.Holistic Nutrition. | SOMETIMES RAW

October 28, 2015May 2, 2016

How to: Farro Salad

Hey there. It is time to share a great recipe again for this week. These days I am all about salads and healthy eating because my husband lost so much weight and I don’t want to be out of shape next to him ha! Also because I am getting a bit sick so I try to add more vitamins to my diet. So here I want to share an easy recipe that keeps your stomach full for a couple of hours, is a healthy alternative and changes the menu up. You can vary the recipe by adding other ingredients to make it a nice meal. I have a variation of this salad at least twice a week. It also makes a great side dish or quick lunch. When it is getting colder outside a need to eat something warm and a cold salad just keeps me searching for food all day long. (My translation option does not work yet unfortunately but I am trying to fix it- desperately! For my german readers: Farro is Dinkel!) 😉

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Here you have a simple filling salad recipe. I hope you try it and be all creative with it.

Footnote: You can substitute quinoa for ferro which is really great too.

Thank you for reading my blog.

October 21, 2015

How to: Two Delicious Smoothies

Sometimes I simply run out of breakfast ideas for my family. I also don’t want to eat the same every day so change is needed. Usually I want something healthy fast that keeps me full for a couple of hours. Smoothies are a good way to get your fix on vitamins and energy booster fast and easy. I mentioned that I have a very good blender. It is a bit on the pricey side but if you use it a lot it is definitely worth it. If you use a blender simply for juices, a regular, cheaper one does the job just fine. I also make my own Almond milk and here you do need a powerful blender for example. I would love to share two of my favorite smoothie recipes here. The best part about smoothies is that you can just play around and throw in what is in your fridge you think might work together and would taste good. Avocado in a Smoothie always gives it a nice texture, so keep this in mind. If you are using Facebook check out Anna Burkon’s Ganzheitliche Ernährungsberatung. This Facebook page is awesome and you get great insights on healthy food, recipes, lifestyle and upcoming events. Yes, she teaches what she preaches 🙂 I have been to one of her events and I loved it. She made an awesome smoothie that evening and I would like to share her recipe here.

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The second Smoothie Recipe is a true Powershake! I made it for my husband a couple of times and he mentioned that especially when he works out, this shake keeps him full and gives him great energy. Win-win I would say. (He loves to say that – win-win situation!) Apparently it only let’s me save ONE recipe at a time. So here is the second one without the nice layout.

Ingredients:

1-2 cups of water

5-6 dates

1 apple

handful cashews (or almonds)

1 cup of grapes

chunk of fresh ginger

1 carotte

1 banana

Add all the ingredients in your blender and mix for 3-4 minutes on high speed or until consistency is smooth(ie) and creamy. Enjoy!

I want to share the health benefits of ginger and Linseed with you!

Ginger is very healthy and provides a great zesty flavor to your smoothie, drinks, sauces or all kinds of dishes. I have seen dried ginger out there but I think nothing is better and as strong as the fresh one. When my throat hurts a little and I have the feeling I might get a cold I boil some hot water, grate some fresh ginger and add some lemon juice. Usually this does it for me and I won’t get sick. Try it! I hope it works for you as well! You can add ginger to any stir fry and it goes really well with sesame oil and Tamari soy sauce. I am a sushi addict and I love that they always serve the dishes with a little pickled ginger on the side. My husband and I always ask for extra ginger.

The Health Benefits of Ginger:

Ginger is very nutritious because it is high in vitamin B6 and magnesium (both are great to reduce stress). Ginger is also very high on potassium (good for the heart) and the mineral copper. Ginger is good for digestion. If you have an upset stomach, Yogi ginger tea always worked for me. I used to drink a cup here and there when I felt a little nauseous when I was pregnant. The last benefit I want to add is that ginger is anti-inflammatory and great for pain. I have read once that ginger also might reduce arthritis pain. Who would have thought no?

Thank you for reading.

October 14, 2015October 20, 2015

How to: Chia Pudding for Breakfast – healthy and raw.

Hello and welcome back to my little series “How-to”. Today I would like to share a very simple breakfast idea that is healthy, hearty and keeps your stomach filled for a couple of hours so you won’t have the morning cravings. I mix my breakfasts up because having the same every morning is boring right? Here is the recipe:

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Your chia pudding should look like this:

Now go crazy adding fruit and nuts. I chose grapes, an overripe banana (this is why I add cinnamon because it makes the banana easier to digest. Did you know that a banana is in your system for up to 70 hours and difficult to digest?!) I also added pieces of walnuts, maple sirup, hemp and flax seeds. The Chia pudding itself is not sweet and me having a bit of a sweet tooth need to add some sugar. Again, whatever you prefer. Done!

