Tag Archive for: recipes with carb counting

Quinoa Salad with Watermelon, Feta, and Mint

,

After a refreshing swim in the pool or sea, there’s nothing better than a fresh and nourishing dish to restore your energy without feeling heavy. This Quinoa Salad with Watermelon, Feta, and Mint is exactly what you need.

Light yet complete, quinoa provides complex carbohydrates while feta offers a good protein boost. Watermelon and cucumber ensure hydration and freshness, while mint adds an aromatic touch that makes this recipe irresistible even on the hottest days.

Prepare it in advance and take it with you to the beach, the pool, or enjoy it at home after your workout. It’s a healthy, practical, and colourful one-dish meal that will make you feel like you’re on holiday with the very first bite. And if you want to know what’s best to do after swimming for optimal recovery, check out the tips from Bianca Balzarini.

Looking for more summer ideas? Try our Couscous with Octopus and Avocado.

ilaria-bertinelli-insalata-di-quinoa-e-anguria

Quinoa Salad with Watermelon, Feta, and Mint

9.8g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 300g watermelon (net weight, without rind and seeds)
  • 100g quinoa (white or mixed)
  • 160g cucumber
  • 150g feta cheese
  • 1 bunch fresh mint
  • ½ lemon
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • pumpkin seeds

Preparation

  1. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under running water to remove any saponins, then cook it with triple its weight in lightly salted water for about 12-15 minutes with the lid on, until it has absorbed all the water. Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly.
  2. Peel and coarsely grate the cucumber, sprinkle with salt, place in a colander, and let it rest to release its water.
  3. Cut the watermelon into small cubes, removing all seeds.
  4. Crumble the feta cheese with your hands.
  5. Mix the cooled quinoa with the watermelon, well-drained cucumber, crumbled feta, and finely chopped mint.
  6. Dress with lemon juice mixed with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  7. Garnish with pumpkin seeds for a crunchy touch and a few mint leaves.
/0 Comments/by

Pizzicotti with Fagiolo gentile di Labro bean cream and aromatic oil

,

Would you like an original idea coming from the tradition of a land very dear to me? Here are the Pizzicotti with Fagiolo gentile di Labro bean cream topped with an irresistible oil flavoured with ginger and marjoram.

Once again, the gastronomic journey is in Lazio thanks to the Rieti Chamber of Commerce, which sent us the local ingredients to prepare this recipe with a very special ingredient: Fagiolo gentile di Labro a Slow Food Presidium and a product included in the list of Italian Traditional Agricultural Products (PAT in Italian).  It is a variety of bean that grows exclusively in the Avanzana Valley at the foot of the village of Labro, in the province of Rieti. It is light brown in colour and its fame is due to the tenderness of its skin and its delicate, sweet taste: the adjective ‘gentile’, i.e. gentle, by which it is called derives from such sweetness.

This traditional dish from Lazio is a perfect meal from a nutritional point of view, so why not use it as a holiday season dish? It is perfect both to brighten up banquets and to alternate meals characterised by the presence of meat and fish with a vegetarian recipe rich in plant protein and plenty of fibre.

To discover the great classic of the Rieti land, read my article and recipe for the The Perfect Amatriciana.

pizzicotti-con-crema-di-fagioli-di-labro

Pizzicotti with Fagiolo gentile di Labro bean cream and aromatic oil

29.6g carbohydrates per 100g 

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 250g flour mix for bread, brand Nutrifree**
  • 180g water
  • 150g dried Fagiolo gentile di Labro beans
  • 4g brewer’s yeast
  • 50g extravirgin olive oil Sabina DOP
  • 20g dehydrated tomato flakes
  • 2 shallots
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 piece of fresh ginger
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • marjoram
  • vegetable stock
  • grated Pecorino cheese
  • 1 pinch of bicarbonate of soda or 1 piece of Kombu seaweed

