Hawaii Burgers

From Asian style - to Hawaii!

Yesterday was the first day of Summer over here for as long as I can remember, and luckily i had planned on making burgers, not just any burger....but these delicious patties with a little something exotic - pineapple! As well as sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. These went down a treat, and afterwards we headed to a bar nearby to enjoy a few cold drinks in the last of the sunshine before evening. So good!

Hawaii Burgers
(Serves 2, about 520 calories each)


Mmmm cheesy lid, fruit, vegetables and delicious sauces, not to mention the pattie!

200 g lean beef mince
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 /2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp light butter
2 slices pineapple
2 slices cheddar
Two handfuls sliced iceberg lettuce
Half a small onion, chopped into rings
2 tbsp light sour cream
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 wholemeal burger buns

- Start by making the patties out of mince and spices. Flatten out well as they do shrink a bit when you fry them.

- Turn on the grill on medium high heat for the pineapple, and warm 1 tbsp light butter in a frying pan for the burgers. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until done. Check in on the pineapple every now and again to make sure it doesn't get too burnt.

- In the meantime, you can prepare the onion and lettuce. Once the pineapple and burger patties are done, turn off the frying pan and place the pineapple on top as you lightly grill the top part of the burger buns with a slice of cheese until the cheese has melted.

- On the bottom of the bun, spread 1 tbsp light sour cream over, followed by 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, top with lettuce, patties, pineapple and some onion rings. Place the cheesy roll on top of it, and there you have it!



You can have these on their own or serve with a side of sweet potato wedges, curly fries, crispy onion rings, or whatever you fancy!

Original source:
Hverdags Meny's "Hawaiiburger"

- Jules

Maki Sushi Rolls

Here is the second project I had yesterday, sushi!
I got a book about sushi for christmas, about how to prepare different types of seafood for it. I have always been wanting to try and make it, but the idea of it seems so...well...complex! All these little bits of pieces of preparation and rolling it juuust right. I decided to just try and make some very simple ones, and see how it turned out. Actually, it went beyond my expectations! You can fill these rolls with whatever you like as long as you don't put too much of it in them. Make sure to try and roll them as tightly as you can!

Maki sushi is whenever the rice and other fillings are on the inside of the seaweed/nori sheet.
Use 1 cup rice per cup of water to boil it in!

Maki Sushi Rolls
(Makes about 36, 25-30 calories per piece without filling as it varies a lot!)



175 g/small cup uncooked sticky rice (I used basmati)
1 cup water
2 tbsp rice/sushi vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp mirin

5 nori sheets

Filling:
Whatever you like really! I used:
60 g tinned tuna
1 triangle light laughing cow cream cheese
Thinly sliced red pepper
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
50 g smoked salmon, sliced

To serve:
Soy sauce
Pickled sushi ginger

- Rinse the rice 3-5 times, and leave it in a colander to drain, 30 minutes if it's Summer, an hour if it's Winter (I left it for about 45 minutes.. seeing as it's still Spring!) Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and mirin together in a little bowl.

- Bring the water to the boil and have the rice in with it in a small pot. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the pot of the hob, still covered, and leave for ten minutes. Then pour the rice into a glass dish and spread out, have the vinegar mixture over and stir a little bit, without breaking the rice. It's best to use the rice when it's body temperature.

- Place a sushi mat on top of a chopping board, then have a nori sheet on top of that, shiny side down. Now, you're ready to fill the rolls! Place sushi rice in an even layer from the end closest to you and a little over across the middle. Have whatever fillings you want in a strip across the rice horizontally.

- Carefully take the sushi mat and roll it rightly over the filling, and voila! You have made your first roll of sushi! Now to the cutting....

- Place the rolled up sushi on the chopping board, use a sharp, moistened serrated knife and cut up your maki pieces. Remember to wet the knife between each cut. I found it worked best whenever I cut it slightly diagonally, just a tiiiiny bit though, you still want them to look even!



As for the ends of the rolls, well, mine didn't turn out any good, but out of each roll, I got between 5-6 pieces from each. The ends, I just had first so I now have all the good pieces left to enjoy maybe later on, or tomorrow! So much sushi! *grins*

The combinations I used were cheesy tuna with spring onions and pepper, cheesy tuna with carrot and pepper, smoked salmon with spring onion and carrot. If you run out of fish, just make vegetarian ones! That's what I did with the last sushi roll I made.