Let me know if you try it and what ingredients you added. Thank you for reading.

October 8, 2015October 12, 2015

How to: Easy Homemade Breakfast Rolls

Mmmmhhhmmmmm….. the smell of freshly baked bread! Isn’t it awesome? I am sick of the bread that I get to buy here in the store. It tastes like rubber, smells weird and I get bloated when eating it. I made my own bread and rolls a couple of times already and I will share my recipe here so you can try it if you like. My bread is let’s say “healthier” and more satisfying and the most important thing is you know exactly what is in it. NO chemicals added. Le’t dive right in.

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The same you can do as an entire loaf of bread btw. You just knead the dough, same ingredients as above and put in Bread Loaf Pan. Cover with seeds as you prefer. For the bread bake on 475 Fahrenheit (250 Celsius) for 20 minutes. Then on 392 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius) for approximately 40 minutes. Done!

Enjoy with butter, homemade jam and a glass of red wine.

September 30, 2015October 10, 2020

How to: Raw Chocolate Cake! YUM

“Love your body. Be kind to it, nourish it, tender it. It is the pure instrument of expression that allows you to experience life on this planet.” – Ramtha

Sometimes Raw is – yes, you guessed right, also about eating raw sometimes. I started replaced some of my food with raw food since I heard about Florian Sauer. He is a raw food and life coach and is truly inspirational. Read everything about him here. So far I have never attended a liver cleanse or a raw food weekend at any of his places; however, it is still on my bucket list whenever I am back in Germany. Today I would love to share a simple chocolate cake recipe that is done very easily. I love chocolate – I don’t know a woman who does not so when I ate this cake for the first time I could not believe that I did not have to bake it and have such strong flavors and chocolate heaven in my mouth. Plus that it is actually healthy and you can enjoy is without regret. I mean what else do you want! 😀

You will need: a 11 inch (28cm) baking form and a good mixer. I have the Vitamix which never let me down.

Let’s start with he ingredients for the base/crust of your cake:

7 oz or 200g nuts (I used almonds. Make sure to soak the almonds in water for 8 hours! Read why on my blog!)

3.5 oz or 100g Dates or Figs

1/5th of a cup of water or 50ml (so very little)

Coconut oil to grease the form (or any type of oil you have at hand)

Put the soaked nuts in your mixer without the water, add the dates and 50 ml of water. Mix on high speed and use the tamper to push it all down while it mixes. It should be a nice soft dough but not sticky. So be really carful not to add more water. Now grease up your baking form. I used coconut oil for my recipe which added on the flavor even more. The first part is done.

Now we make the creme:

2 Avocados

3 bananas (the riper the better)

3-4 tablespoons of real cacao powder

Agavesirup (depends how sweet you want it, I put 3 tablespoons)

3 tablespoons of water.

Now you put all your ingredients in the blender and mix up nicely for a couple of minutes until you have a soft creme. Take a spatula and put the creme evenly on your base/crust of the cake. Now put the cake in the freezer for 45 minutes up to 1 hours. Done and ready to serve!

I made this recipe for friends once and literally started the cake (besides soaking the nuts for 8 hours) one hour before they arrived. While we ate our main course I kept the cake initially in the freezer and put it into the fridge after 45 minutes so it was ready for dessert.

Enjoy and let me know if you try it.

September 29, 2015January 8, 2019

My take on: Les Halles Restaurant New York City.

“In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.” ― Julia Child

Les Halles Restaurant on 411 Park Avenue South (at 29th Street) is by far one of my favorite French Restaurants when I am in New York. They have another branch downtown that I have never been to.

I simply have so many great memories when I think about this restaurant that I would love to share my take on this awesome place. My husband and I went there for the first time by chance. We walked around the streets of Manhattan; something we used to do when we had the weekends off together. Walking downtown on Park Avenue we discovered Les Halles Restaurant one day and just walked in. Me, as a France-lover was instantly in love with the decoration, the furniture, the bar and their assortment of wine along with this warm cozy feeling. It makes you want to sit down and enjoy their food and wine while listening to some French music.

