tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032Wed, 22 May 2013 19:17:28 +0000appetizerbeveragesno added sugarbreadsmuffinssoupbars and squaresseafoodbreakfastcookiesnon-vegetarianapplesaladveganagave syrupgrain-freedried fruitsnackside dishrunningdairy-freemain dishwhole graingrainsdessertrawbreadvegetarianpastagluten-freepaleoquinoadips and spreadshttp://www.anjasfood4thought.com/noreply@blogger.com (Anja)Blogger443125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-9024467826135578612Wed, 22 May 2013 06:46:00 +00002013-05-22T10:46:42.564+04:00vegansnackgrain-freegluten-free I recently read an interesting article about the paleo diet hype. It pointed out that it is being marketed way overboard as to what the original meaning of the caveman's diet was supposed to be; simple foods, minimally processed with short cooking times or even eaten raw. These days, you can find a vast amount of food blogs and cookbooks focusing on paleo recipes, or even more specifically, http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/05/vegan-cheezy-rosemary-roasted-chickpeas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-7608601207554748810Thu, 16 May 2013 06:10:00 +00002013-05-16T10:10:23.143+04:00vegansnackpaleodips and spreads Chakalaka is a South African tomato-based relish that has its origins in the townships of Johannesburg. 10 years ago, I was living in Johannesburg for a year and stayed at a vegetarian bachelor's house. The fridge was always empty, apart from a few lonely vegetables. But there was always chakalaka in the house. The  jarred version, but never mind. My vegetarian bachelor's friend was not much http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/05/chakalaka-spicy-tomato-pepper-relish.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-633840187245461370Wed, 08 May 2013 07:31:00 +00002013-05-11T09:36:26.214+04:00paleograin-freevegetariangluten-free Not long ago, I very proudly announced 1.000 Likes of the Anja's Food 4 Thought Facebook page. To be exact, that was in November 2012. By then, I had blogged for more than three years. Today, only 6 months later, I have reached 2.000 Likes. That is just amazing. Thank you! I am especially proud of this number because I never forced anyone to "like" me on FB by participating in competitions http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/05/broccoli-cauliflower-pancakes-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-520078673454921756Wed, 01 May 2013 07:37:00 +00002013-05-01T11:37:20.498+04:00grain-freevegetariangluten-free As Spring should be in full swing in most places of in the northern hemisphere, I think it's time for another seasonal recipe round-up. Believe it or not, I don't go through my own recipes often enough. More often than not, I stick to the same old recipes (that I know by heart) while other good ones get lost and forgotten although they surely deserve more exposure. Needless to say that all thehttp://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/05/spring-favorites-2013.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-4855402918358833222Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:05:00 +00002013-04-24T19:35:00.181+04:00snackappetizervegetarian One of my most popular recipes, here on the blog and at home with my family, are the Breakfast Oatmeal Bars whose recipe I posted 3 1/2 years ago. Countless time I have baked these because they are so good: wholesome, crunchy without added sugar, and very tasty and filling. My husband has these for breakfast and my kids as a snack when they come home from school. Making them is easy as pie http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/04/savory-oat-bars-with-olives-and-sun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-2749343757921623892Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:51:00 +00002013-04-16T15:50:27.182+04:00cookiesvegangrain-freerunninggluten-free I am as much a runner as I am a food blogger. I need to get off my chest how disgusted I am about the bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon yesterday. There will never be a right space or time for incidents like this. But targeting sports events is one of the most distasteful things that can happen. The Boston Marathon is the oldest and one of the most prestigious marathons. People train for http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/04/vanilla-sesame-cookies-with-rosewater.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-6331662762584755185Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:33:00 +00002013-05-03T07:50:19.920+04:00veganmain dishgluten-free  I acknowledge the fact that broccoli is not the most exciting vegetable. I can see on my kids faces every time they find on they lunch plate. However, I think the nutritional value of broccoli makes it worth exploring all the possibilities of making it tasty. I am somewhat infatuated with veggie burgers these days. They offer endless variations when it comes to the vegetables that can be http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/04/broccoli-pistachio-burgers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-7305327974738577377Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:53:00 +00002013-04-08T07:14:07.875+04:00grain-freedessertdairy-freegluten-free Life has been good recently as two 10k races were on the agenda. The first race included a 2.5k junior race that my son participated in. His first official race, with bib number and timing chip and all. He is seven years old. I couldn't watch him running, as I did the 10k race that only started minutes after the juniors went off. Naturally, I was still running when he finished. He cheered me http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/04/lemon-rosemary-bundt-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-5974464272215452911Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:25:00 +00002013-03-26T21:25:26.796+04:00snackappetizergrain-freegluten-free Do you like wasabi? For many years, I only knew it as this horrible green paste that comes with sushi and that (in my opinion) kills any other flavor that you would try and taste at the same time. I never really understood how wasabi can go together with something delicate as sushi. I decided that long time ago, and never really tried wasabi again. Until one afternoon, I sat at a Filipino http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/03/wasabi-roasted-edamame.