Pasta al Pomodoro & Vegan T*na.

The geniuses behind Green Kitchen Stories strikes again. I crossed this recipe the other week via Flora; and I was well intrigued when I read one can veganize tuna using… *drum roll*… SUNFLOWER SEEDS! 

And you know what, it tastes ridiculously much like the real deal! The trick is to soak the kernels for at least 6 hours, and once mixed up (with nori and capers and shallots to name a few featuring stars of the recipe) you get a tuna-like texture that tastes like the sea. Ish.

You can eat it straight as it is, or like in this case (where I’ve followed GKS-recipe slavishly) enjoy it in a pomodoro- (aka italian-for-tomato-) sauce.

I do feel like this phenomena is worthy of a catchy and cool abbreviation, like… veguna? (vegan-tuna) Suna? (sunflower-tuna) or just plain t*na (like tuna but without the environmental devastation included)

(… yes, I may have given this waaaay too much thought.)

Check out the original recipe here and leave the fish swimming freely in the sea :’) xx

Månadens Gröna: Blackberry Pizza Bianco | with Basil & a brilliant vegan cheese mix.

Back home, one would only ever find the odd blackberries growing next to the road but not nearly enough to create an entire dish. Thus I have never in my life cooked/desserted (I’m Swedish, making up verbs is sort of our thing!) with blackberries.

But there’s a first time for everything and therefore extra exciting that the theme for this month’s Månadens Gröna was just blackberries. Initially, as with most berries, my mind sprung to desserts. But after wandering about pinterest for recipe inspiration and finding some (somewhat) local berries from Loch Ness this is what went down; pizza bianco with blackberries, basil and a mozarella/parmesan dairy-free cheese mix.

BLACKBERRY PIZZA BIANCO 

→ pizza crust recipe of choice
→ 1 dl fresh blackberries
→ 1 tbsp olive oil
→ 3 dl cheese of choice, I used a vegan mozarella-parmesan mix from FollowYourHeart
→ 2 spring onions
→ fresh basil
→ salt + pepper, to taste
→ balsamic vinegar for sprinkle

1. Start by making your pizza crust. I made mine with baking soda and thus pre-cooked it for a bit before adding the toppings.
2. Mash the blackberries in a small bowl, then drain off most parts of the juice using a sieve. Brush the pizza crust with a thin layer of olive oil before adding the blackberry pulp.
3. Next sprinkle with cheese, spring onion and some whole blackberries. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown, on 225°C.
5. Top with fresh basil and balsamic glaze. Serve and enjoy!
And can we just talk about this dairy-free cheese mixture for a while — look at how nicely it has melted? B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l! Will definitely repurchase.

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If you fancy a look at my previous contributions to Månadens Gröna you’ll find them here:

♥ Månadens Gröna: Rhubarb Mojitos | with Ginger Beer.
♥ Månadens Gröna: Strawberry & Avocado Salsa | with Quinoa, Roasted Black Bean & Sweet Potato Wraps.
♥ Månadens Gröna: Tomato Quiche | with Red Pesto.

Watermelon Cake.

I love the internet the most when I come across delights such as this, WATERMELON CAKE! How is that for an epic snack?? For cream I used soyghurt, topped off with flaked almonds, strawberries, bloobs and coconut.

Apart from decorating innocent watermelons I am just caught in the hamster wheel of work, but on Friday I am heading off to Copenhagen! Have any of you been? Do you have some Danish gems to share? x

Avocado & Almond Butter Toast.

Yesterday as I was having some almond buttery toast I glanced over at an avocado laying over at the kitchen counter, thinking “… could it BE?” (This is read with Chandler’s voice obvs.)

Turns out YES – it most certainly CAN be! I present you the avo and almond butter
→ 5 out of 5 toasts!