I made a sushi bow!

Serve with the pickled ginger and some delicious soy sauce!

Have you ever tried to make sushi before?

Hope you had a nice weekend!

Original source for sushi rice:
http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/minados-perfect-sushi-rice-119373

- Jules

Prawn Spring Rolls

Hello hello!

I got an Asian steamer last week, which inspired me to make some Asian style food. The steamer has not been tried out yet, but I did manage to rattle up a few dishes today! I'll start with these spring rolls that are wrapped in rice-paper. Use fresh prawns or large prawns if you have the chance, as these will be a lot more juicy than the small prawns you usually get in the shops. Oh! And place the wrapped up rolls on a second wooden board to prevent them from sticking.

Prawn Spring Rolls
(Serves 2, about 260 calories each without dipping sauce)



125g cooked and peeled prawns
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 large lemon wedge
100g dry noodles, broken up
2 cups finely sliced or shredded lettuce
6 sheets of rice paper

To serve:
Sweet chilli sauce
Soy sauce
Pickled ginger

- Boil up water and cook up the noodles as instructed.

- Heat the sesame oil in a small pan along with the juice of the lemon wedge, add the prawns and heat through for a few minutes. Take off the heat and let them cool down slightly.

- Drain the water off the noodles and rinse quickly with cold water to cool them down. Have a bowl with warm water next to you, and a large, dry wooden board.

- Now, assemble your ingredients; Soften a sheet of rice paper in the bowl of water and place it on the wooden board (prevents it from sticking!) First have a little bit of the lettuce in a strip across the middle of the rice paper, a little in from the far ends. Top the lettuce with a small bunch of noodles and some of the prawns. Wrap the rice sheet up like a burrito by folding in the sides and then rolling away from you. Place on another wooden board and repeat with the remaining spring rolls. Make sure the rolls are not in contact with one another, as they will stick once they dry a little!

Serve up three each along with dipping sauces, and enjoy!

PS. I didn't use the chopsticks, I just used my hands, otherwise it would definitely have gotten messy! S'up to you!

Unfortunately it's nearing the end of the weekend, but it has been a pretty eventful one over here actually, so I don't mind!

17th of May was Norway's constitution day, and I went out with a few colleagues to celebrate. Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to the zoo in Edinburgh, but on our way it starting pouring down, so our stay only lasted a few hours before we were homeward bound again. In the evening we watched the Eurovision song contest, and today has consisted of buying in food and cooking away!


I couldn't help myself, I had to buy this coaster at the Zoo. Sir Nils Olav is a Norwegian penguin who is now living in Edinburgh. And yes, it's true - in Norway even penguins can get knighted!

Original Source:
http://www.simplylifeblog.com/2013/05/shrimp-spring-rolls-changes/

- Jules

Rhubarb, Strawberry & Lemon Smoothie

It is the day after Norway day, and I were out celebrating with some lovely colleagues! We even had a Scottish guy coming over to our table and he sang a short little drinking song in Norwegian, now how about that?! Love it!

And here's something else that I am...quite fond of to say the least! I made this little sweet treat the other night, and enjoyed it yesterday morning along with my breakfast. Deliciously zingy and just sweet enough!

Rhubarb, Strawberry & Lemon Smoothie
(Serves 3-4, about 130-100 calories each)



200 g rhubarb, chopped
1 tsp dry mint (or a few sprigs of fresh mint)
3 tbsp agave syrup
2 lemons, zest and juice
250 g strawberries, halved

- Boil up about 2 cups of water and have in a medium pan along with lemon zest, rhubarb, agave, mint and both lemon juice and zest. Cover and simmer for about ten minutes until the rhubarb is starting to fall apart.

- Take the pan off the heat and add either 2 cups worth of ice, or ice cold water, along with the strawberries and whizz until you have a smoothie. If it's too thick for your liking, add a little bit more water! Leave in the fridge to cool for a few hours before serving.


After the picture was taken, I stirred it up, and it tasted delicious! Natural yogurt with oats served with smoothie, mmm!

You can have this on it's own, garnished with either fruit or mint leaves, serve it topped with champagne or use it as a yogurt topping! It's deliciously fresh and not too sweet!

