Vegan & gluten free Kaiserschmarrn - Austrian torn pancakes

The original recipe of these torn pancakes is from Austria and Bavaria. It's something my mom made for us many times in my childhood. It's one of the best comfort foods during the cold season but I craved it so much that I had to make it today. 😋 By the way, I started to get stomach burn from eggs so for many months I didn't have them at all and I feel much better, and my boyfriends allergy has gotten worse lately so he is allergic to the eggs as well now, so I tried to impossible and made an egg based dish without eggs. 

The original Kaiserschmarn is served as a main or dessert, to me it feels like breakfast for dinner! Actually I had it many times for breakfast as well.

Ingredients:

450 g gluten free flour mix
50 g rice grist
3 spoon date syrup
1L rice milk (or any kind of plant milk)
3 g gluten free baking powder
vanilla aroma, according to taste
pinch of salt
1 tea spoon of lemon juice or a pinch of lemon zest (I didn't get nice lemons at the market so I just go with the juice😁)

coconut oil or vegan butter


Combine all the ingredient in a mixing bowl and whisk until you have a smooth batter, let it rest for about 30 minutes. After it rested enough, heat the coconut oil in a big pan and pour the mass in it. Cook it on medium heat until the bottom starts to bronz, then turn it around and break it into pieve with the wooden spoon. Bake it until all the pieces get nice and bronzy. I like it with bigger pieces and baked until it gets a little burnt. 

At my parents house we have it with bakes pear compote, cinnamon sugar and /or homemade jam. And my mom makes it in the oven so it's nicely baked and burnt as I love, I was just scared I mess it up so I tried in a pan first, as the original recipe goes. 

 

Baby spinach with avocado tatar

Ingredients:
about 3 handful of baby spinach
1 avocado
1 green apple, grated
juice of a half lemon
1 tea spoon of mustard
chilli powder
black pepper powder
coriander seed
extra virgin olive oil

Wash the baby spinack and let it air dry. Mix the meat of the avocado with the grated apple, mustard, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with pepper and chilli powder. Measure the baby spinach in bowls and put toppig on each of them. Sprinkle some coriander seed on top of them.

Amaranth

Finally I got some amaranth for myself😀 I was thinking about it for so long, but nobody coul tell me if it's tasty or worth to buy (it's very expensive here). So I had to go & find it out for myself. I was that lucky that I bought the actually 8$ bag for less than 2$!! 

Isn't it wonderful that the aztecs used amaranth 8000 years ago? Not only as food/grains but also at rituals and ceremonies but here in Hungary we barely know anything about it.

Similar to quinoa and rice, you cook it in water, sweet or salty and it's a wonderful gluten free alternative. Use the fresh amaranth leaves in your salad or the elder ones can be cooked/fried. For it's beautiful flower you can simply keep it in your garden, too. 

High in protein, it makes a great source for vegans and it also contains a high amount of manganese, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and iron. It's full with lysine, that is a protein that can also be find in milk and the body needs it to function properly. What is even better? It contains more lysine than milk so nobody can argue with vegans that you have to drink milk for calcium, since amaranth has more of both lysine and calcium than milk has. Plus you don't need to fill your body with those hormones that you drink with the milk.
 

Persimmon-banana smoothie with turmeric & cumin seeds {gluten free + vegan}

It might sound strange for first but the sweet taste of persimmon and banana goes really well with the powerful taste of turmeric and cumin. 

Make sure that all the fruits are ripe so your body can absorb the nutrients better. 

Ingredients:
1 persimmon
1 banana
a dash of turmeric
a little sprinkle of cumin seeds
water

Throw everything in a blender and add the half amount of water to it. Blend it until you get the texture you like.

Bananas are rich in carbohydrates so they make a perfect base for post workout smoothies. They contain iron, B6 vitamin and minerals, too (magnesium, potassium are important for the body).

Persimmons also contain a lot of vitamins (such as A,C,E and B6) and minerals (iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus and manganese). 

Detox 2017 - Day 5 // Ayurvedic detox soup {gluten free + vegan }

Soup is one of my biggest favorites. A good soup has magical powers to energize while you feel like sunshine is coming out of your whole being. (Sounds stupid, I know). In many coultures, peope even believe that soup has healing power.

This ayurvedic detox soup contains my favorite spices that not only taste good but also help digestion, cleansing the blood and the lympatic system, they even boost the immune system. If it's not enough, this is a simple recipe that hydrates and easy to digest, rich in mineras and detoxifies the body. 

