The Joy of Homemade Jam

I just wanted to share with you a simple recipe for a bit of healthier jam. Guilt free, almost!Honey sweetened and freshly made, it may make a great option for breakfast, cakes, cookies or desserts.
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When ever I have some fruits or berries that are a bit on the softer and riper side, I combine them in a small sauce pan, add a slice of organic lemon with the skin, a small piece of vanilla pot and as much acacia honey as required to sweeten the fruits. This depends pretty much on the fruits and on your taste.

Then I simmer them on low temperature for around 10 – 15 minutes. This is enough to deconstruct the fruits and still leave them in a vivid color a flavor. After that I add a spoonful of either arrowroot, agar agar or tapioca flour, or  and stir that in for a last bubble up on the heat. Again here it depends on the pectine content of the fruits if I need a little bit more of the thickening agent or not. Rule of thumb: 1 teaspoon for around 350 – 400 ml of jam.

Now the jam is ready to be filled in a glass or bowl and it goes in the fridge, awaiting its final use! It keeps well for around 3-5 days when refrigerated. So I never produce too much of it. Making such a small amount of deliciously smelling jam in your kitchen is no work at all and so much pleasure. You should give it a try! I love to eat this jam with some fresh yoghurt for example when I am craving something sweet….

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Luxurious Muesli – Start fresh into April!

I now can reveal the recipe for my latest favorite muesli, as shown and created for MBC1 The Green Apple Show, aired recently. View the video sequence here.
By the way, there is more healthy treats to come soon on this channel. Keep watching it.
To easy make and enjoy this perfect morning treat at home, please follow below recipe.
I am sure you will like it as much as I do!

Luxurious Layered Morning Muesli
2 portions

What To Buy
10g Buckwheat
5g Puffed Amaranth (it is easy to puff Amaranth, as shown in the video, if you want to do it yourself as I do it)
10g Oat flakesmuesli
10g Almonds with skin
50g Mango
50g Papaya
30g Pomegranate seeds
50g Strawberry
10g Passion fruit pulp with seeds
200ml low fat Yoghurt
5g Acacia honey

How To Make It
Toast the buckwheat, the oat flakes and the sunflower seeds slightly in a non stick pan without any fat. Toast the almonds the same way and crush them roughly. Mix the seeds and nuts with the puffed amaranth.

Peel the papaya and the mango. Dice strawberry, mango and papaya and keep separate.
Spoon the prepared ingredients layered into glasses, so you can display the colorful layers: Some seeds and nuts mix, top with yoghurt, one type of fruit. Repeat the same layers with a different type of fruit.

Serve topped with a drizzle of acacia honey.

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This morning treat is packed with nutrients supporting beautiful skin, shiny hair, strong nails and bones. In the same time it provides you with lots of energy for a fresh start in the day.
p.s. left is one “making of” picture with the presenter Howayda and me,  preparing the muesli. In the back you see beautiful Madinat Jumeirah Resort with its waterways, where guests are transported by boats …enjoy something truly  inspirational about it here.

Vegetarian Food for Events – a busy March!

Spreading my health inspired food everywhere … :)

Our guests with a healthy lifestyle could enjoy some special treats at ART DUBAI in Madinat Jumeirah and at the DUBAI WORLD CUP at Meydan. Enjoy the impressions!

Art 1Art 2Art Above the outdoor food stall at Art Dubai in Madinat Jumeirah, the team getting ready to serve……

And here is the Dubai World Cup 2013 at Meydan:

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Talise Nutrition on MBC 1

Our latest filming will be aired tomorrow, Friday, at 9 pm, at the Green Apple Show on MBC1…..very excited, and hope you all watch!

I have been very busy at work the last few weeks. Oh what am I saying, the last few months! No chance  for even a short trip abroad to visit my beloved Bavaria, where I come from, to see the winter. Everyone at home is jealous though that I have everyday sunshine and warm weather while they have been freezing and shoveling snow. At least until recently, now finally some signs of spring are in the air.

To cure my longing for Bavaria I cooked some

flavors from home – away from home.

