Herb salad – a flavor explosion

As many of my beloved ones know, I’m a big fan of three things when it comes to food.

First, I love nice flavors. To me bland food is like an insult. It makes me angry – why should I waste my calorie intake with shit food?!? Don’t people know the magic of herbs and spices?

Second, when I cook myself I like it simple. Everybody can create a fabulous me after spending hours and hours and euros and euros in complex declicaties. But for me personally, it’s the simple dishes that rock! The lovely flavors of a good dark farmer’s bread, a home made pasta in a small italian village or an unusual soup… yes, I’m quite easy to be pleased when it comes to that!

Today’s recipe I wanna share with you combines both of these important attributes perfectly I think… This herbal salad is boasting of flavors, super simple and on top of that – and that’s the third thing I love when it comes to food of my choice – it’s healthy!

Why not have it all and use the chance to cook with healthy ingredients and do something good for you (soul & body)?

So let’s give it a go….

What you need…..

• Different fresh herbs of the season (I took: basil, mint, coriander)
• Some rocket
• toasted seeds (I have a mix of pumpkin, flax and sunflower)
• Per person: 1 table spoon of capers, 1 table spoon of sun dried tomatoes (chopped), 1 tomato, 1 free range egg
• Best quality salt (I used pink Himalayan)

For the dressing mix the following ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Tamari sauce
• Organic agave sirup
• Dijon mustard
• Cloudy apple cider vinegar

Optional: dark farmer’s sourdough bread (which I always take from home or ask my family & friends from Austria & Germany to bring – thanks so much guys!!!)

What to do…

Take the same amount of each kind of herbs/ rocket. Clean all greens thoroughly (I like to soak them in cold water and then spin them in the salad spinner. Bit of extra work, but so worth it.) Slice the tomatoes , chop the sun dried tomatoes. Arrange them and the capers nicely on  pretty plates.

Boil some water, add the eggs and cook them very soft (depending on the size for about 6 min), so the inside will be nice and creamy (almost like a poached egg only easier).  Dip them in cold water and then peel them. Put one egg on top of each salad and only then open it up carefully – give them a bit of extra salt.

Sprinkle with toasted nuts and the dressing.

Hope you’ll like it as much as we did! Once again this is a salad with is so yummy that you’re tempted to lick the plates after – just use the bread for it if you have company haha!

Enjoy & happy summer!!!!!

Love,
Nadine xx

P.S. Btw if somebody is wondering wether eggs are good for you or not, I finally came to a conclusion but ONLY if you use really good quality eggs like free range or organic… – nobody wants antibiotic, hormone stuffed eggs, yuck!! But good quality eggs are actually a super-food, they are packed with nutrients vitamins and health benefits! If you wanna learn more, read on on this page….

Summer buckwheat salad with grapes, walnuts & feta cheese.

Don’t let yourself confuse by the name of buckwheat.. It doesn’t have anything to do with ordinary wheat and is even gluten free and a great alternative to the usual couscous or pasta salad which are most popular for summer salads for a picnic or a side for a BBQ! In addition to that it’s also a great source of antioxidants, iron and magnesium – so not only yummy but also worth a try from a healthy point of view.

Instead of the ordinary way to cook it my and my friend Michelle have recently been experimenting with soaking grains. It gives the buckwheat a nicer bite and is super easy to prepare e.g. soak it in the morning when you want to use it for lunch or dinner. By the time you need it it’s gonna be nice and soft, cooled to a perfect temperature and ready for further use. You can now mix it with any kind of vegetables, cheeses, nuts and fruit and give it various flavors to your taste.

My way to prepare it was a very simple and yet delicious one, also it’s very fresh and therefore perfect for a hot summer day.

What you need:
(Serving 4)

• 1 small packet of buckwheat (soaked)
• 2 hands full of grapes, de-seeded and halved
• Half a packet of feta cheese
• Some walnuts
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• Sea salt, fresh pepper
• Olive oil & lemon juice

What do do:

To soak the buckwheat first rinse it and then put it in a bowl and cover with water, put a plate on top and let it stand for a couple of hours. For the salad drain the rest of the water and mix buckwheat with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Break walnut halves into pieces. Chop grapes and feta, tear basil leaves and add them to the buckwheat. Toss gently.

Buon appetito!!