BBQ honey & mustard chicken kebabs

Few days ago I visited my parents in Estonia. As the weather was nice, and my dad was home, I took the unilateral decision that we have to have a barbecue and as I am still fascinated about the mustard and honey combination I felt it was my job to get other people hooked on it as well (in which I succeeded). As it was really hot outside, having something heavy was out of question and chicken kebabs, marinated in my favourite sauce, with vegetables and pineapple sounded like the perfect choice. I served the kebabs with a leafy green salad, which goes really well with the sweet and mustardy chicken. So, when looking for something light and summery, this is the recipe to go for.

Ingredients
(Makes 7 kebabs)
- 4 chicken breast fillets, chopped
- 1/2 pineapple, cut into pieces
- 1 small red pepper, cut into pieces
- 1 small yellow pepper, cut into pieces
- 1 onion, cut into pieces
- 4 tbsp honey
- 4 tsp Dijon mustard
- 7 bamboo kebab skewers

Directions
Mix honey and mustard in a bowl until nicely combined. Chop up the chicken breasts into decent sized chunks and place in the same bowl and mix until the chicken is evenly covered with the mixture. Let it marinate for few hours. In the meantime, chop up the rest of the ingredients and 30 before starting grilling soak the bamboo skewers in water to prevent them from burning. When 30 minutes is up, place the ingredients the skewers and then grill on a barbecue, in a foil tray to prevent the chicken from burning, until the chicken is cooked (make sure you don't overcook it as it turns very dry). Serve and enjoy immediately.

Turkey & mustard sandwich

Usually when I'm longing for a quick lunch or a snack I try to think of new and interesting (and not always the fastest) ideas. However, this time I had reached a point when I just wanted something simple and therefore I opted for a nice open sandwich. I am a big fan of open sandwiches as they have less bread and to be honest I even didn't know that 'real' sandwiches were with two slices of bread. Over the years I've began having rye or wholegrain bread instead of white bread, which means that my sandwiches have become a lot healthier. I had bought some really nice roast turkey from Whole Foods deli counter (absolutely heavenly), so decided to make my sandwich with that. To spice it up a bit I added some mustard and to keep the sandwich nice and moist I used some spinach, cucumber and tomato. But, long story short, this sandwich was exactly what I needed - simple, tasty, healthy and quick to make. This makes a perfect snack or a nice lunch bite, which can be easily taken into work or university.

Ingredients
(Makes 2 slices)
- 1 slice of Biona rye bread, halved
- 2 slices of turkey ham (or roast turkey)
- 20g baby spinach leaves
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 4 slices of cucumber
- 2 cherry tomatoes
- Bit of butter
- Freshly ground pepper

Directions
First cut the bread into half and toast it.  Then spread a very thin layer of butter on the slices. Divide the baby spinach leaves between the bread slices, top each with turkey and spread a teaspoon of mustard on each. Place two slices of cucumber and tomato on each and top it off with some freshly ground pepper.

Mustard & honey chicken salad

It is amazing how over the time my taste has changed. 10 years ago I refused to eat rice and now I probably have it more often than potatoes. The same story goes in regards various other foods as well. But what I was the most surprised about was that the two foods that I absolutely hated - honey and mustard - were the ones I learnt to like out of the blue. I'm pretty sure that if I would have had a choice, I would have eaten anything so long as I would not have had to eat honey or mustard. However, keeping in mind the fact that taste develops and changes (a very good comparison can be drawn with wine - I started off with sweet, but now I find to too sweet), I decided to give mustard and honey a go. I remember that the first time I tried it out I was so sceptical - I even had a back-up dinner plan. However, when I tried the chicken I was swept off my feet - it tasted soooo good. So, thanks to that little experience I discovered something new that I like and and this means that I have the possibility of trying out various dishes and recipes that I previously couldn't, because I couldn't stand the taste of honey or mustard. Right now, I can't even remember when was the last time I had chicken and it was without mustard and honey marinade!

