You were supposed to get a cupcake recipe today, but it's hot in Berlin...and I don't want to think about baking anything today so instead I thought I could write about this new obsession of mine.
Anything that involves ice or ice-cream :)
Today's recipe is mainly motivated by the fact that Alpro/Provamel finally started selling almond milk in Germany which means I have been using almond milk for everything lately and that I was craving chocolate and didn't have any in my depressingly understocked kitchen.
So, without further ado - let's make a super tasty drink that requires nothing but store cupboard staples (ok, that one is only true if you have an equally weird store cupboard as mine).
Vegan Peanut & Cocoa 'Milk'
(for 1 large glass)
2 tsp Cocoa Powder
4 tbsp Boiling Water (this is an approximation)
Almond Milk (enough to fill 2/3 of your glass)
2 tsp PB2 (or if you don't have any just use normal peanut butter or peanut flour)
1/4 small Avocado
1/2 small Banana
Agave Syrup
Lots and lots of Ice Cubes
In a blender mix the cocoa powder with the boiling water so it turns into a thin paste. Add the almond milk, then add the PB2, avocado, and banana. Blend until you have a more or less smooth mix. If you feel like it's not sweet enough, add some agave syrup or if you'd rather use some stevia, that works as well.
Fill your glass with as many ice cubes as you want (yes, those are pacman ice cubes in my glass...), then add the mix from the blender and if there's still some space at the top you could add some more almond milk...
Now, hopefully you'll have the same random collection of things in your store cupboard :)
I hope you have a fantastic evening!
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Plane-Food
Has it nearly been a month?
What have you been up to?
Because I have been quite busy. I defended my doctoral thesis, passed (you have no idea how good that part felt), went on a road trip from Atlanta, GA to Naples, FL which turned into thesis-revision-frenzy in the mornings, then I went on a conference, saw some amazing old friends, met some very lovely new people, drove back to Atlanta and got back home this morning.
I would love to give you a recipe but I am still debating whether I should admit to making cupcakes from a cake mix earlier today or not (in my defence - I need birthday cupcakes for tomorrow and supermarkets are closed on Sundays around here so I bought a mix in Atlanta).
So today's post is actually more motivated by my own curiosity.
As we were heading out for brunch yesterday Kelsey, Louise and I were discussing plane-food and what we do on long-haul flights.
You see, I don't like the food on planes so I bring my own (I tried to not eat anything on the entire trip between New York and St Andrews once but that turned out to be a really bad idea).
I wish I could say I am as organised as Heidi from 101 Cookbooks who wrote a couple of amazing posts on what food she packs for flights - here and here and I keep telling myself that one day I will make something amazing to take on the plane. But that day hasn't come yet.
So instead I go down the very-little-effort-so-I-can-waste-more-time-packing route.
Here is what I took on the plane yesterday:
Now, let's see what we've got here
-1 half-eaten cinnamon bun (from Highland Bakery in Atlanta) I had already eaten some of it on my first flight before I thought of taking a picture during my layover. This was supposed to be a late lunch but then I wasn't really hungry and it became dinner.
-1 fruit smoothie (this time it came from Jamba Juice but I'm not really picky here as long as they use actual fruit) which was dinner.
-1 sweet potato biscuit (from Highland Bakery as well) This was breakfast on the plane this morning.
-1 bottle filled with water because I never feel like they give you enough water on a plane.
-1 bottle of water that gets mixed the the Energy Bubbles (they're from David Kirsch) which I have in the morning with whatever I have for breakfast.
-1 protein bar (this one is a think thin peanut butter something bar) which I packed just in case but didn't eat this time. If I have quite far to go from the airport that tends to be what keeps me awake and happy on the way.
Other things I like to take on planes:
-trail mix
-fruit (but I wasn't organised enough to buy apples and I'm not quite sure bringing peaches would have been a good idea).
Now, here comes the nosey bit - what do you like to eat on planes? Do you just eat what they give you on the plane? Do you pre-order a special meal? Do you bring your own?
I'd love to know!
What have you been up to?
Because I have been quite busy. I defended my doctoral thesis, passed (you have no idea how good that part felt), went on a road trip from Atlanta, GA to Naples, FL which turned into thesis-revision-frenzy in the mornings, then I went on a conference, saw some amazing old friends, met some very lovely new people, drove back to Atlanta and got back home this morning.
