Pear and Mango Smoothie

Pear and Mango Smoothie

Ingredients for 2 

2 small or 1 big pear

1 mango

1 banana

1 or 1 1/2 cup of cold water

1 tablespoon of flax seeds 

2 tablespoons of agave syrup 

Blend everything together until smooth. 

Enjoy this healthy drink!

Hummus

I never thought it was so easy to make hummus. We tried many recipes and after many times I've managed to come up with our perfect hummus recipe. 

You need

1. 1 can of cooked chickpeas

2. 2 tablespoons of tahini 

3. 1 claw of garlic

4. 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice ( depending on taste)

5. 1/4 cup of cold water

6.Salt

7. Pomegranate seeds

Combine all ingredients in blender or a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of cold water. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Check the taste and add the seasoning and lemon juice if required. Serve with pomegranate seeds, a warm pita bread ( recipe soon on the blog) or with fresh veggies.Enjoy! 

Sunday Photoshoot

Food is not my only subject I also love to photograph people as well. This weekend I had a pleasure to work with a talented MUA that I met recently. We were creating a bridal look for her lookbook. We had so much fun. Here are few photos from it. What do you think? 

Little touch up before the next shoot.

Vegan Pate

Inspired by this lovely recipe from one of my favourite blogs

Since my husband is vegan I was struggling to find a replacement for a regular sandwich we used to eat before. The base was always cheese or some kind of meat. I thought there is no many options left but for my surprise there is. And here is a great recipe for a VEGAN PATE

You will need :

2 glasses of cooked jellow or red lentils 

1 glass of cooked millet grain

2 onions 

100ml of olive oil plus few spoons of oil for frying

2/3 tablespoons of light soy sauce 

3/4 teaspoon marjoram

1/2 teaspoon savory

1/4 teaspoon lovage

pinch of nutmeg

2 whole cloves

2 bay leaves

2 grains allspice

salt and black pepper

1. Dice the onions

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onions along with bay leaf allspice and cloves. Fry until the onion is soft and delicate , then remove and discard spices .

3. Add the onions to the cooked lentils together with cooked millet , oil and soy sauce and a pinch of salt and the rest of the spices. Blend with a blender until smooth , taste and season to taste with more soy souce and spices , if needed.

4.Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Transfer the pate butter into a small baking tray ( I bought small loaf baking tray)  lined with baking paper. 

5. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Then let cool overnight in the baking tray , in the morning , remove pate from the tray.

6. Enjoy!

Kale banana smoothie

Kale banana and coconut milk smoothie for 2:

1 cup frozen or fresh kale

2 bananas

2 cups of coconut milk ( you can use almond milk as well)

2 table spoons of agave syrup

Blend everything together until smooth. 

Enjoy this healthy drink!

Few  interesting facts about kale: 
 One cup of kale has zero fat and only 36 calories and is high in vitamins and antioxidants. You can eat this green raw or cooked. Enjoy in salads, soups, stews, stir-fries, and smoothies. 
You can read more here

Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I have to admit that we don't eat breakfast every day. One of the New Year resolutions is to at least try it :)
What do you like to eat for breakfast?
We like something simple and easy like porridge. You can make it in less than 10 minutes. Make the porridge add your favourite fruits and nuts, sprinkle with cinnamon and agave syrup.
Enjoy!

SIMPLE COCONUT NUT & DATE TRUFFLES

SIMPLE COCONUT NUT & DATE TRUFFLES

This is one of ours favourite snack. It goes along with a good movie and a glass of wine.

Ingredients :

15 good quality dates pitted and soaked in hot water for couple of minutes

1/3 cup of shredded coconut ( unsweetened ) 

1/2 cup of mix nuts ( almonds, pecan) 

1 tablespoon of water 

1.Mix everything in food processor for a minute or until it forms a ball. 

2.Put it in the fridge for couple of minutes. 

3. Form small balls ( I did about 15 of them )

4. Roll the truffles in coconut , cocoa powder or icing sugar 

5. Enjoy 

Flavoured oil -DIY

 Happy Monday everyone. I hope you had  a lovely weekend. 
Today I will show how to create very unique gift for someone special by reusing old jars and herbs. 