This time diced up the chicken and used it in a salad (I'm trying to make salads less boring and monotone), but it is also one of my favourite ways to cook chicken breasts these days. The combination of mustard and honey is a match made in heaven - I even don't use salt as it is so flavourful already - and the coating keeps the chicken nice and juicy. And, as usual, trying to keep on the healthy side I topped the salad off with some pomegranate seeds - their sweetness adds to the combination of different flavours and they are packed with antioxidants. The result - tasty, juicy and healthy salad!

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 140g chicken breast fillet, cubed
- 1 tbsp clear honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 70g leafy salads (for example spinach, rocket, watercress)
- 3tbsp pomegranate seeds

Directions
Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes and place in a bowl. Pour over the honey and mustard and mix well and let it stand for at least 15 minutes (I usually prepare the chicken in the morning and let it marinate until I need it later on during the day). Heat a a tiny bit of oil in the pan and fry the chicken until cooked.

Place the salad on a plate, top with chicken and sprinkle everything with pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Spinach & feta crustless quiche

Quiches a great for lunch or served alongside a salad. However, usually they are far from healthy - the pastry crust is a killer, so to speak. Making a quiche without the pasty is actually a lot easier than it sounds and adding a tiny bit of flour to the mixture, which settles around the edges, creates a fake feeling of 'crust'. So, this is a lighter version of normal spinach & feta quiche. Spinach and feta are known for going together (one very mild and the other a bit salty) and this makes a really nice lunch meal. Also, as it serves two, the other can be kept in the fridge and eaten the day after - for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 30g spelt flour (or any other flour)
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 150ml skimmed milk
- 85g spinach
- 40g feta cheese
- Butter, for greasing the tins
- Freshly ground pepper, to serve

Directions
Heat the oven to 200C / 180C fan. Heat a bit of oil in a pan and fry the onion for few minutes. Then add the spinach and mix until spinach is completely wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, egg, egg white, salt, baking powder and milk. Add the spinach to the mixture. Grease two small tins / ramekins (approximately 12 cm in diameter) and divide the mixture between them. Bake for 20 minutes (until golden brown) and then leave to rest for 5 minutes before removing them from the tin and cutting them. Serve either warm or cold with freshly ground pepper, just on its own or with a leafy salad.

You can also double the recipe and use a 23cm springform tin instead - just increase the cooking time to 25-30 minutes.

Blueberry muffins

There are very few things in the life that can beat fresh home baked muffins for breakfast - they are guaranteed to make sure that the day will go well. After having three exams this week (I feel like a wreck), I decided to treat myself for a nice late breakfast, or actually, more of a brunch. When I was thinking of what to have I realised that so many muffin recipes out there require way too many ingredients that I usually don't have at home. Also, as I have a big bag of spelt flour to use up, so I really wanted a recipe using spelt flour and not requiring me to go out food shopping in the morning. However, as usual, books and websites were useless! Therefore, inspired by all the other muffin recipes I decided to improvise and the result was delicious - not too sweet and perfectly moist.

The muffins themselves are relatively healthy (well, as healthy as muffins can be) and thus a guilt free way to start a day. However, as I felt like a deserved a treat, I decided to top the muffins with a delicious cream cheese glaze. Needless to say that it was one indulgent breakfast...

Ingredients
(Serves 6 - 190cal per serving without the glaze)
For the muffins:
- 125g spelt flour (or any other flour)
- 20g sugar
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 65g butter, melted
- 125ml skimmed milk
- 150g blueberries

For the glaze:
- 70g Philadelphia cheese
- 4tbsp icing sugar
- 1tsp vanilla sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 160C fan/ 180C and line a 12 hole muffin tin with 6 muffin cases (or grease the tin). Then melt the butter and leave it aside. Mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl, add egg, milk and butter and whisk until nice and smooth. Then stir in blueberries, leaving aside 6 to put on top of the muffins. Divide the mixture up between the 6 cases and bake 15-20 minutes until evenly brown.

While the muffins are baking, prepare the cream cheese glaze. Whip all the ingredients together in a bowl until the mixture is even and smooth.

When the muffins are ready, serve them with a tablespoonful of glaze topped with a blueberry.