I would love to give you a recipe but I am still debating whether I should admit to making cupcakes from a cake mix earlier today or not (in my defence - I need birthday cupcakes for tomorrow and supermarkets are closed on Sundays around here so I bought a mix in Atlanta).
So today's post is actually more motivated by my own curiosity.
As we were heading out for brunch yesterday Kelsey, Louise and I were discussing plane-food and what we do on long-haul flights.
You see, I don't like the food on planes so I bring my own (I tried to not eat anything on the entire trip between New York and St Andrews once but that turned out to be a really bad idea).
I wish I could say I am as organised as Heidi from 101 Cookbooks who wrote a couple of amazing posts on what food she packs for flights - here and here and I keep telling myself that one day I will make something amazing to take on the plane. But that day hasn't come yet.
So instead I go down the very-little-effort-so-I-can-waste-more-time-packing route.
Here is what I took on the plane yesterday:
-1 half-eaten cinnamon bun (from Highland Bakery in Atlanta) I had already eaten some of it on my first flight before I thought of taking a picture during my layover. This was supposed to be a late lunch but then I wasn't really hungry and it became dinner.
-1 fruit smoothie (this time it came from Jamba Juice but I'm not really picky here as long as they use actual fruit) which was dinner.
-1 sweet potato biscuit (from Highland Bakery as well) This was breakfast on the plane this morning.
-1 bottle filled with water because I never feel like they give you enough water on a plane.
-1 bottle of water that gets mixed the the Energy Bubbles (they're from David Kirsch) which I have in the morning with whatever I have for breakfast.
-1 protein bar (this one is a think thin peanut butter something bar) which I packed just in case but didn't eat this time. If I have quite far to go from the airport that tends to be what keeps me awake and happy on the way.
Other things I like to take on planes:
-trail mix
-fruit (but I wasn't organised enough to buy apples and I'm not quite sure bringing peaches would have been a good idea).
Now, here comes the nosey bit - what do you like to eat on planes? Do you just eat what they give you on the plane? Do you pre-order a special meal? Do you bring your own?
I'd love to know!
Thursday, 26 April 2012
Almond Meal Bread
I found this bread (which is originally from Elana's Pantry) in last week's goop newsletter where Frank Lipman wrote about healthier breakfast ideas. What he wrote about really spoke to me because I'm one of those wimps with a gazillion food sensitivities. Normally I simply ignore them because even though I know I would feel better if I left everything out I shouldn't eat, I tend to become a very grumpy person because it basically means I can't eat out and nobody wants to eat the food I cook (if I'm perfectly honest, after a week I normally don't want to eat it either). And, you know how when you're not feeling 100% for ages you kinda forget how awesome it is when you have lots of energy? So normally I just don't bother.
Anyhow, when I saw the recipes he suggested, I decided to at least give them a try - here he was promising me food I can actually eat without feeling crap that would even taste good.
And let me tell you, after trying this gluten free bread recipe I am sold. I'm currently eating my way through batch number 2 and have made another one for lunch with my lab.
So what should you know about this bread?
It's amazing, it tastes like actual bread (not like the weird gluten-free stuff that doesn't go off for months and tastes funky even when it's super 'fresh'), and goes incredibly well with some smoked salmon and avocado (Lipman's suggestion) but when you toast it and add some nut butter, it tastes more like a slice of cake. It also goes really well with some strawberries and banana making (drizzled with agave syrup) a perfect pancake replacement for Sunday brunch. It works with soup, on its own, with ice cream, and toasted, buttered and cut into slices it makes perfect soldiers for your soft boiled eggs.
Should I go on?
As for the recipe, I used fewer eggs and more ground flaxseed than the original recipe (since you can use ground flaxseed as an egg-replacement I decided that 5 eggs per batch was scary and 4 would have to do).
If you are still unsure about whether you should make this bread, don't think of it as something gluten-free, but bake it in muffin cases and enjoy a lovely afternoon treat with a cup of tea.
Oh, and since my scales are broken I'm working with cup measures at the moment (normally I use the cup measures and then weigh everything as I go along)...sorry about that!
