Baked Lemon Sole & Brazilian Mango Salsa served with Sweet Potato & Sweet Dates | No comments:

Your main dish doesn't necessarily need to be savoury. In fact, integrating sweetness created balance or could create absolute mayhem, a beautiful mess. This dish for me is like dinner and dessert on one plate, and the flavours play off each other favourably. Fruit is often overlooked when it comes to a main dish. I feel in mainstream restaurants, especially in London, you don't find it too often in your main meal, usually in dessert. Some of my favourite partners in crime are: 

- Orange, pear, walnut & blue cheese

- Strawberries, basil & balsamic

- Dates & sweet potato (dessert on a plate...MMM) 

- Mango, chilli & coriander 

- Gammon & pineapple

- Honey roasted root vegetables

- Watermelon and olive oil 

So why fruit and fish? Surely BLEURGH? 

Actually...no. Whilst adding fresh fruit to fish might not be the first flavourful combinations to come to mind, I can ensure you that you will be graced with a more than pleasant surprise. In fact, unlike red meat and poultry, fish has a certain freshness to it, with iodine and sea-resembling fishy flavours being passed down the food chain and essentially onto your plate. Its texture is delicately soft and light; it's flavour best accentuated by the freshest of ingredients. White fish has far less of a 'fishy' taste than other variations of fish, for example tuna. I have used lemon sole, a flat fish which has a sweet delicate flesh and works well in many dishes.

I first tasted the mango, coriander and hot red chilli salsa when I worked for the Rolex HQ in London. Our meals were catered for us everyday, and we were lucky enough to have Pete the chef cooking 3-course meals for us daily! Oh how I loved Pete :D Even if my gluten-intolerance really did him up the backside sometimes. Pete if you're reading this, I miss coming into the kitchen each day, you were so great and you inspired me always! Pete served us once, cod on crushed new potato's with this Brazilian style salsa, which I was enthralled by! It is genius. It is SO fresh, flavourful and spicy. I felt so many flavours whizzing around my mouth, except my taste buds accepted them clearly and confidently. IT. WAS. DELICIOUS. Note to self, next time, try adding chopped red onion into the salsa, for another kick in a different direction. I think that too is a match made in heaven. 

OK. So I bought a sweet potato. I baked it and then I had one of those mid-creating brainwaves. I know I sound like a loony tune, but being creative in the kitchen is SO much fun, I am buzzing still from the flavour pairings...EEEK! The best part is you never actually know what you are doing half the time, you explore and experiment and then VOILA! I tried to slice dates...it turned to much OBV. They are SO soft. I have date syrup? That's it. Sliced sweet potato laced with melted butter, date puree, garnished with drizzled date honey. OH MY this is what I am dubbing dessert on a plate. It is a wonderful side to an savoury or spicy dish, it not only adds balance, but the sweetness is not overpowering, it went beautifully with the delicate flavours, seeing as it has an earthy undertone. OK, it sounds like earthy and ocean bearing flavour just don't mix. Think again! 

DATES! DATES! DATES! My favourite restaurant, that I have eaten at so far is La Shuk on Dizengoff. Why? Firstly, the ceviche is incredible. The best ceviche I have had and right now I am loving ceviche. It was white John Dory fish and sweet dates...I need to recreate this dish. Speaking of ceviche, restaurants here in Israel serve such wonderful ceviche dishes, diverse in flavour, and right now its my favourite dish. I'll have a glass of Cava please (but really I say it in Hebrew) :P There is only one place I can find Prosecco here in Israel, luckily it's in a wine bar called Denim, which is conveniently located down my street, with a daily happy hour. WHOOPS. Whilst I no longer drink it as often, I consider myself more of a sangria girl now, Prosecco was undoubtedly my favourite drink back home and in London. 

PS. Can we just appreciate this cute silver scoop! On my wanders around Tel Aviv last weekend, I got lost exploring the back streets leading to Levinsky Market, by which I stumbled across several professional chef stores! ERRR I'M IN HEAVEN. I lost myself and found myself a million times over planning dishes based on plates, accompaniments and so-called kitchen gadgets. Exhibit A. The sweetshop scoop. I knew instantly when I saw it that I would, essentially, serve the accompaniment to a dish. In this case, the salsa fitted perfectly in there. Cooking isn't just about making food and eating it. The creative processes actually start before you even start cooking. I bought so many cute and kinda cool things in these stores for the presentation of my food. I can't wait to share it all with you :)

ENJOY DOLLS XO 

Fish in Foil, the Scoop of the Day and Finally the Sweet Potato found himself a DATE! 

