vegandiet

Miso Veggie Soup for the whimsical soul

- Esther Kondo 1 Comment

So here is another super easy and delicious soup recipe, my boyfriend and i have been really into the warm fuzzy feeling that a warm soothing soup leaves you with. We even eat soup for breakfast which is an alternative to a veggie juice in the cold dark winter mornings, when you need that extra punch of  warmth to keep you going through all those lectures that are to come or that huge wonderful day that is ahead that needs you all energized up, this soup will truly does the trick.

So here it goes.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp of red paste miso

1 medium sized chopped parsley root (Parsnip)

5 Carrots cut onto chunks

150g of firm tofu cubed

1 crushed small garlic piece

1/2 chopped leek

1 tsp coconut oil

1 medium sized ginger knob crushed

1 tsp of yoko’s tofu Gewürz ***

700 ml water

1/2 vegetable stock cube

Fresh Flat Parsley leaves  to sprinkle on top

a handful of chopped up kale add as much as you like

some squeezes of lemon

 

*** if you do not have this spice mix then use some lemon grass (freshly cut up),  dash of Curcuma, dash of ground coriander, pinch of sweet paprika powder,  a dash of ground fennel seeds and some rubbed dried thyme and rosemary

 

Method:

Heat a stove top to medium heat and place the coconut oil in a approx one liter sized soup pot.

Once the oil is hot place the tofu and and leek, ginger and garlic and spice mix and stir constantly do not let the tofu stick and burn! when the tofu becomes a bit crisp add in the spice mix and all the other veggies mix everything together and then stir in the miso.

Stir everything well together and then add the water and vegetable stock cube and turn the heat to low.

Simmer for 15 minutes add in the kale now and Voila its done.

Place in to your favorite bowl, sprinkle some flat leafed parsley and squeeze in a generous amount of lemon. Now sluuurp slurrp!

P.S simmer longer if you want your veggies to be cooked more, this choice is entirely up-to you and your liking. Remember its you who eats it in the end so make it to your liking add in other veggies maybe some broccoli or cabbage this is really up-to you get creative and make this as yummy as you like it. This is again just something i did it tasted great and i thought hey let me share this so that others can make their soup creations and feel warm and fuzzy too.

 

 

Simply Good: Cauliflower-rice fry

- Esther Kondo Leave a comment

This is part of a series of recipes that are easy and very simple to make. They are also inexpensive, full of nutrients and delicious.

I constantly hear from people that they do not have time to make a meal for themselves and that a quick fix is all that they want ( by quick fix they mean a sandwich with some processed topping or a bar of chocolate) . I think that this is a false approach, i think that we should make the time to prepare meals for ourselves of course we do not need to spend hours and hours in the kitchen ( unless you like that) however i do think that we should cook for ourselves its an act of self love and in order for you to do all the things that are eating your time you need to fuel yourself properly first.

This recipe is easy and full of nutrients as it is made up veggies and some more veggies.

Ingredients:

Vegetables

1 1/2 cup of cauliflower florets ( ‘Rice’)

1 celery stalk

1/2 cup of leek

2 Carrots chopped

crushed garlic (optional)

some chopped parsley

half  a red paprika

squeeze of lemon juice

Spices

**1/2 tsp of red ras al hanout spice ( or any other spice that you like you can get creative here)

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

pinch of cayenne pepper

Oil

1/2 tsp Coconut oil

Other things

1tbsp of tomato puree

1 tsp of Miso red paste

1 cup of water

Tahini ( optional)

Method:

Start by chopping up the cauliflower into very small pieces. If you have a food processor than place the florets in there and chop them to a rice consistency.

Place a pan on a medium high stove top and add in the oil.

Place the leek, celery and garlic into the pan and Saute for 1 minute.

Add in the cauliflower followed by the carrots and the spices and cook for 3 minutes constantly tossing everything together to avoid the veggies from getting burnt.

Place in the Miso  and tomato puree, mix eveything well. Add the water and reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

cook to a consistency that you prefer i do not like overcooked veggies so 5 minutes is enough for me.

serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, parsley, a dub of tahini and some freshly raw chopped up paprika.

