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp herb salt
1 dash of chiliflakes
Feta cheese sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp plain flour
5 dl milk
150-200 g feta cheese
1,5 tsp oregano
1,5 tsp basil
1 tsp lemon pepper

Directions:

• Chop the onion and the garlic.
• Fry in oil until softened.
• Add the diced tomatoes, the stock cube, the lentils, the water and the seasoning and stir. Leave on the stove at low heat while preparing the other things.
• Turn the oven to 200 degrees.
• Slice the eggplants and spread them in an oven pan. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and put them in the oven for ten minutes.

• Heat the oil for the feta cheese sauce in a saucepan.
• Add the flour while stirring and move the saucepan from the heat.
• Add half the milk while stirring.

• Return the saucepan onto the heat and add the remaining milk while stirring. Let it boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the feta cheese while stirring.
• Season with oregano, basil and lemon pepper.
• Peel the potatoes and cut it into paper-thin slices.
• Layer the potatoes, the eggplant, the tomato sauce and the feta cheese sauce in an oven dish.

• Spread the sauce over the last layer to cover the eggplant and the potatoes and then put it in the oven.
• Bake for 35 minutes, then sprinkle with grated cheese and let bake another five minutes until the cheese has melted and received a slightly brown surface.
• Ready to be served! Preferably along with a Greek salad.

Exquisite homemade Granola with a taste of ginger bread

To convince you all of the greatness of this granola I must tell you that it has had a permanent place on my breakfast table nearly every day since I first tasted it (Approx. 5 years ago).
A bowl of granola with soured milk and a whole wheat toast sandwich with butter, cheese and ketchup is you need to get a good start of the day!

We usually make a double batch and then it´s still gone by the end of the week.

Ingredients:
(Double batch)
12 dl oatmeal (fiber)
1 dl pumpkin seeds
1 dl sunflower seeds
2 dl sesame seeds (peeled)
2 tbsp cinnamon powder
Approx. 1.5 tbsp ground ginger
Approx. 1.5 tbsp ground cloves
6 tbsp raw cane sugar
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp food oil
2 dl water

Directions:

• Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl (or a large pot).
• Add oil and water while stirring so that it doesn´t become lumpy.
• Pour the mixture into an oven pan.
• Roast in the oven for approx. 45 minutes (I usually turn the oven off  after 45 minutes and leave the granola inside until the oven is cold).
• Stir occasionally to prevent the granola from getting burned.

After the granola has cooled; store it dry in a jar with a lid.

Tips: Raisins and soured milk along with this is like icing on the cake!

Spinach Pancakes with feta cheese/goat cheese and cream cheese

1 liter of milk (which had past the expiration date) stood in the fridge. I didn´t want it to go to waste and the only milk based dish I could think of at the moment was pancakes. But instead of the traditional ones I wanted to create something more satiating and luxurious, and this became the result!

Ingredients:
(Approx. 6 pancakes)
4 dl milk
4 eggs
1.5 dl flour (I used one half plain white flour, one half whole wheat flour)
160 g fresh spinach (frozen chopped spinach works probably just as well)
2 tsp salt (I used herb salt)
2-3 tbsp butter
Feta cheese or goat cheese, I would say at least 100 g
(½ -1 package of cream cheese)

Directions:

• Chop the spinach thoroughly and fry in some butter. Season with salt.

• Mix the flour, the remaining salt and half the milk into a lump-free mixture.
• Add the eggs, the remaining milk and stir.
• Add the spinach.
• Heat a frying pan and add some butter.
• Wait until the butter has finished bubbling and then pour an optional amount of the mixture in the pan, depending on desired size.
• Let the bottom harden and then crumble some feta or goat cheese on at will.

• Flip the pancake and bake the other side.
• Ready to be served! For best result; add some cream cheese to the pancake.

I tried both with feta and goatcheese and even though I usually prefer goat cheese I must say that the feta version won my vote this tim e, but it's a matter of taste, both tasted delicious! Next time I'll make theese I´ll add some savory cheese (grated) to the mixture and sprinkle the pancake with sunflower seeds. It will probably taste even better!

Chili roasted almonds

A very simple recipe, but a yet so tasty snack!

Ingredients:
200 g almonds
2 tsp salt
1 tsp raw sugar
1 dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:

• Heat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Place the almonds in a strainer, rinse with water and let drain thoroughly.
• Place the almonds in a pile on an oven tray covered with baking paper (or an oven dish).
• Add the spices and mix everything with your hands.
• Roast the almonds in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. (Watch them carefully so that they don´t get burned!)

Easy as pie!

A delicious chocolate-cake, similar to brownies (The Swedish Kladdkaka, (smudge cake))

A traditional chocolate-cake recipe can be found almost anywhere, but the taste of it varies a lot! This cake is incredibly yummy, smudgy and also very easily made, need I say more?

Ingredients:
3 dl sugar
1,5 dl plain white flour
4 tbsp cocoa
1,5 tsp vanilla powder
1 dash of salt
2 eggs
1 dl melted butter (or margarine in a bottle)

Directions:

• Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.
• Add the eggs and the butter.
• Pour the mixture in a springform pan (or something alike) and spread it out.

• Bake the cake in the oven for 30 minutes at 160 degrees.
• Serve as it is or along with whipped cream, vanilla cream or ice-cream and fresh berries!

Chickpea stew with coconut milk and spinach

This stew is very tasty hot as cold and also very easily prepared. I usually serve it along with whole wheat pasta, but it tastes just as good with rice, noodles, couscous, etc.

Ingredients:
1 can of coconut milk á la 400 ml
500 g crushed tomatoes
2 yellow onions
2 tbsp curry powder (I'm using a spicy one)
1 tbsp oil
2 pkg chickpeas á la 380 g (canned)
300 g frozen chopped spinach
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
3 cloves of garlic (more or less depending on the desired strength)
1 tbsp sambal oelek (more or less depending on the desired strength)

Directions:

• Chop the onion and the garlic and fry it in oil along with the curry.
• Add the coconut milk and the stock cubes.
• Boil for 5 minutes. 

• Add the crushed tomatoes, the frozen spinach, the chickpeas and the sambal oelek.
• Stir and let boil.

VOILÀ!

Berry-pie with crumb topping

Yet another heavenly dessert! It´s practically a plain pie recipe, but when you add the almond paste to the dough it makes a great difference!

Ingredients:
(Dough)
2 dl plain white flour
100 g butter
1 tbsp sugar
75 g almond paste
(Filling)
500 g berries/fruit (I used raspberries and blueberries, another tasty combination is raspberry/rhubarb)
1 dl sugar
1 tbsp potato flour

Directions:

• Pour the berries/fruit into a pie dish, sprinkle with sugar and potato flour and mix.
• Mix the ingredients for the dough.
• Crumble the dough over the berries in the pie dish.

• Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 220 degrees.
• Serve with vanilla cream, whipped cream or as it is!

The pie was well recieved!