Vanilla Cherry Tarte (vegan, no bake, gluten free, oil free, soy free, refined sugar free)

Vanilla Cherry Tarte

(vegan, no bake, gluten free, oil free, soy free, refined sugar free)

I've always, always, always, always wanted to make my own Tarte. But never have I ever found a recipe for a crust that wasn't either super sticky or completely falling apart.
And tasty, that's the most important point! So I decided to make my own one. Feel free to swap my crust for your favorite tarte crust recipe!

Vanilla Cherry Tarte

Serves: 6 - 8 small sliced
Preperation time: 20 minutes
Freezing time: at least 2 - 3 hours or overnight

Ingredients

Crust

• 20g ground flax and 60g water, mixed to create a flax egg
• 70g coconut flour or almond flour
• 7 to 10 dates (depending on the size and stickyness of your dates)
• 100mL plant milk (I used coconut milk)

Filling

• 1 package (=37g) pudding powder, vanilla flavored (*see notes if you don't have access to such a thing)
• 500mL plant milk
• 50g coconut sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
• a dash of vanilla extract
• a dash of cinnamon
• 200g vegan quark creme or extra thick vegan yogurt
• 100g cherries (pitted if desired)

Instruction

Crust

• blend all the ingredients together (preferably in a food processor)
• press down in a tarte pan or other freezer safe form of choice
• freeze for until the filling is ready to be added

Filling

• mix the pudding powder with a small amount of the plant milk, while heating the rest of the milk with the sugar and the cherries until it starts to cook
• remove from the stove and add the pudding powder mixture, stir immediately and keep stirring until the mixture starts to thicken (you might have to put it back on the stove for a bit)
• once it starts to thicken, remove from the stove for good and add your vegan quark
• mix until well combined
• add the slightly cooled mixture on top of your crust and decorate as desired (I used cacao nibs and more cherries)
• put in the freezer until hardened

Notes:

• If you don't have access to pudding poweder, you can easily make your own by using around 37g of cornstarch and some vanilla powder or vanilla bean paste.
• You might end up having some filling extra. You can put that in the fridge and enjoy cold as a snack!

Fresh Herb and Paprika Cream Cheese (oil free, vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Fresh Herb and Paprika Cream Cheese

(oil free, vegan, gluten free, soy free)

I've never been a fan of fatty flavorless cream cheese. I loved the light versions with a lot of fresh herbs and I used to put them on everything. My grandma always had to have that one specific one in the fridge when I was around. "Do we have the ****?" Was one of the first questions when I walked through the door. And if the answer was yes, I was smiling from one ear to the other one. And then we had to buy one again after, let's be fair and say, one hour.

My vegan version is similar to my once beloved dairy one. But there's a little extra add-on: smoked paprika. One of the flavors, I can't imagine my life without any longer. It took me a while to actually find smoked paprika in a store, as it's not something that is sold here very often. But I found it, and here we are!

Fresh Herb and Paprika Cream Cheese

Serves: 1 jar
Soaking time: 2 hours to overnight
Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 100g raw cashews (1 cup)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (2 tbsp if you want a more cheesy flavor)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• a bunch of fresh dill
• a bunch of fresh chives
• salt and pepper to taste
• 50 to 100mL cashew milk, unsweetened (depending on your blender and your desired final consistency)

Instructions

• soak your cashews overnight (or at least 2 hours in boiling water)
• drain your cashews and add them with the remaining ingredients to your blender (or food processor - see Notes below) and blend until smooth
• allow to settle/cool in the fridge or serve right away
• enjoy!

Notes: If you follow me on Instagram, you may have heard that my blender broke the day before I made this recipe. I used a hand blender instead, which is possible, but won't give you a smooth result. In fact, it ended up being a little grainy, but that's alright for me. If you want a creamy and smooth consistency, you should use a high speed blender. 

