Cyprus
Today we made Louvi (black eyed beans) for lunch. A very traditional Greek and Cypriot dish that every family has their own recipe for. It so reminded me of the southern US cooking my dad made at home with black eyed beans, greens and a spicy vinegar. So good!
Egypt
We visited Sharm el-Sheik and Cairo in 2013 with our very little babes. Tonight we made a traditional Foul Mudammas (fava beans) and served it with feta, a salad of tomatoes and cucumbers and warm pita bread. Our hotel in Sharm had a daily buffet and I think I existed on this very meal for 7 days straight.
Netherlands
An indulgent brunch this morning of Pannenkoeken Met Appelstroop (crepes with apples sautéed in butter and a homemade apple cider caramel syrup) – yum! It’s strange that we’ve traveled to Amsterdam by car, plane and train but have never cycled in a country that have more bicycles than people. Obvs, we need another holiday.
Chad
We learned that many people in Chad eat a plant based diet so tonight we made Daraba (veggie stew with broth and peanut butter) with a side of millet.Lots of good discussion came out of our studies about what it means to live in poverty, child marriage, and civil war. It’s hard to believe how very different life can be depending upon where you are born. We are very grateful for each other and all that we have.
Monaco
We visited Monaco in 2013 during our month long caravan trip. We very clearly remember how warm the weather was and how full of trash the sea was. Yikes! Still, fun was to be had on the beach with three little people in tow. Today we made a Monegasque Fougasse (a leaf shaped bread originally from Provence, this version is sweeter with orange blossom water, anise and almonds). The bread was surprisingly easy to make until I realised we had no flaked almonds. What I learnt was it takes 3 minutes to blanch almonds in boiling water, a minute to slip off their skins and maybe 5 minutes to slice them. Problem solved. Who knew?!
Singapore
We haven’t been since 2006 when I was so very pregnant with Fiona. It was so humid and so warm and I was pretty miserable. Would love to go back to enjoy it at some point. Tonight we made a vegan laksa which we do often. Unfortunately, I was out of some staples and so was the market – but we made do. It was yummy, spicy and warm. We went for a nice walk at sunset in 8c wind and cold but we bundled up and had lively conversation that carried over to dinner. Love these days at home with my favourite people.
Portugal
We loved Lisbon! An easy place to consider living with fab weather, relaxed lifestyle in an affordable city. We visited in 2014 for a quick getaway and anniversary weekend. This afternoon we made a vegan version of the traditional Portuguese custard tarts (Pasteis de Nata). They were so yum!
Five Abroad 