2/03/2018

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4) Cover for "Delusion" - unpublished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 9th 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!

1/28/2018

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. 

12/16/2017

Holiday Spiced Granola (vegan, gluten free, oil free, refined sugar free, soy free)

Holiday Spiced Granola



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

Let's be honest, we all love Granola. But store bought Granola can have a lot of added oils and sugars. I, personally, always feel like store bought Granola is either too sweet or a little oily. But, obviously, that depends on the brand.

Still, homemade Granola is the best, and what is even better during Christmas and wintertime, is Holiday Spiced Granola!

Holiday Spiced Granola

Serves: 1 packed baking tray
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes



Ingredients


  • 200g rolles oats (not quick oats!)
  • 100g quinoa flakes
  • 50g nuts of choice (I used a blend of almonds, cashews and hazelnuts)
  • 30g cacao nibs or vegan chocolate chips
  • 20g pumpkin seeds
  • 100g pure maple syrup (or agave/rice syrup/...)
  • 30g nut butter of choice (I used organic peanut butter - make sure they don't contain any added sugar)
  • 30g dried raisins (or dried cranberries)
  • 40g dried apricots (or dried prunes)
  • 15g raw cacao powder (make sure you use cacao, not cocoa - so there's no added sugar inside)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of ginger powder
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg


Instructions

  • preheat the oven to 180°C
  • roughly chop the nuts and dried fruits
  • mix together all ingredients and make sure that everything is coated well with the maple syrup 
  • put in the oven for around 35 minutes or until golden brown, flip around after around 15 minutes to make sure it's baked evenly
  • let cool before storing or serve right away

12/13/2017

Vanillekipferl (vegan, gluten free, opt. refined sugar free, soy free)

Vanillekipferl


(gluten free, vegan, soy free, optional: refined sugar free)

I love Vanillekipferl. Their sweet, nutty vanilla flavor gives me the perfect Christmas vibes. Unfortunately, they usually contain wheat and eggs.

So I decided to try making my own, gluten free and vegan ones. I tried the recipe last year for the first time and they turned out pretty good! Some broke, but that's the problem with every Vanillekipferl recipe out there, if you roll them too thinly or work the dough when it's too warm.

This year I changed the recipe a little bit and they didn't break! They're super easy to make and taste just as the original.

Vanillekipferl

Serves: 1 1/2 baking trays
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Rest time: 2 hours
Total time: around 3 hours


Ingredients


  • 100g gluten free flour blend (I used the one by Schär) or Buckwheat flour
  • 50g white rice flour
  • 45g coconut sugar (you can use any solid sugar you like)
  • 100g vegan margarine (You may be able to sub for coconut oil or almond butter but I can't promise a safe product with this)
  • 55g ground almonds or ground hazelnuts (I used hazelnuts. Don't use nut flour!)
  • dash of vanilla extract (for a non-refined sugar free version: a package of vanilla sugar = 8g)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water
For decoration: powdered sugar (you can dip the ends in melted chocolate instead of covering it in sugar - but then it's not a Vanillekipferl anymore)


Instructions

  • make your flax egg, set aside
  • combine the rest of the ingredients, add the flax egg
  • make a dough, cover it (or wrap it in plastic foil) and let it rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours
  • preheat your oven to 180°C
  • pop the dough out of the fridge and divide it in 4 parts
  • roll each part to a sausage shape, divide it into more parts
  • form small 'Kipferl' out of the dough and set them on a lined baking sheet (be careful, the dough might break! That's normal. Just work it a little more and it will be fine)
  • Put them into the oven for around 15 minutes, depending on the size of your Kipferl
  • When the edges turn a little brown, they're ready
  • Let cool for around 10 minutes and cover them in powdered sugar
  • Let cool completely before putting them into a box (or eat right away)



12/11/2017

Linzeraugen (gluten free, vegan, soy free, nut free, opt. refined sugar free)

Linzeraugen

Okay so this one is for all my friends with a sweet, fruity tooth. I used to hate Linzeraugen when I was a kid. The jam inside of cookies was just not my thing. I loved Gingerbread, Chocolate dipped cookies, Vanillekipferl, Spekulatius cookies and pretty much every other cookie who hasn't seen jam or marmelade in its life. (Okay that is a lie, I didn't like those coffee cookies either!)

But things change and now I am actually in love. I haven't had proper Christmas cookies for about two years before I decided to make my own vegan and gluten free ones. Last year they were a success, so I made them again and here we are, success again!

Had I known it was that easy and not entirely impossible to make vegan and gluten free cookies without nuts, I would have made them earlier.

It's kind of a little bit of a shame, that so many gluten free products, especially here in middle Europe, have eggs and dairy to bind the product (instead of the gluten). I mean, it's good if you try to loose weight, as you simply won't find a cookie to eat, so you won't eat it, but as that's not the case for me, I am even more happ to be able to enjoy my own perfect Christmas cookies!