We literally stumbled upon this place and it was in the afternoon and a little early for dinner. So we decided to stay at the bar and have a bite to eat with a glass of wine and continue our weekend-walk. I remember every little detail which is so weird. We had a bottle of their house-wine that tasted a little buttery with a somewhat crips ending. Yep, this is the sommelier talking 🙂 I actually have no idea how to describe wine but this is how it tasted. The apéritif – you got to love the French- we had Ricard. This was also a first for me and drinking it on an empty stomach makes you definitely hungry for food. To feel French you have to drink it before lunch or dinner. For a late lunch we ordered two Gratinée des Halles (classic onion soup) and Frisée aux Lardons salad (Frisée, bacon, roquefort cheese) which was so simple and mouthwatering good. Especially the Onion Soup.

We have been back quite often I must say after that. On Mondays they have the 50 Wines 50% off special so if you like wine this is the place to go. My husband took me to Les Halles on my birthday which was really special. For the first time I had Boeuf Bourguignon (beef braised in red wine) and Steak tartare (lean top round ground which was prepared next to our table).

For anyone who loves meat and the traditional French cuisine this is the place to visit. The service was very fast and friendly, especially when sitting right at the bar. (not on a date thought hahahah) If you like Anthony Bourdain, who used to work there, you might see him stopping by just to see what’s going on and chat with the staff or maybe you. The food tastes fresh and the portions are not diner-size huge but definitely big enough. I would not recommend to go there with kids in the evening however. In the evening it becomes more of a cozy/romantic sort of place and you don’t want your little ones running around between the steak tartare preparations. This place is perfect for a date-night but keep in mind to make reservations ahead of time.

There is no dress-code really but I would opt for business casual if you cannot decide what to wear. Overall it is this very authentic place that makes you feel like you sit in a brasserie in Paris.

Maybe you eat at Les Halles at some point. Let me know what you think about it.

Bon Appétit!

September 23, 2015

How to: Homemade Pasta

Have you ever seen the movie: Eat Pray Love? The scene when Julia Robert eats this awesome plate of pasta on her journey in Italy? The way she enjoys it? Wow! I love pasta, and so does my family. My son enjoys the pasta mostly plain – weird yes, but hey. I have been buying pasta forever, all types of it. Whole wheat, black pasta, spinach pasta, regular pasta, pasta with eggs and without, you name it. At some point I thought I am going to make my own pasta. Just to see if it tastes as close as the “fresh” pasta you can buy in the refrigerator section at the supermarket. Well, I must say that MY pasta was so much better and I knew 100% what was in it which also means no preservatives.

Here is my recipe in easy steps:

Pasta Maker Roller Machine or A simple rolling pin

So, let’s start:

Ingredient for 4 people:

5 eggs

1.1 lbs flour (500g Mehl)

pinch of salt

Yep! THIS is IT!

You put the flour into a bowl. Put a hole in the middle of the flour (like a volcano) and put one egg after the other into it.

Now take a fork and mix the eggs slowly into the flour. Then kneel the dough with your hand on a floured surface. This is important, otherwise your dough will stick to the table. It has to be a soft, tender dough so you have to kneel it for some time. Now divide the dough in 3-4 parts. If you have the feeling that the dough is too dry and won’t stick together nicely, add one tablespoon of water. Then kneel again. If necessary add another one obviously. If the dough appears to be too soft add one tablespoon of flour. Now let dough rest for at lest 15 minutes by putting it in a bowl and cover it with a dish towel. This step is necessary because it allows the moisture from the eggs (and water if you added some) to distribute nicely throughout the dough. This makes it easier for you to work with afterwards. Your dough should look somewhat like this:

Now divide the dough into six even portions. You work with one piece of dough at a time so you might keep the other ones covered with the dish towel so they won’t dry out. Take the piece of dough you are working with and put some flour on it so it is not sticky. My mom has the Original Italian Pasta Maker at home but for this recipe I used my rolling pin. You have to roll over the dough several times until desired thinness is reached. (The thinner dough is, the faster it will be cooked!) Whenever your dough becomes too long to roll out, simply cut in half and keep on rolling. If too sticky, add some more flour. Roll out all your dough portions. It should look somewhat like this:

Now start cutting your dough. You can be all creative here, however you want your pasta to look. You can even form ravioli and stuff them with spinach, cheese whatever you like. I just cut mine into long thicker strips which is very easy.

I let the cut pasta dry a bit on a clean dish towels until I cut the remaining dough. This is it. Now bring a pot of water to a boil, add one tablespoon of salt and put as much pasta in as you like. You can put the rest in the fridge if you use it in the next couple of days again or you dry it and store it in a bag.

Enjoy!

September 14, 2015September 18, 2015

How to: Blueberries, Spinach and lots of cheese on a Sandwich? Yes!

