ONE VEGAN LOVE

-- a gluten free & vegan lifestyle guide --

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It is a beautiful day in my new apartment in Portland, Oregon! Woo!

I live in Portland now and it is honestly amazing. My breakfast this morning consisted of local/organic: satellite peaches+apricots+plums. Some kiwi. On the side I had a big bowl of frozen banana + flax goodness...literally tastes like ice cream!  

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I recently moved from Bavaria, and the craziness of packing up items and moving them overseas and having your life shipped back on a boat was quite overwhelming, therefore I stepped away from the blogging, the internet, had to take some time away from serious art-making, food preparing etc....

Back to some food blogging...Jake and I seriously took on Raw-foodism for a good two months in Germany, at least 80% of the time. We have been Vegan for almost a year (I vegetarian for a decade)...gluten free for a long time. But after having to travel quite a bit (Mexico-USA-back to Germany-Macedonia-Prague-Vienna in less than 6 months)..and having limited options...we returned to our  cooked VEGAN and GLUTEN FREE diet. We pair a lot of wonderful super salads with cooked quinoa or brown rice now as we are not in a permanent spot for now. After months of going completely vegan and Jake joining me/converting to a completely gluten free lifestyle, we have never been in better physical shape in our lives and I highly recommend for everyone to try removing dairy from their diet at the least. Who wants to consume pus, hormones, and a bodily fluid meant for a completely different nursing animal?

Anyways...

 On the way back to visit my family in the states we stopped over at my grandmother's in Skopje, Macedonia. We have been visiting her on and off for a few months in the recent years.

These are some of the photos of her showing me how to make some vegan Mushroom risotto with fresh spinach and veggies from the market. At 80, Baba Olga can still tell me every minute detail that goes into preparing traditional Macedonian dishes-and prepare the most delicious Vegan and gluten free meals! 

In Macedonia it is very easy to be vegan. There is a fresh produce stand on every corner...big outdoor markets with delicious vegetables and fruits, and eating nuts and legumes is an everyday staple activity. Culturally, Balkan people are known for eating grilled meats and the hard Feta like white cheese, but from my observations after living their for quite some time, they are eating giant fresh salads, with shredded beets, fresh olives, tons of cucumbers and tomatoes, with a nice shot glass of Rakija (grape brandy) at every lunch/dinner.  Unlike Western cultures, where people eat more on the go meals, sandwiches, chips etc...Macedonians like to have a nice sit down, main coarse dish in the middle of the day that could last a few hours. And this meal always starts of with several salads to share. The other dishes always include cooked vegetables or beans, maybe some rice. I found it super easy to sustain myself. Macedonia is one of the cheapest cities in Europe, so eating fruits and vegetables in abundance is not just a luxury like in a lot of Western developed nations (ahem 3 dollars for ONE ORGANIC CUCUMBER).

Here are some shots my husband took with his Go-Pro...we also found an awesome Espresso stand in the park one day...it was mounted on a mobile bike. The duo behind the operation was inspired by the food truck scene in the states.

If you ever visit Macedonia, just know that you will never need to fret whether eating a meal at a most likely very generous host's home, or going out at a traditional restaurant: there is always plenty of vegan, vegetarian, gluten free options. From a wonderful assortment of salads, to pickles carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, to baked bean dishes, stuffed peppers, tons of delicious eggplant and mushroom dishes, and the list goes on and on and on...

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Secret to RIPE bananas!

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Happy Valentine's Day. Start this morning with a delicious fresh juice!

Juicing is so quick, easy, hydrating, and gives so much life energy! Lots of love to you. 

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Raw Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo Zucchini Noodles

Jake and I made some raw zucchini pasta today. We decided to use a regular peeler on our organic zucchini and made wider “rice noodle” like zucchini slivers. The dish itself was so creamy, and simulated the kind of comfort of any Fettuccine Alfredo. We added dollops of my cashew cheese on top, with some lettuce and every bite was really delectable.

It really takes maybe 10 minutes of preparation, so I totally encourage you to do this one day if you are looking for a satisfying but fresh meal. 

