When I flopped down on the couch on Sunday after a lovely weekend in Antwerp I became even happier when I turned on the TV. There was Yvonne. The woman who from now on makes me incredibly look forward to Sunday evenings at 8:23 PM. Farmer seeks wife, my favorite show. In my left hand a large glass of green tea (I think I'm hungover) and my iPhone ready in my right hand because I’m in a sort of live connection with my mother for an hour to discuss everything.
“Embaaaaaaaarrassing” when there was again an awfully long awkward silence during farmer Wietse's meal of potatoes and beets. Do you remember? Or farmer Wim, with whom you actually wanted to start dating immediately because he lives so beautifully in Tanzania. Seriously, if you ever want to chat with me about this show, I’m all yours.
Alright, I got the idea to share some traditional Dutch recipes with you. But a little bit healthier, okay? You understand that. Otherwise, I wouldn't be Jet. Here they come:
Mashed potatoes with arugula
Instead of regular potatoes, I use sweet potatoes. I cook them peeled in a pot. Then you drain the water, but leave a little bit of cooking liquid in the pot. Mash the sweet potatoes into a puree and mix in the arugula along with grated Parmesan cheese. The puree needs to be hot enough for the cheese to melt. Get a little rough and mix everything very well together. Roast some pine nuts in a pan and mix those in. You can also crumble some walnuts into the mashed potatoes.
Pea soup
Very often this is eaten at the kitchen table of the farmers. Check here this easy recipe from Pauline's Kitchen. If you feel like a skinny variant, then leave out the smoked sausage.
Pancakes
Preferably with bacon and then syrup on top, but of course I have a healthier variant for you. By the way, the same goes for this that the first versions always fail. Make sure to make a big stack, because you want more than one.
Here's what you need and how to make it:
– 100 grams of buckwheat flour
– 2 eggs
– 300 ml (sweetened) almond milk
– a pinch of salt
– coconut oil for frying
Put the buckwheat flour together with a pinch of salt in a bowl and whisk the eggs in one by one. Then add the almond milk in small splashes. Keep stirring well so that no lumps form in the batter. The mixture should be as thick as regular pancake batter. If it’s too thick, you can add a little more milk. Instead of a whisk, you can also use a mixer. Now your batter is ready.
Let a pan get very hot and then add a teaspoon of coconut oil. Distribute the batter with a spoon so that the entire bottom is covered. Set the heat to medium and let the pancake turn golden brown on both sides. Delicious with agave syrup or a bit of palm sugar. You can also choose to add cheese and spinach, for example. Then opt for unsweetened almond milk, otherwise it won't taste good.
Kale chips
Kale mash is served at least once a week on the farm. The farmers are just huge trendsetters because this vegetable is mega hip among models. In the morning in the shake and you go like a spear.
The chips are nice for watching TV. I can't promise you that this will please the man as well, but maybe he just doesn't feel like watching.
Here's what you need and how to make it:
– uncut kale leaves (1 kg is more than enough)
– 1 to 2 tablespoons of the best quality olive oil
– salt
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Wash the kale well and place the leaves (tear them a bit smaller if you find them too big) on a clean tea towel, then pat them dry. Place the dry, clean leaves in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and toss well. Then place them on a greased baking sheet. They should not overlap. Bake the kale for half an hour (turn the leaves after 15 minutes). You should check in between, and if it’s going too fast, you can lower the temperature a bit. Let the chips sit in the (turned off) oven for another quarter of an hour until they are completely crispy. Remove them from the oven, sprinkle with salt, and let them cool for a bit.
