Whenever I'm super busy and don't have time to make myself a decent meal, 9 out of 10 times I make this 'Spicy Spinach-Cocos Soup'. You can make this in just 15 minutes !!  it's full of flavour, rich in vitamins and nutrients and just so damn tasty! When I do have more time I always like to have some spicy beef balls on the side with it..but really..this soup will give you a great energy boost in no time!

Beside the fact that this soup is great for people who just want a quick dinner, this soup is perfect to have as a starter for dinner parties too! Every time I make this soup for my friends it's an absolute Hit (with a capital H)! They all Love it!! I mean, you can easily 'upgrade' this soup by roasting some pine-nuts and sprinkle it over the soup before serving it out maybe even add some bits of goatcheese.. and TADAA !! That will give the soup just that little extra! What are you waiting for? Go check out my RECIPE now! Oh by the way.. before you get all exited and all..  .. you do need a immersion blender to make this (like..duh!) ..I seriously can't imagine my life..oke I'm overreacting..no but seriously I can't imagine running my kitchen without a immersion blender!
Click HERE if you want to start making this soup!

;)

As you all know I just love to snack.. who doesn't? But I like to keep it healthy! So today I made myself a nice portion of easy to make Apple-Chips!
They're super gorgeous don't you think..if you serve the apple-chips in a big bowl it even looks a bit like nice potpourri ! Great when you have a party, trust me.. these apple-chips definitely win it from the boring unhealthy potato-chips!

After a nice day at the office I cycled my way back home and thinking of what I could make myself for dinner. As I had a big piece of steak yesterday I didn't feel like eating meat again so I thought of a Thai Vegan Curry..Mmmm
I spontaneously invited my lovely friend K. over for dinner as I had her on the phone knowing she was at the gym a couple blocks away from my house. This dish is super super easy and you can adjust it exactly the way you like it, so if you don't like tofu, use beef or chicken instead, if you don't like mushrooms or green beans use other veggies..Or use all your bits left over veggies you have in the fridge. Cause this curry is just good with ANYTHING! Go check out my Recipe HERE.

Oke I know I posted on my facebook page that I was going to cook tonight.. BUT..plans changed spontaneously. It's Sunday.. that happens right ;) ?!
After a nice lunch at 'Greenwoods' we did some shopping downtown and then my friend D. suggested to go for a nicely grilled steak at 'Castell'! As I couldn't eat the last week because I was just not feeling hungry with the flu and all I thought this was a great idea to get some energy back into my hungry body! Even though I'm not really a big meat-eater, a nicely medium steak from time to time can really do you good!
I can't believe I almost forgot about this fantastic grill house, it's practically on the Leidseplein, so very central and they serve one of the best grilled steak in town! Super tender meat with a delicious bbq taste.. M. M. MMMmmmmm... I ordered the -Beef Amazona, the lady fillet steak of 200 gram (22,50 Euro) and D. ordered the -Holandes Gaucho, Dutch Fat Ass Steak of 350 gram (22,50 Euro). We were both very satisfied with our choice and it was exactly the nice amount of meat we needed!
The atmosphere here is just very laid back, cosy and informal, perfect for our relaxed Sunday dinner!
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who just wants no-nonsense food in a no-nonsense atmosphere! If you're with more then 2 persons it's better to make reservation beforehand.

I promise you I'll definitely cook tomorrow, maybe a nice Thai red curry.. or no wait.. a nicely grilled salmon with some veggies on the side.. or.. spicy grilled chicken with..oh well as I'm thinking about food and recipes again that means I'm really over the Flu (Thank God!). Good night dear readers!
xoxo
The Cookteaser

Oh god.. I wasn't really feeling well yesterday evening but that it would turnout in feeling This Sick was very unexpected.. I woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever and feeling my head could just explode any minute! I feel awful and I'm sweating like a pig.. don't feel like eating (oke then you know I'm really sick..).
My friend D. will be here any time now providing me with new stash of medicine, ain't that sweet!?
If you have any tips that will make my fever go away quicker please feel free to leave me a comment!

From time to time you need to spoil yourself.. Some may by a new silk top from Isabel Marant or a beautiful new Alexander Wang bag.. I on the other hand love to treat myself with new Kitchen Design! I cheated on my loyal wooden lemon squeezer from Ikea I have for years...but come one.. this beautiful design from Philippe Starck was just staring at me in the shop..like TAKE ME HOMEEEEE! NOWWWW!!! oh well fuck.. and so I did..(total slut I am)
I'm starting to having a sour throat, so I just made myself a nice warm ginger-lemon tea.. Using this little fella..Hope I feel better soon..Going to bed early will probably do me good..

I love the story how natural Philippe Starck designed this top piece! He was having lunch on the Amalfi coast. As he ordered a plate of calamari he was pondering his latest commission from the Italian design house Alessi. The company, responsible for so many acclaimed designs over the years, had requested a tray. Starck needed to work out how to bring his unique talents to such a humdrum object. Glancing down at his plate, he realised that he had no lemon.
As he beckoned to the waiter, Starck was suddenly seized by an idea. He began scribbling on his paper napkin.
Twenty years on, that napkin is now in the Alessi Museum. Greasy and lemon-stained, it depicts the very first doodles of what would become the now iconic Juicy Salif lemon squeezer.