Salmon & Philadelphia ISO maki

Sushi is another one of my favourite foods and I have it quite often. I do have to admit, that most of the times I just pop out to the nearest Yo Sushi and stuff myself with their sushi, instead of making my own. Knowing that I had all the required essential ingredients at home - just had to buy some salmon - I decided to treat myself to some home-made sushi before my big exam tomorrow.

Salmon is one of my favourite fish and also on of my favourite sushi fillings - the first sushi I tried was with salmon and the first sushi I made myself was with salmon. I have tried various combinations (salmon and avocado; salmon, cucumber and avocado; just salmon) and undoubtedly the salmon & Philadelphia combination is the winner. Also, last spring, while back in Estonia for a bit, I discovered this amazing wasabi and sesame spice mix by Santa Maria. It gives just enough spiciness and taste to sushi, whilst not being overpowering. I have yet not seen it in the UK and unless you're lucky enough to have someone bring it over for you, I would suggest using sesame seeds on the sushi and serving the wasabi on the side instead.

Ingredients
(Makes 1 roll - 6 slices)
- 1 sheet of nori
- 85g sushi rice
- 1 tsp Japanese rice vinegar
- Pinch of sugar
- 50g (smoked) salmon
- 40g cucumber, sliced into thin strips
- 35g Philadelphia
- Sesame seeds / Wasabi - sesame spice mix
- Soy sauce, to serve
- Pickled ginger, to serve
- Wasabi, to serve

Directions
Firstly, prepare the sushi rice. Rinse the rice and then place in a bowl, cover with cold water and let it stand for 20 minutes. Then place the rice in a pot, pour over 140ml water and bring to boil uncovered. When it starts to boil, turn down the heat and reduce it to simmer, cover and cook for around 10 minutes or until the water has been absorbed. Then remove from pot, place on a plate and cool to room temperature. When the rice is cool enough, mix a pinch of sugar with 1 tsp of Japanese rice vinegar and mix it into the rice.

Before making the sushi, make sure all the ingredients are ready - cucumber and salmon sliced into thin strips.

Firstly, place the nori, shiny side down, on the bamboo mat. Cover evenly with sushi rice - I use a wet plastic spatula, as then the rice doesn't stick to anything. Be careful not to tear the nori. Then sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds / wasabi and sesame spice mix. Take a piece of cling film and place it on the sushi rice, as then the rice won't get stuck to the bamboo mat when making the inside out (ISO) roll.

Turn the nori sheet around and place the ingredients - salmon, cucumber and Philadelphia - in the middle of the sheet and roll it up. Make sure that the roll is nicely tight. Use a very sharp and wet knife to cut the roll into 2-3 cm pieces. Place on a plate and serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi. I served it with some grated cucumber as the wasabi was already in the sushi and I did not need pickled ginger to clear my palate.

Warm feta & pasta salad

I really love pasta - I'm pretty sure that if I could, I would happily live on pasta for the rest of my life. However, unlike some lucky people, I can't afford to eat pasta all the time - there is not enough time for me to spend in the gym to burn it off. However, to be honest, unless you sink the pasta in cream based sauce, pasta can be quite healthy, just go for the wholemeal version. I find salads with pasta a great way to enjoy the Italian delight, without having to feel guilty about it.

This warm salad is great for a quick mid-week meal or when you have pasta cravings that need to be satisfied. It is really flavourful and I absolutely love how the feta melts a bit and covers the hot pasta, resulting in a really creamy salad. Also, the saltiness of feta couples perfectly with the mild taste of spinach and the basil adds a nice Italian sense to the dish.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 75g wholewheat fusilli
- 75g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 75g Greek feta, cubed
- 50g baby spinach (or other leafy green)
- 50g roast ham, cubed
- 4 basil leaves

Directions
Boil the pasta in salted water. In the meantime, place the halved tomatoes, cubed ham, baby spinach (torn into small pieces) and basil leaves (torn into small pieces) into a bow. Top it with cubed feta.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and immediately place on top of the feta. Mix well and serve immediately.

