Fruity Warm Breakfast Oats – 6 Variations

November 28, 2017 - Tobia 6 Comments

I like warm breakfast. It doesn’t really matter if it is winter or summer really. For me something warm to start the day is just comforting.

I discovered this recipe in a detoxing book. There it was said, that the human body was actually build to eat more soups, mashes and purees and especially in the morning. It was some argument about looking back in history that all the ancient civilizations and most all of the indigenous people up until today have done so. Just think about millet gruel, oatmeal gruel, bread soup…

Anyhow, I am not that fanatic but I found the thought interesting. And the recipe about warm oatmeal was sounding pretty good too. Of course I pimped it a bit and it is not really detox (I think you were supposed to cook with water but I think that is the most disgusting thing there is).

Here is the main recipe and then I have a few variations for you:

❤︎ 3-5 tbsp rolled oatmeal
❤︎ milk, enough so that the oatmeal is covered
❤︎ cinnamon – lots of it (it’s supposed to tame appetite… I just love it!)
❤︎ fruit of choice – my go to is apple and specifically Pink Lady as they taste the best here

Put oatmeal and cinnamon in pan and cover with milk. Let simmer until milk is almost gone. While it cooks prepare your fruit. I usually stir in the fruits and let sit on the hot stove for a bit as I like it semi-warm.

I sometimes swap the apple for pears. I always wonder if there is something better than cinnamon to go with pears…

Then of course as soon as the season of strawberries rolls around this is my go to and I sometimes add a bit of mint or basil:

Then I also love love love red currents. This needs additional sugar though. I sometimes use plain brown sugar other times fancy coconut flower sugar:

When I make a bowl with blueberries I usually add a bit of vanilla:

And then when fall comes around I really love plums and cinnamon.

Tomorrow I will try a new version with grapefruits. What is your idea? And will you give it a try?

Happy breakfast,

Tobia

Homemade Vegan Bath Bombs

November 14, 2017March 18, 2018 - Tobia 4 Comments

I mentioned that I attended the blogst conference last weekend. One fun thing about this conference is that during coffee breaks you not only drink coffee but can craft. Because those sponsors are cool. They don’t just set up a booth no they set up crafting tables for the attendees to get creative. One of the sponsors was PonyHütchen a natural cosmetics shop from Berlin. And we were able to make our own vegan bath bombs.

It was so very simple and most all ingredients are either already in your house or are available in any grocery or drugstore. Now that does sound good right. Not only because the product really is natural if you can actually (almost) eat it. So I asked Lucie (head of marketing & Berlin store fairy) if I can share this simple DIY with you here. She said yes!

So lets get started (recipe makes two vegan bath bombs):

♥ 100 g baking soda (Natron)
♥ 50 g citric acid (Zitronensäure)
♥ 35 g corn starch (Maisstärke)
♥ 15 ml almond oil (Mandelöl)
♥ essential oils, food colors, nonpareils – optional

Now it is really simple. You have to mix well. And by well I mean well. If it is not really mixed the bomb might break when drying up. So take you sweet time, let your mind wonder and start relaxing.
Then press the mixture into a form. We had some half balls but I guess you could easily use silicone mutton of praline forms. However it needs to be packed really good. Otherwise it will all crumble.
Now it needs to dry over night. And ready to go. Wrap them up, gift or just enjoy a bath yourself.

This is a wonderful gift idea. It could also be a cool idea for a girlfriends night. Oh the possibilities.

I’ve heard from PonyHütchen before the event but I was happy to have gotten a better idea what they are doing. I have to admit I am usually not the biggest fan of natural cosmetics. Not because I think it is not good valid cosmetics more so because of the fanatics behind it. Fortunately this was not the case it was just lots of love, enthusiasm and joy. I loved the displays they put up in the bathrooms and the packaging is so cute too. It is nice to see such a young fun brand.

After I tried their hand cream at the event – it smells amazing and makes the smoothes hands, really no joking here – I was really happy to find a sample of the deodorant cream in the goodie bag. I will give this a good try during my business trips as I like to travel with the smallest amount of weight and it comes in a tiny cute tin. I am excited how it works.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share this discovery from my weekend with you. If you are into vegan handmade cosmetics this could definitely be something for you as they do have some decorative things too. And they own an online shop for everyone not in Berlin. I am not sure about worldwide shipping though.

Now I am wondering, have you ever tried making cosmetics yourself?

Happy Tuesday,

Tobia

PonyHütchen Store Berlin | Straßburger Straße 37 | 10405 Berlin

linked to creadienstag | Dienstagsdinge | Handmade on Tuesday | MMI | Freutag

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Kale Pie – Because Pie is always a good idea

November 6, 2017November 5, 2017 - Tobia 4 Comments

I hear kale is healthy. And I hear pie makes happy. So it is pretty obvious to me, to combine those two to make Kale Pie! A good idea I think especially for Clara’s veggie expedition. I only managed to take part in February with my winter salad so i say it’s high time.

Kale is weird. I mean not the taste. I’ve always loved it. But it wasn’t really available that much in stores. Only canned and even then hard to come by. It only changed in recent years with all the hipster blog posts about kale chips and detox and such.

But lets be real here, it can’t get my “German” than kale in winter. I mean how else do you eat your goose during the holidays. Ok maybe red cabbage. Or how about those Christmas market concession stands with their Kale & Knacker offers?

I remember that kale was the only veggie in my grandparents garden that was still peeking out of the snow glowing bright green and giving hope that not all is lost.

