Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

This weekend I made a split personality pumpkin pie--sweet and salty, GF and vegan. I took advantage of local autumn produce and used a fresh pumpkin to make. The only thing missing was whipped cream, but you can add it to yours...

Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Pie (original recipe from here)

to begin
* cut a small pumpkin in half, de-seed and fill halves with water
* place in oven for 45 minutes at 200C or until soft
* remove and cool

crust
while pumpkin bakes...
* food process 2+ cups of nuts/seeds until clumpy but not nut butter 
--> (I used a handful of mixed nuts, roasted pumpkin seeds from this pumpkin, coconut and flax)
* whisk together and add 1/4 c. honey or rice syrup + tbsp melted coconut oil to food processor
* add 1 C. GF oats (or you could probably use more nuts/seeds or some GF flour) +  1/2 tsp salt + 2 tbsp sugar
* process until doughy, press into pie pan, prick bottom of crust with fork a few times
* bake 10 minutes and let cool 
note: my crust was sticking to the pie tin when I served the pie so you could oil the tin first and maybe don't press the crust so firmly against the tin

filling
while the crust bakes...
* mix 3 tbsp cornstarch + 1/4 maple syrup or honey
* drain water off pumpkin halves
* puree enough of pumpkin w/skin on to make 2 & 1/4 c. puree
* mix puree, cornstarch + sweetener, 1/2 c. more sugar if want (but I think it was too sweet this way), 1/4 non-dairy milk, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, pinch of ground cloves
* pour filling on top of crust, cover with foil and bake 50-55 minutes, let cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours (important for filling to "gel")

note: my filling didn't "gel" properly. I think because I used pumpkin and not "pumpkin-pie filling" from a can so it was more watery. If you use fresh pumpkin, then I suggest more cornstarch OR better yet, if you're not vegan or don't have roommates who won't eat eggs, USE EGGS!

roasted pumpkin seeds
* rinse off pumpkin goo, coat seeds in coconut oil, salt and add spices you like. This time I added paprika and curry. Bake along-side pie

Pizza in the mornin', pizza in the evenin', when it's pizza on potato, you can eat pizza anytime

I woke up this morning...with this song in my head and the video is winning for sure. 

Though I haven't completely eliminated gluten or grains, they don't have much of a presence in my diet so there is always a search toward more GF options. We had a bunch of potatoes from local gardens so I thought I'd see if a potato crust pizza worked out. I paired the pizza with some sweet corn ears and a vegan caesar salad. Check the recipes below for this late summer harvest meal!

potato crust pizza (flammkuchen style)

crust
* boil potatoes until soft but not falling apart, drain and cool
* once cooled, shred potatoes 
* mix shreds with some grated hard cheese like romano or parm if you're not vegan, otherwise skip it
* line baking sheet with baking paper then press mix into crust like shape
* bake crust at 450F/225C for 20-25 minutes
* let cool a bit before topping

toppings
* spread crème fraîche on crust
* top with sliced leeks and sun dried tomatoes (or bacon if you're a meat eater)
* pop that sucker in the oven at same temp for another 10-20 minutes

vegan caesar salad

dressing
* mix tahini, fresh grated garlic, dijon mustard, a couple spoons nutritional yeast, a bit of water, salt 
* toss into lettuce of choice (I used napa cabbage or what they call China cabbage in the European neck 'o' the woods), also seasonal 
* can top with croutons or crostinis and grated parm if you're not vegan

here's a harvest calendar to get an idea of what's seasonal for late summer!

You're such a tart!

