Food Friday: Canada // San Francisco // New Jersey

 

An Avocado a day keeps the doctor away ♥

Rocky Mountains // Hostel Lake Louise

Yes, you see it right in the title, I have been travelling a lot and I just arrived in New Jersey at a friend's place. So, don't worry, there are two more travel posts coming up this weekend about the rest of my Canada trip and the days I've spent in San Francisco!

But to change up my posts a bit, I'm showing you a little of what we ate and cooked in the Rocky Mountains, in Vancouver, on the plane, in Berkeley, San Francisco and in New Jersey. 

Enjoy the small Food Diary and stay tuned!

On Granville Island // Vancouver

Terra Blueberry Bread & Lemon Ice Tea 

Highly Recommended! 

 North Vancouver

Homemade Kale Chips, Yummy ♥

Recipe coming soon!

Happy Buddha!

Sushi from Vancouver is super-delicious!

Berry Salad with Fresh Coconut Meat & Coconut Water ♥

Very first Zucchini Lasagna with Tofu & Salad

Super expensive Mozzarella Tomatoe Sandwich 

at the Airport Phoenix, AZ

Good Bye Canada, Hello San Francisco ♥
Berkeley = Food Heaven

Vietnamese Pho with Tofu & Veggies

Chinese Take Home Dinner

Carla's Boiled Tomatoe & Avocado Salad

LOVED IT! ♥.♥

Fish & Chips at Sam's Anchor Café

Tiburon, CA

Breakfast with Oats & homemade Coconut Yogurt

Berries & Chia & Hemp Seeds

Lunch Special at Joshuya's Brasserie

Berkeley, CA

Vegetarian Chinese Lunch

Fried Rice with Spinach & Coconut Tofu & Veggies 
Downtown San Francisco

Best Smoothie ever at 4am!
Coconut Yogurt & Berries

Goodbye San Francisco, Hello New Jersey

Dragonfly Asian Fusion
Angry Sargeant's Roll // Dancing Monkey Roll
Yummy ♥

Food Friday: Strawberry x Mango Juice

What's better than a healthy, nutrient-dense juice to freshen up yourself in this heat ;-) ? Well, okay, maybe a pool or a visit to the lake, but since I'm in the middle of Berlin, I need to hydrate my body from the inside out, and if it's not a green juice, which is more vegetable loaded, maybe a sweeter one? :)

In addition to that, Strawberry Season is almost over!! So go out, grab your bike or board and ride to the next organic supermarket to get the last strawberries this summer! Here comes the Strawberry x Mango Juice:

Ingredients:

Half a mango,

some strawberries,

slices of ginger.

Another fruit if you like,

in here it's half an apple.

Chia Seeds & Goji Berries.

1. Slice up everything into small chunks or cubes, blend in with your blender or food processor.

2. Add some chia seeds and goji berries on top of the juice. You can easily stir in the chia, so it mixes in your red juice ;-)

And that was it! 

Super-easy to make, and sweet in taste :)

Have a wonderful & sunny weekend guys ♥

Healthy Wednesday: Superfood Goji Berries ♥

For today's healthy wednesday, I wanted to introduce you to my favorite dried fruit called Goji Berry. It might also be my favorite superfood because it's so yummy!! *.* (my taste ;-) and a power snack mixed with some almonds and maybe dark chocolate :) So, here are some interesting facts about Goji Berries and some tips on how to use them. 

Goji Berries are known for

- a balanced Chi

- a high concentration of vital substances

- rich in Enzymes & Antioxidants

- rich in Vitamin C, E & Vitamins of the B-group

- they contain even more iron compared to spinach 
- it is said that goji berries are good for your eyes
- they strengthen your immune system 
- they aid in a healthy digestion & detox 

In China, they call Goji Berries the fruit of longevity. The plant is very resistant and is able to grow in many conditions, either in a warm or damp climate. The taste is sweet and bitter at the same time, so it might not be something for anyone, but give it a try ;-) 

The ones I have bought here are from China, NingXia Province and organic, you can find them in any organic health/supermarket or online health food retailer. And although they are pricey (in Germany, you get 250g for around 8€), they can help you to feel healthier in many ways. Of course, not only eating goji berries will make you happy & healthy, but e.g. for me, it was the best snack during my exams and papers. You can also add them to your everyday muesli, oatmeal or even juices and salads. I always sprinkle them on top of my raw x vegan oatmeal and have some in my bag for a healthy snack :) So, what about you? Have you ever had Goji Berries before and do you like them?