 

Autumn feelings: Oat ginger cookies.

- Esther Kondo Leave a comment

So it has been a while… i know i haven’t been as consistent as i’d wish to be. I guess that is life but this blog has always been on my mind and i have so many ideas that i would love to share with all of you. Ideas that i have been wanting to share for such a long time, i have to write all these ideas down and bring them together somehow, so that i do not forget  and actually get to share them with you all.

I am happy though that i am no longer very hard on myself, i used to really be mean to myself if everything that i set out to do didn’t turn out the way i had planned. I am a huge writer of lists and plans, I write a plan almost every night! Thing is that i hope to achieve most of the things and someday i will but wouldn’t life be a bore if every single day goes as planned its nice to have a guideline an outline but i think randomness and surprises are what makes life. Not everything needs to be fixed.

 

I think that if you try to predict everything, it can lead to a lot of disappointment and instead of understanding the new thing or unexpected event,person or action you start to beat yourself up because things didn’t go as planned and you miss an opportunity in actually learning or accepting this change.

A little spontaneity can create wonderful experiences, thoughts, things and feelings. I am all about good feelings! This is exactly how i stumbled on this recipe. A friend of mine told me how she tried to make oat cookies the other day and that the recipe didn’t quiet turn out the way she had hoped so she asked me if i had a good recipe. I said i would get back to her. The whole week i was planning on trying a good recipe, sadly several things got in the way till yesterday when i was talking to one of my housemates, I told her that i had been meaning to make oat cookies she said ‘me too’ and had a recipe on her phone that she had browsed earlier that day. It was a ginger cookie recipe from my green kitchen stories we looked at each other and said lets do it (even though i hadn’t planned on baking at all)  and i got out the ingredients as we had almost everything and within 40 minutes we were munching on these delicious gluten free, refined sugar free and vegan cookies. All the other housemates loved them too!

My green kitchen stories is an amazing vegetarian blog run by the perfect couple. I love their recipes as they can all be veganised. When i got into the vegan lifestyle i used most of their recipes, which are super easy and i have never been disappointed. Till this day whenever i am planning a dinner or something i turn to their blog for inspiration. I can only recommend their website.

Now here is the recipe adapted from my green kitchen stories we added a bit of a twist and used fresh ginger and instead of maple syrup we used rice syrup. The original recipe can be found here http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/thin-oat-ginger-crisps/ check their site out really do!

Ingredients:
4 tbsp of room temp. coconut oil

3 tbsp of rice syrup

2 tbsp of buckwheat flour

2 tbsp of any plantbased milk that you prefer or have

70g rolled oats

1 tbsp of freshly grated ginger

pinch of clove

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. One tablespoon should equal one cookie, this recipe should make twelve thin small round cookies however if you like bigger  cookies you can make 6 big cookies. Press the cookies flat using the backside of a spoon or use your palms (wet them before though to avoid sticking).

Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, bake longer if your oven is weak they should be golden brown.

Take the cookies off the tray and let them cool. Let them cool as this well let them form and set, the wait is worth it!

Now enjoy, these cookies are great for dunking in tea or cold almond milk nomnomnom!

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Pancake Saturday with plum and pear sauce ( Autumn Edition)

- Esther Kondo Leave a comment

 

So after a long week of doing all kinds of things that have been filling the first five days of the week. It feels nice to have a Saturday morning that is relaxing. On Saturdays i like to treat myself to a nice breakfast. Under the week i usually just eat porridge or a quick smoothie and rush out of the house. However Saturday is a whole other story for me, its much more relaxed and slow.

However sometimes i must admit that i feel awfully guilty, because in that time i could have done something for university or done some more exploring of my new environment. It feels like ever since i started university i have this constant feeling that i could be doing something for university because there is always something to do for university…

But I am learning to also appreciate the time that i spend for me.

So here is a simple vegan refined sugar free pancake recipe to treat yourself with on Saturday or on any day actually always take care of yourself!

