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Life, Food & Creativity: Rosa Cardoso of Be Nice Make a Cake blog

Welcome our Life, Food & Creativity series, our little online journal of interviews focusing on creativity and how food connects us with life. There are so many awesome people out there who inspire us to cook real food, so we want to know them a little bit better. Today the super talented Rosa Cardoso author of Be Nice Make a Cake shares her journey in food blogging. And because it's Christmas time, Rosa also has special Christmas recipe to share with us.

1. What was your inspiration to start a food blog?

I was inspired by my lack of organization organizing photos of dishes I cooked; also by thousands of little pieces of paper with handwritten recipes I would always bring from dinners with friends and family, and lastly after I started seeing many cute blogs where I saw everything just like I would like to have, that seriously inspired me to start blogging so I could have a place where I could consult my conquests in the kitchen.

2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

When I was a child I wanted to be an airline pilot: D I don’t know exactly why, because I never rode a plane (until today). I never thought about any profession related to cooking, and it took me some time to get interested in the world of pots and pans.

3. Has your background in interior design influenced your approach to cooking?

Yes, certainly . What’s more, I think that my academic and professional career somehow ended influencing the design of the blog.

4. If you could live anywhere else in the world where would it be (and why)?

Let me answer in a different way. If I could, I would love spend some time in Italy, of course because of its magnificent gastronomic culture. Pasta, focaccia, pizza, pesto, risotto, bruschetta and my dear tiramisù, would surely make me happy every day. But I confess that I would quickly be missing going to a portuguese tabern in downtown Coimbra (that's where I'm from).

5. If you could cook for anyone, who would it be?

I would love to cook for Ryan Gosling, just because I think he looks very sexy while eating. If he is reading this interview, give him my contact, will you?

6. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations or Jamie Oliver: Jamie's 30-Minute Meals?

Difficult to answer this one, because who knows me knows that I really like Jamie Oliver, and this concept of the 30-Minute meals is exactly the ideal one, because I am very practical in the kitchen and I like to see the results right away. But this time I think I'll have to pick Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Travelling around the world, to get to know the local culture and cuisine of each country individually must be absolutely brilliant. I'm really jealous!

7. What’s your favourite season of the year?

Summer, always! I love hot weather, beach, light clothes and slippers. Additionally, it's just wonderful to go to the backyard, stand on the ground and cut fresh lettuce, courgettes, tomatoes, and my favourite fruits (peaches, cherries, melon).

8. Christmas is coming up soon. What are are favourite Christmas traditions and your favourite Christmas recipes?

At my parents' house on Christmas, the traditions are very basic: Rabanadas (Portuguese toast) and filhóses de abóbora menina (small pumpkin donuts). This year apart from the usual stuff, I'll bake this wonderful Chickpeas tart with pretzel that looks so perfect for Christmas! What do you think?

***

Chickpeas tart with Pretzel recipe by Rosa Cardoso

Recipe

Shortcrust pastry

150g plain flour, no yeast

70g salted butter, the butter should be cold and cut into pieces.

25ml water

Put the flour and butter into a big bowl and knead the ingredients with the tips of your fingers. Once the dough feels elastic, add water and continue to knead (with your hands).

When it begins to approach the desired consistency, sprinkle the counter with flour and stretch the dough using a rolling pin and roll it to the desired thickness.

Line with parchment paper a cake pan with removable bottom, and place the shortcrust pastry. Prick the bottom with a fork. 

Reserve.

For the filling you’ll need:

25g Pretzels (crush the pretzels in a food processor until turned into flour).

250g sugar

125g shredded cooked chickpeas 

20g butter, melted and cooled

1 flat tablespoon of cinnamon powder

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tangerine (zest)

Soak the chickpeas for 12 hours before cooking. Cook for 1h/1h30. You can cook in large quantities, you can always freeze them in bags to use later whenever you need. And obviously, you can also buy pre-cooked chickpeas, but it’s not the same thing :)

Turn the oven to 180 º C. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Simple :)

Pour it all into the cake pan you prepared with the shortcrust pastry and let it bake for +/- 30 minutes.

Remove and let it cool. You can sprinkle with powdered sugar and it’s ready to serve!

Follow Rosa on Foodzai, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and don't forget to visit her blog.

