I have moooooved! :) www.mygreenwonders.com

After almost 3 years of blogging and feeding myself and you, it was time to be serious. But just a little bit.

I have bought myself a domain, so I finally have my own website. It´s easy, it´s simple and it´s beautifully and shiny! It is soooo much easier for you, dear readers, to find recipes there, it is organised and it smells yummy! :)

I hope you will find my new website exciting and that you will follow me there, on my delicious , as well.

I will be slowly editing the website into the version I want it to be. Everything great doesn´t happen overnight, so I will be refurnishing my website from time to time to make you feeling cosy when you´ll be visiting me there :)

I will see you on http://mygreenwonders.com/ !
Look forward to inspire you, make you healthy, hungry and beautiful from the inside out! :)

Thank you for sticking around with me. x

The Ultimate Homemade Tahini. To najlepšie domáce tahini.

´Open sesame!´ are the magic words from the tale of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.

Tahini is the magical sesame seed paste that keeps me energised. The paste I can´t live without. The paste, that makes the base for hummus. Paste that I have to eat in some way every day. No kidding.

Was it a love at first sight? No. Do I spread it and drizzle it over everything and anything? Yes! :)

There is something magical when making your homemade versions of foods you adore. You feel strong, powerful, incredibly smart, proud of yourself. You feel like a superhero with an apron on. You feel like you can conquere the world just because you pressed the button on your food processor and made nut butter. Or homemade sunflower seed butter. Or homemade tahini. Say whaaaat?! That is right, homemade sesame seed paste that babylonian women used to eat to preserve their beauty and youth. I eat it by spoonfuls. And I hope you will as well! :)

In India, they believe that sesame seeds are a symbol of immortality. Want to stay young, beautiful and live until you are 140 years young? Sesame seeds taste much better than anti aging pills, so stock up on those tiny powerhouses! :)

Have you stopped drinking milk for whatever reason? Sesame is the primevegetable source for calcium. A quarter cup of these nutty seeds provide 35,1% of your recommended daily allowance.

Sesame seeds are rich in vitamin E (understand beautiful skin, hair, nails). They are rich in B vitamins (hello vegetarians and vegans! :), full of iron, protein, healthy fats and they are high in fibre as well  (it will be too late for you to think about them while having troubles in the toilet, think about them now to make everything smooth later! ;)

Are you ready to be even more beautiful than you already are? Are you ready to shine and glow? Let´s make some tahini!

The Ultimate Homemade Tahini 

You will need to use the best sesame seeds you can find as it is the most important ingredient here. There are many different types of sesame seeds you can opt for black, hulled, unhulled.
I use unhulled only, but you can slowly build up to it by starting off using hulled sesame seeds; each time you´ll make the tahini, you can keep adding unhulled to the hulled seeds. Experiment and see what you like.
Unhulled sesame seeds are more nutritious as the outer skin (the hull) is needed in liver for proper digestion of the seeds´ high fat content.

2 cups sesame seeds
4-8 tbs cold pressed, organic sesame oil (not toasted)
sea salt

Rinse the sesame seeds in water. This will make the sesame seeds to taste somewhat cleaner and their flavour will be sweeter. Rinse properly a couple of times. Leave them in a sieve.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Spread your sesame seeds all over your baking tray as thinly as you can.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Stir them around, bake for another 10 minutes. Keep going until the seeds are lightly tpasted and completely dry.

Try not to burn them. :)

Put them into a food processor and get ready, get set, blend!

Blen them until a very fine flour forms. It should be a bit moist, almost like a wet sand.

Add in 4 tbls of sesame oil and keep blending. A smooth paste should start forming. Keep going until completely smooth. You can add in more oil if needed; to reach your desired consistency. The amount of oil you use depends on the type of seeds you use. Keep adding until you reach the desired consistency.

Store in a clean jar in a fridge for up to 3 months.

Eat with everything and anything.


Cinnamon and Sea Salt Tahini

1 cup tahini
1 tsp good-quality ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp sea salt (or pink himalayan salt)

Blend everything together (or beat woth a fork). You may add in tiny bit of sesame oil.
Store in a fridge until it´s gone or for up to 3 months.

 

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´Sézam otvor sa!´ To su tie magicke slova, ktore pozna snad cely svet z rozpravky o Ali Babe. 

A tahini? No to je magicke slovo, ktore lahodi mojim usiam a mojmu telu ako nic ine na tomto svete. Sezamova pasta, bez ktorej by som len tazko zila. Je to ta zazracna pasta, ktora tvori zaklad hummusu. (Este som veru nestretla cloveka, ktory by nemal rad hummus, ten uzasny kremovy dip, ktory by som si natrela aj na usi, keby sa dalo!). Tahini je sezamova pasta, ktora nesmie chybat v mojom kazdodennom zivote. Nesrandujem.

Bola to laska na prvy pohlad a prvu lyzicku? Uf, urcite nie. Ten pocit, ked sa mi tahini prilepilo na jazyk, podnebie a postupne obalilo celu traviau sustavu-na ten pocit nezabudnem. A ako to je teraz? Ze si tahini natieram na vsetko co sa mi pohne na tanieri? Ano! :) 

Vzdy je na tom nieco magicke, ked si doma dokazete vyrobit este lepsiu verziu niecoho, na co ste natrafili na potulkach po trhoch alebo zasitych obchodikoch po vasich cestach svetom. Citite sa neprekonatelni, plni sily, neskutocne mudri a strasne ste na seba hrdi. Citite sa ako super hrdina s kuchynskou zasterou na hrudi. Citite sa ako ten najzdatnejsi clovek na plenete len preto, lebo ste zapli tlacitko na vasom kuchynskom robote a behom par minut ste si vyrobili domace orieskove maslo. 

Alebo domace maslo zo zlatavo opecenych slnecnicovych semiacok.Alebo ste si vyrobili domace tahini. Ano, tak je, domace tahini! :) Sezamovu pastu, ktoru jedli zeny v Babylone aby si zachovali svoju krasu a mladost co najdlhsie to islo. No a ja som si to vzala za priklad a tahini si vychutnavam tou najvacsou lyzicou aku doma mamae kazdy den! A verim, ze onedlho si budete na domacom tahini pochutnavat aj vy. :)

V Indii zase veria, ze sezamove  semienka su symbolom nesmrtelnosti. Tak ak chcete zit do 140, byt este krajsi a zdravsi, zabudnite na kolagenove pirulky, ktore chutia nechutne a zacnite si vychutnavat tu uzasnu orieskovu chut sezamu. 

A, ak ste kvoli hocijakej pricine prestali pit mlieko, mam pre vas dobru spravu. Sezam obsahuje tolko vapnika, ze na mlieko sa uz nikdy nemusite ani pozriet a vase kosti budu zdravsie ako nikdy! :) Len 1/4 salky tychto malinkych semiacok vam doda 35,1% odporucanej dennej davky. 

Sezamove semiacka su velmi bohate na vitamin E (rozumej krasne vlasy, nechty a pokozka). Su plne vitminov B (na zdravie vegetariani a vegani!), su plne zeleza, proteinu, zdravych tukov a su taktiez velmi bohate na vlakninu (myslite na sezam predtym ako si sadnete na toaletnu dosku, lebo potom uz bude neskoro! :) 

Takze ste pripraveni byt este viac krajsi ako ste? Ste pripraveni ziarit zvnutra navonok? Tak podme na domace tahini! 

To najlepšie domáce tahini

Kedze sezamove semiacka su tu tou najdolezitejsou ingredienciou, kupte si tie najlepsie a najkvalitnejsie semiacka ake mozte. Existuju naozaj kadejake rozne druhy, mozete si vybrat medzi lupanymi semiackami, nelupanymi ba dokonca si mozete zakupit aj semiacka cierneho sezamu. 