Chocolate Cookie Dough (vegan, no bake, gluten free, oil free, refined sugar free, soy free, nut free)

Chocolate Cookie Dough

(vegan, no bake, gluten free, oil free, refined sugar free, soy free, nut free)

Okay, I get it, some people don't like peanuts. Or nuts in general. Or sometimes you just crave chocolate! That's why you're here, right?

I love my peanut butter and chocolate cookie dough, but lately I'm really into the pure chocolate version as well! I, personally, love serving it with some sour, cultured coconut yogurt, which takes the whole cookie dough experience to a different level, and some frozen berries. (a lot actually) (you can use whatever toppings you like tho)

Also, many people use chickpeas for their cookie dough, similar to a sweet hummus, however, chickpeas are hard to digest and for me, they make me bloated in large amounts. That's why I love using kidney beans or white beans in this recipe!

Chocolate Cookie Dough

Serves: 1
Preperation time: 5 minutes
Fridge time: serve right away or let sit in the fridge for up to 3 hours to thicken (longer will let the surface harden - similar to a 'skin' on your hot chocolate)

Ingredients

• a can of white beans or kidney beans (240g)
• 25g cacao powder (or chocolate protein powder)
• 25g to 75g plant milk of choice (I like to use almond milk or cashew milk with this - you can also try to add only a dash if your food processor is strong enough, which will make your final product more thick and sticky)
• sweetener of choice - depending on your prefered level of sweetness (lately I've been really into coconut sugar. Read instructions for the correct amount)
• optional but recommended: a dash (or more) of cinnamon
• optional: 5g Maca Powder (gives it an earthy, slightly caramel-like flavor)

Instructions

• drain and rinse your beans 
• add all the ingredients but the sweetener to a bowl and use a handblender and blend until the dough forms a uniform consistency. Add more liquid if desired. (The dough will thicken a little in the fridge)
• add sweetener, little by little and keep blending and taste-testing until you reach your desired level of sweetness!
• transfer to a bowl, decorate and serve as desired

Tipp: 

• You can also use a blender or food processor if desired. You can also adjust the ratio of the liquid in that case.
• If you rinse your beans well, you won't taste them. If you are still able to taste them, try a different brand of beans or cook them yourself.

Cold Spicy Watermelon Noodles (gluten free, vegan, oil free, nut free)

Cold Spicy Watermelon Noodles

(gluten free, vegan, oil free, nut free)

Okay stop, don't judge this until you've tried it! I thought this was crazy when I first heard of it as well. But this is an actual dish! It's based in the Korean cuisine and is a typical summer dish people love to eat on a hot day. And you know what? It's my favorite ever since I've first made it.

I am not a huge fan of noodles, as they tend to be really heavy on my stomach, but cold noodles, especially with this refreshing combination of flavors, is a staple in my kitchen now! And the best thing: It will keep you satisfied, refreshed and cool on a burning hot day. And it will keep your kitchen cold, because you can simply prep the noodles before and you don't have to cook anything anymore.

Yes, some the ingredients are hard to find, especially when there is no asian supermarket close by, so I created a second version of the sauce (which is actually the most important thing here! You don't have to serve this in a watermelon, but it looks kind of cool, right?), that uses more accessible ingredients.

So back to the basics, what is this dish even about?
Well, the original, Korean name is Soobak Naengmyun (수박냉면), which means basically just Cold Noodles in a Watermelon. And that's just what it is. As mentioned above, the sauce is what makes this dish special. 

I'll put both the original (veganised) version and the version with the more accessible ingredients in a different post, which is linked here !! You can use this sauce as a salad dressing as well! It's really variable. 

So now, lets get into assembling (because, remember, you don't have to cook!)

