Chocolate Cupcakes

I don't care for Valentine's Day at all. But since I knew I'd be given something I felt obliged to have something on my hands aswell and whipped up the Basic Chocolate cupcakes from VCTOTW.



Threw in some mixed frozen berries and they were devoured by happy people! =)

Clean-out-fridge-lentil-soup

Since it's still freezingly cold here I've been cooking soup non-stop. And that always comes in handy when one's trying to use up whatever there is left in the fridge.



I threw together broccoli, bell pepper, carrots, onions, garlic, canned tomatoes and lentils and 45 minutes later enjoyed hot soup with chicorée leafs for spooning.

Now I feel like having hot chocolate and some of Katie's fudge babies. But I'm out of milk and nuts and pretty much everything else I'm craving at the moment. If I run to the supermarket, can I count that as my exercise for today? =p

When in doubt, make curry!

I believe we've all had those days where we just couldn't decide on what we felt like eating. So many possibilities, yet none of them convinced you really. I had that a couple of days back and decided you can never go wrong with Thai Curry.

So I cooked some spinach linguine and whipped up a curry sorta thing with broccoli (I could live off that alone, my ever favorite vegetable to eat), bell pepper, onions, coconut milk, green + yellow curry paste, curry and ginger powder and some pepper. On top of it I threw some mixed salad and cherry tomatoes.



And last night I had a salad that I topped of with coleslaw and mungbean sprouts. I forgot how much I love coleslaw. Can you blame me? I'm German... we don't get called "Krauts" for no reason =p



It's been so long since I updated this blog... I'll try to whip out my camera more often and revive this thing a bit.

Raw Cheesecake

I made this for my mom's birthday and she has been raving aout it ever since. Ha ha, I love how I can get out of stressing over what to buy someone as a gift by simply baking - or in this case freezing - a cake.



She even bought the ingredients to make it herself next time. After the birthday brunch I was left with three notes of her friends asking for the recipe. I used this one.



On Thursday I'll finally have my written exam. Oh the weight that's gonna fall off my shoulders...

La Mano Verde - Organic Gourmet Cuisine

This is a 100% organic vegan restaurant (with raw&gluten-free options) around my corner which I highly suggest you to pay a visit should you be in Berlin for whatever reason!
Hey, even Woody Harrelson & Ben Foster were there.

The first time I went there I almost fainted from all the goodness and was close to dropping down on my knees in front of the cook and praise him =p
Whenever I have extra money to spare I stop by and pretty much order the same things every time. The Curry or the raw Red Beet Ravioli. Just writing this makes me want to go over there immediately =p



The first (and only) time I've had vegan cheese that was actually melted



Yellow Thai Curry with Tofu



Raw Red Beet Ravioli with Fennel Salad & dried Figs



Summer Rolls



Chocolate Mousse



Donauwelle

Salad and fruity treats.

It's been friggin cold here lately and there was a snow storm today, so I've been craving and eating lots of soup lately and the only raw things consumed were apples and some salads. Here are a few from a couple of days back though.

Lamb's lettuce, red cabbage, zucchini & tomatoes with green olive tapenade and lots of chives and basil.



Banana, pear, raspberries & a date (gotta get more of those soon, I'm hooked) sprinkled with shredded coconut.



Blueberry-Banana Ice Cream (1/2 frozen, 1/2 fresh, 1/3 cup frozen blueberries) with a pear. This stuff is brilliant, even better than the raspberry one due to no annoying seeds being stuck between your teeth ;)



Well, back to hitting the books. Or should I say book, only 1/4th through the 500-pages one. We finally got the topics for the final exam though, so now I don't have any justification for procastination =p

Raw Eats

I've decided to eat more raw instead of having PBJ sandwiches all the time.



Banana sprinkled with cinnamon in romaine leafs along with dates & red grapes.



Yes, the penis was intentional. =p



Mixed salad with tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper and ABM-dressing.