Ja pouzivam na tahini semiacka vylucne nelupane, no pre niekoho moze byt chut tychto semiacok az ´prilis´. Zacala by som semiackami lupanymi a postupne si mozete ku lupanym pridavat tie nelupane, hrat sa s chutou a namiesat si tak tahini, ktore vam bude najviac chutit. 

Nelupane semiacka su tou najzdravsou a nutricne najbohatsou variantou, pretoze vonkajsi obal semiacka je nevyhnutny na spravne stravenie velkeho mnozstva oleja, ktory sa nachadza v sezame. Takze pre spravne stravenie sezamu si vychutnajte semiacko tak, ako nam ho poskytuje nasa Matka Priroda-pekne spolu s obalom a so vsetkym co k tomu patri! :) 

2 salky sezamovych semiacok 

4-8 lyzic organickeho, za studena lisovaneho sezamoveho oleja (nie ten, ktory je vyrobeny z oprazenych semiacok)

morska sol 

Poriadne vase semiacka preplachnite v mise s vodou. Najlepsie bude ak to spravite niekolkokrat. A poctivo. Zistila som, ze takto sa semiacka zbavia tej typickej horkosti a chutia omnoho jemnejsie a prijemnejsie. Nechajte ich odkvapkat v sitku. 

Predhrejte si ruru na 150°C a pekac na pecenie si vylozte papierom na pecenie. 

Premyte a odkvapkane semiacka rozlozte na vas pekac co najtensie sa vam bude dat. 

Pecte 10 minut, potom semiacka premiesajte a pecte dalsich 10 minut. Opat semiacka premiesajte. Pokracujte opekat vase semiacka dovtedy, dokym nebudu suche a jemne zlatave. 

Skuste vase semiacka nepripalit, da sa na ne lahko zabudnut! :) 

Vysypte ich do vase kuchynskeho robota, pripravte sa a mixujte! 

Mixujte ich dovtedy, dokym vam z nich nevznikne jemna mucka, nieco ako vlky piesok. 

Pridajte do mixera 4 lyzice sezamoveho oleja a znova mixujte. Mixujte az dovtedy, dokym sa z vasich semiacok nevznikne vytvarat jemna pasta. Mozno budete musiet pridat do mixera viacej oleja, to zalezi na typu semiacok, ktore pouzivate. 

Mixujte dokym nedosiahnete pozadovanu konyistenciu tahini. 

Pridajte stipku morskej soli. Premixujte, ochutnajte a dochutte. Sol vyzdvihne tu uzasne orieskovu chut sezamu. 

Tahini prelejte do uzatvaratelnej flasky a skladujte v chladnicke po dobu 3 mesiacov. 

Vychutnavajte si ho so vsetkym a vo vsetkom. 

Škoricové tahini s morskou soľou 

1 salka tahini 

1 lyzicka kvalitnej mletej skorice 

1/3 lyzicky morskej soli (alebo himalajska sol)

Vsetko spolu zmiesame. Mozme pridat trosku sezamoveho oleja. 

Skladujeme v chladnicke dokym sa tahini cele nezje alebo po dobu 3 mesiacov. 

Homemade Oatcakes. Domáce oatcakes.

I love snacking.

I love the crunch of homemade popped corn, I love the crunch of lightly toasted almonds or sunflower seeds.

I love snacking on homemade seeded crackers.

I love snacking on chickpea crackers.

And I love snacking when travelling. Being able to enjoy a nourishing snack full of goodness, crunchiness and flavour while staring outside of a train window might seem like a scene from a movie, but hell it is enjoyable! :) . Call me crazy, but I love eating while adoring beautiful views of this Earth.

I am the queen of jars. You open up my cupboards, there are million jars full of spices, nuts, seeds, grains. You look into my fridge where you can another zillion jars with different nut butters, spreads, miso pastes, fermented vegetables, pestos and also a sourdough bread starter I named Zuza (I just feel like it is a usch a strong name for a great starter that bakes bread for us every week:).

And then, you open up my handbag and gues what? More jars. When I walk, you can hear the sound of 2 or 3 jars hitting each other in my bag. The funny thing is I can´t hear it anymore.

 


Those jars are filled with nuts, veggies, grains, seeds, dips and spreads, boiled eggs, roasted vegetables and creamy soups as well. There is everything  that can save my hungry belly at work and nourish me until dinner time.

I go through phases where I adore different foods and have to have them almost every day. Like tahini (but that sticked to me and I am not letting it go). Or just like plaintain, that sweet/salty banana like vegetable that I craved every day for 2 months after discovering it in my local oriental shop. And the same thing happenned with oatcakes.

When I moved to England and discovered their crunchy, thin and simple oatcakes, oh, they got me. It was a love at first sight. These are an amazing vehicle for carrying nutbutters, spreads, world´s biggest friend-avocado, slices of apples, chunks of cheese..I mean, there is not a variation of an oatcake I wouldn´t like. They are excellent with anything and everything. Dip them in hot cacao, spread over some homemade jam, eat them with soup, alongside some beautifully roasted vegetables, make you own PB and J..go crazy!

After buying them for a couple of week, I had to make my own. So I did. And there won´t be any come back to the shop bought version. Never. These are so simple it is ridiculous to call it a recipe. A few simple ingredients with some added herbs, fancy salts or different spices if you feel a bit virtuous. Even chunks of dried fruit or bits of crushed nuts work well. Anything you fancy will make these beauties your favourite snack. I promise you.

Oats are incredibly good for you and are so nourishing for your entire body. They are delicious, full of protein, vitamin, minerals and fibre, which will make you feel full for quite a long time. Oats take care of your heart, calm the nervous system, lower cholesterol, fight against cancer and are one of the least expensive grains out there, that you can enjoy to nourish your mind, body and soul.

So, what are you waiting for? Let´s snack on these!

 


Homemade Oatcakes 

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats OR 2 cups of oats and 1/2 cup of ground almondsor ground hazelnuts (all versions are beautiful)
2 tbs melted butter, olive oil or coconut oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
pinch of soda bicarbonate

optional flavorings:
1 tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
zest of 1 orange (try to use organic as you are using the skin and scrub the orange well before zesting to remove everything that is not needed in the orange zest)
a bit more sea salt to sprinkle on top of the oatcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Fill up your kettle with water and let it boil.

Process your oats in your food processor until a fine oat flour forms. If there will be any bigger pieces of oats left, that´s great-they will create a nice texture to the oatcakes.

Tip the oat flour into a bowl and mix in sea salt and soda bicarbonate. Mix well.

If using any flavourings, add them to you dry mixture now. what I do - I only incorporate the chopped herbs to it and then, when rolling out the dough, I sprinkle the zest on top of the dough as it tends to colour the oats a bit. If you don´t mind orange-coloured oats, mix the zest in now. :)

Pour in your melted butter or oil alongside 1/2 of hot water. Start mixing the dough with a fork. If it is too dry, slowly add in more water; teaspoon by teaspoon.

Using your hands, bring the dough together - it should be smooth, not dry and not sticky. If it still crumbles, add in a few drops of water - this all depends on the oats you are using. Experiment, have fun and you will be fine :) .

Roll out the dough in between two sheets of baking paper into a thin dough (not too thin as the oatcakes tends to break up once baked-they are very fragile).

Sprinkle with additional sea salt, gently roll it into the dough with a rolling pin one last time.

Using a cookie cutter or a glass, cut out rounds of oatcakes and transfer them onto your cooking sheet.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, checking them out after their first 10 minutes of baking as every oven is different.

They are done, when they are no longer soft to the touch and when the edges are slightly golden.

Let them cool on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container.

