Breaking
FoodNerdy Recipes Management System
Tag

summer

Browsing
Cooking Tips

Summer Trend Coffee Smoothie

There are more and more interesting combinations with coffee. Now the coffee smoothie is also very popular. But what exactly is behind this drink?

A healthy mix of caffeine and vitamins: This is how the coffee smoothie becomes a summer hit!

Coffee is known to have many positive effects on the body. In addition to increased concentration and a better mood, the caffeine also has a soothing effect on headaches. A smoothie is considered the vitamin kick in the morning and is very popular with many athletes and stars. A mix drink from both as a summer drink is no longer so far away: the coffee smoothie.

The coffee smoothie is ideal for coffee lovers who cannot manage to drink more than just one cup of coffee in the morning before work. The coffee smoothie is also suitable for those who love coffee and consider it indispensable for an energy boost in the morning, but also want to eat healthily. Either way: With the coffee smoothie, everyone is on the healthy side for a perfect start to the day. Because the coffee gives the body caffeine, which stimulates the circulation and causes a state of alertness. The smoothie part of the coffee smoothie can not only consist of delicious fruits such as orange juice or bananas, which provide the body with important vitamins. Because here you can let your imagination run wild: In addition to fruit, many other ingredients can be added. If you were already impressed by the green smoothies, you can of course also add vegetables to your coffee smoothie.

All sorts of seeds can also be used. The advantages of adding seeds to the coffee smoothie are the long-lasting feeling of satiety and the extra fiber. So if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to spend a lot of time on a nutritious breakfast, you can get a balanced start to the day. In addition, the coffee smoothie never gets boring. Because of the high variety of fruits, vegetables and seeds, you can vary every day. If you think something more unusual, you will quickly come up with ingredients such as exotic fruits or chocolate. Coconut water and cocoa powder can also be used in the delicious coffee smoothie.

Coffee smoothie recipe

The following is required:

Cold coffee or espresso
milk
banana
Cinammon
ice cubes
All ingredients are put in a blender and pureed until a creamy-velvety mass is formed. The joy of experimentation is required when it comes to intensity: Whether sweet or not so sweet coffee – there are no limits! More fruit, milk or honey go very well to suit your own taste.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Summer Recipes: Light Dishes Suitable for Hot Weather

Summer recipes should be easy to digest and quick to prepare. We’ll give you a few inspirations and tips for dishes that taste great even when it’s hot.

As beautiful as summer and sunshine are, heat can also put a strain on the body: Our circulation and metabolism suffer as a result. For summer recipes, we intuitively use foods and dishes that are easily digestible and do not weigh us down. So the body does not have to do heavy digestion work as well.

Fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce and watermelon, are well suited for a hot diet. They have a refreshing effect, quench thirst and do not burden the circulation and metabolism.

Even if we often lose our appetite when it is hot, it is still advisable to eat regularly, but in smaller portions. If you fast at lunchtime due to the heat and help yourself to a lot at the barbecue buffet in the evening, you have to expect the food to hit your stomach: You may quickly feel unwell, heavy and tired. To avoid this, we have put together some easy summer recipes for all times of the day.

Tip: We recommend that you use organic ingredients and, if possible, seasonal and regional products for all recipes. They are not contaminated with pesticides and cause fewer CO2 emissions thanks to shorter transport routes.

Summer recipes: tips for a light breakfast in the heat

Even on a summer morning, breakfast shouldn’t be skipped. It provides you with the necessary energy for a day that can be particularly exhausting and sweaty due to the heat.

Inspiration for a quick summer breakfast:

Organic yoghurt (or plant-based yoghurt alternative) with homemade muesli and fresh fruit. Here you will find a recipe for homemade vegan yoghurt.
Homemade smoothie bowls with nutrient-rich and filling toppings like hemp seeds, roasted buckwheat, nuts and seeds.

Coconut overnight oats: Summer recipe for a fresh breakfast

Overnight oats are cereal flakes soaked in milk (or plant-based milk alternatives) overnight, which you can top with fresh fruit and granola in the morning. You can also easily prepare and transport them in sealable jars. So you can enjoy your breakfast outside when the temperatures are still cool – for example in a park.