I hope you like them as much as I do, and if you bake them, make sure to tag me on Instagram, so that I can see them!

(gluten free, vegan, nut free, soy free, optional: refined sugar free)


Linzeraugen

Serves: 1 1/2 baking trays
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Rest time: 2 hours
Total time: around 3 hours


Ingredients



  • 150g gluten free flour blend (I used the one by Schär) or Buckwheat flour
  • 50g white rice flour (add more if your dough is too runny. The original recipe called for a sum of 250g flour. I found 200g worked well.)
  • 100g coconut sugar (you can use any solid sugar you like)
  • 125g vegan margarine (You may be able to sub for coconut oil but I can't promise a safe product with this)
  • juice of 1/4 lemon
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water
  • jam of choice (I used wild berry jam. Apricot jam is amazing as well.)
For decoration: powdered sugar (you can dip the ends in melted chocolate instead of covering it in sugar - but then it's not a Vanillekipferl anymore)


Instructions

  • make your flax egg, set aside
  • combine the rest of the ingredients, add the flax egg
  • make a dough, cover it (or wrap it in plastic foil) and let it rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours
  • preheat your oven to 180°C
  • pop the dough out of the fridge and divide it in 2 parts - pop one back into the fridge
  • roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter for 'Linzeraugen' (it has the option to remove a part so that it can cut out both a normal cookie, as well as a cookie with one or more holes)
  • cut out your cookies and put them into the oven for around 15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.
  • When the edges turn a little brown, they're ready
  • do the same thing with the other half of the dough, except this time, use the other setting of your cookie cutter
  • Let cool and cover the upper part (so the one with the holes) in powdered sugar
  • put some jam of choice on top of the lower part (not too much, otherwise it will overflow at the edges)
  • Pop your upper part on top and let them cool before serving

Tip: If you don't have a cutter like that, you can easily use a straw or smaller cookie cutter to make the holes into your cookies!

 

11/16/2017

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (gluten free, vegan, soy free, oil free, nut free, refined sugar free)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

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

Who hasn't ever cut open a pumpkin, scraped out the seeds and put them into the trash? I guess we all didn't like the feeling when throwing them away.

So what if I tell you, that you don't have to do that ever again?

These roasted pumpkin seeds are super easy to make, don't have to be peeled and can be made in every flavor you're dreaming of.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Serves: depending on your serving size and pumpkin
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes


Ingredients

  • seeds of 1 pumpkin
  • water for washing
  • (paper) towels
  • an oven


Instructions

  • wash your seeds until there is no rest of pumpkin on anymore
  • dry on some (paper) towels and remove the last bits of pumpkin (they don't have to be 100% dry)
  • place on to a lined baking tray, season as preferred and place in the oven for 10 minutes
  • open the oven, let the steam out, turn the seeds around as good as possible and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the part of the skin on the outer side (it's really thin) comes off easily
  • let cool and store them in a dry place or enjoy hot

11/14/2017

Chocolate Sweet Potato Boats (gluten free, vegan, oil free, refined sugar free, soy free)

Chocolate Sweet Potato Boats

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

Okay, who has never had the craving after a hot, comforting, filling, creamy chocolate cake? And who was either too lazy or found it too much of a guilt to treat this craving? And who kept thinking it's too complicated to make a single serving?

Well, this recipe is perfect for everyone who said yes, and for everyone who didn't!

All you need is a sweet potato in the size of your choice and your favorite toppings. And as this is a recipe for chocolate sweet potato boats, I'm gonna show you how to treat yourself with a chocolaty sweet breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert.

And as so many of you asked on my Instagram, I'm going to share the recipe for my dark chocolate cream again right here.

Make sure to tag me on Instagram, if you make any of my recipes. I hope you'll give this one a try, as it's for sure the best sweet treat for a cold autumn day I've made so far.

Sweet Potato Boats

Serves: 1
Cooking time: 35 to 50 minutes (depending on the size of your potato)


Ingredients

  • 1 sweet potato of your choice (I used a purple sweet potato which had a weight of around 700g)

Instructions


  1. with a fork, poke some holes into your potato
  2. place on a baking tray 
  3. bake in the oven at 200°C until a fork slides through easily (mine took 50 minutes)
  4. slice lengthwise
  5. put your favorite toppings on top


Dark Chocolate Cream

Serves: 1
Total time: 5 minutes


Ingredients

  • 100g unsweetened plant based yogurt (I used Ja!Natürlich almond yogurt)
  • 5g cacao powder

Instructions


  1. mix the cacao powder under the yogurt
  2. optional: add sweetener of choice
Note: The cacao powder will give your yogurt a thick, pudding like texture. If you want your cream to be more like a sauce, you may want to add some plant milk to this.