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Soak the beans the night before in plenty of water and baking soda or a piece of Kombu seaweed.
  2. Warm up 50g of extra-virgin olive oil and infuse it with pieces of fresh ginger and marjoram leaves: you will obtain an aromatic oil that you can also use for other preparations.
  3. Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in a bit of water at room temperature, then pour it into a bowl with the flour and a pinch of salt and add the water required to obtain a smooth, not too hard dough.
  4. Divide the dough into at least 4 pieces, cover them with a tea towel and leave them to rise for about 20 minutes.
  5. In a saucepan, brown 1 shallot and 1 chopped celery stick in a little extra virgin olive oil and a sprig of rosemary, then add the soaked beans and bay leaves, cover with vegetable stock and cook (for at least 1 hour). When the beans are cooked, remove the bay leaf and rosemary and whisk to obtain a thick and creamy velouté. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. In a non-stick pan, put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the remaining shallot and celery finely chopped, season with chopped rosemary and sprinkle with vegetable stock to cook.
  7. After the dough has risen, bring a pot of water to the boil and lightly salt it. Take the pieces of dough, shape them into thin cylinders of about 1.5cm diameter and pinch them cutting off small knobs to be thrown into boiling water. Continue throwing the dough knobs into the boiling water and let them cook for at least 5 minutes considering that they would not become too cooked. Drain the ‘Pizzicotti’ with a slotted spoon, toss them into the non-stick pan with the chopped shallot and celery and allow them to cream slightly, adding a little cooking water.
  8. Serve on individual plates, preferably in a soup dish, forming a layer of bean cream topped with Pizzicotti and a dribble of aromatic oil, grated Pecorino cheese and a pinch of dried tomato flakes.

pizzicotti-con-crema-di-fagioli-di-labro

Version with gluten of Pizzicotti with Fagiolo gentile di Labro bean cream and aromatic oil

Replace the flour mix for bread Nutrifree with an equal amount of wheat flour and adjust the amount of water to obtain a bread-like texture.

/0 Comments/by

Recipes with Porcini: Omelette with Porcini and Provolone cheese

Autumn in Parma means Porcini because the local town of Borgotaro has its Fungo Porcino PGI, protected by a Consortium. What recipes with Porcini mushrooms can we prepare? Certainly this delicious Omelette with Porcini and Provolone cheese.

Porcini mushrooms from Borgotaro are not cultivated, but they grow wildly and the hunting season goes from late spring to late autumn. Porcini are rounded and plump, they feature a typical mushroom smell and aromatic flavour. Depending on the type, their caps can range in colour from brown to red or from cream-white to chestnut or blackish brown.

From a nutritional point of view, it is important to remember that mushrooms should be eaten with moderation because, even if edible, they are always slightly toxic, yet they are very rich in micronutrients and low in calories. So, try this super fast omelette that will make you fall in love with it!

If you like omelettes, try my Rolled omelette.

Omelette with Porcini and Provolone cheese

2g carbohydrates per 100g

frittata-ai-porcini-e-provolone

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 8 eggs
  • 400g peeled tomatoes
  • 300g mild or sharp Provolone cheese
  • 300g Porcini mushrooms
  • 2 sprigs of parsley
  • 4 twigs of basil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Clean the mushrooms and slice them, sauté them in a large non-stick frying pan with a dribble of oil and the clove of garlic for 5-6 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper, then dust with chopped parsley and remove the garlic.
  2. Chop the onion thinly and put it in another frying pan with a dribble of oil, then add the peeled tomatoes in pieces and cook for 15-20 minutes adjusting salt.
  3. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper, slightly oil a non-stick pan of 18cm diameter and pour the beaten eggs in it. Cook the omelette on one side only over medium heat.
  4. Spread on the surface ¼ of the warm Porcini and ¼ of the thinly sliced Provolone cheese, then fold the omelette and put it in the frying pan with the peeled tomatoes.
  5. Repeat the operation with the other 3 omelettes. Put a lid on the frying pan containing all the omelettes and heat them up to melt the cheese. Serve.

 

/0 Comments/by

Salads of october with legumes, fruit and vegetables

,

In October you can choose between a super-light salad or a rich one that you can use as a main course, so find out what the Salads of October are.

October is often a time that holds surprises for us in terms of temperatures because we can enjoy days that are still like summer or we can be plunged into the first cold days of winter: so choose the most suitable salad for autumn days.

