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 ♥

 

Vintage Finds in the Streets of NYC

A new old Outfit Post for today :) I know that I am lacking on posts at the moment, but I'm in the middle of my exams and there are also other activities I'm doing beside of blogging ;-) But you can check my Instagram and Facebook Accounts for bits'n pieces of health, fashion and food :-P I've been thinking a lot about my time in the States lately and when I strolled through old NYC pictures, I found these :)

Here are some shots of me at the Hell's Kitchen Fleamarket in Manhattan. That moment I was really! indecisive about the purchase of this Vintage Oversize Blazer. I bet you know how it is: there's a super special item and then you don't really know if it fits to your wardrobe.. hmm.. and then you start thinking and thinking and doubting and well.. are you going to buy it? Hmm.. Sorry to all my lovely friends who go shopping with me and know that I do need my time to decide, and thanks guys for your patience ♥ 

So, it was a yellow-plaid LaFayette Blazer, which I threw over a Forever 21 shirt, black skinny jeans, my beloved and unfortunately worn-out Blowfish Boots and a brown scarf, paired with some brownish jewelery :) 

How do you guys like this rather colorful mixture on me? 

P.S.: I did end up buying the blazer, but since then I only wore it once for an art exhibition. I've decided to sell it at a flea market last year ;-) It was supposed to make someone else happy ;-)

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! ♥

Throwback Thursday: European Longboard Dance Contest 2013

Happy Faces all over this book :) 

Whenever I'm in Berlin, I need to stop by at a special longboard shop and say hi to its owner :) It's Funky Summer in Wedding, Berlin where I got my very first longboard. So, it's always nice to see Fränky and what he has been up to. This January when I was there, I saw this huge book lying there and I was like: Oh my! Are these pictures from the European Longboard Contest last summer? Yes, indeed! I haven't seen him since that summer and it was nice to look back again :)

 
Fränky printed some funny shots from the riders into a large book, so that any visitor who comes around, can have a look :) Just wanted to show some of them to you and take a look back at last summer's big longboard event :) It was amazing and a lovely experience, but read the whole story here..

Pictures in the book by Funky Summer.

Mindful Monday: Everyday Encounters..

For this Mindful Monday, I wanted to share three stories of mine with you which happened in the last month. I don't know, but I think everyone of us was at least once in the same situation No.1 as me:

1. I always take the train to Uni and that morning it was packed, but I was lucky to get a seat, other people were standing next to me. There was this woman sitting oppsite to me and she was coughing really really hard. I had some Hustenbonbons (engl. cough sweets? please correct me if I'm wrong :)) with me and wanted to give her one. I did not and I really don't know why, there were all these people looking at me and I was kind of afraid or restrained. The whole train ride, I thought about giving her the Hustenbonbons, but then again: hmm, what if she says no thanks? You know this situation? So stupid! And that night I started regretting it. Reflecting this situation with a dear friend made me realize that often, something is holding me back to do things, to act. It's not about a 'big helping others', but more of a friendly kindness in everyday situations..

I still have to think about this, but it made one thing clear: I need to be more open, doesn't matter if I'm in the US or in my small hometown or in Berlin. I shouldn't think too much and just do it! No thinking, more smiling and doing!!! And if I try to smile more often, people will smile back, someone has to start right? :)

2. A week after the first occurrence, I've joined a dear friend to visit her mother and aunt at the cementery. Next to the grave of her aunts, there were two brushy and moss-covered graves. I asked my friend: Hey do you know who is actually lying here? Why are these so neglected? The answer to this was: Well, imagine the relatives don't live here and don't come to visit and care about the graves anymore..

This time, I did not think too much and told to my friend: I think these need a lot of love now. I bended down on my knees and gave each grave a kiss and guys, you might not get this, but I felt somekind of warmth inside me and I felt really good about doing this although.. yes, people were watching again.

3. This actually happened last friday. I was on the train to Uni again. This time, a teacher was sitting opposite to me, how do I know that he's a teacher? Well, he talked to one of his students and I was too curious. He was eating his apple and I saw that he was smiling or curiously looking at what I ate: Raw Fennel :) When his student left, I started a conversation with him and I need to say, it was such a good one :) I love getting insights into different life perspectives and life forms, and he told me that he changed his career path when he was around 40 and is now happier. Before, he worked in a bank, now he's a teacher and loves his job :) It was remarkable to me that he had the guts and the endurance to quit his good-paid job, to quit his family plannings and go back to school to study education. At the end of the conversation he said: I love Kant and this quote is actually from him Run into Peace. It applies to everything what is important. Find peace in all your actions. Never go slow, don't overthink actions, don't nurture doubts. Just do it with your full motivation and with the childish naivity you have inside. 

Be it small actions of kindness in our everyday or with big decisions in life, 

don't think about them, don't go too slow, listen more to your intuition, 

just do it and have the guts to change roads.

Happy new day :)

Puerto Rico 2012

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

Food Weekend: Korean at Yam Yam Berlin

This week I want to present you two Restaurants from Berlin, so it's a Food Weekend :) I start off with another Korean Go-To ;-) The first one was at Madang's. So, my friend and I wanted to go somewhere new for dinner and were pretty unsure about the many restaurant choices. But the fact that she never had some delicious hot Korean Food before made it easier; after strolling through reviews and such, we ended up at Yam Yam in Mitte.

As a starter we ordered Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings filled with vegetables and tofu, which were okay for my taste, but my friend liked it a lot. So, it depends on your taste ;-)

They also serve Kimchi, spicy cabbage, with any dish. My friend (who does not really eat spicy food) couldn't deal with the Kimchi :D and after several tries, she gave up and said: No more Kimchi for me! :D For our entrées my friend had a Rice Bowl with Glass Noodles, Vegetables and Beef and I went for the Vegetarian Ramen Bowl in Spicy :)

Her dish wasn't too spicy, so she could easily eat it up and mine was superduper hot :D (Hey, I can really handle hot dishes and I love Sriracha Sauce, but this was.. puuh, very spicy!) Anyways, the Ramen was still very good and I did finish as well ;-) When you're in Berlin, come here and try out some delicious Korean Food because:

1st it is not too expensive (we are still students ;-))

2nd the menu is kept small, it's easier to decide then

3rd they know what spicy means :)

Oh, but keep in mind that this restaurant can be a bit crowded ;-) 

I will definitely come back for more :-)

Happy Eating Out!

Yam Yam Berlin

Alte Schönhauserstr.6, Mitte

Mon - Sa 12am - 11pm

Sun 1pm - 10pm