Bakers & Roasters

Ooooo discovering new places always makes me soooo happy!!!
Today I tried out Bakers & Roasters in Amsterdam. I can't find their website but they are on  Facebook

Anyway they have an extensive breakfast lunch menu from huevos rancheros to a stack of american pancakes in all sorts to lentil salads. Also their drink menu is quite impressive... they even serve the Lemon Batido :) only they name it different....

Since I am on the road to eating more healthy I decided not to opt for the hash browns with salmon and eggs nor the pancakes but the green lentil salad with kale and cranberries... and must admit... even though the presentation of a dish like this on a plate is quite ambitious... the cranberries added a touch of nice color in this quite dark looking salad.... it tasted great and l loved it a LOT. 

As a drink I chose the green juice which is a mix of green apple, celery, ginger, very fresh! 

Since this place is very popular especially under expats and tourist... I  didn't hear 1 word of Dutch whilst being there... and making reservations is not possible... we waited for 30 minutes to be seated... but it was worth it... what I also like is that it is a no nonsense place.... meaning that you have to order at the bar and there is a table where you can get water, cutlery and napkins. 

If you are a sweet tooth they have many home baked goodies which unfortunately I didn't try out. 

I guess since I was there on a Sunday.. it will probably be less crowded on a weekday. 

Let's have a beer.....?

My southern neighbour Belgium has a beer brand called Jupiler.... and they have come up with something new: a brewed soda...
Although they don't call it an alcohol-free beer... the main ingredient is still barley and the soda is brewed.... and it tastes quite good....

Being a woman, I was wondering whether I should blog about it since, according to their marketing, the product is made for  men that want to drink a nice cold beer but are not able as they are at work, the gym, driving etc.... One of their slogans is actually: For men who know how to work......or.... For men that know how to sport..... etc...

But I decided to ignore that and to just try it. It tastes like beer but much fresher, I guess that is because of the added lemon juice, and I just really love it! It is finally a soda that is not so sweet, and it really does give you the same taste experience as if you were drinking a beer.

Yeaah... BIG LIKE!!!!!

Would you like to read about it.. this is their website just keep in mind, the site is only in Dutch or French.....

Lemon Batidooooooooooo

I am sooo happy, yesterday we had great weather and I was able to go to the beach! Enjoying the warmth of the sun on my skin and the freshness of the cold sea. Unfortunately, today, the weather made a 180.... Rain, thunder, cold winds everything all at once. That  is how summer feels like in the Netherlands. But it makes you appreciate the sun more as well.

However, I like to be a little bit longer in this vibe called summer so I invited the sun into my house with this nice cold fresh drink. While  I was living on Aruba I drank this a lot. It is called a batido and here is how you make it.

For 1 tall glass:

1 lime, cut in 2-3 pieces
2-3 table spoons of cane sugar, depending how sweet/sour you like it
a splash of water
a glass full of ice cubes

Put all the ingredients in a blender, which is able to crush ice, and then pour the mixture in a sieve. Push it through the sieve with a spoon.... for decoration put a slice of lime on the rim, some nice straws and ready is your summer-in-a-glass!!!!!

Enjoy!!!!

Lunch @ Gartine

Everybody who ever visits Amsterdam and is looking for a nice place to have breakfast, lunch or a high-tea .....Gartine is the place you are looking for. They grow their own veggies, herbs and fruits in their veggiepatch. The eggs they use come from a foundation called "Adopt a chicken". You 'adopt' a chicken on an organic farm, where the chicken stays, and you can get your organic eggs at the organic store.

Everything they serve is home-made and truly delicious. Also the people working there are very friendly which, for Amsterdam, is almost unique.

I made a picture of the sandwich I ordered: a whole wheat bun with spinach, bleu de causses (French blue cheese) and apricots, yummy in my tummy!!! Also loving the plate!!!

Sandwich Bleu de Causses with spinach

To get more of an impression, I took some photo's from their website......