The Fruit and vegetable salad is prepared with some of the most iconic fruits of winter, namely orange, apple and pear. The same applies to vegetables, where the purple cabbage is king. The addition of milk flakes is consistent with the lightness of this salad, but you might be tempted to replace them with grilled Tomino cheese without thinking too much about the calorie intake.

The legume and salmon salad, on the other hand, will be a great way to fill up on both animal and vegetable proteins with the strong touch of mustard sauce to bind all the flavours together.

Don’t miss out on more ideas for your salads and also discover the raw and cooked salads of April.

Fruit and vegetable salad

13.16g carbohydrates for the whole serving

Ingredients for 1 serving

  • 50g milk flakes*
  • 40g purple cabbage
  • 40g fennel
  • 30g Pink Lady apple
  • 30g pink grapefruit
  • 30g pear
  • 30g orange
  • 1 lemon
  • a few parsley leaves
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Peel the orange and grapefruit. Slice the apple and pear leaving the peel, sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
  2. Slice the fennel with a mandoline so that it is very thin and do the same with the purple cabbage.
  3. Prepare a vinaigrette by mixing a few tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and chopped parsley.
  4. Arrange the fruit and vegetables on a plate, dress with the vinaigrette and top with a few teaspoons of cheese flakes.

Insalatona-di-frutta-e-verdura

Lentil and salmon salad

7.5g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 300g cooked lentils
  • 200g smoked wild salmon
  • 100g Pink Lady or Granny Smith apple
  • iceberg lettuce
  • lemon juice

Ingredients for the sauce

  • 60g soy milk*
  • 50g extra virgin olive oil
  • 30g Dijon mustard*
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • 20g lemon juice
  • dill
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Pour all the ingredients for the sauce into a tall glass and blend them with an immersion blender to obtain a smooth and creamy sauce.
  2. Slice the apple thinly with the peel and spray it lightly with lemon juice so that it does not darken.
  3. Take four plates, cover the bottom of each plate with iceberg lettuce cut into pieces, lay a quarter of the cooked lentils, the apple slices, the wild salmon and season with mustard sauce on top of the salad. Complete with some dill leaves.

Insalata-di-lenticchie-e-salmone

/0 Comments/by

Oat pasta with cannellini beans

Can you think of those simple flavours that spark memories?  Oat pasta with cannellini beans is the perfect combination of traditional flavours and a touch of novelty.

One of the most typical dishes of Italian cuisine is in fact Pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), a recipe often prepared with Borlotti beans and the addition of lard or bacon, which in the past were useful to give the necessary energy to face the hard work in the fields.

Instead, this version of Pasta e fagioli uses cannellini beans combined with oat pasta, where the wheat protein, gluten, is replaced by the high protein content in oat. Remember that beans are a valuable source of complex carbohydrates, plant proteins, fibre and are cholesterol-free, so the consumption of legumes is always a valuable ally in a balanced diet.

The flavour variation is the presence of sautéed cherry tomatoes with aromatic herbs that transform a classic taste into a fresher, juicier one.

If you love beans and tradition, try my Pisarei e fasò.

Oat pasta with cannellini beans

carbohydrates 13.63g per 100g

Mezzi-rigatoni-di-avena-ai-cannellini

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 500g boiled cannellini beans (about 180g dry beans)
  • 240g cherry tomatoes
  • 140 g Oat pasta Felicia**
  • 1 shallots
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • dried sweet pepper or Crusco pepper
  • bay leaf
  • oregano
  • thyme
  • rosemary
  • chilli pepper
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Soak the cannellini beans for at least 12 hours, then boil them slowly in plenty of water with the addition of a bay leaf and, if available, a piece of Kombu seaweed to facilitate the beans’ future digestibility. Drain the beans and keep the cooking water.
  2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and sautée them for a few minutes on high heat in a non-stick pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, a clove of garlic cut in half, a chilli pepper and chopped herbs.
  3. Put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, brown a finely chopped shallot and a clove of garlic and add the cooked cannellini beans, cover with plenty of cooking water or vegetable stock and leave them to take on flavour for 10 minutes.
  4. Keep a few tablespoons of cannellini beans aside and blend the rest with an immersion blender, then reassemble the bean soup.
  5. Cook the oat pasta in plenty of salted water, drain and pour it into the cannellini soup, then complete the dish: place the pasta and beans on individual plates, complete with the herb flavoured tomatoes, a grinding of pepper, a drizzle of oil and some chopped dried sweet pepper or Crusco pepper.

