Split pea and Winter vegetable soup

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   This is with a new soup recipe we'll start the year because, whether it is warm in Winter or cold in Summer, it's an easy way to a healthy but yummy balanced dish without having to stay before the stove. It's also a good mean to stay hydrated because we tense to drink less water in Winter. And the last good thing about soups is that you just cook it, eventually blend it and just pour it in a bowl and enjoy!

   Today, I decided to honor the split pea that is too often left aside in the kitchen. By the way, did you know that split peas are... green peas that are dried (and else)? Cooked here with some Winter veggies, herbs and spices. Then I mixed a part of the soup to make it smooth. Do not hesitate to add some cooked rice leftovers and/or smoked tofu dices for a balanced healthy dish, my favorite are the almond sesame and Black Forest ones from the Taifun band.

   And if you fancy trying another recipe with split peas, I suggest you this dhal served with roasted aubergine/eggplant and some mint yogurt sauce, so more of a Summer dish, but you can swap with a Winter veggie instead.

Carrot, sweet potato, red lentil and coconut milk express soup

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🌟 Happy New year 2018 everyone! 🎉

    We start the new year with a new soup recipe. An express recipe for a comforting but balanced quick meal. No detox planned here - don't feel like it when you don't eat excess food during the Xmas and NYE celebrations. But don't worry if you're looking for a healthy but yummy dish, this is it!

   I improvised this soup a few weeks ago, it was already around 4PM and I had not had lunch yet so I made this soup in no time with what I got in the kitchen and added some toasts, it was the ideal slunch! I made it again for the blog writing and adjusting the ingredients and quantities this time. You may want to add the coconut milk into the saucepan or serve the soup with a coconut whipped cream for a more cocooning visual aspect.

Raw Spring pointed cabbage, fennel, carrot and apple salad, almond butter and soy sauce seasoning

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    A few days ago, I stumbled on a type of cabbage I didn't even know about called "chou pointu" which means "pointed cabbage" in French because of the shape its leaves give it. It's a Spring cabbage, sweeter and more easily digestible. Its leaves are tender and slick. It had been a while since I wanted to make a raw cabbage salad so I gave it a try.

   Lately, the weather has ben very ugly in France and I kind of only crave for comforting and warm dishes but I thought a good salad would be nice to celebrate May. 

   I had a fennel and a carrot to use in the fridge and I thought that an apple would bring some sharpness. If you don't like fennel just skip it and put more cabbage.  

Aloo gobi, cauliflower and potatoes dry Indian curry & carrot raita

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   Another Indian recipe, yep, I love that cuisine! Because of its flavors but also because it's easy to eat vegeterian, what is most appreciated when you go and eat at the restaurant. And this is just in an Indian restaurant we often go to when I visit my mom in my home town that I discovered this dish. I had had a painful dental intervention the day before and I had trouble eating and appreciating any solid food so I chose this dish hoping it would be soft enough for my sore teeth.

   The veggies were not only soft but deliciously cooked with spices so when I had some cauliflower leftovers a little time after that, I wanted to enjoy some aloo gobi again at home. "Aloo" stands for "potatoes" and "gobi" for cauliflower, it's a dry Indian curry. 

Winter vegetable vegan patties and their yoghurt sauce (gluten free)

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   Hide veggies and fruit for children who don't really like them, that the theme of the last Bataille Food of yesterday proposed by Anne-Laure. I confess I had a little trouble finding a really original idea with seasonal vegetables (that was not already on the blog) because I've always liked vegetables and fruit in general (apart from Brussel sprouts and green peas... still true today), I don't really understand how can someone (child or adult) not like them and most of all why.

   So this challenge was a reason to try a new recipe from the book Vegan from Marie Laforêt (a great French vegan food blogger). I adapted her mini vegetable patties with seasonal veggies such as carrots, leek and cauliflower.

Black whole rice, red lentils, soft goat cheese, carrots, dried raisins and cranberries, tahini and olive oil seasoning

    Here is a yummy and comfy but healthy and complete dish thanks to the association of the rice and red lentils, rich in complex carbohydrates as well as proteins for the first one and fibers, minerals and iron for the legumes. The tahini (sesame cream) also brings calcium, magnesium and iron. 

  I chose to add soft goat cheese (that you can delete or replace for a vegan option) and mint to bring some freshness and raisins and dried cranberries to ad some sweetness to the dish but also because they offer other nutriments, antioxidants for the latter. Carrots bring a dose of vegetables but also some color and crunchy.