blackberries

End Of Summer Celebration – “Creamy Tomato & Bell Pepper Soup”

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Now that summer is almost over in Germany, I took the opportunity to buy some of the last garden-grown tomatoes and bell peppers from my neighbor down the road. (In a normal year, September provides the last locally grown tomatoes, while the season for bell peppers ends during October/November. As much as possible, I like to buy food that has been produced locally. My neighbor produces eggs, chicken, and lamb, as well as potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum, apples, blackberries, mirabelles, and strawberries.
Even the local supermarkets sell a lot of locally grown food-stuff, which makes one feel good about giving a little help to the local farmers. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good
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End Of Summer Celebration – “Creamy Tomato & Bell Pepper Soup”

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4 lbs tomatoes, 1.5 lbs red peppers

add 2 ea medium size onions, cut int chunks

add kosher salt, sriracha, sugar and garlic paste to taste

add 1 gallon chicken- or veggie – broth,, simmer until liquid has reduced to 2 quarts

with a stand-mixer or hand-mixer blend all until very smooth, last minute ad 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

add 2 cup heavy cream, check/adjust flavor

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“Cobb” Yogurt

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Fresh fruit yogurt is a dish I love to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and …….just about any time of the day.
Which brings up the question – why would anybody buy the crappy ready-made stuff when this is so much better !?
I make this all the time, using whatever fruit is available, changing often so as to have a great variety of what is basically the easiest dish out there to prepare from scratch. Most of the time when good fruit is avilable, it is sweet enough that I don´t even have to add honey to the mix. The pictued amount is usually what I eat during a single day, either in addition to, or in place of, a regular meal. After years of eating this 4 to 5 times a week, I still do not get tired of it and I believe I never will. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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“Cobb” Yogurt

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures

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: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, toroughly washed and dried

: mash most of the berries coarsely, keep some whole ones to garnish the berries lightly, add honey to taste

: add plain Greek yogurt

: mix together

: plate the yogurt in a flat bowl, arrange the rest of the berries in an attractive pattern (rows, as in a cobb salad)

: “Cobb” Yogurt

: “Cobb” Yogurt

: “Cobb” Yogurt

: “Cobb” Yogurt

: “Cobb” Yogurt

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Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

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One has to wonder:
Why are sweet or savory crepes not on everybody’s table at least once a week ???
I can’t recall to ever have met anybody who’d claim not to like crepes, either in its sweet or savory form, or both.
Crepes can be prepared easily by anybody, even by a child or somebody with two left hands. Even if one does not like to cook, these babies need all of a few minutes to prepare, are very economical and, have I said this already? – are easy and quick to prepare.
In its sweet, plain variation, just sprinkle some castor sugar on top and maybe a bit of whipped cream, and you have a great dessert or sweet snack.
It’s savory, plain version will make a quick meal by drizzling a bit of butter on top and serving them with a small salad on the side.
And then, you have the more elaborate stuff 🙂
Savory crepes can be filled with creamed or buttered mushrooms, vegetables, seafood, chicken, game meats, spicy sausages and a myriad of other, more or less fancy goodies.
Sweet crepes will be happy to be married to caramelized fruit, creams, chocolate sauce, puddings, cream cheese (blintzes anyone?), nutella, yogurt, nuts, etc, etc, etc.
I myself have prepared just about any combination of crepes and “stuff” under the sun. I don’t really have a favorite per se, I love ’em all 🙂
So here is a version of crepes with caramelized fruits. I have to admit that the blackberries and pomegranate are rather expensive, especially when you cook for a large family. But be assured, caramelized apples, pears, oranges, bananas, strawberries, or any other more economical fruit will be just as wonderful – yummy to taste and pretty to look at 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: melt 2 oz whole butter, add 2 tblsp sugar, cook until sugar starts to caramelize, add 2 tblsp honey

: add 2 pint blackberries and 1 pint pomegranate seeds, cook another minute or until the fruit has warmed through, set aside, keep warm (this is enough for 5 crepes)

: in a bowl mix togetter 1 cup a/p flour, 3 med size eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tblsp sugar, mix well until there are no lumps (if too thick, add a bit of milk; if too thin, add a bit of flour) this will make 5 med size crepes

: in a medium-hot, lightly buttered pan, spread the batter thin and evenly, cook until lightly browned, flip to other side