I have to be honest.. it's not really super super handy.. but who cares!! It now ranks among the greats of modern design with a place in the Museum of Modern Art in New York (I also spotted this beauty at 'Het Stedelijk Museum' in Amsterdam), which means that it's a work of art for just 60,- Euro's in your kitchen!

When I was a kid I'd call Broccoli 'delicious mini trees'...They really do look like mini trees don't you think?! The best ways are to steam them, shortly fry them or even better .. eat them RAW because that preserves all the nutrients in them.  I think most of you already know that Broccoli will help reduce your chances of getting cancer, but did you know that broccoli has a lot more health benefits you should know of?! READ MORE..

I was meeting up with my friends (in total 5 hungry hotties) for a Saturday night out! The first plan was to have dinner at 'Pink Flamingo' but P. changed plans and decided to have our little get together at 'Little Collins' instead. I never heard of this place so I was very excited cause my friends told me they were sure I would love the place. So of I went on my bike into the freezing cold..FUCKING HELL!! really... the cold from last night was NOT normal.. even for a minute I thought my eyeballs would freeze while cycling my way to 'Little Collins'! When I arrived I instantly ordered a nice glass of red wine to keep me warm!
As you can see on the pictures above we ordered A LOT! I think our eyes were a bit more hungry then our tummies.. but we were all very curious about the dishes..so we kept on ordering food!
'Little Collins' is actually more known for their brunches & lunches, unfortunately we were the only guests for dinner but on the other hand...as if we had our own private chef! LOVE IT!

We first had our drinks at the bar.. and then we decided not to move to a normal table but just have our food served on the bar...This way we all could have a look into the core of the restaurant..THE KITCHEN! I always love places where you can see how the chef is preparing your food! I love it that the idea of the interior is very simple.. an open kitchen with a bar and some tables around the kitchen. Simple & Clean, a place where any type of person would feel welcome in.
I don't know what to call the style of the food they serve..it's uhm Mediterranean meets Fusion meets Asian meets Delicious meets.. Oh fuck you get my point..haha I think the highlight was the home-smoked salmon ..So damn good.. and I loved the Korean beef tartar too, oh and let's not forget the chocolate fondant! perfect caky from the outside..and soft and melty from the inside..oooh just to DIE for! and let's not forget the Wine! let the staff advise you which wine goes well with what dish..I tried 3 different wines and they were all super super tasty!  
I don't know how we did it.. but we ended up around 00:30 and we were eating more pie the 'chocolate-hazelnut-pie'! (like are you f*cking serious..so good!!) and from lounge music we suddenly were listening to the beats of Rihanna and Michael Jackson.. One of my friends J. sneaked in the back and put his ipod on speaker..! hmmm maybe we should have stopped after the first bottle of wine? HAHA .. well luckily the staff was just super relaxed about it and they eventually ended up drinking at the bar with us..
I looked outside and I was happy to see that I wouldn't be needing my umbrella ella ella..But Fuck it was cold! :| Overall .. 'Little Collins' is a place I definitely recommend and come back to! I probably go there next weekend to give the brunch/lunch a try.. If you want to give this little gem a try too for dinner I would say: go there with at least 4 friends so you can try more dishes like we did! Sharing is Caring and just much more fun ;)
xoxo
The Cookteaser.

Today I was meeting up with my lovely friends M. and E. at this new place called 'Coffee Room' they just opened up a couple of months ago and it's really just 1 block away from my house! As you might have noticed I'm a bit of a hummus addict lately, I just love it so much..So I again ordered a sandwich Hummus today.. When I got home I still felt like eating hummus (don't ask me why I crave hummus so much.. cause I don't even know the answer myself.. :| ) I thought I make my own spicy 'Jalapeño-Hummus'. I think it's nicer when you make your own hummus, so you can spice it exactly the way you like it! What inspired me to make a jalapeño-hummus is because there is this market-stand on the 'Ten Kate' market and this guy sells all different hummuses even 'Mango-hummus'.. and it's really super good! Mmm ok next time I'll try to make my version of mango-hummus ok?!
It's super easy, and super delish! I was like 'done' in 10 min. of time!

Ingredients you need:
- 1 can of chickpeas ( I peal all the peas by hand.. there's this soft shell around it, if you take it of using your fingertips the hummus will be much smoother. but no problem if you leave them on)
- 4 spoons of tahin (stir it well first)
- juice of 1 lemon (start with 1/2 a lemon juice..I like it when it's lemony)
- 1 glove of Garlic
- 4 jalapeño peppers
- some sea salt & pepper
- a bit of cumin
- 2 spoons of olive oil
This is SO super easy to make, I don't even think I have to write all the steps down, I mean there are no 'steps', just mix everything together in your kitchen-machine until it's all smooth.
At the end you pour a bit of olive oil on top with some crushed walnuts and you're done! Go get your carrots and dip them in! MMMmm... Also a good idea when you have your friends over for dinner and if you're still not done working in the kitchen.. just put a bowl with your home-made hummus on the table with a plate of thinly sliced cucumber, carrots and maybe some bread and let your guests start dipping with that. This way you give yourself some more time to finish up your work in the kitchen! Your guests won't even know you're not there... the hummus will distract them! ;)
xoxo
The Cookteaser.