Ayurveda teaches that the base of overall good health is good digestion. So to say, the good digestive fire ("Agni" in sanskrit). When this inner fire or agni shines bright you feel light, easy, energetic and strong. When your agni is weak you're imbalanced. You might feel exhausted al the time, letargic, your mind is cloudy, your body feels heavy and you become lazy or even depressed. 

After a season like Christmas-NYE  when everybody eats heavy, greasy meals, drinks a lot, runs from friends to relatives, meanwhile you fill your mouth with salty or sweet snacks whenever you can, it's easy to fall out of balance. Your agni gets weak. I wrote about different kinds of detoxing methods, one of them is a soup detox. It's a simple way to cleanse your body and still eat filling, delicous food. 

Ajurvedic detoxsoup

Ingredients:

• 2tbs coconut oil
• 2tbs cumin seed
• 1ts coriander seed
• a small piece of ginger, cut into tiny pieces
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, diced
• 3 cups of diced pumpkin
• 2 medium sized zucchini, cut into tiny pieces
• 2 cups of finely chopped cellery
• 1 ½ L water
• 1 handfulof froyen green beans
• 1 medium head broccoli, heads chopped
• 2ts sea salt
• peper, turmeric to taste
• 1 handful of freshly chopped coriander

Heat up the coconut oil in a tall pot over medium heat and add the spices with the cumin and coriander seed. Stir it for 2-3 minutes, then add ginger, onion and garlic and a little of the turmeric. Stir for another 2-3 minutes until onion is tender. Add pumpkin to the mix along with zucchini, cellery, grean beans and broccoli. Stirr it well then pour the water over the veggies. Bring it to boil then cook until the pumkin softens and all the veggies are cooked. Sprinkle some freshly chopped coriander on top. 

3 post-workout smoothie recipe

After working out your muscles - with yoga, running or weight training or anything else - it's important to give the proper nutrients to your body to help it recover. In the first 20 minutes right after the training are important because your body would digest everything as energy. These smoothie recipes are perfect during this period. The most important is to get your cars (like banana, peach) and protein (flax seed, spirulina, tofu). 

These recipes are quick to prepare, you only need to mix the ingredients in a blender. Awsome choice not only as post-workout meal but breakfast, dinner or snack.

Pumpkin smoothie

• ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup of baked pumpkin
• 1 banana
• 1 tbs soya yogurt
• pumpkin spice
• 10g vanilla sugar
• 1 tbs flax seed

 Wild berry smoothie

• 1 cup frozen wild berry mix
• 2 dlwater
• ½ banana
• 1 tbs honey or agave syrup
• 2 tbs soy yogurt
• goji berry and oily nuts to spread on top

 Indian cherry turmix

• 1 cup frozen Indian cherry
• 2 dl soy milk
• cinnamon
• 1 banana

Spirulina chia pudding - the bomb of breakfasts

Is it hard to get out of the bed and you even know that you're facing a hard day? You can find all the nutrients and protein in this delicate spirulina chia seed pudding that your body might need on a sweeping day. Spirulina is a plant protein, gives you a shitload of energy,with a unique taste and is a  perfect natural dietary suppliment for any diets. 

What you'll need (for 2 servings):
- 1 banana
- 2 pinch of dried spirulina (you can also use spirulina powder, you'll need 1tbs)
- 2 dl water
- 2 tbs chia seeds
- 1 tsp agave nectar

Blend all the ingredients together, expect the chia seeds. Pour the liquid in a jar or bowl (I prefer a large jar we use for the marmalades). Mix in the chia seeds and let it rest for 15  minutes, stir it 3-4 times while it rests, then place it in the fridge overnight. You can serve it with nuts and seeds, dried or frozen fruits. 

Cinnamon & gingerbread spice apple crisps {gluten free + vegan}

Perfect healthy recipe for Hallowe'en that you can also use for protection or as an offering to the Gods and Goddess. 

What you'll need:

⛥apples
⛥cinnamon
⛥gingerbread spice
⛥ brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C. 

Cut the apples into thin slices. I think about 2-3 mm is good, mine turned out too thick so most of them didn't turn into crisps but still they tasted darn good.  

Line a baking tray with baking paper and place your apple slices on it, sprinkle cinnamon and gingerbread spice over them along with some brown sugar. 

Cook the slices for about 15 minutes but keep your eyes on them so they won't burn, depends on your over but the cooking time or heat can vary. 

Hot cocoa with chili {gluten free + vegan}

It's getting seriously cold here. Time for something warm, that even satisfies our chocolate craving, right? Just in 2 minutes...

This recipe is so easy it's almost a no-recipe. You can make it in within an eye blick, super yummy and so much healthier than the boxed version you can get at the stores. Not to mention that you can flavour it with watherver you love.

