Light & fluffy yogurt waffles - a pleasure without bad conscience

(scroll down for the german recipe)

Waffles!!! Since I am living very close to the Belgian border,you can get Belgian waffles almost on every corner . The scent: irresistible! The only drawback, the waffles are incredibly greasy... mostly just overkill. But there is a solution. Here you will find my recipe for super delicious light and fluffy yogurt waffles!

Yogurt-Waffles

(for ~4 waffles)

Ingredients:

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon backing powder

• 100g flour

• 80g low-fat yogurt

• 30ml water

• 75ml low-fat milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

• waffle iron

Preparation:

Mix milk, water, egg, yogurt and vanilla sugar. Add flour and baking powder. Let waffle iron heat. Place a big tablespoon of the mixture in the middle of the waffle iron, close and wait until waffles are slightly brown.

My serving suggestion: sprinkle with a cinnamon-sugar mixture and serve with apple sauce

Joghurt-Waffeln

(für etwa 4 Waffeln)

Zutaten:

• 1 Ei

• 1 gehäufter TL Backpulver

• 100g Mehl

• 80g Magerjoghurt

• 30ml Wasser

• 75ml fettarme Milch

• 1 TL Vanillezucker

• Waffeleisen

Zubereitung:

Milch, Wasser, Ei, Joghurt und Vanillezucker miteinander verrührern. Mehl und Backpulver unterrühren.

Waffeleisen heißwerden lassen. Jeweils einen großen Esslöffel Teig in die Mitte des Waffeleisens geben, Waffeleisen schließen und warten bis die Waffeln leicht gebräunt sind.

Mein Serviervorschlag: mit etwas Zimt-Zucker-Mischung bestreuen und mit Apfelmus servieren

Strawberry-Yogurette-Cake - a highlight for the summer

(scroll down for the german recipe)

Cake in summer? Of course! First of all there is no bad weather for cake. With so many different variations there is cake for every temperature.
When passing by the fruit market this morning, the fresh bright red strawberries laughed at me, so I thought: why not combine them with my lately growing desire for Yogurette bars?!
The result was a cute little summer cake. Check it out...

Strawberry-Yogurette-Cake
(for a small springform pan, diameter ~ 12cm)

Ingredients for the cake base:

• 50g sugar

• 1 big egg

• 30g flour

• 1 tablespoon vanillapuddingpowder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

Ingredients for the creme:

• 200g plain yogurt

• 150ml cream

• 2 gelatin leaves

• 1 tabelspoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar

• 3-4 Yogurette bars

• 150g strawberries (fresh)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200°. Mix egg with sugar and vanilla sugar until foamy. Add vanilla essence, vanillapuddingpowder and flour. Fill mixture evenly into the buttered springform pan and bake for ~ 15 minutes. After baking let cool.

Cut 3 strawberries into thin slices, the rest into halves (optional: save some strawberries for decoration) Spread strawberry slices onto the cake base. Mix strawberry halves, plain yogurt, sugar and vanilla sugar and puree. Prepare gelatin leaves according to package instructions and add to the pureed yogurt-mixture. Whisk cream stiff. Cut Yogurette bars into small pieces. Add whipped cream and Yogurette pieces to the strawberry-yogurt-mixture. Spread creme on top of the cake base (using a cake ring makes it easy) and let rest in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

Erdbeer-Yogurette-Torte

(für eine kleine Springform, Durchmesser ca. 12cm))

Zutaten für den Boden:

• 50g Zucker

• 1 großes Ei

• 30g Mehl

• 1 EL Vanillepuddingpulver

• 1 TL Vanille-Extrakt

• 1 TL Vanillezucker

Zutaten für die Creme:

• 200g Naturjoghurt

• 150ml Sahne

• 2 Blatt-Gelatine

• 1 EL Zucker

• 1 EL Vanillezucker

• 3-4 Riegel Yogurette

• 150g Erdbeeren (frische)

Zubereitung:

Backofen auf 200° vorheizen. Das Ei mit dem Zucker und Vanillezucker schaumig rühren. Vanille-Extrakt, Vanillepuddingpulver und Mehl unterrühren. Die Masse gleichmässig in die eingefettete Springform füllen und ca. 15 Minuten backen. Nach dem backen den Boden auskühlen lassen.