Enjoy them on their own or with everything you ever dream of-sliced avo, sliced apple and nut butter, dip them in soups, eat them with cheese, dunk them in your morning tea; go crazy! :)

Happy snacking, dear friends!

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Zboznujem maskrtenie. 

Zboznujem maskrtit na domacich pukancoch, zboznujem to chrumkanie jemne opecenych mandli alebo slnecnicovych semiacok.

Zboznujem maskrtenie na domacich semiackovych krekroch. 

Zboznujem maskrtit chrumkave cicerove krekry.

A najviac zboznujem maskrtit pri cestovani. Ten pocit, ked si mozem vychutnat neskutocne chutne jedlo alebo zdravu maskrtu popri vykukani z okna na okolitu krasu krajiny moze zniest ako scena z filmu, no verte me, je to neskutocna pravda! :) Naozaj, vychutnavanie si jedla vo vlaku alebo autobuse je jednou z mojich najoblubenejsich veci. A ked cestujem, beriem si so sebou svoje flasticky a nadobky. 

Naozaj, ja som asi kralovna prenosnych flasiek. 

Otvorite mi doma skrinku a najdete tam milion flasticiek roznych velkosti, ktore su napchate roznymi semiackami, orieskami, obilninami, koreninami, roznymi druhmi soli, kadejakymi olejmi. Nazriete do chladnicky a tam sa na vas vali dalsi milion flasticiek, v ktorych su rozne orieskove a semiackove masla, miso pasta, dipy, natierky, fermentovana zelenina, vzdy aspon jedno pesto a dokonca mi v chladnicke najdete aj razny kvasok na chlebik, ktory som pomenovala Zuza (pretoze to meno mi pripomina silu  to akou uzasnou silou nam Zuza pecie doma chlebik uz vyse roka je neuveritelne! :). 

No a nakoniec sa mi pozriete do tasky, kde najdete co? Dalsie flasky. Flasticky, ktore su napchate pecenou zeleninou, kremovymi polievkami, mixom orieskov, niekedy velmi kvalitnymi syrmi a aj natierkami ci natvrdo uvarenymi vajickami. Z takehoto kadecoho si v robote vyskladam vzdy obed,ktory ma nabije energiou a uzasne zasyti do casu vecere. 

Urcite poznate pocit, ked ste vyslovene zavisli na urcitom jedle, ktoreho sa neviete nabazit. Mne sa to stava casto. Naposledy som takto spadla do uzasneho vztahu s tahini (sesamova pasta), ktoru som jednoducho musela mat kazdy den. Ehm, tento uzasne lahodny vztah stale pretrvava a nehodlam sa s tahini len tak lahko rozlucit. Trosku posadnuta som bola aj s tou sladko-slanou zeleninou bananoveho tvaru - plaintain - ktoru som objavila v lokalnom orientalnom obchode-tieto opecene a skaramelizovane kolieska uzasnej chuti som musela mat na tanieri kazdy den. No a takato posadnutost sa opakovala v podobe oatcakes. Chrumkave keksiky z ovsenych vlociek.

Ked som sa prestahovala do Anglicka a objavila ich chrumkavu zazlezitost v podobe tychto keksikov, bola to laska na prvy pohlad. Oatcakes su tymi najlepsimi partnermi pre orieskove masla, dipy, natierky, popucene avokado (najlepsi priatel na tomto svete?!), kusky jablcok a syrov.. Lepsie povedane,neexistuje kombinacia, ktora by mi v spojeni s oatcakes nechutila. Su uzasne s kadecim a so vsetkym. Namacajte si ich do horuceho kakaa, nacapkajte si na ne domaci lekvar, nalamte ich na vrch kremovej polievky ako jemnu posypku, urobte si z nich ´sandwich´ z arasidoveho masla a lekvaru (v Amerike sa za tym idu ludia zblaznit a ked som tam bola ja, tiez som bola do toho blazon!), zajedajte nimi upecenu zeleninu.. jednoducho budte akcni a skusajte kombinacie ake vam len napadnu! :)

Po par tyzdnoch kupovania tychto keksikov som si povedala dost. A upiekla som si vlastne. Podarilo sa, boli uzasne a kupovana verzia uz u mna nehrozi. Nikdy. Su take jednoduche, ze volat tento recept ´receptom´ je smiesne. No a ak by pre vas boli moc jednoduche a chcete zaziarit, prihodte k nim bylinky pold achuti, koreniny, kadejake lepsejsie druhy solí. Alebo malicke kusocky sucheho ovocia a popucene orechy. Vsetky variacie budu fungovat a postaraju sa o vasu novu oblubenu maskrtu.

Vlocky su prekvipo dobrym zdrojom proteinov a obsahuju velke mnozstvo vlakniny, ktora vas zasyti na dlhsiu dobu. Upokojuju nervovy system, chrania srdce, znizuju cholesterol a bojuju proti rakovine. Su jedny z najlacnejsich obilnin, ktore si mozete dopriat.

Nech sa paci, do schrumkavenia priatelia! :) 

Domáce oatcakes (domáce ovsené keksíky)

2 1/2 salky ovsených vločiek ALEBO 2 salky vlociek a 1/2 salky mletych mandli alebo mletych lieskovcov (vsetky verzie su vyborne!)

2 lyzice roztopeneho postiveho masla, kokosoveho oleja alebo olivoveho oleja 

1/2 lyzicky morskej soli 

stipka sody bikarbony 

Ak si zelate napiect ochutene keksiky, tu je varianta:

1 lyzica najemno posekaneho cerstveho rozmarinu 

kora z chemicky neosetreneho pomaranca (riadne ten pomaranc pred pouzitim umyte aby ste sa zbavili vsetkeho nechceneho)

trosku morskej soli na posypanie keksikov

Predhrejte si ruru na 180°C. Plech na pecenie vylozte papierom na pecenie.

Rychlovarnu kanvicu naplnte vodou a dajte zovriet.

V kuchynskom robote vymixujte vase vlocky az dovtedy, dokym vam nezacne vznikat jemna ovsena mucka. Ak vam ostane par vlociek nevymixovanych, bude len dobre. Pekne pridaju na texturu keksikov. 

Ovsenu mucku si vysypte do misy a zmiesajte spolu so solou a sodou bikarbonou.

Ak pouzivate rozmarin alebo inu bylinku, primiesajte ju do muky teraz aj spolu s pomarancovou korou. Ja vacsinou pomarancovou korou keksiky posypam, ked ich valkam tesne pred upecenim, lebo kora zvykne keksiky pofarbit, no ak vam nevadia, ked su trosku oranzove, jednoducho tu koru primiesajte teraz. :) 

Do misy pridajte vase roztopene maslo alebo olej spolu s 1/2 salkou horucej vody. Vsetko zacnite miesat vidlickou. Ak sa vam zda cesto prilis suche, pridajte viacej vody, lyzicku po lyzicke. Toto vsetko zalezi na vlockach ake pouzivate, tak sa nebojte. Experimentujte, majte z toho relax, zabavu, uzivajte si to a bude dobre :) .

Cesto spolu vymiesajte rukami a opat ak je suche, pridajte trosku vody. Hotove cesto by malo byt jemne. 

Rozvalkajte ho medzi dvoma kusmi papieru na pecenie na tensie cesto, no nie moc tenke, lebo po upeceni by sa keksiky lahko lamali. 

Prelozte ich na papier na pecenie a pecte asi 12-15 minut. Zacnite ich kontrolovat po prvych 10 minutach pecenia, pretoze kazda rura predsalen pecie inaksie. A tak isto zalezi na hrubke keksikov 

Ked su upecene, v strede uz nie su makka na dotyk a po stranach by mali byt jemne zlatiste. 

Vyberte z rury, nechajte vychladnut na mriezke a odlozte do dobre uzatvaratelnej nadoby. 

