veggies – Beary Strong

Caramelised Pears And Radicchio

The perfect way to fall in love with bitterness again.

Most of us aren’t used to the bitter notes some vegetables like radicchio bring to the table. In a world full of sweet or salty treats, bitterness has been abandoned. Using a little kitchen magic, we take the edges off the bitterness and transform it into a crowd-pleasing side dish that goes with pretty much any meat or even fish. An Italian classic with a little Asian twist. Give it a try!

Mediterranean Salad And Oat Meatballs

My summer meal prep staple.

If you still are not convinced how easy it is to prepare delicious veggies in batch and how to apply Stefan’s wonderful veggie guide, I have taken the theory to practice and created my own Ottolenghi-style Mediterranean Salad. It is, again, not really a recipe as you can mix and match everything to your taste and there are no rules. The result is a colorful, tasty side dish which will make you happy at every meal. I’ve added the meatballs to make a complete meal so you do not have to struggle with the protein neither 😉 .

How To Make Veggies Taste Great

Let your five a days be great again.

Vegetables are healthy, colorfoul and delicious but even a lot of people embrancing the fitness/bodybuilding lifestyle do not eat enough of them. Sadly most people think veggies are boring or even do not like them at all. If you are one of them, I am sorry to tell you that you just can’t cook. Vegetables are rich in micro nutrients, fiber and low in calories. They can taste incredibly good and bring your main dishes to the next level. What they lack are some culinary key elements and a little love and creativity when preparing them. Read on to learn more!

Eggplant Brownies

Dark chocolate meets veggies.

If you are a long-time reader of the Beary Strong blog you know that I love baking and always try to find a way to make some desserts a bit less heavy on the calorie account. I would not define them as “healthy” as I do not like do divide food in good or bad. Norb do I think they will subsitute a proper meal: sweets should always be an enjoyable treat but not the major component of your diet. I am also always searching for new interesting flavour pairings and since our experiment with the root veggie cake I was intrigued to build even more unconventional vegetable-based sweets. This is how the eggplant brownies were born.

Waldorf Salad

The light and protein packed version.

I know, Waldorf salad sounds boring, somehow very 80’s and not so exciting as perhaps a duck roast or shortbread. But to be honest I really like it: it’s refreshing, creamy and it has a sentimental component for me. My mum bought it from the butcher and we ate it with all kinds of meat. In Italy the meat is usually cooked in a quite boring way (no sauces, scarse seasoning) and the Waldorf salad was a real highlight. The original recipe requires mayonnaise which does not fit in our current macros. Nevertheless, we managed to create a lighter but no less tastier version of it.

Chicken Tray Bake

Juicy, tender chicken and delicious roasted veggies.

So, I heard you don’t have much time for cooking. No problem, I’ve got you covered! There aren’t a lot of recipes that allow you to prepare a mountain of protein while at the same time cooking up a healthy side dish (only stews are nearly as efficient). We combine chicken thighs with tasty veggies, bold spices and refreshing citrus fruits. The reward is crispy chicken skin, tender meat and delicious veggies for days.

Cauliflower Roast

A celebration of a humble vegetable.

As much as I like cauliflower rice, making it is a chore. Shredding the cauliflower into rice results in tiny white pieces jumping around in my kitchen. I simply hate it. Therefore I am really glad that I found this recipe. It celebrates the cauliflower. We don’t turn it into faux-something. We honor it by treating it just like a sunday roast. And we get a lot in return: tender white flesh and a spicy bark. Try this one and thank me later, it will change your relationship to cauliflower forever.