one pot tortellini

since it usually has to be a quick meal during the weak, because i just make it home in time and shortly have to leave to teach yoga again, one pot pasta or in this case one pot tortellini is my go to. simply put everything in a pot, turn on the heat and 10-15 min later lunch/dinner is ready. in the meantime i can change and maybe get some other things done and i make it to yoga on a satisfied stomach. my all time favorit is my vegetarian one pot pasta a la carbonara. for this version you can of course use any kind of tortellini you like (i use spinach ricotta since it goes well with almost everything) and any kind of cream cheese flavor. also a good way to use up leftovers like half empty cream cheese packages.

pan baked polenta

somehow i am not cooking that much in the last couple of weeks (thank goodness i’m still baking though) and especially during the week my diet leaves a lot to be desired. i want to eat something proper, but usually i don’t have time or rather the desire to cook is missing. which leads to me being upset with myself, since i also got so many wonderful things in my head that i want to cook. however every once in a while i run through phases like these and it will change eventually. at least i made this baked polenta pan. i wanted to make something with polenta for a while, so this came a long nicely. i didn’t use to be a fan of polenta, though not sure why, i can’t remember ever having eaten it. but ever since i made it once as a side for a chicken breast, i am hooked. here it is the star of the dish. the baked polenta pan is ready in max 30 min and 10 of them it is in the oven – really a quick dish, even if you don’t have time 😉 the tomatoes and zucchini are roasted in the oven and thus unfurl their full aroma – wonderful! the feta and parsley oil give it a tangy taste and round out the whole dish.

austrian apricot dumplings

in a lot of countries it is quite unusual to eat something sweet as a main dish. as an austrian you are used to it from your early childhood on and so apricot dumplings are a common staple. i remember quite vividly the fluffy dumplings my grandma made, traditionally with a piece of sugar in the center. accompanied by a glass of milk. there are some rather good frozen options out there, however it is so easy and quick to make fruit dumplings yourself you don’t have to use these convenience products.

herb quiche with spring onions

it was a while ago that i made this quiche. i had a few friends over incl. one vegetarian und also had this fresh dough from my package from tante fanny. since i don’t want to waste anything, i made this vegetarian herb quiche with spring onions. since the dough is ready to go (of course you can make your own short crust), it barely took any time to make – just like what you want for party preparations (of course i also made other things like tarte flambee or the delicious ham croissants). if you want you can also serve the quiche with some prosciutto. a dip is not necessary i think, since the filling is very juicy.

pumpkin muffins with feta

i’m trying, at least at the beginning of the week, to prepare my lunches for the office. since i only work “part time” (which often means 5 pm, if i don’t have a yoga class scheduled), my time needs to be used efficiently. so there mostly is no time to go out to eat and usually i have a quick bite to eat in between the office and the yoga studio. perfect to take to the office (or as fingerfood at a party) are savory muffins. i already posted a recipe with zucchini, this time you’ll get a version with pumpkin, feta, pecan nuts and sundried tomatoes. i was positively surprised how moist and more importantly delicious the muffins were. the original recipe said it would yield 6 muffins, but i got 9 (way too many for me). that’s why, much to the pleasure of my colleagues, i took them to the office 🙂 of course you can change the ingredients to your hearts desire e.g. add ham, salami, walnuts, different herbs etc.

homemade milk kefir (sponsored)

a while ago is was asked if i wanted to try to make kefir & co myself and tell you about it. since i always try everything at least once, i was in. a short while later i received the package with the starter sets. i am practically a milk kid and always have been drinking cocoa, so i first tried the milk kefir. but first some facts, so you get an idea what kefir actually is.

chocolate granola

by now i rarely ever buy muesli, instead i prefer making my own granola. one of my earlier childhood memories (besides lying on the couch drinking cocoa from a bottle) is the sport muesli from gittis. my mum always made it in a cup with milk. my favorite part were the soaked oats at the bottom of the cup. this evokes a very distinct taste memory. meanwhile this muesli mixture as it was in my childhood is off the market, so i have to live off my memories 😉

most mueslis have so much stuff in it that i don’t like and also sugar and other additives that aren’t entirely necessary. that’s why i was thrilled when mymuesli opened up shop. i used to order there for quite some years and still do from time to time, especially my chocolate crunchy muesli which is more of a treat with chocolate peanuts than a proper breakfast. but still nothing beats a homemade granola. i started with this nut coconut granola and at some point i thought: this could be made chocolaty as well. so this version was born. of course you can add whatever you want to the mix: other nuts, substitute coconut chips for coconut flakes or leave them out allthogether, use a different flake base, add sesame… to glue everything together you just need the combination of sugar, honey, syrup, oil and juice (but even here you can substitute maple syrup with honey or whatever you fancy), other than that just switch and add to your liking.

i love eating this chocolate granola with raspberries and greek yoghurt.

savory muffins

one more time muffins, this time in a savory version. since i got a bit sloppy with my diet due to rushing home from the office, grabbing a bite to eat and then running to teach yoga, i had to act. that’s why i now prepare my office lunch the day before. to get some inspiration i got 2 books with lots of office lunch ideas.

first i made these savory muffins with zucchini, feta and sundried tomatoes. just to my liking, they are quite handy and easy to transport. of course you can make a mini version of them as well, that way they are the perfect fingerfood for a party or a snack.

the basis of these muffins can of course be refined however you like it – depending on what you have in your fridge or what you’re craving.

corn fritters

when i posted the recipe for cumin tumeric chicken i promised you also the recipe for the corn fritters. they are a perfect side dish to this chicken dish, but can also stand their own as a main or maybe as a small snack.

i think they were yummy, but i have to admit that i like my indonesian version – jagung – better. might be that they are tastier due to the pureed onions and garlic. however what i like about this version is the addition of polenta. it makes them heartier. just try for yourselfes and let me know which one you like better 🙂

best serve them with some guacamole, sour cream or a salsa (e.g. mango tomatoes)

wild garlic waffles

when i walked by the wmf shop the other day, they had an offer for their waffle iron. although i have a sandwich maker at home, which also has an inset for waffles, but the only time i tried to make waffles with it, it didn’t really work well. the machine just doesn’t get hot enough. so i thought, since the waffle iron is on sale, i’ll take one with me. since it was a saturday, i also bought some wild garlic on my way home, so i could make wild garlic waffles on sunday. i ate them for lunch, but if you like a hearty breakfast… they are also amazing for a brunch. fittingly foodbloggers were doing “synchronwaffles” on instagram that day. i saw these amazing brownie waffles on one of the other accounts!! i definitely will be making sweet waffles oon.

i really loved the wild garlic waffles. you could also add some feta to the dough and serve the waffles with a tomato-avocado salsa. fits perfectly! i ate them with some herb sour cream. i was thrilled with the waffle iron: you can set the temperature, it heats up quickly and the waffles are don in about 3 min. i can only recommend it.