baked pears porridge

another morning, another porridge... gee, does that sound funny to you, too? well, this one was delicious as it was healthy. i roasted a pear in the oven and spiced things up with cinnamon, maple syrup and dates. 

baked pears with porridge

ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk
1 cup water
6 dates, cut into long slices
1 pear, halved and cored
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. maple syrup

directions:

preheat the oven to 220 degrees. place the pears in an ovenproof form, sprinkle with the cinnamon and brown sugar and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges. in the meantime cook the oats in the milk and water for a few minutes on low heat, and then cover and let steep. ladle the porridge in bowls, top with the dates and the maple syrup. serve the pears separately. 

folk favorite in january: the lumineers

it's not every day that i discover music that really sticks with me for a long time... so i'm all the more glad that my infamous (even though i keep his identity secret) friend keeps providing me with 'timeless masterpieces' (he told me to write that, ahem, classy as ever, he is...). thank you, the nameless guy!

okay, so, were i to choose a soundtrack for my life, the lumineers' light and breezy folk-rock is something i'd subsribe to, without second thoughts. it's (strangely) happy and positive music, despite their undeniable melancholy that's hidden behind all the cheerful 'heys' and 'hos'. and we all know about my undeniable soft spot for melancholic shit (emo that i am...).

i'm particularly like the song 'ho hey' - wouldn't it be a brilliant track for a wedding video, i can't help but think? - because, as it happens so often with music, the message gives me hope:

Love we need it now
Let’s hope for some
So were bleeding now
I belong with you,
you belong with me
You’re my sweetheart

picture source: the lumineers

raspberry breakfast quinoa

since january, life had to teach me a few lessons, it seems. i'll share my newest insight with you here in the next few days. for now, i think the major lesson was that 'nice' doesn't really get you anywhere... to be 'nice', well, i always thought it's a good trait. but as it turns out, nice is a synonyms for 'stupid'... you don't want me to elaborate. short and classy for you: it all comes down to finding your inner bitch (male equivalent: bastard), really.

anyway, it's a tough lesson. one that isn't really welcome in my place, to be frank. no, please leave, bitchiness! i can't handle you! but then again: if i don't learn this now, i might never learn it at all. and i might always come second in anything. job, love, life in general. bitches are just treated so much better! and since i really hope my life will improve (a bit, in places, please?) - so yes, i'm kind of an avid learner... constantly (sighs). might as well get your ass up and learn your lesson now, right? okay then, bring it on, life! lessons welcome (ahem). bitch in trial at your disposal!

niceties away, and all straight and completely honest: there weren't many resolutions i planned on sticking to. however, the one with the porridge is still going strong. we're only a few weeks into january now, though, and i can see why porridge might (just might) get boring... even if you combine it creatively with mango, bluebberies, maple syrup, almond butter, cinnamon, orange filets, cranberry sauce etc - well, it's still porridge. a nice change of the (healthy, but not very surprising) porridge rut? quinoa. i cooked it with raspberries to give it a tangy sweetness, and topped it with frozen berries for extra crunch and texture. the nutty taste of the quinoa is really good. haha, nutty but nice, so to say.

yeah, we all have to work out the balance between naughty and nice, hum? 

raspberry breakfast quinoa

ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

1 cup frozen raspberries

1 cup almond milk

1 cup frozen mixed berries

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp almond butter

directions:

place the quinoa, milk and raspberries in a saucepan. cook on low for a few minutes, before turning off the heat, covering with a lid and letting it steep for some further 10 minutes. top with almond butter and mixed berries, and some maple syrup, if you want it naughtier... (harrr).

silver linings

last weekend came with the best of all distractions: a girls' movie night. i've been curious about that movie 'silver lingings playbook' for quite some time - and i wasn't disappointed... it was drama-comedy, alright; i.e. just what i needed. you know; cry a little - laugh a lot? or maybe vice versa. either way; it was the perfect combo of drama and absurd, funny situations. anyway, you should go see it for yourself, so i'm not elabortating on the content of the movie. the thought that impressed me the most, however, was pat's conclusion about the crazy institution called life. he said: 

“the world will break your heart ten ways ‘til sunday, that’s guaranteed and i can’t begin to explain that or the craziness inside myself and everybody else. but guess what? sunday is my favourite day again. i think of everything everyone did for me and i feel like a very lucky guy.” 