Breakfast this morning was half an orange and for lunch I made a salad which I couldn't even finish.
Mixed salad with yellow bell pepper, fennel, red cabbage, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, red grapes, ABM-dressing and raisins.



ABM-dressing
1 small apple, cored and diced
1/4 banana
1/4 cup mango
dash cinnamon

blend until creamy

Salads, Soups and Oatmeal

Thai Curry (coconut milk, curry paste, soy sauce, zucchini, champignons, fennel, carrots, sauerkraut, tofu, bell pepper, broccoli, scallions, red onions, garlic etc.) over romaine & lamb's lettuce and cherry tomatoes.



Some tabbouleh mix over romaine & lamb's lettuce, cucumber and cherry tomatoes with a free soup mix on the side (with the Thai Curry leftovers mixed in).



And breakfast this morning. Oatmeal with cinnamon, ginger, a tsp. maple syrup and peanut butter, 1/2 mashed banana, fresh blueberries and 1/2 pear.

Raw Raspberry Banana Ice Cream & Pizza Veggie Wrap

1/4 banana blended with a handful of frozen raspberries and frozen banana slices. Can't wait for the hot days as I know what I'll be having for breakfast then. Try it out if you haven't yet!

1/4 avocado, lambs lettuce, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, raw zucchini slices and a pizza pattie sort of thing.

Date Coconut Confect

New addiction after having bought these.



Just puree some dates and roll in shredded coconut. Not to mention Damn delicious!

Cauliflower Curry Soup

Not to toot my own horn, but damn this was good. Hot and spicy!

I don't know why, but I never taste my food while cooking. I just wonder which herbs and spices might fit, throw in an estimated amount, add tons of pepper just about every 5 minutes (seriously) and taste it for the first time about 5 seconds before serving it.

Cauliflower Curry Soup

(all of this is pretty much estimated; like I said I kept dashing in curry powder, more and more pepper and some of this and that, so adapt it to your liking if you're the kind of person who tastes stuff during cooking)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium-big cloves of garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

2 cups water (or more if you prefer a water based soup)

1 vegetable broth cube

4 cups cauliflower

1.5 cups broccoli

2 celery stalks, chopped

5 Tbsp. hot curry powder (estimated, I think I had more, but adapt to your liking)

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. paprika powder

1 tsp. ground caraway seeds

salt, pepper

1 Tbsp. fresh parsley

1/4 cup soy cream or soy milk (estimated & optional)

1. bring the water & broth to a boil, add onions, set heat to medium, cook for ca. 3 minutes

2. add garlic, cook for ca. 1 minutes

3. add cauliflower, celery, broccoli and spices & herbs, cook for ca. 7-8 minutes until veggies are tender

4. puree everything to consistence of your liking (I like it a little chunky), add salt and pepper to taste, adapt spicing if neccessary

5. add parsley, stir and add soy cream or soy milk

Cabbage Soup

Really simple and basic, yet really good! Can't remember where I got the recipe from, I just adapted the amount of cabbage thyme and added pepper & ground caraway seeds.



Cook the following for ca. 7 minutes:

1 1/4 cup water + vegetable broth
4-5 cups chopped cabbage
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 tsp. thyme
1/2-1 tsp. ground caraway seeds (or whole ones):
salt, pepper

add the following, stir and see if the cabbages consistence is to your liking

1 cup soy milk (for a creamier version use a little less milk and replace it with soy cream)
2 tsp. chopped parsley

Along with it I finished off the pattie things.

Lunch & Snacks

After getting spoiled with a wide selection of fantastic smoothies at AH in Amsterdam, seeing the options here are pretty depressing. We have like three different brands available and they're not that mind blowing. And since I found frozen nectarines and blueberries in the freezer this morning I blended them with some soy milk, water, half a banana and a little apple-mango-puree and a tsp. ground flax seeds. Took a tiny apple (seriously, can't resist buying small versions of things because I feel like they're made for me) and a Lubs bar to school. 