Ingredients for your “noodles”:

4 zucchini

Chopped up cherry tomatoes (as many as you like)

For the Sauce:

1 avocado

Juice of 1 lemon

½ jalapeno

Handful cherry tomatoes

2 celery stalks

Handful of cilantro

Directions:

First use a peeler and peel thin slices of zucchini noodles to simulate a wide rice noodle. Place your shaved pieces in a large bowl and throw some chopped up cherry tomatoes on top. For the SAUCE we first juiced a handful of cherry tomatoes, 2 large celery stalks. We then placed the juice contents into our hand-held blender’s container, and placed 1 whole avocado, handful of cilantro, and half a jalapeno and hand blended the mixtures to make a creamy sauce. We also squeezed a whole lemon and mixed together.  The sauce is so creamy and fresh, and the celery gave it a natural saltiness so we did not add any salt.

Basically just pour the sauce all over your “noodles” and toss it like a salad. We enjoyed ours with cashew cheese on top and extra cilantro and celery bits. 

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Raw vegan guacamole nori wraps

Nori paper sheets are easy to work with, and you do not need one of those bamboo sushi rollers to make a perfect little Nori wrap.

My nori rolls are so fresh, crunchy, and oozing with delicious guacamole.

Ingredients:

-1 pack of Nori rolls (mine had 10 sheets inside)

-Washed Spinach/greens

-Sprouts

-Cherry tomatoes

-Avocado with lime (mashed to make the guacamole)

-Cucumers

-Shredded carrots and beets

-Cilantro

-Lemon

Directions:

Wash, cut, peel, shred your veggies. Put them in bowls around a cutting board on a nice working surface. The cutting board will act like a central rolling station. Take some lemon, and squeeze a few drops on the board. Yes you read right, squeeze some drops on the board and lay a piece of Nori paper on top of the board. Spread it flat, and squeeze some more lemon on top. This will get your paper to be moist and perfect for rolling, since in its original state it is quite crispy, crinkly, and harder to work with.

In whatever fashion you choose just start layering your toppings (if you are using guacamole or cashew cheese it’s a good idea to spread that down first).

Roll the wrap like a burrito, or just whatever way you choose. We cut our rolls into small pieces and ate it like bites of rainbow veggie sushi. Here is my other half about to chow down. We are transitioning to a fully raw food diet, so we are eating raw veggies/fruits in abundance.

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Fresh Bavarian Raw Veggie Salad

I just wanted to share the quick and super easy lunch I made. My husband and I are transitioning slowly as the warmer months approach, to a raw foods lifestyle from our vegan one, and so basically we are trying to eat as much raw fruits and vegetables possible. You won't believe the different energy you literally eat and absorb when eating raw fresh natural veggies and fruits. You are eating life energy, and it really radiates throughout your body. 

Of coarse on an extremely cold night here while we are living in Germany, we do enjoy some simple vegan soups and Quinoa for dinner. 

But I highly recommend everyone to up their RAW foods intake, you will feel immensely better, your skin will glow, you will feel energized and able to focus, and over all your are seriously happier, really no joke! You just feel great all the time...My husband and I are yet to get sick this winter...I really cannot remember the last time I had a bad cold or the flu. ANYWAYS....

This salad features some nice organic Bavarian veggies I had left in the fridge so I just threw it all together, if I had some fresh beets I would have added them: 

greens

wasabi sprouts

radishes

cucumbers

1/2 avocado

and hidden under there are some small celery pieces

sesame seeds/sunflower seeds 

and for dressing a lot of LEMON JUICE

I have opted for using lemon juices and avocado dressings rather than using olive oil like I used to do, and honestly I feel much better. I stopped eating roasted nuts as well, and it totally de-stressed my metabolism and balanced out my hormones...but I will get into this in another post.

I am easing up on the sea salt as well, didn't realize how much of those crunchy little salt rocks I liked to bite with my veggies. So I am trying to sprinkle it .... sparingly...on occasion....

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Techni-Color Vegan Rice Paper Rolls

Techni-Color Vegan Rice Paper Rolls

These vegan rice paper wraps are so pretty and delicious. They are a fun way  to eat crisp fresh veggies while being wrapped in a perfectly soft casing thanks to the rice paper rolls. I know a lot of people are intimidated to buy rice paper at the store but they are super easy to use.

