Good morning from Al Quasr Beach!
After an early morning Yoga workout this is exactly what nourishes body and soul…..
If you are not with us this morning you can get the recipe for the muesli here to make it at home.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!
At Madinat Jumeirah Talise Spa and Talise Nutrition team up for the First Talise Luxury Yoga Retreat. As wellbeing and beauty stems from within, healthy food is as important as perfectly executed asanas!
I am looking forward to cooking with and for you and share tips and recipes for delicious and nutritious food.
To read more and for bookings please log onto www.jumeirah.com/mjyogaretreat. For more details please call Talise Spa on +9714-3666818.
Keep balance this weekend and see you at Madinat Jumeirah!
Very nice to read another mention of Talise here!
Home made jam part 2!
I used the raspberry jam (pictured above right) to flavor my recently home made cocoa swiss roll. I have shared a similar recipe last year. But here is the “dark” brother – also very delicious. See the recipe here but replace 120 g millet flour with 60 g cocoa powder and 40 g whole spelt flour, skip the almonds. Don’t worry about the difference in flour and cocoa though, cocoa powder is much lighter in weight than volume! Below is a step by step image guide. Enjoy!
My favorite drinks in summer are green herbal or sweet fruity lemonades – home made of course.
If you happen to have a similar blessing of mint like me, cut it to encourage even better growth and make this refreshing green lemonade:
Place 10 freshly cut mint stalks with the leaves in the blender, add 500 ml still water, 1 cup of crushed ice, the juice of 1 organic lemon and approximately 2 tablespoons of agave syrup or acacia honey (take more if you love the lemonade sweeter).
Blend the ingredients well for around 30 seconds, then strain through a fine sieve.
Enjoy the green drink immediately after preparation to avoid discoloring and loss of freshness.
This drink has a convincing strong green and minty flavor, is full of chlorophyll, menthol and Vitamin C and is my secret weapon against the summer heat and thirst. The fresh breeze you feel on your taste buds when you take the first sip is something you won’t want to miss anymore once you have tried it.
Stay healthy and enjoy the summer!
Another fruity and mild lemonade recipe will be featured soon on this blog.
Raw Food is gaining popularity. Not to mention that this is perfect for the hot summer season to stay fresh, hydrated and fit health food enthusiasts know about the benefits of eating raw. Many do so from time to time to detox or to stock up the extra dose of vitamins and freshness, some eat raw only for a lifestyle and some are curious to find out how it feels and ….tastes! Have you ever tried raw bread? A raw soup? Raw lasagna? If not and you wish to do so, you can either sign up for one of my raw food classes (for those who like to prepare it at home) or just sit back and book a set menu with me in any of our restaurants in Madinat Jumeirah.
For me as a chef with profound health food background and lifestyle it is always a pleasure to create and serve food that is thoroughly beneficial and delicious for my guests. There are not many restaurants in the world to serve raw food culinary experience I am proud we at Madinat Jumeirah do. And so I prepared with my team last Friday for a lovely group – all experienced raw food enthusiasts (wow) – a pure RAW FOOD DINNER in five courses, served at the romantic Khaymat Al Bahar:
I hope you enjoy the impressions!
Botanical Garden Harvest
with sprouted Sunflower Seeds
Chilled Green Pea Gazpacho
with Air Dried Back Olive Crackers
Buckwheat Tabouleh (see similar recipe, just with quinoa, here)
Raw Vegetable Lasagna (see recipe here)
….and the sweet finish: Dessert!
If you would like to learn how to prepare raw dishes, drop me a line and sign up to my next Raw Food Class on June 30, 11 am to 2 pm in Magnolia, Al Quasr. The original date was in May but had to be rescheduled due to the fact I worked for a short time in our beautiful new Jumeirah Hotel in Rome. But now it is happening, promise. And it will be a perfect hot climate treat.
We will prepare interesting things like raw bread, raw nuts cheese, raw cake…..
Looking forward to seeing you there!
PROTEIN
Proteins are essential to the building and repair of the body’s tissues and to basic functions like growth, digestion and excretion. However, where to find excellent plant based protein, if you are looking for an alternative to meat, eggs, and dairy or highly processed soy products as a protein source?
Here is one true nutritional treasure box worth considering in your food repertoire:
QUINOA
Quinoa is a so called “complete protein” containing all 8 of the essential amino acids. One cup of quinoa has around 9 grams of protein, which tops the protein-rich egg with only about 6 grams. Quinoa is a low-cholesterol source of complex carbohydrates. It is rich in fiber but low in glycemic index. The tiny seeds of a South American grass are high in vitamins, minerals and protein, while low in fat and calories.
I love to sprout quinoa to boost its nutritional value even more. Sprouting activates natural enzymes and multiplies the vitamin content. Quinoa sprouts easily within 3 hours rest in plain water. Other seeds take much more time for example.
Here is one of my personal favorites with sprouted quinoa:
Quinoa Grissini
for around 30 sleek and crispy Grissini
What to buy
20 g quinoa, germinated in 200 ml water for around 6 hours at room temperature, strained
150 ml water
1 teaspoon acacia honey or agave syrup
5 gm fresh yeast
200 gm whole spelt flour
15 ml olive oil
1 pinch of salt
How to make it
For the dough mix gently water, yeast and agave syrup or honey. Then add the flour, and beat the dough with a wooden spoon until it is soft and elastic. Allow the dough to rest and rise for around 10 minutes at room temperature. Add then a pinch of salt and the olive oil. Eventually add some more flour and beat the dough again until it starts cleaning the bowl you work the dough in.
Place a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray. Portion the dough into 30 very small pieces and roll each piece to a thin grissino. Roll each stick in quinoa and place the sticks on the baking tray. Use a ruler or a straight stick to ensure your grissinis are straight. Allow them to rise again for around 10 minutes. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees and bake the grissinis for 3 – 5 minutes until the dough is golden and crispy.
Chef Gabi’s Tip
These grissinis can be kept for a couple of days – however they taste wonderful when they come fresh out of the oven and I am sure they will be eaten immediately.
I serve it very often with chilled soups like a spicy green pea gazpacho.
Click to view our next post: Chilled Green Pea Gazpacho, which you can enjoy with the Quinoa grissini. You might also want to try sprouted Quinoa Tablouleh.
2 Portions
What to buy
Spinach Crepe Roll
100 g spinach
100 g millet flour
2 eggs
250 ml milk
50 g ricotta
25 g parmesan cheese
15 ml olive oil
50 g celery sticks
30 g cherry tomatoes
10 ml chili sauce
Mesclun salad and garden cress or rocket leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
How to make it
Steam the spinach. Blend the spinach with the eggs and strain finely. Mix the spinach puree with milk and flour. Bake thin crêpes out of the spinach dough. Stir grated parmesan, olive oil and ricotta to a creamy paste. Season it with a little bit of salt. Spread the ricotta on each crêpe and roll it up tight. Chill the crêpe roll wrapped in cling film until you serve it. Peel the celery sticks, and cut them finely. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves. Season them with chili sauce and salt. Cut the crêpe rolls into pieces, arrange with garden cress, mesclun and celery salad.
Chef Gabi’s Tip: This dish is very good to prepare if you have guests as it can be made in advance. The crêpes are made with gluten free millet flour, which is a rich source in silica. Try to eat millet regularly and you will be granted firm skin and strong hair.
Talise Nutrition by Chef Gabi 