Version with gluten of Oat pasta with cannellini beans

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients.

/0 Comments/by

Pasta salads: Greek-style Strozzapreti

Pasta salads are one of the most popular dishes in summer and every year I like inventing new ones to make a tasty and balanced dish suitable for all occasions.

The protagonists are the Strozzapreti Zero+, organic pasta made with 100% red lentil flour and eggs from free-range hens by the Spinosi pasta factory, a pasta designed to reduce the glycemic index of Italy’s most popular dish while providing a high protein and fibre intake: discover the entire range of gluten-free egg pasta with legume flours to have fun in the kitchen.

This pasta salad proposal is meant to take us tastefully to Greece, using the same ingredients we find in traditional Greek salads, but combined in a slightly different way.

Thanks to the presence of egg in Strozzapreti, the pasta salad has a perfect texture even when cold, which is very unusual in the world of gluten-free pasta, especially with a legume base, so you can enjoy an exquisitely fresh dish that is both healthy and balanced.

If you are looking for more pasta salad ideas, try my Coronation Pasta Salad.

Greek-style Strozzapreti pasta

10.8 g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 250g Strozzapreti Zero+ with red lentil flour*
  • 200g fat free Greek yoghurt
  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • 100g Greek pitted black olives*
  • 100g Greek feta cheese
  • 70g pickled cucumbers*
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • mint
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Boil Strozzapreti in lightly salted boiling water for 7 minutes. Drain them, mix them with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and leave them to cool.
  2. Cut the cherry tomatoes into 4 wedges and add them to the Strozzapreti together with the black olives, then crumble the feta cheese and mix well.
  3. Prepare a sauce mixing Greek yoghurt with finely chopped pickled cucumbers, season with salt and pepper and pour it over the cold pasta. Complete by adding a few mint leaves and serve.

strozzapreti-alla-greca

/0 Comments/by

Snow peas, asparagus and fruit: June salads

,

As summer officially begins on 21st June, June salads will delight us with the addition of seasonal fruit.

Asparagus continues to be present, which we can enjoy with a mouth-watering cheese cream and plums for a salad that also becomes a green all-in-one dish, great to take to the office or to the pool in a convenient lunch box.

My salad with cooked vegetables features snow peas accompanied by carrots, but above all by the contrast of the sweetness of the figs and the saltiness of the crispy Prosciutto di Parma: as an appetiser, main course or as a one-course meal, the Salad of snow peas and figs will win you over with its explosion of flavours.

The tip I want to share with June salads is the use of spray oil, a very interesting way to dress our dishes. Why?

For two main reasons: the first is that we will use up to 90 per cent less oil for dressing, thus significantly reducing the calorie intake of the salads themselves; the second is that in the canned bag of Fratelli Mantova the oil is stored in the dark and protected from the air, thus guaranteeing ideal preservation.

My choice for these salads is avocado oil containing 100% oil extracted from the pulp of the avocado fruit, rich in vitamin E, with a light and delicate taste and texture.

For more ideas, see also the reinforced salads of May.

Asparagus and plum salad

carbohydrates 7.76g for 1 serving

insalata-di-asparagi-e-prugne

Ingredients for 1 salad

  • 3-4 asparagus
  • 50g plums
  • 30g soy milk*
  • 30g Ricotta cheese
  • 20g Robiola cheese
  • shelled pistachios
  • 1 lemon with edible zest
  • Fratelli Mantova’s avocado oil
  • salt and pepper

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. With a mandoline, slice the asparagus into ribbons and marinate them for at least 15 minutes with a teaspoon of lemon juice, salt, pepper and a splash of avocado oil.
  2. Prepare a cream by mixing ricotta, robiola, grated lemon peel and a grinding of pepper.
  3. Assemble the salad by placing the asparagus ribbons in a salad bowl, the cheese cream, the plums cut into wedges and a sprinkling of shelled pistachios.

