One thing that I love about Sweden is that there are so many choices of bread, especially the crispy, hard bread. They come in various sizes: round, square, thin flat, triangular. And there are choices of wholegrain (either whole wheat or whole rye, or combination of the two), oat, grain with extra seeds, and some even have extra fiber added. They’re very dry and light, and it’s easy to store or carry away. When I was travelling in mountains among Tibetan areas, they were my best friends, along with some cans of beans. 😃

Another convenience here is the shelled sunflower seeds, which can be easily bought from most supermarket. With those in hand, it’s super easy to work out some healthy snack for fika, which I love to have 2 times a day. Fika is a Swedish style coffee break, usually taken in the mid-afternoon, where colleagues gather together to have a cup of coffee and chat. Cinnamon buns are also a common and popular choice to accompany the coffee.

If you have time, you might also want to make your own gourmet bread to go with this delicious paté. Why don’t you try Yogurt Bread with Nuts and Seeds?

Kitchen Gadgets: Food Processor

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 cups (750ml) sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup (125ml) walnut
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
• 1 tsp (5ml) sea salt
• 2 tbsp (30ml) apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp (5ml) cumin powder
• 1 tsp (5ml) coriander seeds powder
• 1/4 tsp (1.25ml) cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tsp (2.5ml) paprika powder

Instructions

1. Soak the sunflower seeds over night. Alternatively, you can lightly toast the seeds in a saucepan on the stove. Just turn and toss often until they smell nice and are lightly browned. Be careful not to burn them! The toasted version tastes better but the heat might destroy some nutrients. Your choice. 😉
2. Drain the water, rinse well.
3. Put everything into food processor, blend until it becomes a paste. Serve on the toast!