NUTRITIOUS FALL // FIG-TASTIC SMOOTHIE

May I present you the new recipe series that I'm starting today: NUTRITIOUS FALL! Over the next few months that are leading up to my favorite event/time of the year, christmas, I'm going to post my favorite fall recipes, that are perfect to enjoy after a tough day out in the cold, next to a fireplace while it's raining, on a cozy sunday afternoon or simply if you're in the mood for something that'll lift up your mood, make you feel glowing, happy and healthy and is at the same time beneficial for your body.

HOMEMADE COCONUT YOGHURT // vegan / gluten free / soy free

My first attempt on making coconut yoghurt was a major fail. It did not thicken or get the "fresh" yoghurt-like taste the probiotics develop. It was coconut milk with sugar and a weird smell to it.

Being very discouraged, I never tried making it again (and totally forgot about it, too) until a few days ago. 

I recently moved out from home (*insert crying emoji*) to Germany's vegan capital: Berlin. I'm sharing my apartment with 3 others: one fellow vegan, one paleo-vegan (who eats eggs) and a vegetarian. You see, a lot is going on in our kitchen! 

One night, I talked to my flatmate and he mentioned he wanted to try making coconut yogurt. The former disaster shortly crossed my mind but after a quarter of a second I was all in. 

He had already gotten the probiotics and I brought arrowroot starch with me (along with a million of other things you use once a year to make fancy schmancy stuff but hey - thanks to my food messieness we had a starch to work with) when I moved in. 

HOW TO MAKE A SMOOTHIE BOWL // & a recipe

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There are more than 150.000 pictures tagged with #smoothiebowl only on Instagram and that number is growing every second. But what is it exactly, a 'smoothie bowl'? Basically, it's a smoothie served in a bowl. Duh.

The question is, what makes it special and different from the good old smoothie (except from the bowl, of course)? There are two main points that I'll share with you: The first one is: consistency. Because without the increased thickness the toppings would not stay where you placed them but sink down to the bowls ground. Speaking of toppings, that is #2 of the speciality of a smoothie bowl. The toppings are what really makes the smoothie bowl unique. It either transforms the plain thick smoothie into the most delicious and gorgeous dish ever seen (and eaten) or it doesn't. Here's a rough guide that is meant to show you the basics of how to make a smoothie bowl, but feel free to experiment with whatever comes to your mind (and show me, I'd love to see your recreations! use #mangoandcoconuts).

PEANUT BUTTER CHOC CHIP MUFFINS // vegan / oil free / soy free

Woa. These are ah-may-zing. 

When I turned 18, my best friends got me a gift coupon on of my favorite restaurants around here. They serve delicious thai food on a very high standard. We had some problems finding a time when everybody was free (I'm moving to Berlin and they're moving as well) but we arranged a lunch date today. 

Yesterday evening Jule asked me if I had any healthy dessert left around but unfortunately I hadn't (or shall I say fortunately because that's why I made these?). However, that only motivated me to make these super moist and easy vegan muffins your family and friends are going to fall in LOVE with. I promise. They're inspired by a recipe the gorgeous Tess Begg posted on her YouTube a few days ago. Make sure to check that out as well for a video demonstration. 

HOMEMADE NUTELLA & VANILLA MOUSSE SLICES with EASY ICE MAGIC // vegan / gluten free

I've been thinking about making such an awesome slice for several weeks now. I searched tons and tons of pinterest boards, Instagram pages (Taline Gabriel, Pana Chocolate & Blendlove are my faves for raw treats, go check them out. Now.) and websites (too many fab ones to pick the best). 

I got the preparation game pretty good - but in the end it was all a massive 'I-just-throw-together-what-I-find' kinda thing, so if you're not 100% happy with the consistency you might want to add a few more dates, nuts or liquid. Just take these measurements as a rough orientation of what went in there then exact numbers you should follow strictly. Have fun with it and experiment because that is - in my opinion - what makes cooking fun and what keeps it interesting. If you don't try out new things, you'll probably won't experience that many failures but you will pretty surely won't accomplish as much. And that does not only apply to cooking ;) 

But now onto the food porn...

For this recipe, I used a homemade vegan nutella recipe by Vanilla Crunch (and slightly adapted it). 

VEGAN NUTELLA 

Ingredients

• 1 cup hazelnuts, raw & whole
• 4 ounces dark vegan chocolate (about 125 grams), for all Germans: for a cheaper option try Moser Dark Chocolate from Aldi
• 3/4 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup organic brown sugar

How-To

1. Pre-heat oven to 190°C. 
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the hazelnuts on top. Roast for about 15 minutes (or until the skin starts peeling back).
3. Meanwhile, break the chocolate in pieces and place it in a medium sized bowl. 
4. Combine sugar & coconut milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted completely. 
5. Take out the hazelnuts and, using a kitchen towel, start rubbing them until their skin comes off (it's completely fine if there's still some skin left on but the majority should be removed). 
6. Place the hazelnuts in a food processor or high speed blender and process them until they become a fine flour. Add in chocolate ganache and keep blending until your mixture is smooth. 
7. Taste. Yum. 