 

Ingredients:

makes 4 fluffy pancakes

1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds

1 tablespoon of chiaseeds

6 tablespoons of water

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat spelt flour

1 1/2 cups of water

2 teaspoons of baking powder

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of rice syrup or raw cane molasses ( add more if you like it sweeter)

1 tablespoon of cinnamon ( add more or less depending on how cinamony you like it)

coconut oil

Method:

Mix the flax seeds and chiaseeds in a mixing bowl with the 6 tbsp of water. Set aside and let it gel up for 5 minutes. Add in the syrup, salt, baking powder and cinnamon and mix. Now add in the flour and water and mix well make sure there are no lumps because nobody likes lumpy pancakes!

The batter should be smooth but not too runny and not to dry it should drip off a wooden spoon but not run. I don’t know if i am making sense here.. but if you find it too runny add more flour and if it is not dripping or running at all add more water.

heat a pan on medium high heat and add as much coconut oil as you prefer if you have a non stick pan you don’t need any oil if that is what you prefer. I used 1 teaspoon of coconut for this whole recipe. Take a soup serving spoon and pure on pan( 1 spoonful equals one pancake) flip over once bubbles form on surface. Once both sides are golden brown then its done, now go on and make the rest of the batter 🙂

Since it is Autumn here, organic and locally grown plums and pears are available in abundance so that is exactly what i used for my toppings.

Extra topping recipe:

Pear sauce

ingredients:

2 small very ripe pears

handful of raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tablespoons of water

Method

chop up the pears add cinnamon and put in a pot pour in the water bring to boil and then turn heat very low simmer for 10 mins. Serve warm on top of pancakes.

Plum Sauce:

5 overripe plums

2 Tablespoons of water

vanilla bean (optional)

Method:

remove the seed from each plum and chop up roughly place in pot add water and vanilla simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. It should be mashed up well if this is not the case let it simmer a bit longer. Serve and enjoy!IMG_2838

Blacker the berry sweeter the muffin.

- Esther Kondo Leave a comment


This recipe was a roaring success with my brother, who is might i add a very picky person. He is not as supportive of my vegan lifestyle but then again there are not many people around me who are. It gets tough, but instead of arguing or trying to convince my  friends and family i just keep on cooking and preparing delicious meals and i almost always hear hmmmm it tastes real good, i didn’t know vegan could taste good. It tastes good because it is cruelty free and prepared with love and life in mind.

 

this recipe is based on the recipe by cakeinvasion

 for 12 delicious muffins

Ingredients:

230 gram whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon Vanilla ( not essence but actual vanilla)

zest from half a lemon

zest from half an orange

pinch of salt

6 Tablespoons of brown rice syrup( or agave or whatever you have but the sweeter the syrup the less you will need to use)

5 Tablespoons of coconut oil ( or whatever oil you use)

150ml freshly squeezed orange juice

1 Tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

130g Blueberries ( i used frozen ones, but fresh works well too. If you like a lot of blueberries in muffins use 150g)

2 Tablespoons of whole wheat flour.

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 175 degree Celsius.

In a mixing can add in- if you have a lot of time sift in- the 230 grams of flour with the baking powder in a mixing bowl.

Add in the vanilla, salt and zests. Mix in all the ingredients with a wooden spoon.

Now add the oil, brown rice syrup, orange juice and lemon juice. Mix all everything well, stop mixing when the mixture is smooth and lump free.

In a separate bowl gently mix the blueberries with 2 tablespoons of flour and make sure the blueberries are covered with flour. This is done so that the blueberries don’t get all squashed up.

Place the blueberries into the mixture and fold them in gently.

Line  muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Portion out one and a half a heaped tablespoon of the muffin mix in each liner.

Place in oven and bake for 20 to 25 mins.

Set aside to cool, it is essential to let them cool as this allows the to firm up!

Enjoy these with tasty date paste or with a jam or spread of your choice as these wont be that sweet,- depending on what sweetener you use- I used brown rice syrup and they were perfectly fine for me but for those who like it sweeter there is an array of spreads to use! or devour these sprinkled on top of nicecream or with a cool smoothie the possibilities are endless really!