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Kitchen Superheroes: Becca John

Many people out there don’t know it yet, but the World is full of kitchen superheroes. People dedicated to their hobbies and passion for cooking. The World deserves to know how amazing these people are. In our Kitchen Superheroes series, we sit down with some of these kitchen superheroes to find out more about their stories.

Today’s kitchen superhero is Becca John. Becca runs a beautiful food blog called Amuse Your Bouche specialised in simple vegetarian recipes that anyone can create.

Here’s what Becca has to say about her:

I’m from... Hertfordshire in the UK. It's a gorgeous little part of the country! However I'm currently based in Liverpool with my fiancé.

When I’m not blogging, I’m... teaching kids - I'm a primary school teacher. I'm a supply teacher, so I'm usually in a different school every day. It's exhausting! Luckily I only work part-time so I get plenty of time left over for blogging!

I started Amuse your Bouche because... I loved cooking and wanted a way to document the things I made. I was (and still am) pretty obsessed with food blogs, so I thought that would be a good way to do it!

Cooking inspires me to... be creative! I'm always having to think of new things for the blog - I can't make the same thing more than once these days! I love coming up with my own recipes.

Living in Liverpool always inspires my to... try new things. Liverpool has so much going on and there are some amazing restaurants that serve all sorts of food - I've got my eye on a new Lebanese place for my next meal out!

My favourite recipe is... my veggie burrito bowls. It's such a simple meal, full of vegetables, beans and rice, but it's become the most popular recipe on my blog by a long way. Mexican food is my favourite, and I love how you can easily change it up depending on what you have in your fridge.

The coolest food photography tip I've learned in the past year... is not to get too close! People are tempted to get really close up to the food, which can be fine occasionally, but not if you're so close that you can't even tell what you're looking at! It's much better to step back a little. Plus, of course, always use natural light!

Follow Becca on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and visit her blog.

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This is what happiness looks like

(Photo from Manger by Mimi Thorisson)

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Kitchen Superheroes: Aniko Takacs

Many people out there don’t know it yet, but the World is full of kitchen superheroes. People dedicated to their hobbies and passion for cooking. The World deserves to know how amazing these people are. In our Kitchen Superheroes series, we sit down with some of these kitchen superheroes to find out more about their stories.

Today’s kitchen superhero is Aniko Takacs, the author of the food blog Multiculti Kitchen, where we are encouraged to linger for a while while Aniko nourishes us with her fabulous seasonal recipes.

Here’s what Aniko has to say about her:

I’m from... Hungary. I was born at the countryside then lived in Budapest, cultural centre of Eastern Europe. We have moved to England two years ago with my family. 

When I’m not blogging, I’m... with my family. I have two little adorable boys who are always in trouble :-) We like to travel around UK and Western Europe, too. Not only my husband but my sons are also interested in exploring new dishes and flavours in different cuisines. They inspire me tremendously. I even try to keep update myself in my profession, too as I haven't been working as a pharmacist since my oldest boy was born. So I'm really happy when I have some slots to read the latest articles about new medicines, especially in cancer treatment. 

I started Multiculti Kitchen because... I wanted to document my recipes and share it with my friends. But I a few months later I realised that the recipes alone are not enough any more. I started to take more and more attractive food photos, and developed my photo equipments, photo programs, and my skills as well. I participated in a professional Food Styling and Photography Workshop by Meeta Wolff, the author of What's for Lunch, Honey blog and several online courses. I'm still in learning phase and I'm absolutely convinced it's a never ending story in my life. 

My favourite recipe is... tea smoked duck breast. It's quite special, and it takes plenty hours in the kitchen to make, but absolutely worth it. My suggestion is to do it outside otherwise you can easily burn the whole house and smell the smoke for ages. 

Cooking inspires me to... create. Creativity is one of my strengths and I always think of how I could give a twist to a classic dish. I love to experiment with new ingredients and match them with regular flavours. 

The best food photography tip I've learned in the past year... light is everything and your best friend! But before taking any single shots, you have to get to know your camera properly. That's crucial, so if you have read the manual once that's not enough. You have to know well all the buttons on your camera how they work, what they do. 

