Welcome to my blog!

I’m so excited: finally, my blog Dafnelikes is also available in English! Almost a year ago me and my sister started this blog about healthy food & lifestyle. We are both really into cooking and trying new recipes (we come from a very food-loving family ;). My mother sometimes still laughs about the fact that I’m really into healthy food now…because I wasn’t the easiest eater when I was young. As a baby all I wanted was milk and nothing else. It took quite some time before I was willing to eat proper food haha.

A lot can change over time though. In the past few years I’ve grown into a healthy-food-lover! One of the perks of my life right now is travelling across the world, food wise that means: a lot of inspiration for my own recipes! A bag of fresh and healthy ingredients makes me very happy. Not only I benefit from them, you do too: healthy food makes you feel happier. I try to keep the recipes simple, not too many ingredients, but still delicious. Usually, the cooking process goes like plan…and the few times that it doesn’t…well, my dog Noa just loves my kitchen ‘mistakes’ ?

As a starter we translated three of the most populair dishes on the blog! I really hope you like them…

1. Perfect breakfast egg with spinach & goat cheese

I eat a lot of proteins. Especially after work-out sessions, proteins help your muscles recover. Besides eggs of cours, I also get my proteins from legumes and nuts. The nice thing about proteins is the fact that it also makes you feel satisfied, making me want carbs a lot less. Not that I’ve totally sworn off pasta, bread or rice. The past few years I’ve learned that I feel much better when I choose for more vegetables, fruit en proteins. This omelet is really easy to prepare, a nutritious and delicious post- workout recipe. 

Ingrediënts

• 2 eggs
• A handful of spinach
• 2 spring onions
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 50 g soft goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon powdered paprika

Beat up the eggs. Cut the tomatoes in halves, the spring onions in slices. Fry halve of the onions & tomatoes in a frying pan with a little oil. Stir them together with the eggs. Fry the omelet on both sides. Use peper, salt and powdered paprika to taste. Fill the omelet with the spinach, tomatoes, goat cheese en sunflower seeds. Easy & delicious!

2. Beet the best juice

Lately, I’ve been drinking quite some red beet juice before my training sessions. And, so it it seems, I’m not the only one: after some quick googling, beets turn out to be a favorite for athletes! There’s a lot of nitrate in beets, which is processed into nitrite, which eventually increases the oxygen uptake. So: more endurance and energy!  Red beets also contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and iron (good for your muscles). 

Personally I find pure red beet juice a bit ‘too much’, so I’ve created this mix version that I really like!

Beet the best juice

Ingrediënts

• 1 (cooked) beet root
• 1 apple
• 1/2 lemon
• a little peace of ginger
• 1/2 cucumber
• A handful of raspberries

Remove the core of the apple and cut the rest into parts. Put the apple parts, cucumber and raspberries in the blender. Add some grated ginger and the juice of half a lemon. Mix it all up into a lovely juice.  

3. Power boost falafel

Los Angeles is the home of true health freaks! During my stay there, I’ve managed to eat a lot of really good and nutritious salads. This recipe could’ve easily been on one of the LA menues. All the veggies and chickpeas make this a real energy booster and the bright colors make you want to eat it even more! 

Power boost falafel

Ingrediënts (2 persons)

• 4 multigrain wraps
• 400 g canned chickpeas
• 2 eggs
• 1 onion
• 1/4 red cabbage
• 100 g shredded carrot
• 1 avocado
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder
• a handful of fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons of Greek Yoghurt
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cooked beet root
• pepper & salt

Let the chickpeas leak and then gently dab them dry with a wash cloth/apron. Cut the onion and fry it together with a chopped garlic clove, coriander + paprika powder and some cumin in a pan with some olive oil. Next, mash the chickpeas, the onion/garlic mixture, the eggs and parsley into batter. Put a frying pan on with three teaspoons of olive oil and make little ‘rugby shaped balls’ using a spoon, then put them into the pan with the hot olive oil. Fry both sides til they are nice and brown (8-10 minutes).

Prepare the dip by mixing the beet and clove of garlic with a hand blender or food processor. Stir this through the yoghurt and add some salt and pepper to taste.

Take a burrito wrap and put a handful of carrots, little slices of red cabbage and avocado on it. Add the falafel and finish it with the beet dip.

Enjoy your meal!

Ps: feel free to post your comments on my blog, I’m curious about your opinion. And of course: please share your ideas and suggestions.