Recipe from a book "Salatid 2"

Very berry breakfast

I love having berries for breakfast, especially when they are in season as they are so sweet and juicy. They are great just by themselves, but eventually it gets a bit boring when just having a bowl of berries by themselves. As I had some left over Greek yogurt in the fridge, I decided to use it up on the berries. Also, I sprinkles some coconut shavings on it - but I am very sure that almond shavings would go even better with the berries. And for added sweetness I drizzled everything over with some honey. The result was a nice, filling, healthy and balanced breakfast. This also makes a really good snack and I would even serve it as a light dessert after a heavy meal - just reduce the amount of berries a bit and serve in a nice bowl or, even better, in a martini glass.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 100g strawberries, quartered
- 50g blueberries
- 50g blackberries
- 50g raspberries
- 70g 0% Greek yogurt
- Clear honey
- 1 tsp coconut shavings (or any other nuts)

Directions
Place the berries in the bowl and top up with Greek yogurt. Then sprinke with coconut shavings (or any other nuts), drizzle over with some honey and enjoy.

Mango & passionfruit roulade

This is one of my all-time favourite desserts. I never though that there could be something which tasted divine and at the same time wasn't a calorie bomb. This recipe proved me wrong - it is light and absolutely delicious. This is the very recipe that got me hooked on the combination of mango and passionfruit and introduced me to the goodness of greek yogurt. In addition to all that, it is very easy to make - so it's perfect for those summer evenings when you don't feel like slaving in the kitchen for hours and want to have something simple and light that everyone will like.

Ingredients:
(Serves 10 slices - 155 cal per slice)
Base:
- 3 eggs
- 85g golden caster sugar
- 85g plain flour, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar
- flesh from 2 large, ripe passion fruits
- 2 mangoes, peeled and diced
- 250g raspberries
- 200g 0% Greet yogurt

Directions
Heat the oven to 200C / fan 180C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place sugar and eggs into a large bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until thick and light (around 5 minutes). Fold in the sifted flour and baking power and then add the vanilla extract. Spread evenly on the baking tray and bake for around 12-15 minutes until golden. Take out from the oven and roll the sponge up immediately with the baking paper inside.

For the filling, mix sugar, passion fruit flesh and 1/3 of the mango and raspberries into the yogurt. Unroll the sponge and spread the filling on it evenly and then roll it up. Place the remaining mango and raspberries on top of the roulade and sprinkle with some icing sugar before serving.

Roulade can be filled and rolled up to 2 hours before serving and kept in the fridge.

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Herb & tomato cod

I am amazed by how much influence the weather has on my food decisions - the moment it turns warm and sunny I start craving a lot lighter meals. Today was one of those days and as it was Friday and I had some time in my hands, I decided to challenge myself - have white fish, cod, for dinner. I've never managed to hit the spot, so to speak, when preparing cod. It's always come out just okay. However, I can proudly say that this is not so anymore - I managed to make a delicious meal, which was really tasty and way better than just okay - it hit the spot! I served the cod with baby potatoes and sour cream dipping sauce, however it would go well with fresh salad, rice or quinoa. Light, easy and surprisingly filling -  couple it with a nice fresh white wine and you have a perfect easy dinner party dish for warm summer evenings.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 120g Cod fillet
- 30g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 tsp rinsed and drained baby capers
- 1 fresh thyme spring
- 1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
- Drop of olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper

- 100g baby potatoes
- 40g sour cream
- Dried mixed herbs
- Pinch of salt

Directions
Place the potatoes in a saucepan and bring to boil. Then simmer until cooked (around 20 minutes).

For cod parcels, preheat the oven to 200C / 180C fan-forced.  Then cut out a 20cm baking paper or foil square and place the cod fillet in the middle of it. Place the tomatoes, capers, thyme, vinegar and olive oil over the fish. Gather the corners of the baking paper or foil above the fish and twist to enclose securely. Place the parcels on a tray and bake for 15 minutes. Let the fish stand for 5 minutes before serving.

For the sauce, mix sour cream together with dried mixed herbs and a pinch of salt.

