The joy of going to a market on a Saturday morning. Nothing can really beat it. It is just the best way to begin the weekend.

The above picture is from a market near Parc des buttes Chaumont in Paris. It is such a lovely market that even has an organic section. What is so great with buying your fruit and vegetables, cheese, bread, eggs and others products at the market is that they are often locally grown and/or produced. 

Feel free to ask the people in the stand where the eggs they sell are coming from. It might be that they are from a nearby farm where the hens have access to green grass. According to this article, these eggs are just so much better for you than any organic eggs you will find in the supermarket. Not to mention their taste..

Another great thing is that you support the farmers and growers in your local area, so that they can keep doing what they are doing without, hopefully, having to compromise the quality of their food.

My favourite local markets here in Dublin are Temple Bar market, The Supernatural food market and Dublin food co-op.
They are all really great. Temple Bar market has the best local apples and last time I went to the Supernatural food market I got a pack of organic kale for only €1.25 since they were about to close for the day. The joy!
Obviously I ran home to make this salad. 

Now, let me introduce you to my favourite soup of all times. 
It is so creamy, satisfying, healthy and easy; it has been a lifesaver this winter. 

Fennel cauliflower soup with walnut oil
Serves 4-6 guests

2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 cups (200 g) chopped leeks (2 or 3 leeks)
1/4 fennel
1 head of cauliflower
1 small piece of broccoli
a pinch of chilli flakes
sea salt
1/4 cup (40 g) raw cashews or almonds (soaked*)

walnut oil
sumac
pumpkin seeds

*At least 6-8 hours before, soak the raw nuts in plenty of water.
Wash and chop the cauliflower, leeks and fennel. Peel the garlic and slice it lengthwise. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the garlic, leeks, chilli and fennel for about 3 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Add the cauliflower and broccoli and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 6 cups of water to the boil. Then add all the water with a tablespoon of salt to the vegetables and let simmer for 30 minutes.

When the vegetables are soft, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly. Discard the water and rinse the nuts very well. Once the soup has cooled down a little, pour half of the soup and half of the nuts into your blender and mix on high until smooth. Keep the detachable part of the lid slightly open to allow steam to come out.

Pour the soup into a large serving bowl as you mix the other half of the soup and nuts. If the soup is cold, heat it a bit more in the pan. This final step is a little bit messy, but believe me, it's worth it because by now you have the most fragrant and creamy soup ever.
  
To serve, pour the the soup into bowls and garnish with sumac, pumpkin seeds and drizzle with walnut oil!

When it comes to smoothies, I have always tried to keep the ingredient list as short as possible. Not just because it makes it more simple to prepare, but the flavour also turns out fresh and flavourful.

My man still refers to my green smoothies as “drinking a forest” or “chewing on a lawn” but the truth is - he has never even tasted them.

Surely, flavours with a tone of bitterness have to be "acquired" by most people. For example, when you start drinking coffee and green tea it makes it so much easier if you mix it up with something sweet. That is, coffee and milk or green tea and honey. 

This smoothie, looks super green (!), but trust me it tastes of pineapple and cinnamon. It is the perfect weekend smoothie since it requires a bit more prepping time. Or if you fancy it during the week - you can always slice the pineapple and wash the kale the night before. That would probably half the preparation time. And also, I have always been super suspicious about celery; it has such a pungent taste! In this recipe however, I doubt you will even feel it. 

Cinnamon green smoothie
Serves 1-2 people

1/4 pineapple
2-3 leaves (75 g) green curly kale
1 red apple
1 stalk celery
1/4 avocado
1/2 lemon
1 orange
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

Wash the apple and celery and cut into small chunks, pop into the blender. Slice off a quarter of the pineapple, remove the tough skin, chop into chunks and add to the blender. Peel and add each orange segment to the blender.

Wash the kale and remove the tough stems. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon. Open an avocado and spoon out a fourth, then add to the blender together with the  kale and lemon juice.

Add the spices and fill up with cold water up to one third of the blender's height. Blend for at least 2 minutes. Taste, and feel free to add more cinnamon if desired. 

Serve directly!

Last year I shared some of my favourite breakfast ideas, you can find them here. I also promised to write a follow-up post with more ideas but then I got sort of hung-up on this green smoothie which is my total favourite morning boost,

Finally, I have collected some more breakfast ideas that are both a delicious and healthy start to the day.  

Mango orange lemon smoothie with ginger
Serves 1-2

1 mango
2 oranges
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
a pinch of cayenne

Mix all ingredients in a blender with some ice and enjoy! 

Raspberry chia pudding
Serves 2

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup (50 g) fresh or defrosted raspberries
a handful of pumpkin seeds

Add chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla and almond milk to a glass jar or small bowl. Give it a good stir and leave to stand for at least 10 minutes in room temperature or let set in the fridge overnight. If using a glass jar, cover the jar with its lid and shake vigorously for a few seconds until the contents are well mixed. The benefit with using the jar is that you can easily remove it from the fridge and shake it a few times so that the ingredients blend well together. This prevents the chia seeds from clumping upon expansion.

The pudding is best enjoyed after an hour of soaking or when left in the fridge overnight. This way, the chia seeds have time to absorb all the liquid. At serving, top with raspberries and pumpkin seeds and enjoy!

Black coffee and fresh fruit another hot morning in Madrid last summer. Le Pain Quotidien never dissappoints. 

Granola and homemade almond milk in bed.

Layered greek yoghurt and sliced strawberries topped granola and coconut.

Warm porridge on a cold morning topped with sliced nectarine and rice milk.

Black organic coffee with a tablespoon of coconut cream. Yum!