3 Erdbeeren in dünne Scheiben schneiden, den Rest halbieren (optional einige Erdbeeren zur Dekoration aufheben). Die Erdbeerscheiben auf dem Boden verteilen. Zu den restlichen Erdbeeren den Naturjoghurt, Zucker und Vanillezucker zufügen und alles mit dem Pürierstab pürieren. Die Gelatine nach Packungsanweisung zubereiten und der Joghurtmischung zufügen. Die Sahne steif schlagen. Die Yogurette-Riegel in Stückchen schneiden. Geschlagene Sahne und Yogurette unter die Erdbeer-Joghurt-Masse heben. Die Masse auf dem Biskuitboden verteilen (am einfachsten einen Tortenring drumherum legen) und im Kühlschrank einige Stunden festwerden lassen.

I hope this cake will sweeten one or the other of your nice summer days!

PAMK - "Together it tastes better" - my first round

I think this event is great!! Three bloggers teamed up (Clara from tastesheriff, Jeanny from Zucker, Zimt und Liebe and Rike from Lykkelig) and created PAMK - post from my kitchen! What exactly is it? To participate you can sign up (whether you are a blogger or just a passionate baker or cook doesnt matter) in a given period on http://www.postausmeinerkueche.de/ . When the deadline passed, you will receive an email with your exchange partner, then its time to be creative. Each PAMK round has a specific theme.

This time: "Together it tastes better - I give you a piece of delicious happiness."
Whether sweet or savory, let your creativity go wild and create a nice package for your exchange partner. This package should then be sent in a given period, or you can meet in person if you live close to each other.
On a Pinterest board you can then inspect the packages sent by most of the participants!
I think the idea is great and I had a lot of fun!


Here you can see, what I sent my exchange partner, Susanne from Villa Kunterbunt ...

Homemade grissini with red tomato pesto as the perfect snack for a drink with friends (recipe), popcorn with a cinnamon-sugar-mixture for the favorite movie with the best friend and a hot chocolate mix with marshmallows to enjoy with a lemon-blueberry-glass-cake for the hopefully little rainy days this summer.

Of course I was very excited about Susanne's package for me - filled with super delicious vanilla toffees and a homemade lip balm! 
Definitely I will join the next round, what about you?

Paella - a never ending love story

(scroll down for the german recipe)

In general: the spanish cuisine is one of my favorites. Besides the well-known tapas, I love local dishes like " arroz caldoso" (similar to a paella in soup form) or "fideua" (noodle paella). I just cant get enough of paella. For the first time I tried a "paella valenciana" of course, in Valencia. It was soooo delicious! The valencian paella has chicken, snails and white and green beans. Then in Barcelona I had a seafood paella. And again, it was soooo good, especially as I am an incredible seafood fan!

Obviously I had to get a paella pan. So I went to the stores and bought the pan, passed by the weekly fishmarket and did some shopping. 
The result: a for the first try surprisingly insanely delicious paella! Here you go...

Seafood Paella
(for 2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 200g paella rice (e.g. Bomba)

• 1 onion

• 3 garlic cloves

• 200g sieved tomatos
• ~ 15 unpeeled shrimp (best: fresh ones)

• 200g calamari (best: fresh)

• fish head

• curkuma

• salt

• water

• optional chillipowder

• olive oil
• paella pan

Preparation:

In a cooking pot bring water to boil. Remove heads and tails and peel shrimp. When water is boiling, add the shrimp heads, tails and peel, as well as the fish head. Cook for ~ 25 minutes. In the meantime cut calamari into pieces, chop onion and garlic cloves.
After 25 minutes fill the fish soup through a filter into a measuring cup (fill up to  the 500ml mark). Season fish soup with curcuma.

Heat oil in the paella pan, roast onions and garlic. Add sieved tomatos and cook another minute. Add rice and ~ 150ml fishsoup. Add calamari. Stir regularly, season with salt (optional with chilli), when the rice absorbed the liquid add more fishsoup. Repeat until rice is done. Remove paella pan from hot plate and press shrimp into the rice. Let Paella rest for 5-10 minutes covered with a kitchen towel.

