Buddha Bowls: (serves 2)

• A couple of kale leaves, chopped (large stems removed)
• 2 sweet potatoes, cut into pieces
• 1 apple, cut into pieces
• A handful of walnuts, chopped
• 4 dates, pitted and cut into pieces
• Shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 avocado, cut into pieces
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Turn the oven on to 400 F (200 C) First cut the sweet potatoes and the onion into small pieces and place them on a baking tray with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over and put in the oven for 25 minutes.

Prepare and cut up all the other vegetables and dates into pieces. Chop the walnuts. After 25 minutes, add the apples and the mushrooms to the sweet potatoes and continue to bake at 400 for 10 more minutes. Add the walnuts and kale (drizzle a little more olive oil) and bake for 10 more minutes (total 45 minutes).

Add the mix to two bowls and top with avocado and dates. You can really add any vegetables or nuts! It’s such an easy and delicious lunch that we often do.

This time of the year we get our vegetables from StarHollow Farm, which I can highly recommend if you live in the area. Feel free to contact me if you want more information!

Sometimes we eat “raw”, especially in the summer with fresh vegetables available. This tweaked recipe is from a class I took at the Raw Food House in Malmö, where I learned to enjoy this cuisine.

Zucchini Noodles with Tomato Sauce: (serves 2)

• 2 medium sized zucchini
• 1 apple
• 3 beef tomatoes or 6 medium size tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) fresh basil or a handful of spinach
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes (soaked for a couple of hours)
• 2 T goji berries (soaked for a couple of hours), optional
• 2-3 Medjool dates
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T Agave
• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) chopped walnuts
• 1 garlic clove
• a small piece fresh ginger
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 T Tamari (gluten free soy sauce), or Coconut Aminos
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Use a spiralizer or mandoline slicer to make the noodles.

Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender and mix till preferred consistency.

Anne’s Kale and White Bean Salad: (serves 4-6)

This salad is good as a side dish or to just enjoy with a slice of toast.

• 15 oz (425 g) can of white beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2-3 lemons juiced, 6-7 T juice
• 10 oz (300 g), (1 big bunch) chopped kale (large stems removed)
• 3 T maple syrup or agave
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 2-3 T chopped parsley
• salt, pepper and olive oil

A: Prepare the beans: in a small bowl, combine drained beans, 1 T lemon juice, 1 T olive oil, 1/2 t salt and the chopped parsley.

B: Prepare the kale: in a large bowl, combine kale, 2 T lemon juice, 1 T olive oil, 1 T maple syrup or agave, pinch each of salt and pepper, 1 garlic clove, minced. Use hands to massage the kale to break down its texture a bit, and to season the salad.

C: Prepare the dressing: in a small bowl, combine tahini,, 1 garlic clove, minced, 3-4 T lemon juice, 2 T maple syrup or agave, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Add hot water if needed to make it easier to pour. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

D: Combine the beans and the kale, and when ready to serve, pour over the dressing. We rarely have any leftovers, but the salad is still good after 1-2 days in the fridge.

Dehydrated Falafel: GF/DF (15-18)

I love falafel, but try to avoid fried food. This salad has dehydrated falafel and tomatoes. It’s not a traditional falafel recipe with chickpeas, but it’s a fun alternative.

• 1 yellow onion
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut in thin slices
• 3 T sunflower seeds
• 6-8 sun-dried (or dehydrated) tomatoes
• 5-6 T Tahini
• 2 garlic cloves

Soak the sunflower seeds over night. Drain them. Put in a food processor and mix with the rest of the ingredients till it all sticks together. Put the falafel on dehydrating trays and dehydrate for 6-8 hours. An alternative is to put the falafel on a broiler pan and dry in the oven on the lowest temperature, for 6-8 hours.

Dehydrated tomatoes:

Cut the tomatoes in half and put them on dehydrator trays or on a broiler tray. Dry the tomatoes over night in a dehydrator or oven.

Cashew Ginger Carrot Soup: GF/DF (serves 4)

• 1 yellow onion
• 10 carrots (medium size) peeled and cut in thin slices
• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• fresh ginger 1″ (2 1/2 cm) peeled and chopped
• 1-2 T olive oil
• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1 t cloves
• 1 t cinnamon
• 4 cups (1 l) vegetable broth
• 1 cup (2 1/2 dl) coconut milk
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• pumpkin seeds for decoration

Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger and cashews in olive oil until it starts to soften. Stir constantly. Add the spices and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the carrots and the vegetable broth and let it cook on low for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.

Stir in the coconut milk. Pour the soup in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Return to the pot and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Pour into serving dishes and decorate with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Gazpacho Soup: GF/DF (serves 4)

• 2 lbs. (appr.1 kg) tomatoes, cut into pieces
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into pieces
• 2 garlic cloves
• basil, a handful
• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) water
• 3 T olive oil
• 2 T sherry vinegar (or any vinegar of your choice)
• 1 t sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• tabasco, a few drops

Put all the ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Taste the soup and add more salt, pepper and tabasco if needed.

