by Ellen Bannink -

Almond date shake

Almond date shake, my favorite dairy free milkshake! | in my Red Kitchen

Almond date shake, my favorite dairy free milkshake! | in my Red Kitchen – Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Amandel & dadel milkshake –

Eating paleo for a month, yes or no? That is the big question that keeps me busy right now. If you don’t know anything about paleo (or ‘the cavemen diet’) then you should read the explaination on my favorite paleo blog, Nom Nom Paleo: What’s The Paleo Diet?

Why would I eat paleo for a month according to the Whole30 principle? Because I feel like I need a break again, a break from bad food, just to take time re-think my eating habits. I have a busy half year behind me, filled with visiting family members and of course our own trip to Amsterdam. I’ve been eating out a lot and I didn’t always go on my weekly hike, I ignored my fitness exercises on YouTube and didn’t got my juices every week.

I gained a little weight again, I’m tired and feel

Onigiri, Japanese rice balls filled with yummieness! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Food Truck Tuesday – Onigiri, Japanese rice balls

Onigiri, Japanese rice balls filled with yummieness! | in my Red Kitchen – Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Onigiri, Japanse rijstballen –

Today is a very special “Food Truck Friday” because I have to admit that the inspiration for this recipe didn’t came from a food truck. But when you think about Food Trucks you also think about street food, right? And a night market is also all about street food! Because a while ago, I discovered something new (to me) in LA: the Night Market!

A Night Market is an Asian market with food stalls, music performances and some vendors selling goodies. But those last two didn’t gain my attention, because all I needed was the food!

Oven baked fries with peanut sauce and mayonaise. This Dutch 'patatje oorlog' is the best! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Oven baked fries with peanut sauce and mayonnaise

 

Oven baked fries with peanut sauce and mayonaise. This Dutch 'patatje oorlog' is the best! | in my Red Kitchen

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Dutch recipe. And here I am, giving you Dutch junk food which you don’t normally make at home 😉

Our recent trip to Amsterdam totally inspired me to share this recipe with you. I didn’t grew up with going out for dinner (so maybe that’s why I enjoy it so much 😉 ) but on weekends we sometimes got some take out food! There wasn’t much choice, it was either Chinese food or fries, frikandellen and bitterballen from the so-called ‘snackbar’.

home made pita bread, easy and delicious! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Home made pita bread

home made pita bread, easy and delicious! | in my Red Kitchen Somewhere in the near future I’m sharing a recipe for falafel. The recipe for falafel is already on my Dutch blog but the pictures are awful. So why not make new & better onces and also share the recipe here?

Yes see, that’s what I thought! So last week I made falafel in my way-too-small-to-make-falafel-in-this-tiny-two-cup-immersion-blender thingie while I was in a hurry. I already baked pita bread using a recipe from Esmee and I was supposed to go to a friend that afternoon for tea and a walk.

But ‘more haste, less speed’… The falafel turned out great though

Dan dan noodles, you had me a spicy peanut sauce! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Dan dan noodles

Dan dan noodles, you had me at spicy peanut sauce! | in my Red Kitchen

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Dan dan noodles in een pittige pindasaus –

You will probably not believe me but I had my first driving lesson when I was 28 years old; and 6 months and 26 lessons later I got my driver’s license. In the Netherlands this is quite fast, but when I tell this to my American friends they are all surprised. In America (or at least in LA), you need 6 hours of driving lessons to do the driving test. In the Netherlands I “only” had to spent €1.500 on my driving lessons, written test and behind the wheel test. In LA the costs are much lower, we only had to pay $33 for our Californian license. That includes 3 times a written test (if you fail, you can do it 2x on the same day to succeed) and 1 behind the wheel test. If you fail the second behind the wheel test costs… hold on… $6!

If you are over 18 then you basically don’t need driving lessons to complete the tests and from 16 you can drive with a temporary license (then you’re under the supervision of your parents). If that’s the case, you need 30 hours of theory lessons and you have to spent 6 hours of driving lessons behind the wheel.

Strawberry frozen yogurt popsicles with mint - I'm ready for #summer! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Strawberry frozen yogurt popsicles with mint

Strawberry frozen yogurt popsicles with mint - I'm ready for #summer! | in my Red Kitchen – Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Aardbeien yoghurt ijsjes met munt –

These past two weeks I have been ‘working hard’ to empty out the freezer. My lunch was baozi with a small piece of lasagna on the side. That evening we ate the last leftovers of the slow cooker chicken tikka masala and the next morning my breakfast was a sugar-free banana muffin.

I really wanted to bake some bread again, with my new KitchenAid standmixer I got for my birthday. At least, that’s what I told P. But secretly I had another reason,

Iced vanilla latte, the best iced coffee and easy to make at home! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Iced vanilla latte

Iced vanilla latte, the best iced coffee and easy to make at home! | in my Red Kitchen – Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Snelle ijskoffie – Iced vanilla latte –

I wasn’t planning to share this ‘recipe’ with you at all, but somehow I suddenly had the feeling I hád to do it.

Recently I turned into an addict. A junkie. Addicted to iced coffee. That makes me an iced coffee junkie.

Addicted to cold coffee, a few weeks ago that grossed me out but now I drink it daily. Send help!

Fresh pea soup with mint, the best soup for Spring! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Fresh pea soup with mint

Fresh pea soup with mint, the best soup for Spring! | in my Red Kitchen

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Doperwtensoep met munt –

Growing up at the east side of the Netherlands, my aunt and uncle had a huge farm, not too far from our house.

I can recall many happy moments there; playing with my cousins at the hayloft and finding a dead mouse, seeing a cow giving birth to a calf at night while we are watching through the video system how my uncle was assisting, camping in a little tent in the front yard, drinking really fresh

Cherry and almond scones - a perfect summer breakfast! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Cherry and almond scones

Cherry and almond scones - a perfect summer breakfast! | in my Red Kitchen – Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Scones met kersen en amandelen –

Last Sunday we took the Pacific Coast Highway to drive to Malibu, so we could have lunch at our favorite fish restaurant. Not just fish; no we had lobster with butter sauce, delicious grilled shrimp and a clam chowder bread bowl. The weather was lovely and sunny so we hád to go outside and enjoy it. June is in fact called “June Gloom” so in the morning you can expect gray, cloudy and chilly weather. In the afternoon, the sun comes out and it’s warm until the end of the afternoon, when the fog from the sea rolls back into the city, gray clouds are gathering and the temperature drops rapidly.

I don’t like the gray weather, it feels like the Netherlands! ;-)