A cookbook that changed my life... Sunday Lunch by Gordon Ramsey. I love his creativity and passion in the kitchen even though his attitude and temperament would be quite different to mine. His achievement is incredible and his work, to my mind, is the exception rather than the rule here in UK, where it can appear that a lot of people are too busy to acquire the skills of cooking. So I never assume that something I would consider to be an everyday recipe such as a roast potato dish would necessarily be self-evident for beginner cooks. But with time everyone can gain confidence around the kitchen, taking more risks and becoming more adventurous. 

Follow Aniko on Facebook, Pinterest and visit her blog.

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Kitchen Superheroes: Adora Ding

Many people out there don’t know it yet, but the World is full of kitchen superheroes. People dedicated to their hobbies and passion for cooking. The World deserves to know how amazing these people are. In our Kitchen Superheroes series, we sit down with some of these kitchen superheroes to find out more about their stories.

Today’s kitchen superhero is Adora Ding, the author of the food blog Adora's Box, where Adora shares gorgeous asian inspired recipes.

Here’s what Adora has to say about her:

I'm from... the Philippines.

When I'm not blogging... I am simply a Mum to my two kids.

I started Adora's Box because... I wanted to compile my recipes. I have amassed a collection of recipes through the years, some of them inherited, some learned and some created. Most of my recipes are easy to make and straightforward, usually leaning on Asian flavours. Having them broken down in steps take the guess work out of cooking. As a Mum, I know that at the end of any hectic day, a delicious dinner would still be expected at the table. Quick and easy recipes make it possible to have wholesome home cooked food everyday.  It is very fulfilling to know that other people are are cooking and enjoying the food from my blog.

Cooking inspires me to... learn more, to create new recipes and to share them with other people. Although I like classic and traditional recipes, I always think of new variations and twists to apply to them. 

Living in London inspires me to... explore the cuisines of different countries. London is a treasure trove of ingredients, all readily available and within reach. It is so wonderful to discover new tastes and experiment using them in recipes. I am lucky to have shops and markets in my area that allow me to cook whatever I'm in the mood for.

My favourite recipe is…I don't have a single favourite recipe but I love long slow cooking because it gives me time to relax while its on. The reward at the end is great, too. Roasts, stews and soups are on top of my list. 

A film that changed my life…I can't say that a film has had an effect on me so dramatic, that it changed my life. Documentaries about poverty affect me a lot. I recently saw a short clip called "Pagpag" which was set in the Philippines. The story revolves around people digging into the trash of fastfood chains for leftovers. This is not a unique situation as we know that this happens worldwide. The story doesn't end there and the foraged food is not eaten as is. It is washed and cooked again with other ingredients to make a tasty meal for poor people who would pay a few pesos for the rehashed food. The people enjoy the food, fully aware but unmindful of the source of the ingredients. Desperate times call for desperate measures. The search for ingredients, the cooking process, the thought for flavour somehow equates to what I do but on a very different level. If people with so little go to such extent to survive, they must value life so much. I can't help but be touched.

Follow Adora on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and visit her blog.

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6 Food Quotes that will inspire you to cook

Words of inspiration from food lovers, beautifully illustrated by graphic designers.

" A recipe has no soul, you as the cook must bring soul to the recipe.”

– Thomas Keller

"Cooking Is Like Love. It Should Be Entered Into with Abandon or Not At All" 

- Harriet Van Horne

“Always serve too much hot fudge sauce on hot fudge sundaes. It makes people overjoyed, and puts them in your debt.”

- Judith Olney

"There is no love more sincere than the love of food "

- George Bernard Shaw

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch."

- Orson Welles

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces, just good food from fresh ingredients.”

– Julia Child

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Kitchen Superheroes: Julia Frey

Many people out there don’t know it yet, but the World is full of kitchen superheroes. People dedicated to their hobbies and passion for cooking. The World deserves to know how amazing these people are. In our Kitchen Superheroes series, we sit down with some of these kitchen superheroes to find out more about their stories.

Today’s kitchen superhero is Julia Frey, the author of the food blog Vikalinka where Julia loves experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes and strange unknown foods.

Here’s what Julia has to say about her:

I’m from... Russia originally but moved to the States for college and married a Canadian guy who convinced me to move to Canada and then to England where we are now living with our two children. So the world is literally my oyster. 