Ingredients:

- 2 tbs Nesquick cocoa powder

- 2 tbs raw cocoa powder

- 10g vanilla sugar

- a pinch of chili flakes

- 3-4 dl water 

- 3 tbs soy creamer

Bring the water to boil in a water boiler. Meanwhile mix the dry ingredients in a big mug, then add the hot water and the creamer and mix it well. 

You can make it in the microwave, too. It takes about 5 minutes.

Or stay with the good old school version and boil milk in a pan and whisk everything in the boiling milk.

 

Chickpea choco chip cookies {gluten free + vegan}

A few months ago I came across this unusual choco chip cookie recipe that called for chickpeas instead of fluor. "What??" - I asked, too. I couldn't imagine that it can be good but I like to try out new and unusual food, so I gave these cookies a chance. It take quite a while, though. 

Ingredients:

- 1 ½ cups or a can of chickpeas (wash and dry them)
- ½ cup peanut butter (salted, crunchy)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 bag of vanilla sugar
- 1 banana
- 1 bag of baking powder
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips 

Preheat the oven to 160ºC, then line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Purée the chickpeas in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until the dough is smooth. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the dark chocolate chips. Add the chocolate chips and mix with a spoon. Spoon the dough onto parchment paper, making approximately 16-20 cookies. Flatten each cookie very slightly with a fork.Bake for 11–13 minutes, and let me know what you think.

Immune boosting pumpkin cream soup for autumn {gluten free + vegan}

As the weather gets colder our body needs some support. I believe in the power of herbs and plants so I add extra ingredients to my dishes when autumn arrives to protect my family and support their health. There's planty of vitamin in pumpkin, and if you add some extra and your best intentions, it works wonders. Trust me. ;)

Ingredients:

- 1 medium sized pumpkin
- 1 big garlic clove
- 1 medium sized onion
- 1 smaller cube of ginger 
- about 1.5 L veggie broth
- sea salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder
- 2 tbs olive oil 

Peel and slice up the pumpkin, the onion, ginger and garlic. Use a tall pot and draw any sigil with the oil on the bottom that is related to your magical intentions. While cooking strongly focus on your intention. Heat up the oil in aand add the onion, cook until tender. Then add the garlic and the pumpkin cubes,too and cook for about 2 minutes more. Add the veggie broth and cook until pumpkin is soft, then remove the pot from the fire. Add the ginger and the spices then use a hand blender to blend everything well together.

 You can serve it plain, but I like to toast pine nuts and pumpkin or sunflower seeds with carrots, or cook some mushroom with parsley and garlic, maybe even with gluten free croutons if I feel like eating that. 

{gluten free + vegan} Yellow split pea pottage with curry

While the cookies of my next post are in the oven, I share my newest recipe of our favorite yellow split pea pottage. Last time I prepared it with chili, now I used curry for my family's biggest satisfaction.

Ingredients:
- 1 medium sized onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 300g yellow split peas
- 2 tbs curry powder
- a pinch of freshly ground roman cumin, pepper and salt
- 1L veggie broth
- 2 tbs olive oil

Slice up the onion and the garlic. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add onions and cook it stirring until they look glassy. Add the curry and cumin powder and cook for about a minute before adding the garlic, too. Add the yellow split peas to the mix and stirr it well. Pour the veggie broth to the peas and let them cook, if the water isn't enough then add more. Spice it with salt and pepper according to your taste. I like to spice it with a mix of Himalaya salt and herbs, too.
 

vegan milk rice pudding

Hello dollies! It's been a long time since my last log in. I admit, I was uninspired to run a blog since I felt nobody's reading it and I'm trying to re-build my English blog and to run a Hungarian blog in the same time, but now I remembered that I started to blog for myself in the first place when I started blogging at age 14. So I'm gonna continue for myself.  Today here's a wonderfully creamy-dreamy vegan milk rice pudding recipe I made this morning. It was a cold, gloomy, rainy morning that I like to spend slow, curling up in my favorite blanket, drinking hot tea and eating something comforting. This delicous pudding is perfect for sad or simply cold autumn days. While cooking I expressed my gratitude and cook my love in the food.

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice
3 cups of water
1 can of rice/coconut creme
1 tiny pinch of salt
1 bag of vanilla sugar (about 10g)
1/4 cup sugar
cinnamon

Mix the rice creme with the water and salt in a tall pot and bring it to boil. Add the rice and take the flame back to minimal. Cook for about 15 minutes, don't forget to constantly stirr! Add the sugar and cinnamon and cook until it becomes as soft and creamy as you like it. I served the pudding with my Mom's homemade strawberry jam but you can serve it plain or with fruits or whatever that makes your taste buds happy. Enjoy!