The fruit bar was bleh, rather dry and not worth the money. I made some kind of Lara bar fakes this afternoon (they're not available here, but I wanted to know what the hype is all about). Didn't add any nuts though after the dryness of the bar from this morning and made Date-Cranberry-Banana, Date-Mango-Apple-Pineapple and Date-Apple-Cranberry ones instead. All the dried fruit was bought long before I went to Amsterdam so the expiration date was coming close and since back then I bought them with the intention to make the Lara bars anyway I figured now or never. I was actually afraid my blender would die on me, but it worked surprisingly well.

I also still had a chocolate coconut bar lying around that tasted fucking brilliant!



And some blueberry yogurt with banana and a ripped date-cocount confect.



Gotta pack some more food on days where we do so many calculations and theoretical stuff at school though, I felt like I was dying.
On days like these I wish I lived with Erin and would get a Lunchbox like hers (all the friggin goodness) prepared every morning. This lady really knows how to lunch!

Tortellini&Broccoli in a Spinach Cream Sauce and Peanut-Coconut-Curry Stir-Fry

Drinking ginger tea while eating ginger chocolate chip cookies, I sense my ginger phase is coming back. Ahh, the joy of relaxing for a couple of minutes... I actually have to study like crazy (which - honestly - I am not really doing so far, being the procastination whore that I am), because my finals are coming sooner than I thought they would and time just fucking flies by way too fast!



Still had time to cook something though (it's so good to actually cook and use an oven again after living off microwaved vegetables and sandwiches for the last 6 months). I made some spelt veggie tortellini with broccoli in a sauce made of cream cheese, some leftover spinach, soy milk, vitam-r, nutritional yeast, bindobin, oregano, pepper, salt, parsley, nutmeg and some curry powder (could've needed some garlic and onions, but I didn't feel like peeling and cutting anything... lazy much?). And I bought these things, because I'm too lazy to make my own. They taste alright, but then again I'd always prefer homemade chickpea cutlets or some other patties.

And from a couple of days ago: Peanut-Coconut-Curry Stir-Fry that was absolutely fabulous! I ate it three days in a row and probably still would be feasting on it if there were more leftovers. A mix of asparagus, bell pepper, ginger, fennel, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, soy sprouts, brussels sprouts, snap peas and broccoli in a coconut milk/soy sauce/peanut butter mix. So so so good!



Managed the stir-fry eating with chopsticks quite well, but I always need the smurf kids fork my grandma gave me for the salad ;)

Back in Berlin

Home sweet home... I've missed it!
And I noticed that I missed it a lot more than I thought I did now that I'm back. The dirty air, the bitchy people, the angry faces, the fact that you feel like you actually live in Turkey, the wide streets and sidewalk, the ridiculously small fietspaad, the dog shit everywhere, the smell of Döner on every corner, the late night supermarkets, the ability to drink as much beer on the street as your heart desires, everything!

Oh and of course the fact that there are more than 2 supermarket chains. And the fact that I have two organic ones in a 2 minute walking distance away from home. Stocked up on vegan cookies, crackers, mango strips and all kinds of fruit and yogurts haha!

And since school started I figured I'd need some energy to concentrate (plan didn't fan out though, I was tired as hell and not listening at all...). Spelt müsli with dried pears and raisins, topped with plain soy yogurt, apple-mango puree, fresh apple & banana slices and dried cranberries.



I can't even recall when the last time was that I had breakfast so early in the morning. Realized I don't like eating so early. Give me coffee and I'm in heaven! Oh yeah fuck, I have to start buying coffee again. Means I'll drink much less now that I have to pay 1€ per cup. So I'll probably go from around 10+ cups of coffee a day to around 3 or 4. I know that this is supposed to be a good thing, but I feel like someone who gets their baby taken away from her, haha!