SWEEEET! 

Baked Lemon Sole & Brazilian Mango Salsa Served with Sweet Potato & Sweet Dates

(This recipe SERVES 1 to increase yield, multiply quantities by amount of people) 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes 

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients: 

- 1 fillet of Lemon Sole white fish
- wedge of lemon
- knob of butter
- 1/4 sweet potato
- 1 King Solomon dates (my favourite Israeli dates, other variations will do!)
- 1 tsp date syrup
- Sea Salt & Pepper

Mango Salsa Ingredients: 

- 1/3 Mango
- Handful of coriander
- 1/3 Red Chilli Pepper
- 2 slices red onion (optional & not included in this recipe)

Make the Magic Happen: 

1. Preheat fan oven to 180 degrees. Wash sweet potato, and mark an X in the middle using a sharp knife. Place potato in the microwave for 6 minutes to pre-cook it. This reduces cooking time and it is just as tasty. If you beg to differ, pop the potato in 40 minutes before preparation begins :D
2. Take a piece of aluminium foil approx. 30cm x 30xm long and place the fillet of fish in the middle of the foil square. Season with cracked sea salt and cracked black pepper, squeezing a little of the lemon wedge over the fish and leave on top with a knob of butter. 
3. Fold in the foil first length ways and then horizontally, create a roof over the fish, sealing in a little house, ensuring all edges are folded over so nothing seeps out. Use a fork or a knife to poke holes in the top to allow steam out. This is one of my favourite ways to cook fish. It is baked inside all the juices, the addition of ingredients such as lemon, parsley, onion, herbs or whatever induces flavour and keeps the freshness. It also keeps the flesh soft and moist. 
4. Place the fish in foil in a small casserole dish, just in cas any juices spill out, you don't want to have more hassle when it comes to cleaning the kitchen. 
5. Take the potato out of the oven...careful...this is not a game of hot potato, be sure to use something like a tea towel to grab it. IT'S HOT!! Pop it straight in the oven to continue cooking and to crisp over. 
6. Meanwhile, slice off the mango. I used an avocado slicer to slice the mango out from the skin, an alternative is to use a knife and chop into chunks. Place in a bowl.
7. Finely chop the coriander and add to the mango.
8. Slice the red chilli pepper into fine circles. If you like it hot like me, start at the top of the chilli where the seeds are, you will get more spice, and more heat! Use sparingly if you are sensitive to spice.. Add to the bowl and mix it all up!
9. Pop the fish in the oven for 15 minutes, he can sit tight with the sweet potato.
10. Slice the dates and mix together to form a puree. 
11. Once the fish and sweet potato are cooked, take out of the oven and leave to cool for 5 mins, at this moment I pour myself a glass of vino rouge...
12. Arrange your plate accordingly; slice the sweet potato and add a tiny knob of butter to each slice. Top with sweet date puree and drizzle with date honey, make it look pretty.
13. Serve the mango salsa on the side and VOILA! 

Enjoy Dolls 

Bete Avon 

Bon Appetit! 

xo 

Bea

You can like my FB Page Dine With Bea for more recipes, kitchen creations, articles and general ramblings

Follow me on instagram @thesartorialdoll to see what I am cooking everyday and stay up to date with my culinary explorations here in Tel Aviv

DINE WITH BEA: Jewish Penicillin - My Favourite Chicken Soup | No comments:

When we are in the wars, as my grandmother would say, we all crave our favourite comfort food. Growing up, chicken soup was quite literally the cure for everything, we don't call it Jewish Penicillin for nothing! When I am poorly, there is nothing more satisfactory than a bowl (...or several) of my mother's chicken soup. My mother's chicken soup was a little less traditional than her inspiration, my nanny Pauline; except, my mother, who acquired her Cordon Bleu through Raymond Blanc's cookery school, would add seasonal vegetables such as suede, parsnip, leek, sweet potato and even potato to deepen the flavour of the stock and add various textures and flavours to each and every mouthful. The root vegetables are earthy and sweeter in taste, suede is the most flavourful of them all, textured similar to a carrot, yet the sweetest of them all and it is delicious!! The most delicious winter warmer...

