Three favourite vacation recipes to add sunshine to your plate

Nothing brings back that holiday feeling like local food delicacies. Here is our healthy version of a staple dish from three different countries that will make you want more and more!

Spain: Paella
Family and friends gathered around a large pan of paella brimming with fresh seafood – it doesn’t get more Spanish than that. Bring Spain to your plate with this classic dish!

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 small chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 150 gr of brown rice
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (curcuma)
• ¼ low-salt stock cube
• 1 (green) bell pepper
• 1 courgette
• 100 gr cherry tomatoes
• 100 gr large shrimps
• paprika
• lemon juice

How to make it
Peel the onion and garlic and chop finely. Dice the chicken breast and season with pepper. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft, then add the diced chicken. Add the rice and turmeric. Pour in 250 ml of water and add the stock cube. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Clean the bell pepper and the courgette and cut into cubes. Add the pepper and the courgette to the rice, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Add tomatoes and shrimp to the rice mixture and heat through. Season the paella with paprika and lemon juice. Buen provecho! (Source: Voedingscentrum)

Greece: Sweet Potato Moussaka
You don’t need to smash plates to experience a little Greece at home. Simply enjoy this mouth-watering moussaka!

Ingredients

• 2 small courgettes
• 1 onion
• 200 gr (lean) minced beef
• 1 large sweet potato (about 250 gr)
• 1 clove of garlic
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 400 gr tomato sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 small handful of parsley (or 5 gr dried parsley)
• 200 ml Greek yoghurt
• 75 gr soft goat’s cheese
• oil, pepper and salt

How to make it
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease a baking dish with oil. Wash and slice the courgettes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the courgette slices until brown. Meanwhile, chop up the onion. Season the courgette slices with salt and pepper, and put to one side. Wash the sweet potato, cut into slices of no more than half a centimetre thick, and cook in water for 10 minutes until tender. Heat more oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the minced meat and onion for about 5 minutes until browned. Add the cinnamon and minced garlic. Pour in the tomato sauce, then stir and allow to simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Cut the goat’s cheese into small pieces and finely chop the parsley. Whisk the egg and mix with the yogurt. Season with parsley, salt and pepper.
Place the potato slices on the bottom of the baking dish, followed by a layer of courgette slices. Pour in the meat sauce and even out. Finally, top with the yogurt mixture and sprinkle with goat’s cheese. Bake the moussaka for about 25 minutes, until the crust turns a light golden brown. Kali orexi! (Source: Chickslovefood)

Italy: Mango Tiramisu
In Italy, no meal is complete without dessert. And this is especially true for the Italian staple, tiramisu. This healthier version has a surprising mango twist. Get ready for an unforgettable taste experience!

Ingredients

• 200 gr mascarpone
• 500 gr low-fat curd cheese
• 100 ml low-fat whipped cream
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 12 Italian ladyfingers
• 300 ml strong coffee
• dash of coffee-flavoured liqueur
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 orange
• 1 mango

How to make it
Start with making the coffee and allow to cool off. Add a dash of liqueur to the coffee for a festive twist. In a big bowl, mix the mascarpone and the curd cheese. Wash the orange well and zest it into the mixture. In a different bowl, beat the whipped cream with four spoons of sugar until fluffy. Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until well blended. Then fold in the rest, being sure not to overmix. Peel the mango and cut into small pieces. Chop up the ladyfingers using a sharp knife. Distribute the layers evenly into the glasses. Repeat layering until you reach the top of the glass. Make sure to dip the ladyfinger pieces into the coffee mixture just long enough to get them wet before adding them to the glasses. Finish with a topping of ladyfingers which haven’t been soaked in coffee for a delicious crunch. Refrigerate for at least one hour, and dust with cocoa before serving. Buon appetito! (Source: Mathijs Vrieze)

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