Oi oi oi! Summer is right around the corner, isn’t it! Unfortunately the Swiss early summer is really teasing us with a few sunny days (it’s too good to be true ay!) followed by a week long showers with occasional sunny afternoons. There is right amount of warmness in the air for being hopeful. That being said, the weather still remained quite tamed. Despite the chilly weather, I am getting ready — made this refreshing watermelon mist with a touch of mint and lime. It tastes wonderful and hydrating at the same time since the afternoon temperature can get up to 24 degree celsius, which is warm enough to go for a bike ride or do something active outdoor. On a really good day, this is great to serve with lunch or have it as post-lunch refreshment.
Let’s get ready for the summer! This is just a few more steps than making watermelon juice.
Ingredients (servings for 2):
half of a small watermelon
5 – 7 pieces of mint leaves (add more if you wish or to garnish)
2 teaspoon of maple syrup or raw honey
2 teaspoon of lime juice
Sparkling water
Directions:
Cut out about 250 g of watermelon, get rid of the seeds
Add lime juice, maple syrup
Juice it up!
Pulse the mint leaves for a few seconds.
Add sparkling water to top up…! And there you have it!
Hellloooooo peeps! I am back! To explain my absence, I must be honest I had quite a harsh time adjusting to the winter here in Switzerland. Growing up in Taiwan/Hawaii/California, you never had to dealt with real winter (with minus degrees, snow and uhhhh, endless of gloomy days), plus, my body isn’t built for this type of climate anyway. I went through series of ups and downs, which I won’t go into details about. Everyone who lives here says they do get seasonal depressions. So, for me was like oh well – Shake it off! Now that the early summer has hit Central Europe, I feel much more comfortable. Though at times still rainy, chilly and windy, I can’t complain, the heat is in the air. Mr. Sun peaks out once in awhile to say hello. Here I am… standing and fighting for life! And my passion for health and eating well has not changed a single bit.
Why lentils?
I’ve never been really exposed to lentils till I read one of my favorite plant-based food blogger from The New Roots. Lentils are kind of life changing deal. It’s filling, tons of fiber and good source of protein! It is a great replacement for pasta, bread, noodles or rice if you want to spice things up a little bit. Marc and I used to buy canned lentils, though the nutrient via internet claims to be the same, I’ve realized it takes only a little more effort to make it from scratch and it taste better.
This recipe is one of those stumble-upon-kind-of-surprise. Whenever we cooked lentils in the past, I always felt like it lacked flavor or something was missing. This recipe really hit the spot. It’s so simple and accessible. You can simply eat it by itself if you wish, or with a salad on the side or with a fish or meat on the side. It’s simply delicious. I found recipes that are easy to make yet healthy are the revolutionary ones!
Ingredients:
2 cups of black lentils
handful of thin asparagus, chopped (omit the lower stems if it’s too hard)
1 onion, diced
2 colorful bell peppers (yellow, green or red), chopped in small pieces
4 gloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 of a zuchini, chopped
other optional/alternative veggies:
Brocolis, cauliflowers
Directions
1. Rinse the lentils and soak them in water overnight if you can. Drain well the next day. Soaking them for 8-9 hours reduce cooking time and aid digestion (they become softer).
2. If you have a rice cooker/steamer, use the rice cooker to cook. The ratio of lentils and water is 1:1.2. Add salt in the water (about 1 tea spoon). Otherwise cook in a pot for 10 – 15 minutes in low heat, wait till it simmers. Same for the salt.
3. On the side, chopped all the vegetable, mix them in a bow.
4. In a heated pan with oil, place garlic and onions in the pan for flavor. Then add the rest of the vegetables, low heat to stir. Add salt or pepper to taste.
5. Add the lentils, till they mix well together.
6. Serve as you wish. Leave the leftovers in food containers. You can enjoy this for small amount for next morning breakfast.