Mother's Kneidels (Matzoh balls) were always made from scratch and abstractly large. I mean let's just say you definitely got your servings worth, and they were fluffy, and moist; not dense. I personally am more in favour of the traditional Kneidlach for chicken soup, dense and small; with the larger, fluffier Matzoh ball dumplings perfect for accentuating winter stews. Except they aren't Gluten Free so I will need to experiment in the kitchen to create an alternative, seeing as Matzoh meal contains wheat! I've used past tense, don't fret my mother is still alive. In fact she is currently indulging in 'Gambas Pil-Pil' on Mistral Beach in Marbella. It is here that I tasted the spiciest, freshest and most delicious Prawn Pil Pil IN THE ENTIRE WORLD (to date), which undoubtedly has been enjoyed every year since the age of 6. I like my spice... If you are reading this, HI MUM! HOPE YOU'RE HAVING AN ABSOLUTE HOOT - I am shouting because you are F A R    A W A Y!

My mother and step-father at Mistral beach, my favourite beach in Marbella. The food here is incredible, gigantic tiger prawns on skewers along with lobster, beautiful seabass and THE BEST PRAWN PIL PIL IN THE WORLD. Have an amazing time guys - Miss You xo

But anyways, seeing as I did move over 2200 miles away, to the sun-bronzed, cosmopolitan metropolis that is Tel-Aviv. My new home is far away from the bitter, jaw-chattering winters and unforgivable, foreseeable rain showers. Except I now have to fend for myself (and I love it)! Yes that means I have been able to perfect my own chicken soup recipe, one that will be passed down to my children for them to also experiment and perfect, but most importantly enjoy every sip with happiness and love.

In regards to being young, fun and no longer living with mum (I like this rhyme a lot); The other night I procrastinated for 2 hours before putting my freshly laundered bed sheets on my bed - TED talks got the better of me. My slight OCD means that NOTHING clean can touch the floor without having to be washed again (give or take depending)- it involves standing on a higher surface, getting inside the (inside out) duvet cover, grabbing two corners and flapping about like a bird trialling lift-off. Lets be honest - I don't lift off, instead smile in relief, feeling fully-accomplished and often hot and slightly bothered. It's a real palava, mum thank you for all the years that you made my bed, I definitely took it for granted.

Whilst I didn't grow up in a religious family and we didn't keep shabbat, we did have my favourite chicken soup! For Ashkenazi Jews, it is part of tradition to indulge into a bowl of their mother/grandmother's chicken soup at sundown on Friday's, or in all of our cases when the flu gets the better of us. My Nanny, Step-mother and Step-grandmother make a more traditional jewish chicken soup, which has inspired my own recipe a lot. I have gained inspiration from each and every one of them and developed my favourite recipe, which I now want to share with you all :) It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, this is a recipe to be enjoyed by everyone! Trust me it is the best cure for anything! You feel poorly? You need chicken soup! Did your boyfriend break up with you? Yeah you definitely need chicken soup! You want to lose weight? So...it's chicken soup week! Whatever it is...chicken soup can cure it. Enjoy my very own recipe:

My Jewish Chicken Soup

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-12 hours

Serves: 6-8

(It's chicken soup week for me and whoever comes over for supper!)

What's in it?

- 1 Fresh Whole Chicken (take the guts out BLEURGHH)
- 4 Bay Leaves
- Handful of Parsley
- Handful of Dill
- 1 White Onion
- 2 Stalks of Celery
- 6 Large Carrots
- 1 Leek
- Handful of Black Peppercorns
- 3 Tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Osem Chicken Stock (find in Kosher section of Supermarket - PS check for Gluten Free options as they aren't always GF, so if you are Coeliac YOU MUST CHECK)

Make the Magic Happen...

