Course #2 of our Christmas Eve Dinner

I made a tomato soup. I had to improvise quite a lot and don't really remember what I put into it, so I share my normal recipe today :) You could serve it with rice or some fresh bread like ciabatta or baguette!

For 4 portions you need:

• a big can of peeled tomatoes (800ml to 1 litre)
• 2-4 carrots
• 1 zucchini
• 1 small onion or 1 shallot/scallion
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• salt, pepper, hot paprika/chili to taste
• basil pesto to taste
• pesto arrabiata to taste
• fresh basil for decoration
• optional: water and/or tomato purée depending on your  desired consistency

how to make it:

1. dice the onion, zucchini and carrots and steam them in a bit of olive oil until golden in a medium sized pot
2. pour the peeled tomatoes into the pot and cook on medium heat
3. once the carrots are soft enough purrée everything to get a thick smooth consistency
4. season the soup with spices, pestos and add the finely chopped garlic
5. pour in another tablespoon of olive oil and let the soup simmer for 5-10 minutes
6. If you don't like the consistency add a bit of water or tomato purée.
7. add chopped fresh basil before serving and decorate the bowl with a few whole basil leaves (If you don't have any fresh basil you can use dried basil instead but add it with the other spices!)

This recipe is pretty easy and very quick to make! It's warming, nourishing, delicious and a perfect fall/ winter recipe :) you can easily add other vegetables like zucchini (puréed or diced), peppers (diced), aubergine (diced) and much more to make the soup more interesting. :)

Let me know which other vegetables or herbs you added! :)

Hope you enjoyed this yummy soup!

Julia
xoxo

Merry Christmas!!!

My dear readers, I wish you a very merry Christmas with your loved ones!

We had our first completely vegan Christmas Eve Dinner!! I obviously had vegan food during the last 3 years as well, but this year I cooked for my whole family and everyone loved it! (At least they said so!)
I made a four-course-dinner and tonight I want to share my first recipe:
The first course was a warm salad:

You need (for 4 portions):
500g frozen green beans
500g small tomatoes (choose different colours to reach for that certain je ne sais quoi)
salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh garlic (optional, I didn't use any) to taste

1. steam the beans according to instructions on package
2. cut tomatoes in quarters
3. marinade tomatoes with salt, pepper, oil (and garlic)
4. mix marinaded tomatoes with beans
5. serve warm!

You can add a little bit of fresh lemon juice and/or fresh basil, but I wanted to keep it rather simple!

Let me know how you like the salad and if you added anything else :)

Merry Christmas,
Julia
xoxo

my secret top 6 spices / ingredients

Today I want to tell you about my top 6 secret spices / ingredients which add the certain je ne sais quoi to your dishes and desserts!

1. tahini / sesame paste. I absolutely don't like the taste of it on its own, but adding a good teaspoon of it to your salad as a dressing or mixing it into your homemade humus gives it a full taste.
2. cinnamon. You can add it to pretty much everything that contains apples and also add a pinch of it to your pancakes and everybody will love them!
3. grated orange peels. You can use fresh organic oranges for that or buy it in the grocery store (find it in the baking aisle). You can add it to every chocolate-y and/or nutty cake, cupcake, muffin and what not. Use it thrifty and it'll add a little freshness to your oh-so-yummy-desserts :)
4. nutmeg. Get the whole nutmegs and a grater. Yes, they are a little more expensive than the dried and grated stuff, but they taste WAY better! You can add it to pretty much anything with potatos, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, cream-sauces (for pasta). Again, use it thrifty!
5. fresh basil leaves. I love them in salads, tomato soups and sauces (anything tomato, to be honest), on bread with almost any vegan spread or cheese. You can even put a few into a green smoothie, if you like them. If you cannot grow basil in your garden/ on your balcony, buy the pot plant and not the 'fresh' leaves you can get in most grocery stores. The plants are not only cheaper but taste better as well. (btw basil goes great with.. oh the story of how to make awesome bruschetta is a different one.. ;) )
6. garlic. (this one is for you mum - and Rita, who was the cooking lady at my nursery school and put garlic into everything except for rice pudding :D ) Pretty much every savoury dish tastes better with garlic! Use fresh one in small amounts. Goes with anything with tomatos, potatos, pasta, chick-peas, rice and a whole lot more!

