Ilse's Kitchen - culinary adventures of a girl who loves to eat

The menu headings on this blog probably give it away - I eat a lot of salads. Especially when it’s hot. Or when I feel bloated. Or when I’m particularly lazy. It’s a kind of ‘cooking without cooking’ and as someone with quite a bit on my plate most days (in the figurative sense ;)), I can appreciate that. Ideas that leave me eating well but with time to spare are always quite welcome in this kitchen. Ingredients (serves 2): 1 can tuna in water, drained 1/3 cucumber, cut into cubes 1 avocado, seeded, peeled and diced 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 large scallion, copped 1 handful cilantro and parsley, chopped 1 tablespoon lime juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (I used cayenne pepper) a dash of cumin salt and pepper to taste Instructions: 1. Place the avocado, cucumber, red onion, scallion, tuna, cilantro and parsley in a bowl.  2. For the dressing, mix the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  3...

Some days, the sun shines so brightly it calls for food that is tropical, colourful and makes you feel like it’s summer, even if it’s still cold out. I like to look up recipes by searching for combinations of ingredients I have in my fridge, and this time I had mango and pomegranate. In my search I came across a lovely recipe by Seasonal Sprouts that combines the savoury and sweet, and has a lovely bit of bite. Ingredients (serves 2): 60g rocket salad (arugula) 1/2 mango, peeled and sliced 150g peas 2-3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds 1/4 red onion, finely sliced 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (I like black, but you can also use white) Dressing: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon lime juice 1/2 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped 1/2 cm fresh ginger, grated 1 tsp tahini Instructions: 1. To make the dressing, throw all the ingredients together in a small glass jar with a lid, and shake well. If you don’t have a jar, you can also just throw them in a glass and s...