1. I always get my meat from the fresh meat counter, you can also visit your local butcher for a prime bird, but it is whatever floats your boat. Make sure all the gross insides are firmly OUT OF THERE! For those who enjoy a Jerusalem Mixed Grill (you know who you are).. save them for later...
2. Once your bird is prepared, pop her in a large stock pot with 3 tsp Salt and cover with water. Bring to the boil on a low-medium heat for 45 minutes.
3. In the meantime, prepare you veg! Peel the carrots and chop into circles around 2cm thick. Chop the celery; peel and slice the Onion into quarters; chop the leek into 1-2cm rounds and place in a bowl with the peppercorns, parsley and dill.
3. Getting a ladle, lightly skim all the fat off the top into a bowl. The fat is separate from the water and floats on the top in an oil-like consistency. You can leave some for flavour, but I remove the majority.
4. Once you have removed the fat, add all the veggies etc from the bowl and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes with the lid on. I often make the night before and leave to stew overnight with the lid on (no heat) as it is always better the next day and the heat remains for quite a few hours, leaving the flavours to stew and ferment.
5. In the morning remove the chicken from the stock pot onto a large plate and remove the skin and bones, taking all the beautifully tender chicken breast and adding it back in to the soup.
6. Bring to the boil on a low simmer removing all the fat from the top once more, and topping up with any lost water (depending on how many you are feeding) and continue to simmer for an hour, until piping hot.
7. Serve and enjoy piping hot...but don't burn your tongue.

TIP: Serve with cracked black pepper on top! 

As we say here in Israel: 

BETE AVON! 

Or in other words, Bon Appetit my darling dolls! 

Kisses,

Bea xo.

Dine With Bea | Cauliflower Crust Pizza (Gluten Free) | No comments:

When you're gluten intolerant, Pizza is like the devil. Not only is it a restricted guilty pleasure, but it draws you in only to have INSTANT regret. You feel me? The best pizza I ever had was spicy AF and god damn delicious, I gave in to it on too many occasions. Guilty as charged. The culprit? The Rustica Piccante Pizza from Zizzi's, an Italian chain in England. "Made up of spicy n’Duja sausage, pepperoni, salami, mushrooms, mozzarella, hot roquito chilli, fresh rocket and dollops of mascarpone that acts as a fire extinguisher for your mouth." OK OK my mouth is watering...it's no secret that I am hideously obsessed with spice and chilli and this is perfection. My friends more often than not are unable to handle my quantities of spice...must be my fiery red hair TSSS.

 Rustica Piccate Pizza C/O: Zizzi

Recently I have been micro-dosing gluten after I fully eliminated it from my diet since coming to Israel. Why? Because when I couldn't control myself, I gave in that fluffy FLUFFY oh so fluffy pitta bread to dip in my hummus at brunch and well, it seems the effects are far more severe than before as my body just can't handle it. I find myself miserable, moody, lethargic, sharp pains and OH look I am 5 months pregnant...JK JK, but seriously my stomach swells to the point I am sure you'd think I was preggo and I'm not exaggerating. It's funny slash totally not worth it. Micro-dosing, aka, a bite a day or here and there will re-introduce gluten to your insides and hopefully prevent you becoming ill if you do eat it. However, bar a naughty nibble, I have taught myself to no longer crave it, I can pass on it and I am fine without it, maybe because I accepted that I just couldn't eat it and hadn't bothered to create a gluten free base. Until now... INTRODUCING THE GLUTEN FREE PIZZA UNDER 500 CALORIES.

My roomate Sally has been banging on about the Cauliflower Crust Pizza for months; when she first mentioned it, I hadn't even bloody heard of it and I am a complete foodie. I mean it sounds delicious but hideously unpractical. The thought of the whole pizza crumbling and falling on the floor during the dreaded transfer from oven tray to plate got me like HELL NO! So I embarked on some research, OH how I love the advances of food and the now available options for us gluten free foodies. YAY! Lets be honest whilst people love to take the piss, half the world has quite literally gone gluten free. Be it those who choose to eliminate gluten from their diet because there are added health benefits and supposedly weight loss (UM...about the weight loss..? My scales must be broken or I just didn't get the memo), genuine intolerance, or in more serious cases, the Coeliacs. So if you don't accept it GET OVER IT! By the way, Israel is great for Gluten Free and Vegan with many options available, um, everywhere. London catch up won't you...I think you're a bit late to the Gluten Free Dinner PARTAY.

So let's get down to the Pizza which has revolutionised gluten free pizza, not only because it's low fat but because it is GLUTEN FREE. All hail the Cauliflower, I always did love you, you fluffy cloud of nutrients and vegetable goodness.