Vychutnavajte si ich len tak same alebo s cim vas len napadne! :) 

Natrite si na ne orieskove maslo a poukladajte platky jablka. Alebo si na ne poukladajte platky krasne dozreteho avokada, posypte solou, korenim a pokvapakajte olivovym olejom. Namacajte si ich do polievok alebo do ranneho caju. Zlepte si ich lekvarom a namacajte do horucej cokolady. 

Prajem zdrave maskrtenie! :) 

Healing Lentil Salad. Liečivý šošovicový šalát.

Spices. Spices can transfor your dish from a simple meal into meal that is bursting with flavours that pop into your mouth like a beautiful firework.

Did you also know that spices are healing? These tiny powders and seeds of gorgeous colours, textures and flavours can benefit every cell in your body and can play the best symphony on your tongue. Let them sing and play! Try out different spices each time you will be cooking and pouring your heart into your pans, explore their original tastes and many varieties there are out there.

Life is too short for using salt and pepper only.

The best spices to start going crazy with?

Turmeric with its beautifull golden colour and amazing health benefits is considered to be the spice of spices. It´s been traditionally used in Indian medicine for healing joints, digestion, liver, heart, brain and skin. It has great ability to clean the blood of toxins and nourish the whole body. Be careful when using turmeric as it colours everything around you. :)

Cumin is a beautiful antioxidant and antiseptic for the body; I mean, just smell it! It figts cancer, improve immunity and is a great aid for digestion - relieves any unwanted gas - bye bye, bloating! :) Cumin is also very rich in iron and vitamin C, which is essential for keeping the immune system healthy - cumin is a great addition to your diet when suffering from colds.

Coriander seeds are those small and beautifully fragrant seeds that make all the difference in Indian dishes that require that ´something special´. Besides that, coriander is one of the oldest spices. And no wonder people have been using these gorgeous seeds for healing their precious bodies! They help in reducing cholesterol levels, the essential oil present in the seeds is known to help digestion, clean the body of heavy metals and toxins. It has got antibacterial properties and is very good for balancing out the hormones and easing any pain there is in the special time of the month.

Cinnamon - my favourite! There isn´t a day I would go without this gorgeously smelling dust of sweetness. Such a beautiful spice that brings natural sweetness to any dish. I can´t even imagine banana bread without it. Or my morning porridge? Or pancakes which aren´t sprinkled with cinnamon? Or tagine that is missing out on the depth of the spice? OH, no. Don´t take cinnamon away from me. Besides tasting beautifully, it (again) helps digestion, regulates blood sugar levels, reduces inflammation in the body, fights cancer, helps cure colds, boosts brain activity, increase blood circulation-it is a warming spice so no wonder we crave it during colder months. :) It is antifungal, antiseptic, antibacterial and full of fibre, iron and calcium. Enjoy it all year around to bring its natural sweetness to any dish.

Try to use as fresh spices as you can. So if there are old packets of spices lying around in your cupboards since the World War II., get rid of them. They probably lost their freshness, nutrients and most probably the smell as well.

Happy spicing, friends! :)

Healing Lentil Salad

large bunch of kale or seasonal greens
red onion
pomegranate seeds
mint leaves
1 cup cooked lentils (brown, de puy or whichever your tastebuds fancy)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (the best quality you can afford-the taste is irrepleceable)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbs apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp coriander powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
a tiny bit of honey, about 1/2 tsp or to taste
1/2 garlic clove, minced (optional)
2 tbs capers or small handful of olives, chopped

Sautee your kale leaves in some water (or blanch them/boil them/steam thme-what works the best for you). Drain and let cool.

Slice the red onion into thin rounds.

Deseed the pomegranate by cutting the fruit into halves and banging the halves with the back of a spoon.

Mix together olive oil, vinegar, mustard and all of the spices. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking-experiment! :)

And now, dish up. Place kale, onion and olives/capers onto a plate and briefly mix with spoon or your hands.

Mix together lentils and the ´vinaigrette´and spread on top of your vegetables.

Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, mint leaves and devour.

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Koreniny. Uzasne koreniny dokazu i z jednoducheho jedla spravit tanier plny chuti, ktore vam v ustach vybuchuju chutou ako krasny ohnostroj.

Vedeli ste ale, ze okrem ich nenahraditelnej chuti su taktiez zdrave a liecia? Tie malicke semiacka a jemne prasky yomletych korenin plne krasnych farieb dokazu liecit kazdu bunku v nasom tele. Na jazyku dokazu hrat tu najkrajsiu symfoniu chuti. Nechajte ich vyniknut, nech vam hraju a spievaju! :)
Zakazdym, ked budete varit a vkladat do varenia vasu dusu, skuste do hrncov vlozit aj nevsedne koreniny, ktore by ste inak nikdy nepouzili. Zrazu bude vsetko chutit uplne odlisne a krasne aromaticky. A to, ze vase telo sa vam podakuje, snad ani nemusim spominat.

Zivot je dost kratky na to, aby sme na jeho ochutenie pouzivali len sol a cierne korenie.

Takze s akymi koreninami zacat? Tu su tie zakladne, s ktorymi by ste mohli skusit zacat varit ak chcete zacat experimentovat. Ja mam doma vyse 25 rozdielnych korenin, ktore pouzivam podla nalady, rocneho obdobia; kvoli rozdielnym farbam, chutiama a vonam. Hura do toho! :)

Kurkuma je so svojou uzasnou zlatavou farbou a skvelymi zdravotnymi benefitmi je uznavana ako korenina korenin. Necudo, ze sa v Indii vyuziva uz od nepamati na liecenie klbov, zazivacieho traktu , pecene, srdca, mozgu a pokozky. Ma velmi silnu liecivu silu na precistenie krvi a zbavenia krvi toxinov; a vlastne celkovo prispieva k zdraviu celej ludskej bytosti. Budte ale velmi opatrni pri pouzivani kukurkumy, pretoze dokaze zafarbit vsetko na krasne zlto. :)

Rasca je perfektny antioxidant a naturalna dezinfekcna sila pre cele telo; po privonani ku rasci musite to vsetko dobre co obsahuje hned citit, je to velmi vonava korenina. Bojuje proti rakovine, posilnuje imunitny system a je skvelym pomocnikom pri ulahceni zazivania-redukuje nafukovanie, ktore tak vsetci velmi dobre pozname-zbohom plynatosti! :) Rasca je tiez uzasnym zdrojom zeleza a vtaminu C, ktore su potrebne na udrzanie zdraveho imunitneho systemu. Naordinujte si rascu hlavne v obdobi chripok, pomaha telu zbavit sa virusov.

Semiacka koriandru su take tie krasne gulicky plne nadhernej orientalne vone, ktore robia dokazu posunut indicke jedlo vzdy o level vyssie vzdy, ked jedlu chyba ´nieco specialne´. Okrem toho, je koriander jednou z najstarsich pouzivanych korenin vobec. Necudo, ze ho ludia pouzivali uz starocia vdaka svojim zazracnycm vlastnostiam.Pomahaju znizovat cholesterol, esencialny olej v semiackach pomaha na lepsie travenie, ocistu tela z tazkych kovov a toxinov. Ma vyborne antibakterialne ucinky, prospieva na spravnu rovnovahu hormonov a utlmuje menstruacne bolesti.

