I can't believe that my holiday has come to an end. Malta is obviously home. So when it comes to looking at it as a holiday we don't quite do the same things as we usually would do in another foreign country. However, due to having a friend come over from England we got to play more tour guides and explore the Maltese Islands with him, which made it a nice balance of home and holiday. it's true that if it was summer we would have had even more things to do to make the most of the Mediterranean sea but we still managed to do various things, such as Go - Karting, Horse Riding and visiting some key areas, that just makes you fall in love with the country all over again.

I have to admit - I was nervous at the beginning, I haven't ridden a horse since .. well never. I used to ride a white pony named Arabesque back in Paris when I was younger but this didn't quite measure out to be the same. Her name is Delilah, yes I stayed singing the 'Hey there Delilah' song all throughout and quite frankly she grew a liking towards it & that's how we bonded - Thanks Plain White T's.

You know what they say when in doubt follow the sun

Another true beauty is Dingli Cliffs. I have to admit out of the whole two weeks that day was the coldest - the wind had really picked up.  In the horizon, the first and only thing you get to see is filfla  - the tiny rock in the middle of nowhere that no one is allowed to step foot upon however, it's more the sea, and beyond that catches my eye. a true vision - the reflection of the sun was almost silver reflecting upon the sea which almost made it heaven like. You don't have to spend hours here to take it all in , it affects you instantly. 

I'm just going to come straight out and say it - Mdina wasn't so much for the heritage that we went but more for Fontanella coffee shop and the iconic chocolate cake that we knew was waiting for us. Ofcourse, we did a good stroll around - but our coffee break took the cake! (Literally)

We did manage to catch the view which you can see whilst sitting down and I was completely amazed how I got to see half of the island in the shade and the rest in pure sunshine, it's something I had never seen before and I am so glad that I got to catch it in the moment, it was way more striking off camera though - as are most things!

When I'm back home, there's always so much food involved, from grandparents cooking, to home cooked meals to going out meeting and catching up with friends, this time I went for a late brunch at U-Bistro for a catch up with a friend -  safe to say we did not eat all of this food! The omelette was amazing, and perhaps was our favourite part from this brunch (& the healthiest too) We both got super excited when we saw pancakes & waffles on the menu and couldn't make up our mind as to which to get; it was like Sophie's choice. We compromised by deciding to get both! We both managed to take a pancake each but struggled immensely with the waffles -  the coffee on another note was fantastic.

I went to one of my favourite restaurants which happens to be Gululu, it's Maltese cuisine - and I go for the same thing every time, the L-Gharbija Ftajjar Pizza. I crave this when I'm in London and never bother to change my order. It's made with traditional Maltese dough, hummus, lamb & topped off with feta cheese ; any one drooling yet? Half is enough, My friend took the fresh calamari with gluten free pasta, and I have to say after tasting it, it was absolutely divine - get a glass of wine - sit outside with the blankets like we did, stay by the sea and take in the breeze and the night is absolutely complete. We walked off our dinner by walking on the sea front, which we do often here and is an amazing way of helping digest, I love how easily accessible my little town is.

My spine right now is so bruised .. I wonder why. I have to say I'm an exceptional driver and I am questioning why it is I hadn't gotten my license the first time round! In a matter of fifteen minutes I managed to over cross the tyres to end up on the other side of the track, did a complete 360 twice whilst turning, and going full speed without taking my foot of the pedal - I am quite the adrenaline junkie , I love these things although I didn't quite follow the proper technique I had loads of fun. I could have come close to first,( that is of course, if I didn't get stuck in a pot hole for two minutes had to be rescued!) I haven't done Go- Karting in so many years & unlike horse riding, you are in control. Definitely, keeps you buzzing for a while after! It cost 25 euros for half an hour. In the UK its double that price at £50 so was definitely worth it doing in Malta!

One of my good friends Claudia took part in an exhibition, where she worked closely with the photographer & Stylist  - this art exhibition was inspired by a number of fairy tale stories such as beauty and the beast, little mermaid , sleeping beauty et cetera and twisted the story line with current social issues - bringing social commentary and awareness to problems such as abuse, arranged marriage, portrayal of beauty in the media, abortion, sexuality, malnutrition and so on. The was a description for each photo in Maltese but quite frankly the photos spoke strongly for themselves. I was very impressed with this exhibition, I love photography, and appreciate a good art piece, this was well put together and  looking forward for future works.

that's a small preview of my week, I was constantly on the go trying to make the most of my time, and with that naturally I saw the time pass much faster.  It's funny how I woke up in one country, and ending the day in another - I enjoyed being back home and being able to spend quality time with both my family & friends, however, I'm slightly content being back in the UK simply to get back into a routine. I am currently in my onesie, sipping on a hot yogi tea & adjusting back to the cold -  Tom and I decided to order some chinese for the evening & we're ready to knock out straight after. I better quickly recuperate because I start work again tomorrow, back to reality ... Next up is our seven year anniversary coming up today week! 

As you might start to gather, the recipes I post lately are hassle free, so easy & requires minimal preparation time! With my work schedule it's almost impossible to spend much time in the kitchen which I miss. I find cooking to be a sense of therapy, I love the feeling it gives me where I slowly start to relax and fall in my element allowing me to forget about my day and just de-stress. A lot of people get tense when they cook which in turn makes it a not so enjoyable process -  but if you just go along and follow your instincts its more enjoyable than you think -- don't get me wrong, I've had stressful occasions when I'm cooking breakfast for instance, preparing lunch ahead of time, kettle has just boiled and coffee needs to be made, oil in the pan is cooking fast and not all my ingredients are prepped & chopped. We've all had those days and by the time the food is done we're not hungry anymore. Who am I kidding? There's never a time where I won't be hungry to eat what I've prepared, especially if it's these taco babies. 

This is a meat-friendly dish which is surprisingly light and the consistency of the mushrooms makes this quite a meaty alternative. I don't wait for Tuesday to come around, I enjoy tacos far too much. I just love the taste of cilantro (aka: coriander) and I think that is where my love for mexican lies. I've naturally been brought up eating Italian & French food so it will always have a close place to my heart, but Mexican food is a love that I came to find for myself - give me guacamole with cilantro anytime! Nothing beats the homemade kind.  Right less jibber jabber lets get this taco party started. 

*You could heat your taco shells slightly to have them warm but this step is not necessary.

Time to fill the tortillas. Start by adding some avocado as your base, followed by the mushroom and spinach mixture, and x1tsp of sour cream per tortilla then garnish with crumbles of  goat cheese as well, as a nice handful of cilantro. 

Et voila, simple yet delicious. 

Note! You are going to want more than one so prepare a few extra in advance. Not hungry? Have leftovers? Great! Lunch for tomorrow is sorted, better safe than sorry wouldn't you say?

Bon Appetit!

x

HEALTH BENEFITS OF CILANTRO

A natural home remedy to help aid digestion, this herb is good for various cases such as nausea , stomach pains and upset stomachs. Just brew yourself a tea made fresh from the leaves and should have a prompt relief. Cilantro also helps with inflammation.