When I am not blogging, I’m... a mom to two funniest, sweetest and most creative children, a wife to my husband who is my best friend and also an English teacher.

I started Vikalinka because... I simply wanted to record my recipes but very quickly realized that when I am blogging I am in my most creative state. I love pushing that side of myself and constantly finding that creativity has no limits. 

Cooking inspires me to... share my food with people. I love having friends at my house and nothing brings me more joy than seeing people enjoying my food and each other's company. The best conversations happen around dinner table. It also inspires me to share what I know with others. It makes me so sad when I hear people say they see cooking as a chore I immediately want to show them it could be fun not to mention the practical aspect of it. 

Living in London always inspires me to... continue exploring. I hope I will never get tired of wandering its streets and  castles, having a pint in my neighbourhood pub and listen to my kids sounding increasingly British with every day we live here. 

My favourite recipe is... the one I can take apart, flip around, mix it up and present it as a brand new one. I don't have a favourite recipe I love change!

A film that changed my life... was Dead Poet's Society. As you can guess I was young and impressionable when it first came out. Joking apart, it's very easy to live in the past and remember all the great things that had happened or looking forward to the future and dream of what could be. The trick is live fully in the present and discover how to be happy every day of our life. 

Follow Julia on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and visit her blog.

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Kitchen Superheroes: Filipe Silva

Many people out there don’t know it yet, but the World is full of kitchen superheroes. People dedicated to their hobbies and passion for cooking. The World deserves to know how amazing these people are. In our Kitchen Superheroes series, we sit down with some of these kitchen superheroes to find out more about their stories.

Today’s kitchen superhero is Filipe Silva, the author of the food blog Chef Malhadinho where Filipe shares quick & tasty recipes for everyday foods but also for delicious gourmet meals.

Here’s what Filipe has to say about him:

I'm from ... Viana do Castelo, Portugal (although, for 4 years I've been dividing my time between Braga and Viana do Castelo).

When I'm not blogging, I'm a full-time... man of all trades ! Between the university, my masters degree, the associations and cultural and recreational activities, my time has to be very well managed, not forgetting of course my girlfriend, my family and friends.

Chef Malhadinho is ... a project that was born from an incentive to share one the experiences that I appreciate the most: cooking. On my blog People can easily find two types of dishes : dishes a bit more elaborate, without any doubt  for special occasions, but never forgetting quick and tasty recipes for everyday and for those times when you do not have much time for cooking !

When I was a kid I wanted to be ... economist ! As a child I loved the daily bustle of this area! Maybe as a result or not of the circumstances of recent years, this idea has been losing momentum and nowadays I dedicate myself to International Relations, having found here my true identity.

Cooking inspires me to ... share ! Probably what I love more in the kitchen, besides all the flavours and new experiences that we can constantly think about, is the fact that we can bring all those people we love together around the table and offer them our work. Cooking and all it involves is undoubtedly synonymous with sharing and dedication.

My favorite recipe is ... Bacalhau à Brás (cod with scrambled eggs and fried potatoes...a traditional portuguese dish)! That simple and comforting Bacalhau à Brás .

The film that changed my life ... I can not say that there is a movie that has changed my life, but I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes since childhood, whether its movies, books or TV series inspired by it!

Follow Filipe on Facebook, Foodzai, Instagram and visit his blog.

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Kitchen Superheroes: Lucy Parissi

Many people out there don’t know it yet, but the World is full of kitchen superheroes. People dedicated to their hobbies and passion for cooking. The World deserves to know how amazing these people are. In our Kitchen Superheroes series, we sit down with some of these kitchen superheroes to find out more about their stories.

Today’s kitchen superhero is Lucy Parissi, the author of the food blog Supergolden bakes where Lucy shares recipes for indulgent desserts and beautiful homecooked meals.

Here’s what Lucy has to say about her:

I grew up... in Athens, Greece but moved to England to go to Art College. That was over 20 years ago and now I call London home.

When I’m not blogging, I’m...A freelance book and magazine designer.

I started Super goldenbakes because...I had been reading and cooking recipes from food blogs that I found through Twitter and Pinterest, and they inspired me to start my own. Initially, it was a way to document and share recipes I made, but soon enough I was developing my own recipes and experimenting. As a freelance designer I have designed quite a few cookbooks and assisted with food shoots, so the blog also gives me the chance to indulge the frustrated photographer and prop stylist in me.