: cook this side until lightly browned

: remove crepe to a warm platter

: fold crepe in half

: repeat with the rest of the batter

: top the crepes with the caramelized berries, sprinkle with castor sugar

: Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

: Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

: Vanilla Crepes With Caramelized Blackberries & Pomegranate Seeds

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Vanilla Pudding Chock-Full With Berries

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Ever since I have started to eat healthier, my sweet tooth has suffered.
I had no problem giving up alcohol and I had no problem to stop smoking, but giving up on cake and patisserie remains a daily challenge, I miss my sweet’s terribly.
I am eating and enjoying a ton of fruits, but sometimes that just does not do the trick. I am a fairly good cook but a lousy patissier, so my sugar-free desserts are a bit lacking in finesse and variety.
Having said that, I DO have a few great options for sugar-free or at least refined-sugar free desserts. The following is one of my favorites because of its creaminess and richness.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Sweet ! (Sometimes)
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Vanilla Pudding Chock-Full With Berries

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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1/3 cup Honey
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
5 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
lots of fresh, washed and dried berries

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: Bring milk and honey to a boil

: add vanilla extract

: whisk eggyolks until airy

: make a cornstarch slurry

: add slurry and butter to milk, simmer one minute

: add some pudding to the egg yolks to temper

: return egg mixture to pudding, mix well, simmer another minute

: add fresh blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, fold in carefully

: pour into bowl or individual cups, cover with plastic film to prevent skin, chill overnight

: to serve, add pudding to serving plate

: top with sugar-free whipped heavy cream, sugar-free fruit purre and top with fresh strawberry

: Vanilla Pudding Chock-Full With Berries

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Fruit – What’s Not To Love ? ! ………..

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Ever since I have started my “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” meal plan, many people have asked me:
“How can you survive on so much fruit without getting bored?”
My meal plan calls for fresh fruit (supplemented by power-bars, dried fruit and nuts) for breakfast, lunch and snacks.
Below find a small selection of typical fruit platters and fruit bowls I make at least once a day. Please notice that there are few (if any) “exotic fruits”.
I will of course buy other fruits besides the ones pictured, such as mango, rambutan, star fruit, kumquat, sapote, dragon fruit, passion fruit, dates, mongosteen, star apple, etc, but what you see below is my usual, daily staple. I usually make a large platter of mixed fruit and berries when I get home from work and put it in the fridge. Later, a few hours after dinner, I usually eat about half, then have the other half for breakfast. For lunch on workdays it’s usually apples, pears, mandarines and such. Lunch at home is usually a bit more elaborate, with grilled fruits and a small cup of sugar- free/fat-free yogurt or sugar-free sherbet thrown into the mix. Most fresh fruit meals are supplemented by either dried fruits, vegetable chips, powerbars and assorted nuts or a combination thereof.
I hope the pictures below will encourage you to eat more fruits and help you to believe that a plate of fruit does not have to be boring 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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: Fresh Fruit & Grilled Fruit and Dried Fruit & Nuts & Berries

: p; Sugar Free/Fat Free Mango Sherbet, Sugar Free Vanilla Wafers

: Fruit & Berries & Fat free/sugar free yogurt

: Fresh Fruit & Grilled Fruit and Dried Fruit & Nuts & Berries

: Fruit & Berries & Sugar Free/Fat Free Mango Sherbet, Sugar Free Vanilla Wafers

: Fruit & Berries & Sugarfree/Fatfree Mango Sherbet, Sugar Free Vanilla Wafers

: Fruit & Berries & Fat free/Sugar Free Yogurt

: Fruit & Berries & Fatfree/sugardree yogurt

: Fresh Fruit & Grilled Fruit and Dried Fruit & Nuts & Berries

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Breakfast Of Champions # 34 – Fruits & Dairy

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This morning I did not feel like cooking, so I prepared myself this simple but delicious breakfast:
Blackberries, banana, strawberries, raspberry yogurt and whipped cream , accompanied by my usual breakfast beverage of choice, peppermint tea.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Breakfast Of Champions # 34 – Fruits , Yogurt & Cream

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End Of The Week Treat # 2

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Yesterday when I got home after a long workweek, I felt like treating myself to something ” lecker “.
This is what tickled my fancy the most :
Tiramisu (again :-), topped with cream and blackberries. A bottle of bubbly.
It rained dogs and cat’s the whole afternoon, but inside ,with some lecker goodies and my little girl, it felt like the coziest place on earth.

Welcome Weekend ! Life is Good !
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