Almond Meal Bread
1 1/2 cups Ground Blanched Almonds
1/2 cup Ground Flaxseed
2 tbsp Coconut Flour
1/4-1/2 tsp Salt (if you like your bread to taste like bread use more, if you're watching your sodium intake, use less)
1 1/2 tsp Bicarb
4 Eggs
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/2 tbsp Agave Syrup or Honey
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Preheat your oven to 175 ˚C.
Combine the ground almonds, flaxseed, coconut flour, salt and bicarb. If you have one of those nifty hand-blenders whizz the remaining ingredients together, then add the dry ingredients and keep whizzing until everything is combined. If you have one of those food processors with blades, combine the dry ingredients in the food processor, then add the wet ingredients and pulse until everything is combined.
If you feel like the batter/dough is way too dry you might want to add a few tablespoons of soda water (my first batch felt like it needed some, the second batch was just fine without).
If you have a small loaf-pan, line it and pour the batter in. If you, like me, only have a large loaf-pan either double the recipe or use muffin tins - one recipe makes about 10 muffin-sized rolls.
Bake for 40/50/20 minutes (small loaf/large loaf/muffin tins) but at least until the top has some colour.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before you remove things from the pan(s) before you wait a bit longer while the bread cools completely (I find watching some mind-less TV stops me from eating half the loaf while it cools down).
Try some of the toppings I talked about above and let me know if you find a combination the bread works incredibly well with!
Friday, 20 April 2012
Home
I spent the week in Scotland and I am quite scared to describe the feelings I had when I sat on the bus to St Andrews.
Because what it felt like was coming home.
You know the calm and somewhat warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you come home to wherever you call home? Well it was just like that.
I was really surprised by that because I pretty much spent the last 7 years complaining about the cold and the food and the rain and the lack of decent public transport and the weird pick-up-lines guys use :)
Yet, here I was sitting on a smelly bus with a lady who probably should have washed her hair about 5 days ago and all I could think about was how I had missed the place.
Since I am now feeling super nostalgic I have decided to share a few photos with you (old and new...some are from when I first visited St Andrews 8 years ago while trying to work out where and what to study).
I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Where do you feel at home?
Friday, 6 April 2012
Cold Rise Hot Cross Buns
When Alex from East Coast Kitchens posted about Hot Cross Scones the other day I was reminded of how there are quite a few traditions that I have come to love about the UK that you don't get on the Continent, hot cross buns are one of them, Pimm's and lemonade is another one :), Christmas Pudding definitely isn't.
Since it's Good Friday I thought we could make some hot cross buns together.
The problem I have these days, though, is that I cook too much for one person (it doesn't matter how much I loved the lasagne I made on Saturday, by the time I was staring at it for the third time for dinner on Monday I was contemplating going vegan just so I wouldn't have to eat lasagne again...).
So...what's a girl to do if she wants to bake hot cross buns but doesn't want to eat stale leftovers for the next week? I came up with two ideas a) rather than make a full 12 or 16 bun batch I only made 8 (keep that in mind if you're planning on feeding your entire extended family) and b) I decided to take them to work yesterday and exploit everyone there as recipe testers.
That left me with a few other problems - how do you make fresh hot cross buns in the morning and still make it to work at a decent time? That one is actually not that much of a problem, you just have to do some of the work the night before. Yeast works best around 27 degrees and when it gets either too hot or too cold it slows down and even goes into hibernation if things get too extreme. You could think of yeast as a crocodile on a nature show. If it's cold, it moves really slow. But if it's nice and toasty after lying in the sun all day it's super quick (not quite sure what the gazelle that gets eaten by the crocodile would be in our scenario...or whether a crocodile can get too hot, would it slow down again or would it become super fast like Road Runner?)
Also, I don't like how the raisins can dry out the buns, so I decided to soak them in some port - a suggestion I found in Andrew Whitley's Bread Matters. That said, if you don't like port or like your hot cross buns all dry then just leave out the soaking part.
Anyhow, let's finally get to the recipe, right? This version is based on Felicity Cloake's perfect hot cross buns after a previous attempt using the Peyton & Byrne version and sticking it into the fridge failed miserably - that recipe would have been called 'hot cross hockey pucks' but the current version is just plain lovely.
