Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom, Caper, Leek & White Wine Sauce

gnochi1

Some Germans really have their difficulties in pronouncing these, the best try will probably sound more like “Gnodschi”. These do not really belong to the pasta family because the dough is traditionally made from potatoes instead of durum wheat. Check out the pictures of these delicious, hearty-sweet, orange mini dumplings and make sure you give them a try!

Continue reading “Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom, Caper, Leek & White Wine Sauce”

Bavarian Pretzels

This reminds me of home. This is one of my favourite things to eat and it was upsetting me so much that I could not find proper pretzels outside the South of Germany (yes not even Norther German bakers seem to be able to make proper pretzels so nothing to feel ashamed of fellow UK citizens). There is no egg in pretzels so you’ll find that they are vegan in most bakeries. However, finding tasty ones is the challenge. You might think they are a lot of effort but actually they are not, the shaping might need some practice but other than that they are really not complicated to make.

Let me show you my version, I might add a video later on as I baked them with a couple of friends already and once I showed them how to shape them they found it super easy.

Continue reading “Bavarian Pretzels”

Easy German Mini Doughnuts filled with Rosehip Jam

krapfen3

In the UK lots of things are just simple compared to Germany. You call it doughnut – That’s it. We are not as straightforward – In Berlin those are called Pfannkuchen, people living in other parts of Germany call them Berliner. The Bavarians obviously needed to do differently than all the rest of Germany and so they came up with the name Krapfen. And everywhere they think of exactly the same thing: an airy dumpling with jam filling, which is mainly eating during carnival. The bakeries go crazy coming up with creations from eggnog filling to confetti. We’re gonna go for the classic this time. Oh and there is no fancy doughnut forms etc. needed just a pan and a bowl.

Continue reading “Easy German Mini Doughnuts filled with Rosehip Jam”

Best Vegan Parmesan Cheese

This nut cheese is amazing. I tell you before being a vegan I loved cheese on absolutely everything and everyone who knows me and has been to a restaurant with me in the past is aware of me having been every waiter’s nightmare – “Would you like some Parmesan – Just say stop when it’s enough cheese” – it feels like 10mins pass and the waiter’s eyes are getting bigger and bigger” after the cheese piling up on my Spaghetti or Bruschetta I then finally to the relief of the waiter do say “Thank you, this is enough for me” and he runs straight off and I can see his eyes roll. I blame it on the Italian in me. Those times have long passed now, however, I needed a substitute and that quick! I tried all sorts of vegan cheeses: Sainsbury’s ready-grated “Gary”, tried grating Violife myself, took the hours-long journey to Wholefoods on me and basically emptied their whole cheese shelf. Sadly, everything badly disappointed me on pasta (there were some great options for putting under the grill to make things like Pizza, Stuffed Veggies, Lasagne, Cheeseburgers or Mac’n’Cheese). So I started to experiment and can promise you this one is blitzed up in less than 5mins and tastes even better than Parmesan! Give it a try – I’d love to hear what you think!

Continue reading “Best Vegan Parmesan Cheese”

Tagliatelle with Savoy Cabbage, Oyster Mushrooms & Caramelised Walnuts

fullsizeoutput_ebb.jpeg

The combination of oyster mushrooms, cabbage, salty vegan parmesan cheese & caramelised walnuts makes a simple but very elegant dish.

What I love most about this recipe is that is is so hearty. I must admit, however, that it feels a bit like a real calorie bomb through the cream. But sometimes there is no way around it if you’re feeling down and simply want to eat comfort food. Perhaps also because good friends are over along with a delicious wine. If you have problems with the calories, you can replace the cream with milk and add corn flour as a thickener. This impacts the taste though, and soya cream has way less calories already than its brother double cream and we don’t use much anyway – so indulge instead of counting calories – You deserve it!

Continue reading “Tagliatelle with Savoy Cabbage, Oyster Mushrooms & Caramelised Walnuts”

Raw Strawberry & Lemon Cheesecake

rawstrawberry2

Fresh, light & creamy: to match the rising temperatures, I love to get back into raw food like this delicious raw cake from the fridge. Unlike ordinary cakes, this raw food variant does not have to be baked, but instead- as the name implies – is prepared with raw ingredients. Following a healthy diet vs. sweet cravings – one does not have to exclude the other. This delicious cake, like my other raw recipes, supports a healthy lifestyle as it consists entirely of fresh & healthy ingredients. I do not use flour or sugar in my raw recipes but instead use nuts like almonds or cashews, fresh fruit and dates. This is not only a treat for your taste-buds, but also incredibly nutritious: nuts contain abundant amounts of protein, fibre and healthy fats. The dates and fruit are rich in minerals, calcium, copper, zinc, potassium, magnesium and contain many vitamins – who would have thought that a cake can be so healthy while being so delicious?

Continue reading “Raw Strawberry & Lemon Cheesecake”

Super Quick & Easy No-kneading Garlic Naan Bread

indian_curry1

Finding a vegan Naan bread at your local supermarket or favourite Indian restaurant can be challenging – there is milk or milk powder in 90% of them. So stop searching and try making it yourself. My Garlic Naan Bread recipe is so easy – you won’t believe it! It won’t take you long and you don’t need a traditional clay oven to make vegan naan bread and still it becomes wonderfully light and fluffy. This recipe makes 4 Naan Breads but I often double the recipe. If you don’t eat all of it in one go, you can freeze it for up to 1 month.

Continue reading “Super Quick & Easy No-kneading Garlic Naan Bread”

Papa’s Italian Tomato Sauce

A signature dish of Italian cuisine and a timeless classic. Spaghetti al pomodoro is an institution, a simple recipe but far from trivial. Subject to endless variations all aiming find the perfect balance of flavours, the right creaminess and sweetness starts with the choice of the most suitable type of tomato. In summer I make this with fresh tomatoes but the winter ones are just too bland-tasting and I prefer the ones that were canned in summer and thus had the chance to be sun-blushed.

Continue reading “Papa’s Italian Tomato Sauce”