Quick dinner plate : Lemon Chicken fillets!

You know the days when you don't want to cook even if your fiancé promises to buy you a new pair of shoes?
Well, if you, like me, don't want to miss out on a new pair of shoes, you must will cook something good and quick. {I would never ::ever ever ever:: miss an opportunity to get a new pair of shoes} (Did you sang Taylor Swift song while reading that? 'Coz I totally did)

If I happen to be in the above mentioned situation Iwill always cook one of the food products that never miss in my fridge/freezer....... Chicken Breast Fillets!

I promise, I always have chicken breast fillets at home - they are a permanent fixture in my grocery list.

The below recipe of Lemon Chicken  fillets is quick and absolutely tasty - I also recommend it for a last minute dinner with few friends at home!

:::Recipe:::

400gr Chicken breast fillets
1 egg
Maizena flour - the needed amount for coating - (or any flour you prefer, but Maizena makes a nice cream;) )
1 Lemon (for juice and 3/4 slices for decoration)
salt
pepper
olive oil EVO

Whisk a egg in a bowl with salt and pepper and pour some flour in a plate. Dip the chicken fillet in the egg mixture and then in the flour - make sure that the flour is attached at the fillet by shaking the fillet a bit (the lose flour will fall back in the plate).

When all the chicken breast fillets are covered in flour, pour some olive oil in a pan and keep the flame at medium level. When oil is hot, place the fillets inside - cook them for 2 minutes each side and add the lemon juice of a lemon.

Before switching the gas off, cook 3/4 slices of lemon for 2 minutes and add them to the plate.

This was the plate before....

...and this is after 10 minutes!

Enjoy!

Until next time,
Daniela

How does sugar affect your life? I tell you about my "no sugar" experience..so far {+ delicious chickpea burgers recipe}

3 weeks ago I went to a nutritionist as I was not getting the results I expected with my diet and sport.

I always worried that my metabolism was not good enough but turns out, my metabolism is perfect and the real bugger here is sugar (no, I'm not diabetic). As we all know, sugar is not the healthiest thing we eat and it actually affects woman hormones...a lot.

So, I challenged myself and decided to completely detox from added sugar for 10 days- the only sugar I got was from natural source ( fruits, nuts..etc..) + I used to snack only on fruits while now I combine them with nuts (protein), so my sugar intake is more balanced.

Worst thing to do? drink espresso without sugar..... it took me 4 days to get used to the flavour!

from pinterest

I used to take coffee with two teaspoons of sugar, so you can imagine what a shock it was for me to taste it black for the first time :)

But you know what? Persistance is your best friend and, not only I got used to drink it black, but I am loving it.

More importantly, I feel good. The spots I used to have on my chin have disappeared and for the first time in my life, I had no PMS and got my period on time {didn't even realise it!}.
This is a huge step forward for me. I always suffered from PMS, never had my period on time and the pain I had "before and during" was very intense.

So, if you ask me.... give this "no sugar life" a try! or simply, be aware of it and limit sugar as much as you can - you can even use substitute like stevia for example.

Added sugar is everywhere, so try and make things yourself instead of buying ready meals and make it a habit to check the nutrients and ingredients of the things you buy, so you have an idea of the added sugar you are going to put in your body if you buy that item.

You can also compare products and buy the one that has less added sugar in it.

***

I will start experimenting with food (especially cakes), because...if I can limit sugar intake in desserts...why not do it? I will be posting about my adventures!

I also want to increase my protein intake and I started messing with chickpeas :)

A few days ago, I have been playing with chickpeas and came up with some delicious burgers.

You can use eggs or flaxseeds in this mixture, depending if you eat eggs or not ;)

If you decide to give flaxseeds a try, remember to rinse them with a bit of water for 10 minutes, they will swell a bit and their consistence is sticky...perfect for burgers ;)

The recipe I will share today  is pretty easy but the result is fantastic! Chickpea burgers were tasty and even my meatlover fiancè loved them (and licked the plate clean).

:::Recipe:::

This makes about 9/10 burgers

2 cans of chickpeas (400 gr)
1 red onion
1 small tomato
1 egg or 2 tablespoon of flaxseeds
Salt and Black pepper
Optional: half zucchini

Squash the chickpeas with a fork or food processor in a medium bowl.
Slice the onion and the tomato is thin pieces and add them in the bowl. If you want to add zucchini, you will need to slice or grate them in the mixture.
Add black pepper and salt according to your taste. Now add an egg or two tbspoon of flaxseeds {rinse flaxseeds in water for 10 minutes}.
Now combine everything together and start making small balls that you will flatten to make a burger form.
Cook them in some olive oil and...enjoy!

PD: We have eaten them with an avocado and fennels salad :)


Until next time,
Daniela

Halloween Biscuits {for beginners}

Hello world!

I made my very first halloween biscuits!

I am a beginner in the cake decoration area, but I really enjoyed decorating these biscuits and creating the different colours I needed :)

I must do it again and practice{ahem...perhaps, I should bake them again when it actually is Halloween....}

I was expecting terrible results on the icing, I could already see myself covered in orange icing trying to make a pumpkin out of a round(ish) biscuit!

