What Is This Year All About?

This winter really did take a hold of me. I can’t believe how long it has been that I have posted anything on this blog. I guess I am just not made for winters. I lose inspiration and just cuddle up and look outside my window until the winter is over. Last week it seemed that the time had finally come and I got to sit in the sun with a cup of coffee for the first time after many month.

And today: SNOWSTORM!

Well, bad luck. I will deal with it. Just like all of us do.

This year has already taught me a lot. I feel like this is a year that will teach all of us to stop focusing on the mind and rather be guided by the heart for a change. I know that many people out there are struggling this year to keep a clear and focused head – don’t worry. This is just you changing your life. It is scary to suddenly let go of the power of the mind that always seemed so precise and in order, and instead go with what your heart tells you to do without thinking it really through.

I follow Sikhism and have been reading through the Guru Granth Sahib (holy book of the Sikhs) recently. I often feel it really helps me to calm down and grounded. There was one paragraph that I just cannot get out of my mind because it seems to be very relevant to what is going on in the world right now – or even better, what is going on in you.

So here we go:

“Why, O mind, do you plot and plan, when the dear Lord Himself provides for your care? From rocks and stones He created living beings; He places their nourishment before them. (…) Mothers, fathers, friends, children and spouses no one is the support of anyone else. For each and every person, our Lord and Master provides sustenance. Why are you so afraid, O mind? The flamingoes fly hundreds of miles, leaving their young ones behind. Who feeds them, and who teaches them to feed themselves? Have you ever thought of this in your mind?”

I absolutely love this and cannot get it out of my head. What it  basically says is that you should stop worrying and trust life and God with everything. So let your mind rest, and go with the heart. Miracles will come your way!
Much love & light.

Onion-Capsicum Sabji with Jeera Rice

This is a super easy Indian meal, something I typically eat for dinner. It is authentic and deliiiicious!

For the rice you will need:

• half a tablespoon of turmeric powder
• one tablespoon of jeera seeds (cumin)
• one cup of rice
• two cups of water

Wash the rice and put it into a pot with the water (I like to add some olive oil or butter). Heat it up and add the turmeric powder and the jeera seeds. Simmer with the lid half-open. I think it will take around 20min… but just keep on checking to see if it is done.

For the Sabji you will need:

• chopped tomatoes, around 1/2 can
• one green capsicum (bell pepper), cut into big slices
• one red capsicum (bell pepper), cut into big slices
• one large onion or two medium ones, cut into big slices
• fresh green chillies, cut into small pieces (I used two, it really depends on how spicy you want it to be)
• garlic paste – one teaspoon
• ginger paste – one teaspoon
• sour cream or yoghurt
• oil (I use olive oil)
• ghee or butter (margarine is an option as well)
• jeera seeds (cumin) – one teaspoon
• jeera powder (cumin) – one reaspoon
• chillie powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• garam masala powder – 1 1/2 teaspoons
• coriander powder (cilantro) – one teaspoon

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the jeera seeds, jeera powder, chillie powder, garam masala and coriander powder. Wait ca. 30 seconds, then add the ginger paste, garlic paste and fresh green chillies. Stir thoroughly. Add the onion and fry for a few seconds, then add the green and red capsicum. Stir and fry for around two minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Put the lid and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Add some sour cream, yoghurt or melted ghee according to your taste. Eat with the rice.

You can serve this meal with some yoghurt on the side (I mixed the yoghurt with some pudina/mint powder) and achaar.

Coconut-Stew With Kidney Beans And Potatoes

This ‘stew’ is simply delicious and so rich and filling… and of course vegan and super easy to make!

You will need:

• a glass of kidney beans (if they are dried, soak them over night)
• a few potatoes, cut into pieces and boiled in salt-water until done
• one big onion, roughly cut
• one cup of coconut-milk
• one capsicum/bell pepper, cut into pieces
• fresh coriander
• coriander powder, cumin powder
• tomato-puree (according to your taste)
• margarine

Heat the margarine in a large pan and add the onions. Once they turn ‘glossy’, add 1 1/2 spoons of the coriander powder and 2 spoons of cumin powder (if you like, you can add some chillie powder). Stir and fry for a minute.

Add the capsicum/bell pepper, tomato-puree and kidney beans and fry for a few minutes. Add the coconut-milk and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Cut the fresh coriander and add it to the stew. Serve with the boiled potatoes.

Super yum. Enjoy! Much love & light!

Vegan Sandwich Madness

A few weeks ago I realized that I am allergic to gluten. I cut out everything that contains gluten from my diet, including bread which I love so much.  Luckily I found a great collection of gluten-free, organic breads in a shop next to my house and since it is a bit more expensive than normal bread, I make the utmost use of it! In my home, sandwiches now have to be delicacies

I have come up with three sandwiches that are incredibly delicious, vegan and super healthy.