The beautiful thing about living in a collective is that there is always a bounty of ingredients around. Yesterday morning all the ingredients to make a gluten-free tart were staring me in the face when I opened the fridge. The beets and zucchinis were from local gardens, and corn cobs are lining the grocery store produce aisles these days. My friend whom, I refer to as Badger, passed this gem along a couple years back. You can be a rebel and change ingredients any way you like but here's how I like to do it.

late summer harvest tart

* food process a mixture of nuts and seeds + mix with salt&rosemary + melted butter + a bit of water until dough-like
* press into a pie dish and bake for 20 minutes at about 350F/175C then cool
* while it bakes, carmelize leeks or onions and set aside
* shred beets and zucchini
* boiled corn, cut off the cob
* once pie crusts have cooled a bit, layer onions, zucchini, beets and goat cheese if you like
* bake for 30 minutes or until you consider it done, man

World's Best Hangover Cure

A couple of my roommates came home a little on the toasty side of things last night so I felt inspired to make them a hangover cure for breakfast. It's that time of year when zucchinis and root vegetables are ready for harvest so I used some new potatoes both purple and yellow and zucchini from local gardens to whip up these goodies!

zucchini Bread

2 cups flour of your choice

2 eggs

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup sugar 

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup raisins and nuts if you like

mix and bake at 350F for an hour

hangover surprise

sliced potatoes topped with mayonnaise

shredded/crumbled cheese ( I used a mix of Danish stinky cheese and middle-eastern white crumbly fresh cheese)

rosemary, salt, pepper

homemade chili paste (garlic, oil, red chili pureed)

baked with bread at 350F for an hour

broiled grapefruit + shredded coconut

separate fruit from pith

place in over safe dish

top with coconut

broil/bake for 20 minutes

Spread Head

Beautiful day for a countryside ride...

Turns out Copenhagen is a good dumpster diving city and my roommates have brought home a goldmine of goodies lately. Here's what we've created...

vegan rucola beet pesto

* roast garlic and beets until soft

* toss into a food processor with two giant handfuls of arugula

* add a tbsp nutritional yeast

* add sunflower seeds

* add salt, pepper, and EVOO

* blend 'er up

creamy avocado sauce/spread

* puree avocado, carrots, turmeric, garlic, lemon juice or a dash of vinegar, 2 handfuls arugula and nutritional yeast if you like

* use as a spread or a sauce for veggie or real pasta

sundried tomato + scallion hummus

* puree chickpeas, scallions, sundrieds, curry paste, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, EVOO + water

vegan carrot tea cakes

* use 2 cups carrot/veggie/fruit pulp from juicer

* mix in 1 1/2 c. flour of your choice + 1/4 c. sweetener  of choice, tsp vanilla, 1/4 butter/ oil of choice, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder add milk, an egg, banana or water if you need moisture

* add raisins if you like

* bake in muffin tin or drop onto cookie sheet 

* 225C/400F for 20ish minutes

* let cool 10 minutes before eating

Happy riding!

Metal Monday!!

It's a rare occasion when you live with 5 people to have the house alone but today it's mine, all mine! What more could a girl ask for then to blast some metal and whip up some raw dessert goodies?! Chocolate trumps diamonds any day folks...

Here's to Monday!

                 choco peanut butter sandwiches

* place chocolate in double boiler and melt
* slice bananas and make a sandwich with two slices and peanut butter in between
* drizzle melted chocolate on top
* put in freezer
* after some time, reheat chocolate, flip frozen sandos and drizzle other side with chocolate
* put in freezer and enjoy as you wish!

                     cacao cashew creme truffles

* throw cashews and water into a food processor and blend until it makes a thick cream
* add cacao powder, vanilla and any other spices you like (I added cayenne)
* freeze
* after some time, take out of the freezer and use a spoon to scoop out the amount you want and roll into little balls
* roll in cinnamon, coconut, nuts or whatever your imagination can think up!
* store in freezer or fridge

date and nut rolls
* in a food processor add walnuts, coconut oil, dates or any other dried fruit you like (I like something sour to give it a kick like cherries or cranberries)
* once it's a paste, roll in coconut flakes and store in the fridge

What do you call nuts on a wall?

Walnuts!

Here's a little video from this weekend

Copenhagen has its annual Distortion electronic street music festival throughout the city and we had some friends come up from Deutschland to party on. I'm reaaaallly not a fan of most electronic music so for me the best part was people watching, spending time with friends and of course, food. 

