A simple Zucchini Soup to warm you up this winter

A simple soup is always appreciated in the heart of winter. We all have already canned soup in our cupboards but you should try this recipe: you'll change the way you think about soups!! It is super simple and delicious. Even kids will love it! And thanks a lot to my friend Frank who once prepared this soup for me and my husband in Montréal!

Serves 4
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1 pound (500g) zucchinis - preferably organic to keep the skin, cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese or 3 Laughing Cow portions
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- water
- salt & pepper

Wash the zucchinis and cut them in to cubes. As mentioned in the ingredients list, if you buy organic zucchinis, you do not need to peel them. It's the best way to prepare this soup.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add the zucchinis. Coat them with butter and let cook for 3 minutes on medium heat, stirring.

Pour the broth into the saucepan and then add water to cover. Add a bit of salt and pepper.

Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes, or until the zucchinis are tender.

Add the cream cheese to the soup, stir well and mix everything with a hand blender until there are no more zucchini pieces and the soup is smooth.

Adjust the seasoning and serve hot. Enjoy!

How to make a delicious Carrot Soufflé....

... very easily! You'll love this simple recipe. A soufflé is a great side dish which you can make with a lot of different vegetables: potatoes, broccolis, zucchinis etc. I prepared one with carrots and it turned out great. Try it out and let me know if you liked it!

Serves 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
- 2 pounds carrots
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup grated cheese (parmesan or gruyère)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 40 g (3 tablespoons) butter
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- salt & pepper

Wash, peel, cut the carrots and place them in your pressure cooker with the thyme and the bay leaf. Cover with water and cook for 10 minutes with the pressure regulator slowly rocking
Note: You can also cook the carrots in boiling water until they are tender (about 20 minutes)

Separate whites from egg yolks.
Drain the carrots, remove the thyme and bay leaf, and mash the carrots to obtain a smooth puree. Mix this puree with the sour cream, egg yolks and cumin seeds. Add salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven at 150°C / 305°F. Coat six small ramekins or individual baking dishes with butter.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until peaks form. Slowly fold in the beaten egg whites into the puree with a wooden spoon. Pour the mixture into the 6 dishes until they are three-quarters full.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot with meat, poultry or a salad.

Broccoli Gratin with Parmesan cheese

This Gratin can be made with broccoli or with zucchinis. It is very simple and quick to prepare. And while it's baking, you can do something else! It is a good recipe to have your kids eat veggies :)

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 2 medium broccoli bunches
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 (375 ml) cup milk
- 1 1/2 (100 g) cup shredded parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- a pinch of grated nutmeg

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart.

Steam the broccoli florets for about 5 minutes: they shouldn't be too tender but rather a little firm - they will finish cooking in the gratin.
Drain the florets and place them in a rectangular baking dish (I usually use a glass cake dish).

Preheat your oven at 200°C/390°F.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and add the grated nutmeg, salt and pepper and finally the parmesan cheese.
Pour over the broccoli florets.

Place your dish in the oven and cook for about 40 minutes. The gratin should be firm, not liquid, and golden brown on top.
Serve with a salad.

Vegetarian Millefeuille with Summer Vegetables

This recipe came out of my imagination yesterday evening... no meat in the fridge but tofu, one eggplant, tomatoes and feta cheese. By adding some basic ingredients that I always have in my pantry, I prepared this flavorful dish which my husband liked a lot :-)
The presentation in layers is very cute and it's not difficult at all. Try this receipe as an appetizer or an entrée, and make it your own!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Difficulty: **
--Vegetarian dish--

Ingredients:
- 8 slices of eggplant (1 long eggplant should be enough)
- 8 slices of tomatoes (2 medium size tomatoes should be enough)
Note: try to find an eggplant and tomatoes which are almost equal in diameter
- 8 slices
Note: same as for the eggplant and tomatoes : it's better if the tofu has the same diameter - if not, double the quantity
- 1 handful of basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 4 big dried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon almond powder (or pine nuts powder)
- about 4 tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese
- olilve oil
- sesame oil

Grate the garlic cloves and rub each side of the eggplant slices. Pan fry the eggplant slices in olive oil until golden: you can proceed in batches. Pat dry to remove the excess of oil. Reserve aside.

Pan fry the tomatoes until soft and golden. This should be quick - make sure the tomatoes don't "melt", they need to keep their shape.

Wipe your pan and heat some sesame oil. Pan fry the tofu until golden brown on each side, turning once.

Chop the basil leaves and the dried tomatoes. Mix with 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and the almond powder.

Prepare the millefeuilles - place the different ingredients in this order:
1 slice of eggplant
1 slice of tomatoe
1 slice of tofu
a small quantity of basil/dried tomatoes preparation
feta cheese
1 slice of tofu
1 slice of tomatoe
1 slice of eggplant

Repeat to make 4 millefuilles. Top with crumbled feta cheese.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 390°F / 200°C, then broil on high for 5 minutes.
Enjoy with a baby greens salad and a balsamic vinaigrette.

Healthy and Natural: Eggplant and Zucchini Puree

Natural, healthy, easy, tasty... this recipe has all good! It is my own version of the eggplant purée. Usually, eggplant requires quite a lot of oil to cook properly in a pan, which is not a very healthy: the trick here is to brush lightly the eggplant with olive oil and bake it in the oven to soften it. Then I mix it will the other ingredients to create a smooth, light and perfect texture. Try it!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: *
-you'll need a food processor-

Ingredients:
- 1 small eggplant
- 2 small (or 1 regular) zucchini
- 1/4 red onion
- 2 big leaves basil
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt & pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Preheat your oven at 210°C/ 410°F.
Cut the eggplant in the middle, lengthwise. Brush the interior with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the inside is soft.

In the meantime, peel the zucchinis (if you are using organic veggies, I recommend to wash them well and to keep the skin).
Steam then for about 10 minutes, until soft.

When the eggplant is ready, scoop the flesh with a spoon and add it to the bowl of your food processor.
Add the zucchinis and all the other ingredients, except the sesame seeds.

Blend for about 2/3 minutes until the preparation is smooth and all the ingredients are mashed.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the puree and served hot with some prosciutto/jambon de Bayonne. Enjoy!

Spiced Chicken and Vegetable Couscous

The Couscous is a dish originating from North Africa. The Moroccan people were the first ones to export it abroad. The term of couscous comes from the name of the cereal (processed from semolina) which is usually served with meat, poultry and vegetable stews or tagines.
It is very rare to find twice the same couscous since any combination of meats and vegetables can be created to prepare this dish. So get creative and make your own!