ROYAL SNACKING
For weeks, King's Day has been the talk of the day here in the editorial office. Everyone is a bit in doubt about the question of what to do. Will it be a sailing party (but: cold), will it be a party by the water (but: rain), or will we dive into Vondelpark (but: crowded)? The struggle. One thing is certain; whatever you decide to do, a bag full of snacks is never a bad plan. But what are some original and handy delights to fill that cooler with? I've lined up the tastiest snacks for you. All you have to do is fill your basket and make an hour free on Wednesday to dive into the kitchen. With these snacks, you'll score points on the picnic blanket, and they are easy peasy to transport.
1. Sweet orange snack balls
• 125 grams of medjool dates (pitted)
• 125 grams of grated carrot
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp grated coconut
• 1 tbsp nut butter
• 40 grams of walnuts
• 25 grams of (raw) cashews
• 25 grams of pecans (optional, instead of the walnuts)
• 10 tbsp oatmeal
1. First, put the dates, cinnamon, and coconut in the blender and pulse for a few seconds.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse so that all ingredients are well mixed.
3. Don't blend too long; the balls are tastiest when you can still find small pieces of nut.
2. Stuffed mini snack peppers
• a bucket of small (orange) snack peppers
• fried sambal
• soft goat cheese with honey
• fresh coriander
• fresh chives
1. Halve the peppers and clean them out.
2. Mash the goat cheese with a fork and mix until the cheese becomes a bit softer.
3. Mix the container of hummus with half a tablespoon of ketjap.
4. Fill the peppers with the hummus and goat cheese.
5. Top the hummus with coriander and the goat cheese with chives.
3. Thai lentil cakes
• 200 grams of red lentils
• 100 grams of quinoa
• 1 tsp cumin
• 5 tbsp spelt flour
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 3 tbsp harissa
• 15 grams of fresh coriander
• 15 grams of mint
• 5 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 lime
1. Cook the lentils and quinoa for 10 minutes until done.
2. Drain and let it sit for 3 minutes.
3. Put the lentil-quinoa mixture together with the cumin, spelt flour, smoked paprika powder, harissa, and coriander in the blender.
4. Blend into a coarse puree and season with pepper and possibly salt.
5. Let the mixture cool and then place it in the refrigerator for at least a quarter of an hour.
6. Cut the mint into strips and mix with 5 tablespoons of Greek yogurt and the juice of half a lime.
7. Cut the other half of the lime into wedges for garnish.
8. Form about 20 balls from the lentil mixture with wet hands.
9. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the cakes for about 5 minutes until done.
10. Serve with the yogurt sauce and lime wedges.
4. Mom's meatballs
• 500 grams of ground beef
• 1 finely chopped red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• tsp smoked paprika
• pinch of salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 rusk
• splash of milk
1. Put all the ingredients, except for the rusk and the milk, in a bowl and mix well.
2. Crumble the rusk over the minced meat and add a splash of milk.
3. If your meat is too wet, add some extra rusk.
4. Roll balls the size of a golf ball and place them in the fridge for a while.
5. Heat a knob of butter in the pan and cook the balls until done.
Serving tip: a dollop of mustard or just old-fashioned a smear of Belgian mayonnaise.
5. Simone's super quick tuna salad (a real hit in the editorial office)
• 2 cans of tuna in oil
• 1 heaping tablespoon of low-fat quark
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• handful of chopped spring onion
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of salt
1. Drain the tuna so that the excess olive oil disappears.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
Serving tip: delicious with a toast or as a dip with a snack carrot.
LONG LIVE THE KING!