Place the potatoes and fish on a plate (can leave it in the parcel), sprinkle over with some freshly ground pepper and serve. Serve the dipping sauce alongside the potatoes or spoon over them.

Recipe from AWW book "Low Fat Kitchen"

Salmon with baked mozzarella tomatoes

I'm trying hard to stick to eating salmon more often than I used to and I have to admit I've been quite good at it. Baking is still my favourite way of cooking salmon (steaming is on place number two), probably because that was the first way I learnt to prepare it. After experimenting few times with different spices and sauces, I've come to realise that the most divine result is achieved by just patting it gently with some olive oil and sprinkling it with some salt and pepper. Today I decided to spice up the salmon with nice Italian inspired mozzarella baked tomatoes. This dish is very easy to make and takes just around 15-20 minutes (depending on the cooking time of the fish) and it tasted delicious. Having always had salmon with either green vegetables (broccoli, green beans etc) or potatoes, it was nice to try out something new.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 150g organic Salmon fillet
- 200g tomatoes, diced
- Generous pinch of dried basil
- Olive oil / garlic olive oil
- 40g grated mozzarella
- Salt
- Pepper
- Balsamic vinegar

Directions
Heat the oven to 200C. While the oven is heating up prepare the salmon and the tomatoes. To prepare salmon place it on a baking tray, pat it dry with a paper towel, then drizzle some olive oil (I used garlic olive oil this time) over it and pat it again with a paper towel so that the salmon would be nicely coated with a very thin layer of olive oil (this will make it nice and crispy later on). Then season it with salt and pepper.

To prepare the tomatoes, dice them and put in a small bowl. Add a tiny bit of olive oil (again, I used garlic olive oil), 20g grated mozzarella and a generous sprinkle of dried basil and some salt and pepper to the tomatoes and mix well. Place the mixture into a ramekin or a baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining grated mozzarella.

Place both dishes in the oven and cook in the oven for around 15 minutes (until salmon is ready and the mozzarella starts turning crispy). Place the tomatoes on a plate and drizzle with some balsamic vinegar. Add the salmon and serve the with a lemon wedge.

Raspberry ricotta cake

Baking has been one of my passions for as long as I can remember and whenever I host an event I always bake something - muffins, cakes or biscuits. It is quite easy to come up with ideas when it is just few friends who are coming over, however, when it will be more than 10 people it gets a bit more tricky. Usually, most cakes serve around 10-12 slices and I rarely have the time to make more than one. Also, muffin trays only have 12 holes and therefore until now I've been stuck with making several batches to make sure there's plenty of food for everyone.

This weekend we had a nice get-together in our flat. At first we were supposed to go out and have a nice picnic in the park, but weather was typically British and therefore we had no choice but to stay indoors. When deciding what to make, I wanted to make sure that I would not have to slave in the kitchen for hours and that one batch would be enough for everyone, I got a really clever idea - I should bake a cake in a way they are made back in Estonia. So, instead of messing about with a  round cake tin I decided to make a nice and big cake in the baking tray. The result was delicious - ricotta gave the cake the required freshness and a bit sour raspberries balanced out the sweet crust. Will definitely make this again during summer!

Ingredients
(Serves 1 large baking tray)
Base:
- 400g butter, at room temperature
- 2 dl sugar
- 2 eggs
- 12 dl white flour

Filling:
- 2 dl sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 5 eggs
- 800g ricotta cheese
- 2 dl sour cream
- 2 dl raspberries

Directions
Heat the oven to 200C. For the base, mix together butter and sugar. Then add eggs and flour and mix until the dough is smooth. Put 3/4 of the dough on a baking paper lined large baking tray and even it out, so that it cover whole of the tray.

For the filling, whisk the eggs together with sugar. Add ricotta and sour cream and mix until smooth. Pour the mixture on top of the dough, sprinkle over with raspberries and top it off with crumbs of the remaining 1/4 of the dough. Cook for 30 minutes or until ready.

Serve either hot from the oven or let it cool down and chill it in the fridge and serve cold.

Pictures taken by my dear friend K.