 These are my 6 little secret ingredients you will always - under all circumstances - find in my kitchen and very often in my recipes. I hope, you'll find a few ways to use these and enjoy them as much as I do!

Julia
xoxo

a vegan trade fair - die VeganFach in Hamburg

a few first impressions

On November 2nd, 2013 the third vegan trade fair VeganFach took place at the intl. Airport in Hamburg/Germany.

Many restaurants, a few vegan food shops and companies, a raw vegan hotel, book stores and many more offered their goods.

The trade fair was quite busy and when I arrived there around lunch-time, many people waited in line to get in. But the trade fair seemed to be pretty well organised, so no-one had to wait too long. 

Additional to the offered goods and the delicious food (I had a Döner for lunch and a lahmacun (Turkish pizza) for dinner - I had both for the first time ever and they were really great! *yum*!), seminars and show cookings were held. 

For further info check the website! 

a few first impressions

show cooking

By the way: the veganfach is a yearly trade fair, on the first Saturday in November to celebrate the world vegan day (1st of November) and is held in a different city every year. The last two VeganFach trade fairs were held in Berlin and Essen.

I hope to see you there next year on world vegan day 2014!

Julia 
xoxo 

Döner

 

raspberrie cream cake

vegan travelogue: Hannover ~ the Loving Hut

Last weekend we travelled to Hannover, where we visited the Loving Hut Restaurant.
It's a small vegan restaurant close to the inner city. They offer mostly chinese dishes but have a few other fast-food-like dishes on the menu as well. We wanted to try as many of them as possible so we shared the dishes we ordered.
For starters we had the spring rolls and they were pretty good.
The next course was fried noodles with vegetables. These were really good. We both enjoyed them quite a lot!
Next was the burger with french fries, ketchup and mayonaise. The burger was ok, not our personal favourite. The french fries were pretty good, the ketchup as well, but we didn't like the mayonaise at all.
For dessert we had a piece of chocolatecake and a piece of carrot-walnut-cake. These were amazing! The highlight of our dinner! Both came with a delicious cream frosting.
I had a mango-lassi with dinner, which was pretty good as well!
The staff was nice.
So all in all we'd recommend the Loving Hut, but it's not my favourite restaurant. I'm sure, we'll go there again though!

Sorry, this post is so short and without photos.. Maybe I'll update it someday :)
Btw, Loving Hut is a restaurant-chain, which you'll find in Hamburg and other cities as well!

When travelling anywhere, always check Happy Cow for vegetarian and vegan restaurants and shops in the area!

Have a great Sunday,
Julia
xoxo

Lentil-Soup

Today's recipe is my favourite lentil-soup. I got the recipe from my mum, but she puts meat in her soup, so I changed a few things about it to have a delicious vegan alternative.

super-yummy best lentil-soup ever ~ thanks to mum!

You need (again, for 4 hungry people):
2-3 chopped shallots / 1 red or white onion
3-4 thinly sliced carrots
4-5 diced potatoes
1-2 litres of hot water
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup brown lentils
1 cup chopped leek
1/2 cup green peas
olive oil
salt, black pepper and nutmeg to taste
lemon juice

1 big pot

Cooking Instructions:
Warm the olive oil in the pot on medium heat and add the shallots/onion. Stir-fry them until golden.
Add the sliced carrots and diced potatoes and roast them gently.
Pour in the hot water and stir everything gently. Add the lentils (red and brown) and stir again.
Add the chopped leek and the green peas (if you chose frozen vegetables, let them thaw for a bit before adding them to the soup).
Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes on low heat. Add more water if you need to and stir regularly (every 5-10 minutes is enough).
Season with salt, black pepper and nutmeg (freshly grated if possible) and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
Before serving the soup add a little lemon juice on the plate! Do NOT add it to the pot, as it will make leftovers to go off sooner!

You could serve some kind of bread with it, but I personally love it, just the way it is!

I hope you enjoy the soup as much as I do, because it's healthy, super delicious, nourishing and the perfect dinner on a cold fall or winter night!

~ Julia
xoxo

my favourite recipe ever: Ratatouille

Today I want to share my favourite recipe ever! It's awesome during the summer and even better during all the colder months! It's delicious, filling, healthy, full of nutrients and everbody loves it! I make it a lot, when friends and family visit and I don't know anyone who doesn't like it.. so give it a go ;)

Ratatouille served with couscous :) *yumm*!