Cold Spicy Watermelon Noodles

Serves: 1
Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• as much cooked pasta as you feel like eating 
• half a watermelon
• as much of the sauce as you feel like eating (again, the recipe for the sauce is linked here)
• cucumber
• cabbage
• optional: carrots, tomatoes

Instructions

• take your watermelon and (if not already done) scoop a hole in the middle where you can put your noodles (make sure your melon can stand - if not, cut a little bit off the bottom, so it can but the juice can't run out)
• pour a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of your hole
• add your noodles
• slice your cabbage, cucumber, carrots and tomatoes and add them on top nicely
• pour some more sauce on top and dig in!

Tip: Add more sauce, cucumber and cabbage as you go! And don't forget to eat the watermelon as well (not only the noodles) 

Chocolate Hazelnut "Nutella" Mousse (gluten free, vegan, soy free, oil free, refined sugar free)

Chocolate Hazelnut "Nutella" Mousse 

(gluten free, vegan, soy free, oil free, refined sugar free)

The other day I found some old hazelnuts from last autumn from our hazelnut bush.

They were still in peel and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. I've always wanted to make some sort of hazelnut chocolate butter or some ground hazelnut cake, however, I don't have a food processor at home. So no nut butter for me.

Then I remembered a cake I had the other day, which had an amazing mousse filling made of peanuts. So why not make a mousse out of hazelnuts? It's perfect as a cake filling, but for sure also great as a topping for oatmeal, yogurt or smoothie bowls or just to dip some fruit in! (Well, turns out it's not that great on rice crackers without anything else added. I'd suggest you to use it as one of the things mentioned above or just eat is as a mousse with a spoon or swirled with some jam (my suggestion would be cranberry sauce/jam!))

At first, I was a little concerned about it becoming the right consistency, but the longer you blend, the better it gets. Just make sure it doesn't turn into nut butter! Just give it a try every now and then (great excuse for snacking, isn't it?)

So now let's jump right into the recipe! (And if you try it, make sure to tag me on Instagram or leave a comment down below!)

Chocolate Hazelnut "Nutella" Mousse 

Serves: 1 jar
Soaking time: 30 minutes to 2 hours
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 150g Hazelnuts
• 200g Water
• 40g Raw Cacao Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 50g Agave Nectar (or any other liquid sweetener of choice)
• pinch of Salt

Instructions

• soak hazelnuts in around 400mL of boiling water for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours. If your blender is super weak, I'd suggest you to soak them overnight, however, this will change the consistency of your final product)
• drain the hazelnuts, put them into a blender and add all your remaining ingredients
• blend until you reach that fluffy, creamy consistency or until you reach the consistency you like. This step can take up to 10 minutes, depending on your blender or food processor. (Make sure to scrape down the sides so it blends evenly!)
• store in an air tight container and keep in the fridge for up to a week or so (mine didn't even last that long because we ate it within the first 3 days)

Irish Soda Bread (gluten free, vegan, oil free, soy free, yeast free)

Irish Soda Bread

(gluten free, vegan, soy free, yeast free, oil free)

You can't imagine how much I miss bread. It's really hard to live in a bread-based cuisine, where wherever you pass by when walking around, it always smells like freshly baked bread and dough.

Austria has a really strong bread based cuisine. There is a bakery right around the corner, no matter where you are. In the subway, on the street, in restaurants, school,... everyone is eating bread.

Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, when it has to be quick, it's always bread.

And then there is me: I can't eat gluten. I could buy gluten free bread, yes, but that contains yeast, and very often an other rising or "sticking" urgent. Both are upsetting my stomach, because of my histamine intolerance. So no bread for me. And what about making my own bread? I've tried hundreds of times, failing all over again because it either ends up rock hard or it doesn't cook properly. Most of the time it doesn't rise either.

I almost quit trying, before I had a small success last year. The recipe for this one little success is already up on the blog. You can find it in the "bread" section. The only thing with this is, that I had to use yeast. I was fine eating it once or twice, but the more pieces I had, the more my body was telling me to stop eating it, before I eventually ended up bloated again.