The Bread Exchange Experience

How do I know about the Bread Exchange, Malin and friends asked me. Well, I think the first time I read about her and the project was in a blog back in 2010, and at that time I think, she wasn't as big as she is now.. In the recent years she became more recognized and is featured in many magazines and newspapers. 

But what is the Bread Exchange all about and why was I interested in one of her breads? Malin Elmlid, Swedish, but living in Berlin is fascinated by the craft of bread making and was curious about how to make bread without any yeast, only salt, flour and water, pure and traditional. As you might know, I am baking my breads with yeast because I do not have the time to knead the dough all day. Additionally, I've never tried sourdough before, therefore I was curious about the taste of her breads because she does actually take her time (maybe 24hours) to knead and bake breads. Her project is about trading in her bread for special things or experiences, but not money. I recommend you to read her About & FAQs to learn more about it.

So this wednesday, when I was doing some email & blog stuff, I saw on facebook that she posted that she's having a break from bread making until the end of July, but has right now a rosemary bread in the oven. Who is interested? Definitely, I was! (I am right now in Berlin and spending some weeks here before I take off for a big journey). I thought about what to trade in and let her know :)

This was it. I traded in some chili powder and spices from the Sudan and self-grounded organic rye flour. Yeah, crazy, my boyfriend just bought a flour mill and now, we're making our own flour by hand :D Yes, it takes a long time, but it's fun and worth it ;-) Malin was really nice when we met and I was amazed about the shape and the look of the bread with its imprint of leaves on top, never have I seen such a beautiful one!

How did it taste? :) I brought it home and couldn't wait to share it with my friends, it tasted a bit sour, different from mine, but really delicious and hearty. My friends enjoyed it with some butter and I had it with avocado, but this bread can be also enjoyed plain. 

So if you're a breadlover as I am and want to have such a delicious-and-yummy experience, subscribe to Malins Blog or FB Page and maybe you'll be the next one who gets the chance to trade in something for one of her unique breads :) 

P.S.: Malin is also bringing out her first book 

about the Bread Exchange in the US and in Europe in October ;-)

Food Friday: Green Lunch Inspiration

Ahhhh!!! My mum found arugula in our garden :) :) Why this makes me so happy? Because I love ♥ arugula and the best thing about it is: we did not actually plant it :) It just grows.. everywhere! So, I did not intend to post anything today because I really really need to study, but I thought: well, now I made this beautiful salad, at least I want to post the pictures ;-)

There's no real recipe behind this, but just a little Lunch Inspiration for you guys :) I've mixed the arugula with regular lettuce, dandelion leaves, pieces of cucumber, tomatoe, red pepper, different seeds'n nuts like pumpkin, linseed, sunflower, pine nuts, almonds and sprinkled Goji Berries on top :) You can have some Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar with it. I often have salads for lunch, so this is what I just made myself for today :) I am really excited about the fact that the arugula is growing from nowhere in our garden, so that I wanted to share this with you :)

Even very small things can make you happy, 

just open your eyes and go explore :)

Thank you Nature ♥

And if you're also an avocado lover like me, 

spread it on some homemade bread and 

you'll have the perfect lunch :)

Happy Weekend and take care ♥

 

Food Friday: Green Juice #1

Hey guys! Sorry for my lack of posts this week, but I still have a Food Friday in store for you :) I've been juicing a lot lately since the weather is becoming warmer and a variety of delicious fruits are available on the market. I guess, there will be a Juice-Series because another one is already shot as well :) Read about the benefits of green juices in a previous post here. Today, I am showing you a more vegetable-loaden juice which is perfect for anyone who needs to get back on track or maybe is suffering from a cold right now, is the weather changing every hour at your time zone, too? Crazy, right? Anyways, here comes the Spinach-Fennel-Ginger-Apple Juice :)

Ingredients for 1-2 glasses:

Spinach as a base

1/2 Fennel

1/2 green Apple for sweetness

slices of ginger

water as much as you like :)

1. Cut the vegetables and fruits into small chunks or slices.

2. Mix everything up with your blender :)

3. That's it! Add some Superfoods like Goji Berries, Chia Seeds or Almonds on top to garnish or blend in with your juice.

If you find it too hearty, add more apple as you like. 

