almonds Archives -

by Ellen Bannink - December 15, 2014June 12, 2015

Dutch Janhagel cookies

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Janhagel koekjes –

Last year I had a lot of fun participating in the annual The Great Food Blogger Cookie swap. Yes, that’s right. That’s a cookie exchange among food bloggers.

The rules are simple. You sign up. You will receive the addresses of three other food bloggers. You bake three dozen cookies. Cookies that you wrap up well and that you send by post to the other three food bloggers. In return, you get three boxes of 12 cookies sent home, by random food bloggers. So much fun, and also very delicious!

But the best part of this cookie swap?

by Ellen Bannink - October 29, 2014December 10, 2014

Roasted Brussels sprouts with almonds

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Geroosterde spruitjes met amandelen –

Brussels sprouts. Something I didn’t like when I was young, I should believe my mother. But I can’t remember that I ever ate Brussels sprouts when I was little so I honestly wouldn’t know it.

Maybe it’s just a thing you know, kids don’t like Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are ‘yuck’ so kids don’t eat it.

But now I know better. You too? Because

by Ellen Bannink - September 4, 2014September 4, 2014

Chunky feta dip with almonds

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Feta spread met amandelen –

It is the start of day 4 of my month without sugars and refined carbohydrates, and it’s going great! In the end I feel much better when I eat real food, so why do I fall in the same traps again every time and I find myself with a donut in one hand and a piece

by Ellen Bannink - August 28, 2014September 4, 2014

Pistachio cake with chocolate cream

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Pistache cake met chocolade crème –

“The cake I made for the LA Cake Club and the cake I was supposed to make for the LA Cake Club”

Starting next Monday I’m avoiding sugar and refined carbohydrates for a month, quite exciting! But that doesn’t mean I can’t have sugar and carbs right now, right? 😉

So when last Sunday the LA Cake Club took place again, I just had to join. The LA Cake Club is a

by Ellen Bannink - July 3, 2014September 4, 2014

Almond date shake

– 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

by Ellen Bannink - June 13, 2014September 4, 2014

Cherry and almond scones

– 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! ;-)

by Ellen Bannink - May 29, 2014September 4, 2014

Naan pesto pizza with prosciutto and turkey

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Naan pizza met pesto en parmaham –

The soft bread, the prosciutto and turkey pairing so well together with the mozzarella and pesto, and then those crunchy almonds! Whoever came up with the idea to put the ‘Prosciutto and Free Range Chicken’ sandwich on the menu of Mendochino Farms is a genius!

by Ellen Bannink - April 10, 2014December 16, 2014

Paasstol – Dutch Easter bread

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Paasstol –

This is by far the most delicious bread I’ve ever eaten. A ‘stollen’ is a traditional Dutch raisin bread with an almond paste center and it’s served at Christmas and Easter. The only difference is that you put almonds on top of the bread before baking at Easter, the Christmas stollen is without the almonds on top.

This Dutch Easter bread was always part of our Easter brunch, as well as boiled eggs. With the boiled eggs we used to play a game, it’s a real tradition and in our family we even know stories about it from when my mom was a little girl! The game goes like this: