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
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!
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!
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!
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!
Kayne's West's Love Locked Downis 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 Mustardand 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 Pancakesfor 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!
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.
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 linkfor 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!
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!
So basically 'Ol Dirty Bastard (aka Little Baby Jesus, who's now deceased) is like the weirdest EVER and he probably wasn't rhyming about raw food, but what if he was? What if he was?!
And how about the soul-train-esque dancers in the background of ODB's video? Don't even get me started on soul train videos because it could result in an hours-long video session where I'd probably try to sing and dance along--have I mentioned my secret desire to dance, but I guess that's neither here nor there. I have to post at least one soul train jam for you today.
You know who else likes it raw? Mimi Kirk and she has some pretty great raw food recipes like the one my friend whipped up today. You can visit her website youngonrawfood, where you'll find a lot of great recipes. And get this, she's 73--hard to believe!
* sweet potatoes sliced, rubbed in African Red Palm Oil (super food you can read about) + spices + garlic
* roasted until soft
* in vitamix/food processor, add soaked (I think) sun dried tomato, fresh tomato, garlic, apple cider vinegar, cashews, 3 medjool dates, plus some of the water from soaking the tomatoes + salt--nothing short of amazing, really!
Dinner
japanese miso soup + veggies
* mix miso + ginger + garlic and bring to boil
* add buckwheat soba noodles until soft
* top with fresh chopped vegetables + seaweed strips (if desired)
note: Lavender is well known for it's relaxing properties and soothing abilities for skin irritations and headaches. I was surprised at the nice flavor it added to the salad, since its often paired with sweets instead. I love finding lavender growing around mostly because watching the bees collect pollen from the plants is just as soothing as the plant's medicinal properties.
Yesterday my German friends made me privy to the fact that any of us who are American and do the "Chicken Dance" or in German, as it's called Der Ententanz, should probably be embarrassed of ourselves. Turns out in Germany, only children 5 and under (and really drunk people at Oktober fest) do the dance...Well, you can read about it's introduction to the US in Oklahoma in 1981 and the subsequent spread throughout the continent. Or, if you're going to an American wedding this summer, you can just do Der Ententanz there. The Lawrence Welk show demonstrates the Chicken Dance, and I'm a little embarrassed for sure!
My friends made me wonderful meals as usual, including the morning green smoothie!
Lunch
simple vegetable soup + buttered toast with herb salt
* chop veggies like carrots, zucchini and potatoes and cook with stock + spices to taste (hopefully yeast and glutamate free!)
* add noodles (Julia used angel hair spelt)
* serve with toast when noodles and potatoes are soft
Dinner
asian noodle salad--SO GOOD!
* cook rice noodles (Julia used brown rice noodles)
* meanwhile chop carrots, lettuce, cashews, avocado, zucchini and divide between bowls (add any other veg you like)
* top with cooked, drained rice noodles
* finish with a sauce of tamari + rice vinegar + wasabi + garlic + ginger
The weather is improving here again and the foraging continues which inspired these light recipes, enjoyed on sunny terrace. Have fun with them!
dandelion pesto
* pick a lot of dandelion greens and flowers and thoroughly wash and dry in a salad spinner if you can * pan or oven roast a clove or two of garlic * add half of the dandelions + roasted garlic to a food processor * add salt, spices, EVOO and since dandelions are über bitter, you'll definitely want to add some nuts and/or parmesan to even out the bitterness * blend and eat!
dandelion chips
* turn oven to 175C (350F) * place washed and dried dandelion greens on a baking sheet (I used parchment paper too) * massage with oil and dust with salt, pepper and other spices if you like * bake until they shrink and some are crispy, remove and let cool a bit before enjoying * especially the unopened flowers taste really yummy! roasted veggie & tomato sauce hummus * I used leftovers from the veggie tomato-wine sauce dish the other night so I added a little of this + chickpeas + EVOO to a food processor and blended--EASY!