Skorica - jedna z mojich najoblubenejsich korenin vobec! Neprejde den, kedy by som niekde nevyuzila ten krasny prasok prirodnej sladkosti. Tak uzasna korenina, ktora prinesie hlbku, sladkost a vonu hociakemu jedlu. Bez skorice si bananovy chlebika ni neviem predstavit. Alebo zeby som si rano nepoprasila svoju kasu ani troskou skorice? Alebo by som si nedala skoricu na palacinky? Alebo by som nemohla pridat skoricu na vyzdvihnutie chuti do svojho tagine? Nehrozi. Tak prosim, neberte odomna skoricu prec. Sme tak uzasne kamaratky! A okrem toho, ze chuti krasne sladko, (opat) pomaha zazivaniu, reguluje hladinu cukru v krvi, znizuje zapaly v tele, bojuje proti rakovine, pomaha pri lieceni chripok a virusov, zvysuje vykonnost mozgu, zlepsuje prekrvenie tela-necudo, ze sa nase telo si skoricu pyta hlavne v chladnejsich mesiacoch :) Je antisepticka, antibakterialna a plna vlakniny, zeleza a vapnika. Pouzivajte skoricu po cely rok a prinesiete si tak zdravie a naturalnu sladkost do hocijakeho jedla nielen v zime.

Vzdy sa snazte pouzivat tie najcerstvejsie koreniny ku akym mate pristup. Tak ak stale opatrujete v kredenci koreniny, ktore mate od cias druhej svetovej, na tie zabudnite. Nemaju v sebe ziadne liecive ucinky, farbou urcite neziaria a pravdepodobne uz ani krasne nevonaju. Doskoreninovania, priatelia! :)


Liečivý šošovicový šalátik

velky zvazok kelovych listov alebo inej sezonnej listovej zeleniny
cervena cibulka
granatove jablko
cerstve matovy listky
1 salka uvarenej sosovice (hneda, de puy alebo akakolvek vam chuti)
1/3 salka za studena lisovaneho extra panenskeho olivoveho oleja (skuste pouzit tu najlepsiu kvalitu aku mozte zohnat)
1 lyzica jablcneho octu alebo citronovej stavy
1 lyzicka dijonskej horcice
1/2 lyzicky kurkumy
1/2 lyzicky mletej rasce (rimskej rasce)
1/4 lyzicky mleteho koriandru
stipka skorice
stipka kayanskeho korenia
morska sol a korenie podla chuti
trosku medu, cca 1/2 lyzicka alebo podla chuti
1/2 struciku cesnaku, postruhaneho
2 lyzice kapar alebo mala hrst oliv

Sautee vase kelove listy v troske vody (alebo ich uvarte v horucej vode/alebo ich uvarte jemne na pare). Precedte a dajte stranou.
Nakrajajte si cibulku na tenke kolieska.
Granatove jablko prekrojte na polovicky a spodnou stranou lyzice z neho ´vybuchajte´ semiacka.
Zmiesajte si spolu olivovy olej, jablcny ocot, horcicu a vsetky koreniny. Ochutnajte a dochutte podla chuti-experimentujte! :)
Nech sa paci, ide sa servirovat! Poukladajte na tanier vase kelove listy, cibulkove kolieska, kapary/olivy. Jemne premiesajte lyzicami alebo rukami.
Premiesajte spolu sosovicku s vasou koreninovou zalievkou. Pekne poprekladajte vasu sosovicku cez zeleninku.
Posypte semiackami z granatoveho jablka, posypte matovymi listkami a vrhnite sa na to! :)

Buckwheat Pancakes with Caramelised Pears. Pohánkové palacinky so skramelizovanými hruškami.

Every day is the best of your life. So don´t let anyone else to tell you otherwise.

Be the best you can be;
smile at the world and it will smile back at you.

Start everyday with a smile on your face.. and fancy pancakes on your plate!

It´s been some kind of family tradition to have pancakes for breakfast every Sunday. SO my boy and I keep the tradition alive by munching on hundreds of different beautiful variations. And lately, this has been our obsession.

Fluffy and moist buckwheat pancakes topped with warm caramelised pears, cinnamon, hazelnut butter and golden bee pollen.

Buckwheat flour is my absolute favourite flour for making pancakes and crepes. Try it out (if you still haven´t) and you won´t be dissapointed, you will be healthier. It might take you some time to get used to the taste of buckwheat as it tastes earthy and nutritious - it is full of fibre, easily digestible protein, copper, magnesium, rutin and B-vitamins. But once your taste buds shift into enjoying the real taste of real foods, you will love it. And I think that this is the recipe you should start with. Naturally sweet clouds of heaven on a plate, drizzled with hazelnut sauce, accompanied by gorgeously caramelised pear slices and decorated witj golden jewels of bee pollen. Nothing better on a freezing cold morning next to a cup of tea than these beauties. So, let´s get cooking, anyone can make these! :)

 


Buckwheat Pancakes with Caramelised Pears 
(makes enough for 2 hungry people; about 8-10 pancakes)

3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 ripe banana
pinch of sea salt
1 heaped tsp baking powder (phosphate-free)
3/4 cup water or plant based milk of your choice

2 pears, ripe
coconut oil (or butter)
cinnamon

2 tbs hazelnut butter
2 tbs coconut oil, plus more for cooking pancakes
toasted hazelnuts and bee pollen for garnish

Make your pancake batter. Mash a banana with fork.

In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add in 1/2 cup of water and mix until a thick batter forms. Get rid of any lumps. Mix in the rest of the water and mashed banana until a thick, but pourable batter forms.

Heat up some coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, pour about 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake. Cook until small bubbles appear on top of each pancake and then flip over and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Put the pan over medium-high heat and melt in the coconut oil.

Cut each pear in half and then each half into 4 slices. Put the slices into the pan and pan-fry them until crispy on the edges. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Melt coconut oil and whisk together with hazelnut butter until you´ll end up with a runny sauce.

And now, dish up, because I know you are starvingand can´t wait to try them! :) Put about 3-4 pancakes on a plate, top with caramelised pears, drizzle with hazelnut butter, sprinkle with cinnamon, bee pollen and some toasted crashed hazelnuts. Enjoy! :)

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Kazdy den je ten najkrajsi den vasho zivota. Tak si to nenehajte dat od nikoho vyhovorit. 

Budte najlepsou verziou sameho seba;

usmievajte na svet a svet sa bude usmievat na vas.

Kazdy den zacnite s velikanskym usmevom na tvari.. a s luxusnymi palacinkami na tanieri!

Je to tak trosku rodinna tradicia, aby sme si kazdu nedelu skraslili krasne rana s palacinkami na stole. A tak v tom poctivo pokracujem aj s mojim chlapcom u nas doma, kde si pomali prehryzavame svoje nedelne rana cez stovky kadejakym rozlicne chutnych palaciniek. A poslednou dobou sme sa zblaznili do kombinacie takejto ranajkovej krasy. 

Vlacne a jemne pohankove palacinky, na ktorych vysostne sediakusky skaramelizovanej hrusky, ktore su poliate lieskovo-orieskovou omackou, poprasene su aromatickou skoricou a posypane zlatym pelom. 

