Pesto Process
After using the pestle and mortar for the Gado Gado dressing, I realized I don’t use it enough! When I think of the cooking tool, the first dish that comes to mind is pesto – and I’d never tried it before. Surprisingly, maybe just to me, pesto is easy to make. Really. I served Jamie Oliver‘s basic pesto recipe with white fish and pasta. Delcious and simple flavors!
Bourla, the building with the orange awning and outdoor seating
My colleagues and I finally celebrated Christmas dinner! Although the late dinner is attributed to scheduling conflicts, we wound up really enjoying the sunny weather by eating outside. The Bourla is located in the Graanmarkt, alongside many other cafés and restaurants – it’s nice area to relax for a drink, lunch, or dinner. Because the weather was warm outside, my menu consisted mostly of North Sea Shrimp!
Chilled Parsley and Pea Soup, topped with bacon
Normally when I’m on My New Roots, I search the site for a vegetable or grain I’d like to try. But this time, the Chilled Parsley and Pea Soup was a new entry on the home page. I had never tried pea soup and wanted to give it a try! The recipe is super easy and full of flavor. Koen came up with great addition of the bacon pieces! Yum!
Ladurée in Antwerp
I was so happy to find out earlier this year that Ladurée was not only opening it’s first Belgian store in Antwerp, but also on my street only a couple of doors down from my apartment! I have such fond memories of the original Ladurée in Paris. Koen proposed to me on the Champs-Élysées and then we celebrated with lunch at Ladurée. I love having a touch of Paris down the street.
My mother-in-law, outside The Glorious
To celebrate Koen’s first paycheck from his new job, we invited Koen’s parents out for dinner at The Glorious. The Glorious’s sommelier, Jurgen Lijcops, who is often on Flemish TV speaking about wine, has created a winelist for the restaurant that is always evolving, depending on the month and season. For any wine lover, a trip to The Glorious is a must! I had been there once before for Christmas dinner with my colleagues and really enjoyed the food. Because of the wine and food, Koen and I thought this would be a great restaurant for celebrating his first paycheck! It was a bit more eventful than we expected (we were brought the wrong wine, the waiter spilled soup on my father-in-law, and a glass broke), but we still enjoyed the wine, food, and company!
Fully-Loaded Spring Samosas with Sweet n’ Spicy Mint Chutney
Ever since I saw this recipe on My New Roots, I have been dying to try it! I finally found the time on a day off to make the Fully-Loaded Spring Samosas with Sweet n’ Spicy Mint Chutney. The filling, the coconut on top, the mint chutney (the sauce especially!), everything was so flavorful and delicious!
Oma’s 85!
For Koen’s Oma’s 85th Birthday Party, the family hosted a get together catered by the children and grandchildren! As my blog can attest, we all love to cook and eat well! Koen and I made savory dishes, chicken legs and chicken salads while the rest of the family made sweets and other delicious treats!
The Best Lentil Salad, Ever
I can’t get enough of My New Roots! So many new flavors and combinations I never thought to make and they’re all so healthy! To make the dressing, I had to go out and buy a lot of the dried herbs which was more difficult than I expected because I forgot to translate them first! Who knew that clove is kruidnagel in Dutch? That literally translates into herb nail (like fingernail, not hammer and nail). The dressing was delicious and spicy. The recipe is more for a lentil salad base, with a lot of freedom for what actually goes into it.
Quinoa Spring Sushi + DIY Quick-Pickled Ginger
I wanted to find a recipe so I could use some leftover quinoa I had on hand. I decided to look up recipes on My New Roots, because I had used the site for the Chickpea Wraps, and I knew that would be my best bet for a healthy unique recipe! I was so excited when I found the Quinoa Spring Sushi + DIY Quick-Pickled Ginger! The sushi rolls and pickled ginger were easy to make and the results were so fresh and delicious! I will never buy store-bought pickled ginger again – there’s no comparison!
Goat cheese, spinach, and tomato quiche (with a potato crust)
While my parents were over, I wanted to make a breakfast quiche. I asked what I should make and in the end spinach and tomatoes won. I had never made a spinach and tomato quiche, so after searching through recipes, I found this one from Prevention RD which is with goat cheese and a potato crust.
An American in Antwerp 