insalata-di-asparagi-e-prugne

Snow pea and fig salad

carbohydrates 9.58g for 1 serving

insalata-di-taccole-e-fichi

Ingredients for 1 serving

Preparation

  1. Slice the carrots into ribbons using a mandoline, season them with lemon juice, salt, pepper and a splash of avocado oil, then allow to rest for the time needed to prepare the other ingredients.
  2. Boil the snow peas in boiling salted water until cooked but still firm. Plunge them into cold water, then drain immediately.
  3. Place the Prosciutto slice on a plate and let it crisp up in the microwave or in a non-stick frying pan: in the microwave, set the oven on low power for short periods of time until the desired crispiness is reached; in the frying pan, do not grease the bottom and cook on low heat until crispy.
  4. Assemble the salad by placing the snow beans on the bottom of the salad bowl, the carrot ribbons and a well-washed fig cut into wedges, season with a pinch of salt, pepper and a splash of avocado oil, then finish by adding the crispy prosciutto slice.

insalata-di-taccole-e-fichi

/0 Comments/by

April salads

,

What vegetables await you in our April salads? Cauliflower, peas and leek will be the stars with the red touch of strawberries: find out how to prepare them.

Let’s start with an uncommon use of cauliflower: raw. Have you ever tried it? You will be surprised to discover that it is sweet and has a much more delicate smell than when cooked. It is in fact during cooking that the typical sulphurous smell develops, which often makes cauliflower not liked, especially by children. In the first salad, cauliflower is grated to make a tasty, micronutrient-rich couscous with lots of flavour and few calories.

My Quinoa salad, on the other hand, is perfect for a refill of plant protein. Quinoa is a gluten-free pseudo-cereal that has all 8 essential amino acids (i.e. those that must be taken in with food as they are not produced by our body) and therefore has a very similar nutritional profile to foods of animal origin. Moreover, due to its wealth of other micronutrients, it is considered a super-food whose consumption is strongly recommended as an integral part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Remember to rinse quinoa before cooking to remove saponins, substances naturally present in many vegetables, which may cause irritation to mucous membranes, but are completely eliminated by a pre-cooking wash.

If you only have a few minutes available, see how to prepare Three five-minute salads!!

Cauliflower couscous with Radicchio variegato

carbohydrates 14g for the whole serving

cous-cous-di-cavolfiore-uvetta-e-fragole

Ingredients for 1 serving

  • 80g cauliflower
  • 40g radicchio variegato di Castelfranco
  • 15g raisins
  • 15g shelled walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon of toasted sunflower seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of pumpkin seeds
  • 1 strawberry
  • Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Grate the cauliflower with a coarse-hole grater to obtain a couscous-like consistency.
  2. Wash, dry and cut the Radicchio into pieces.
  3. Assemble the salad by placing the radicchio on the bottom of the plate and the cauliflower couscous on top; season with salt and pepper, oil and traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena, then complete by adding the raisins, nuts, seeds and finally the strawberry cut into thin slices.

Quinoa salad with leek and peas

carbohydrates 20.11g for the whole serving

insalata-di-quinoa-e-piselli

Ingredients for 1 serving

  • 25g quinoa (weighed raw)
  • 40g shelled fresh peas
  • 30g leek
  • 7g desalted capers
  • chopped basil and sage
  • sun-dried tomatoes*
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Rinse the quinoa under running water and cook it in 75g of lightly salted water for about 20 minutes or until it has absorbed all the water.
  2. Put a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and brown the finely sliced leek and peas in it, adding a few tablespoons of water to cook them. Add desalted capers and chopped basil and sage. When the peas are almost cooked, add the quinoa and season with salt (if necessary) and pepper.
  3. Serve the quinoa topped with a few chunks of sun-dried tomatoes and basil leaves.

insalata-di-quinoa-e-piselli

Cous-cous-di-cavolfiore-uvetta-e-fragole

Version with gluten of April salads

The recipes contain only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for their version with gluten.

/0 Comments/by

One-course meals: Vegetarian Mussakàs

, ,

If you have been to Greece, you cannot have missed the Classic Mussakàs made with eggplants and meat sauce, a one-course meal rich dish that I thought I would revisit to create a lighter, vegetarian version: here is my
Vegetarian Mussakàs.