But not anymore! This Irish Soda Bread recipe doesn't need any yeast. It uses, as the name says, Baking Soda as rising agent. And it works with gluten free flour! I couldn't be happier! The original version, which is not gluten free, is actually by Sweet Simple Vegan (you can find the recipe here). I changed the ingredients to make it not only gluten free, but also oil free.

The consistency reminds me of an English Scone. It's soft, but also breaking apart easily without being overly dry! So, if you want this to be something more like a Scone, see Tipps down below. Also, if you want this to be a little more savory, also look at the Tipps. Other than that, let's jump right into the recipe.

Side note: I made little bread rolls, using a muffin tin. If you want to make a big loaf, cooking time will vary, so keep in mind to adjust as needed!

Irish Soda Bread

Serves: 6 "Muffins"
Cooking time: 35 to 40 minutes (gluten free flour won't get much color, so make a toothpick test after 35 minutes or take one out. If the bottom sounds hollow when "knocking", it's done)
Preparation time: 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup / 180g unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant milk of choice)
• 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups / 250g gluten free flour blend (or normal flour if you can have gluten)
• 1/4 cup / 35g raisins (optional but highly recommended! You can use more or less)
• 1/4 cup / 75g granulated sugar 
• 1/2 tbsp / 7g flax meal (ground flax seeds) or chia seeds
• 1/2 tbsp / 3g corn starch
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1/2 tbsp salt (for a more savory version, add a little more)
• 1 tbsp / 15g cashew butter (or any other nut butter of choice - however, it will affect the flavor of your end product if your nut butter has a strong taste to it)
• 1/2 tbsp caraway seeds (optional - this is called "Kümmel" in German - weird, isn't it?)

Instructions

• preheat the oven to 200°C
• in a bowl, mix almond milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes. The mixture will "cuttle" and create your buttermilk. 
• in a different bowl, mix together all the other ingredients and whisk well. 
• Create a whole in the middle and add the buttermilk mixture inside. 
• Mix until a dough is formed, kneed the dough with your hands. If it's too wet, add a little more flour.
• Split the dough into equal pieces and form little balls.
• Put the balls into a lined or greased muffin tin and cut little X shapes on top of them (to make them bake more evenly)
• Put into the oven for 35 to 40 minutes (gluten free flour won't get much color, so make a toothpick test after 35 minutes or take one out. If the bottom sounds hollow when "knocking", it's done) and let cool completely before serving.

Tipp:

For a more "Scone" like version, I'd suggest you to add a little more raisins, sugar and leave out the caraway seeds.

For a more savory version, add more salt as suggested above.

I served mine with some cranberry jam. 

Serving size differs from person to person. I, personally, would have 2 rolls with jam, nut butter and some fruit (like banana, berries, ...) and maybe some plant yogurt on the side as a meal and 1 roll as a snack. But as I said, that depends from person to person and also from hunger cues. 

Germknödel Granola (Vanilla Poppyseed Granola with Dried Prunes) (gluten free, vegan, soy free, refined sugar free, oil free)

Germknödel Granola (Vanilla Poppyseed Granola with Dried Prunes)

(gluten free, vegan, soy free, refined sugar free, oil free)

Growing up, Germknödel was one of my favorite meals ever! In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, Germknödel is a typical Austrian dish, made of a sweet yeast dumpling with a sweet prune-jam filling, served with either melted butter or vanilla sauce and a looooot of poppy seeds and sugar on top!

It's absolutely amazing and warming during winter time, and even better when eaten on an ice cold day during a quick break from skiing.

This Granola recipe is inspired by all the flavors of a typical Germknödel, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll know when you try it!