I didn't have any cutters but that didn't discourage me!!I took a knife and started making a mess cutting bats, pumpkins and ghosts......that's why I ended up with a whole family of crooked bats...

After everything was done, I was told that I could have draw the bat on a piece of paper, put it on the biscuit and THEN started cutting -- I think it would have spared me a lot of  "#$%&!" during the process.

I am proud of the final result :) It was the first time but the icing was good, the biscuits were delicious and they looked like ghosts, pumpkin and bats right? That was the goal! :)

Below you can find the printable recipe - Click on the image and print it out:

::FEW TIPS:: {Thank you Paola for your help!}:

- Before decorating the whole biscuit, make the borders with the icing using a toothstick - this way the icing won't slip down the biscuit when you cover the remaining part;
- In order to make the black icing look really black add some cocoa powder and then, when the icing is brownish, add the black colour (you might need to add a tea spoon of water here, in case it gets too thick);
- Sieve the sugar before adding the water : this way you won't create lumps or bubbles (as you can see, I didn't do that on the orange icing for the pumkins..*sigh*)

Don't hesitate to give it a try and Have Fun!

Until next time,
Daniela

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La noche de San Juan + Gató di Patate

The 24th of June is Saint John day, a celebration for the solstice of June/midsummer. Here in Spain we celebrate this with fires on the beach and we call it "La noche de San Juan" (Saint John's night).

This year we celebrated it in a small town near our place, Sabinillas.

We arrived and found this huge statue on the beach:

It represents the current crisis situation Spain is living. A banker is smoking on a sofa, while on the bottom you see citizen claiming they have "no money" " no house" " no study" and one is saying " no shame!" referring to the banker (unfortunately this last one doesn't show up in the picture..)

Each town has his own statue or structure to light up, but I assume this year the argument was more or less the same in the whole Country.

We took the opportunity to arrive earlier (the fire starts at midnight) and had a pic nic on the beach

Few shots of the fire!

This weekend was not only the weekend of San Juan, but we also had the big moon remember? It was 4 times bigger than usual!

I am glad I managed to take few shots, like the following two:

PD: I have prepared a Gató di patate  (potatos cake) for the pic nic:

Click on the following image and print your recipe :)

Until next time,

Daniela

Food to crave for: Spinach & CousCous bites

Stefano and I are supposed to be on "1 week vegetable diet", but yesterday night I have decided to prepare something new that hopefully wasn't too unhealthy.. Do you think I've succeded?

..at least they're oven baked!

What you need

500gr /17oz Couscous 
500gr  /17oz Spinach
1/2 Onion
1 table spoon parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Salt,olive oil
2 stock (or bouillon) cubes

Proceedings

Boil some water and pour it in a bowl over the couscous and 2 stock cubes. The water should cover the cous cous completely (if it is not enough, then you can add it later but remember: if you pour too much water, it won't be absorbed by the couscous). Mix everything together until the cubes have melt and combined with the couscous.

In the meantime, pour some olive oil in a pan and mix cooked spinach with onion and parmesan cheese-- pre-heat the oven at 350F/200C.

Mix the couscous with the spinach and 2 eggs. Now you can start preparing your bites. You can decide how big you want them, mine were big enough and I came up with 20/25 of them. (suggestion: if the mixture is too watery, squeeze the ball in your hands in order to take out the liquid in excess).

Place the spinach and couscous bites in a baking tray and bake them for 15/20 minutes.

I have served my bites with indian style yoghurt -  it's very easy to make:

Combine 1 cup of greek yoghurt (light!) with 1 spoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and chopped mint leaves.

Enjoy!

Until next time,
Daniela

Food to crave for: Rainbow cake

I have been absent for a while but for a good reason: my family was visiting and I spent all my time with them.

Unfortunately the week is over and they are back in Italy now :(

I am really close to my family and I would love to have many Sundays lunch with them, shopping trips or simply see them more often...
This is something I don't see happening in the near future so I have to make these few weeks I have with them as special as possible.

 Mum and I in Marbella

We spent a relaxing time, went mostly shopping and visited Marbella and Gibraltar. We had a BBQ last Sunday and I prepared a nice and colorful cake :)

My uncle Tom came up with the name of the cake :)

What you need



















Proceeding:

This is very similar to my Chocolate and Walnut cake! Only you have to use less sugar since the cake contains apples and sugary decorations (like the m&m's).

Break the chocolate bar in pieces and melt it with butter in a small sauce pan over a low flame. 

Separate the yolk from the egg whites, and beat the egg whites until stiff. 

In a separate bowl, mix the three egg yolks with sugar and, when the texture is creamy, add the stiffen egg whites and mix everything together.

Mix the baking powder with the flour and add the mixture to the egg yolk composed on small doses.

Add the apples slices, the chocolate cream and mix together.

Pour everything in a cake pan and in the oven at 180C/350F for 30 minutes.

I covered the cake with whipped cream and Nutella mixture, and added the m&m's I previously divided in colours :)

I love it!!