This Vegetarian Mussakàs is the perfect substitute for Lasagna for the warmer months when light recipes rich in seasonal vegetables are preferred, but it is also loved by everyone in the family, including the little ones. It is also very useful for those who have to organise family meals, as it can be prepared in advance and then cooked with 30 minutes to spare.

If you don’t like peppers or find them indigestible, replace them with courgettes!

Remember that you can also prepare this recipe lactose-free by replacing the milk in the béchamel with vegetable stock: all other ingredients are lactose-free!

When you have eggplants in season, this recipe will be a dinner-saving one-course meal for every family need: enjoy!

mussakas-vegetariano

Vegetarian Mussakàs

9.26g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 6 servings

  • 1kg eggplants
  • 450g potatoes
  • 300g red pepper (or courgettes)
  • 200g tomato sauce
  • 150g carrots
  • 120g onions
  • Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • breadcrumbs*
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • basil
  • sage
  • salt and pepper

Ingredients for the béchamel sauce

  • 350g milk
  • 35g brown rice flour*
  • 35g grated Parmesan cheese
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • salt

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Slice the eggplants and place them on a baking tin lined with parchment paper,  bake in a convection oven preheated to 180°C for about 20 minutes.
  2. Boil the potatoes with their skins on until they are soft enough to be sliced.
  3. Prepare the vegetable ragout browning the garlic in a little oil, then add the diced carrots and peppers; season with chopped basil and sage, add the tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes.
  4. Prepare a béchamel sauce by mixing the rice flour with the oil, then gradually add the milk so that no lumps form and heat until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from the heat, add the Parmesan cheese, mix well and add salt to taste.
  5. Take a rectangular oven dish, form a layer of vegetable ragout, cover it with the wilted eggplants, the sliced potatoes, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and start the layers again: you should have two layers of aubergines and ragout and only one layer of potatoes. Finish with a layer of béchamel sauce and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs.
  6. Bake the Mussakàs in a convection oven preheated to 190°C for 20-30 minutes until crispy.

mussakas-vegetariano

Version with gluten of Vegetarian Mussakàs

Replace gluten free breadcrumbs with standard breadcrumbs; the rest of the recipe is naturally gluten-free, so no adaptation is needed for the version with gluten.

 

 

/0 Comments/by

Out-of-home meals: Lentil and chickpea burgers

A super tasty idea for out-of-home meals that will not make you feel guilty when eating: Lentil and chickpea burgers, the vegetarian alternative to one of the most popular dishes amongst young people.

These vegetarian burgers are an excellent way of eating legumes in a less common preparation, which is so tasty that it may conquer even those who are not very fond of lentils and chickpeas.

This lunch box is rich in plant proteins and fibre, which leads to long lasting fullness and low glycemic index, elements that will turn this lunch box into a great companion for many meals!

Follow me in order not to run short of ideas for out-of-home meals and have a loot at my recipe of Legumotti with vegetable ragout and Jerusalem artichokes.

Lentil and chickpea burgers

62g carbohydrates for the whole lunch box

Ingredients for 1 lunch box

  • 110g lentils, boiled
  • 100g chickpeas, boiled
  • 1 Tropea onion
  • 40g leek
  • 20g breadcrumbs** + breading
  • 1 tablespoon of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • Balsamic vinegar of Modena
  • pickled cucumbers*
  • string beans or other vegetables in season
  • paprika
  • chilli pepper
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Sauté the chopped leek in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, then put it in a blender with the lentils and boiled chickpeas; blend to a cream.
  2. Add a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese, the breadcrumbs, paprika, chilli pepper, salt and pepper and mix well.
  3. Slice the Tropea onion and brown it in a non-stick pan with a little oil, a pinch of salt and finally douse it with balsamic vinegar from Modena.
  4. Pour a trickle of oil in a non-stick frying pan and another trickle on the palm of one hand to easily form a burger with the lentil and chickpea mixture.
  5. Cover the burger with breadcrumbs and brown it on both sides in the pan with the oil.
  6. Assemble the lunch box by placing two burgers, Tropea onion, sweet and sour cucumbers and complete with boiled green beans or other vegetables in season.

burger di lenticchie e ceci

/0 Comments/by