Sweet potato salad

Sometimes the journey is the goal. In the same way, sometimes leftovers are the goal! I made this salad only from leftovers and it was just amazing. A tight budget is not always a bad thing, it really forces you to get creative and use what you have, like the famous Kajsa Warg once said; "You use what you have". 

The What

Oven baked cold sweet potato

Gorgonzola

Arugula

Baby spinach 

A bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Salt and fresh ground pepper

The How

Take the skin off the sweet potato.

Cut the Gorgonzola in smaller pieces.

Wash the salad. 

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and toss. Top with olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar, salt and a few turns with the pepper grinder. 

Serve with other leftovers like avocado spread, dark bread, humus and veggie sticks and you have yourself a damn good lunch on a budget!!

Saffron quinoa with butternut squash, goats cheese and pomegranate seeds, served with mint yogurt

Quinoa is a super food; full of protein, vitamin B and antioxidants. And a big plus, it tastes great! This dish is easy to make and is super healthy, a boost for your taste buds and your body!

The What:

3 dl of quinoa (I used black)

1 packet of saffron

1 butternut squash

1 - 2 spring onions

1 packet of goat cheese (I used chevre, but I think feta cheese would go well with this dish as well)

Seeds from 1 pomegranate 

Arugula

1 cube of vegetable stock

6 dl of water

salt and pepper

The What for the Mint Yogurt

Greek style yogurt

Fresh mint leaves

Honey

The How

Set the oven to 200 degrees.

Rinse the quinoa in hot water. 

Melt butter in a pan, add the saffron and let fry for a few seconds before adding the quinoa, the vegetable stock and the water.

Simmer under a lid for about 15-20 minutes.

Cut the butternut squash into cubes, put in an oven safe dish, pour over some olive oil, salt and pepper. Stick in the oven for about 10 minutes or until soft. 

Slice the onions, was the arugula and take out the pomegranate seeds (wear an apron, they stain!).

Coarsely chop the mint leaves and mix together with the yogurt and honey.

Mix the butternut squash, the pomegranate seeds, the spring onion, salt and pepper with the quinoa when it's ready.

Put the arugula on a plate, top the salad with the quinoa vegetable mix and crumble over the cheese. 

Top with the mint yogurt and serve. 

Enjoy! It tastes really good cold as well, try it for lunch the next day!

Beautiful Farmers Salad

As you might have already guessed, I love vegetables! I love them in every way; oven baked, seared in a pan, fresh in a salad, as a side dish, as the main... well, you get the point. You've already seen my Hot Salad, hopefully you've even tried it :)! This beautiful and rustic farmers salad is made in the same way; hot in the oven. What makes it different is the veggies used and the fact that they are mostly roasted whole.

The What:

A bundle of asparagus

1 butternut squash

about 5 or 6 carrots

1 bundle of large spring onions

fresh thyme

olive oil

salt and pepper

Crumbled feta cheese and arugula to serve.

The How:

Turn the oven to 200 degrees. 

Peel the butternut squash and cut into smaller pieces, not too small though since the rest of the veggies will be roasted whole.

Cut the spring onions into halves. 

Break the asparagus in two to get rid of the "stringy" part. 

Wash the carrots and cut off any rough bits you don't want to eat. Keep the skin on. 

Put all the vegetables together in an oven safe pan, drizzle over olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Put the dish in the middle of the oven, keep an eye on the onion so that it doesn't burn!

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the veggies are nice and roasted. 

Serve with a piece of meat, chicken or, as I did, all on it's own! 

It really doesn't need anything else!