Pohankova muka je mojou najoblubenejsou volbou, ked pride na pripravu palaciniek ci doliek. Vyskusajte nou nahradit tue nevyraznu bielu (ake ste tak stale nespravili) a naozaj nebudete sklamani. A budete zase o nieco zdravsi. :) 

Ak nie ste na chut pohanky zvyknuti, trosku bude trvat kym sa vam vase chutove bunky podakuju ya tu jedinecnu chut-chut pohanky je zemska, orieskova a nutricne bohata-obsahuje vela vlakniny, medi, horcika, rutinu a B vitaminov. Budete tu chut zboznovat az sa telo s touto skvelou ´obilninou´ skamarati. Potom si spomente na tento recept, lebo je to ten, s ktorym by ste mali zacat ´pohankovat´. Uzasne vlacne a naturalne sladucke oblaciky na tanieri poliate lieskovo-orieskovou omackou, vysostne dozdobene jemne skaramelizovanymi kuskami hrusky, poprasene aromatickou skoricou a posypane zlatym vcelim pelom, ktory vyzera ako tie najkrajsie drahokamy na zemi. Nie je nic lepsie v chladne, zimne rano ku salke caju ako tato krasa. Tak sup-sup do varenia, tieto palacinky zvladne kazdy! :)

Pohánkové palacinky so skaramelizovanými hruškami

(dost pre 2 hladosov; cca 8-10 palaciniek)

3/4 salky pohankovej muky 

1 dozrety banan

stipka morskej soli 

1 vrchovata lyzicka prasku do peciva (bezfosfatovy prasok do peciva)

3/4 salky vody alebo rastlinneho mlieka 

2 hrusky

kokosovy olej 

mleta skorica 

2 lyzice lieskovo-orieskoveho masla 

2 lyzice kokosoveho oleja 

oprazene lieskovce a vceli pel na dozdobenie

Nech sa paci, zacnime najprv s pripravou palacinkoveho cesta. Vidlickou si popucime banan. 

V miske si spolu zmiesame pohankovu muku, sol, prasok do peciva.

Pridame 1/2 salky vody a vymiesame v huste cesto bez hrciek. Pridame popuceny banan a zvysok vody a vymiesame na hustejsie cesto, ktore sa ale stale da pekne naberat a liat. 

Na panvici si roztopime kokosovy olej a zacneme ´smazit´nase palacinky. Na kazdu palacinku pouzijeme asi 2 lyzice cesta. Cesto vylejeme na panvicu a opekame dokym sa na povrchu palacinky nezacnu tvorit bublinky. Palacinku otocime a dopekame na druhej strane asi 1-2 minuty. Pokracujeme takto podobne s ostatnymi palacinkami, dokym sa nam neminie vsetko cesto. 

Na horucej panvici si roztopime kokosovy olej. Hrusky si rozpolime a kazdu polovicu nakrajane na 4 casti. Kusky hrusiek dame na horucu panvicu a opekame dokym nebudu hrusky na stranach chrumkave a pekne do zlata opecene. Pred koncom opekania ich jemne poprasime skoricou. 

Roztopime si kokosovy olej a zmiesame ho s lieskovo-orieskovym maslom, dokym nam nevznikne jemna omacka. 

A teraz, kedze ste uz urcite hladni a neviete sa dockat-ide sa servirovat! Na tanier si polozte 3-4 palacinky, polozte na ne kusky skramalizovanej hrusky, polejte lieskovcovou omackou, posypte skoricou a vcelim pelom. Nazdravie! :)

Kale and Blood Orange Winter Salad. Zimný šalát s feniklom a krvavými pomarančmi.

I simply love salads. But not the salads you might think of. Are you thinking of shredded lettuce, flavourless tomato, cold cucumber and some kind of thousand-ingredient-dressing on a side?  This kind of salad is a big NO for me. To me and to my family, salads have to be showstoppers of all meals so people can´t take their eyes of them. The more exciting and pretty they are, the more you need to fight over them so you could actually have some as so many people are attracted to it! :)

I remember that a few years back, that kind of iceburg-stuffed salad was the only option on menus when wanting to get some veggies into your meal. Or when going out for a meal. So you ended up finding  yourself chewing on some iceburg-lettuce and under ripe tomatoes drenched in plenty of mayo. Thankfully, those days are over and people have started experimenting with a huge array of vegetables, textures and flavours and completely forgot about that cold iceberg leaves. I hope you are one of those people. :)

So, following my palette and admiring vegetables that are season, I try to put together a killer salad everytime  we want to compliment our meal with something beautiful, fresh, outstanding and flavourful. I make them pretty and appealing to eat. So pretty, that it drags the attention even to the biggest veggie hater and makes him wonder why on Earth he doesn´t eat such beautiful and colorful gifts that our Mother N offers.

Look around yourself, look what vegetables are in season and put your imagination and creativity to work. Add in herbs, different nuts and seeds, make yummy olive-oil based dressing. Possibilities are endless, make it yours and unique.

This salad can get you started in your salad making skills. It´s simple, punched with gorgeous flavours and colours, full of texture and it embraced the seasonal vegetables. And this is actually that kind of salad you want to eat in winter. I find myself that when it´s cold outside, my body craves warming food, but this salad is an exception. Try it out and you will see why.

Kale and Blood Orange Winter Salad 

big bunch of kale (I love using russian or purple kale)
2 blood oranges
1/2 bulb of fennel
big handful of walnuts
fresh dill or fresh parsley leaves
olive oil
lemon
sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
tiny bit of honey to taste

Put a pan over medium heat. Toast in your walnuts until fragrant and slightly golden. Put on a side.

Wash your kale leaves, remove the stalks (as they are quite hard to digest), wash well and tear the leaves into smaller pieces. Drizzle some olive oil over the leaves, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and massage the leaves with plenty of love and your hands until they soften up and wilt a bit. Add to a bowl.

Using a knife, peel the blood oranges and it into segments. What you will be left it is a juice membranes that you can squeezed over your salad. And eat it afterwards - no waste.

Using your potato or veggie peeler, peel the fennel into thin slices. Add it to your bowl together with the orange pieces.

Wash and chop the herbs of your choice and add it to the salad bowl. Mix in briefly with your hands.

In a cup mix together olive oil and lemon juice (2:1). Add salt, pepper and a bit of honey. Mix well, taste and adjust according your hungry tastebuds. Pour over the salad, give it a quick mix and sprinkle with crashed toasted walnuts.

Serve it alongside anything, on its own or with some socca (a chickpea pancake-can be found on my blog as well) and yoghurt.

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Jednoducho zboznujem salaty. Ale urcit nie ten, na ktory teraz pravdepodobne myslite. Mate na mysli salat z ladoveho salatu, paradajky bez chuti, studenej uhorky a preliaty majonezovym dresingom? Tak toto je pre mna velke NIE. Pre mna a moju rodinu je dolezite, aby salat, ktory sa u nas polozi na stol, bol uplny trhak - ukazkovy salat, z ktoreho ludia nevedia spustit zrak. Cim viac su salaty krajsie a vzrusujucejsie, tym viac sa o nom musite doslova ´pobit´ s ostatnymi aby vam vobec nieco zostalo! :)

Pamatam si ko bol pred par rokmi vsade kde ste boli a jedli len jeden typ salatu. Zeleninovy salat napchaty ladovymi listami, ktorymi ste sa bez chuti prehryzli k niecomu inemu a zjedli ho len preto, aby ste do seba dostali nejaku tu zeleninu. Ajked bez chuti, no aspon volaco. Ale chvalabozku je takym dnom koniec, ludom to prestalo chutit a nasli dalsie sposoby ako vyuzit krasnu zeleninu, ktoru nam ustavicne ponuka Matka Zem. Takze snad ludia zabudli na salaty bez chuti a interestu. A verim, ze vy ste jeden z takych ludi! :)

Potom ako som zacala verit svojim hladnym chutovym poharikom a potom ako som zacala vyuzivat co je v sezone sa snazim na stol polozit vzdy salat, ktory je vrazedne dobry. :) Obmienam ich vzdy, ked chceme mat na stole nieco naozaj chutne, plne farieb, textur a chuti. Nieco tak pekne, co pritiahne svojim vyzorom (a chutou) aj tych najvacsich nepriatelov zeleniny, ktori sa po vyskusani len zamyslaju ako mozu fungovat takychto salatikov!

Vzdy sa okolo seba poriadne poobzerajte, pohladajte co je prave v sezone, zapojte svoju fantaziu a kreativitu a podme na to! Pridajte rozne bylinky, semiacka a orechy, pridajte ku tomu jemny dresing z olivoveho oleja. Tie moznosti nemaju konca, tak sup-sup, budte svojski a kreativni. 

