Warming cannellini bean stew with hazelnuts and dill for cozy winter nights.

Since I will be gliding down the Austrian slopes when you read this, I thought it would only be fair to post this super duper delicious winter stew so you do not hate me too much for being on winter break. Not like you could ever hate me, right? But I just love treating you with great recipes, especially when I am on vacation. 

I think that this is the most German recipe that I have ever posted, and it is probably not even close to the German cuisine at all. But it uses dill and parsley, some of the most commonly used herbs in my country, so I’m just gonna go ahead and call this my first German recipe on the blog so far. Now, that does not mean that it does not taste good. While I am not the biggest fan of the German cuisine, we DO make incredible stews or one-pots, and this cannellini bean stew is definitely a winner in my opinion.

Since I added cannellini beans, I guess I cannot technically refer to it as German, but rather a German-Italian-Scandinavian fusion stew (now that would have been a fun title, why didn’t I think of that before?). What does Scandinavia have to do with it, you may ask. Well, they love their dill, and dill is what really makes the taste difference in this recipe. So please do not skip the dill.

You are free to play around with the other ingredients, especially the vegetables, so just use what you have in the fridge. I especially loved the combination of fennel and fennel seeds, which is funny because I used to hate fennel. Now I really love it, and I try to add it to all of my recipes, which is probably really mean as my boyfriend is still at my previous hate-stage with fennel.

I have used cannellini beans in this roasted red bell pepper soup before, and I thought that they would make the perfect addition due to its high fiber content. Fiber is great for  blood sugar regulation as it prevents our blood sugar level from spiking or dropping too quickly, thus preventing energy lows.

As a special ingredient I also added roasted hazelnuts, which gives this stew so much more texture and something to chew on, which is rather uncommon for stews. If you do not have hazelnuts in stock you could also try roasted cashews, pecans, almonds or pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Whatever flavor combination you chose, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this warming winter stew.

Enjoy!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Feel free to leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag your creations on social media using #heavenlynnhealthy.

I’d love for this blog to be a dialogue.

The post Cannellini Bean Stew with Hazelnuts and Dill appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

It’s pumpkin season, in case you haven’t noticed, so I’ll start pumpkin season with this creamy pumpkin alfredo sauce with cashews and sage. This recipe is actually really special to me since it is the first recipe in my new healthy eating column on the German lifestyle blog OhhhMhhh. Unfortunately the column is written in German only, so I thought I’d just share it here in English with you guys. Well, basically, it’s nothing other than what I usually write about my recipes, but with a fancy title and published on one of Germany’s most well-known lifestyle blogs. Just a tad bit intimidating. But hey, a girl’s gotta go conquer the world at some point, right?

So what makes this pumpkin alfredo so special. Well, for starters it’s absolutely cream and dairy free, which is already a big win for all the lactose intolerant, vegans and health conscious out there. Instead of cream, I used soaked cashews, which not only add heart healthy fats to the sauce, but also give it an unbelievable creaminess that you wouldn’t even get with regular cream. Not that I checked, but this sauce really is absolutely creamy. Of all nuts, cashews are actually the ones that are lowest in fats, but highest in the amount of unsaturated fats. Almost 80% of the fatty acids found in cashews are unsaturated, which is super cool, don’t you think. So cashews make for the best cream substitute ever, no matter if you’re plant based, vegan or simply want to eat a little healthier.

Besides cashews, the sauce contains sage, which is a completely underrated herb if you ask me. It actually grows pretty fast, so it might be a great herb to add to your herb growing collection at home. I really don’t have a green thumb, but my sage really grows like weed. Sage has a nice fragrant aroma with a warm flavor, which is why it is perfect for a fall comfort food like this pumpkin alfredo sauce.

If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to prep and freeze pumpkin puree. Literally, this is all I’ve been using lately and I can’t have enough pumpkin puree in my freezer at the moment. I  use it for pumpkin spice latte, healthy pumpkin squares, in my morning porridge and obviously in this pumpkin alfredo sauce. Pumpkin is also super healthy as it is low in calories, but high in nutrients such as beta carotin. This antioxidant is transformed into vitamin A in our body, which is vital for a healthy vision.

What are your favorite ways to use pumpkin puree? What’s your all time favorite pumpkin recipe? The recipe was first published exclusively for OhhhMhhh, if you’re interested, here’s the full (German) column.

Enjoy!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Feel free to leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag your creations on social media using #heavenlynnhealthy.

I’d love for this blog to be a dialogue.

The post Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce with Cashews and Sage & My New Monthly Column appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

I have always been a pesto addict. Spaghetti with basil pesto used to be my go-to-comfort food until I discovered the amazing qualities of avocado pesto. Since I have been eating quite a bit of it lately I was looking for a little pesto change. This wild garlic pesto is simply heaven. It’s so flavorful and makes your usual pasta experience so much more fun. The pesto also only takes a couple of minutes to prepare, so it’s one of those dishes that you can easily through together after a long day of work. As most pestos, it is quite loaded with olive oil, so be sure to use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe. As with most oils, you can really taste the difference between low and high quality olive oil. You will really be amazed by the difference in taste.

Wild garlic is related to the more commonly used garlic, and it tastes as such as well. The great thing about wild garlic is that your breath won’t smell like you’ve fallen into a bowl of tzatziki – so you can indulge in this pesto without the fear of anyone noticing afterwards. Wild garlic is also extremely healthy because of its healing power. It is especially good for blood vessel related maladies such as high blood pressure or cholesterol. It is even said to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. Beside it’s healing powers it is also very delicious and makes every meal a bit special.
If you cannot get wild garlic in your country then you can simply switch it fresh basil.
I like to enjoy this wild garlic pesto over spelt or gluten-free pasta or quinoa. It is simply heavenly delicious.

Health benefits in this wild garlic pesto:
– iron (important for healthy red blood cells that transport oxygen through your body)
– mono-unsaturated fats (decreases risks for breast cancer, important for heart health)
– protein (important for a healthy metabolism, immune systems; production of enzymes)
– vitamin C (good for your immune system, tissue health)

Enjoy!

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