And here's my little pile of Norwegian sweets that I've got, there is more in the munchy cupboard, but it couldn't fit in the picture...oops!



This will probably last me until christmas! Haha, everything in moderation *smiles*

Original source:
http://yourintrinsicbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/strawberry-rhubarb-mint-lemonade.html

- Jules

Breakfasts, Lunches, Brunches & Snacks

Hello and happy 17th of May to all my fellow Norwegians!


I'm running late for work, and are really no good with Paint!

This is officially the annual Norway day, and there will be parades, music, good food, and funfairs all over the country. I miss celebrating 17th of May there, I think I might try and make it there for it next year. Perhaps, perhaps! I have loads of Norwegian sweets from my recent visit though, and I'm sure I can track down an ice cream and a hot dog or perhaps some cake during the day!

Now though, onto something completely different!
I've realised that I've posted up an awful lot of dinner foods and not so much lunches and breakfasts, but simply because I normally just throw something random together! I decided to make a sort of compilation of some of the different foods I eat for the smaller meals. This does not include dishes I have posted in the past. OK, here we go!

Breakfasts, Lunches, Brunches & Snacks

Number 1 - Turkey salad with Pomegranate Seeds - 200-230 calories
Salad - Spinach, cherry tomatoes, 100 g turkey (I used sweet chilli), 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds, BBQ sauce, a drizzle of balsamic glaze

Number 2 - Creamy Tuna and Vegetable - 300-320 calories
170g tin tuna (aboout 120 g drained), 1 red chilli, 100 g courgette, 2 light laughing cow triangles (about 50 g light soft cheese), salt, pepper, onion poweder, smoked paprika. Served with 2 rye bread slices and flora light spread.

Number 3 - Chocolate Protein Pancake - 155 calories (excludes topping)
1 egg white, 15 g (2/3 scoop) vanilla protein (or chocolate...of course!), 1/3 tsp baking powder, 2 topped tsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp agave nectar, 50 ml semi skimmed milk, 100 ml water
Leave for 5-10 minutes before frying in a non/stick frying pan, and top with syrup, nut butter, jam or whatever topping you'd like!

Number 4 - Salmon wrap, about 250 calories
One wholemeal wrap (medium), with 50 g smoked salmon and two scrambled egg whites, salt and pepper.

Number 5 - Pea Omelette, about 160 calories without the bread (bread is good though, mmmm!)
1 egg and one egg white, about 100 g peas, soy sauce, salt, paprika. Was served with a slice of toast!

Number 6 - Balance, about 310 calories
Half a tub of quark mixed with 1 tsp agave syrup and cinnamon, sprinkle with extra cinnamon if you're as big a fan of it as me! A whole slice of rye bread with 25 g light laughing cow, a little pepper, some salad leaved and a slice of Bavarian ham



Number 7 - Quorn Burger and scrambled Vegetables, about 160 calories
1 quorn burger, 100 g little gem lettuce, 100 g chestnut mushrooms, 6 cherry tomatoes, soy sauce, 1 scrambled egg white.



Number 8 - Wholemeal Tuna Wrap, about 245 calories
Wholemeal wrap with some crunchy salad, 65 g tuna, 25 g soft cream cheese (I used laughing cow), salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. A drizzle of barbeque sauce.

Number 9 - Savoury protein pancake, about 100-150 depending on milk, yogurt and protein powder.
Made of 2 egg whites, half a scoop of natural flavoured protein, half a cube of chicken stock, water, milk/yogurt, salt, pepper, other seasoning. Drizzle of balsamic glaze

Number 10 - Vegetable and rice protein pancake, about 250 calories
2 egg whites, half a scoop natural protein, half a stock cube, seasoning (salt, pepper, smoked paprika), two tablespoons of already cooked rice, about 50 g garden peas, water, milk/yogurt and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Number 11 - Warm salad, about 70 calories with soy, no egg or sauce
Saute 50-100 g crunchy leaf mix, 100 g mushrooms, 6 cherry tomatoes in a pan with some soy sauce, drizzle over some barbeque sauce and add a hard boiled egg if you want!

Number 12 - British Breakfast Wrap, about 500 calories
Fry 1 square sausage, one piece of black pudding and an egg. Fold up in a wrap and serve!

