Blueberry & Greek yogurt parfait

As promised a while ago I've finally gotten around to post another variation of a parfait and this time with just blueberries. Unfortunately there is no bigger story behind this recipe as it was just an alternative take on the parfait I made few weeks ago.

But regardless of that it makes a perfect snack, breakfast or even dessert and I can't think of anything better to serve at a nice summer BBQ. And not only is it delicious, I am still fascinated about how good the parfaits look like - really make me feel like I am indulging in something rather luxurious and it certainly does not feel like eating yogurt with berries. Different versions of parfaits are definitely going to be part of my summer and I promise not to bother you with just another variation of it but next time I make a parfait post I'll make sure it's something fancier and bigger. But the fact that this is not big nor incredibly fancy, it is still very delicious (and good for you at the same time).

Ingredients

(Makes 1)
- 80g blueberries
- 50g Greek yogurt
- 20g granola



Directions
Layer the ingredients in a nice glass or a bowl and serve immediately.

Rye bread patties

Well, I'm officially done with all the studying and now just have to wait for my results and graduation. I always find the first few days of holiday quite difficult to cope with - after being so busy during the exams and deadlines and then suddenly I find myself in a situation where I don't know what to do with my time. So yesterday after I came come I decided to do something that I've always wanted to try but have never gotten around to doing - try to make rye bread patties, just like the ones I always bring with me from Estonia.

Both my fiancé and I are huge fans of this healthy food and the thing is that I haven't been able to find it here in Singapore. There is Fazer Rustika, which is quite close in taste but its pretty pricey (I get 1,5 packs of that for the money I spent on the ingredients to make the batch at home) and it really adds up, as we eat a lot of it. So that gave me another (and a very good reason) to give it a go.

After some googling I finally found a recipe that I was willing to give a shot. I needed something that was relatively quick to make (this one took around 2 hours, including the baking time) and that is fast for bread making as most recipes require you to make the started days beforehand. I have to admit that I didn't know what to expect and when I finally tried it I was blown away - I never want to go back to the store bought stuff! Warm, soft on the inside, nice crust on the outside and divine smell (the whole flat smelled of home-cooked bread) - what is there not to love! I love it because it is so easy to make, doesn't require a breadmaker or kneading (you can use a spoon) and just takes 15 minutes to cook. Trust me, once you try you'll understand what I'm talking about.

This bread is perfect for breakfast sandwiches,  to accompany soups and stews and something nice to just toast and eat with butter when feeling peckish.

Ingredients

(Makes 12 breads)
- 10g instant yeast (or 30g fresh yeast)
- 500ml warm water
- 700ml rye bread
- 200ml white flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp honey
- Extra rye bread for making the shapes

Directions
Firstly mix the yeast with 1 tablespoon warm water to make smooth paste and add the rest of the water and 400ml of rye flour. Mix until nicely combined, cover with cling film and set aside to a warm place let the dough raise for 1,5 hours.

After 1,5h add the rest of rye flour, white flour, salt and honey and mix well. You can use a spoon to mix it as the dough is quite liquid. Line two baking trays with baking paper and take a big spoon of dough, mix it into a ball and press flat (make sure you're hands are dusted with rye flour as otherwise the dough will stick) and place on the baking tray. Cover both trays with a hand towel and let the bread rise until the oven heats up to 225C. Bake both batches for 12-15 minutes until the breads are nice and light brown on top.

After taking them out and before cutting them half let them cool down under towel again (they're easier to halve this way).

Recipe from toidutare.ee

Strawberry & Greek yogurt parfait

I've been having scrambled eggs on rye bread toast for breakfast for a while and really craved something different. So yesterday when we did out grocery shopping I picked up some nice ingredients - strawberries, blueberries, bananas, Greek yogurt, honey granola - which would enable to make myself whatever I wanted for breakfast. And after giving it some though I decided to make a parfait (fancy way of describing a layered dish). I've seen so many posts of those delicious looking pots that I just had to give it a go at home.

I really love the way parfaits look like. You can combine different flavours (and colours!) to make something that is beautiful to look at, tastes divine and doesn't have a bad effect on your efforts to stay fit and healthy. I decided to just use strawberries on this one, but I'll probably try a mix of blueberries and strawberries in a next couple of days (I'll make sure I'll post it as well).

I made the parfait with Greek yogurt as opposed to normal natural yogurt as I find that it is a lot milder, less sour in taste and as that wouldn't be enough it also has a really nice rich creamy texture. Also, after some googling I found out that it's higher in protein, lower in carbs and sodium than natural yogurt and thus making a perfect ingredient to incorporate into your breakfasts. Coupled with delicious and sweet strawberries, which are rich Vitamin C, and some granola (I used Kellogg's Special K Honey and Nut as I haven't gotten around to making my own) to add some fibre and a nice crunch to the meal.