Owner

The veggies fresh from veggiepatch

Home made pastries

Old-fashioned style tableware

Yeah Tabbouleh

The author of this blog is sooo right!! How many times I tried ordering Tabbouleh and ended up getting something that didn't even came close.... it should be a very nice fresh, mainly, herbal salad with some tomato and some bulgur. Not the other way round. I understand that it is a lot of work, chopping all the ingredients, making sure you leave out the stems and that it is also cheaper to put more bulgur in it but .....  that should not be an argument. When one orders a Tabbouleh, one should get Tabbouleh and not something else. Like one day I ordered in a cafe a Ceasar Salad and ended up getting a  salad with ham and pineapple....seriously??  Their answer: oh that's how we make them here...."  Well then, don't call it a Ceasar Salad, it's that simple...

So I hope you enjoy this recipe of Tabouleh, I know I will on a hot summers day!

Summertime and the .......

Eggplants are flying around =)

So what's better than sitting in the sun, enjoying a glass of wine (or 2 ;-) ) and some nice thingies to accompany that glass? Last year I had a quick introduction to the Arabic cuisine. I've always tried some here in Amsterdam, but as I always say, you should eat the food in the place where it comes from so you can guess I didn't like it too much. Didn't understand why people where loving it so much.

But then a Greek lady gave me some of her home-made Babaganoush and I loved it! So fresh and yummy and healthy at the same time. I know that almost every country surrounding the Mediterranean sea claims it's originated from their country and they all have their own secret recipe..... so here's just a recipe that I happened to like a lot. Of course you can experiment with it!

- 3 Eggplants
- 1 1/2 table spoon tahini (sesame paste)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced) ( I don't like it too garlicky, but  3 is probably more 'Arabic')
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 chili pepper
- 1 table spoon olive oil
- a handful of fresh Cilantro
- 2 table spoons of Lemon juice

1. preheat the oven to 250 C degrees. Make little holes in the eggplants using a fork. This will prevent the eggplants from exploding when the juices inside starts to boil. Turn the eggplants regularly. The eggplants are done when the skin is completely black and the inside is soft (you'll feel this when pressing it). This will take about 40 mins.
2. Leave them to cool a bit and then peel of the skin. Make sure all the black skin is removes unless you like a 'roasted'  flavour.
3. In a bowl put the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and chopped chili pepper.
4. Mix in the skin free, chopped up eggplant. If you like your babaganoush smooth, use a handmixer or foodprocessor.

When you are done it is time to taste! If you prefer it more spicy, more fresh or more.... just add some of that ingredient just as much untill you like your babaganoush. Just remember that the babaganoush gets better after being in the fridge for 2 days. So if you add a lot of chili pepper..... you know where I am getting..

Serve the babaganoush on a flat platter, spread it out and pour a little bit of oliveoil on top and garnish it with some cilantro leaves. Serve with Arabic pita bread or slices of baguette.

I you like to experiment with it... I like to use babaganoush as a bread spread and top it off with tomatoes, cucumber and onion.

NB. The other Arabic dish: moutabel is almost the same but I found it often spicier. Also I found that, depending on country of origin, babaganoush is a chunky spread and not a smooth one like moutabel. The basis of moutabel and babaganoush is the same. 

Central Cevicheria Bogota

Just had dinner at www.centralcevicheria.com  in Bogota. Wow they really do know how to make a true ceviche! So fresh and full of lime juice, just the perfect light dinner on a hot summer day =) While waiting to order we were given arepas con salsa de tomate, also one of the best I've tasted so far in Colombia. I like it that the restaurant is not all the time very traditional..... our strawberry/mandarin/vodka drink came in a funny small jug with, of course, more lime juice. On my way out I could peek into the kitchen where I saw fresh octopus waiting to be transformed into delicious ceviche. Already on my must-go-to-restaurant list in Bogotá.