Cooking inspires me to...be creative and experimental. I enjoy combining different flavours and techniques to create something new. Each recipe ignites a spark which leads to an another idea.

Living in London always inspires my to...experience different cultures and flavours. It is a very exciting place to live - not just food-wise but for every aspect of culture.

My favourite recipe is...I don't think I can limit myself to a single recipes. But this triple layer chocolate mousse cake which I made recently was visually beautiful and tastes even better than it looked!

A book that changed my life...Again limiting to one book is hard. I would say the books I read (and re-read countless of times) as a child probably made the biggest impact. I was a huge fan of the Moomins and all books by Astrid Lingdren. Food-wise, 'Starting Over One Cake at a Time' by Gesine Bullock-Prado is both very funny, inspiring and full of exciting recipes.

Follow Lucy on Twitter and visit her blog.

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Portraits of home cooks: Leonor Godinho (Bibs)

Portraits of home cooks: Leonor Godinho (Bibs) from Foodzai on Vimeo.

Today we're very pleased to present Portraits of home cooks, a series of food videos with cooks who share their cooking superpowers on Foodzai's site.

The first video of this series features Leonor Godinho, a super talented home cook from Lisbon, Portugal. Leonor invited us to her home and shows us how to cook a delicious Pesto Vegetarian Lasagna. We're proud to present this series in partnership with the super talented Ana Luisa, the mastermind behind Starling Film.

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Kitchen Superheroes: Yolène Dabreteau

Many people out there don’t know it yet, but the World is full of kitchen superheroes. People dedicated to their hobbies and passion for cooking. The World deserves to know how amazing these people are. In our Kitchen Superheroes series, we sit down with some of these kitchen superheroes to find out more about their stories.

Today’s kitchen superhero is Yolène Dabreteau, the author of food blog Crème de Citron where Yolène shares simple but elegant recipes and stunning photos. 

Here’s what Yolène has to say about her:

I’m from... France! But I moved away more than 9 years ago to Ireland, Australia and then back to Ireland. So at this stage, I feel that I can say I am from Dublin, Ireland, for now.

When I’m not blogging, I’m a full time... photographer. I do portrait, lifestyle and theatre photography, but my main focus is food photography.

Crème de Citron is... my little food blog I started a bit more than a year ago. Because as much as I love photography, I do also love food and combining those two things is wonderful! On the blog, I share some of my own recipes and food experiences. It is also a great little platform for my food photography portfolio.

Cooking inspires me to... be more creative with ingredients, try new flavours and also be more relaxed.

I dream of a day... when I will be making a living of food photography and hopefully get to travel to photograph food around the world.

My favourite recipe is... a simple filet of duck (preferably one from my French hometown Challans) with a raspberry vinegar reduction.

A book that changed my life... “Mr Vertigo” by Paul Auster. I have read it many times. I find it inspiring and the message I get from it is that I have to work hard to get to where I want to be but once I am there, it will feel like a great achievement.

Follow Yolène on Twitter, Foodzai, and visit her blog.

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An interview with food photographer & food stylist Mónica Pinto

Photo Credits: Mónica Pinto

This week we have a great interview with Mónica Pinto, the author of a stunning food blog called Pratos & Travessas. And what a treat it was to interview Mónica Pinto!

Mónica is a Photographer, food stylist, cook and blogger. You can spot all this straight away when you visit her blog. Her beautiful blog is mostly filled with Portuguese and rustic recipes as well as little stories of her own life. In 2012, Pratos & Travessas was the first portuguese blog ever to be nominated for the prestigious Saveur Magazine Best Food Blogs Awards and the only blog that year to be nominated for two photography categories. Her work has been published for international renowned publications like Huffington Post, Fork Magazine, Eat and Meet Like a Men, just to name a few publications. Check more about her work here.

1. Hi Mónica. So, first up- in one tweet (140 characters or less)- what is a good food photograph, to you?

Dynamic photography, that is capable of holding a viewers glaze and wakes up emotions.