cucumber thread salad
* peel skin off cucumber (esp. if it's not organic) * continue "peeling" the inside of the cucumber, making threads or noodles * top with hummus + dandelion pesto + fresh mozzarella + balsamic + whatever else you like * SO GOOD! note: you can make noodles/threads with zucchinis or carrots too, get creative! note: a bit more on dandelions--here's a link to an article about how dandelions detox the liver and kidneys and help the gallbladder. And, I think I mentioned it before but they have vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc, plus they're free! Just remember to take caution when picking them by choosing a clean, non-toxic site. Here's a link to infused dandelion oil + salve recipe--good for sore muscles and joint aches and pains and dry skin. preserving dandelions: a reader asked if freezing dandelions is possible and, in fact, it is. Freeze the small ones to eat and the larger leaves for tea. You can freeze the entire plant. The same methods can be used for other greens and herbs. freezing * Wash and dry the plants, lay flat on a cookie sheet and flash freeze for 1 hour, then remove and place in a labeled bag. drying * lay flat in a window, dehydrator or oven dry at 125F (50C). Once totally dry, store in an airtight container.
Cinco de Mayo has become a major celebration in the United States to honor Mexican[-American] heritage. This day in 1862 is the day the Mexican's defeated the French army which was much larger and stronger. It also signifies the last time a European country invaded the Americas. Nearly 11% of the population in the US has some form of Mexican decent, so it's no wonder how a rich tradition of song, dance, food and passion would create a day with such colorful festivities! As an American of Mexican decent, my culture's traditions hold particular weight in my memories, especially in the kitchen. Mariachi music, conjures up childhood memories and a group was unarguably present at my college graduation, can be heard in the video above. And if you're really inspired by the culture, take a look at Baile Folklorico, traditional Mexican dance! Happy Cinco de Mayo and enjoy!
Note: The grocery stores are closed on Sundays in Stuttgart and it can be difficult to find all necessary ingredients, especially spicy ones, so the recipes below are a bit make-shift. veggie tacos! speltillas * mix whole spelt flour + dash salt + tsp-ish baking powder + tablespoon-ish oil + warm water as needed * let dough rest * divide and roll into balls * flatten first with hand, then rolling pin(pretty thin) * place in hot dry skillet and once bubbled up, flip salsa * chopped tomato + peppers + onion + wild garlic + lemon juice (normally lime) + cilantro + salt * can make it more or less spicy depending on peppers * can add black beans or corn if desired note: I normally make a variety of salsas and over time, I'll post those recipes. filling-can really be whatever you like with whatever toppings you like such as cheese, meet, sour cream, salsas, pickled jalapeño and carrots, sliced radish, avocado or guacamole, etc. * sliced and sauteed onions + zucchini * add chili powder + cumin + salt * fill up a speltilla and top with goodies! Pictures to come later!
You never know what you're going to find in a German forest, sometimes it might be an edible plant and sometimes it might be this--
But you know, Tupac ain't mad at cha for putting this sticker in the most obscure place EVER.
And I ain't mad with the bounty I scored...tons of choice dandelions, wild garlic and stinging nettles. I brought them home to the place where I'm couch surfing this weekend and promised a meal. The Italian guy said, "My girlfriend told me you were going to feed us with things you found on the ground for dinner." But wait, isn't most food from the ground in one way or another? Eh, whatevs. Needless to say, we made a rad dinner if I do say so, and I even managed to cook with the bottle of wine I bought the other day which was undrinkable from its opening.
* soak stinging nettles in hot water to remove sting
* chop then saute onions + EVOO
* add spices + chopped zucchini, aubergine, tomatoes, mushrooms to the sautee
* after browned, deglaze pan with red wine
* after a couple minutes add tomato sauce OR more whole fresh tomatoes + wild garlic
* cook until flavors are melded together
* add chickpeas or pasta if you like
* top with parmesan
notes on Stinging Nettles: Where I'm from, nettles don't just grow everywhere, you really have to search, but here they're everywhere. When I first moved here, I mistook nettles for lemon balm, and was sorely surprised when I reached out to touch the plant and was stung. Now I know how to deal with them--DON'T touch. Though, the Danish farmer I work with calls the stings health injections--yikes!
Here are the medicinal uses for nettles--allergies (especially hay fever), arthritis, immune health, treating dandruff, lactation, topically for inflammation of all types, urinary tract infections. Also, allowing the plant to sting an area with pain, is said to reduce the pain.
For eating nettles, pick young leaves--spring is the best time to indulge since the leaves are all new. Nettles have vitamins A, C, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium. Nettles can also be dried and used as a tea.
As a companion plant--they are high in nitrogen and can be a good fertilizer. They also grow where there is abundant phosphorous.