My home grown sweet marjoram (oregano family, but sweeter and milder) is beautiful and just perfect with its fragrant little leaves. Apart from its antioxidative benefits (think eternal youth!) it is a staple seasoning ingredient in Bavarian cuisine. I added it to my very simple but delicious

Potato Vegetable Soup with fresh Marjoram
2 portions

What to Buy
1 carrot, diced
1 parsnip or parsley root (however parsley root is difficult to source here in the Middle East), diced
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1 small leek, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 small piece mace
2 tablespoons olive oil
500 ml vegetable stock
salt, pepper
5 sprigs fresh marjoram, leaves picked

How to Make It
Braise in olive oil until golden the potatoes, parsnip and carrot with bay leaf and mace. Then add the vegetable stock and simmer for around 15 minutes on low heat. Add the leek, season with salt and pepper and serve with fresh marjoram leaves sprinkled all over.

Chef Gabi’s Tip:
I add sometimes dried cepes to the soup – they give this simple soup a significant upgrade! Must try.
This is what I cook at home when I feel not like cooking. A really easy to make recipe.

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More Healthy Cooking on TV

Healthy cooking is my passion since I became a chef. Because I believe that the food we eat is playing a major part in how strong, healthy and fit we are.  So sharing recipes and ideas on how to live healthy and enjoy delicious food in the same time has become part of my daily work. An exciting part, I have to admit.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting a truly amazing film team from MBC, and it was much fun to work and cook with Howayda in our lovely outside kitchen set up at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai with view to the waterways!

I will share with you soon the dates when it will be aired!
Here some impressions from the filming….

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Cooking with Love

Everyone talks about Valentines day! It is, indeed, ante portas…
I was invited again to Studio One with Ash and Tom for the culinary support of their Valentines….week.

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Thinking what to present I came across one of my long time favorites, an hors d’oeuvre, perfect to start a romantic dinner. Simple, quickly done, with impressive aroma. Because who wants to spend the time in the kitchen on Valentines day?

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All you need is a slowly reduced tomato relish, a little bit of tapenade (olives and capers paste), and one hard boiled egg chopped and mixed with yoghurt and mustard. For the grissini look here. Watch the sequence here.

Enjoy!

Sunchokes and Tomatoes

Here is the dish and recipe I have cooked on Dubai One. It was fun to be with Ash and Tom on the show as always!

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Sun Choke Puree & Crisps
2 Portions

 

What to Buy
300 gm sun chokes
80 g potato
1 tomato
10 gm parsley
1 organic lemon (grated skin and juice)
20 gm butter
3 ml olive oil
Salt , Pepper

How to Make It
Wash the sun chokes and slice 2 of them very thin. Place the slices on a pergament paper on a baking tray and dry for around 15 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius in the oven. Peel the remaining sun chokes and the potato, steam them until very soft. Crush them and season the puree with salt and pepper. Dice the tomatoes (preferably with the skin due to the fact that the flavonoids are fully available). Chop the Parsley. Mix tomatoes with parsley, lemon juice and grated skin, season with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange the soft puree in deep plates or small bowls. Top with the tomato parsley salad and crispy sun choke chips. Serve warm, not hot.

Chef Gabi’s Tip
The sun choke is one of the finest source dietary fibers, especially high in oligofructose inulin, which is a soluble dietary fiber. Inulin should not be confused for insulin, which is hormone. The root flesh provides 1.6 mg or 4% of fiber. Inulin is a zero calorie, sweet inert carbohydrate and does not metabolize in the human body, which make the root an ideal sweet snack for diabetics and dieters. They are very good source of minerals and electrolytes especially potassium, iron, and copper. 100 g of fresh root contains 429 mg or 9% of daily-required levels of potassium. Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte; helps reduce blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium. 100 g of fresh sun choke contains 3.4 mg or 42.5% of iron, probably the highest quantity among edible roots and tubers.

