Smoothies

I decided that instead of making a single post every smoothie, it would make a lot more sense just to put all the smoothies in one single post. I absolutely love smoothies - the real reason why I bought a blender in the first place. It is so easy to make up a smoothie from berries, juices and yogurts that you have at home or to use up some leftovers. To save you the headache, here are some great smoothies to enjoy as snacks, breakfasts or refreshing drinks. I promise, that every time I try out a new one, I will update this post, so if you're into smoothies, keep an eye on it.

Pineapple-watermelon smoothie 
(Serves 1)
- 150g pineapple
- 200g watermelon

Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth. You could also add ice if you prefer, however, I keep my ingredients in the fridge for few hours before making the smoothie, so it is already nice and cool and as I don't need to add ice I avoid getting the 'brain freeze' feeling when drinking my smoothie.

This is a really refreshing drink, which also fills you up (for a limited time of course). Perfect for hot summer days or as quick snack. Sweet watermelon and a bit sour pineapple create the perfect balance and neither of the ingredients dominate over the other.

Blueberry muesli smoothie

(Serves 1)

- 125g blueberries (fresh or frozen)

- 125ml 0% natural yogurt

- 125ml skimmed milk

- 25g muesli

Put all in the blender and enjoy as a delicious start for the day.

This is one of my absolute and long time favourites. I find this smoothie a great way to kick-start my day. It is filling enough to keep me going for hours and on top of that it is filled with all the goodness one can possible thing of:- antioxidants from blueberries, calcium and protein from milk and yogurt and fibre from muesli. Honestly, what else could one want from a smoothie? 

Raspberry & peach smoothie

(Serves 1)
- 100g raspberries, plus few for decoration
- 1 ripe peach, chopped
- 100 ml cold water

Blend everything until smooth. Serve over ice if wish and decorate with few raspberries.

This smoothie is light and refreshing, but depending on the sweetness of the peach it can also be quite sour, rather than sweet. This would be perfect when served with some crushed ice on a hot summer day to refresh and rehydrate yourself. 

Green smoothie
(Serves 1)
- 1/4 melon, peeled and chopped
- 1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
- 50g green seedless grapes

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve with some mint and ice, or just enjoy by itself. Decorate with a kiwi slice or a grape.

This is light and refreshing smoothie, which is slightly sour. Great for breakfasts or to sip during a hot summer day.

Antioxidant smoothie
(Serves 1)
- 1 Pom Pomegranate juice (240ml)
- 150g mixed frozen berries (or other frozen fruit)

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Enjoy immediately.

This is a perfect pick-me-up smoothie to have for breakfast that is sweet and sour at the same time. I love the fact that using frozen berries immediately results in a creamy and refreshing drink without having to add any ice and ending up diluting the taste of the smoothie itself.

White chocolate & macadamia nut cookies

I am a big fan of cookies and some of my friends have even given me a nickname 'the Cookie Monster'.   Before moving to the UK all I knew about big cookies was what I had seen on TV- big oversized cookies kept in a cookie jar on the kitchen counter. However, after moving here I could get the cookies from everywhere and they looked exactly like I had imagined them. Whenever I went home to visit I always brought few packs with me as they were my sister's favourites (although she prefers just the milk chocolate chip ones). There is one big problem with shop bought cookies - they are not homemade and more importantly you can't dictate what goes in them.

These white chocolate & macadamia nut cookies have a really cute story behind them. The first time I made them (to welcome my other half home) all the shops I went to had run out of macadamia nuts and as I did not want to give up on my idea to bake them I bought loads of mixed nuts and handpicked the macadamia nuts out. Thankfully, all the following times I have not had to do that.

They are relatively sweet so I find it difficult to have more than one, but everyone else seems to have no problem finishing the whole plate off in one go. So if you prefer cookies which are a bit less sweet reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe (as white chocolate is already quite sweet just on its own). Also, feel free to substitute the nuts and white chocolate for whatever is your favourite combination. These irresistible cookies are perfect for dessert, as a snack or just to enjoy with a nice and strong cup of coffee at any time of the day.

Ingredients
(Makes around 12, depending on the size)
- 475ml flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 75g unsalted butter, melted and cooled down
- 240ml packed light brown sugar
- 120ml white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 350ml chopped macadamia nuts
- 475ml white chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 160C. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a bigger bowl mix the melted butter, brown and white sugar. Then beat in the egg and egg yolk and lastly add the vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until evenly moistened. Then stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.

Roll the dough into balls and press down the cookies on the baking tray with your palm to make them flat.

Then bake them for 12-15 minutes or until the edge looks golden brown and the middles don't look quite set. Bake them for a bit longer if you prefer your cookies crunchier (I like mine a bit soft inside so I take them out a bit sooner).

 

Butternut squash soup

Over the past few days it has been rainy and grey here in London and it honestly feels like autumn has arrived a bit too soon. And as it is so cold and grey I craved for something that would warm me up from the inside and bring some colour to my grey world. I was travelling for a bit over a month so I decided to take advantage of something that to me is very British (I had not tasted it before moving to the UK) - butternut squash.