2. How did you start your blog Pratos e Travessas? 

It all started quite naturally. I grew up surrounded by good cooks, with very different ways of looking at food and over the years I absorbed everything they were teaching me through a show me by example approach. Every gesture and every little detail. So, very early I ended up discovering that I really liked cooking, and of course, also eating. Over time I collected recipes and stories, and at some point, when my children no longer needed me 24 hours a day, and as I was in a period of indecision about my professional life...came the desire to share all those experiences stored for so long. And that was when Pratos & Travessas was born.

3. We’ve seen your work being published in renowned publications like Huffington Post and Fork Magazine. Do you have any story to share about the years of hard work prior to the point where you are today?

I still remember the day when I received an email from Saveur Magazine letting me know that Pratos & Travesses was nominated for the Best Food Photography awards of that year (2012). At the time my work was starting to be recognized internationally but a nomination for the Best Food Blog Awards (BFBA) was something (almost) impossible. It was fantastic. Pratos & Travessas was chosen from over 40,000 blogs worldwide and was the first Portuguese blog to achieve such a milestone, and also that year, it was the only blog to be nominated for the two existing Photography categories. More than ever, all my choices made sense. Anything was possible.

4. You have an Art and Design degree. How does that impact your creativity when you’re working as food photographer/stylist?

It has a tremendous impact. When I studied art, I truly worshiped (and still do) Rembrandt’s work. His chiaroscuro, the light, almost golden and the gorgeous red tones and the dramatic contrasts of brightness he used in some of his paintings. Part of my work reflects the search and personal taste for those classic details. Then there’s the influence of design applied to the images...which although it ends being more of a result of my personal taste, it also turns out to have influences from my Art and Design studies.

5. What is your favourite food city?

Porto. From tascas (traditional portuguese Taverns), to the most sophisticated restaurants, the city is packed with fantastic food offerings.

6. What dish/dessert is your guilty pleasure?

It is hard to choose just one :) Can I choose a sweet and a savoury dish? Okay, so for sweets my choice is a chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream and wild berries, the savoury has to be a good cozido à portuguesa (a traditional Portuguese stew of different meats and vegetables).

7. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as a food photographer & stylist?

Be authentic and consistent.

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Introducing a better Foodzai

It’s been a fun last few weeks here at Foodzai HQ and we are super happy to announce that we launched a shiny new website with a new design and better features.

After listening to our members’ feedback, we’ve made Foodzai more community centric and more collaborative. 

What Changed?

A fresh design

For starters, we gave the entire website a makeover. Our super UX designers and developers updated every corner of Foodzai and cleared some of the clutter, so you can focus on what matters: sharing your cooking superpowers to the World. 

But there’s a lot more than just a new look. Here a a few changes we made:

Delicious Daily Dishes

Everyday you can now find on Foodzai 3 daily recipes to spice up your cooking life. Every Foodzai cook has his own vision, cooking techniques and individual artistry, so expect a sea of juicy daily recipes that even your mother will want to try and collect.

This Week’s Kitchen Superhero

Every week we feature the best cook of the week on our new shiny landing page. Because the World deserves to know who are the new Kitchen Superheroes out there. These Kitchen Superheroes are featured based on popularity and engagement on Foodzai.

Navigation and search

You now can use the search bar on the top left side to search for dishes, cooks or cities. Just type what you’re looking for and let the magic happen.

If you scroll down, you’ll also find on the landing page the most popular cooks of Today / This Week / This Month and the Most Popular Dishes of Today / This Week / This Month. 

The new “Dishes” and “Cooks” tabs also simplifies how you search for food inspiration and the way how you find new amazing cooks. Oh and by the way, when you click on “Dishes” you’ll find the most popular and recent recipes submitted by our community of cooks on Foodzai. All those photos you’ll see there listed have recipes.

Collaboration tools

At the heart of Foodzai is the idea that like-minded people create better things together. That's why we're introducing a new super feature that lets you write recipes with step by step instructions. But the best part is that your readers can leave in-text comments for specific steps of your recipe. This changes how we share recipes online making the whole experience so much more dynamic, engaging and exciting. Why? Because by offering feedback in context, your readers can add new ideas to improve recipes. They can give meaningful feedback. They can ask meaningful questions. 

New cook profile

We cleared some of the clutter and redesigned the cooks profile to help our cooks really stand out. The new profile lets you find which dishes that cook shared with recipes and without recipes.