You need (for 4 hungry people) 
olive oil
1 red onion
a little fresh garlic

5 medium potatoes
2-4 carrots

1 big zucchini

1 big red bell pepper

1 big yellow bell pepper

1 big orange bell pepper

8-10 tomatos (preferably a little overripe)

1/2 cup of strong vegetable broth

1 tablespoon tomato purée

2 cups hot water

1 tablespoon of mixed italian herbs

salt and black pepper to taste

a knife

a chopping board

a big pan or pot with lid

 

how to prepare it: 
cut onion, garlic and vegetables
fry onion and garlic until 'golden' in olive oil
add carrots and potatos
add zucchini
add bell peppers
fry (sauté) until everything is a little 'golden'
add tomatos and let everything simmer for about 10-15 minutes
prepare vegetable broth in a cup, mix with herbs, spices and the tomato purée (add it to the vegetables)
add the 2 cups of hot water
stir well
put the lid on the pan and let it simmer on low heat for 30-45 minutes

serve with ciabatta bread, baguette, couscous, (wholegrain)-rice or pasta  and garnish with fresh basil (optional)

I really hope you will enjoy this wonderful meal as much as I do!

~ Julia
xoxo

my 25th Birthday menu

So .. last week I celebrated my 25th birthday :) And since my sister was about to go abroad for one semester we had a big party together with lots of great friends! My sister is vegetarian and a lot of our friends are too, so we had a mostly vegan, completely vegetarian menu. Today I want to share our recipes. At least the vegan ones, because I don't have the other 2 recipes .. so here we go:

Hummus:

• 2 cans drained chickpeas (puréed)
• minced garlic (1 clove)
• 1 tablespoon tahini (sesame "butter")
• water
• lemon juice to taste
• salt
• black pepper
• a little splash of olive oil

purée everything together, add as much water as you need to get a consistency you like!
Keeps fresh in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Guacamole

• 2 fresh avocados
• minced garlic (1 clove)
• salt
• black pepper
• lemon juice to taste

mash everything together or purée as well!
Keeps fresh in the fridge for about 1 day. Make sure you'll store it in an air-tight container to prevent the guacamole from browning (if it gets a little brown, stir well!)

We offered turkish bread with both creams!

Couscous-salad

• iceberg-lettuce
• romaine lettuce
• tomatoes
• cucumber
• sweet corn
• couscous (prepare as instructions say)
• olive oil, salt, black pepper,..

cut the vegetables, mix in the readily prepared and cooled couscous. Season with olive oil, salt, black pepper and whatever you desire. Chives and spring onions would taste great in it as well!

Green salad
we used the same vegetables as in the couscous-salad to simplify things.
For the dressing we used:

• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt
• black pepper
• chives
• a tiny splash of lemon juice

Onto the good stuff ;) :

we made chocolate muffins, lemon muffins and a cherry-mousse-au-chocolat- gateau
the dough was a normal cake mixture made of: (this is enough for the gateau-base and about 40 muffins)

• 1kg flour
• ~ 500grams sugar
• 2 packs of baking powder
• 4 packs of vanilla sugar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• approx. 1 - 1.2liters water/soymilk (whichever you prefer. I usually use half'n'half)

once that was mixed together we took about 1/3 of it and added lemon flavour and a bit of lemon juice to it.

The lemon muffins were topped with lemon icing (icing sugar and lemon juice) and a vegan gummi bear in the middle. (obviously top the muffins with the icing when they've cooled a bit!)

The other 2/3 were mixed with approx. 125grams of baking cacao-powder (the unsweetend kind)
use half of this for the gateau. Mix the other half with chocolate chips and chopped walnuts for the chocolate muffins.

muffins and gateau-base take about 20-30minutes in the oven. Bake on the middle rack on 180°C

 once the gateau-base is cooled, top with cherrys (jared) or fresh strawberries, blueberries or any other fruit that appeals to you! on top of that you'll put the mousse-au-chocolat

for the mousse-au-chocolat you need:

• 800grams of silken tofu (puréed)
• 200grams of dark chocolate (melted)
• approx. 125grams icing sugar

purée the silken tofu while melting the chocolate on low heat on the stove. Once the chocolate is completely melted pour it into the silken tofu. Keep purée-ing the mixture. pour in the icing sugar. once you have a fluffed up creamy consitency put the mousse-au-chocolat into the fridge. Keep it the as long as you can! I recommend preparing it 1 day ahead. When you've put the mousse-au-chocolate onto the gateau-base keep it in the fridge until you'll serve it!