There is nothing that would have fulfilled my craving as well as this light, yellow and slightly spiced soup did. As it is still technically summer I felt like I couldn't justify making myself a hearty stew, for that I would really need the winter to come! After having a bowl of this I felt a lot happier, maybe to do with the fact that I was full and warm, regardless that the sky had turned nearly black and it felt like it was hailing instead of raining. Oh well, I'm so glad my mood so easily manipulated with food, especially in situations like that.

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 small leek, thinly sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
- 1kg butternut squash, chopped coarsely
- 750ml chicken stock
- 250ml water
(-300g potato, optional)

Directions
Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the leek and garlic until tender. Add the cumin and cook for further few minutes. Then add butternut squash, stock (and potato if using) and the water and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for around 20 minutes until squash is cooked. Blend the soup and bring back to boil. Serve with some creme fraiche, sprinkle of parmesan cheese or croutons.

Chocolate cheesecake

Over the last weekend we had a huge celebration at home - all of us had something to celebrate and all the relatives and family friends were over at ours ... and I was put in charge of desserts (this explains why the blog is flooded with desserts right now). As I am a proper chocoholic, the combination of cheesecake and chocolate sounds like heaven to me and as I noticed, I'm not the only one who thinks that way.

I made the cheesecake with Geisha chocolates ( http://www.fazer.com/Brands/Geisha/About-Geisha-/ ) but as I have not yet seen them in the UK and I do not think it is possible to order them online, any other chocolate sweet would do just as well - one could even use real truffles in the cake for an extra special occasion.

As the cake is made with dark chocolate (way to fool the mind to thinking that what you're eating is actually healthy and good for you) it is not too sweet. Just a perfect balance between sweet and bitterness put in a silky smooth texture with a hint of sweetness created by addition of Geisha. When I was enjoying my tiny slice of it only one thing passed through my mind: "It's way too good to be true." But it was so true and so good ... the only bad thing was that the cake didn't last long enough.

Ingredients
(Serves 12)
Base:
- 150g cocoa biscuits
- 50g butter, melted

Filling:
- 175g good quality dark chocolate, melted
- 500g Philadelphia cheese
- 2 dl sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1.5 dl sour cream
- 100g Geisha (or any other) chocolates

- Decorate with physalises, icing sugar, chocolate leaves and anything else of liking.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 24-cm springform tin with baking parchment.

For the base, crush the biscuits and mix together with melted butter. Then press the crumbled biscuits into the tin and set aside.

To make the filling, melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water and then let it cool down a bit. Mix Philadelphia, sugar, eggs, egg yolks and sour cream until smooth. Then add the chocolate. Last, halve the Geisha chocolates and mix them into the rest of the mixture. Pour it on the base and bake for 1 hour. Chill for overnight and decorate right before serving.

Recipe from a book "Juustukoogid"

Classic cheesecake

Cheesecakes are one of my favourite cakes and over the years this one has become the one which I bake for every occasion and which always finishes first. I've made this covered in chocolate or decorated with different berries and every single time it has come out absolutely amazing. However, I think that it is the best when just served with some physalises - their distinct taste and slight sourness complement the smooth texture and sweetness of the cake just right.

Whenever I make this cake I always remember one of my dear friends, who told me that if I ever set up my own cafe or bakery, he would make sure that I won't go out of business as long as this cake was available. This really sums up all I can say about the cake ... apart from the fact that I could finish one off just by myself without a problem. One of my all time favourites - it has been that since the first time I made it and will most definitely be on the list for many-many years to come.

Ingredients
(Serves 12)
Base:
- 2 eggs
- 0.75 dl flour
- 0.75 dl sugar
- 50g butter, melted

Filling:
- 2.5 dl sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 800g Philadelphia cream cheese (2 full fat, 2 medium fat ones)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 3 dl cream

- Handful of physalises, to decorate (or any other fruit, chocolate etc)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 200C. For the base, place sugar and eggs in a bowl and place the bowl over hot water and whisk until the mixture is fluffy. Let it cool down, sieve in the flour and add the melted butter and mix well. Line a 24cm spring form cake tin with baking parchment and pour the base into the tin. Bake for 15 minutes.

For the filling, mix flour and sugar in a bowl. Add Philadelphia cheese and whip until mixed well. Then add eggs, vanilla sugar and cream. Make sure the filling is smooth, without any clumps and mixed well. Pour the mixture on the base and cover with aluminium foil. Bake at 175C for around 1 hour and 5 minutes. Before taking the cake out, check that it is ready - it is not supposed to be liquid in the middle.

Let it cool down and then place on a plate. Chill the cake before serving (preferably overnight in the fridge) and decorate it either after putting on a plate or right before serving.

This cake lasts few days and as usually for cheesecakes only gets better with time - but usually there is none left for the day after so I can't really verify that.

Recipe from a book "Juustukoogid"