Cambodian curry
* garlic + onions + ginger + pepperoni (thin red peppers)+ potatoes + carrots + aubergine all sauteed in a big pot
* throw in some red curry paste + a handful of kaffir lime leaves + fish sauce + boullion + lots of coconut milk
* simmer until potatoes are soft
* serve with basmati rice!

parsley pesto
* food process garlic + lots of fresh parsley + sunflower seeds + tomato sauce/paste/sundrieds/etc. + pepperoni's + oil + lemon juice + salt
* serve with German breakfast/brotzeit--homemade spelt bread, spreads, sliced veggies and fruit!

walnut butter
* food process walnuts + maple syrup + lime juice

healthnut cookies
* spelt flour + baking powder + baking soda + salt + cinnamon + vanilla + museli or oats + dried cranberries + raisins + choco chips + oil + water + egg replacer with flax seeds soaked in
* mix and bake on 175C/350F for 10-12 minutes

curried yellow lentils
* sautee garlic on medium heat
* after 2 minutes add ginger, pepperonis, mushrooms, zucchini 
* after another 2 minutes add lentils and sautee everything for a couple more minutes
* add green curry paste or self-made curry + can crushed tomatoes
* add chopped potatoes + diced fresh tomatoes + lots of chopped parsley
* add water and cook on low heat for an hour
* serve with brown rice

B & G's

I don't know if it's because I danced to the Bee Gees last night like it was my last day on earth or because I drank a tiny bit too much and needed a fat bomb this morning but I had to make B & G's for Sunday breaky. B & G's  is biscuits and gravy y'all. I made it vegan style for er'body and I think it was a first for the mixture of Danes, Russian Germans and Sweedish Pollocks I'm now living with. Here's a little Earth, Wind and Fire for you! And even though my mom was THE disco queen, I think I managed to embody her disco spirit in the wee hours of last night. 

This morning I'm also the proud mother of some newly duplicated Kefir grains. These things grow up so fast! What the H-E-double hockey sticks is water kefir? It's a cultured (probiotic) beverage and like sauerkraut, gets the good bugs balanced in your digestion which effectively improves your immune system. Plus, the effervescent beverage produced is ultra refreshing and a good replacement for tempting sweet drinks. You use sugar to feed the kefir grains and after 24-48 hours, only 20% of the sugar is left. The next step with the kefir grains is learning to make kefir beer! 

B & Gs

biscuits

* mix flour (any sort), baking powder, oil or butter, salt, herbs, (butter)milk and/or water 

* make into blobs and bake for 25 minutes at 200C/400F

it's all vegan gravy baby

* sautee chopped garlic, mushrooms and (hazel)nuts

* add herbs, salt and flour to coat the sautee mix

* add water and tamari

* simmer until thick and top the biscuits!

Butterfly in the sky...

If you haven't seen Jimmy Fallon's impersonation of Jim Morrison singing the Reading Rainbow theme song, maybe you ought to give this video a watch, along with Fallon's other impersonations of early 90s TV show theme songs. Here's the original Reading Rainbow theme song, so many memories...

I'm cramming for a test next week so there's not so much time to post the last days but I'll give you an overview of the good eats:

gazpacho
tomato jucice, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, celery, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper, dash of sugar + whorestchire and red wine vinegar if desired. Lightly blend, top with parsley and serve!

baked butternut squash + raw ketchup (sundried tomatoes, cashews, ACV, dates, 1 tomato, garlic-> blend)

nettle pesto
* soak nettles for 5 minutes in hot water to remove stings
* add nettles + tomato paste + EVOO + salt & pepper + red pepper flakes + sunflower seeds to food processor and blend!

nettle pesto + foraged greens salad

firekraut
* shredded cabbage, carrot, salt, dash of sugar, ginger, sriracha, garlic (optional)
* put in non-reactive croc, weigh down with a plate and some weight
* stir every so often and once desired sauerness is reached, move to fridge (we like 3 days)

there's also been green smoothies every morning and some foraged green salads thrown in!