I won’t even bother writing down a recipe, I reckon it is fairly clear; simply toast the bread. Meanwhile slice the avocado. Once toasted, add almond butter and avo on your bread slices. Possibly sprinkle some sea salt on top – aaand Bob’s your uncle! (Perhaps. I’ll be the first to admint, I know nothing of your family tree.) Breakfast of champions.

At the moment we live in a toaster-less household, which certainly is the first time in my life, so I toasted the bread using a frying pan. Works wonders too, you just need to remember to flip it ever so often.

What are you lovelies up to this weekend? Myself I will be serving coffees at the cafe the whole weekend through. And most likely eating plenty of sandwiches like these above.

A weekend with Mum & Dad_Pt 1: Stonehaven and 3 course meals.

Last weekend these two travelled across the North Sea to spend the weekend with me. Mamma and pappa!!!

On the Saturday we took the bus out to Stonehaven.

Which is an adorable little fishing town about half an hour away from Aberdeen. This particular Saturday there was a carnival held at the city square.

It was of course far too crowded for us northern Swedes so we took the path down to the harbour.


We then continued up a hill…

… and reached the path to wander out to Dunottar Castle. 
Passing by coconut smelling flowers…

and grass-munching beauties. 

By the time we actually reached the castle, we did not really feel like paying the entrance fee to enter (me and Julien already went a few months ago and both felt like the surroundings were the better part of the experience). So instead we ate our packed lunch and watched the castle and its tourits from a distance.

Afterwards we decided to be adenturous and climb down the steep hills to that gate through the cliff as you can see on the right. 
Yes, this one!

I took this and showed my mother saying “you can go back to Sweden and claim we took a quick visit to Austria”.. I mean, how Sound of Music does this not look??

Then it was definitely time for a strong cuppa coffee, so back to Stonehaven we went.

Back in Granite City, I cooked up a 3 course-meal including the sweet potato and black bean burgers with the infamous mango + ginger salsa. Holy yum!

The following day we walked around Aberdeen and I got a sunburn on my nose, but that will be a post for another day.

Månadens Gröna: Strawberry & Avocado Salsa | with Quinoa, Roasted Black Bean & Sweet Potato Wraps.

Behold the longest darn blog post title of the year!Another month, another vegetarian food challenge! This month it is time for Strawberry to go under the radar for the Swedish veggie cooking challenge; Månadens Gröna. Exciting times!

While making this I took two things into consideration
a) how many cakes I have made lately and
b) how many wraps I have eaten lately.
Now, the first thing I am fairly fed up with but I am still having wraps about each and every day during the summer months. However, I often find myself adding the same old combinations to said wraps and so to spice things up (quite literally) this Strawberry, and avocado, Salsa came into being.

The dimensions of this dish are plentiful. The strawberries with their fresh subacidity, the avocado gives a creaminess, the chilli some heat and the coriander… well, is just being coriander! (Orgasmic, i.e.!) Okay, rant completed – let’s move on to the recipe shall we!

For one batch you will need:

→ circa ½ a litre of strawberries
→ 1 ripe avocado (opt.)
→ fresh coriander, to taste
→ ½ red onion
→ 1 red chilli (make sure to remove the seeds if you want a milder salsa!)
→ juice of lime

1. Rinse and hull the berries.
2. Chop/dice everything finely.
3. Combine in a large bowl and squeeze the juice of one lime over the mixture.
As the strawberries are meant to be the star of the show this month, I wanted the rest of the wrap to be a little more modest. It contains of a thin layer of hummus with caramelized onion, a slice of violife’s dairy free cheese and a salad mix of quinoa, roasted sweet potato and black beans in garlic, cumin and paprika powder. To top it all off, a sprinkle of roasted sunflower kernels.

To participate with your own Strawberry creation or see a fine Pizza Blanco creation, visit Lovisa’s blog (click).

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Check out my other salsa recipe:
> Mango + Ginger Salsa.

Dawn of the Nettles | Nettle Powder + Nettle Crisps.

If you saw some shady character wandering around Aberdeen in pyjamas and a plastic bag full of weeds the other day – it was probably just me with my nettle harvest.

