Tuesday 15 March 2016

Quick tip - my morning power juice!


We all know the struggle - getting in your daily dose of fruits and veggies. You should eat about 5 cups of veggies/ fruits a day (on average), at least that's what I've read. Did you know that??
Now, I don't eat much meat or dairy products in general (during lent I don't eat any meat at all), but even when I go meatless for the one or the other day, I still see myself reaching more for carbs than for greens. I'm trying to change that these days and as of this moment my plan seems to be working.
Anyways, the more you think about how many greens you're supposed to eat the more difficult it tends to get to reach that dailly goal - or is it just me?
One way to boost your veggie intake is by putting them into smoothies, juices and all that good stuff. What I really love to make in the morning is a nice green juice. Simple, quick and healthy. I wouldn't call it a smoothie, it's a juice in my opinion (now what is the difference really?) and it's absolutely delicious.
Now I don't drink coffee, I don't like the taste (unless you put a sh*tload of soy milk in there I just can't drink it) and also I never felt the NEED  for that caffeine kick in the morning, but this juice definitely gives me a boost in the morning. Maybe it's the spinach? If so, call me Popeye!;-)


So what makes this juice so healthy?

Let's go over the ingredients:

There's spinach first of all that magic vegetable with a bad reputation and I don't understand why. It's full with vitamins (K-good for blood coagulation , A - great for your eyes and skin, C - helps your body's defences, B2 - good for your energy metabolism), folic acid (hematopoiesis), iron (oxygen transport in your blood) and magnesium (muscles, nerves, energy metabolism). What do we learn from that? That stuff is damn good for you!
Next up is an apple, THE fruit of the fruits if you ask me. Honestly, I've never been it's biggest fan, but it's still a daily staple for me ("An apple a day keeps the doctor away", remember?). It's a great source for vitamin B, C and E (muscles, teeth), sodium, potassium (carbohydrate metabolism), magnesium, iron and calcium (bones), helps lowering your cholesterol value and lowers the risk of suffering a stroke. Amazing, eh?
The 3rd one in line is the kiwi. They're rich in vitamin C, magnesium, folic acid and zinc. On a hot day, or when your blood circulation is poor you should eat some 3 kiwis or so to improveour circular flow.
To give the juice a bit of a kick I like to add a splash of lime juice. Limes are - of course - rich in vitamin C, but also A and E.
Lastly the posh ingredient - chia seeds. One of the most famous superfoods of the last years. These little black seeds contain 5 times more calcium than milk and more iron than spinach. They're just suuuuper healthy.

So, get blending!:-)



Ingredients for 2 glasses:

A handful (about 1 Cup) of spinach
1/2 apple, peeled
1 Cup water (instead of the apple and the water you can use 1 Cup of apple juice)
1 kiwi (or 1/2 cup of kiwi berries)
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp chia seeds

Method:

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for about 10 seconds, or until smooth.

ENJOY and HAVE A GOOD DAY ;-)

PS: I just realised I forgot to include the kiwi on the picture! Sorry!
PPS: Stay up to date with my twitter @headoverfood

Sunday 13 March 2016

GREATEST Monkey Bread EVER!


Tell me - does this look amazing or DOES it look amazing?! In case you were wondering - it does. Actually, I only recently dicovered the ooey gooey deliciousness they call "monkey bread" and now I wish I knew about it earlier. Not gonna lie - I knew similar cakes like this before (bread? Cake? What's the difference!), but monkey bread isn't only a tasty treat, it's also fun to eat. I mean come on, how often do you get the chance to pull little cinnamony "loafs" of heaven apart? It's like the ULTIMATE CINNAMON ROLL!
Also it's incredibly easy to make, I mean seriously - you don't need too many ingredients and the few things you've actually got to do are manageable. It WILL take up a bit of your time, as the dough needs to rise, but you can't have everything, can you?
Well then, what are you waiting for? Start baking!:-)

INGREDIENTS:

for the dough:
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 Cups (360-400 grams) of all purpose flour
1/4 Cup (55 grams) granulated white sugar
2 tbsp (30g) melted butter
1 Cup (250 ml) warmed milk (not hot, otherwise the yeast won't rise)
1/3 Cup (80 ml) warm water
1 package of active dry yeast
2 tsp salt

for the coating:
1/4 Cup (55 grams) granulated white sugar
1/4 Cup (50 grams) brown sugar
1/2 stick (55 grams) melted butter
3 tsp ground cinnamon


1. First of all, do what I always do to improve my chances of ending up with a perfectly risen dough and turn on your oven at 300°F (150°C) for about 2 minute, so your oven feels cozy warm;) (NOT hot, I repeat NOT HOT). Now heat some water in your water kettle, fill it into an oven proof bowl and put it in the oven under the baking sheet. This creates a warm and moist environment for your dough.
2. Put the flour and salt in a big mixing bowl and give it a stir.
3. In another bowl mix all the other ingredients for the dough.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the liquid mixture. Now take a wooden spoon and stir it all together. When most of the liquid is incorporated into the flour put away the spoon and start using your hands to knead the dough. If you notice the dough to be too tacky, put in some more flour, if it's too dry, add a teeny tiny bit of milk. Knead the dough until it's smooth for about 5 minutes.
5. Spray a large bowl with non stick cooking spray (or simply brush it with any tasteless oil like canola oil) and put in the dough.

6. Put the dough in the oven (or if you don't want to use this method, simply in a warm place) and let it rise for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
7. Once the dough is ready mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Have your melted butter ready in another. Thoroughly butter your Bundt pan.
8. Pick little pieces from the dough and form them into balls. Coat each ball with the butter first and then roll it in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Then you put the ball in your pan. Stack up the dough balls until there's no more dough left.

9. Put it in the oven again and let the dough rise for another 30 minutes.
10. Take the pan out of the oven and preheat it to 350°F (180°C).


11. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until it's golden brown on top.


12. Let the monkey bread cool for about 15-30 minutes, then put it out on a plate and start pulling apart!