This sandwich was just a creation of things I had left in my refrigerator and some of it was about to turn bad. Also it includes everything I love to eat! Especially blueberries! It is comforting (yes to cheese!!) and has this nice flavor to it. So stop counting the calories and add some more cheese will you? Plus it is quick to make!

Here is the recipe:

Baguette (slice in half)

Cheese, a lot! (I used Gruyère and Goat cheese)

Fresh arugula or spinach

1 cup of fresh blueberries (or even more. Can be used as jam for the next couple of days while you keep it in the fridge)

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tbs sugar

How to:

Take a small saucepan and combine blueberries, vinegar and sugar and cook on medium heat. It just needs a slow boil. Mix it all up in saucepan. Let it slowly boil for 5 minutes. Done!

Now spread blueberries onto the sliced baguette, add cheese, then the spinach or arugula and then of course more cheese!! Add some pepper and then top with other slice of bread and put it all in a grill. (I used a panini maker)

Enjoy!

September 8, 2015September 27, 2015

How to: Salmon, Spinach and poached eggs for brunch

I made this brunch for my husband and I a couple of days ago and it was really awesome. It is pretty healthy and quick to make and put together. The best part about it is it kept us fueled until late in the afternoon which is great.

Preparation time: 2 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

15 ounce salmon filet already seasoned (I bought the Salmon at Trader Joe’s which is where I buy fruit, veggies and bread if I am not at Wholefoods) – [You can take the girl out of Germany but you cannot take Germany out of the girl]

1 onion

4 teaspoon dried or fresh parsley

4 large handful of fresh spinach (or frozen)

4 eggs – one for me, three for him 🙂

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper and fresh garlic to taste

How to:

Put some oil in the pan and let the salon filet steam slowly on medium heat for 10 minutes or so. Then turn salmon to the other side and let again steam for 10 minutes until cooked all the way through.

Cut the onion in small pieces and heat up in oil until onion turns slightly brown. Then add spinach. I only had frozen spinach at home for my recipe which turned out great. Just add salt, pepper and garlic to it. Also a bit of milk to make it creamier. Cook on medium heat.

While all this is cooking prepare the eggs. Have you ever poached an egg? Well for this recipe it was my first try and they turned out great. All you need to do is to fill a saucepan with water and add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Heat water until it begins to simmer. Now stir the water so a whirlpool starts to form, and crack the egg into the middle. The water movement will cause the egg to wrap into a ball. Leave the egg in the water until the white has cooked fully. This usually takes around 2-3 minutes, however if you like the yolk not that runny leave it in slightly longer.

Now place everything nicely on the plate. I put the salmon at the bottom; put the spinach on and the poached egg on top.

Enjoy.

September 6, 2015September 27, 2015

How to: Croque Monsieur/Croque Madame

A little history about Croque Monsieur first (Again, I am married to a Frenchi):

Croque-Monsieur was originally a melted cheese and ham sandwich sautéed in butter. Eventually other Parisian cafés began serving their own vearsions to the point where the sandwich evolved to the way it is served today, with a topping of béchamel sauce, grated cheese, then run under the broiler until bubbly and golden. The croque-madame is a variation of croque- monsieur which features a fried egg on top. Croque means “bite” according to my husband, so it is also important for the bread to be crunchy while the inside is oozy with melted cheese.

What you need: Saucepan, Toaster, Baking sheet, skillet

How to make it:

4 tablespoons (60g) butter

4 tablespoons (30g) flour

1 cup (240ml) milk

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 dashes ground nutmeg

8 slices sandwich bread

4 slices ham

3 cups (300g) Gruyère cheese

4 large eggs, room temperature

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C)

Cooking:

In the saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour and whisk well. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until thickened. Whisk in mustard and nutmeg. Set aside. Lightly toast the bread in the toaster. Place 4 slices on the baking sheet. Spread a little sauce on the slices and top with a piece of ham . Place 1/2 cup (50g) cheese on each slice of ham then top with the remaining slices of bread.

Evenly divide the rest of the sauce over the top of the sandwich, add the remaining cheese, and bake for 5 minutes. While the sandwiches are baking, fry the eggs in the skillet (this is for the Croque Madame only).

Turn off the oven and preheat the broiler. Run the sandwiches under the broiler until they are bubbly and slightly browned. Top each with a fried egg and serve hot. (Crocque Madame)

Ideas and substitutions:

Serve the sandwiches with simple green salad for a light lunch or dinner. Tonight I added a little Caprese Salad (mozzarella, tomatoes, basil with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper).

Optional additions to béchamel sauce: finely chopped onion, fresh tarragon, or parsley.

Bon appétit.