Zacat mozete napriklad takymto jednoduchym a vybornym salatom. Trik je v jednoduchosti, farbe, texture - jednoducho som sa pohrala so sezonnou zeleninkou a ovocim. Je to salat, ktory lahodi oku a je to salat, na ktory mate v zime chut aj ked nie je peceny a vareny. Salaty mi moc nechutia, ked je vonku zima, no tento je akousi vynimkou. Vyskusajte sami na sebe a uvidite preco. Nech vam chuti!

 

Zimný šalát s feniklom a krvavými pomarančmi 

vacsi zvazok kelovych listov (velmi rada do salatu pouzivam fialovy kel alebo rusky kel)

1/2 hlavy z feniklu 

2 krvave pomarance 

velka hrst vlasakov 

cerstvy kopor a cerstva vnatka (mozte pouzit jedno alebo druhe no aj oboje naraz ako ja)

olivovy olej

citron

morska sol a cerstvo pomlete cierne korenie

trosku mediku alebo podla chuti 

Polozte panvicu na mierny prikon tepla a opecte si vlasaky dokym nevinaju krasne a dokym nie su opecene do zlatova. Dajte bokom. 

Kelove listy zbavte stonky (ta je totiz tazka na stravenie), poriadne kel preumyvajte a pokrajajte (alebo potrhajte) na mensie kusky. Prelejte jemne olivovym olejom, poypte troskou soli a korenia a s laskou a prstami vase kelove listy pomasirujte dokym nezmaknu. Malo by to trvat par minut. 

Presypte do misy na salat. Alebo na nejaky krasny tanier. 

Pomocou nozika ocupte pomaranc a povykrajujte mesiaciky tak, aby vam v rukach ostala len ´membrana´ pomarancu. Stavu z tohto zvysku mozete vystavit do misy s kelom a zvysok zjest-ziadny odpad! :)

Vezmite si fenikel a skrabkou na zeleninu ho pekne ´osupajte´ na tenucke mesiaciky. Pridajte ku kelu aj spolu s pomarancami. 

Premyte,osuste a natrhajte si vase bylinky. Pridajte do misy. Jemne rukami vsetko pomiesajte. 

V salke si zmiesajte olivovy olej a citronovu stavu, zhruba v pomere 2:1 alebo podla chuti. Pridajte sol, korenie a trosicku medu. Premiesajte, dochutte a prelejte dresingom salat. Premiesajte zlahka a posypte vasimi opecenymi vlasakmi. 

Podavajte salatik ku hocicomu vas napadne alebo siho uzite so soccou (cicerova palacinka, ktoru mozete najst aj u mna na blogu) a jogurtom. 

Buckwheat and Millet Bread for everyone. Pohánkovo-pšenový chlebík pre každého.

Spending holidays at my great grandmother was always unforgettable and truly amazing. Especially that summer and autumn ones. I remember them to be full of running around her bg garden, picking up fallen plums from the ground, enjoying apples from her trees, feeding her chickens, gathering with my awesomely crazy relatives over barbecues every summer, potato picking, having roasted new potatoes with butter and salt for dinner, having a ´bath´ in front of her house on hot summer days in one of those plastic baby tubs, washing carpets in a river nearby her house, baking the best ´buchty´, sipping on some epic broth and stocks, munching on freshly baked bread that we prayed for every night. Potato bread with cumin seeds that was baked with wheat that wasn´t such an evil back in time. Proper food, cooked and baked with love and patience. Just like our grand mothers and great mothers used to do so.

Bread baking is always a celebration. At least in our house. It has all started off with baking simple but gorgeous loaves of bread using yeast. That was not good enough for me, so I´ve started fermenting my dough - I started baking sourdough bread. I created my sourdough starter from water and flour only and named her Zuza. She is now something over a year old and has been like our little miracle ever since we got her. She helps me bake the best sourdough full of flavour, beautiful crumb, crunchiness and health.

But now, I wanted to start baking bread, that will be great enough for everyone no matter what the dietary requirements are. Gluten-free or not, grain-free or not. Bread, baked with seeds of plants like buckwheat, millet and quinoa that is moist, flavourfull, nourishing and entirely grain and gluten free. Bread, that tastes beautiful even after a week after it´s been baked. And bread, that require no kneading and tastes the best when toasted. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your new best friend.

The miracle thing that holds the bread together is psyllium. A natural fibre, that comes from the husks of a plant called Plantago. I am sure you have heard about it, when a couple years ago, this fibre wason the menu of those suffering from diarrhea, constipation and nothing that sounds or is good. When mixed with liquid, it forms a thick gel - it is a fibre that´s water soluble. So, if you drink plenty of water, drink even more when adding psyllium into your life. :-)

Psyllium is a natural fibre that comes from the husks of a plant called Plantago. In India, it´s been used as a natural treatment for digestive tract since a very long time ago. It has many brilliant health benefits so I suggest you sneak this powder into your diet :-)

This smart fibre acts as a colon cleanser, aids digestion, helps relieve irritable and irregular bowl movement, reduces bloating, helps lower cholesterol and reduces the risk of colon cancer. It is also a greataddition to your meals as it makes you feel full for longer - helps weight loss. So, here you are, let´s start with munching on it with this bread that gluten can´t beat!

The biggest advantage of baking this loaf is, that you just can´t mess it up. No matter how hard you try. You can add nuts or seeds to it, you can bake it with oats or without them. I have tried many variations of this bread - less buckwheat, more oats; more water and less water - it always ending up as a brilliant loaf that I can pile up sky-high with my toppings. Add in flavourings, spices and herbs of your choice and every time you bake this, you will be a winner. There is no need to knead this bread, simply mix and blend everything together. And then just bake it and enjoy it! :)

So whether you want to get rid of unwanted gluten from your diet or your gluten intolerant or you really just want a bit of a different loaf that actually tastes lovely, give this bread a go. And don´t forget to toast it before eating as it taste the best when warm and crunchy with plenty of healthy toppings on top.

Buckwheat and Millet Bread for everyone

1 cup buckwheat
3/4 cup millet (or quinoa)
handful of oats (gluten free if needed; optional)
1 cup water
4 tbs psyllium husk
2 tbs melted coconut oil, ghee, butter or olive oil
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt (fine)
spices of your choice (chilli flakes, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds..)
seeds of your choice (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame..) optional, but ultra delicious - can be soaked and mixed in with your ´dough´ or sprinkled on top of the loaf

Let´s get soaking. The night before you want to make bread, soak your buckwheat, millet or quinoa in double the volume of water and with a few splashes of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. This will make it even easier to digest.

If you wish to add some soaked and sprouted seeds to your loaf, soak them now in a double the volume of water with a pinch of salt. Soak about 1/3 cup.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Oil a piece of aking paper big enough to fit into a loaf tin. Use olive oil, butter, gheeor coconut oil.

In the morning, rinse your soaked buckwheat, millet or quinoa. The water will be slimy, but don´t panic, it is supposed to be like that. Just rinse it 2-3 times. Properly. :-)

Put it into a bowl of a food processor (or into a bowl if you want to use hand blender). Add in olive oil, salt, baking powder, spices.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together psyllium husk and 1 cup of water. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until thickened and add to the bowl with buckwheat and millet (or quinoa). Add in oats if using.

Blend it all until a thick paste forms. I use my hand blender for this as I don´t like it totally blended - it is nice to see and taste some buckwheat or millet seeds left whole once baked.

When everything is combined, tip it all into your prepared loaf tin. Make a few cuts on top of your bread, sprinkle with seeds if desired.

