I used to be a person that rather goes to the store and buys ready products than tries to make it from scratch, especially some things like bread, always seemed to me so time-consuming and not easy to make.
But the older I get I discover lots of joy in cooking and developing my skills, mostly when I see that homemade simply tastes 1000 times better!!!
Time is though something I value a lot! As I much as I love cooking I can't spend the whole day preparing the food.
Therefore in the kitchen I love to work efficiently and save time on things that a machine could do instead of me.
Let me share with you some of my favourite recipes that don't require a long preparation and any big skills.
HOMEMADE BREAD
I shared this recipe already many times on my Instagram profile, cause especially during Quarantine, the bread recipes got huge popularity ;)
This one is super easy and there's no need to leave the dough to grow, which means it's a very time efficient recipe!
Ingredients:
1 kg whole spelt flour
1 liter sparkling water
1 cube of yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp bread spices (you can just mix cumin, fennel, anis and coriander
Break the yeast cube in the kitchen machine bowl, add water, honey, salt, vinegar, bread spices and combine everything together. Add flour and let it mix itself on the middle speed.
Place the dough in two greased forms (you can spread some nuts or seeds on the bottom if you like) and put into a cold oven.
To keep the dough moisture, on a lower shelf, place a container with water.
Bake at 180C for 1h 30 min.
When the bread is not warm anymore, I always cut it into slices and freeze it, so I can enjoy it fresh anytime I want! :)
It can be stored in the freezer for up to half a year!
FRESH BASIL PESTO
I don't know why, I haven't thought of making pesto from scratch before!
It's one of these recipes when you try it homemade you never go back to the store-bought version.
It's also important to mention, that my gardening skills during Corona reached a next level and I had plenty of self grown basil plants that I didn't know what to do with. :)
For this recipe you need literally 5 minutes of your time and a hand blender/ food processor.
Ingredients:
50 g fresh basil leaves (2 full cups)
60 g freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano/ Grana Padano
120 ml olive oil
40 g pine nuts
3 garlic cloves (minced),
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
Put basil and pine nuts into the food processor and pulse a few times. Add minced garlic and grated cheese. Pulse several times. Pour olive oil gradually and continue mixing.
Stir in salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Eat with pasta or spread it on the bread...
buon appetito!!
You can put it in a jar and store in the fridge for a week.
SMOOTHIE BOWL
My favourite meal is definitely breakfast! I need lots of power in the morning and always try to find a nutritious meal to start the day.
Smoothie bowl is a great combination of delicious taste and vitamins!
And with a help of a blender it only takes a few minutes to prepare a yummy breakfast.
Ingredients:
SMOOTHIE BOWL
150g frozen berries
1 banana
15 ml milk (almond, coconut, whatever you prefer)
1/2 tsp Smoothie spice (mine is from Just spices)
TOPPINGS
shredded coconut flakes
chia seeds
granola musli
fruits
Blend frozen berries and banana on a low speed. Add a bit of milk and blend again until the mixture has a soft consistency.
Scoop into a bowl and top with your favourite toppings. I like chia seeds, coconut, granola and fresh strawberries, but you can get creative in here ;)
The Kitchen appliances are such life savers. They make cooking much more fun.
As you see I have the kitchen machine, blender, and the little processor from Gorenje - Retro Collection and I can just recommend their appliances! The machines have great quality and the design fits perfectly to my kitchen.
I'm linking them here below so you can have a look at the details.
Let me know once you try some of my recipes, how you liked it :)
Enjoy your cooking time!
Have a lovely day!
xxx
Magdalena