- pat, in the 'silver linings playbook'

despite the craziness that is my life (hopefully it's reduced to the moment), i'm also, and still, thankful for a lot. for example the amazing weekend (it will be amazing, that much i'm certain of) that lies ahead of me. and also, there must be a reason for everything (i mean in life, generally) right? right. enjoy your weekends, friends! stay hungry and foolish, enjoy some crazy fun without thinking, and never give up on those silver linings! amen.

xo scarlett
 

roasted aubergines with fried onions & feta

lately, i've been wondering about happiness... it's such a fickle thing! why are we happy, and what causes us to be sad? is it the actual lack or absence of things in our life that gets us down? or is it just in our heads, and we get ourselves down successfully by thinking negative things? is it really that simple? 

at the moment i'm pretty tired of being strong and positive thinking... but still, this somehow never stops in life. we have to remain strong, so that our thoughts remain positive, so that we can be happy. am i confusing you like i'm confusing me? friends?

things i'm better at talking about: food. yotam ottolenghi. aubergines... this was another dish on our lavish christmas table (still dreaming about this particular one): roasted abuergines with fried onions (nicely caramelized... so not actually too onion-ey, if you know what i mean...), lots of lemon and feta. tangy, surprising and strangely decadent. maybe it's the aubergine half that makes it a special treat?

roasted aubergines with fried onions & feta

recipe from yotam ottolenghi

ingredients:

2 large aubergines, halved lengthways with the stem on
150ml olive oil
salt and black pepper
4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sumac
1½ green chillies, deseeded and chopped
50g feta, broken into large chunks
1 medium lemon (plus we used some of our home made preserved lemons, too)
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

directions:

heat the oven to 200 c / 400 f. score a crisscross over the cut sides of the aubergines, brush with 100ml of oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. place cut side up on a baking tray and roast for 45 minutes, until golden-brown.

meanwhile, pour the remaining oil into a frying pan over high heat, add the onions and half a teaspoon of salt, and cook for eight minutes, stirring, until parts of the onion go dark and crisp. add the cumin, sumac and one chilli, cook for two minutes, then add the feta, cook for a minute, then turn off the heat. cut the skin and pith off the lemon. chop the flesh, discard the seeds, and put in a bowl with any juices, the remaining chilli and the garlic. the moment the aubergines are done, spoon the lemony sauce over the flesh side. warm up the onions, spoon on top and serve warm or at room temperature (we did serve it at room temperature, and it was marvellous... even on the next day).

indian cauliflower chickpea curry

though i admit i am very much (too much for my liking...) into sweets, candy, fried stuff and other junk foods... it's sometimes also lack of healthy options in every day life that drive me to substitute with sweets. i actually much prefer a good healthy meal to every junk offered. problem is though that in switzerland (even in a city that has so much to offer like zurich) it's often downright difficult to find good, healthy food. especially on the go - which of course as a working woman i'm quite often. 

the prepared salads you can find here are often lacking creativity... we're talking lumpy, boring green leaves (mostly tasteless), with a rotation of tomato slices, carrot strips and cucumber (if you're lucky...), and of course the same boring, unimaginative dressing all the time. let's put it straight: it's not something i'm looking forward to every day... in fact, the salad offer is driving me (and a few of the friends i have, so i'm not alone there) crazy! longingly, we're looking to london's massive offer of healthy, quick lunch options. from chickpea or lentil salads, to tabboulehs, quinoa, buckwheat or farro (...you get the picture...) - you'll find it without any hassle, in every corner of the city. lunch is something you can utterly look forward to in london! i'd happily switch my boring salad routine for one of london's quirky soup shops, too. duh, life is so unfair. would it not be for my lovely home and friends here - the food would definitely be a reason to move abroad... and i'm not joking. 

of course, if you want see change in the world - you need to be the change (a good saying goes), right? so i'm keeping up the cooking in my tiny kitchen. and i'm keeping up the dreaming, of better salads, healthier alternatives, inspiring little treats that make our (often hard) days worth the effort. that's what i do; improve the dull days - one meal at a time... 

this indian cauliflower is healthy as healthy goes. wholesome, flavorful, rich and creamy.

indian cauliflower chickpea curry

ingredients:

1 large cauliflower, cut into tiny florets

1 large can chickpeas, drained

2 tomatoes, concassé (peeled, deseeded and chopped)

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 piece ginger, grated

1 chili, chopped

1 large cup (250 ml) coconut milk 

1 large cup (250 ml) good tasting vegetable broth, or more if needed

1 tbsp. tomato purée

2 tbsp. gee or olive oil

1 tbsp. curry powder

1 tbsp. indian curry paste

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. garam masala

1 cup spinach leaves

salt to taste

harissa or chili paste, to taste

handful cilantro leaves

directions:

heat the gee in a wok. sweat the onion for 1-2 minutes, until translucent. add the garlic, chili, ginger, curry powder, curry paste, cumin and garam masala and toast the spices for about a minute. add the tomato purée and let caramelize. deglaze with the broth and add the coconut milk. stir in the cauliflower, chickpeas and tomatoes and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. season with more garam masala and salt, add harissa or chili paste if a little heat is needed. just before serving, add the spinach, stir into the curry so that it wilts. serve immediately, with some basmati rice on the side and with some fresh cilantro sprinkled on top.