Yellow split pea pottage with chilli - gluten free & vegan

Pottage (or "főzelék" as we call it, others might call it soup) is the star in my family, especially when it's made of lentils, peas or yellow peas. Usually I use curry to prepare my yellow pea pottage but I found a recipe in a magazine on the other day that prepared it with chilli, so I decided to cook my own gluten free & vegan version.

Ingredients:
- 500g yellow split peas, rinsed
- 1 small chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon curry spice powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder or chilli paste
- little olive oil
- 1 big clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 dl Joya Finesse soy creamer
- salt, pepper, freshly ground cumin

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cook stirring for about 5 minutes, then add the finely chopped garlic. Stir in the chilli and the curry powder and the rinsed yellow split peas. Pour double amount of water on the peas and add the tomato paste, too. Cook until peas are tender, stirring often. Add salt, pepper, cumin according to your taste. Add the soy creamer and boil it together.

Gluten free & vegan in India?

Is it possible to be gluten free and vegan in India?

My answer is: Yes, it's possible but it can be challenging.
India has one of the largest vegetarian population of the world, so it's easy to find suitable food for vegetarians. For vegans it can be more challenging, since (in my experience) many times they would tell me that the meal is pure vegetarian (it equals with veganism for many Indians, I suppose) but then turns out it contains milk or yogurt and they will not understand what you problem is... If you're vegan and even allergic to gluten, just as me than it will be even more challenging especially if you travel around Punjab that is also called as the "breadbasket" of the counrty. 

I took two travel cards in hindi with me, one for vegan and one for celiac disease, both was useless. Whenever I showed them at the restaurant it made everybody wonder. All the stuff members gathered around my table wondering what my problem is, they even told me there's no gluten in their wheat, I can eat it. Well thankfully I had a list of safe foods with me. ^-^ They also couldn't understand why I wouldn't drink milk, since milk is sacred. It's hard to explain for them but most of the time they are nice and replace it with coconut milk.

 Celiac travel card in hindi

Vegan travel card in hindi

The easiest to live as a gluten free vegan was at Rishikesh. (New Delhi just opened its first gluten free café though.) Westerns brought their influence to Rishikesh in many ways, one of them is food. You can find several cafés and food bars senving plenty of vegan & celiac friendly food. (My personal favorites are the Tiny Buddha and The german bakery, both at Laxman Jhula and Café Omkar at Ram Jhula). Sadly, Indian food is not the best here but the fried tofu platters, falafels, hummus and coconut milk chai is good enough not to complain.

 dosai

veggie fried rice

If you still decide to go for Indian dishes rice and dhal are always a good choice. My favorite is papadum, I could eat it all day. It's the best choice to replace naan bread and roti. I also recommend sambhar (veggie stew) and dosai (lentil flour pancake stuffed with potato and veggies). There was a street food, too in Rishikesh I found once while walking around with a Chinese girl, she conviced me to have those potatoes they bake on  stove and spread spices over it. I really loved it but couldn't find the guy who sold them again. 

Some kind of thali, I had it in Amber and it made me sooooo sick 

spicey banana snack (as weird it sounds as good it was!)

Salad, papadum, veggie stew and rice with herbs at Akshi

lemonana (lemonade with mint and shaved ice) best at Café Omkar

watermelon for breakfast

 falafel, hummus, fries and salad at Café Omkar

 ginger tofu with mint rice and chocolate ice shake

 grilled tofu platter with watermelon juice

Some dishes to try:

• poha
• dosa/dosai
• thali
• papad/papadum
• biryani
• pulao
• dhal 
• all the seasonal fruits (watermelon, mango, jackfruit whatever it is)

 masala rice

a must try - Limca (lemon soda)

Summer squash soup with herbs {vegan + gluten free}

Ingredients (4-5 portions):

- 1 big squash
- 1 medium size onion
- 2 tbs oil (I like to use the rosemary-garlic infused olive oil what my friend got me from Croatia)
- 1-1,5 liter veggie broth
- salt, pepper, cayenne pepper according to your taste
- parsley, rosemary, thyme according to your taste
- a little gluten free flour if the soup is not creamy enough (you can also use a potato)

Method:

Peel the squash and remove the seeds, cut it up into little cubes. Slice the onion but no need to chop too tiny pieces because we will blend it in the end. Heat the oil and steam the onion until it's glassy then add the squash cubes to it and steam them together for a few minutes. Now add the broth and the herbs. Cook it until the squash softens then blend the soup. If you find it not creamy enough you can add some flour or a baked potato and blend the soup again with a blender. 

Eat the soup as it is or with toasted GF bread cubes if you'd like to. Sometimes I eat it with soy creame.