Bonjour Norvège!

And two vibrant recipes

Bonjour and welcome to a new week!

Exciting things will be happening for me in the next few days as I head off on a business trip* to Norway where I will attend an exclusive dinner with Sven Erik Renaa, chef of the double Michelin-starred restaurant RE-NAA in Stavanger. Renaa will be showing off his culinary skills for a select group of twelve people at the historic Utstein Monastery, where I will also be spending my first night. I am very excited to meet Renaa and will be reporting on this (and all the other experiences in Stavanger) next week. Included will be dining at a seletction of restaurants (among them, one that is exclusively plant-based!), visits to local producers and a cruise past the mighty fjords!

As always, I will be giving you a behind-the-scenes via Instagram, so don’t forget to follow along! And as with the trip to Abruzzo, you can also expect a video at the end of my post series. Please note that I will depart tomorrow and return home late on Friday afternoon, full of stories and probably needing to catch my breath. The first posts on this trip will be scheduled for the week thereafter.

Before leaving, I would like to share a few recipes with you that are full of health, vitality and vibrant ingredients: my berry breakfast bowl and a super spicy carrot soup that will warm you up on those chilly autumn evenings ahead!

Bon appétit and see you in Norway!

Berry breakfast bowl
Serves 2

Ingredients:

300ml plant-based yogurt

100ml plant-based milk

3 tbsps frozen blueberries

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

2 kiwis, peeled & sliced

1 ½ tsp chia seeds

4 tbsps oats

4 tbsps mixed seeds and berries of your choice

2 tbsp cacao nibs 

Instructions:

• Blend the plant-based yogurt, milk, berries, cinnamon and ginger until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and top with the rest of the ingredients.

Spicy carrot soup with shiitakes
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

500g carrots, peeled & sliced at a diagonal

2 medium onions, peeled & quartered

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 whole red chili pepper

2 tbsps good-quality olive oil

2 tsps curry powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp smoked paprika powder

750ml vegetable stock

Juice of ½ lime

100ml coconut milk, plus a bit more for drizzling

2 tbsps soy sauce

For the shiitakes:

2 tsps plant-based butter

100g shiitakes, sliced

½ tsp smoked paprika powder

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the carrots, onions, garlic and chili in a roasting tin. Drizzle with the oil and toss with the spices to coat.

• Bake for 35 minutes, tossing halfway through.

• When the vegetables are cooked, bring your stock to the boil.

• In the meantime, melt the butter in a frying pan and add the shiitakes, seasoning them with the paprika. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.

• Add the vegetables to the stock (remembering to remove the stem end of the chili) and blitz until smooth.

• Stir in the lime juice, coconut milk and soy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

• Serve the soup with the shiitakes and an extra drizzle of coconut milk.

*I don’t call these trips ‘press trips’ as I’ve noticed that for many, this implies an all-expense paid trip. For me, this is work, and though it’s exceptionally enjoyable work, it’s still hard work with long days and interviews. I am not an influencer. Snapping a few cleverly posed shots doesn’t cut it in my book. I am a journalist and report on these experiences as such, in a completely different (professional) way.

Stavanger image credit: Pixabay