Hot Cross Buns
200g Spelt Flour
100g Rye Flour
120ml warm Milk
10g fresh Yeast (i.e. 1/4 pack), broken into small pieces (if it looks a bit old go for 15)
25g Sugar plus a tablespoon for later
1/2 tsp ground Cardamom
2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground Allspice
1/8 tsp ground Cloves
1/8 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp fresh Ginger, grated
1/4 tsp Salt
50g Butter, diced
2 Eggs
100g Currants and/or Raisins (I ran out of currants so I topped things up with some raisins)
Some Port (enough to cover the currants)
Zest of 1/2 Orange
2 tbsp Flour
Combine the currants and port in a plastic container and refrigerate until needed.
In a bowl combine the flours, ground spices, sugar, and ginger. Make a well in the middle of the flour stir the yeast and warm milk until you have a more-or-less smooth paste. Temperature-wise you want the milk to feel warm but not excessively so - go for about the same temperature you'd go for when running a warm (not scalding hot!) bath.
Clean up your kitchen while the yeast bubbles away for 15 minutes or so (if your kitchen looks like mine this is just the thing to do while waiting for those 15 minutes...otherwise...feel smug and read a book).
Add one of the eggs and the butter and mix everything together.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, you'll know it's ready when it starts feeling silky and becomes somewhat less sticky. If you're either stuck with a dry lump or a sticky mess after 10 minutes, add some more flour or water (but don't overdo it either way).
Put the dough back into the bowl and cover it with either a damp towel or some cling film.
Leave the dough sitting on the counter for an hour or so.
When you come back you have a few options - if you want to use the dough the same day, continue straight with the next step.
If you like getting up early in the morning, knock back the dough, then stick the bowl with the dough into the fridge and go to bed.
If you want to bake the buns tomorrow morning but you want to sleep in, continue with the next few steps and stick everything into the fridge after forming the buns.
Whatever you have decided to do, once you are ready to continue (whether that is right after reading the last few lines or while sipping your early-morning coffee), allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size (the cold dough will have a head-start but will take some time to warm up).
Add the currants (without the port - that will make a nice drizzle for yoghurt) and the orange zest and knead everything together until the currants are evenly distributed within the dough.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces and lay them out on a lined baking sheet and score a cross into the top of each of them.
Cover everything with cling film.
If you decided to go for option number 3, shift everything around in your fridge so you can fit the baking sheet in there with all the other stuff and go to bed now :),
otherwise pour yourself another cup of coffee and watch the buns puff up and double in size (I always find that hard to judge so I tend to poke the dough but then what I want them to feel like is quite hard to put in words...the closes thing I can think of is the resistance you get from a memory foam mattress - I know, super descriptive, but give them about 15-30 minutes depending on the temperature of your kitchen).
Preheat your oven to 200˚C.
If you decided to stick the buns into the fridge overnight, good morning :) take them out now and drink some coffee while the dough comes up to room-temperature.
Whisk up the second egg with some milk and brush the buns with the egg-wash.
Now mix the two tablespoons of flour with some water until you have a thick paste.
Pipe or drizzle the paste onto the buns forming a cross using either a piping bag or a teaspoon - I used a teaspoon and my paste was too thin - the next time I'll be using the piping bag that is currently sitting in my parents' car somewhere between Stuttgart and Berlin (I get my final load of things today :) ok, and it's going to be super nice to spend Easter with my family in my new apartment, but all I can think about right now is how I'll get a whole load of bowls and said piping bag and teapots and milk jugs and whatnot I can't wait to see again).
Now, where was I - you should now have a pasty white cross on each of the buns.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the buns are a fairly dark golden brown.
Just before the buns are ready to come out of the oven, combine the extra teaspoon of sugar with some water in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved in the water.
When the buns are ready, take them out of the oven and immediately brush them with the syrup you just made.
Transfer the buns onto a wire rack and let them cool slightly before you smother them in butter and realise that you probably shouldn't have yet another cup of coffee :)
I hope you have a lovely Easter weekend!
Friday, 23 March 2012
Millet & Stuff
A lot has happened lately...
I finally moved into my new flat (which now has a fridge...a doorbell...a kettle...but is still missing useful things like a bathroom mirror - don't ask how I blow-dry my hair cos it's definitely not working, a proper sink, and enough storage in the kitchen to not have everything lying around on the floor).