The ‘Reuben’-Inspired Sandwich

•  sweet (and hot) mango chutney
• Sauerkraut
• whole-grain mustard
• cucumber

Truth be told, I have never had a Reuben in my life and only know it thanks to Hollywood. But after I looked up the recipe I was inspired to make this sandwich. I used a whole-grain, thinly sliced bread. Spread mustard on one piece and the chutney on the other. Then top the one with mustard with lots of Sauerkraut and thick slices of cucumber, then top it with the chutney-covered slice. There are so many flavours in this one, you will absolutely love it! Btw, this also tastes great in a toasted burger bun!

The Basil-Zucchini Open Sandwich

• a few slices of zucchini/courgette
• fresh basil leaves
• sweet Balsamic vinegar
• Tahini
• Hummus

Spread the Tahini and Hummus on a toasted slice of bread. Top with a few fresh basil leaves and the zucchini slices and sprinkle some Balsamic Vinegar on top. Ohhhh so good!

Avocado Meets Gherkin Open Sandwich

• Avocado, mashed
• soy-sausage slices (or any other ‘fake sausage’, otherwise cucumber slices will do)
• sliced gherkins/pickles
• fresh coriander

Spread the mashed Avocado on a toasted slice of bread. Top with the sausage slice, a few gherkin slices and the fresh coriander. The gherkins I used were a bit sweet which was delicious, but I’m sure any flavour will do.

The ‘Avocado-Gherkin’ on the left, and the ‘Basil-Zucchini’ sandwich on the right.

Comforting Sunday Morning Smoothie

Today I just wanted to spend my morning curled up on the sofa with a book and some good music… but of course I was in need of some good breakfast after I got up. So I decided to go for a sweet and creamy smoothie to brighten up my day.

You will need:

• 4 bananas (make sure they are ripe)
• 2 teaspoons of carobpowder
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 4 tablespoons of oats
• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of soy milk (any other non-dairy milk will do)
• 1 teaspoon of bee-pollen

Mix it all and grind it up! It is sooo delicious and heart-warming. If you want some excitement, add a pinch of cinnamon! DELIIICIOUS!!!!
Have a lovely, blessed Sunday! Love & Light!

Ever-Changing Seasons ~ Ever-Changing You

The summer is now finally over. The past three days I spent sitting on my sofa, wrapped up in a blanket, a cup of tea in my hands. Honestly, I don’t mind. It was a hot summer and though the sun is fun at first, after a while you just want it to go away.

Change is good and makes us feel alive. I cannot imagine living in a place where the weather is the exact same all year ’round. I want some excitement. Have days when it is warm enough to jump into the lake and days when I wear four layers of clothing to stay warm. It gives me joy to take out that lovely jacket from my cupboard for the first time after a long summer. Maybe I am just easily amused but let’s face it: we can learn from Mother Nature!

Like the seasons we can change constantly and it is all good. We may indeed have bad days, good days, very good days, really bad days – but all of them are good and necessary. Just dont forget that after a while it is time for a new season. You can be upset over a break-up for a while but then it is time to get out and live again. One thing is for certain, things will never stay the way they are. They will constantly evolve and change. Some for good, some for worse. But then we need the rainy days just as much as the sunny days, and who doesn’t love to build a snowman after the first snow-fall. Life is magical and all you have to  do is go with it and live it, just as you go with the seasons.

When it is warm, jump into the water; when it is cold, get a jacket. Easy, just gotta do it! Embrace change and use it to create something more beautiful. Take any change as a chance for something new.
Love & Light

Coconutty And Melony ~ Summer Smoothies

The Watermelony

• 1/2 –  1 watermelon
• 1 cup of coconut-water
• a few mint leaves

Grind it all up until smooth. This smoothie is very liquidly and feels like a juice which is great if you don’t have a juicer. Watermelons help to protect your skin from the sun so indulge in as many watermelons as you want during the summer months. Coconut-nut water is filled with electrolytes and potassium – again a ‘must-have’ for a day in the heat.

The Honeydewy or Cantaloupely

• 1 honey or cantaloupe melon
• 2 hand-fulls of green/white grapes

Grind up the ingredients and mmmmmhhhh… These melons are pumped up with Vitamin C and the Cantaloupe got an extra boost of beta-carotene. Grapes too are a source of Vitamin C and Vitamin B6 and K.

The Coconutty (I think the best smoothie I ever EVER had)

• 2 bananas
• 1 can of coconut-milk (or fresh if available)
• 1 hand-full of strawberries (frozen or fresh)
• 1 glass/cup of pineapple juice
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tablespoon of spirulina powder

Again, grind it all up and have a sip and WOWOWOWOOWOWOWOWOW By far the most delicious smoothie I ever had, I swear! It is sooo creamy and yummy and just wooohooo!!!

Got smoothie?