CHOC SLICES 

Base 

• 1/2 cup hazelnut meal
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut 
• 3/4 cup dates
• 2 tsp cocoa powder (or carob powder)

1. Process until it becomes a dough-like consistency. 
2. Press in a square mold and store in the freezer while you make the vanilla layer.

Vanilla Macadamia Cheesecake Layer

• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1 cup macadamia nuts (I always use roasted and salted and then wash them until all salt came off because 1. they're WAY cheaper then the unsalted ones and 2. they have a nice roasted taste - just make sure there's no oil added)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup dates 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a food processor or blender, blend until smooth and pour it on top of the nutella brownie layer. 
2. Put back in the freezer and let it sit for about 2 hrs. Yup, sorry it really takes that long!

Chocolate Mousse Layer

• 1 cup Homemade Vegan Nutella (see recipe above), room temperature
• 1 cup full-fat coconut cream, room temperature

1. Make sure both of your ingredients are not too cold or otherwise you'll have a really hard time bringing them together. 
2. Just like the Vanilla Layer, simply blend everything together until smooth. Add on top of the Vanilla Layer and put in the fridge for 12+ hrs to completely set. 

Take it out of your mold and begin slicing your 'cheesecake'. Top with come chocolate ice magic and voila! Mouthgasm guaranteed.

HOMEMADE ICE MAGIC 

• 1 tbsp maple syrup (or agave)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp cocoa powder

1. Mix with a fork. 
2. Dizzle over cheesecake slices.

CREAMY CHIA OATS with STEWED PLUMS and OAT MYLK

As the weather gets colder (okay not quite it's still over 30°C here - buuuut it won't be long until fall enters our lives and our kitchen) and the summer produce disappears slowly, I am getting more and more excited about chai lattes, cinnamon, pumpkin (and it's latte) and OATMEAL - in combination with plums.

Every year - and sometimes even every month - I change how I make my oatmeal. Because I always feel like I have discovered something new and even better than before. Then, I eat it over and over again every day until I try out another method (to be repeated). Right now, this is my favorite way to cook oats. It's super quick, easy and creamy.

I adapted the recipe for the stewed plums from Taline Gabriel's Hippie Lane App (click here!). I have to admit that this app is one of my favorite recipe apps and one of the few that I constantly keep on my phone (I'm quite an app minimalist). It's part of the "rise and shine" bundle, an in app purchase that is all about lovely breakfast recipes.

I made this recipe the first time on a super gloomy and rainy day and enjoyed it with a cup of tea watching the latest TED talks - having the best morning ever.

Below, I share some optional add-ins that will make your oatmeal different every time and give it a nutritional boost (or, in case of the brown sugar a tasty boost). Hope you like it!

I would recommend setting up the plums first, then the oatmeal. The oat mylk is best when made ahead in larger quantities.

Creamy Oatmeal

serves 1 

• 1/3 cup oats
• 2/3 cup liquid (I like to use just water but you can also sub for oat mylk if you want)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup oat mylk (see recipe below)

1. Combine Oats and water (or oat milk) in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. 
2. Reduce heat to low (about 2 out of 10) and stir in chia seeds. Let simmer for about 3 minutes. 
3. Turn off heat completely and add the oat milk. Stir a bit and transfer it to a small serving bowl. 

Optional Add-Ins (Choose as many as you want)

• 1/2 tsp mesquite
• 1/2 tsp maca
• 1/4 tsp spirulina
• 1 tsp matcha
• 1 tbsp organic brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 2 tbsp brown rice protein powder (I like sun warrior)
• 2 tbsp PUR YA! protein powder
• 1/4 cup crushed nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts..)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ...

I topped my oatmeal with 1/2 banana, some goji berries, mulberries & sunflower seeds - so good!

Stewed Plums

serves 1 

• 2 plums, cut in 2 halves and a few smaller pieces (to change it up a bit)
• 2 tsp rice malt syrup
• 1 tbsp water

1. Place water, plums & rice malt in a small saucepan and turn heat to medium. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
2. Pour over hot oatmeal. 

Oat Mylk

makes about 3 1/4 cups

• 1 cup oats 
• 3 cups water 

1. Blend oats & water together in a high speed blender until smooth.
2. For a creamier texture, pour through a sieve. For a lighter mylk you can also use a nutlike bag.
3. Store in the fridge for about 4 days. 
4. You'll have to give it a good shake before use because it'll separate in the fridge (that does NOT mean it's bad!)