For one portion of coconut overnight oats you need the following ingredients:

60 g oat flakes (or a mixture of oat, spelled and millet flakes)
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
250 g coconut yoghurt
100 ml coconut milk (or other creamy plant-based “milk”, e.g. homemade almond milk)
20 g grated coconut
2 tsp maple syrup, honey or fruit juice of your choice (optional)
Also: a lockable jar

How to prepare overnight oats:

The night before, mix the rolled oats with the flaxseed, yoghurt, milk, grated coconut and, if necessary, the maple syrup, honey or juice.
Put everything in a sealable jar and put it in the fridge overnight.
The next morning you can refine the overnight oats with other ingredients as you like.
For topping you can use anything you like:

Seasonal fruits, such as berries
nuts, seeds and kernels
muesli and granola

Summer light lunch recipes

When the heat is at its peak at midday and in the afternoon, you may want to take siestas rather than complaining about hearty food. Nevertheless, it is important that you also eat a small meal at lunchtime to give your body new energy. You can prepare these dishes, for example, and take them to work. So you can better endure the heat in the office.

Here are some inspirations for quick and light lunch dishes:

How about a cold, refreshing Spanish-style soup? Then try the tomato gazpacho soup – a classic summer recipe.
A salad is also quick to make – you can also vary it as you like. Nutrient-rich and yet easily digestible salads are, for example, millet salad, quinoa salad or lentil salad. You can cook the basis of millet, quinoa or lentils for several servings. So you don’t have to spend time at the stove every day when it’s hot.
Maybe just a vegetable salad is enough for you? Some farmer’s bread or potato bread goes well with it.

Easy lunch when it’s hot: summer rolls with tofu and peanut dip

Another quick and easy summer recipe: Asian summer rolls are made from wafer-thin round sheets of rice paper and are filled with lots of vegetables. Other suitable fillings include tofu, tempeh or glass noodles. There is also a peanut dip.

You need these ingredients for six summer rolls:

200 g dry glass noodles
50 g tofu (tip: make your own tofu)
1 tbsp oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 carrot
40 grams of cucumber
a handful of lettuce, e.g. baby spinach
some (Thai) basil and coriander
6 rice paper sheets
For the peanut dip:

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
the juice of a lime
85 g peanut butter
30ml of water
How to prepare the summer rolls:

Prepare the dip: peel the ginger and garlic. Chop the garlic and ginger in a blender. Add the remaining ingredients and mix everything together. If you like your dip more liquid, you can add more water. Alternatively, you can chop the garlic and ginger with a knife and mix the dip with a whisk.
Cook the glass noodles according to package instructions and drain.
Prepare the tofu: Cut 50 grams of tofu from the long side of a piece of tofu. Cut the small 50 gram piece into six long tofu strips. Fry the tofu in oil until all sides are golden brown. Now season the tofu with salt and pepper. Optionally, you can also use chilli, curry powder or other spices. Finally, deglaze the tofu with the soy sauce. Turn the tofu in the pan until all sides have gotten some of the soy sauce.
Prepare the vegetables: peel the carrot and cut it into thin strips. Wash the cucumber well and cut it, including the skin, into thin strips. Wash the lettuce and pat dry. Wash and roughly chop the basil and cilantro.
Now take a large pan and fill it with warm water (about an inch high). Prepare a large cutting board or plate to fill the rolls on.
Soak the rice paper: Take a sheet of rice paper and put it in the warm water for a maximum of one minute. Take it out and put it on your pad.
Now you can fill the rice paper. First put some lettuce in the middle of the rice paper. This is followed by the vegetables, tofu, glass noodles and herbs (in whatever order you like). Finally, you can put a dollop of the sauce on top of the filling.
Fold the summer rolls: Fold in the side edges of the paper slightly above the filling. Then, gently but firmly, roll the paper up from the bottom up. It might take a bit of practice to avoid tearing the paper. If you want to be on the safe side, you can just use two sheets of rice paper.
You can now sprinkle the finished rolls with sesame seeds.

Summer Light Dinner Recipe: Tomato Basil Hummus

What’s better than a long, warm summer evening sharing food with friends? A large bowl of hummus in which to dip veggie sticks and dip fresh flatbread is perfect for the occasion. There are also olives and other antipasti.

Tomato basil hummus recipe

For 15 servings of hummus you will need:

125 grams of sun-dried tomatoes
425 g canned chickpeas
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp tahini
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
20 grams of basil
Tip: Alternatively, dried chickpeas are also available in stores. First, let them soak in water overnight. Then you have to cook the chickpeas before you can make hummus out of them.