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-7788567125241040317Mon, 18 Mar 2013 05:35:00 +00002013-03-19T07:42:58.428+04:00beverages When you think you eat healthy, exercise regularly, sleep enough, have a rather regulated life and are generally happy with life, you'd think  your immune system should be able to fight off anything before it even appears on your radar. Well, that's what I thought until I got the nastiest and longest-lasting cold of all times. It's been two weeks now and I am almost over it, but not quite http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/03/ginger-lemon-tea.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-3927516570231343987Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:04:00 +00002013-03-11T21:04:20.028+04:00dessert My kids eat plain yogurt literally by the bucket. I actually do buy them in 1kg buckets. And I usually take two of these buckets as one will probably not last longer than a day or two. They have yogurt every day with plain brown rice and/or Red Lentil Dal. Or as a snack on its own, or for breakfast with chopped grapes and almonds. Only recently my son discovered his love for frozen yogurt. It http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/03/vanilla-frozen-yogurt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-7535434753654076722Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:03:00 +00002013-04-26T10:12:34.956+04:00cookiessnackgluten-free I am very happy to be presenting a new savory snack recipe today. I am very proud about this recipe, as my 5-year old daughter likes it. She is a bit of a fussy eater. Not so much with regards to what she eats/doesn't eat. It's more about timings. Like me, she doesn't like to eat straight after she gets up in the morning. We both only develop an appetite about an hour or two after getting outhttp://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/03/herbed-feta-quinoa-crackers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-3778059478918488417Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:42:00 +00002013-02-27T07:42:36.098+04:00cookiesvegan I have become a cookie monster. I am not entirely sure what has caused it. I guess it's got something to do with winter where something more substantial than a piece of fruit is needed as a snack. I keep telling myself that I bake them for my kids. A little nut-free treat for the lunch box, now that even my little one is going to school. But I am afraid that's only half the truth. Perhaps http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/02/vegan-coconut-oatmeal-cookies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-7257685054130005499Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:43:00 +00002013-02-20T14:58:29.973+04:00vegansnackpaleomain dishgrain-freegluten-free Dinner is most likely the meal in our house that changes the least often. We have our two or three soups, two or three meat/seafood or pasta dishes. More often than not, we'll just have a salad or an omelette. Between those listed we rotate on a weekly to bi-weekly basis. All these dishes are actually really nice. But every now and then comes a point when none of these tickle my fancy.http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/02/herbed-cauliflower-carrot-falafels.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-1129975161219320560Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:51:00 +00002013-02-12T07:51:29.422+04:00grain-freedessertdairy-free It's almost Valentine's Day. To be honest, we chose to ignore this day completely in our house a few years ago. No flowers, gifts, expensive dine-outs or comprehensive dine-ins that has us standing in the kitchen for hours. None of this. In fact, this year I am running a half marathon at 7am the next day, and need to get up at 4.30am in the morning. For that, I need Valentine's day to be as http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/02/chocolate-olive-oil-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-5393075407397906711Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:14:00 +00002013-02-09T06:13:57.451+04:00veganmain dishgluten-free The Dubai marathon is done and dusted. For three months, everything in my life was designed and scheduled around the training and the actual race. Now that it's over, I need something else to do. I was on cloud 9 for about a week after the race. By now, I have slowly descended back down to planet earth. I am suffering a little from marathon blues (e.g. feeling lost in the sudden absence of a http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/02/spiced-lentil-spinach-walnut-loaf.