My ingredients for several rolls are (you can make them anyway you want):

Rice Paper 

1 whole shredded medium sized beet

2 medium sized carrots

1 large tomato

1 large cucumber

1 avocado

some green onions

Basil leaves

Sprouts

 Directions:

First I would chop up or shred my veggies to my liking and put them in separate bowls. I like to use a flat surface to roll so I place a large plastic cutting board at the center of my kitchen table, and surround it with all the bowls of pre-chopped veggies. I also have one large bowl full of warm water for the rice paper. When I am ready I take a sheet of rice paper,  hold it gently at each end with both of my hands and dip/soak the entire paper in the warm water bowl for 10 -20 seconds. I lift it out of the water, hold it over the bowl for a second, and place it on the cutting board flatly, being careful not to snag the paper edges as they can get stuck easily.

Now I add my lettuce/greens as the base, some green onions cut thinly length wise, the chopped cucumber and tomato, my shredded beet/carrot mix, then my avocado slices (2-3 thin slices).Sprinkle basil leaves on the top of your delicious veggie pile. Make sure not to be over-zealous and put too much filling, because your roll will fall apart while you try to wrap it. I also like to add wasabi sprouts or whatever other crisp fresh sprout you can find at the store. The rolling part is tricky, but anyone can do it with some gentle fingers and patience.

I like to roll my wrap like a burrito, first fold in the two parallel sides of the wrap about a cm each side (if that makes sense). Then I roll like a burrito so my filling will not fall out of the sides.

Just do the best you can and if they do not come out looking like professionally rolled Japanese rice wraps…it doesn't matter! Because you can devour these guys in about 30 seconds each.

I like to dip my rolls in some chili sauce mixed with a bit of lemon juice. But honestly they are so fresh and delicious, you don't even have to dip them in anything! Plant energy mmm....

All ready in my lunchbox

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Mint Turmeric Breakfast Smoothie

I have started drinking various smoothies for breakfast and honestly once I drink them I feel really energized, like 10 cups of coffee zing…

 This beautiful light green smoothie is so tasty, the mint is subtle, the turmeric enhances the flavor, the frozen banana is smooth and creamy, and there is some hidden celery…surprisingly all the ingredients go really well together…

Ingredients:

2 small whole bananas (frozen banana slices)

1 celery stock

A bit of fresh turmeric (1/3 thumb size)

½ cup of unsweetened coconut milk (or however thick you would like your smoothie)

5-6 mint leaves (you can adjust to taste)

Directions:

I blended the celery + turmeric with the coconut milk first, then added the frozen banana slices so everything got blended properly.

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Cardamom amaranth breakfast porridge (with pear +banana)

Cardamom amaranth breakfast porridge (with pear +banana)

My husband and I have been looking for something warm to fill our bellies in the morning during the winter, and I recently started making amaranth porridge for breakfast. It is a rich protein source, it is anti-inflammatory,  a great source of iron and becomes so tasty mixed with coconut milk or almond milk, fruits, cinnamon etc.  I added cardamom seeds in my recipe to give it a fragrant and exotic base.

I soak amaranth over night and then drain in the morning before cooking to make it easier to digest.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 cup uncooked amaranth

5-6 cardamom seeds

1 pear

1 banana chopped

1 ½ cup water

½ cup of almond or coconut milk

Directions:

Place uncooked (and previously soaked) amaranth in a pot with your water and milk. Bring to a boil and lower the heat, and cook for 15 minutes. While the amaranth is going, crack open your cardamom pods and dump out the black seeds inside and grind them a bit with the back of a spoon and dump them in the amaranth. After the first 5-7 minutes, add in your banana slices and pear. I like to let the amaranth cook for a few minutes first and then add my fruit slices so they still have some body to them while being soft in the porridge. Once it has finished cooking let sit for 5-10 minutes. It will be an interesting texture but don’t let this scare you off, just try it and you will be so surprised by how delicious it is. If you don’t have cardamom pods, just add cinnamon and flax seeds and it is just as delicious.

Add more milk depending on how thick you would like it. and ENJOY!

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Basic Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

YOU ONLY NEED 3 INGREDIENTS!

So in the past I would go to the store and buy gluten free vegan ice cream from soy or rice milk, all sorts and in all kinds of flavors, chocolate chunk, cookie dough etc and sure they did their jobs in the sweetness department and mocked the ice cream texture we have loved since kids  but this home-made ice cream is honestly so delicious, much tastier, much cheaper, and takes no more than 5 minutes to make.