How to prepare the hummus:

Pour hot water over the tomatoes and let them soak for ten minutes. Then drain and let them drain. (You can keep the drained water in the fridge and use it to cook pasta the next day, for example).
Cut the tomatoes into small pieces.
Rinse the chickpeas.
Add the chickpeas to the blender along with the tomatoes, olive oil, tahini, 120 milliliters of water (more if the mixture is too thick), lemon juice, cumin and salt and puree until smooth.
Wash the basil, shake dry and finely chop. Mix it in with the hummus.
Serve the hummus in a bowl. You can garnish it beforehand with olive oil, olives and roasted seeds.
Add the hummus:

You can of course spoon the hummus pure. But this summer recipe tastes even better if you add side dishes. For example:

Flatbread or Arabic bread. Just add a few spoonfuls of hummus and add any other ingredients you like.
Pickled olives, pickled vegetables or homemade antipasti
Balsamic Onions
Vegetable sticks, for example carrots, celery, peppers or cucumbers
Lettuce leaves: You can fill these with the hummus and other toppings.

Keep Reading
By
Cooking Tips

Summer Drinks: Five Refreshing Drinks in the Heat

Summer drinks should be light, fruity and refreshing. It is important to drink enough, especially on warm days. We’ll show you five recipes for delicious drinks that will quench your thirst when it’s hot.

Light summer drink: ginger mint drink
For a glass of this summer drink you need:

2 sprigs of mint
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
200ml ginger ale
1 tbsp orange or ginger syrup (optional)
ice cubes
That’s how it’s done:

Wash the mint and shake the leaves dry. Then tear them into smaller pieces and put them in a glass.
Grate the ginger and add it to the mint leaves.
Fill the glass with ginger ale, ice cubes and possibly syrup and stir the drink briefly.

Fresh strawberry lemonade

For 2 large glasses of strawberry lemonade you will need:

200 grams of sugar
1 lemon
10-12 strawberries
400-500 ml mineral water
ice cubes
How to prepare the summer drink:

First stir up a sugar syrup. To do this, put the sugar in a saucepan with 200 milliliters of water and bring the liquid to a simmer.
Let the mixture simmer for about five minutes without stirring. Take the pot off the stove and let the syrup cool down completely. It is also important not to stir the mixture!
Place the syrup in a sealable jar and store at room temperature until ready to use.
For the lemonade, first wash the strawberries and remove the stalk.
Squeeze the lemon juice. Add it to the strawberries and puree them until you get a smooth consistency.
Now add some sugar syrup to taste. It is best to start with one or two teaspoons and taste the mixture. Then add a little more if needed. Mix the strawberry puree and the simple syrup well.
Divide the soda base between two glasses and carefully fill them up with mineral water and ice cubes. The summer drink is ready.
Tip: Strawberry season is from May to July. During this time you can buy them regionally at weekly markets or pick them yourself in a strawberry field near you.

Banana Iced Coffee: A fancy summer drink

For four servings of banana iced coffee you need:

2 ripe bananas
4 cups of coffee
400 ml organic milk (alternatively: soy or oat milk)
4 teaspoons hazelnut syrup (optional)
ice cubes
How to mix the summer drink:

Peel the bananas and cut them into pieces. Then place them in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Brew the coffee and let it cool down completely. Then put it in the fridge for about ten minutes.
Place the frozen banana chunks, coffee, milk, and any syrup in a blender. Mix everything together until you have a creamy shake. Alternatively, you can also use a blender.
Divide the shake between four glasses and add a few ice cubes if you like.

Summer drink with rhubarb and ginger

For two liters of fresh lemonade you need:

2 kg of rhubarb
40 grams of ginger
100 grams of sugar
1 liter mineral water
2 limes
That’s how it’s done:

Remove the ends of the rhubarb and then cut the stalks into pieces.
Peel the ginger and cut it up as well.
Put the rhubarb, ginger, sugar and 500 milliliters of water in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes until the rhubarb has broken down.
Remove the pot from the stove and let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes.
Pass the mixture through a sieve, squeezing out the rhubarb well with a spoon.
Top up the resulting juice with mineral water.
Wash the limes in hot water and cut them into slices. Finally, add the slices to your summer drink.

A creamy summer drink: berry yoghurt smoothie

For two glasses of smoothie you need:

100 g (vegan) yoghurt
1-2 tbsp honey or syrup
150 grams of raspberries
150 grams of blueberries
400 ml milk (-alternative like oat milk)
This is how the summer drink works:

Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree them into a creamy smoothie.
If necessary, taste the mass again with honey or syrup and then divide your summer drink into two glasses.
Note: Milk often comes from factory farmed cows. So pay attention to organic products or choose a vegan alternative. Oat milk, for example, also has a lower carbon footprint than cow’s milk.