Hot dog!

I can always count on my friend who I call Badger to get weird with me, and she's done it again with this hot dog video for your enjoyment. And silly me, I thought I was going to post some Led Zeppelin vid for you today. But when life gives you pink slime, you make hot dogs! 

Instead of hot dogs, we had a hippie-style sushi night. Check it out!

the goods:

sushi

* thinly slice veggies and line nori sheets with hummus and veggies and roll 'er up

* slice

note: with the left over ends of the nori we made nigiri by making a ball of rice, topping with a couple veggie slices and wrapping the nori around the center. 

nutty seedy sauce

* mix up tahnini, peanut butter, curry paste, lemon juice, water and a bit of oil if you like

daikon radish salad

* thinly slice daikons into half moons

* make carrot threads

* mix in ginger, lemon juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil and tamari

* toss all ingredients and sprinkle with sesame seeds

note: we added homemade pickles--so good!

sweet aubergine

* mix tamari with ginger, oil and a bit of water

* dip thinly sliced eggplant in sauce and line baking sheet

* bake at 200C/350F for 30-45 minutes

rice is nice--I served with rice for others and made a sesame oil, honey, tamari, ginger sauce to drizzle over

serve it all with wasabi, sriracha, tamari and whatever other saucy saucies you like!

desert

Another Saturday Night

Saturday was get back to Copenhagen day and it was real live summer with people in shorts and tank tops. We spent the afternoon in the Nørreboroparken with a couple of tuborgs, some homemade Russian-style sauerkraut and a couple of books. Later, like everyone else in the city, we grilled with a touch of Italian, Bosnian and Turkish flavors tossed in. Mmm, mmm. 

Ruski-John's Sauerkraut

* finely shred cabbage and carrots using a food processor to make it easy

* mix in plenty of salt, a pinch of sugar, peppercorns + caraway seeds

* add to a non-reactive crock, press, stir, massage until the water starts to come out of the cabbage

* weigh down mixture with a plate that is smaller so air can still get in then put weight on the plate, eg, with a full jar of water, etc. 

* leave on counter or in a warmish place and still everyday for 4-7 days. 

* store in fridge

Dinner

* thinly sliced grilled veggies drizzled with fresh garlic, EVOO and salt

Turkish-style yogurt dressing

* plain yogurt + cucumber + garlic + oregano + salt all mixed up

Bosnian Baked potatoes

* slice potatoes in half then slice the flesh of the potatoes into cubes but leave skin in tact 

* brush with EVOO and rosemary

* bake, not too high, for an hour or until golden on top

note: Let's just call sauerkraut a power food. Cabbage is packed with vitamins and minerals alone, but ferment the stuff and suddenly you've got a means to infuse your intestines with loads of good bugs we call probiotics. Anecdotes about sauerkraut are not limited to Captain Cook traveling with 60 barrels of kraut to keep his sailors sans scurvy. It's also been studied for it's cancer prevention properties and the ability to assist the body in fending off candida. With a large portion of our immune system in the digestive tract, and the probiotic health fad well under way, why not just eat sauerkraut! 

Loveless's Love Locked Down

Kayne's West's Love Locked Down is playing in my head this morning. Probably because after 3.5 weeks away from my love it's getting a little annoying--whah, whah, whah. Well I don't have to cry about it too much longer since tomorrow is back to Copenhagen day!! Germany won't let me imbed this video either but if you click the link above and enter it here (in case your country also censors you), then you should be able to play it. Warren G's, Regulate is also in my head...

Throw Back Thursday

Yesterday I walked over the river (there's no river) and through the woods to campus instead of taking the train because the sun was blazing. On the way there, I realized I'd forgotten to bring any food so I just foraged a little salad of plantains, clover, dandelions and a newly discovered wild plant called Garlic Mustard and topped the salad off with a little balsamic and oil from the mensa (cafeteria). On the walk to campus my ankle, which I injured a year ago, was acting up so I decided to try stinging myself with nettles to see if it actually helps with inflammation. The ankle was stinging all day and then by night felt a bit numb, but this morning I'm good to go. I think I'll keep the nettle therapy up!

