Mood-boosting foods

Gut health is a fundamental part of mental well-being, and the probiotic lactobacillus found in yogurt can improve both. We turn the yogurt into a special tahini sauce that goes great with grilled zucchini.

Grilled zucchini:

• 2-3 medium zucchini, cut into thin slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Tahini yogurt sauce:

• 200 g Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Corn salsa:

• 1 cup cooked or grilled corn (fresh or frozen, or canned is fine)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander or parsley
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

• To prepare grilled zucchini: Preheat a grill pan or grill to medium heat. Brush the zucchini slices with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the zucchini slices for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and tender.
• To make the tahini yogurt sauce: In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, tahini, grated garlic, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Sweeten with honey or maple syrup if desired.
• To make the corn salsa: In another bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes, cilantro or parsley, lime juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve: Place the grilled zucchini on a plate. Spoon the tahini yogurt sauce over it and sprinkle with the corn relish. Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.

Savory cheesecake with baked grapes

This special recipe is a soul-warming treat for winter days. It's hearty, flavorful, and combines a variety of intense flavors, yet it's easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of puff pastry
• 1 package of store-bought strudel dough
• 15 g of salt
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 shallot (scallion), chopped
• 450 g cream cheese
• 60 ml cream
• 3 eggs
• 120 g good quality blue cheese
• 75 g pistachios
• 75 g pecans
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 115 g butter, melted
• 1 bunch of grapes, drizzled with olive oil, salt, and fried
• Chili honey on top (optional)

Preparation:

• Place the puff pastry and strudel dough on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Heat the butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add the chopped garlic and shallots and sauté until fragrant and translucent (do not brown). Leave to cool.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs, and the sautéed onion and garlic. Mix until smooth. Carefully crumble in the blue cheese and mix. Set aside.
• In a food processor, pulse the pistachios, pecans, and brown sugar until finely chopped but not quite sandy. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 160°C. Roll out the puff pastry and line a pie dish with it. Bake until the pastry is half-baked. Remove from the oven.
• Fill the pie with the cheesecake cream, then sprinkle the top with the walnut-pistachio mixture.
• Brush the pastry with melted butter, then fold it lengthwise and layer it on top of the cheesecake. Try to place the thin layers close together to create a layered, crispy texture. Drizzle any melted butter on top.
• Bake at 175°C for about 1 hour until the cheese filling is completely set. You can check with a wooden skewer: it should come out clean when done.
• Garnish with the roasted grapes, drizzle with chili honey, and serve cold or at room temperature.

Berry fruit cobbler recipe

There's nothing better than a hot cake with a cold scoop of ice cream. At the end of the recipe, you can also find out how to make banana ice cream without an ice cream maker. (Serves 8 – use 180 ml soufflé moulds)

For the fruit mixture:

• 850 g blueberries (can be frozen and thawed, or other berries)
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 125 ml + 30 ml orange juice

For the dough:

• 170 g unsalted butter
• 375 ml of that
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 190 g flour
• 190g sugar
• a pinch of salt

Preparation:

• Mix the ingredients for the blueberry mixture in a bowl, then strain.
• In a large bowl, mix the sugar, baking powder, flour and salt.
• Melt the butter, then mix it with the milk and pour it into the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
• Divide the blueberries evenly between the soufflé molds.
• Pour the batter on top of the blueberries.
• Bake at 175°C for about 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it as baking times may vary depending on the moisture content of the fruit.

Banana ice cream recipe (Approx. 1 liter of ice cream)

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas
• 375 ml whipping cream
• 500 ml of that
• 200g sugar
• 5 large egg yolks
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

• Bring the cream, milk and sugar to a boil, then remove from the heat.
• Pour the mixture over peeled, very ripe bananas and let them soak in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Strain the bananas from the cream and discard them. Return the cream to the stove and heat until it begins to bubble.
• Slowly stir in the egg yolks to temper.
• Cool the mixture in the refrigerator, then add the salt and vanilla.
• Let it rest in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
• Pour the cooled cream into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

You can make ice cream without an ice cream maker, it just takes a little extra time and patience.

• Prepare the ice cream base (in this case, the banana ice cream) according to the recipe and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator until completely cold.
• Pour the cooled mixture into a wide, flat freezer-safe container (such as a plastic or metal box) and place in the freezer.
• Remove from the freezer every 30-40 minutes and stir thoroughly with a fork, whisk, or hand blender. This process helps break up the ice crystals, making the ice cream creamier. Repeat this 3-4 times (over a period of about 2-3 hours).
• When the ice cream is starting to become thick and smooth, but still spoonable, leave it in the freezer for another 1-2 hours to completely harden.
• After freezing, homemade ice cream is usually harder than the store-bought version. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving to make it easier to scoop.

Tip:

If you want an even creamier texture, you can add a little alcohol (such as vanilla extract or liqueur) to the mixture, as alcohol reduces the hardness of the ice cream.

Source and images: tablemagazine.com