DREAMS.

Yesterday I was at a friend's house and every time I'm there it gives me so much energy. She is an interior designer and I don't know if it's her or her environment (let me rephrase: amazing, beautiful house wit a lot of positive energy) but -wow!- she inspires me so much.

Her three kids were just playing and while we were drinking some tea, we talked about dreams and holidays. I always say that I really want to move to New York, Berlin or the countryside of France or Italy. She told me that friends of her (a couple) lived their dream; they quit everything here in Holland, packed their bags and moved to somewhere near Bordeaux to open a bed and breakfast. A warm feeling bubbled up and I thought: yes. That's what I want. Bye Holland! Hi countryside! See you in a bit. Plans were already made in my head, Isabel will speak french and dutch in a couple of years and in the weekends we go to the local markets and make the most delicious courgette spaghetti's and avocado cheesecakes (I mean the one from Hemsley & Hemsley here, OH MY!). 

But then in a split second she said: 'In between her cooking and running their household plus Chambre d'Hôtes she had some time for a coffee. We went to a coffee bar by car. Or well, of course there are no coffee bars. It was a hotel bar in the middle of nowhere. Sounds nice but deep inside I felt her loneliness. And mine too. The minute I came home I realized how good we have it here in Holland.' Her words entered my head and although the story ended up a little sad, the warm feeling was still there. My dream is not over yet (I still want to go visit local markets with Isabel and make organic blueberry pancakes) but I do understand that to disappear or to leave forever is not really an option. Visiting places with big cities on the one hand and seeking the necessary peaceful and quiet spots on the other hand is more something for me I guess. You'll never know what happens. We'll see. I'm gonna live my dream for sure. 

This story made me feel creating a countryside salad for lunch. Actually it consists of leftovers. 

Ingredients

Serves 3

250 gr. brown rice (a leftover from the day before, so already cooked)

1  tomato chopped into cubes

1 chopped red bell pepper into small batons

1  white union roughly chopped

2 gloves of garlic, fine chopped

1 tbs of kurkuma

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tbs of fine chopped ginger

5 chopped green olives

2 tsp of lime juice

1/2 avocado 

A pinch of sea salt

2 tbs of coconut oil

• Heat the coconut oil and put the union, ginger, cayenne pepper and kurkuma together and fry them for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic for another minute.
• Combine everything together with your hands! in a big bowl. Season it with some salt. 
• I had some baba ganouch with it. The combination of the salad with baba ganoush gives a super fresh taste.
• Enjoy your lunch:).