Bake for 30 minutes, re-cut on the places where you cut earlier as you want the steam to escape from the bread. Return to the oven, lower the heat to 200°C and bake for another 45 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Try to insert a knife or a skewer into the bread-if it´s too sticky, leave it there a bit more.

Once baked, take it out of the loaf tin and let it cool on a wire rack. Slice the bread, toast it and eat with your favourite toppings.
Store in the air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5-8 days. Or slice it and freeze it.

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Prazdniny u babky na Liptove boli vzdy uzasne. Hlavne tie letne a jesenne. Plne santenia po jej zahrade, zbieranie popadanych ceresni a sliviek, zemiakove brigady, male pecene zemiaky v supke (podavane s maslom a solou), kupanie sa pred domom vo vanicke, rajbanie kobercov v ´jarku´ (alebo podme chytat bubliny), domace pecene buchty, perfektne vyvary a kazdodenny cerstvy chlebik, za ktory sme sa modlili kazdy vecer pred spanim. Zemiakovy chlebik s rascou upeceny zo psenice, ktora este nerobila ludom tolko šarapaty ako teraz. Poctive jedlo, s laskou uvarene a upecene. Tak ako len nase stare mamy a babky vedia. 

Pecenie chleba je vzdy oslavou. Teda aspon u nas. Najprv sa to zacalo pecenim poriadneho a poctiveho chlebika z drzodia. Mne to nestacilo, tak sa zacalo kvaskovat. Zalozila som si ´divy´ kvasok z muky a vody, po par dnoch po oziveni som ho nazvala Zuza a ta nam uz vyse roka pecie chlebiky. Krasne, vonave, chrumkave, plne chute, krasnej striedky, chrumkavej korky a zdravia. 

A teraz som si vymyslela este jednu zabavku-pecenie chlebiku bez lepku s pouzitim akoby zazracnej vlakniny, ktora drzi chlebik po hromade a robi ho uzasne vlacnym aj po tyzdni upecenia. Teda, ak mi tak dlho ten chlebik vydrzi. Ta carovna a zazracna vlaknina sa vola psylium. Urcite ste o nej poculi-pred par rokmi bola vitazkou pre ludi, ktory maju problemy s naduvanim, zapchami a kadejakymi nie moc milymi vecami. 

Psylium je prirodna rozpustna vlaknina, ktora sa ziskava z rastliny menom Skorocel indicky, presnejsie z obalu tejto rastliny. v Indii sa psylium vyuziva uz odjakziva, kde je znamym ´liekom´ proti hnackam a zapche. Ma velmi vela pozitivnych ucinkov, do vaseho jedalnicka vam ho doporucam zaradit vsetkymi desiatimi! 

Po zmiesani s tekutinou ma gelovu konzistenciu-tak drzi nas chlebik pokope. Pri konzumacii psylia ako takeho samotneho (niektori si ho ´vychutnavaju´ rozmiesane vo vode alebo caji) je potrebne naozaj vela pit - navazuje na seba velke mnoztvo vody a tym by ste si veru pri zache nepomohli. Takze, ak pijete vela vody, pite so psyliom este viac! :). 

Tato vlaknina nam pomaha vyplavit usadene a nechcene skodliviny zo zazivacieho traktu, precistuje steny criev cim klesa aj riziko vzniku rakoviny hrubeho creva. Dokonca znizuje hladinu cholesterolu a cukru - redukuje hmotnost. Nech sa vam paci, ide sa do maskrtenia chlebika, kde lepok nema sancu! 

Vyhoda tohto chlebiku je aj v tom, ze sa naozaj neda jeho pecenie pokazit. Mozte si ho ochutit podla seba, mozte obmienat ´obilniny´, z ktorych ho upeciete - vzdy bude vyborny. Skusala som naozaj kadejake pomery, menej vlociek, viac vlociek; menej vody, viac vody - vyborny je kazdy krat! Tak budte statocni, nebojte sa, uzite si to. Uzite si, ze chlebik nemusite miesit. Postaci vam velka misa a nejaky ten mixer. Potom uz len zapnite ruru a hure do pecenia! :-)

Takze ci chcete lepok nachvilu vylucit zo stravy alebo ste na lepok intolerantny, alebo len chcete zdravu a vybornu zmenu od klasickeho chlebika - tento je neuveritelny. Drzi krasne, kraja sa lahucko a najlepsie chuti opeceny s milion zdravymi navrstvenymi dobrotami navrchu. 

Pohánkovo-pšenový chlebík pre každého

1 salka pohánky (lupanej a nie oprazenej)

3/4 salky pšena 

1 salka vody (najlepsie filtrovana)

4 lyzice psylia

1 vrchovata lyzicka prasku do peciva (poriadny, bezfosfatovy-najlepsie vinny kamen)

1 lyzicka morskej soli 

2 lyzice roztopeneho kokosoveho oleja, masla, ghee alebo olivoveho oleja 

koreniny podla chuti (chilli semiacka, rasca, feniklove semiacka..)

semiacka ako napriklad slnecnicove, tekvicove, sezamove (na posypanie, do cesta alebo vobec :)

Vecer pred spanim si namocime pohanku, pseno (alebo ak pouzivate tak quinou) do dvojnasobneho mnozstva vody s par splechmi jablcneho octu alebo citronovej stavy. Toto prispeje ku kliceniu ´obilnin´ (pohanka, pseno a quinoa su vlastne semiacka rastlin) a budu pre telo omnoho lahsie stravitelne a bohatsie na vitaminy.

Ak chceme do nasho ´cesta´ pred pecenim primiesat aj semiacka, namocime si ich v miske s dvojnasobnym mnozstvom vody a stipkou soli. 

Rano si predhrejeme ruru na 220°C. Papier na pecenie, ktorym si vylozime chlebikovu formu, si potrieme olivovym olejom, maslom, ghee alebo kokosovym olejom. 

Vsetky nase semiacka a ´obilniny´ si poriadne premyjeme. Voda z pohanky sa vam bude zdat slizka, ale nebojte sa, to tak ma byt. 

Preplachnute semiacka a ´obilniny´ presypte do misy vasho mixera (alebo do vacsej misy, ak sa rozhodnete mixovat rucnym, ponornym mixerom). 

Pridajte do misy olej, sol, prasok do peciva, koreniny podla chuti, semiacka a ak pouzivate aj vlocky. 

V mensej miske si poriadne spolu premiesajte psylium a salku vody a dajte na stranu postat asi tak 5 minut, kym vam hmota nezgelovatie. Potom ju pridajte do vasej misy s ostatnymi ingredienciami. 

Vsetko spolu vymixujte az dokym vam nevznikne ´cesto´ kasovitej konzistencie. Ja na toto pouzivam ponorny mixer, pretoze to vsetko nevymiesavam az do hladka-mam v chlebiku rada viditelne kusky psena a pohanky. 

Celu zmes vyklopte do vasej predpripravenej formy. Na vrchu chlebika spravte par zarezov, posypte semiackami ak si prajete. 

Vlozte do vyhriatej rury a pecte 30 minut. Chlebik vyberte, prekrojte tam, kde ste chlebik prekrojili na zaciatku, vlozte do rury a pecte pri znizenej teplote 200°C dalsich 45 minut, dokym chlebik nie je krasne zlatavy. Do chlebiku mozte skusit zapichnut sparatko alebo nozik a ak je po vytiahnuti stale velmi lepkavy, chlebik este nehajte dopiect. 

Po dopeceni ho vyberte z formy a dajte chladit na mriezku. Vychladnuty si ho nakrajajte, opecte v hriankovaci alebo na panvici, oblozte vasimi oblubenymi mnamkami a s chutou sa don vrhnite. 

Skladujte v uzatvaratelnej nadobe v chladnicke po dobe 5-8 dni. Alebo ho nakrajajte a supnite do mraziaka.