labneh with olives

as promised, a few more impressions from our christmas menu. this here's a labneh we prepared, with a black olives pesto on top. i've made this before (i'm slightly crazy for labneh...) and you can find the recipe here. make it, spread it (thickly) on a flatbread (or any bread of your choice). think about all the carbs you're eating and love every single bite of this goodness. because a carb-free diet is forever for people who don't enjoy themselves, or life. 

new look on fork and flower!

new year - same shit? no, no. certainly not in my life... (excursus: well, technically speaking... it's new year, new shit..? but then again, let's not be misses knows-it-all... only semantics...). in fact, my life needs new, shiny, bright and goooood things. silver linings, you know? alas, as you've been informed, the new blog look. yay! yay some more! and a hoorayy! clapclap. okay, enough of the jumping with joy... i'm panting already.

so yes, it's here, and the very sweet, very talented happy menocal (pinch me!) created it for me. i couldn't be happier about the result. and the coolest bit about it? it's a seasonal logo! what you see here is the winter edition, with mistletoe (for the record: i love mistletoe). eep! meaning there will be a spring, a summer and a fall version as the year is rolling on. that was happy's idea, and isn't she brilliant? so i'll be able to surprise you with a new look every few months. ooh, the thought that you might just like it a teensy bit and enjoy this space here even more - well it cheers me up immensely!

apart from that, there will be some changes to the sub chapters (i still don't know what they're called in proper 'blogish'... chapters? slides? features? categories? must consult one of our nerdy techie guys here at the agency, asap). but you will just have to wait and see. all good things come to those who wait - and read blogs. that's a fact (proven by moi). please be patient in case not everything works or looks right... my html blaa knowledge aren't really the best (read: inexistent). all in due time...

so far: enjoy the season while it lasts! mistletoe-season! and kiss, kiss a lot - under mistletoes or wherever, whenever. xo

tabbouleh - simply good

this tabbouleh was one of our christmas dishes. it's not exactly rocket science. or very special, for that matter. but the lemony herbed goodness of it... i love it. for me it's something that's simply good. period. besides, it was just the perfect addition to our ottolenghi christmas menu. a tabbouleh should never be missing on a lavish, mezze-style, eastern-inspired dinner table.

tabbouleh

ingredients: 

1 cup couscous (i usually take the coarser one, boulghur, but normal couscous is just fine)

2 cups parsley, finely chopped

1 handful mint leaves, finely chopped

1 tomato, concassé (i.e. peeled, deseeded and chopped)

1 handful pomegranate seeds

1 lemon, juice

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp maldon sea salt

 

directions:

cook the couscous according to directions (i.e. cook it in the double amount of water, lightly salt it, bring it to a boil and then let steep). add the parsley, mint, pomegranate, tomato, lemon juice and olive oil. season with salt. tabbouleh is best prepared a few hours in advance, as the flavors need time to develop. or make one day ahead.

cookbook review: bouchon bakery

definitely planning to bake something from the (sweet) cookbook 'bouchon bakery' this weekend... happy weekend to all! i'll spend it with some girl action (thank god for friends... really, where would we be without them?) and maybe some furniture shopping / ogling. because you can never have enough sweetness for your home.

ps: i'm aware this is a pretty lousy cookbook review, as reviews go... pardonnez moi. but then again, we'll know more once i've baked the first thing, right? for the time being, it's just really soothing to look at. also, i could practically bite into the pages! yeah, scarlett, way to go...

under wildwood

winter is my favorite season (it's more like a state of mind, if you know what i mean) because it allows for a lot of book reading... i've already introduced you to the book wildwood. now this here is the sequel: under wildwood. it's just as magic and wonderful - definitely a good wintery read. if you ask me, a book with hand illustrations, let alone a map, is always a winner.

snowy mountains

dear readers, a very happy new year to you! january is here (well, i'm a little late to the party...) - and i haven't posted once. i'm sorry! where to start..? well, let's simply say the start into the new year has been very bumpy... but what i still remember: this blog was always meant to be a happy place, so enough of it! there are so many good things we can focus on. how about clear blue skies, snowy mountains, some sunshine and a brisk wind to entertain you on a winter walk?

i will be back with food (because it's what keeps me going) as usual, very soon. promise. until then: keep things sharp and don't let anyone or anything spoil your january! 

xo