New Recipes - Let it Be Green in your Glasses and on Your Plates

Apart from the fact that we all ate a little bit too much during the holidays and we want to become slim and fit again, we all do not only want to stay healthy in this cold and grey time and – wouldn´t it be nice if we also looked better and younger? Green vegetables have many benefits, the best are: when you eat them regularly they help you to look fresher and younger. They contain many vitamins – you become and stay healthy eating them. They are low in fat and carbohydrates and keep you therefor slim. They make your bones stronger, enhance the eyesight and keep you hydrated. Not bad.

So lets prepare a green dinner. Most delicious of course! Promised. Start with a green smoothie (recipes here and here), eat cucumber salad with thinly cut blue onions and vinaigrette (s. photo below) as a starter and afterwards sandwiches (healthy sandwiches of course made of this bread or with these crackers). There are many ideas for green sandwiches. Toast bread, put tapenade (mashed olives) and rocket leaves on, add thinly sliced courgettes, onions and radishes and top everything with slightly roasted and salted nuts or sunflower seeds. Inspire yourself with this dip (this recipe) or the today´s recipes.

• Avocado Cream (makes 4 – 6 sandwiches)

• 1 ripe avocado
• ½ – 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 – 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp almond butter (optional)
• ½ blue onion
• 2 – 4 halves of dried tomatoes
• olive oil
• salt, pepper

Spoon flesh out of the avocado, put into a bowl, mash with a fork and drizzle the lemon juice over it. Add mustard, almond butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, cut onion and tomatoes and mix well.

Let sit for a while in the fridge and take out when you are going to use.

• Artichoke Cream (about 4 sandwiches)

• 4 cooked or jarred artichoke hearts
• 2 – 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 – 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 – 2 cloves garlic
• salt, pepper
• dried or fresh herbs (oregano, parsley)

I like pickled vegetables very much and confess that there are always some jars in our fridge. I like to eat them as other people eat sweets. As I love artichokes very much and cannot get fresh very often there are almost always jarred artichokes in the fridge (organic of course!!!). If you happen to get fresh artichokes use them cooked.

Puree artichoke hearts, olive oil, lemon juice, cut garlic with the hand blender. Add salt, pepper and the herbs and stir well.

Let sit for a while (in the fridge) and take out when you are going to use.

Toast the bread or use crackers and serve with some different green dips. Take this as often as possible and enjoy: staying healthy, looking good and fresh and young!