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The Magic Cabbage Soup

Even though I am far from recommending a diet restricting anything else than just one food item I admit that cabbage soup works wonders…..and is truly recommendable to be included in your healthy menu plan.
But I just wanted to use the headline. Because my cabbage soup is magic -  only look at this color! It is made of red cabbage. I love purple anyway. Purple in foods is due primarily to their anthocyanin content. The darker the blue hue, the higher the phytochemical concentration. Anthocyanins are antioxidants that are particularly heart healthy and may help support healthy blood pressure. As a color is so special for food and a little bit irritating at times. But nothing to worry. Everything in the following recipe is natural. You can make it for a great entree in a menu, or just use it as the “Magic Soup”, that helps you to manage your weight and to detox. Enjoy!

Red Cabbage Capuccino
2 Portions

What to buy
300 gm red cabbage, chopped
1 shallot, diced
¼ apple, peeled, chopped
2 cloves
5 ml agave syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, pepper
1 tablespoon apple vinegar
50 ml soy milk

How to Make It
Braise the shallot, cloves, apple and cabbage in olive oil and agave syrup. Add 300 ml water and simmer for around 20 minutes.  Blend the soup and work through a semi fine sieve. Season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Top the soup with soy milk foam.

Healthy Lifestyle – My Wellbeing Tip No 5

The importance of food and its interconnection to health and wellbeing can’t be highlighted enough. How much each individual can influence its very own body on a daily basis with just the regular food intake is absolutely fanstastic.

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Here 10 Basic Hints about Wellbeing Food:

1 WELLBEING IS EDIBLE the human body builds its cells out of the food we eat – every day. Good nutrition is in our hands, literally.

2 DE-STRESS YOUR MEAL PLAN the modern human being is exposed to a significant amount of stress – one of it is poor nutrition, snacks and meals with almost zero nutrients. A diet of junk food doesn’t make us stressful instantly, but on the long run.

3 SMALL STEPS take small steps towards your lifestyle improvement. Start with something you can implement in your daily routine easily. Because nothing is more rewarding and encouraging than the success of feeling and looking better

4 LIQUIDS the intake of sufficient amount of water, also in watery fruits and vegetables is very important to our overall wellbeing. It helps to hydrate and bolster our cells, and to dilute toxins

5 QUALITY focus on fresh, natural ingredients and prefer suitable preparation methods like steaming or grilling rather than deep fat frying to avoid damages to valuable nutrients

6 FAT is not equals fat. Unsaturated fats in nuts, seeds, avocado and vegetable oils are highly recommendable to maintain good health; however saturated fats in fatty meats, dairy and deep fried products should be kept at a minimum intake. Bear in mind we consume normally far more of the bad fats than of the good fats.

7 VARIETY eat a rainbow of colors, including black as for example black berries over purple like red cabbage and purple potatoes to white e.g. white radish, almond milk, rice milk or dairy

8 WHOLESOME eat the good carbs in all hulled starches and vegetables if possible with their skin, nuts and seeds,  and avoid or reduce the bad carbs like white sugar, white flour, peeled rice and others

9 BALANCE aim for a 35 % raw 65% cooked food ratio, and avoid pH imbalance or over acidity

10 MODERATE eat slowly, chew well, consume moderate portions, don’t over indulge too regularly on less ideal food options

Currently I am working a lot on health related food themes. This is what I love most about my job. You will see and experience TALISE NUTRITION soon within Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts in the near future. I am looking forward to sharing with you news,  good nutritous food, tips and recipes.
Stay healthy and enjoy life!

Add some detox food….every day

How to get through the festive season – nutritionally balanced? This might be a question to many of us, considering feasting is contraproductive at times.
Nothing to worry.
As long as we keep focussed on balance and try to keep over indulgence at bay, whilst we add in healthier choices where and when possible and give our digestive system a rest in between.

Some of my easy to make detox tips can be viewed in Gulf News today.

As Resort Wellbeing Chef at Madinat Jumeirah I have combined detoxing and digestion supporting ingredients into one of my favourite raw salads. Carrot, butternut squash, beetroot and ginger mingle on your plate and make the perfect detox mix, packed with vitamins, fiber, and cleansing properties. Try it and order the Talise Detox Salad when you are at the Talise Spa in Madinat Jumeirah and relax after a treatment! It rewards you with good digestion, elimination of toxins and glowing skin.

Stay healthy and optimize glow this festive season!