Anyway, I'm glad to have my kitchen back which means finally getting my hands on an oven again. Ah, the simple things =)

Yellow Tomato Cauliflower Lentil Curry with Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts & Spinach

Phew, what a title.
Followed by an incredibly ugly cell phone image *shudders* (left my camera at my old appartment, moved into a new one yesterday).
So as ugly as this might look, it was a wonderfully comforting food for a fucking cold day.



I mixed together about 4-5 cups cauliflower florets & brussels sprouts, ca. 3 cups of potato slices, a can of lentils, about 1 1/2 cups Yellow Curry Sauce, 1 cup chopped spinach, 2 cups tomato sauce and 1/2 onion. And I put some fresh chopped basil on top.
Perfection, seriously. Luckily I made enough to live off it for the next two days.

Ha ha, see that Katie? I took my chopsticks with me ;) I hold them in my very own and special - and no way near correct - way, but I somehow manage to have the food land in my mouth and not on my lap (the way it happened every single time someone tried to teach me how you're actually supposed to hold chopsticks... seriously can't be done) and that's what important, non?

Yellow Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower Curry

Lately I've been craving either Thai or Indian food like crazy. Yesterday I bought a delicious - but quite expensive - Yellow Thai Curry Sauce and made brussels sprouts and cauliflower with it.



So this sauce has to be used within 4 days after opening.



Do you think it would go well added to Split Pea Soup (never had Split Pea Soup to begin with so I wouldn't know...) with some additional cauliflower?

Persian Food

Wow it's been quite a while... but I was internetless for quite some time. Aswell as lazy... ;)

First pictures from Berlin. We went to this vegetarian bistro/restaurant/caterer ALSA and the owner is persian and holy moly his food was extremly delicious. I even liked the rice&raisins combo, something I've always detested.
This was a vegan dish, eggplant casserole with beans, lentils, nuts and whatnot. So fucking amazing!!!



And a mix of salads he had left (we got there at around 4 and almost all the plates were pretty much empty already=good sign!).



Anywho, I finally had some money to buy food. Raspberries are so addictive ♥



Spinach with cucumber, raspberries and a surprisingly good tasting basil dressing (storebought dressings mostly suck... or maybe I just always pick the bad ones).



I've been trying to catch up with your blogs and the last days were simply horrible because I had no food/money/whatsoever and your pictures almost made me cry! And realize what amazing chefs each and every one of you would make (this is not neccessarily the starving person from a couple of days ago talking, he he). Anyone up for inventing beaming and starting a delivery service worldwide with amazing vegan food creations? ;)

Yummy Salad

Avocado with cucumber, tomatoes, mixed salad and white beans. What a filling and nice dinner!



And a delicious juice, mhhh!

Cookiemouse & some food I've been eating...

I wrote this post so long ago... anyway, here goes!

I met Leighton (aka Cookiemouse) at the Noordermarkt and got to learn how you get vegetables for free!



Here's the crowd being rewarded for all the waiting and grabbing lots of lovely organic produce.





She was very successful as you can see ;) And that's Cookiemouse in the back.



I got lots of zucchini from Cookiemouse (thanks again) so my dinner plans for the next couple of days are already set ;)

See? This is what I've been eating pretty much all the time. Rice, Salad, fresh tomatoes and steamed garlicy herbed string beans, zucchini, lima beans and tofu (came to the realization that I don't really need it so I'll save my money for other stuff instead of buying tofu).





His German was so good! He speaks amazingly well Schwäbisch which is funny because my mom originally comes from Schwaben and hearing him speak in this dialect totally reminded me of my childhood when we would visit my moms realtives and she would start speaking in that dialect again =)

Here's some more food. People at work told me about the BioMarkt and I stocked up on beans there.



The Jalow Bars were deeeelicious!!!



Other than beans I got Brocolli Sprouts and some fruit/fruit&nut bars and a Pumpkin-Lentil Soup that I've been living on for a couple of days. I tried to mix it up a little so I had it with some fresh tomato on top (I was out of everything else)



and then with broccoli sprouts & the last of Cookiemouses zucchini.



& a salad from De Bolhoed.