Tomato salad with citrus dressing, toasted buckwheat and Thai basil

What you are now about to get the recipe for is a perfect example of how a simple vegetable can turn in to a delicious dish, with hardly any work at all. It's all about using vegetables in season, the flavour then is really rich all by itself and all you need to do is to serve and enjoy.

So, when it's season for the Swedish garden tomatoes (one of my favourites!) and you can find tomatoes in all kind of shapes, colors and textures at your local greengrocer I often make a simple tomato salad - beautiful and very delicious. This one is perfect as a starter, side salad or tapas! The sweet tomatoes goes very well the the sourish dressing, the crispy topping and the kind of sharp Thai basil. Serve on it's own, or together with some sourdough bread and sheep cheese.  

Tomato salad with citrus dressing, toasted buckwheat and Thai basil

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 kg mixed garden tomatoes

2 tbsp freshly pressed organic grapefruit juice

2 tbsp freshly pressed organic lime juice

zest from 1 organic lemon

2 tsp tamari

1 dl Thai basil

1/2 dl buckwheat groats

1/2 dl finely chopped chives 

flakey salt and freshly ground black pepper 

How to

Mix citrus juice, zest and tamari with a fork to a marinade. Set aside. 

Wash and slice the big tomatoes, cut the smaller ones in half. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour over the citrus marinade and half of the Thai basil. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes in room temperature. 

Put the buckwheat in a fine mesh strainer. Bring some water to a boil and then pour over the buckwheat. Rinse with cold water and let drain for a few minutes. Toast in a dry pan, on medium heat, until golden and crisp. Let cool. 

Place the tomatoes on a big flat plate. Pour over the marinade. Sprinkle the rest of the Thai basil, chives and buckwheat. Sprinkle with flakey salt and some freshly ground black pepper! 

* Recipe by me for OTW on behalf of Göteborg-Posten. The recipe was first published in the weekend magazine Två Dagar, distributed by Göteborgs-Posten, August 16th 2017. 

Leftover veggie and coconut soup

I often end up with small bits of pieces of all kinds of different veggies and leafy greens in my fridge. That's the life of a food creator who spends her days test cooking all sorts of different foods and tries out new combinations and vegetables all the time...But, I suppose, that the whole thing about ending up with a bit of this and a bit of that is the case for a few more out there! SO, what do you do with a couple of tomatoes, one small piece of fennel, 1/4 of a butternut squash and some garlic? You mix it into a soup!! Since this is a leftover soup I don't have any exact measurements, but I do have a trick which makes this recipe foolproof anyway. Scroll down and you'll see! 

Something I really like about this kind of recipes, where you don't have an exact recipe when it comes to measurements but only a list of the actual ingredients, is that even if you use the same veggies to make the same soup a couple of week after it will most likely taste a bit different because you will most likely use another amount of the components, without even thinking of it! Voilá, you have a new soup. It's like magic. Kind of anyway! And, to calm you down, soup is one of the best go-with-the-flow-foods I can think of. If you mix a bunch of yummy things in to a soup it can hardly go wrong. Just start out with a little amount of water, or whatever liquid you're using, and maybe add more later on - then you can be sure will get a creamy and delicious brunch, lunch or dinner soup in not too long at all! 

PS. Of course you can make the soup using more of everything, instead of waiting until you only have small bits an pieces left! 

Leftover veggie soup

Serves 2-4 (depending on how much leftovers you find in the fridge!)

Ingredients

1 onion

1 garlic clove 

1/2-1 tsp each of ground turmeric and ground paprika powder (depending on how much veggies you use. Start with the smaller amount and add more to taste when mixing the soup together)

2-4 big tomatoes

butternut squash 

fennel

water

full fat coconut milk

1/2-1 tsp pure maple syrup (optional, but a tiny natural sweet touch develops all of the other flavours in a nice way. You could also use the same amount of honey, note that it won't be vegan though)

a pinch chili flakes 

a handfull of fresh parsley

cold pressed coconut oil

Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Topping

toasted coconut flakes

hemp seeds

pomegranate seeds

fresh parsley 

How to

Peel and finely cut the onion and garlic. Fry in a saucepan, in some coconut oil, until soft. Add the turmeric and paprika powder and stir around. 

Wash and chop the rest of the vegetables in similar size pieces. Add to the onion. Fill up the saucepan with water so everything is just about covered (this is the foolproof part! No measurements needed. If you make a bigger batch just add more water!). Bring everything to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until veggies are soft. Remove from heat, add a big splash of coconut milk (about 1/2 dl for every portion, at least) and mix until smooth using a immersion blender. Add more water and/or coconut milk and mix until smooth and creamy. Add the parsley and chili flakes and pulse a few times. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve the soup with a few toppings that bring crunchiness (toasted coconut flakes), nuttiness (hemp seeds) fruitiness (pomegranate seeds), freshness (fresh parsley) - that will satisfy both the eyes and the tummy! 

Let me know how your soup turned out! Maybe you added some extra veggies, or some other toppings? I'd love to hear from you! 

Love, Therese

Semi dried cherry tomatoes

It’s friday and for some lucky people (including myself) that menas some extra time to cook up a storm in the kitchen! Here is a quick recipe on semi dried tomatoes that you can easily make on your own, anything made from scratch tastes so much better if you ask me, and these ones gives an luxurious feeling without you having to but down that much effort at all actually!

Semi means “half” in Italian. These little beauties are so to speak half dried and have LOTS of taste! Creamy and kind of silky, yet a bit crispy would be a good way to describe them. You can have them ready in half an hour and they go as the perfect topping om most things, are gives a wonderfully sweet touch to a green salad. Give them a try! For more quick food inspo like this, please check out my Instagram account @thereseelgquist where I update with everyday foodie inspiration.

Best, T

Semi dried cherry tomatoes

500 g cherry tomatoes (red ones or different colored)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

a pinch of a good tasting sea salt

How to

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Remove the twig and cut a bunch of sweet cherry tomatoes in half. Place in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (no salt here as that will drain the tomatoes!), add a pinch of natural garlic powder and give it all a good shake.

Put in oven for about 30 minutes, until tomatoes are soft and slightly crispy around the edges. Let cool, sprinkle with a good tasting sea salty.

Super easy and really yummy on ANYTHING – like crisp bread, in salads, as topping on a creamy soup, in a wrap, together with your favorite cheese etc etc.