Baked Savory Crepes with Cheese and Swiss Chard

Baked sweet crepes filled with cheese are a popular dessert in Croatia and have been enjoyed throughout my childhood. This recipe features baked crepes with cheese but in a savory version. The crepes are filled with cooked Swiss chard, cheese and pancetta or bacon bits. It is a great and filling lunch recipe, and the crepes can be eaten warm and cold so you don't have to worry about leftovers. Just place the leftover crepes in the fridge and you can have a snack or lunch ready for the next day too!

Ingredients:

For the crepes:

1 egg

pinch of salt

400 ml milk

80 gr gluten free flour

80 gr buckwheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp brandy

For the filling:

230 gr cooked chard

300 gr cottage cheese

100 gr sour cream

50 gr pancetta or bacon

For the topping:

100 gr sour cream

100 ml cream

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix one egg with a pinch of salt and add in the milk.

2. Add the dry ingredients: gluten free flour, buckwheat flour and the baking powder. Add a teaspoon of brandy to the batter to make sure the crepes don't soak up a lot of oil. Cook the crepes.

3. Prepare the filling by chopping the cooked chard into small pieces. Squeeze the chard with your hands to drain the excess water, and place it into a bowl.

4. Add the cheese, sour cream and pancetta or bacon and mix well.

5. Fill each crepe with the filling and roll it up. Place it into a greased baking tin.

6. Prepare the topping by mixing cream and sour cream and pour it on top of the crepes. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

7. Serve warm. Bon Appetit!

Pasta with Beetroot and Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Are you a fan of beets? I've always loved them and enjoyed eating them in many different ways: cooked, raw, baked, even as a main ingredient in a cake!

Today I am bringing you a great recipe: a wonderful bright pesto that is full of good-for-you ingredients. The beets give this pesto an amazing pink color, and the toasted pumpkin seeds add a nutty flavor even though this pesto is nut-free.

You can combine the pesto with regular gluten free pasta, or if you want a low-carb meal you can substitute the regular grain pasta with zucchini noodles. The easiest way to make zucchini noodles is to use a spiralizer, a little machine that does the job for you. If you don't have access to one, you can make your own noodles by simply slicing the zucchini into relatively thin slices, and then cutting them again to make a shape of a noodle.

Ingredients:

40 gr pumpkin seeds

185 gr beets

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

salt

pasta or a large zucchini

Instructions:

1 Cook the beets with the skin on. After they are cooked through, drain them and peel them.

2. Toast the pumpkin seeds on low heat, taking care not to burn them.

3. Cut the beets into smaller pieces and put them in a blender. Add the pumpkin seeds, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.

4. Season with salt and blend until you get a pesto-like consistency.

5. If you're using regular pasta, cook it. If you're using zucchini noodles, make the noodles using a spiralizer.

6. If you're using regular pasta: in a pan on medium high heat add a tablespoon of olive oil and pesto, and then add the cooked and drained pasta. Serve immediately.

7. If you're using zucchini noodles: in a pan on medium high heat add a tablespoon of olive oil and the zucchini noodles. Cook them, while stirring occasionally for two to three minutes. Then add the pesto and coat the noodles completely. Serve immediately.

Juicy Marinated Chicken with Quinoa and a Matcha Green Tea Sauce

You might have heard about the popular matcha latte. You might even be a fan and make a cup of the delicious green stuff on the daily. A matcha dessert is a normal occurence, at least in our household. But this, my friends, is a savory dish with a matcha sauce!

Chicken and green tea might sound a bit weird, but worry not! The flavors flow beautifully together and make a refreshing and delicious lunch. Quinoa is mixed with vegetables, the chicken breast is marinated and is still super juicy once cooked, and the sauce brings it all together. I hope you'll try and enjoy this unusual flavor combo as much as I have!

Ingredients:

300 gr chicken breast

½ cup quinoa

1 tsp mayonnaise

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp red paprika

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp tamari sauce

1 tsp potato starch

100 gr asparagus

150 gr cherry tomatoes

2 handfuls of arugula

50 ml yogurt

1 tsp mayonnaise

1 tsp matcha

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp hemp seeds

Instructions:

1. Cut the chicken breast into smaller pieces, and prepare the marinade by mixing olive oil, mayonnaise, red paprika, thyme, tamari sauce and potato starch.

2. Cover all the pieces of chicken with the marinate, and let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

3. Wash and cook the quinoa.

4. Blanche the asparagus by placing them into boiling salted water for two to three minutes, and then submerge them into cold water to stop the cooking process. Cut them into smaller pieces.

5. Wash the arugula and cherry tomatoes, and slice the tomatoes.

6. Place the marinated chicken into a lightly oiled, and very hot pan. Let the meat caramelize on one side before turning it over to the other.

7. Prepare the sauce by mixing the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and matcha. Mix well and season with salt to taste.

8. Drain the quinoa, and place it into a large bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes, asparagus, arugula which you can cut into smaller bite sized pieces if you so wish. Mix well.

9. Serve the dish by placing the quinoa and vegetable base in a bowl or a plate. Place the chicken on top, and drizzle the sauce on top. Sprinkle with hemp seeds and serve immediately. Bon appetit!