Not to mention the high content anti-oxidants in the raw cacao powder and all the nutrients in almond/coconut milk and bananas.

All you need is to blend the following 3 ingredients together in a food processor, blender, or hand-held blender:

almond or coconut milk (about 1/2 cup, keep adding more/less depending on how thick you want your ice cream to be)

raw cacao powder (1-2  tablespoons depending on your taste buds)

and frozen banana slices (1-2 whole bananas)! if you freeze them overnight you may need to just run them under hot water for 5 seconds so they can be blended

It's so healthy I made mine for breakfast, and added some flax seeds and almonds on top.

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Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Smoothie (Turmeric/Pear/Celery/Beet)

Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Smoothie (makes two servings)

This smoothie will blow your taste bud socks off, while being nutrient dense and a beautiful color pink! I came up with the ingredients on a rainy day this winter, when I was feeling down and just needed something to set off my spark. It features one of the healthiest foods in the world…turmeric (anti-inflammatory). Also the raw beet in this helps cleanse the body and adds a healthy dose of magnesium, fiber, vitamins A, B, and C, and iron (list goes on). I also think it is so much fun blending bright purple of the beet with the bright orange of fresh turmeric. There is also one more unique ingredient in this aside from the healthy celery and pear…coconut oil (click the links for some evidence based nutrition information)! I can feel those fatty acids already boosting my brain function for the day.

Before preparing, you will need to peel a banana or two, and cut into chunks and freeze overnight (or for a few hours). The frozen banana gives the smoothie an ice-cream like consistency, and makes it taste like one as well.

Ingredients:

 1 celery stalk (cut into pieces)

½  raw beet (grated)

1 ½ -2 cups unsweetened almond milk (depends on your desired thickness)

1-1/2 cup of frozen banana slices

1 tablespoon freshly grated turmeric

1 healthy tablespoon of coconut oil

Directions:

In a blender, toss in all of your ingredients and blend! It shouldn’t take more than five minutes to have the most beautiful color appear in a frosty like smoothie that you won’t believe is not a dessert. The color is reason enough to drink it, let alone the nutritional benefits and taste. 

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Gluten Free Vegetarian Guide to Nuremberg

Salad from  Chesmu Restaurant

I moved to Nuremberg, Germany in September of 2013 and before making the big haul over I honestly did not know what to expect. I knew to expect good things, but I was blown away at the amount of organic food markets and how big the recycling culture is in Germany. There are community gardens on neighborhood corners, parents carrying Bavarian produce on the back of their bicycles with their kids. I even saw a young girl (primary school) go into the store alone to turn in her used glass bottles. In the Old Town, aside from the beautiful churches and imperial castle, there is open air produce stalls everyday. I was used to the giant Whole Foods stores in America to get my groceries while living in big cities, or shelling out the extra bucks at a boutique like grocer selling the local produce and exotic flowers sort of deal.

Nuremberg has a lot of alternative possibilities. I live very close to the REWE chain of grocery stores here, which is kind of equivalent to Kroger in the States, but definitely nicer. You can find a gluten free section there, as well as many organic fruits and veggies labeled as “BIO”…and honestly I feel that it is more affordable than in America. I can actually get organic produce here without breaking the bank. They also carry soy and rice milks, and some obscurities like organic coconut milk or tasty gluten free rice cakes with dark chocolate.

There are a lot of Bio markets here that offer really fresh and delicious organic and locally sourced produce as well as all the essentials for a healthy kitchen such as Quinoa or Amaranth, nut-butters, all kinds dried fruits, gluten-free oat meals and flours, non-dairy milks etc and for those that eat eggs and dairy, they bring them from German farms and have raw milks and cheeses. They also tend to feature fresh meals daily such as Bavarian pickled beet and carrot salads and warm winter curries. These Bio markets in Nuremberg are:

Lotos GmbH

Lotos Naturkostladen (right in the touristy Old Town along the river)

Unschlittplatz 1

90403 Nürnberg, Germany 

Lotos Naturkostladen

Hessestr. 4 (souther part of Gostenhof)

90443 Nürnberg, Germany 

Ebi Naturkost (Gostenhof)

Gostenhofer Haupsrasse 44

90443 Nürnberg, Germany

Basic Organic Market (Old Town)