I chose Fennel and Ginger because they are amazing for your throat, you know fennel tea? Yeah, but the raw vegetable is even better! And I also eat tons of ginger whenever I don't feel well, so pack this in your juice, lunch and dinner and you will feel better afterwards :)

Have this juice to kick off your day and get well soon :)

Happy Weekend ♥

Food Friday: Vegan Tomatoe Spinach Mushroom Quiche

Hey guys! For anyone following me on Instagram & Facebook, I've decided to postpone the Green Juice Recipe to next week and show you a wonderful dish for Mother's Day instead :) Sorry that I'm a bit late, it's 11pm in Germany right now, but there's still time to get the ingredients tomorrow and bake it Sunday Morning ;-) 

What is actually the best gift for your mum? I believe no material things but rather time, attention, a walk in nature or only you. You being there for her, being grateful and pampering her, so what about cooking for her and your family? :)

So, this Food Friday Recipe was adapted by the Vegan Food Blog Oh She Glows and I was really curious how everything turned out because I wanted to do a Vegan Quiche with Tofu for such a long time now. As usually, I transformed it a bit and did not use all the ingredients stated. I also thought that it sounded a little bit of too much an effort, but except from the cutting your vegetables into small pieces, it's actually not :)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 cup almonds, ground into flour

1 cup oats, ground into flour

2 teaspoons of dried herbs, 

I've used the Organic Italian Mixture from Sonnentor

1/2 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoon olive oil

1o (less or more) tablespoons water

whole-grain flour (if needed)

For the filling:

1 block tofu (400g), I usually get tofu from an Asian Food Store

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup of dried/fresh herbs

some dried tomatoes

1 cup of spinach

salt & pepper to taste ;-)

1. Preheat the oven at 375F (190°C). Start with the crust, ground the almonds and the oats, mix them together and stir in the other ingredients. I mixed it thoroughly with a spoon. The crust need to be sticky, so that you can easily press it on your quiche/tart pan. Place the pan into your oven and let the crust bake for about 10minutes until it's a bit brown. Let the crust cool down after baking.

2. Well, I actually wanted to show you the block tofu, but forgot to take pictures before I already pressed it :D Anyways, put the tofu in a clean towel and press the water out, put it in your food processor and mix until it has a creamy texture! 

3. Chop all your vegetables and cut them up into thin slices. Put oil into your pan and stir fry the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Add the herbs, the tomatoes, the spinach and season as you like :)

4. After stir-frying your vegetables, remove the pan from the heat and mix in the creamy tofu into the pan, mix and taste :) See if you like it or not, add salt & pepper here and there, and if you want to add some seeds :)

5. Spread the filling evenly onto your crust and place it in the oven at the same temperature 375F (190°C) for about 30minutes. That's it :) Let the Quiche cool down for 15minutes and enjoy with some green salad! 

Except from preparing the ingredients, this dish was super easy to make and it was super-duper-mega-delicious!!! My friends, who had this for dinner tonight, really liked it and couldn't tell that this was vegan :) I really want to try this with different vegetables now :) and I also fell in love with the nutty crust, I just love almonds and this is such a great healthy dish without any excess of eggs and cheese. Tofu, you became my next best friend because I've never used you in a non-Asian dish :) Enjoy cooking my loved ones!

Never forget, Mother's Day is actually every single day!

Happy Weekend! ♥

Food Weekend II: Vegan at Panke Bistro Wedding

It was a sunny and warm Spring Day when my boyfriend took me to this hidden place close to the Panke river in Wedding in Berlin. He told me that the other day, he passed this cool alternative Café where you can have Vegan and Vegetarian Food and wanted to check it out. Well, walking and walking deeper into Wedding, I was really curious about this place and couldn't imagine that there was a neat Café since you pass by a lot of tunnels with graffiti and there were no similar shops in sight. But when we kept walking we found it and my first impression was like: Okay, this is it?! 

Yes, indeed, we walked inside the building, in which it was at first super dark, looking like a club, and then, heading to the bar, there was only one person, serving us because we asked for food :D The waitress was really nice and told us about the changes of menu. So, there I was, at an alternative Vegan Café, really didn't know what to expect from a 'club-like' environment inside with a huge 'garden-like' space outside :D

I had an Orange-Carrot-Potatoe Soup and my boyfriend had a Sriracha-Hot-Cheesy Sandwich with arugula. And OMG! It was SUPER-DUPER delicious :D Okay, the orangey-soup wasn't my taste because too sour/sweet, but my boyfriend liked it, so we switched our foods :) He loved the soup and I loved his Sandwich :) :D :D Haha, so we ended up being super happy and I was extremely surprised and will definitely want to go there again!

To solve my little mystery why it is dark inside: in this building there are also concerts, parties, events and more going on :) You can eat, dance and enjoy your day and nights there, visit this cool place, have some lunch here, enjoy the sun and breathe in some fresh air next to the river :)

Panke Bistro

Vegetarian & Vegan Dishes change daily

Gerichtstr.23, Berlin Wedding

Tue - Sat 12am - 10pm