Keep refrigerated till serving time. Decorate with chopped basil.

Quiche: GF/DF (Serves 4)

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cup (3 dl) gluten free flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 125 g vegan butter
• 2 T cold water

Filling:

• 1 small leek, cut in thin slices
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 zucchini, cut in small cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, cut in small cubes
• 5 Swiss chard leaves, remove stem and cut in pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup +2 t (2 dl) dairy free milk of your choice (I use oat milk)
• 1/2 cup (1 dl + 1T) dairy free cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix the butter with the flour and salt. Mix with your fingers till it sticks together. Add the water and shape the dough into a ball.

Press the dough into a pie dish, 10″/25 cm in diameter. Put the pie dish in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450F/225 C

Bake the pie shell in the oven for 12-15 minutes. In the meantime prepare the filling.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Sauté the leek, onion and garlic for about five minutes. Add the bell pepper and zucchini and sauté for another five minutes. Put in the Swiss chard and cook till wilted.

Mix the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Add the filling from the frying pan to the baked pie shell. Sprinkle with the cheese and last pour the egg mix over the filling. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the egg mix is firm. Serve with a salad on the side.

Quiche is best if allowed to sit for a little before serving. Right out of the oven it can still be a little “liquidy”.

Lalique’s Spicy Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad: GF/DF (serves 4-6)

Salad:

• 1 large bunch chopped kale (large stems removed)
• 1 cup (2 1/2 dl) uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups (5 dl) water
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can sweet corn
• 1 cup (2 1/2 dl) tomatoes, diced
• 1 avocado, cut into small pieces

Dressing:

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 T fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 3-4 T hot sauce of your choice
• 4 T water
• 1 t maple syrup
• 1/2 t cumin
• 4 T fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the quinoa and put in a sauce pan with the water. Add a little salt. When the water starts to boil, put the lid on the sauce pan, lower the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes or till the water is absorbed. Add the black beans and the corn to the quinoa and mix it up. Place in a salad bowl and add the rest of the salad ingredients.

Put the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Pour it over the salad and mix it all together. Keeps fresh for two days in the fridge. Nice by itself for lunch but is also good as a side salad with dinner.

Nettle Soup: GF/DF (serves 2)

This soup tastes best when the nettles are tender, which is early to mid spring, but they can be picked throughout the summer and fall too. Just don’t pick them when they begin to form flowers. Nettles are known for various health benefits. So go out and pick your nettles, at least half a shopping bag, but don’t forget to wear gloves because nettles do sting before they are cooked. The best nettles are the ones closest to the top of the plant.

• nettles
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 cups (1 liter) vegetable broth
• 4 T chives, finely chopped
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 + 2 T vegan butter
• 1 T corn starch
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 T sherry or white wine (optional)
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 egg hard boiled

Prepare the nettles while using disposable gloves. Rinse them carefully and dry them in a towel. Remove the leaves from the stems. Put the leaves in a measuring cup, Use the same amount of vegetable stock as you have leaves. This recipe is made with four cups of nettles.

Heat two cups of vegetable broth in a saucepan and when it boils add the nettles and cook on medium heat for about ten minutes. Put a strainer over another saucepan and strain the nettles. Save the liquid.

In the first saucepan, heat 1 T vegan butter and fry the garlic and shallot until soft. Put aside. In the same saucepan, heat the remaining 2 T vegan butter and add the cornstarch. Mix well. Pour the liquid from the nettles into a measuring cup and add vegetable broth till the required amount. Add a little of the liquid at a time to the cornstarch while whisking constantly. When all the broth is mixed in, add the nettles, chives, and tomato paste. Mix well. Let it simmer for five minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend on high until a smooth consistency. Pour the soup back into the saucepan. Add the lemon juice, and if required, sherry or white wine.

Pour the soup into serving bowls and top it off with half a hard boiled egg.

Crepes: GF/DF (serves 4 – makes about 12 crepes))

Crepes is an easy but still festive dish. The filling can be anything you have in the fridge. I often just fill them with chunky salsa, served with a side salad. Pictured is also homemade blackberry kombucha. (Blackberries and lettuce from Star Hollow Farm).

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup (3 dl) glutenfree flour
• 2 1/2 cups (6 dl) dairy free milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 T vegan butter, melted
• grated cheese (optional)

Whisk the eggs with half of the milk. Mix in the flour and salt. Add the rest of the milk and the melted butter. Let the batter sit for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500F/250C

Heat a small frying pan (medium/low heat) and add a little vegan butter. Only needed for the first pancake. Pour a thin layer of the mix into the frying pan, and when it’s dry on the top, flip it around and fry it on the other side. Stack the pancakes on a plate.

Grease an oven proof dish 9×12″ (23x30cm), or put a parchment paper on a baking tray. Put a heaping table spoon of the filling of your choice on each pancake. Roll them up and put them with the joint facing down on the oven proof dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake the crepes for 10-15 minutes in the middle of the oven.