Do you like my rainbow cake? 

Until next time,

Daniela

Food to Crave for: Easy & Quick Zucchini and Ham pie + Blog Hop!

What do you do when your partner/husband/boyfriend has left the zucchini you prepared for lunch and you don't want to waste food?  [and beating them with a rolling pin is not an option??]

I'll tell you what I did: a super quick Zucchini Pie!

You need:

Zucchini
Mozzarella cheese (or any other cheese you like)
Parmesan Cheese
Cooked Ham
1 egg
already made pizza dough
 salt, pepper & olive oil

Proceedings

1. Spread the pizza dough on a tray ( I always add oven foils as well) and pour some olive oil on top.

2. Add the zucchini and salt/pepper:

 3. Now spread mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the zucchini:

4. Cover everything with cooked ham:

5. Spread with your finger the beaten egg on the pie and make sure to close the pizza's angles ( or the cheese will come out!) like this:

And this is ready for the oven! (180C/356F for 25 minutes).

One more thing:

Be aware of unexpected attacks coming from hidden places....

me..ham..now

Enjoy your zucchini pie!

Until next time,
Daniela

 

Food to Crave for: Mini Aubergine Pizzas ;)

My favourite vegetable is Aubergine and I like to cook them in several different ways!

Since I was starving and I didn't want to lose much time cooking, I decided to make some aubergines baked like Pizzas ;)

Slurp!

What you need:

Aubergines;
Tomato sauce;
Mozzarella cheese;
Oregan, Olive oil and salt.

You simply cut the aubergines in rounds, place them in a tray with olive oil. Then add the tomato sauce and oregan as you would do it on a Pizza.

Finish everything with mozzarella cheese and salt (I didn't have Mozzarella so I used  Scamorza - a yummy Italian cheese).

I've baked everything for 25/30 minutes at 180C/356F.

They were delicious!!!! This can be a nice idea for a dinner with friends and you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen ;)

I like these fast and delicious supper ideas!! What about you? What's your ace in the hole?;)

Until next time,
Daniela

Food to crave for: Low Calories Fried Rice with Veggies

What do you do when you have a last minute lunch to prepare for a friend coming over + you are just back from holidays so you are really supposed to eat super healthy food? Simple: You sharpen your wit!!

The day after we came back from Teramo, we have invited our friend Antonio for lunch, also to thank him for taking care of my precious Mozzichino while we were away.

Mozzichino

I wanted to prepare something nice and tasty but I didn't have much time and I still had to empty the luggage (!!).

Since it was a very nice sunny day I have set up the table in my terrace, I decided to get inspiration from oriental food and prepared a low calories fried rice! It's very easy and you can use all the vegetables you want - just open your fridge and take them all!

This is the outcome:

1 portion contains about 300 calories (more or less..)

I have used: 

- Veggies: carrots, peas, onion, zucchini, pumpkin and small maize.

- EVO oil, peanut butter, soya light and oyster sauce + water

Preparation:

Boil the rice (I used Basmati Indian Rice) in a small pot.

Pour 2 spoons of olive oil in a Wok and fry the veggies you have chosen. Add two spoons of water. When it dries a bit, add a teaspoon of peanut butter, 2 teaspoons of light soya and 1 tea spoon of Oyster sauce (if you have any).

Add the rice and mix everything together :) ta - chaan!


We brought some speck and salamis from Italy..they couldn't not be served as appetizers ;)

And there it goes my "eat healthy" resolution.........

See the sun dried tomatoes on the left? My friend Paola has given them to me and I prepared two jars of  tomatoes in EVO oil :)

Tips:use capers instead of basil and let the sun dried tomatoes stay in olive oil for at least 1 month! I read on the internet some recipes that suggested to let them stay only for 6/8 days: WRONG! We always let veggies in olive oil for 1 month before eating them. Trust me, the flavour is much much much better.

Stefano and Antonio's faces look happy, what do you think?

And I can say I am proud of the outcome :)

What about you? Do you have any quick and easy recipe you want to share? ;)

Until next time,
Daniela

Food to Crave for: Tiramisú

Few days ago I have asked on my Facebook page, what I should have baked for my next blog post. Sandra suggested I should make Tiramisú, and since she is my dear dear colleague, I've decided to please her ;)









Also, Tiramisú is Stefano's favourite dessert... so, I made him happy too!


Here you have the recipe:

Prepare some coffee, pour it in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of Rum and let it cooling down.

Mascarpone cream:

Mix the egg yolks with sugar until the texture is creamy. 

Add the Mascarpone cheese first, then the whipped cream and mix everything together.

Proceedings:

Now, soak the ladyfinger biscuits in the coffee and place them in the baking dish (don't let them soak for too long or they will come apart!).

Once you have covered the bottom of the dish completely, spread some of the Mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers and add another layer of biscuits.

Finish the dessert with another layer of Mascarpone mixture and sprinkle some Cocoa powder on top.

Refrigerate for 2 hours and  enjoy :)

Until next time,

Daniela