My goal for the day was to dry the nettles to create my very own “superfood”* powder without loosing half my wage at the same time, but while I was at it I also stumbled over a recipe of nettle crisps (similar to kale crisps), so that is what the bigger leaves got used for.

(And FYI, it is not actually a pyjamas, they are just funny looking pants!)You see nettles are full of iron (extra good for us veggies), vitamin B & C (and probably other vitamin-letters too!) and works anti-inflammatory. Basically, this plant has a pretty neat CV.

But best of all is the price, aka the nonexistent one. Forget about those multivitamin powders that have traveled around the world to reach your grocery store shelf and cost a minor fortune. All you need to invest here is a bit of time.

Nettles can be used pretty much as you would use spinach or kale – in soups, pestos, salads, smoothies, fried with garlic – or with crisps as you will find further down in this post.
First off the nettles are going to need a good wash. You may do this by filling up a bucket of water and rinsing the leaves in there. I just filled up water in the kitchen sink, drained them and then repeated the process yet another time. Then pat them dry using a bit of kitchen roll/towel. For the NETTLE POWDER I left them to dry slowly in the oven on 50°C for about 2-3 hours. When the leaves were dry enough, I simply put them in my coffee grinder that transformed the nettles into this fine dark green powder pictured above.

To make the NETTLE CRISPS: 

→ larger nettle leaves
→ oil, like olive or coconut
→ nutritional yeast
→ cayenne pepper
→ garlic powder
→ salt

The amounts will vary depending on how many crisps you wish to make and you can of course opt out and add ingredients as you wish.

1. Put the oven on 175°C.
2. Toss the nettles with the oil and seasonings so that all leaves have a light cover.
3. Divide the leaves evenly on a piece of baking parchment, making sure they are all separated from one another.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the leaves feel crispy.

Y voila! My boyfriend turned out to be a big fan of these green things, over half the batch rapidly vanished as he has been incorporating them in both salads and sandwiches. Definitely a more food like kind of crisp!

For more edible weeds, check out:
> How to make Dandelion Syrup | in 6 simple steps.

Månadens Gröna: Rhubarb Mojitos | with Ginger Beer.

A bunch of inspirational Swedish bloggers have started this vegetarian food challenge. Each month a host blog picks a produce in season for anyone to participate and create new fab-tastic veggie recipes!

This month Rhubarb is the star of the show, which I was really excited to read as it gave me a push to finally try out this recipe that I have been meaning to make since just about 4ever… Namely, Rhubarb Mojitos!

I was pondering whether I should add a bit of ginger to the rhubarb puree, for a nice sting you know, but decided to incorporate it via Ginger Beer instead and opt out the common club soda.

I am not really a big drinker but when I do, I am almost certain to go for rum. However, you can easily enjoy this as a refreshing mocktail by simply skipping the alcohol.

You’ll need (per drink):

→ ½ dl rhubarb puree*
→ 10 fresh mint leaves
→ ½ lime, sliced in wedges
→ rum
→ ginger beer
→ ice cubes

*Recipe listed below.

1. Muddle the mint leaves with the lime juice in the bottom of a drinking glass.
2. Add in some ice cubes.
3. Add the rhubarb puree, rum and ginger beer.
4. Stir to combine and then serve immediately.

Rhubarb puree:

→ 2 stalks rhubarb
→ 3 dl water
→ ½ dl sugar

1. Trim and chop the rhubarb stalks.
2. In a small pot, add water, rhubarb and sugar. Bring to boil for about 10 minutes, until rhubarb has softened.
3. Add to blender and process until you have smooth consistency.


I am so looking forward to seeing what the other participants are gonna come up with! x

How to make Dandelion Syrup | in 6 simple steps.

If you feel like Aberdeen is looking a bit more grey than usual – it is probably because I have been out snitching a whole bunch of dandelions from its streets! 
I figured it was time for operation DIY syrup, so I defied my cold the other day (I know I should rest the cold away but… it’s just too darn boring?!) and went out to pluck some of these petit suns.