PREPARATION TIME: 25 minutes 

COOKING TIME: 25 minutes 

INGREDIENTS:

| T H E. B A S E |
- 1 Cauliflower
- 20g Unsalted Almonds
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- Handful of Parsley
- Zatar/Oregano (or both)
- Salt n' Pepper
- Clean Tea Towel/Dish Cloth/Cheese Cloth/Muslin Cloth

Design your own pizza toppings!

| T O P P I N G S |
(experiment as you please my darlings doll, everyones pizza should reflect their mood and wishes) 
- 1/2 Jar Tomato & Chilli Pasta/Pizza Sauce
- 5 Plum Tomatoes (I used 2 varieties but one is fine, cherry tomatoes are also DELICIOUS AF)
- Mozzarella Balls
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper
- Red Chilli

MAKE IT HAPPEN:

PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 200 DEGREES

1. Wash your cauliflower and strip him of his stalk and leaves. I removed as much stalk as possible and have stored it in ye old fridge for later...
TOP TIP: the stalk is delicious eaten raw with hummus or used in a vegetable soup!

2. Using a food processor, or in my case, the NUTRI BULLET (use with caution, it is not meant to be used as a food processor so in the event that you too decide it works perfectly well, blend in small quantity batches) blend up the cauliflower, almonds, 2 cloves of garlic and parsley to create a rice looking formula.

I blended the cauliflower, almonds, parsley & garlic separately and then mixed together

3. Place the cauliflower 'rice' in a microwavable dish and cover with cling film. Heat for 5-6 minutes in the microwave until soft and stand to cool for 2-3 minutes.

4. Open the Tea Towel and place the cauliflower 'rice' inside the cloth, squeeze it tight to make a ball, letting all the liquid drain out. MAKE SURE you have removed as much of the liquid as possible. Once you open the tea towel you will see a dough-like-ball has been created.
TOP TIP: Save the liquid for later, it has a lot of flavour and can be added to a vegetable soup along with the stalks. 

I have saved the leftover juice to add to a vegetable soup as the parsley,
almond and garlic residue remain in the cauliflower juice

Once you have squeezed out all the remaining liquid you should be left with a ball

5. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl and add the dough ball and mix together. This is your cauliflower dough!

6. YOU MUST WASH YOUR HANDS! THEY'RE ABOUT TO GET DIRTY!!!!!

7. Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper and grease with olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Place the dough on the baking tray. Now, you are ready to make the base!

Cook With Love xo.

8. TOTAL LOVE! Look at my heart, it's too cute, obv you can choose how you want your pizza to look, I make all my food with love so I opted for a heart shape. I did this using my hands, I pressed down and pushed the dough outwards forming my heart shape. I used a spoon to mount the edges to create a crust and pressed around the inside to perfect the crust.
TOP TIP: You don't want the base to be to thin as it will break, especially if you have many topping, so make it at least 1cm thick, making it thicker at the edges. Also keep it tight by pressing down using the palm of your hand.

9. Place base in oven for 10-15 minutes and then take out to add toppings

10. Firstly, spread the tomato sauce, I chose a tomato and chilli sauce for added flavour. Add your toppings, add anything you like, have fun with it!!! As you can see I added 2 varieties of plum tomato, black and red, I sauteed half a red bell pepper in plenty of olive oil and poured it on top, mozzarella balls, some freshly sliced red chilli and garnished with fresh basil leaves.

11. Finally, place in the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and it starts to crisp! 

VOILA!

Enjoy My Darling Dolls!!

Like my Facebook Page: DINE WITH BEA 

Take a snap and share it with your darling dolls! I would love to see your creations - You can tag me on Instagram @thesartorialdoll or tweet me @sartorialdoll

| Bete Avon | Bon Appetit | Enjoy | 

Kisses, 

Bea xo.

DINE WITH BEA: Middle-Eastern Hummus | No comments:

Dipping vegetables in Hummus with some fiery Tabasco has to be my favourite snack EVER, a healthier alternative to the absurd consumption of chocolate which my roommate and I find ourselves consuming far too often. Our New Year's Resolution? TO DO US. Eat healthy, be good to ourselves and locater ourselves and others. So now that the hundreds of duty-free cadbury's chocolates are officially hidden, we decided to give Hummus a go.

Living in Israel, hummus and falafel are a regular favourite of mine, the hummus in the middle-east is honestly incredible and because I don't eat bread due to my gluten-free lifestyle, falafels are a wonderful accompaniment and delicious alternative to the forbidden fruit: fluffy pitta bread. 