We also removed the old “order now button” which means that you can’t order dishes directly from Foodzai anymore. But we made it easier for you to contact the cook, so that’s why we created a contact button. If you wish to ask a cook if he’s available to sell food you can contact him using this feature. Or maybe if you’re looking to hire a food photographer for a new project you’re working on, you can also use the Contact button for that. 

Sounds awesome! How can I try it?

Over to you now. Go to Foodzai and sign-in with your usual login credentials. If you're not a member of the Foodzai community yet sign-up now to start sharing your cooking superpowers with the World + start engaging with a community of like-minded cooks.

What do you think about Foodzai? Do you have any suggestions on what you want to see next? Comment below or email us any time [email protected]

P.S: If you like Foodzai's new shiny look, can you please tweet it? Would mean the World to us!

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5 healthy recipes that will blow your mind

Trying to find healthy and delicious recipes? One of the biggest reasons people don't eat healthy is because they think it won't taste good. Well, this is the truth: eating healthy doesn't have to taste bad. 

Just because something is healthy it doesn't mean it should taste bland and boring. There are plenty of fantastic ideas out there for eating healthy food that actually tastes really good. Here are 5 of the most healthy and delicious recipes you can find on Foodzai:

Creamy cauliflower and pancetta soup

Recipe from Monica Chang.

Asparagus Soup with Poached Egg

Recipe from Suzana Parreira

Parma Ham and Fig Salad

Recipe from Kirsty Mackinnon.

Roasted Beet Pesto, Caremelized Fennel and Spinach

Recipe from Miss Vite

Pea and Mint Creamy Soup

Recipe from Miss Vite

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Kitchen Superheroes: Vera Ferraz

Many people out there don’t know it yet, but the World is full of kitchen superheroes. People dedicated to their hobbies and passion for cooking. The World deserves to know how amazing these people are. In our Kitchen Superheroes series, we sit down with some of these kitchen superheroes to find out more about their stories.

Today’s kitchen superhero is Vera Ferraz, the author of the food blog Hoje Para Jantar... where Vera’s eloquent, accessible and beautiful writing is paired with beautiful food photography and super delicious and easy recipes. 

Photo Credits: Bruno Pires

Here’s what Vera has to say about her:

I’m from...Coimbra, Portugal

When I’m not blogging, I’m a full-time...radiotherapist.

Hoje para jantar is...a blog full of practical recipes, the vast majority are super easy. You can find weekly dinner menus, including snacks for kids, party menus and a few DIY projects like for example a piñata to spice up birthday parties. Beautiful photos is one of my obsessions, I often take more time preparing the right lighting and styling than preparing the recipe. 

Something funny I tell my friends a lot is...that my husband, since I started the blog, says that he never had a burnt tongue again because I take way too long photographing the food.

Cooking is... giving wings to my imagination and transporting into my recipes all the love I feel for people. Love is my secret ingredient.

My favourite recipe is... Cornmeal baked Salted Cod (bacalhau com broa).

A book that changed my life...was probably ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ by Laura Esquivel, I read it when I was a teenager.

Follow Vera on Facebook, Foodzai, and visit her blog.

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5 Food and Wine Pairing Tips That Will Make You Look Like a Pro

Photo via Winebox

Ever felt intimidated when it comes to ordering or buying wine that pairs well with the food you're going to eat?

If you’re first getting into wine, the whole food and wine pairing thing can be an intimidating experience. So to help you out here are 5 tips that will give you the confidence to think of yourself as a food and wine pairing Pro.

1. Choose Food and Wine that taste great on their own 

This might sound pretty obvious, but you should always choose a wine that you really enjoy drinking by itself, rather than hoping for a food match that improves a wine you don’t like. While a New York Strip Steak and Cabernet Sauvignon have been known to make a little magic on the tastebuds when the two are paired, it might not always be the case. A watery cheap Cabernet Sauvignon is still going to have a horrible chemical rubbery after-taste even if it’s paired with the most succulent New York Strip steak. The same is true for the food: For instance, if you hate mussels, there’s no wine pairing with it that will magically make it work for you.

