Banana and oats pancakes with fruits and maple syrup - no flour

the guilt free yumminess.

Ingredients

(for about 8  12cm diameter pancakes)

2 cups of oats

1/2 cup of regular milk ( I used almond milk) 

1/2 cup of yogurt

2 eggs

a pinch of salt

a pinch of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1 mashed banana

2 -3 tablespoons of coconut flakes

1 tablespoon of chia seeds ( optional )

How it`s made 

1. Beat the eggs with the mashed banana.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients one by one and stir well. 

3. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes.

4. Prepare 2 nonstick pans and wait until they are hot ( important step) but not smoking.  With a big salad spoon form your pancakes and flip them after you see some bubbles forming.

Enjoy them with fresh fruits, yogurt and maple syrup. 

Fattoush with grilled aubergines and toasted hazelnuts

Amazing mix of textures and a nice contrast between sourness and sweetness.


Ingredients
(serves 2 persons)

1 aubergine
1 pita toasted and crumbled ( the original recipe calls for fried pita, but I made the lighter version)
half a pomegranate
6-8 cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 carrot
a handful of toasted hazelnuts
escarole  or any other type of crunchy leaf
Dressing :
minced garlic  - a quarter of a clove
lemon juice  from 1 lemon
olive oil

sumac and dry mint

How it`s made

1. Cut the aubergine in fine stripes. Grill them over high heat and leave them to cool. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and some minced garlic. Toss everything.
2. Place the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.
3. Just before serving prepare the dressing by shaking the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a small jar with a lid. Pour the dressing and sprinkle generously with sumac and mint.

Sweet potato, avocado and Kalamata olives salad

A light yet hearty salad, perfect for lunch.

Ingredients 
(serves 2 persons as a full meal)

1 bag of mixed salad leafs ( I used a mix of radicchio, lolo and escarole)
1 avocado sliced
1 handful of cherry tomatoes
2 sun-dried tomatoes  kept in olive oil
about 12 Kalamata olives
100 gr feta cheese
2 sweet potatoes  (about 600 gr)

Dressing : 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of the sun dried tomatoes oil.

How it`s made

1. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven at 175 C. Put the potatoes in a bowl, sprinkle them with some salt and pepper. Add about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and toss. Add 2 tablespoons of grated Grana Padano and toss. You can skip the last step, but it will add lots of flavor. Bake the sweet potatoes in an oven  paper  covered tray for 20 minutes or so.
2. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and the Kalamata olives. Crumble the feta cheese.
3. Mix everything in a bowl and prepare the dressing in a small jar with a lid. Shake the dressing as you would do with a James Bond Martini.
4. Right before eating, toss the salad and dressing.

Roasted peppers stuffed mussels

A time consuming dish if you are using fresh uncleaned mussels but the result makes it worthwhile. Or you could just use a jar of already roasted peppers and frozen, cleaned mussels.

Ingredients 
(serves 2 as a light dinner or 4 as a starter)


- 600 gr of fresh mussels
- 2 hungarian peppers
- 1 slice of 2 days old bread - toasted and crumbled
- 1 or 2 spoons of roasted, crushed pine nuts
- a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce
- a few dashes of Tabasco
- 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- parsley - chopped
- lemon
- black pepper

How I made it?

1. Roast the peppers. They are ready when their skin has black blisters. Put them in a bowl and cover with cling film; in about 5 minutes you can easily peel them of the skin.
2. Clean the mussels ( remove the beards, any barnacle and discard the opened ones if they do not close when you tap them).
3. Cook the mussels in a hot skillet. Just mix them with a sliced clove of garlic and a splash of white wine, put the lid on and wait for 3-4 minutes, until  most of them are open. Throw out any that do not open.
4. Remove the mussel meat and reserve the big shells to fill.
5. In a bowl mix the  finely chopped roasted red peppers, chopped mussels, crushed pine nuts, the toasted bread crumbs, worchester sauce, tabasco, lemon juice and black pepper.
6. Fill each shell, place it in a tray and sprinkle with a bit of parmesan.
7. Put them under the hot grill for about 3-4 minutes.