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-7416107820305906541Wed, 30 Jan 2013 05:02:00 +00002013-02-15T13:56:13.603+04:00cookiesvegangluten-free The Dubai marathon is over! Three months of hard training culminated in the actual race last Friday. It would be the third time that I'd run a marathon. As many of you have followed my little journey, you surely deserve to know how it went. A comment from Cal Cakestall on the Hazelnut Vanilla Meringue Cookies last night made me get my act together. Here we go: Five days after race, I have http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/01/crispy-quinoa-chocolate-cookies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-5137378453004533721Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:33:00 +00002013-01-23T21:33:35.363+04:00cookiesgrain-freedairy-freegluten-free Last year's Christmas got me on a cookie baking roll. I am still on it. It's especially gratifying when my family likes them. These days, they deserve all the good (and healthy) cookies of the world. You wonder why? You might have guessed it. Because they have to put up with me, who is running a marathon in less than 36 hours. 4-5 times a week for three months they made it possible that I canhttp://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/01/hazelnut-vanilla-meringue-cookies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-3840545224808748752Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:41:00 +00002013-04-08T07:52:54.926+04:00veganpaleograin-freesouprunninggluten-free One more week to go until I run my 3rd marathon. It's taper time. That means less running, less physical exhaustion, and so much more time to think and worry. Here are some of the the bad voices: Have I done enough training? - Not as much as I wanted to as I was injured for 10 days, followed by being down with flu for one week in the most crucial training period.  Have I trained at the http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/01/broccoli-pistachio-soup.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-8995410993546012265Fri, 11 Jan 2013 05:18:00 +00002013-01-12T13:43:29.001+04:00saladgrain-freeseafoodgluten-free I am craving salty and hearty meals these days. Yes, it's winter. But more so, I am in the final stages of marathon training. I've been logging in my longest long run of 35k last week. For several weeks I have been running 70-80k per week. Now it's taper time. Nothing more can be done to increase fitness, speed and endurance. The marathon will be in exactly two weeks. I have been training hardhttp://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/01/portuguese-chickpea-and-cod-salad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-6432604673376517665Fri, 04 Jan 2013 04:11:00 +00002013-01-04T08:23:19.202+04:00beveragesvegangrain-freedairy-freegluten-free An icy wind is blowing that laughs at the temperatures on the mercury.  Numbers on the thermometer can be very deceptive in Dubai: yesterday it went es low as 20C which would probably count as a warm spring or fall day in most parts of the world. Or would even be accepted as a summer day in other parts of the world. I heard that 15C in Norway are warm enough to walk around in a T-shirt. In http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2013/01/hot-or-cold-chocolate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-7703355041021382203Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:29:00 +00002012-12-31T09:29:06.559+04:00 It's the last day of the year 2012, can you believe it? Every year on New Year's Eve day I have to confirm that time goes past so much quicker as you get older. What have I been doing this year? Before I run the risk of boring you with a summary of little details of my private life ( I guess you get a good share of it in my posts anyway), I'll rather present you with my favorite Top 10 recipeshttp://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2012/12/my-favorite-recipes-of-2012.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-3684838353891203891Sat, 22 Dec 2012 04:52:00 +00002012-12-27T07:20:45.463+04:00vegangrain-freedessertgluten-free There is many good things about Christmas in Dubai. If you can get your head around sunshine, blue skies and rather warm weather (which is something you have to get used to when you grew up in more Northern regions of the world), the rest is just mind-blowingly good. The city is quiet, as many expatriates have left to their home country for Christmas and New Year. The weather is actually http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2012/12/pumpkin-orange-spice-squares.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-6090904738308025389Mon, 17 Dec 2012 07:16:00 +00002012-12-17T11:29:05.475+04:00cookiesgluten-free With less than 10 days to go before Christmas, it's time for a little indulgence. I won't bore you with more broccoli recipes before the end of the year. Instead, I'll share some of my new Christmas cookie recipes with you. What makes a cookie a Christmas cookie, anyway? I never really understood. Fact is, although it is totally unscientific, cookies taste somehow better around Christmas. http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2012/12/chocolate-covered-hazelnut-balls.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251842460382515032.post-2276009521607412275Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:23:00 +00002013-01-11T20:51:33.222+04:00rawbars and squaresvegansnackgrain-freerunninggluten-free Tomorrow is the previously mentioned Dubai Creek Striders Half Marathon, and I am gonna run it!! Yes, I will. If you have read my previous post, you will know that I got a muscle tear in my thigh two weeks ago. My first injury ever. Complete new territory for me. How to handle it when the most important half marathon is just around the corner and when you are in the middle of the most crucial http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2012/12/cranberry-chocolate-nut-squares.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anja)7