2. When in doubt, always follow tip #1

3. Choose wine and food that complement each other.

Sometimes finding wines and food with similar tastes can result in a harmonious food and wine pairing experience. This happens because their flavours and textural components reinforce each other. For example, a roast lamb with mint sauce paired with a minty Cabernet Sauvignon can be a flavour explosion that takes you to straight to heaven.

4. Contrast flavours to have a party in your mouth

Instead of pairing wines and foods with complementary flavours, you can also try to find flavours that make an interesting contrast. For example, choosing a light, acidic wine like a dry Riesling to pair it with a spicy Thai dish is always a winner (and will feel like a party in your mouth!) 

5. Keep it simple, stupid

This is a general but important rule for food and wine pairing. Follow the Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS) principle. Pair simple food with a complex wine. And pair complex food with a simple wine. 

The one thing you don’t want to do is to overpower the tastebuds with complex wine and complex flavours of a meal. And don't take the classic formula “white with fish” and “red with meat” too serious. Just make sure that the wine you choose doesn’t overpower the dish. It's as simples as that.

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Life Lessons from 5 famous Chefs

What do Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, George Calombaris, Mario Batali and Thomas Keller have in common? All are incredibly successful and super well respected Chefs.

In the hopes of understanding what are their secrets to success, I did some research about their life stories and ended learning 5 Life lessons from them. What I found out certainly inspired me  – and perhaps these life lessons can be useful to you as well.

1. Life lesson by Gordon Ramsay: Quit trying to please everybody 

Photograph via Channel 4

Gordon Ramsay is one of the World's most celebrated Chefs. Yet his success has nothing to do with wanting to be liked. If you watch him on Hell's Kitchen or Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares you'll see that what matters to him is passion and results. He doesn't care about being liked, but he does care about people respecting him as a Chef. The man just wants to be the best at what he does. Ramsay doesn't tolerate mediocrity and has the balls to stand for that. To be successful in life all you need is passion, you can't tolerate mediocrity and you have to work hard to stand out for what you believe and be the best at what you do. This is the Ramsay recipe for success.  

2. Life lesson by Anthony Bourdain: Make decisions based on a quality of life factor

Photograph: Barry J Holmes

Anthony often says that most of his professional decisions are based on a quality of life factor. That's what makes him happy. Working with people who he enjoys being around. So before taking new projects Anthony always asks himself: " Will I be working with people that I like? Will I be having a good time?" He has even turned down big TV offers because of this. Anthony likes collaborating with people who he respects, even if there's not a lot of money in it. Having fun and working with interesting people is extremely important to him and that was probably one of the big secrets that made No Reservations such a success for so many years!

3. Life lesson by  George Calombaris: Don't be afraid of failure

Photgraph via news.com.au

George was Chef de cuisine at Melbourne's fine dining restaurant, Reserve, when it closed after failing financially in 2005. In 2007 he also went through a divorce, his marriage lasted only three years. But he wasn't afraid of failing and today he is one of the most beloved Judges of the popular TV Show MasterChef Australia. But there’s a lot more to George Calombaris than MasterChef. He's Australia's most renowned Greek-Australian chef, and he's the owner of one restaurant in Mykonos, Greece, and seven restaurants in Melbourne including his flagship restaurant The Press Club.

4. Life Lessons by Mario Batali: Life is not a recipe 

Photograph via niftnyc

Batali is one of the most popular and respected chefs working in America today. He's also known for his signature clothing style which includes shorts and orange Crocs. This is one of his best quotes: "Life is not a recipe. Recipes are just descriptions of one person's take on one moment in time. They're not rules. People think they are. They look as if they are. The say, 'Do this, not this. Add this, not that.' But, really, recipes are just suggestions that got written down" 

5. Life Lesson by Thomas Keller: Look at things differently 

Photograph via New York Times

In 2004, less than a week after his New York restaurant, Per Se, opened, a fire spread through the kitchen. Nearly 4 years of hard work, and millions of dollars, disappeared in a puff of smoke. Thomas felt so bad about the situation that he wanted to quit. Ironically, after the fire Keller began receiving congratulatory cards from some of his Asian customers. In their culture, a fire in the kitchen is considered as a sign of good fortune. So out of that setback Keller started looking at things differently, and decided to rebuild Per se. Later that year, Per Se earned a four-star review from New York Times.

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