HOMEMADE FLATBREAD with SESAME FALAFEL , GUACAMOLE & SEITAN VEGGIES / vegan

Wooaaah. Woah. Okay, honestly, this is all I can say about this creation above. It is so good no words can describe it. I made the falafels for dinner yesterday and they were better when I ate them fresh, so even if the whole thing might take a while, it is definitely worth it! 

Okay, here are some more pictures of the most delicious dish eveeerrrr:

And here are the recipes: They taste amazing on their own but if you want to take it to the next level, combine them all and let the party in your mouth begin! 

You can use the flat bread with a lot of things like peanut butter, jam or your favorite savory spread (try hummus!).

Falafel are often made with chickpeas (like 99,9% of the time) but if you can't have ANY legumes, having falafel is very very difficult (if not impossible). This is a super easy low-histamine recipe is perfect for so many allergies, it's nut free, gluten free, oil free & regardless of the free-of-anything-ingredient-list it actually tastes super good!

Thumbs up for Seitan! Did you know that 100g contain 75 grams of PROTEIN!? Crazy! 

BERLIN & PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH // vegan

I was in Berlin last week looking for a room to rent (I found a super pretty one!) and while we were running from house to house, there were still a few moments to relax and enjoy the amazing vegan food the capital of Germany has to offer.

For breakfast on Friday we went to Daluma, a small café that offers breakfast, acai bowls, juices, coffee & entrees. I had some chia pudding with nut topping and it was deliiiiish.

For dinner we chose an omnivore "fast food" restaurant, that has vegan burgers as well: Schiller. If you're in Berlin, try the "Anmut und Würde", it is beyond amazing.

If you're more of a brunch girl (or boy), try OhLaLa. The vegan pawlova tasted just like "the real thing", I promise! And they have pretty cool drinks as well.

Keep an eye on my blog to find out more about vegan options in Berlin!

However, we ended up shopping some stuff at Veganz and I found the eatable cookie dough by Eat Pasty in their fridge. I got the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip version and OH MY GOD...


Oh. My. God.


Vegan cookies (and their dough) just got to the next level. I really love this stuff, it's crazy!

But unfortunately it's made with white flour, sugar, palm oil and other not-so-healthy ingredients (but vegan and they also have gluten-free options). Sounded like something to healthify, right?

Imagine this: Eat Pasty Cookie Dough container on the counter, me reading ingredients and going through the pantry to find healthier options, eye-balling the measurements and not really having a clue what I'm doing.

Then imagine: Magic happens.
The dough comes out perfect the first time (it really it eat pastry because I ate a few tablespoons before baking).

I popped it into the fridge and whipped up some chocolate (recipe for this coming very soon, I'm planning a bigger post on this).

While the chocolate was setting, I ate a little more of the dough and got happier and happier.

After chopping up one chocolate bar and adding it to the mixture, I finally baked the cookies and - no surprise - they came out of the oven just as perfect as they were before!

NOTE: this recipe is boyfriend and mom approved (basically a impossible combination) so feel free to offer them to your folks as well (and don't tell them they're healthy and vegan at first).

* To make this recipe lower in histamine, sub the banana for a green one (if tolerated) or some apple sauce as well as the peanut butter for some almond butter or pumpkin seed or sunflower seed butter. Have fun with it and experiment!

CREAMY BUCKWHEAT PORRIDGE // vegan & gluten free

This porridge takes a little time to make (soaking, blending & cooking) but it is really worth it. I like the nutty flavor the buckwheat adds - it goes perfect with my healthy chia jam.
You can use whole buckwheat groats instead of the bulgur I used if you can't find it - it will probably be even creamier!
With only 155 calories per cup cooked and 6 grams of protein, buckwheat really is a superfood! It is known to improve heart health and digestion and helps to prevent diabetes!
The coconut sugar is low GI (35 - white sugar has a GI of 70), which means it won't cause a spike in your blood sugar levels, contains less fructose (make this dish low fructose by changing the topping to some nuts if you like) and offers a few more minerals than other sugar. Overall - a healthier alternative to refined sugar. Check out the recipe here:

PESTO BEET SANDWICH // vegan

This quick & easy recipe is perfect for a yummy lunch when you're short on time and have the pesto ready-to-use in your fridge. I really encourage you to try the pesto, it's my favorite recipe and I make it as often as possible (it only lasts two days in our household because my mom likes it just as much). Of course, you can add anything you wish onto your sandwich like tomatoes, bell pepper, carrot & more but I love this simple combination best. Hope you enjoy!