Due to a devastating terrorist attack yesterday here in Tel Aviv (RIP), my roommate and I stayed indoors and decided to distract and cheer ourselves up my being creative in the kitchen. Cooking is a real release for me, it allows you to be creative and I find it therapeutic. Our Hummus turned out to be SO DELICIOUS! Far better than the shop bought stuff, except due to our love for garlic, we may have used a little too much, so I give you a revised recipe below with less garlic. By all means if you don't care add more, but poor little Sally had a date yesterday...LOL! 

So Dolls, Check out my recipe below and ENJOY! 

BEA'S MIDDLE-EASTERN HUMMUS (Serves 2)

WHAT YOU NEED: 

1 Can of Chickpeas (already soaked/save a small handful for garnish)
2 Tbsp fresh Tahini

1 Clove Garlic (crushed)

1/2 Tsp Salt

BIG Squeeze of Lemon

2 Grinds of Black Pepper

1/2 Tsp Hot Paprika

4 Tbsp Olive Oil (add more if you need, and decorate with it at the end)

4 Tbsp of Chickpea Juice from the can

Nutribullet or Food Processer
Tabascon for SPICE 

For the Vegetable Croutons:

1 Israeli Cucumber (1/4 Large English Cucumber)
1 Carrot

1 Red Pepper

MAKE THE MAGIC HAPPEN: 

1. Drain the Chickpeas, keeping some of the liquid to add when blending 
2. Pour the chickpeas into the blending cup. EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY RIGHT?
3. YEP! Now add a big squeeze of fresh lemon
4. Add the tahini, paprika, salt, olive oil and juice from chickpea can
5. Crush one clove of garlic and add to the mix
6. BLEND IT UP BABY!
7. Serve into a bowl and garnish with remaining chickpeas this adds texture and flavour 
8. Drizzle with olive oil and season with hot paprika
9. Cut the veggies into croutons AKA sticks
10. Now it's time to dip, scoop and ENJOY! If you like spice eat with Tabasco. TOTAL LOVE!

For more recipes please like my DINE WITH BEA Facebook page here: DINE WITH BEA

Follow me in Instagram: The Sartorial Doll

I would love to hear your feedback and your Hummus Recipes, so feel free to comment below :) 

BETE AVON DOLLS!

Kisses,

Bea {x}

DINE WITH BEA: Orange, Pear, Walnut & Gorgonzola Salad with Fig Vinagarette | No comments:

Make yourself a healthy and SUPER FLAVOURFUL lunch in no more than 8 minutes, come on Dolls...CHOP CHOP!

INGREDIENTS (couldn't do it without 'em):

~ Handful of Lettuce (I used soft lettuce leaves as opposed to the crunchy Romanian lettuce)

~ 1 Red Pear

~ Handful of Cherry Tomatoes

~ 1/2 Orange THE JUICIEST KIND

~ Blue Cheese 

(I opted for a creamy one, I can't lie and say I know which because the packet is in Hebrew. I bought it on a whim and it's GREAT. Creamy and strong tasting.)

~ Handful of Walnuts

- Fig Vinaigrette TOTAL LOVE!!!!!!!

MAKE IT HAPPEN:

Do I have to tell ya? No, I Didn't think so, just make it look FRUITY & FABULOUS! Presentation is key and food made with love is the most delicious, heart-warming kind, don't disappoint my darling dolls..

Yeah, so 7 weeks, no no 7lbs later, oh I mean heavier my clothes are definitely feeling snug, oh SHIT. My love for cooking and mixing together flavours has spiralled out of control, I have never been so inspired by flavours and spices in my life. I have had to take a healthy turn and give the carbs a rest for a few days. MEGA LOLZ. Whilst hummus and falafel are a popular tradition here in the middle-east, I have stretched far beyond the stereotypical flavours that you can imagine here in Israel. Firstly, all the produce here is fresh, the fruit is straight off the trees...no, no I mean quite literally, cute, and the vegetables are straight outta the ground here in Israel. In London, the produce is usually imported due to the not-so-tropical climate, not so fresh as you say you are HEY. The markets here are incredible for a foodie like me, a wonderland of colour, freshness and flavour. LOVES IT!