I finally submitted my thesis (the scary part is that I was more excited about getting a fridge than sending everything off).
I booked the flights for a trip to Georgia and Florida in May (I am rather excited about that one because I can't wait to wear shorts again).
It's finally spring in Berlin (and I can hear the birds in the morning when I wake up).
Oh, and I cooked something I'm actually not embarrassed to write about. Actually, it's something I think you should all try sometime.
I made a millet and orange dessert the other day. It is super easy, super tasty, and on top of that actually quite good for you. That said, according to my dad it does taste rather 'healthy' so if you are looking for a decadent dessert, make some brownies instead, but if you're not too bothered about the health-food factor, give it a try!
In case you haven't noticed, this is probably the 10th recipe or so in a row that contains mainly store-cupboard ingredients, so no major shopping required (if your store-cupboard is as weird as mine).
Millet and Orange Dessert
100g Millet
200ml Orange Juice
100-200ml Water
6 Dates, chopped into pieces
1-2 tbsp Almonds, blanched and roughly chopped
2 Oranges, cut into fillets
2 tsp Agave Syrup
A dash of Olive Oil
Combine the millet, orange juice and water in a saucepan and heat over a medium-high flame. Simmer until the millet is cooked through but still has some bite. This will depend a bit on how high your interpretation of medium-high is and this is also where the whole 100ml variance comes in for the water. I used the whole 200ml this time and it took about 25 minutes until it was done, but sometimes I ended up sitting around for 35 until I was happy with the texture and I didn't need quite that much water, so start off with 100ml and if things become too dry, add some more.
After 15 minutes, start filleting the oranges, if you haven't done so, and add the dates and almonds to the millet.
Once the millet is cooked through, take it off the heat, stir in the olive oil (you really don't need much, it just adds a nice flavour and helps keep the grains separated) and allow things to cool down for a few minutes.
When you're ready to eat or when you get bored waiting for the millet to cool down, stir in some agave syrup (you don't need it but just like the olive oil it adds a deepness to the overall flavour that is really nice) and add the orange fillets.
This would make a really nice breakfast but I didn't have any leftovers because I ate them as an afternoon snack when I got bored waiting for dinner.
Oh, and freshly whipped cream is a really nice addition to all the wholesomeness we've got going on here :)
What have you been cooking lately?
And, more importantly, what are your store-cupboard staples?
Do you want me to write about what I normally have sitting around in my kitchen once I have unpacked everything or would that bore you to tears?
I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
New Apartment
I know, I have pretty much dropped off the face of the earth. My new apartment that I was supposed to move into the first week of February turned out to not be quite as finished as the builders and my landlords had promised me it would be.
Four weeks of spending more of my time waiting for painters, carpenters, electricians, and chimney sweepers than I have ever before and scrubbing more buckets of dirty water out of my floors than you could imagine possible I thought I could give you a first peek...
I've still got a long way to go, especially in the kitchen where a refrigerator would turn me into a very happy person, but I can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel :)
I haven't tried out my oven yet, but it's going to happen sooner rather than later.
Right now I'm just excited that I finally have all my crockery and cutlery in one place again.
And that I have more than 5 t-shirts to choose from, and all my shoes, and sweatpants :) all those things you never find enough space in a suitcase for.
What would you not be able to live without if you had to move and knew a lot of your stuff would be stored away in boxes for a few months before you got it back?
Four weeks of spending more of my time waiting for painters, carpenters, electricians, and chimney sweepers than I have ever before and scrubbing more buckets of dirty water out of my floors than you could imagine possible I thought I could give you a first peek...
You're not going to see any more because Judith and Mimi who helped me with more than I could have ever asked for haven't seen the more or less final product and they need to see the apartment first.
I've still got a long way to go, especially in the kitchen where a refrigerator would turn me into a very happy person, but I can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel :)
I haven't tried out my oven yet, but it's going to happen sooner rather than later.
Right now I'm just excited that I finally have all my crockery and cutlery in one place again.
And that I have more than 5 t-shirts to choose from, and all my shoes, and sweatpants :) all those things you never find enough space in a suitcase for.
What would you not be able to live without if you had to move and knew a lot of your stuff would be stored away in boxes for a few months before you got it back?
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