                                                                   Garlic Mustard                     

cheap-skate buffet

                                               stinging the cankle

Speaking of nettle's, my friend made Nettle Pancakes for dinner!

* mix (in a blender or food processor) nettles, chestnut flour, eggs (or soaked flaxseed meal)

* make a bunch of silver dollar pancakes 

* serve with wild garlic pesto or spread of your choice AND a great big salad!

Quantum Physics and Bagging Babes

I have that Human League song, Don't You Want Me, in my head. Just click the link to watch since youtube in Germany won't let me imbed this one. Maybe because last night some friends and I were talking about the human instinct to desire a leader, or an alpha and how if you're not a leader, it can make it hard to snag a babe. Is it instinctual? Is it similar to obesity, where we just have a glitch in the brain and indulge in something bad for us and we have to learn to overcome this instinct? The conversation let us to discuss how you have control over your thoughts, actions and therefore your happiness. The movie What the Bleep do We Know connects quantum physics to these notions of steering your thoughts. I don't know about the validity of science behind this or if it's widely accepted, but it's interesting nonetheless. 

This weekend I stayed with a couple who, like me, is pretty health-centric. The woman actually reversed her rheumatoid arthritis by juicing and eating raw for three years. For raw food she ate only fruit and salads. This would get pretty hard after three years and even though she eats cooked food now, I wanted to show her that raw food can be so much more than salads. Since I'm learning how to make some cool raw recipes, I thought I'd show her how easy it is. Although, she also only eats according to her blood group so it was a bit tricky to work around but we made it work. 

zucchini pasta with tomato sauce (recipe adapted from back to nature food blog)

* in a food processor I mixed 2 cloves garlic + 3 tomatoes +  tomato paste (should use soaked sun-dried tomatoes) + herbs + spices + salt + EVOO
* thinly slice ( of spiralize if you have one) zucchini
* slice cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers 
* mix everything together and voila!

note: you are supposed to add 1 TBSP raw almond butter (you could probably grind nuts and add them instead but we didn't do this because of the blood group issue). Adding nut butter would make it a creamy tomato sauce and probably less need for EVOO

Gallina's friatata 
* scrambled eggs + a bit of buck wheat flour to thicken
* mix in sliced zucchini + cucumber 
(who knew you could cook cucumber?!)
* pour in pan and cook on low heat, flip, finish cooking

note: I would have pimped the fritata up a bit with spices, nettles, some EVOO, tamari and maybe even a little nutritional yeast. I don't think adding flour is necessary but it was interesting nonetheless. 

raw-ish peanut butter patties (recipe from the minimalist baker)

that's my fingerprint in each cookie ;)

* in food processor grind dry oats + nuts 
* add 3 dates or prunes and keep 'a grindin'
* add 1 cup peanut butter or other nut butter and mix until doughy
* flatten patties and freeze
* a while later melt dark chocolate using the double-boiler method and dip frozen patties or pour chocolate over them and let cool (this part is not raw because the chocolate is heated too hot)

note: I think you could probably get away without using oats, so just experiment!

You can read more about eating for your blood type here. The thing is, this blood group diet has been met with a lot of criticism and is not really well-rounded science. I eat healthy. I don't eat according to my blood type, and unless I've tried everything else, I probably wouldn't try this diet myself. That being said, the woman I stayed with reversed an illness and whether it was raw food or blood group eating, you can't argue with what works for you (even if it's getting a double-masectomy like Angelina Jolie right? But then again, she can afford to have the most perfectly reconstructed breasts on the face of the planet).

Personally, I think the blood group diet limits the spectrum of vitamins and minerals you could be getting. The most important things for most people to eliminate are processed flours and sugars, gluten and dairy. If you do this plus up your vegetable intake, with some fruits and nuts, water and exercise you're probably good to go. 