 

Tip: you can lick out the raw mix as it is vegan! Oh yea 😀

 

 

 

 

 

 

Misir Wot aka Ethiopian lentils

- Esther Kondo Leave a comment

Lentils are an essential in many cultures as they are versatile and packed with protein. Misir in Amharic stands for lentils and wot means stew or curry. I was introduced to Ethiopian food by my boyfriend, we went out for Ethiopian food here in Berlin and I fell in love with the flavors, spices and food traditions like eating from a huge platter together. Ethiopian food is usually served on a huge platter (traditionally on a straw platter) an injera is laid out -the traditional Ethiopian sourdough bread made out of teff (originally gluten-free but many restaurants nowadays mix it with wheat…)- and different wot’s are placed on top of the Injera.

 

Since i am all about experimenting and cooking things myself, i had to make my own wot. Its healthier to cook things yourself as you know exactly what goes into what you are making. Restaurants in my opinion are going overboard with some ingredients such as oil, i am not saying that eating out is bad- i mean i live in Berlin a culinary metropolis-  but maybe you should let those meals out inspire you to whip up the food yourself just to your liking and with less salt and oil and all that not so good stuff.

IMG_1470
Vegan Take away from Betje Ethiopia in Berlin. Vegans when odering Ethiopian food dont forget to say no butter and no ghee !

This recipe does though call for original Ethiopian good stuff, that is the whimsical red hot spice mix Berbere. The Spice mix is a blend of fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, chili peppers and korarima ( which is a plant that grows wild in Ethiopia and is known as Ethiopian Cardamon). This mix can be found in all Ethiopian and spice stores, sometimes even sold in Italian grocery stores in the spice section. In Berlin it is easy to get your hands on it, even the organic brand  Sonnentor has a Berbere mix thus you can get it in the spice section from organic stores here as well, and if all else fails just order it online. Its essential for this recipe and its what gives the lentils its red hot color and rich spicy taste.

Ingredients:

1 red onion diced ( white onion works too)

2 cups of dried red lentils (washed)

1 Tbs of tomato paste

2 tbs of berbere spice ( more if you like it spicy)

1 tsp tumeric powder (also known as curcuma)

a pinch of cumin powder

1 crushed garlic clove

1 medium sized knob crushed ginger

4 cups of water

2/3  can of crushed tomatoes

Salt to taste

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Method:

-Put a tablespoon of olive oil in cooking pot and place it on a medium high heat stove top.

-Once the oil is hot but not smoking hot place the onions in and let them saute, when the onions are glassy add the garlic and ginger turn the heat a bit lower you don’t want the garlic and ginger to burn.

-Add in the berbere, turmeric and cumin and mix it well.

-Place in the lentils and stir everything together.

-Toss in the tomato paste and stir in well together.

-Add the crushed tomatoes followed by 3 1/2 cups of water.

-Lower the heat and let it simmer, stir occasionally and add in the rest of the water, when there is a visible reduction of water. Let it simmer for 30 mins, stir in salt to your taste and then serve.

– Serve with rice, bread and all the other carbs you can think of. However if you can get your hands on injera, then ignore everything else and devour it with injera!

Tip: This can also be enjoyed cold and stores up-to 3 days in the fridge so its also a great recipe for meal preps. Perfect recipe for creating a tasty nourishing wholesome happy bowl.

Pulp is not fiction, here have some pulp ball sauce with pasta.

- Esther Kondo Leave a comment

Lets talk about the wonders of pulp, this is no fiction its just pure good realness. If you are a nut milk maker, you know that there is always some residue left in the nut milk bag. Unlike negative thoughts, do not let go of this residue and throw it in the trash. Instead use it to make cereal, crackers or my favorite “pueat balls” These are awesome when eaten mixed in a red sauce or when topped with pesto or anything saucy. I haven’t tried this recipe with other nut pulps,  as i usually only make almond milk, but feel free to try it and tell me how it turned out.

