Paella and Green Smoothies

Have you tried white asparagus before? It's apparently all the rage in Germany. While it is in season, some Germans are reported to eat it every day!

I am a huge fan of asparagus. There have definitely been times when I have eaten it on a daily basis. But I don't think I have ever had white asparagus before. Something about it just wasn't appealing. Too bland looking, too much resemblance to body parts... I don't know.

But since white asparagus is everywhere right now, I just had to pick up some of those fat, pale sticks at the Haarlemmerplein market this week.

Damn, they are tasty!

Thinking of some creative use for the veggie, I thought they might go nicely with paella. So I cooked paella with fresh white fish and shellfish, and threw some roasted white asparagus in the mix at the last minute. Pretty yum!

I'm borrowing the lovely Susie's fancy camera (Canon EOS 650D) for a few days and having a blast taking somewhat in focus photos with it! What do you think, does it make my green smoothie look a little more appealing?

Green smoothie with machê, cranberries, banana, bee pollen and mango

More practice is needed, obviously!
xxx

Amsterdamse Bos Goat Farm

Yesterday we went to visit the Geitenboerderij Ridammerhoeve. This goat (and chicken and cow and pig and horse) farm is nestled in Amsterdamse Bos just outside the "ring" around the city of Amsterdam.

What fun!

All aboard the tractor! Who's driving?

Lots of cute baby goats hop and frolic in the fields and pens. Chickens run free. A goat tried to eat my jacket. And we even got to pet the horse!

Chickens like seesaws too!

But since this blog is about eating, let me tell you what there is to eat at Geitenboerderij Ridammerhoeve! You can buy many varieties of homemade goat cheese, organic and biodynamic eggs, goat milk, goat milk yogurt, and even goat (and other types of) meat!

Did you know... goat meat is lower in calories and fat than chicken!?! 

yummy biodynamic eggs, goat cheese with honey, and goat cheese with nettles!

Geitenboerderij Ridammerhoeve serves a nice lunch menu using products from the farm including organic veggies from the gardens ...and they have yummy goat milk ice cream!

Did you know...many people who are lactose intolerant can eat goat's milk products without trouble? The protein and fat molecules in goat milk are different from those found in cow milk. Next time I visit I plan to bring my own glass bottles and pick up some goat milk!

It's a great destination for the kiddies and those who like to see where their food comes from. And they host a small farmer's market on Saturdays too.

The surrounding forest and green fields of Amsterdamse Bos provide a nice outing. Stroll the park's trails or even rent a canoe for the day. Right now the fields and woods are full of flowers. So lovely!

New Toy

Oh yippee hooray I got a new toy!

Let's be honest. I can't afford a VitaMix or Blendtec. But the truth is that I also don't have the space for one. So as much as I would like one of these fancy high speed blending machines I'm not getting one any time soon.

Some perusal of smoothie loving blogs led me to the Tribest Personal Blender. It's not anywhere close to the blending prowess of those others but it seemed like it would serve me well with my low budget and small space.

Being the cheapskate (and fan of re-use) that I am, I really wanted a used one. But I looked for months and never found one.  So I bit the bullet and bought one new.

So far I've made a few smoothies and one killer salad dressing.

I think I need a bit more practice as the smoothies are not blending so easily, and I've been left with some big chunks. I use a lot of frozen ingredients so maybe that's part of the problem. I seem to be creating air pockets so that the blend is not mixing properly. But I do like my smoothies on the thick side so maybe that's another issue.

I'll just keep messing around and see what works best.

In the meantime, here's a pic of a refreshing creation I made on the one warm spring day we had. It's got mango, cranberries, half a banana, lime, ginger, spinach and cold water. Sour and delicious! 

Any Tribest users out there want to give me blending tips?

Homemade Pad Thai

Everyone loves pad thai right? Well, I do at least.

So I decided to make it at home.

Although in the US (and in Ansterdam) the pad thai is often scarily orange in color, it still usually tastes yummy. But that is not normal. My pad thai was tasty and tan in color.

I followed recipes I found on youtube. Basic ingredients are rice noodles, tamarind, fish sauce, sugar, peanuts, shrimp, egg and veggies. I didn't find dried shrimps so I used the tiny Hollandse garnalen.

Yummo!

I got some of the ingredients at Tjin's Toko. I love that place.

Next I'm going to attempt Pad See Ew. I wish I could find that chinese broccoli, but I haven't seen it at any of the street markets.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Have you ever made Vietnamese style summer rolls before? I never had because I figured my clumsiness would mean a big disaster rather than the pretty rolls you get in a restaurant. Eén grote rommel!

But then I got this crazy idea to try and it turns out to be oh so easy. And yummy!

The only special ingredient you really need are rice paper wrappers, I got mine at Toko Dun Yong. You can also use rice vermicelli noodle inside the rolls but I chose to go with a veggie packed powerhouse instead.

First, I prepped some veggies. I went a little overboard.

Then I wet the rice paper as I saw on a YouTube video. Easy, just fill a shallow bowl or plate with cool or warm water, get the whole thing wet, then start rolling on a clean plate. Stuff with your veggies of choice, and add tofu or meats if you like. I used lettuce, nappa cabbage, carrot, zucchini, cooked mushrooms, shredded broccoli, cilantro and mint. I added in some cooked shrimps cut in half.

Healthy, fresh and easy! Looks pretty too. I'm sure I'll make them a lot for summer picnics! If the weather would just warm up...