This morning I strolled down by the port in Tel-Aviv, unlike the usual setting of the Shuk Carmel that I usually find myself wandering through week in/week out. I stumbled across a local produce stand sampling an array of fruity vinaigrette's open for testing. WOW. These are mind blowing, from Strawberry, to Fig, to Mango...I GOTTA GET EM. I bought the fig and mango, and for sure will be going back for more. The taste is delightfully pleasing the the taste buds and complements fruity salads and creamy blue cheeses. I could tell this from the moment I placed the sample in my mouth. Fruit and salad go impeccably well FYI. The recipe creation that I grace you with here is a perfect healthy treat, full of complex flavours, textures and colours. Great for a summer dinner party or just as a quick lunch, it is quick, easy and so damn DELICIOUS! Strawberries go exceptionally well with basil and balsamic vinaigrette, or balsamic reduction/syrup. Be creative, I can guarantee you it won't fail. 

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FRUITS & NUTS:

~ The addition/garnishing of nuts (walnuts being my fave in salads) come with many health benefits such as added dietary fibres, a wide range of essential nutrients including several B group vitamins, vitamin E and minerals such as calcium. 

~ Citrus fruits, they're not just zesty, juicy goodness, they contain VITAMIN C...which apparently helps you see better! They lower the risk of strokes, help fight weight gain, cancer and supposedly lowers stress

- An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples are FULL OF FIBRE, I don't need to say the rest...you got it.

- Berries. Small but POWERFUL. Full of antioxidants, they help your body fight oxidative stress caused by free radicals that cause illness.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables help reduce the risk of heart disease, but too much fruit isn't too good as remember they are full of natural sugars. 

Enjoy preparing your summery salads dolls, and if you are in cold countries, bring some sunshine to your lunchtimes with these summery salad ideas. 

Kisses,

Bea {X} 

#DINEWITHBEA

(If any of you try my recipe's, I would LOVE to hear your feedback) :)

Date Night | No comments:

Oh the joys of being hideously single in the lead up to Valentine's Day... I joke (slash literally dying inside). With my darling doll Darcey heading back to UNAAAAY tomorrow we decided to have one of our classic date nights...ours are pretty great I am not going to lie; usually because they are swarming with delicious and sometimes devilish food which we honestly inhale at every opportunity. That moment when we realised we had demolished 3 whole cheeses between us...no we can't have...might as well have eaten a cow.

The Rules of Date Night:

1) Your House? You Cook

2) Not Your House? Bring 2 bottles of Vino Rouge or Prosecco (1 each OBV)...make it 3

3) You are not allowed to complain about general calorie intake or make any negative comments towards the food... it will be offended

4) There MUST be chocolate

5) NO BOYS ALLOWED

Move over Nigella Lawson.. whilst we honestly think we are Michelin star chef's, last night's meal was scrumptious beyond belief. I was in charge of making my flavour fusion salad which I currently cannot get enough of (recipe below), whilst Darcey prepared her classic garlic chicken. NOM NOM NOM.

In addition to our homemade meal, made with love, we had carrots and pepper dipped in homous and Tabasco (favourite snack ALERT). For all you Nandos lovers out there, the sauce they put in their homous...Tabasco is a better alternative. We then had a cheeseboard for Desert with Brie, Port Salut and Camembert, grapes and crackers. We are crackers. We washed it all down with 3 and a half bottles of Vino Rouge... #dryjan

Bea's Flavour Fusion Salad

(literally makes your taste buds go cray)

Ingredients:
- Handful of Flat leaf Parsley
- Handful of Basil
- Sweet Red Jalapeno Peppers (You can find these in Waitrose in a jar by fajitas)
- Rocket leaves
- Spinach leaves
- 2 Tomato's
- 1/4 Cucumber
- 5 rashers of Streaky Bacon
- Shavings of Parmesan
- Basil Oil
- Salt 'n' Pepper

Make it happen:
1) Break up the basil and parsley in your hand and throw in a bowl along with the rocket and the spinach
2) Slice the tomato's into segments and slice the cucumber 4 ways into triangles and throw them in
3) Fry the bacon - no oil needed - until VERY crispy - place on kitchen towel to soak up excess fat and break into pieces and throw it in the bowl
4) Drizzle with basil oil (this is delicious with salads) and toss the salad
5) Finally, garnish with Jalapenos to add spice, sprinkle with the glitter which is Parmesan and season with salt and pepper!

VOILA!

Prepare for an explosion of flavour and texture in a matter of minutes.

Loves it!

YAAAAAWWWNNN. Kisses from Princess {x}

Kisses,

Bea {x}