Veggie-Ricebowl

I found out that apparently when you throw some rice and veggies together, it is called "Jambalaya"...This is an awesome idea for when you have leftover veggies at home and don't know what to do with them.

Chinese Peanut Noodles

These noodles were on my menu pretty much once a week when I first went vegan because they are easy to make and pretty tasty. :) You can eat them with a fresh, green salad on the side, or add cooked/ roasted veggies. For instance, roasted green asparagus is delicious with it!

Simple Burritos

In my first few weeks as a vegan, these burritos constituted a major part of my diet. I mean, they are about as quick & easy as it gets when it comes to preparing a meal, and they are filled with beans and fresh veggies, which make them pretty delicious!

Carbonara Zoodles

This recipe is a vegan knock-off of the Italian carbonara pasta, which is classically made with bacon and eggs. It has a rich and creamy consistency, while still feeling like a light meal because the pasta is substituted with zucchini. The smoked tofu tastes similar to bacon, so I was even able to impress an avid meat eater with this :)

Spicy Asian Noodle Salad

This is another recipe by Attila Hildmann. It's a spicy asian noodle salad with (almost all) raw veggies, which tastes amazing :) And it is actually easier than you would expect from the list of ingredients!

Spicy Szechuan Lettuce Wraps

The inspiration for these lettuce wraps came from an appetizer I had (before I was vegan) at Cactus Club in Vancouver, CA. It is a spicy chicken lettuce wrap and tastes mindblowingly amazing (no exaggeration). Since I wouldn't want to live without these for the rest of my life, I knew I had to try and reproduce a vegan version of those wraps!

Warm Aubergine Bulgur Salad

 

This was the second time I've tried this recipe and it has quickly become one of my favorites! It is a true flavor explosion because there are so many different components to it. I just love every part of it!

It is an adaption of a Jamie Oliver recipe, which I turned vegan by using soy yogurt instead of normal one. I admit it takes some time to make, but I would strongly suggest to keep every component of it because the mix is what does the trick.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants
• 200g bulgur
• 200g vegan yogurt (e.g. soy)
• 1 pomegranate
• 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp rose water
• 1/2 bundle mint
• olive oil

Spices:

• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut eggplants in half and cut the inside in a crisscross pattern. Sprinkle the halves with salt and set aside for a few minutes. 
2. Cook bulgur according to package directions. 
3. Rinse eggplant with cold water, dry it with a paper towel and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and pepper. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
4. When the bulgur is done, drain it. Then, in the pot, drizzle some olive oil over it. Sprinkle with some lemon peel and lemon juice. Grate garlic onto bulgur and season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
5. In a bowl, mix the yogurt with rose water, salt and pepper.
6. In a small pan on medium heat, roast fennel and cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes. Then ground the seeds in a mortar. Roast the sunflower seeds and sesame seeds as well for about 2-3 minutes in the pan and mix with the other spices.
7. Cut the pomegranate in quarters, put the pieces in a bowl of water and break them apart in the water to free the seeds. (This makes it less messy, and you can skim the white parts from the surface, while the seeds stay on the bottom and can be drained at the end)
8. Take the eggplant out of the oven, sprinkle with lemon juice and some oil, let cool of a little  and cut into cubes.
9. Serve bulgur with eggplant, yogurt mix, spices, pomegranate and mint leaves. Enjoy!

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German recipe:

Zutaten:

• 2 Auberginen
• 200g Bulgur
• 200g Soja Joghurt
• 1 Granatapfel
• 1 Zitrone
• 1 Knoblauchzehe
• 1/2 TL Rosenwasser
• 1/2 Bund Minze
• Olivenöl

Gewürze:

• 1 TL Fenchelsamen
• 1 TL Kümmelsamen
• 2 EL Sonnenblumenkerne
• 2 EL Sesam
• Salz & Pfeffer

Zubereitung:

1. Ofen auf 200°C vorheizen. Auberginen halbieren und das Fleisch kreuzweise einschneiden. Die Hälften salzen und für ein paar Minuten beiseite stellen.  
2. Bulgur nach Packungsanweisung kochen. 
3. Auberginen mit kaltem Wasser abwaschen, mit einem Küchentuch abwischen und auf ein Backblech legen. Mit Olivenöl beträufeln und pfeffern. Im Ofen für 40 Minuten backen.
4. Wenn der Bulgur gekocht ist, diesen abtropfen lassen und zurück im Topf mit Olivenöl beträufeln. Zitronenschale darüber reiben und Zitronensaft zugeben. Den Knoblauch über den Bulgur reiben und mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Abdecken und beiseite stellen. 
5. In einer Schüssel das Joghurt mit Rosenwasser, Salz und Pfeffer mischen. 
6. In einer kleinen Pfanne bei mittlerer Hitze Fenchel- und Kreuzkümmelsamen etwa 2-3 Minuten anbraten. Danach die Samen im Mörser mahlen. Sonnenblumenkerne und Sesam ebenfalls 2-3 Minuten anbraten. Dann die 4 Gewürze zusammen mischen.
7. Den Granatapfel vierteln und die Teile in einer Schüssel mit Wasser auseinanderbrechen, um die Samen zu befreien. (Das verhindert eine Sauerei und die weißen Teile können leicht von der Oberfläche abgeschöpft werden, während die Samen am Boden der Schüssel bleiben und am Ende abgegossen werden können) 
8. Auberginen aus dem Ofen nehmen und mit Zitronensaft und Öl beträufeln. Etwas abkühlen lassen und in Würfel schneiden. 
9. Bulgur mit Aubergine, Joghurt Mix, Gewürzen, Granatapfel und Minzblättern servieren. Guten Appetit! 