Germknödel Granola

Serves: 1 huge Jar
Cooking time: 20 to 30 minutes (flip after 10 to 15 minutes)
Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 300g gf rolled oats (not quick oats!)
• 50g buckwheat groats
• 20g flax seeds
• 30g almonds, roughly chopped
• 60g agave nectar (or coconut syrup)
• 60g tahini (or almond butter/cashew butter)
• vanilla essence or vanilla bean paste/powder to taste (adjust before baking, you should really be able to taste the vanilla here - if you don't have access to vanilla like that, you can also add a pack of vanilla sugar but keep it mind, it's not refined sugar free anymore if you do so)
• 10 to 20g poppy seeds, depending on how strong you want it to taste like poppy seeds (make sure to not use poppy seed filling!) 
• 40g to 60g dried prunes, chopped (add as much as you wish)
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 60g almond vanilla milk (or soy vanilla milk or any other plant based milk of choice)

Instructions

• preheat the oven to 180°C
• mix all your ingredients (except the dried prunes) and spread onto a lined baking tray
• bake for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, then take it out of the oven, give it a stir and add the dried prunes
• bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown (make sure the dried prunes don't burn)
• let cool or serve immediately 
• enjoy!

Maple Vanilla Granola (gluten free, vegan, soy free, refined sugar free, oil free)

Maple Vanilla Granola

(gluten free, vegan, soy free, refined sugar free, oil free)

Never thought I'd ever say that, but sometimes I just don't want chocolate. That's when I love to have some Maple Vanilla Granola on hand.

I usually make really small batches of it and eat half of it when it comes out of the oven on top of some coconut yogurt or almond yogurt, or just with some fruit and plant milk.

The other half usually lasts me another serving, either when I'm snacking or just munching on something, or I'll have it as breakfast or snack throughout the week.

If you like to make bigger batches of Granola, feel free to double or triple the recipe!

Maple Vanilla Granola

Serves: 2
Cooking time: 20 minutes (flip after 10 minutes)
Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 100g gf rolled oats (not quick oats!)
• 20g sliced or chopped almonds
• vanilla extract or powder to taste
• a pinch of salt
• 30g maple syrup
• 30g tahini (or almond butter)
• a dash of almond milk
• optional but highly suggested: 20g raisins (or dried cranberries)

Instructions

• preheat the oven to 180°C
• mix all your ingredients (except the raisins) and spread onto a lined baking tray
• cook for approximately 10 minutes, then take it out of the oven, give it a stir and add the raisins
• cook for another 10 minutes or until golden brown (make sure the raisins don't burn)
• let cool or serve immediately 
• enjoy!

Coconut Carrot Cake (vegan, gluten free, oil free, soy free, nut free, refined sugar free)

Coconut Carrot Cake

(vegan, gluten free, oil free, soy free, nut free, refined sugar free)

Okay so who doesn't love Carrot Cake? After my super delicious concoction of a carrot cake and some gingerbread during winter time, I decided it was time for another variation, that was a little more suitable for spring.

So instead of using gingerbread spice, I added some homemade raspberry jam on top. You can use whatever jam you like, or just skip that part. The cake is worth a try without toppings as well!

And as you probably already know, I love coconut. That's why I'm adding coconut flour as well. You can just swap this out for some oat or rice flour if you want. You could also swap for almond flour.

Coconut Carrot Cake

Serves: about 6 to 9 pieces
Cooking time: 40 -50 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Dry

• 80g Rolled Oats
• 50g Coconut Flour
• 50g Rice Flour
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 16g Baking Powder
• 1/3 cup and 2 tsp Coconut Sugar 
• Pinch of Nutmeg

Liquid

• 2 tbsp (17g) ground Flax Seeds + 5 tbsp Water -> let it sit for 5 minutes
• 1/3 cup (100g) unsweetened Apple Sauce
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (150g to 170g) Plant Milk (I used Cashew Milk - you can swap for any milk you like)
• 3 cup (300g / 4 medium to large) shredded Carrots
• 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• dash Vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

• preheat your oven to 180°C 
• mix you dry ingredients
• mix your wet ingredients
• mix wet into dry ingredients and add more plant milk if necessary
• put into the oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
• let cool completely before serving

25 Random Facts About Me #1

Nobody asked for it, but I decided it was time to share a little bit more personal information about myself with you. 