What you will need:

2 tbsp of flax seeds

4 tbsp of water

1 1/4 cup of almond milk pulp

4 chopped up dried tomatoes

4 chopped up olives

4 chopped up Champignons

salt to taste

1 tsp dried Italian spices mix

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion

Method:

Preheat oven at 175 degree Celsius.

While the oven is heating up make your flax egg. Place the flax seeds in a small bowl and add water. Set aside.

Take a pan and saute the chopped up onion with 1 tbsp of onion. Set aside to cool.

In a big bowl add in the pulp, chopped up dried tomatoes, chopped up olives and champignons. Mix well add in salt and rub in the dried herbs. Pour in the sauteed onions and add in the remaining oil. Mix well and fold in the gel like ‘flax egg’. Mix well but don’t over do it, it should have a wet but not too wet and not too dry consistency which is still moldable.

Take some of the mixture and roll into a golf ball size ball. Place this on baking paper or on a baking dish. Do this with the rest of the mixture.

Put the balls in the oven and let them bake for 30 mins, or until they are firm and dry. If your oven is very very strong tune down the heat to 125 degree Celsius.

and Voila they are done if you are adding these to a red pasta sauce then pour the sauce on top of the balls and serve.

till then have a good one.

 

Untraditional Versions of Hummus

- Esther Kondo 1 Comment

Berlin is a fast growing and evolving city, and you could say I am a somewhat proud Berliner. Its been a bumpy road reconnecting with the city but I am in tune with the flow now. I have found my place here, and I am loving it. Berlin has taught me a lot, and has introduced me to so many new sounds, people and tastes. Especially tastes such as Hummus. Hummus, you good friend of mine. I dollop hummus on so many things now it’s insane. I always have a jar in the fridge for all occasions be it mixed in my veggie bowls, on my rice, in my quinoa, spread on my bread(sprinkled with pomegranate seeds nomnom) or dunking my veggies in it, I simply love it! Hummus is a good and cheap source of protein for vegans and a tablespoon goes a long way. Since it is protein rich it can curb cravings as you get satisfied and get full faster and longer. It is also very easy to prepare at home and can be made in so many different flavors. Below I share two of my favorite recipes.

IMG_1119   Idea: Hummus tastes great spread in a baked sweet potato with salad. It makes a simple but real yummy, nutritious and healthy dinner. Simply Good!

Tip: I also always buy 1kg of dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans from the various Turkish stores that exist in Berlin. This is not only better than buying a can as cans are such a waste, canned beans are also highly processed. Futhermore it is cheaper to buy beans of any kind in its dry form, as it lasts longer and is better for you and you can cook huge batches and freeze them for letter use. To prepare the beans soak them overnight.Drain the beans place in a pot fill with water so that all the beans are covered and bring water to boil, reduce the heat  and cook on low heat. Place a piece of onion in and do not salt the water yet as this slows the beans from becoming cooked through. Cook for an hour on low medium heat and spoon out the foam that may form. During the cooking process study, read do something anything don’t waste time 😀 and blame it on cooking! Once your beans are ready prepare them how you wish or freeze them for later use.  

1. Habibis Hummus

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas

3 Tbsp. of Tahini

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Juice of 1 lemon

2 pinches of Garam masala (or more if you like the taste)

½ cup of water

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process till smooth. *if you don’t like garam masala or don’t have any use ground cumin

2.Baba Gahummous

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas

3 Tbsp. of Tahini

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup of water

2 pinches of Garam masala (or more if you like the taste)

½ tsp of paprika powder

½ red bell pepper ½

eggplant 3 medium sized mushrooms (like locally grown brown champignons)

Method:

Rub some olive oil on the bell pepper and eggplant and chopped up mushrooms. Place everything in a preheated 175 degree Celsius oven and let it bake for about 10 minutes. Just make sure that the bell pepper and eggplant are well browned (not burnt). Add all the other ingredients in a food processor place the roasted mushrooms, eggplant and bell paper into the mix and process till creamy.