Have this for a healthy breakfast, lunch or even serve it as a dessert - fills you up, tastes delicious and the colourfulness is guaranteed to light up your mood.

Ingredients

(Serves 1)
- 100g strawberries, chopped
- 100g Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat Total)
- 20g granola

Directions
Layer the strawberries and yogurt in a glass or a bowl (I did 50g strawberries - 50g yogurt - 50g strawberries - 50 yogurt) and then top it all off with some nice granola and enjoy!

Thai style salmon burger with rice

I'm trying to keep to my promise of having Asian influenced food and obviously sharing the results with you. I really wanted to have salmon today and wanted to try something different from the usual steamed salmon. Also, as I am nearly done with my masters and just have a week to go I wanted to make sure that he food will keep me full for quite a few hours so I could concentrate on revision without having to think about food. After a quick search on the internet I finally got an idea - salmon burger. That ticks both of the boxes - salmon with a nice Asian twist.

I have to be honest with you here and confess I've never made nor tried a fish burger so this was something totally new for me. The closest I've come to having a it has been eating fish fingers and to be fair, that's pretty far away. So, I looked through recipes and eliminated the ones which required too many ingredients and which took long time to make. After finding the perfect salmon burger recipe I decided to have it with brown rice and a raw veggie salad and voila - healthy and incredibly filling dish!

I really love the taste of this burger - the ginger and red curry paste add a really nice zing to it. Cooling cucumber and silver sprouts balance out the spiciness and brown rice keeps you full nice and long (feel free to have jasmine rice or some noodles if you wish so). So, all in all - a really nice and very flavourful (maybe even a bit too spicy for some - but I can't objectively describe the spiciness as my tolerance levels have risen considerably after moving to Singapore) dish that is relatively quick to make. The burger itself took less than 10 minutes, but my brown rice took almost 50 to make, so the speed really depends on with what you're having your burger with.

Ingredients

(Serves 1)
- 150g salmon fillet, no skin
- Fresh coriander
- 1/2 tsp soya sauce
- 1 tsp red curry paste
- Root ginger
- 48g brown rice (or other rice or noodles)
- 40g silver sprouts
- 20g carrots
- 30g cucumber
- Lemon, to serve
- Olive oil, for cooking

Directions
Firstly prepare the rice and when there's just 15 minutes left until it's ready, start preparing the fishcake and salad.

For the salad, use a vegetable peeler to make thin carrot and cucumber strips and mix them together with silver sprouts and place on the plate.

To make the burger place the salmon, a small bunch of coriander, soya sauce, curry paste and a tiny bit of ginger (depending on how gingery you like your food) into a food processor and pulse until roughly minced. Heat some olive oil in a pan, make the salmon mixture into a nice burger and fry on both sides for 4-5 minutes until cooked and nicely crispy on the outside.

Place the rice and salmon burger on the plate, decorate with some coriander and a lemon wedge and serve immediately.

Fishcake recipe from BBC Good Food

Super fast prawn noodles

After realising the fact that my time here in Singapore is coming to an end (less than 3 weeks to go until I finish my masters) I thought I should use the time left here to try out some other Asian influenced dishes. So, the other day I was flicking through my recipe collection to see whether anything caught my eye and fortunately I found this recipe. I am a huge fan of fresh king prawns and whenever I do the food shopping and see them on offer I make a mental note that I should try to use them more often. From a more personal point of view, I was looking for something on a bit lighter side as after all the BBQs and desserts and restaurant visits with parents I felt like giving my body a small break from having to digest heavy food.

So, as this recipe ticked all the boxes - Asian, light, quick to make and involves king prawns - I decided to give it a go. To be honest with you, usually when I try out a new soup, my fiancé just states that it tastes nice, but this one had a really different reaction. The moment he tried I was told that I could make this again (read: it's delicious!) and I've acted on these words and actually made it for dinner again yesterday.

After discussing various things here I feel that I should actually give some insight about the soup. Well, it's incredibly easy and quick to make and I love the combination of the various sauces and a slight hint of ginger just creates the perfect balance of different flavours. It makes a delicious and filling mid-week supper and is guaranteed to add a nice exotic touch to your day.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)
- 500ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- Medium piece of fresh root ginger, shredded into thing matchsticks
- 150g peeled king prawns (approx. 12 prawns)
- 2 bok choy, cut into quarters
- 100g noodles (straight to wok or soak hard noodles for few minutes before adding them in)
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced

Directions
Firstly peel and devein the king prawns. Then, bring the stock to boil in a wok or large saucepan. Stir in the different sauces and then add ginger. Simmer for a moment and then add the prawns until they've turned pink. When the prawns are ready, add the bok choy and cook for further 2 minutes until just wilted.

Finally, add all the noodles into the broth, stir to loosen the noodles and cook until they're warm. Divide the noodle soup between two bowls, scatter with spring onions and serve straight away.

Recipe from BBC Good Food