Färberstraße 11

 Nürnberg, Germany

Voll Kern 36 (Gostenhof)

BioLaden & Bistro 

Kernstrasse 36 Nürnberg, Germany

My husband eats gluten free and vegan 99% of the time, but had to try the vegetarian focaccia baked here with sunflower seeds, tomatoes, feta, spinach, since we are moving slowly into mostly raw foods : )

          The restaurants that I highly recommend that are suitable for Celiac sufferers or people looking for vegetarian or vegan friendly places are:

My Thai: Johannisstrasse 30a,   Nürnberg, Germany

I absolutely love this Thai joint. I told the owner I am gluten sensitive and she assured me her entire menu is gluten free and it even states so on their menu: “Selbstverständlich kochen wir glutenfrei” (of coarse we cook everything gluten free). This restaurant is only a 5-10 minute walk from the imperial castle and has really authentic natural tasting Thai food with tons of veggies instead of the usual MSG laden, gluten rich run of the mill Thai Restaurant you find anywhere in the world now a days. I eat here very often and am yet to have felt sick from possible gluten contamination or anything like that. Here is a simple glass noodle dish:

 Misch Bar: Hauptmarkt 2  Nürnberg, Germany

One of my favorite places to grab a quick bite is Misch Bar.

They make giant salads with fresh figs and lots of greens, and have really good fresh squeezed juices. This can serve well for a grab and go during your lunch hour or walking through the Hauptmarkt in the Old Town. You can make your salads Vegan, but if you are just Vegetarian they have tasty Veggie curry with rice, and tons of wraps to choose from.

Chesmu: Johannisstraße 40, 90419 Nuremberg, Germany

This vegetarian place is unique because of its atmosphere. In the warmer months you can sit outside on their sunny patio and enjoy an authentic Bavarian glass of wine or one of their organic juices. Their main salad is amazing and has pickled veggies and Bavarian greens and mushrooms. In the winter people huddle over large wooden tables with small candles or hand-made craft flowers.My husband always orders a sampler plate that features really tasty Indian inspired rice, chutney, lentils, coconut-curry veggies etc. 

  There is even a Gluten Free bakery in Nuremberg called Soul Food which I have visited a few times. They have good American style filtered coffee, and a good selection of gluten free flours and chocolates to sell. Their pastries are a bit pricey though, but worth a visit for sure. 

Soul Food: 

Johannisstraße 47a

90419 Nürnberg, Germany

For Vegans a great option is also:

Loving Hut:

Luitpoldstr. 13 

90402 Nürnberg, Germany

Finally: here is an amazing vegan and vegetarian compiled LIST of restaurants in Nuremberg from the VEBU Regional Group: Veg List

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First Post: Recipe for 5 minute Hummus!

First recipe post: Delicious and easy Parsley Hummus

So delicious and so easy to make, yet in the states people are more used to picking up a ready made hummus for a few bucks from their grocery store and digging into it as soon as they get home, unknowingly consuming a lot of sodium and at times GLUTEN ah! 

To really make it from scratch, buy uncooked bagged chickpeas from the grocer. Soak them overnight in a deep pot (or for at least 6-8 hours). After they have been soaked, dump the water from the pot, and submerge the chickpeas in fresh water about an inch above the chickpeas. Boil them for about 45-60 minutes.  You can also use a 15 oz can of chickpeas if you do not have time for the soaking. OK now we are ready for the hummus making part! ( I like to buy most of my things organic/local as much as I can!)

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chickpeas (15 oz can of chickpeas from the store)

1 clove garlic (minced)

1/3 cup tahini

½ teaspoon ground cumin

juice of one lemon

handful of parsley (or as much as you like)

¼ cup of water as you blend

Directions:

In a food processor combine your chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin and parsley. Blend for around 5 minutes. I like to add a bit of water as I go to help break down the chickpeas.

There really isn't a set time for how long you should be blending, it depends on how you like it. Once finished scoop out the ingredients in a serving bowl and garnish with a bit of paprika for a nice pop of color, or top off your creamy hummus with some nice green parsley leaves.

Personally I like to use my hand held blender for making hummus, and I do not recommend using your typical blender for this. Food processor or hand held blender is the way to go.

Thanks!