Meeresfrüchte Paella

(für 2 Portionen)

Zutaten:

• 200g Paella Reis (z.B. Bomba)

• 1 Zwiebel

• 3 Knoblauchzehen

• 200g passierte Tomaten
• ca. 15 ungeschälte Shrimp (am besten frisch)

• 200g Tintenfisch (am besten frisch)

• einen Fischkopf

• Kurkuma

• Salz

• Wasser

• evtl. Chillipulver

• Olivenöl
• Paellapfanne

Zubereitung:

Wasser in einem Topf zum Kochen bringen. Die Köpfe und Schwänze entfernen und die Shrimp schälen. Wenn das Wasser kocht, Köpfe, Schwänze und Schale der Shrimp in den Topf zufügen, den Fischkopf ebenfalls mithineingeben. Ca. 25 Minuten kochen lassen. Währenddessen Tintenfisch in Stücke schneiden, Zwiebeln und Knoblauch kleinhacken. 

Nach 25 Minuten die Fischsuppe durch ein Sieb in einen Messbecher füllen (ca. bis zur 500ml Markierung). Fischsuppe ordentlich mit Kurkuma würzen.

Etwas Öl in der Paella Pfanne erhitzen, Zwiebeln und Knoblauch anbraten. Passierte Tomaten zufügen und ca. 1 Minute weiterbraten. Den Reis zufügen und etwas Fischsuppe zugeben (ca. 150ml). Tintenfisch ebenfalls hineingeben. Immer mal wieder umrührern, mit etwas Salz würzen, optional auch mit Chilli. Wenn der Reis die Flüssigkeit aufgesogen hat, mehr Fischsuppe nachgießen, bis der Reis gar ist. Dann Paella Pfanne von der heißen Herdplatte nehmen, die Schrimp in den Reis drücken und die Paella mit einem Küchentuch abgedeckt 5-10 Minuten ziehen lassen.

This is definitely one of my favourite dishes! It is really easy to prepare! And if you want to make your spanish dinner perfect I will soon share with you the recipe for my favourite cocktail: Mojito!!!!!

Grissini with tomato-pesto - perfect snack for my favorite TV show

(scroll down for the german recipe)

Whether I watch a TV show or a movie, somehow I always need snacks. Since I'm not a big fan of supermarket-potato chips, my chocolate gets melt by the heat and there was no ice cream anywhere in my freezer, I needed a quick alternative.

I always wanted to try making grissini, italian breadsticks. But just breadsticks - that's kind of boring, so I had to find a dip. What matches better than a pesto dip. I love pesto in all variations and decided to try a tomato pesto. The result was surprisingly delicious!

Grissini

(~ 15 pieces)

Ingredients:

• 250g flour
• 1/2 package dry yeast
• 140ml water
• 1 TL salt
• 2 EL olive oil
• to sprinkle (optional) : poppy seeds, sesame, caraway, sea salt

Preparation:

Knead all ingredients for about 5 minutes to an elastic dough. Cover with a kitchentowel and let rest for 10 minutes. Then knead quickly again. On a backing tray (with a piece of baking paper) roll out dough, about 0,5-1cm thick, cover again and let rest another 10 minutes. Cut dough into 1cm wide stripes. Separate stripes and brush with water. Sprinkle with coating of your choice. Twirl the stripes. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes (200°). Let cool.

Red Tomato-Pesto
( 2 jars)

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 glas dried tomatos in oil (mine was 185g)
• 20 black olives without stones
• 50g grated pecorino-cheese 
• salt
• olive oil

Preparation:

Roast pine nuts in a frying pan without oil until golden brown. Take out and let cool. Peel garlic cloves. Puree garlic cloves, pine nuts, dried tomatos including the oil, olives and pecorino-cheese. Taste with salt. Optional add more olive oil if you wish. Fill red pesto into screw top jars and fill up with olive oil until pesto is covered completely ( if not it will go bad). Life period in the fridge ~3-4 weeks.