Number 13 - Strawberry Yogurt, about 180 calories
150 ml natural low-fat yogurt, 200 g strawberries (chopped). Mix in 3/4 of the strawberries with the yogurt, use stick blender if you like. Top with remaining strawberries and some sukrin gold (optional).



Number 13 - EGG, 70-80 calories
Simply boil an egg! 10 minutes for well done (my favourite) or 6-7 minutes for a soft boiled runny egg! Because it doesn't always have to be complicated to be delicious!



I hope you have a fantasmic day!

- Jules

Beany Burgers with Basil Tzatziki

Apparently I was to only add half the breadcrumbs to the mix and then coat the burgers with the remainings crumbs, instead - I added the whole lot, which made no difference at all if you ask me. Also, the patties were meant to be chilled in the fridge for half an hour before going in the pan...oops I missed that step too, but you know what? It didn't matter, as these lovely patties turned out really well!

Beany Burgers with Basil Tzatziki
(Serves 2, about 425 - includes tzatziki, not bread)



25 g pinenuts
175 g berlotti beans (300 g tin)
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 big tbsp red pesto or sundried tomato paste
40 g breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried thyme
1 egg
1 tbsp sunflower oil for frying

Tzatziki with basil to serve, along with good bread, potato wedges, side salad or whatever you desire!

I got some normal tzatziki and swirled plenty of finely chopped basil through, served the burgers on some wholemeal mini sub-rolls and made some sweet potato wedges, I also had some spinach leaves on the side with a bit of the remaining tzatziki and a splash of soy sauce, deeelicious!

- Lightly dry roast the pine nuts in a large frying pan (use the same as you'll fry the burgers in later).

- Have the berlotti beans in a bowl and mash them, before adding the pine nuts, onion, pesto and the breadcrumbs, thyme and egg. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper, maybe some smoked paprika? Mix it all well.

- Shape four patties with wet hands. Heat the oil in the frying pan and fry the burger patties on medium heat for a 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked.

Serve up with warm bread and some basil tzatziki! Or simply with a side salad as a light snack. I also had a dash of barbeque sauce on them for a tiny bit of a kick!

On another note, I read a blog post about steaming vegetables the Asian style here:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/ and it really got me inspired, so what did I end up doing on my lunch break? I went and bought a two-part bamboo steamer of course! On my way through the little Glaswegian China Town, I also bought a sushi mat and some nori sheets, so I miiiight be trying to make some home made sushi in the not so distant future. If you don't see it on my blog though, you will know I failed. Fingers crossed it'll have a happy ending, I couldn't bear the thought of wasted sushi material. Saying that, I would probably make a sushi salad with the "failed" project and enjoy it all the same, it just wouldn't look as nice, hehe!



Original source:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2535/

- Jules

Kjøttsuppe

...as in Meat Soup, but it's more like a stew really! There are hundreds of ways of making a nice hearty stew, and wanting to try something Norwegian, but slightly different, I found this that I figured I'd give a go. And it turned out really good! For what else can you want on a cold (!!!) evening in May than a warm, hearty bowl of stew?
You can change the meats I've used for lamb, or mix either of the three really!

Kjøttsuppe
(Serves 2-3, about 435-290 calories each)



1 tbsp light butter
150g beef, diced
200g pork chops (about 2), diced
600ml-1l beef stock
1 leek, chopped
1 small turnip, about 500g, diced
150g broccoli, chopped (or cauliflower)
Salt and pepper to taste

Bread to serve, I used the last of the cornbread that I made a while back, mmmm!

- Brown the meat in a big pan with the butter on medium high heat for a few minutes.

- As you go along, chop the leek and add it to the meat, repeat with the turnip. Let it simmer for a few minutes before adding broccoli and stock.

- Cover the pot and turn the heat down low, and leave it to simmer for 40 minutes-1 hour. Season to taste and serve with some tasty bread!

On another note, I tried to make a chocolate protein pudding last night, but I fear it turned out a liiittle more solid than I had hoped. I used a whole sachet of gelatine, and I think I only needed half of it, oops! Here's a photo of it anyway!



If I get around to improve the recipe, then I'm sure it'll end up here eventually!

What's your favourite dessert?

Original source:
http://www.matprat.no/oppskrifter/rask/raske-oppskrifter/kjottsuppe

- Jules