We also offered a vegetarian pasta-salad and a vegetarian-only gateau with a cream-cheese / yoghurt filling with mandarin oranges as well.

Unfortunately I forgot to take photos! :(

From now on I will write my blog due to time-issues in english only. I hope you will still keep reading!

Let me know if you have any questions about the recipes and if you've used one of them, let me know how it turned out! ;)

Love,
Julia
xxx

being vegan on the go - Highfield-Festival 2013

Being vegan while at a festival? Is that even possible? People barbeque everywhere, a lot of fastfood is offered and isn't 'being vegan at a festival' extremly inconvenient?
1. Yes, it is possible!                 and
2. No, it is actually way easier than you might think!

I visited the first festival (Deichbrand 2012) with 3 omnivore friends and even that was pretty easy. For the BBQ I brought some tinfoil and tofu sausages and vegetables. And even the fastfood-booths offered quite a lot of different vegan foods: falafel, indian rice-vegetable-stir-fry, fried asian noodles with vegetables and a lot more. If you travel with omnivores, take care of the food-shopping! If you visit the festival for the first time you could take a back-up pack of couscous with you to make sure you'll definetely have enough to eat if you plan to have fastfood there.

This year it was even easier for me. The 3 girls I travelled with are all vegetarians so I didn't really have to take care of the food-shopping. We ate mostly bread, but had spitted vegetables and corncobs for the BBQ, apples and salad. The offered vegan fastfood was barely existing, but there was one booth where they offered delicious falafel, pakora and dal (lentil soup)! If you love indian food as much as I do, THIS was the place to go, but, as far as I know, unfortunately no other vegan foods were offered.

So to sum it up in one sentence: Being vegan on a festival is almost as easy as being vegan at home!

More vegan travelogues will follow! :)
~ Julia
xoxo

vegan unterwegs - Highfield-Festival 2013

Vegan beim Festival? Geht das überhaupt? Überall wird ständig gegrillt, Fastfood wird auch überall angeboten und wäre das nicht schrecklich unpraktisch und aufwendig?
1. Ja, es geht!                        und
2. Nein, es ist sogar viel einfacher, als man sich das vielleicht vorstellt!

Bei meinem ersten Festival (Deichbrand 2012) war ich mit 3 Fleischessern unterwegs und selbst das hat erstaunlich gut geklappt! Für das gemeinsame Grillen habe ich einfach etwas Alufolie zum drunter legen und Tofuwürstchen und Gemüse mitgenommen. Zu meiner Überraschung gab es sogar das eine oder andere Fastfood-Angebot, das vegan war! So konnte ich dort Falafel, eine indische Reis-Gemüse-Pfanne, asiatische Bratnudeln mit Gemüse und einiges mehr finden.
Wer mit Fleischessern unterwegs ist, sollte sich vorher mit um den Einkauf kümmern, sodass man genug zu essen hat. Wenn man zum ersten Mal zu dem Festival fährt, kann man als Backup z.B. zusätzlich eine Packung Couscous mitnehmen, sodass man auf jeden Fall genug zu essen hat, falls es dort tatsächlich nichts veganes gibt und man das Fastfood-Angebot mit einplant.

In diesem Jahr war das ganze irgendwie noch leichter für mich. Wir waren beim Highfield und die 3 Mädels, mit denen ich dort war, sind alle Vegetarier, sodass ich mir nicht so die Gedanken um's Essen gemacht hab. Ich musste mich nicht mal mit um den Einkauf kümmern. Wir haben hauptsächlich Brot gegessen, beim Grillen haben wir Gemüsespieße und Maiskolben gegessen und einmal gab's Salat.. Das vegane Fastfood-Angebot war im Prinzip kaum vorhanden und bestand praktisch aus einem Stand, da wurden dafür aber unglaublich leckere Falafel, Pakora und Dal angeboten! Wer indisches Essen mag, war dort genau richtig. Etwas anderes wurde, soweit ich weiss, leider nicht angeboten.


Also um's in einem Satz zusammenzufassen: Vegan geht beim Festival genauso leicht wie zu Hause!

Weitere vegane Reiseberichte werden folgen :)
~ Julia