Grissini
(ca 15 Stück)

Zutaten:

• 250g Mehl
• 1/2 Päckchen Trockenhefe
• 140ml Wasser
• 1 TL Salz
• 2 EL Olivenöl
• optional zum bestreuen: Mohn, Sesam, Kümmel, Meersalz etc.

Zubereitung:

Alle oben genannten Zutaten in eine Schüssel geben und ca. 5 Minuten lang zu einem elastischen Teig verkneten.Mit einem Küchentuch bedeckt den Teig 10 Minuten ruhen lassen, dann nochmals durchkneten.

Teig auf einem mit Backpapier ausgelegten Backblech zu einem Rechteck ausrollen (ca 0,5-1cm dick) und abgedeckt nochmals 10 Minuten ruhen lassen. Dann Teig in ca 1cm breite Streifen schneiden. Die einzelnen Streifen trennen, mit Wasser bestreichen und mit Belag nach Wahl bestreuen. Die Streifen dann zwirbeln. Im vorgeheizten Backofen bei 200° ca 15 Minuten backen. Auf einem Küchenrost abkühlen lassen.

Rotes Tomaten-Pesto
( 2 Gläser)

Zutaten:

• 2 Knoblauchzehen
• 2 EL Pinienkerne
• 1 Glas getrocknete Tomaten in Öl (meines war 185g)
• 20 schwarze Oliven ohne Stein
• 50g Pecorino-Käse grob gerieben
• Salz
• Olivenöl

Zubereitung:

Die Pinienkerne in einer Pfanne ohne Öl goldbraun anrösten, herausnehmen und abkühlen lassen. Knoblauchzehen schälen. Pinienkerne, Knoblauch, getrocknete Tomaten inklusive dem Öl, Oliven und Pecorino-Käse pürieren und mit Salz abschmecken. Nach Wahl noch etwas Olivenöl zufügen. Rotes Pesto in Schraubgläser füllen und mit Öl soweit aufgießen, dass das Pesto komplett bedeckt ist (sonst verdirbt es). Haltbarkeit im Kühlschrank ca. 3-4 Wochen.

By the way also a great idea for a give away!!!

Barcelona - a newly discovered love

In the end of june I went to Barcelona with my boyfriend for 5 days. Due to a mediterranean shipcruise we already spent a full day there about one month ago. At that time I wasn't very impressed by the agitated, hectic and noisy Barcelona. But what are second chances for. So we packed our bags and took a plane to Spain.

I was quite surprised when I fell a little bit in love with this city!

Magic Fountain (Montjuïc)

The fountain show near Placa Espanya was amazing, especially at night. Numerous lighting effects and great music will spice up your night. Especially when the favorite tapas bar is located just a 5 minute walk away.

There you could enjoy tapas, tapas, tapas!! Super delicious jamón ibérico de bellota, pan con tomate, pulpo and shrimp salad, perfectly cooked pork with a chocolate sauce and an excellent cheese platter.

But there are two more delicacies you cannot miss in Spain...

seafood paella

In Spain you will find paella in many different variations. But for me as a huge seafood fan the choice is usually easy - seafood paella. Mussels, shrimp, squid and an incomparably delicious flavor - the result was that I immediately had to buy a small paella pan to try my very first own paella at home.

And what feels better after a nice meal than a super delicious mojito?!

Of course, Barcelona has also a lot to offer in terms of culture. Besides Parc Güell (very crowded), Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, La Rambla, Plaza de Cataluna and Montjuic we also went to the beach to relax.

Casa Batlló

I just love spain! The mentality, food, weather... Barcelona is a perfect combination, especially as some beaches are in walking distance from the city center. I'll be back!!!

Coconut-Risotto with Mango-Curry and Shrimp & the breathtaking maldives

(scroll down for the german recipe)

I was lucky and could spend in 2011 two amazing weeks on a gorgeous island of the maldives with a friend of mine. Beautiful white sandy beaches, a breathtaking coral reef where even just snorkling is already an amazing experience, a new found love for diving, delicious cocktails under palm trees and much more robbed my sense for reality - at least temporarily.