The ingredient list is real simple, all you need is dandelions, water and sugar. You may also add some lemons and a wee bit of ginger, if you wish! The idea is to use a ratio of 2:1 sugar and water, i.e. the  double amount of sugar, but we will get to that eventually!

How to: 

1. Go out and pluck a bunch of dandelions. You want to pick as little of the green stuff as possible!

2. Leave the dandelions on a flat surface (I left mine on a baking sheet in the kitchen), and go entertain yourself elsewhere for half an hour or so – to give any current residents a chance to move out.
(You will literally see the wee beetles make their way across the baking sheet!)

3. Double check the flowers so that they are free from bugs, before you remove the petals from the green base. (It gets easier if you sort of roll the base between your fingers.) Then rinse the petals in cold water.


4. Cover the flowers in water and bring to the boil for about 15 minutes. This is where you add the ginger and lemon, if using.

5. Now you can either leave this to stand overnight, or simply get on with the process and strain the water from the petals(/ginger/lemon.) Then measure the amount of water and add the double amount of sugar in the pan. Let it simmer on low heat for about an hour to an hour and a half, until you have got a syrup consistency.

6. Pour into airtight container and cork up!

Voila, you’ve just made your first batch of Dandelion Syrup!

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→ Do you have any other clever recipes containing edible weeds?  Please share, I am all ears! x

Vegan Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake | with Oreo Crust.

I have such an intense urge to carpe the heck out of my days off. There are so many things that I want to make time for knowing that evenings after I have finished a shift at the cafe I will be in full on zombie mode for the entirety of the evening.

So despite waking up with a sore throat yesterday telling me “mate you should really rest in bed today”, I completely ignored that and went off to town to run a few errands… Buying silken tofu being one of them.

Today I am paying for it, but at least I have this delightful creation below in my freezer which makes staying in the house a little less dreadful.I present to you: The Vegan Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake! (or “a series of close-ups featuring my food processor”)

As I pulled the cake out of the freezer my boyfriend asked whether there is actual cheese in it whereby I basically laughed and said why, of course not! After he had finished his first piece and seemed very approving, I revealed the secret ingredient – silken tofu! I am just not sure Silken Tofu Cake sounds as an equally appealing as a title, but you tell me!

Crust:

→ 1 pack Oreos
→ 1 tbsp melted dairy free butter/coconut oil

Filling:

→ 349 grams (1 pack) silken tofu
→ 1 dl peanut butter
→ 1 dl coconut cream
→ 1 dl syrup (I used agave)
→ a pinch of salt
→ ½ tsp vanilla paste
→ 50 grams dark chocolate

Topping: 

→ a handful salted + chopped peanuts
→ chocolate sauce (equal parts hot water, sugar + cacao powder)

How to:

1. Drain the tofu, by wrapping it up in a few layers of kitchen roll/towel and adding a weight on top to gently press the water out.
2. Start the oven at 175°C.
3. Crush the oreos in a food processor, before adding the melted dairy free butter in there and mix it once more. Place in oven proof dish and bake for about 5 minutes. Once baked, place to cool down in fridge.
4. Once tofu has been drained, add it to a food processor along with the peanut butter, coconut cream, syrup, salt and vanilla paste. Run for a couple of minutes, until you have a smooth paste.
5. Divide the paste into two parts and add your melted dark chocolate in one of them.
6. To layer your cake, spread the chocolate part evenly across your oreo-base and leave to set in the freezer before applying the remains of the paste.
7. Leave the entire cake in the freezer for a few hours alternatively in the fridge over night before serving. Top it off with some chopped salted peanuts and chocolate sauce – not merely to make it look pretty but the combination salt + sweet is divine!! 

Other things you can make using tofu:
» Green Tofu Quiche with a Chickpea Crust.
» Scrambled Tofu.