My tin-foil hat brings all the boys to the yard...

I bet you didn't spend your Saturday night reviewing lectures on Geographical Informations Systems (GIS), correlation and regression analysis and georeferencing did you? For the love of Satan I sure hope not. This is total nerd stuff (sorry nerds). 

Hey lookey, there's Satan on the right

But if you know GIS, or are just generally a conspiracy theorist with a tin-foil hat as tall as the ceiling, I commend you on both accounts. A GIS course is why I find myself in Germany and after so many hours learning about satellites, you start to wonder. 

There's a German phenomenon where no one asks questions in class. There's also a rule that if you have an American girl in a German class, she HAS to ask as many questions as possible. I couldn't help myself so I asked about the aforementioned spy(shh)satellites. My teacher said the best satellites are American and they can read the time on your watch. The second best are Russian satellites. Looks like I got my back covered--I'm staying with Russians this weekend-phew. 

Anyway, in regards to spying, I thought of that Romantics Song, Talking in Your Sleep which I can't seem to imbed so here's the link for the vid. I mean really this video is just an excuse to see babes in underwear, but it's just as creepy as those satellites looming overhead. 

By now you might be thinking...

but I'll give you another "hippie" recipe anyway!

easy desert recipe

GF (no, not girlfriend, gluten-free)cherry apple tart
* beat 2 eggs + baking soda + pinch of salt+ cinnamon + sweetener (sugar, honey, maple syrup, stevia, etc)
* mix egg mixture with kefir
* make/buy/use millet flour and mix with with chopped apples + cherries
* put dry and wet mixtures into casserole dish and bake at 200C/350F for 45ish minutes


other eats of the day:
* big salad 
* stir-fry fish + veggies
* sweet potatoes

And lot's and lot's of green tea which has a ton of health benefits including help with lowering cholesterol, preventing cancers, fighting arteriosclerosis, diabetes, weight loss, liver function, and IBD. Read about it here. You know what they say, "Tea makes you pee" and so does the sound of rain coming down, gotta go! 

Make it Funky!

A little hop to your step for Saturday. Since I talked about soul train yesterday, thought you'd like this little gem of a video I found a few months back when I googled, "learn how to dance to funk." The result of my query was none other that the king of funk, Mr. James Brown demonstrating all his funky-ass moves. You'll want to watch this!

Meanwhile my friends and I enjoyed a Schwaben Brezel (read the story of how it came to be) with butter, a boiled egg and a green smoothie.

Over breakfast, we were talking about resource-based economies and breaking down our egos. Just in the right moment, Bob Marley's Could You Be Loved came on the radio--perfect timing! So for your enjoyment:

Lunch

Indian style lentil soup + coconut milk
* add red lentils + garlic + coriander + turmeric + cayenne + salt + pepper + coconut milk to a pot
* boil 40 minutes, puree if needed, top with cilantro and serve

pepto-bismol pink spread
* wash and peel radish and red beets
* food process toasted sunflower seeds, radish, red beets, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar and oil
* serve on toast or bread

dinner

wild crafted greens + tahini dressing + cucumber + hemp seeds
* these foraged greens (which a special company sells to restaurants in the area) have up to 30 different kinds of plant varieties.

mean green raw "cheese" sauce + spelt noodles
* cook spelt noodles and drain
* for sauce--food process/vitamix--parsley + cashews + nutritional yeast + garlic + a little water + spices

note: the nutritional yeast has a cheese-like flavor in addition to vitamins and minerals. You can read about it here.

                          Hemp Seeds

It's sort of fitting to talk about hemp with Bob Marley on the music roster today. However...the seeds are another super food housing easily digestible protein, all essential amino acids and omegas, fatty acids and it's an immune booster. Plus the plant can be used for fuel and fibers--put that in your pipe and smoke it! You can read more about hemp seeds here. 

ps, here's some photos from the Westword of a couple friends and me getting funky at a soul night complete with chicken and waffles!