So I said I made a pie. I found the dough recipe in one of Cynthia Barcomi’s books*. I have to admit that the filling was not at all convincible. But I had dough left so I could experiment a bit and came up with this lovely kale pie.

What you need for the dough:

❤︎ 175g flour
❤︎ 1/4 tsp salt
❤︎ 125g cold butter
❤︎ 125g cold cream cheese
❤︎ 1,5 tbs cold water

For the filling:

❤︎ kale, cooked and drained
❤︎ 1 tbs butter
❤︎ potato, sliced
❤︎ bacon
❤︎ pepper
❤︎ salt
❤︎ nutmeg

For the glaze:

❤︎ egg
❤︎ water

Instructions for dough:

Combine flour and salt.
Add butter and cream cheese.
Crumble fat and mix while adding water.
Use fork to make dough and stop immediately once a dough has formed.
Roll dough on floured surface and make into round shape.
Put in plastic wrap and let sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours better over night.

Can be stored there for a couple of days.

Instructions for filling:

Drain liquid from kale as not to make pie to soaky.
Fold in butter, potatoes dices and spices as well as bacon.

Instructions for pie:

Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F
Grease the pie form.
Coat pie from with dough and leave 1/3 to cover the pie.
Fill kale mixture into your pie form.
Cover pie. Go crazy with a design if you feel like it. Make at least 4 cuts so heat can escape.
Glaze with egg mixture.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Check frequently aas every oven is different.

This might take a while to do but it really is worth all the effort. And I find it is good to prepare. Once everything is in the oven you are done and can enjoy company.

Have you any cool Pie recipes? Please share! They aren’t too common in Germany so I am interested.

Happy cooking,

Tobia

*Affiliate Link – if you purchase the book through this link I earn a few cent. Read more here.

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The Fluffiest Waffles of all Times

February 19, 2017January 15, 2017 - Tobia 2 Comments

There are days when you just need waffles. At least I’ve got those days. It was raining, it was cold and I had a craving. In the days I somehow always go for sweet stuff: pancakes, semolina, french toast or waffles…

Those waffles were the most fluffiest waffles I have ever had. Seriously. They are fluffy yet crunchy, not too sweet and just yum. A real treat. Don’t believe me? Have a try and be convinced.

The Fluffiest Waffles – Crunchy Oatmeal Waffles

Ingredients:

125 g whole grain flour
25 g grape seed flour
250 ml milk
3 tbsp coco flower sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 pinch salt
4 tbsp oatmeal, whole grain

Directions:

Mix flour, milk and sugar and let sit for 20 minutes.
Separate eggs and whip up egg whites with salt.
Add oil, egg yolks, oatmeal to the flour mixture.
Fold in egg whites.
Bake waffles.
Enjoy with salty butter and powdered sugar while still warm.

Did you know that I made my very first waffles when I turned 30? I did not grow up with waffles. But for my thirties birthday party I had waffle and lemonade party. Ever since I am a bit hooked.

Do you make waffles for breakfast? Or is it more a treat in the afternoon? Would you spill your favorite recipe? And do you know of a recipe where no egg whites need to beaten? Because lets be honest its a pain in the a**.

Anyhow happy waffle baking

Tobia

Lohikeitto – Finnish Salmon Soup

February 12, 2017February 12, 2017 - Tobia 2 Comments

It has become a bit of a tradition that I share a Finnish recipe to celebrate my anniversary. In year one we had cake, year two I shared pancakes and today I invite you for soup. Lohikeitto – Finnish Salmon Soup.

And let me say this soup is amazing! I am so glad I actually know about it. When we spent our honeymoon at the attic circle I’ve seen this soup everywhere. Unfortunately I felt sick most of the time and fish soup just didn’t sound appealing.

On our last night in Finland we slept in an ice hotel. And there Lohikeitto was served yet again. I decided to give it a try. Been angry with myself for not ordering it earlier ever since. It comes as no surprise that I immediately googled a recipe for this Finnish Salmon Soup.

You can find original recipe easily. I made my own version the other night and really enjoyed it.

You need:

♥ 1 Tbsp Ghee (you can also use regular butter or olive oil)
♥ 1 Finely chopped onion
♥ 1 sweet potatoe
♥ 1.25 litres vegetables broth (alternatively you may use fish stock)
♥ 1/2 kg fresh cubed salmon fillet
♥ 250 ml cream (use milk for a thinner soup)
♥ 1 handful finely chopped baby spinach
♥ 5 pieces Bay Leaf
♥ 5 grains of allspice
♥ 5 grains of junipers
♥ dash of sea salt
♥ dash of pepper

Lets get cooking

Chop onions and add to large saucepan, simmer in the ghee over medium heat until soft
Cut the potato roughly into 1-inch cubes and add to onions, let simmer a bit.
Add enough water to just cover the potatoes. Add allspice, junipers and bayleaf. Turn up the heat to high, cover the saucepan with a lid, bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until almost soft
Add the vegetable broth.
Cube the salmon and add to the pot. Cook until it is mostly opaque (maybe 5 minutes). Do not stir the soup so as not to break up the salmon – I did as I didn’t care much though.
Add cream and make sure it does not cook anymore. ( I hardly ever manage that part. The cream will clot. It doesn’t matter for the taste but it just doesn’t look too good.)
Take off the heat and stir in chopped spinach.
Serve hot and enjoy.

So can you image coming back home after a long day outdoors with freezing numb cheeks? This soup is a total game changer than. Its warm, it’s reach, it’s filling.

Let me know how you liked it.

Happy Soup Sunday,