As I said, I didn't want this to be "just a normal food blog", but I kind of didn't get to write about something else. I have tons of ideas tho, so I'm going to add some more lifestyle, heart to heart and even storytime (I was going to say videos, but we're not on YouTube, silly me) posts with you. 

If you're interested, I'd also love to take you to different places everywhere around the world (starting in my home country, obviously) and show you around a little bit. Restaurants, c

offee shops, beautiful hidden spots,... just let me know if you would be interested.

Anyways, I'm going to start with my facts now.

1) Butterfly on my finger 

(Also, my mom reads all my posts, so: Hi mom, sorry for posting this. Kind of.)

1)      I love photography. It doesn’t matter if I’m the person behind or in front of the camera. When I was younger, I used to love being in front of the camera, making my family take hundreds of photos of me, doing random stuff. The older I got, the more I started to enjoy taking photos myself. And I feel like I’m pretty good at it!

2)     I write books. And fanfictions. My brain is pretty much full of unwritten books, creations and ideas, which I used to dream about ever since I can remember. When I was in middle school, I spent every afternoon riding my scooter outside, creating stories and playing role plays with myself. I was basically a dreamer my whole life. The hard part is writing all these stories down, without missing any detail. I have a lot of stories written, some are finished and some are not. I used to post some of them on myfanfiction.de, but the website did a transition to a different domain and the story got lost. It had over 100 thousand “reads” if I remember correctly.

3)      I’m a little perfectionist when it comes to things I put my heart into, which explains why I can’t just write my stories down, being okay if there’s a little detail missing. And I'm also somehow a real clown. I love being silly and I also act like that when I'm around people I trust. (Well, I don't act. It's just my personality) 

4) Cover for "Delusion" - unpublished

4)      I edited the covers for my books myself, sometimes even before I started to write the book. Editing photos has always been a thing I really enjoyed doing.

5)      My Myers-Briggs-16 personalities test says I’m an ENFP (the Campaigner). I took it several times and it always ends up that way. And to be honest, it’s pretty accurate.

6)      I love watching Anime. I even tried to teach myself some Japanese, as I wanted to watch the original, Japanese versions, without dub. One of my main goals is to visit Japan one day. I can’t wait to experience the actual culture, wear a kimono, visit summer/winter/spring/autumn festivals and look at all the different temples, drink tea, eat traditional Japanese food and interact with the traditional Japanese culture.

7)      I also love listening to K-Pop (Korean Pop Music). And as much as I want to visit Japan, I really want to visit South Korea. I took a Korean class and I’m currently learning about the culture as well. I can read and write Korean, understand the basic grammar and know some basic vocabulary/phrases to get around. I absolutely love the traditional Korean houses and I think the “Hanbok” looks super pretty! (It’s similar to the Japanese “Kimono” and the German and Austrian “Dirndl”) I also absolutely adore the traditional Korean houses.

8) Me in Miami

8)      I’ve been to the USA twice, both times in Miami. Once with my dad, once with my mom. I really want to go to America again, as there is so much more to see, food to try and the vegan scene is just so amazing! I can’t get over the variety of vegan and gluten free products they have in supermarkets and all the different options at restaurants. Also, people there are just so friendly and welcoming, I felt more like I’m at home than on holiday.

9)      I’d also love to visit everywhere else, and connect with more people all over the world.

10)   I honestly can’t see myself doing a “normal” 9-5 job, unless I’m really really really passionate about it and love what I’m doing. I’d rather work for longer with all my heart than doing something I’m not 100% passionate about.

11)   My favourite form of exercise at the moment is skipping. I turn on some music with a nice beat and start skipping, get lost in my thoughts and come back to reality as soon as the song is over. And even tho I love skipping, I absolutely hate running. Hiking, walking, cycling is fine, but jogging and running, uh oh, no thank you!