"Happiness Salad" with Quinoa, Orange & Peanut Tofu

This salad really makes me happy! Hence, the name. There is so much goodness in it and it looks incredibly pretty on top of that! So if you're having a bad day, give it a try because this salad can definitely pick you up!

 

German recipe:

Vietnamese Summer Rolls "Pink Mint"

Here it is! My heavily anticipated first recipe. ;)

And I chose something special. Meaning, particularly hard to make (at least when making it for the first time). I decided to make summer rolls. And I went a little crazy.

Ingredients:

For the Spicy Peanut Dip:
90g peanut butter (1/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic (I used one that was pickled in chili oil)
1cm piece of ginger
1 mini dried chili (spicy)
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. lime juice
80ml water (add to taste)

For the rolls (about 6):
1 package vermicelli (glass noodles)
rice wrapping paper
1/3 cucumber
1 carrot
1 avocado
bamboo sprouts
parsley
purple cress (if you can find it- makes the rolls look cooler and adds spice)
(if you like, also kale)

For "Pink Mint" rolls, add:
some beetroot juice + a few slices of pickled beet
mint leaves
(if that is too crazy for you, just use the vegetables listed above, but I would recommend you to try something new!)



Instructions:

Spicy Peanut Dip:
1. Chop the garlic & ginger, if you like sauté it in sesame oil to bring out more flavor
2. Mix all ingredients in a blender, adding water at the end until you are happy with the texture

+ as a second sauce I use the Sweet Chili Sauce you can buy at the grocery store


Summer Rolls "Pink Mint":
1. Prepare the vermicelli (soak them in boiling water for a few minutes)
2. Cut the vegetables into sticks
3. Soak the first rice wrapping paper in hot water, then spread it out on a clean surface
4. Place a handful of vermicelli in the middle, then color them with the beetroot juice, so they turn pink. Add the other vegetables and herbs to form a pile
5. Now fold the rice paper to close the roll, and it is important to roll them tight! (But be careful not to rip the paper) I first folded the lower half upwards, then the sides inwards and lastly the upper part downwards (if that makes any sense). In the end it doesn't matter, as long as the rolls are tightly closed.
6. Cut the rolls in half for easier handling. Enjoy!

My conclusion: I am not a fan of food that is hard to eat. I just don't like having to focus more on how I eat something than what I am eating. And the rice paper still grosses me out just a little too much. So I probably won't be eating summer rolls again for a little while…But maybe you like them better? If you tried my recipe, what did you think?



German recipe:

Zutaten:

Für die Erdnusssoße:
90g Erdnussbutter
2 Knoblauchzehen (ich habe einen benutzt, der in Chiliöl eingelegt war)
1 cm Stück Ingwer
1 Mini Chilischote (scharf)
2 EL Ahornsirup
2 EL Limettensaft
80ml Wasser (nach Belieben)

Für die Sommerrollen (ca. 6):
1 Packung Glasnudeln
Reispapier
1/3 Gurke
1 Karotte
1 Avocado
Bambussprossen
Petersilie
lila Rettich Kresse

Für "Pink Mint" Rollen, hinzufügen:
etwas eingelegte rote Beete & Saft
Minze


Zubereitung:

Erdnussoße:
1. Knoblauch & Ingwer hacken, eventuell kurz in Sesamöl anbraten
2. Alle Zutaten in einem Mixer pürieren, das Wasser am Ende nach Belieben hinzugeben, bis die gewünschte Textur erreicht ist

+ als zweite Soße nehme ich süße Chilisoße aus dem Supermarkt

Sommerrollen "Pink Mint":
1. Die Glasnudeln vorbereiten (ein paar Minuten in kochendem Wasser einweichen)
2. Das Gemüse stifteln/ schneiden
3. Das erste Reispapier einige Sekunden in heißem Wasser einweichen und dann auf einer sauberen Fläche ausbreiten
4. Darauf in der Mitte eine Handvoll Glasnudeln platzieren und mit Saft der roten Beete färben. Vom Gemüse und den Kräutern etwas auf die Glasnudeln legen
5. Jetzt das Reispapier falten, um die Rolle zu schließen- dabei ist es wichtig, dass ihr sie so fest wie möglich rollt, ohne dabei das Papier zu zerreißen. Ich habe zuerst die untere Hälfte nach oben gefaltet, dann die Seiten nach innen und dann die obere Hälfte nach unten.
6. Die Rolle halbieren, damit sie leichter zu essen ist. Guten Appetit!