By the way, we also have ideas for light summer recipes that you can prepare on hot days: Summer recipes: Light dishes that are suitable for hot days.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Cold Brew – Cold Coffee Enjoyment for Hot Summer Days

One or the other coffee lover has heard the name of the drink before: cold brew coffee. Its fame and popularity has grown over the years. Especially in the warm summer months, the cold coffee drink regularly finds its way into many households. It is not only refreshing but also offers a great advantage: once prepared, the concentrate can be kept for up to 10 days. Another advantage: you don’t need any expensive accessories to enjoy cold coffee, because a Chemex, a hand filter or a coffee maker or French press are completely sufficient. Those who like to experiment with their coffee have plenty of opportunities to adapt the drink to their individual taste.

What is cold brew coffee and where does it come from?

Anyone who now thinks that cold brew coffee is a completely new invention is wrong. Because the cold coffee originally comes from Japan and is also called “Kyoto coffee”. It was introduced there in the 17th century by Dutch traders who had no way of preparing it with hot water during their travels.

In addition, it is well suited for travel due to its durability. Nevertheless, the way of preparing cold coffee only gained attention again a few years ago and triggered a real hype in some countries. Some coffee chains have already included the trendy coffee drink in their coffee range. In addition to the coffee maker or the French press, the Chemex and the hand filter, there are now also special accessories especially for cold coffee preparation.

Can I also prepare cold brew coffee at home with the French press?

The preparation of this aromatic refreshment is extremely simple and can easily be replicated at home. However, you need one thing above all: sufficient time. If you just want to prepare a coffee for your visit, you should use the filter coffee machine. Because the preparation can take up to 12 hours – sometimes even longer.

To make cold brew coffee you need:

A glass or container with a lid – a French press also works
Freshly ground coffee
Cold water (if you want, you can filter it first)
a filter option (fine sieve, coffee filter, Chemex or stamp of the coffee maker or French press)

And then it can start:

For cold brew coffee, you must first grind the coffee coarsely, preferably a little coarser than when preparing it in a coffee maker or French press. About 150 – 200 g of coffee powder are used for 1 liter of water. The amount of coffee depends on the type of coffee and your personal taste.

Put the ground coffee in the jar, pour in the cold water, stir once and then close the lid. Now let the whole thing steep at room temperature for 8 – 12 hours without stirring again.

If you use a French press for the cold brew, you can now press down the press plunger. Even if the coffee powder is now held on the ground, there will still be particles in the coffee. It is therefore advisable to filter the coffee concentrate again with a hand filter, a chemex or otherwise. If you do not use a coffee maker but a glass, you can now also filter the coffee concentrate.

Now you can put one part of the concentrate in a glass and dilute it with one or two parts of water. Try out your personal cold brew recipe and test how strong or mild you would like to enjoy your coffee. You can add ice cubes. You can put the remaining concentrate in the fridge and use it within the next few days.

Special features of cold brew coffee

During the entire process, the coffee is not heated and does not come into contact with heat. The preparation takes place exclusively at room temperature.
The coffee concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for approx. 14 days. If you would like to enjoy a refreshing cold drink, you can always take small amounts.
Depending on taste, the concentrate can be diluted with water. In addition, ice cubes, ice cream or other ingredients can be added. There are no limits to the fantasies.
No special accessories are required for the preparation. A glass with a lid or a French press and a filter option are sufficient.
The preparation can take up to 24 hours, depending on your own taste.
Compared to conventional coffee, cold brew coffee has less acid and is therefore a stomach-friendly alternative to filter coffee.

Cold Brew Coffee vs. Ice Brew Coffee

Ice brew coffee is normal coffee that, unlike cold brew coffee, is boiled and cooled down with the help of ice cubes during the brewing process. A portafilter machine or a simple filter is best suited for the preparation. Through contact with the ice, the coffee is immediately cooled down again and the bitter substances are also removed from the drink. The Ice Brew coffee tastes wonderfully fruity and summery like a fresh and hot brewed coffee. Ice brew coffee can be refined with vanilla ice cream, especially on hot summer days. Our tip: Because of the melt water, divide the amount of water into 50% liquid and 50% ice when preparing. It tastes perfect!

Conclusion: it is worth trying out the trend

If you have a French press at home, you should definitely try the trend drink cold brew, but you can also do without it. Simply pull a freshly ground coffee from the coffee machine and off you go.

Keep Reading
By