12)   I started brewing my own Kombucha in summer 2017. I got my SCOBY from a (now) friend and I can’t thank him enough for that! (I know you’re reading this. Thank you again!!) I usually hate fuzzy drinks, but for some reason I’m fine with Kombucha. I also create the weirdest flavour combinations. I don’t think about if the flavours go well together, I just mix them and see if it’s okay when I drink it.

13) Two Casts during my Birthday

13)   I broke both my arms when I was 8. I celebrated my 9^th birthday with both arms in a cast. My birthday is in August. It was extremely hot and my pool party ended up with all my friends celebrating in the water, while I was sitting next to the pool at a table, watching them have fun, sweating until my casts got soft. Then I had to go inside, watching them through a window. Well, it was my own fault. I am not sad about that anymore, but to be honest, that really sucked! But some of my friends were amazing. They came (one by one) and sit in the heat, talking to me, while everyone else was having fun in the pool.

14)   I went to a high school, which was based on chemistry, microbiology and food technology (as well as slaughterhouse technology if I can call it like that). So with that being said, I have a completely different point of view on veganism than many other vegans. We went to slaughterhouses and meat-producing/processing companies at the end of each school year and got a look into the technology and company. I am grateful I had the opportunity to see all of this myself and to learn more about that, however, I still can’t believe I didn’t actually realize what was going on back then. So yes, I see things differently now, but I still understand why people see it the other way around, if that makes sense. So I don’t judge people based on their lifestyle. Everyone has to decide on their own what is right for them and what is not. However, I want to spread my story and my point of view to other people, so that they can, maybe, change their mind and think of things in a different way.

15)   When people ask me how I am, I usually tell them EVERYTHING that’s on my mind at the moment. I tell them my whole story, may it just be how weird my subway and train ride home were that day and what my thoughts were while I was sipping on a drink I actually haven’t tried before. They usually just want to hear “I’m fine, thanks”, so they often tell me “oh my, I forgot you were that complicated”…. Oups?

16)   My mother tongue is German, in case anyone is still wondering. I am from Austria (meanwhile, the melody of a song is playing in my head – fellow Austrian people can relate) and I lived here my entire life. I never moved place.

17)   I don’t have any siblings. I always wanted some, but now I’m thankful I am a single child. I wouldn’t be the person I am right now if I had any.

18)   I hit 100% on the most important math exam in my last year of high school. I had a real bad fever, was at home the entire week before that exam, couldn’t study at all and made my dad drive me to school for just that one hour. I don’t remember a single task I did. All I remember is me, sitting in that room, burning hot, feeling like fainting at any second, writing as quick as possible. I couldn’t dare missing this, as it was the only math exam we had that semester. I finished as the first person in class and went back home as soon as I left the room. One week later we got the exam back and I had a score of 100%. Surprise! You are able to do everything, as long as you are not afraid of doing it. I feel like the only thing that’s hindering you from reaching your goals is fear. Fear of failing, fear of not being “the one”, fear of anything. If you don’t think about that and still try, everything is possible.

19)   Hands down, if I would have to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be sweet potatoes. The purple ones, or the Japanese ones. Or both. Ya, both. And if I had to choose a food group, it would be fruit. I can’t without fruit. And if I had to choose between sweet and savoury, it would be sweet. I grew up eating a sweet breakfast and most of my snacks were sweet as well. I can survive days without savoury food, but if you don’t give me something sweet, I’m going to be either super angry or I might cry. Depends. Maybe. Probably.

20)   I rise with the sun. I wake up naturally when it gets light most of the time. That’s why I sometimes wake up at 5am during summertime, but sleep until 8 during winter. I also get tired when the sun starts to set. I can’t sleep when it’s light but I also can’t work when it’s dark. That makes studying and working during winter really hard for me, as my days seem to be at least 5 hours shorter. That's also why I don't get Jetlag easily. Oh and also, I can make my body wake up at a certain time if I want to. Natural alarm clock. Or something like that.