As Jeanny from http://zuckerzimtundliebe.wordpress.com/ then recently announced a competition with the name "Kokos und Weg! Mit deinem Kokosnussrezept ins Kurumba Maldives Resort" (as much as "Coconut-and Away! With your coconut recipe to the Kurumba Maldives Resort") , I had no other choice than to create my own coconut recipe, participate and reminisce.

This was the result:

Coconut-Risotto with Mango-Curry and Shrimp
(for 2-3 servings)

Ingredients:

• 175g risotto-rice

• 2 shallots

• 275ml coconutmilk

• 500ml water

• 50g mango diced

• 50g shallots chopped

• 175ml chicken broth

• 125ml coconutmilk

• 1 tablespoon curry-powder

• 1 teaspoon chilli-powder

• 1 teaspoon lime juice

• 1 teaspoon soya butter

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1 pinch salt

• ~ 10 Shrimp peeled

• olive oil

Preparation:

Give 50g chopped shallots, diced mango, chickenbroth, 125ml coconutmilk, curry-powder, chilli-powder and a pinch salt in a cooking pot and boil for 20 minutes over medium heat (until shallots are soft). Remove from hot plate and puree everything with a hand blender. Add butter and lime juice. In a seperate glass mix cornstarch with one tablespoon water and add to the saucepan. Place again on the cookingplate and cook for another 10 minutes over medium heat.

Chop 2 shallots and roast gently in a pan with olive oil. Add the risotto-rice, fry one more minute and add 275ml coconutmilk.When the rice absorbed all liquid add a bit of water. When water absorbed   add more. Continue until rice is done (around 20 minutes)

Just before the rice is done heat a seperate pan with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the shrimp   approximately 3 minutes on each side.

Serve the risotto coated with the mango-curry, shrimp and ground pepper.

Kokosrisotto mit Mango-Curry und Shrimp

(für 2-3 Portionen)

Zutaten:

• 175g Risotto-Reis

• 2 Schalotten

• 275ml Kokosmilch

• 500ml Wasser

• 50g Mango gewürfelt

• 50g Schalotten gehackt

• 175ml Hühnerbrühe

• 125ml Kokosmilch

• 1 Esslöffel Curry-Pulver

• 1 Teelöffel Chilli-Pulver

• 1 Teelöffel Limettensaft

• 1 Teelöffel Sojabutter

• 1 Teelöffel Speisestärke

• 1 Prise Salz

• ca. 10 Shrimps geschält

• Olivenöl

Zubereitung:

Gehackte Schalotten, Mangowürfel, Hühnerbrühe, Kokosmilch, Curry-Pulver, Chilli-Pulver und eine   Prise Salz in einen Kochtopf geben und etwa 20 Minuten auf mittlerer Stufe kochen (bis die Zwiebeln weich sind). Danach von der Kochplatte nehmen und mit einem Pürierstab durchpürieren. Die Butter 

und den Limettensaft zufügen. Die Speisestärke mit einem Esslöffel Wasser anrühren und ebenfalls  
zugeben. Weitere 10 Minuten auf mittlerer Stufe kochen.

Schalotten klein hacken und in einer Pfanne mit Olivenöl kurz anbraten.
Risotto-Reis zufügen, etwa 1Minute mitbraten, dann die Kokosmilch aufgiessen.
Wenn der Reis die gesamte Flüssigkeit aufgesogen hat etwas Wasser zufügen.
Immer so weiter verfahren bis der Reis gar ist (ca. 20 Minuten).

Kurz bevor das Risotto gar ist, eine Pfanne mit 1-2 Esslöffel Olivenöl heiß werden lassen und darin
die Shrimp ca 3 Minuten von beiden Seiten anbraten.

Das Risotto auf einen Teller geben, mit dem Mango-Curry beträufeln und mit den Shrimp anrichten. Dazu frisch gemahlenen schwarzen Pfeffer reichen.

Enjoy dreaming,
Gina

The first step is always the hardest - WELCOME!!!

Since I am a very enthusiastic reader of food blogs, I thought it's time for me to roll up my sleaves and get to work. I love experimenting with new recipes, altering already existing recipes and face new challenges in the kitchen. Therefor from now on I will share my experiences with you guys. I hope you will enjoy reading and experimenting yourself as much as I enjoy the baking, cooking and posting!

See you around,
Gina