You need 

old jar or bottle ( I've used two jars from a salsa dip . Look around. I'm sure you can find something in your house)
Fresh rosemary, thyme
dried whole chillies
whole pepper corns
garlic 

1. Fill a clean jar/bottle with cracked pepper, rosemary, thyme, garlic and dried chillies

2.Fill the jar/bottle with a good quality olive oil and leave it out a day or two in the fridge. 

        3. You can now start to use the oil or give it to someone! Perfect for salads , dressing, pretty much everything!

Enjoy

Vegan Pesto

If you are looking for something yummy, but easy to make that goes along with a fresh slice of bread here is a simple but delicious recipe for a pesto that we love and it's vegan as well.

What you need :

1. One pack of rocket salad 

2. Sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds ( I use 1/4 of a cup but it's up to you how much you want)

3. 2 tablespoons of olive oil

4. salt 

5. chilli flakes

Step 1.

Blend the seeds and oil for 30 seconds. Add the rocket salad, salt and chilli flakes. 

Blend everything until smooth. You can add more seasoning if you wish.

Simple and delicious. 

Enjoy!

Inspired by this recipe :)

As you may know from my facebook my husband became vegan about 6 months ago. I'm not a vegan but it got me thinking. I started reading a lot about the food we were eating. I always liked cooking, but since then I fell in love with it. Sounds a bit silly i know but making something from scratch like hummus or pesto, and be able to see all those happy faces from it, that's an unforgettable moment. When I made this butternut squash salad this morning my hubby looked  at me a little suspicious and when I told my him what is it inside he just rolled his eyes. 
But when he tried it he couldn't stop eating! Me too. I hope you will give this salad a chance because it's worth it! Don't be afraid to try new things. Like us. 

Butternut squash kale salad with apples pecans and orange-sage dressing

Ingredients for 2:

For the Dressing :

juice from one orange

two teaspoons white wine vinegar 

one teaspoon of dry sage ( or more)

pinch of salt

4 teaspoons of olive oil

For the Salad:

fresh kale leaves 

half of cup butternut squash ( chopped into small squares) 

half of red onion thinly sliced

one crispy apple thinly sliced

1/4 cup of pecans 

salt & peper

cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 150C. 

2. Peel  and cut the butternut squash into small squares, add some olive oil , sprinkle with salt pepper and cinnamon, and bake for about 40 minutes or until the butternut squash is soft but not burnt. 

3. Squeeze the orange juice to a small bowl. Add vinegar and olive oil. Add a pinch of salt  and dried sage. Set aside. 

4. In a large bowl mix all the salad ingredients and sprinkle with the dressing as much as you want.

5. Enjoy it! 

DIY gold tray

I love an easy DIY which can be customised in a million different ways. Like this gold zig-zag tray. 

I spent £1.50 on plastic black tray from a charity shop and I used some gold and white craft paints from my previous projects. 

I think it came out really nice. Looks really pretty on the living room table with few bits and bobs. It would also look great on a entry table for keys and mail. Depends what shape your tray is. 

So this is what you need:

An old tray ( wooden/plastic, glass) 

white acrylic paint

gold metallic spray paint or a gold leaf ( I've used spray paint)

masking tape 

Step 1

Paint the tray with your desired colour ( I've used clean white)

Let it dry

Step 2

Use the masking tape to draw out any shape you want on the bottom of the tray. I've made an aztec/chevron design. Make sure that the tape is securely  attached 

Step 3

Spray with a gold spray paint ( or use gold leaf)

Let it dry 

Step 4

Gently remove the masking tape and spray two light coats of acrylic spray

Step 5

Use it! 

What do you think?

Have a wonderful week! 
Paulina x 

Happy New Year 2014!

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I'm an Edinburgh based Portrait Lifestyle and Food Photographer.
I also love creating beautiful things and cook good food.
I created this blog to share with you not only my work but also my personal life, yummy food recipes and easy home DIY projects.
Thanks for the visit! See you back soon!