21)   I am a tea addict. No milk, no sugar. Just hot water and a tea bag. I prefer green and black tea over fruit tea and I can’t stand flowery tea. Herbal tea is alright every now and then. I also like to drink plain water.

22)   I love spring, but I hate the smell of cut flowers inside the house. I prefer the smell of wood, mud and grass over flowery smells. I also hate flowery perfumes and teas. I don’t know why to be honest. Ah, and (Sarcasms on) I can’t wait for the time I get to the age where people send me flowers for my birthday. (Sarcasm off) …. Please, don’t send me flowers. Gift me wood, a plant, a tree, a pot of mud, I don’t care! But please, no flowers!

24) Do I look taller?

23)   I don’t really like shopping for clothes and shoes and stuff, but I love shopping for food and kitchen ware. It’s kind of always been that way.

24)   A basic one: I am only 1m58 (sometimes 1m60, depends on who is measuring) tall. People tend to think I’m a lot taller, but I’m really not. I guess I just know how to look taller on photos.

25)   And the last one for now: Wow, that’s actually really hard. Let me think… Does any of you know the “Twinni” Ice Cream popsicles? As a kid, I always preferred the green one. I broke it apart by pulling the wood-things and it always broke into a  ¾ and ¼ part I ate the small one, then the weird, half one that was left of the small one on the big one (does that make sense?) and then the big one. But for some reason, I kind of remember it was always the green one I had to eat first, as it always broke that way.

Okay, now I’m just rambling around. We should end this for now!

Thanks to everyone who made it down here, you're really awesome! I appreciate every single one of you, have an amazing day and let me know your thoughts, dreams, wishes, ideas,... in the comments below or on my Instagram.

Much Love!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookie Dough (vegan, no bake, gluten free, soy free, oil free, refined sugar free)

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookie Dough

(vegan, no bake, gluten free, oil free, refined sugar free, soy free)

Who doesn't love to eat cookies? And who isn't guilty of trying the raw dough at least once in their life? Well, today I have something for you, that doesn't only taste like raw cookie dough, but that is also healthy and good for you, won't give you Salmonella (because it doesn't contain any eggs) and is done in literally 5 minutes.

I have a similar recipe for Cookie Dough Bites on here, but this one right here doesn't contain chickpeas, and is a lot easier to eat with a spoon.

It makes the perfect breakfast and snack, can be enjoyed in many different variations and with many different toppings.

Today, I'll share with you my absolute favorite combination at the moment: Peanut Butter and Chocolate!

If you make this recipe, don't forget to tag me on Instagram and let me know what you think about it.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookie Dough

Serves: 1
Preperation time: 5 minutes
Fridge time: serve right away or let sit in the fridge for up to 3 hours to thicken (longer will let the surface harden - similar to a 'skin' on your hot chocolate)

Ingredients

• a can of white beans (240g)
• 15g peanut flour (or peanut butter - if you use peanut butter, make sure to add less liquid)
• 15g cacao powder (or chocolate protein powder)
• 75g to 100g plant milk of choice (I like to use almond milk or cashew milk with this)
• sweetener of choice - depending on your prefered level of sweetness (I like to use 3 dates to sweeten - you can also use a liquid sweetener, but keep in mind to reduce the liquid a little bit) 

Instructions

1. drain and rinse your beans 
2. add all the ingredients to a bowl and use a handblender and blend until the dough forms a uniform consistency. Add more liquid if desired. (The dough will thicken a little in the fridge)
3. transfer to a bowl, decorate and serve as desired

Tipp: 

• You can also use a blender or food processor if desired. You can also adjust the ratio of the liquid in that case.
• If you rinse your beans well, you won't taste them. If you are still able to taste them, add more chocolate or peanut butter.