+ roasted bell pepper sauce +

 Hey guys! Guess what! Earlier this month my boyfriend and I decided to embark on a big journey and moved to another country. We have been planning this for a long while now, and thought it was now or never, so we packed our most important belongings and left the comfort of our home to try our luck in the UK. We have only spent a couple of weeks here, but we both are enjoying the London atmosphere. I thought I would start missing being close to nature very early on, but I am pleasantly surprised that the many gorgeous parks this city offers cure my yearning - for now. Another thing I really miss - apart from family and friends of course - is my little kitchen. I only packed the most necessary things, and I am doing OK with them. I'm not sure how much longer I can cope with a shared kitchen though. On the other hand, it makes me lean towards more simple meals that are normally really quick, which is nice.  I do miss being able to experiment though. Making a big mess or being loud (Hello high speed blender and food processor!) are not really an option. Therefore I had to cut back on smoothies and elaborate sauce recipes. I do have one that I came up with back home, and I couldn't wait to share it with everyone. Whenever I get over my fear of using this new strange oven here, I will certainly make this, 'cause it's sooooo yummmmaaaay!!! 

+ the comfort plate +

I'm not sure how things are going in other corners of the world, but we've been having a quite hectic spring this year. Although I was able to get my vitamin D on a couple of times, it's been mostly chilly and windy. I came up with this recipe in the winter, but I'm glad I can still turn to it when a 0 °C night calls for legit comfort food. I cooked this dish for a good 7 evenings straight and didn't get tired of it. It comes complete with a ton of fiber, vitamin A, plant protein, and virtually no fat. It's ready in just 30 minutes.

+ double chocolate caramelized banana oat cakes +

I have big changes coming up and I'm very excited. I can't wait to share more about it here!! To celebrate the event, without saying what it is, I present you this: 

+ ten minute vegan pasta heaven +

Holy sh*t, guys!! I think this one going to be very hard to get over. Smoked cheese used to be my favorite thing back when I was into bovine secretions, also known as dairy. Actually, cheese was the last dairy product I gave up before becoming vegan. I swear to you, the combination of toppings in this recipe resulted in a taste and mouth-feel eerily similar to the aforementioned product. So similar, that I kinda felt like I had eaten cheese, which made me feel a little uncomfortable. Maybe it's just me... I'll let you decide for yourselves. Even if you don't feel the similarity, this is one yummy dish without all the fat and other nasty things in cheese. 

+ christmas leftovers: a vegan feast +

I am such a bad blogger. I had planned to share all my holiday cooking on here, but I was so caught up in everything else (not including making and wrapping presents) that I didn't share anything. Our main dish turned out so well that I'm not even ashamed to show it to you so late. We've been eating leftovers for three days, but it still tastes good. The only downside is that it is a little bit higher in sodium than our usual meals, only because I wanted my family to try vegan dishes and actually enjoy them. The truth is, our cooking and eating habits are so far from the norm that I did not want to risk making them turn away from healthy, cruelty-free foods for good. My entire family came over on Christmas day and I was prepared with all kinds of goodies to fill up their tummies. We had sushi rolls, whole wheat veggie pizza, raw carrot cake bites and orange flavored chocolate balls. I also wanted something more traditional, so I made mashed potatoes, mini no-meat balls made from pulses, steamed red cabbage and a yummy red wine gravy. Here's a teaser: 

+ perfect vegan pancakes +

I woke up this past Sunday feeling like I need to whip up an extra special breakfast to shake up our porridge + fruit ritual, and provide a substantial breakfast for my beau after surviving an intense bike tour. I've had a couple of attempts at making vegan pancakes in the past, but the results varied. Even though I have managed to make pretty decent ones too, the maximalist within me did not think they were share-worthy. So, I just crawled out of bed and headed straight to the kitchen still half asleep. Miraculously, by the time I was fully conscious, the batter was ready and the pan was heating up on the stove. Yes. It was that simple. Don't believe me? Then I guess you'll have to try it yourself :) 

+ curried string bean rice vermicelli +

I have a confession to make. We've kind of been ignoring the garden. I'm so sad, because I really love working there, but the fact that I've to work overtime lately is not helping. I really hope the veggies we planted survive until we have time to check on them. We even missed planting cucumbers and squash this season. Such a bummer. Last year we had our very own organic string beans that even the ants loved, by the way! I left them be, they did not do much damage anyway. This year, though, I had to resort to store-bought beans.The one time I saw fresh ones on the shelves was this week, so I had to get my hands on them. And I made this:  

+ oil free ratatouille (naturally vegan) +

While I absolutely LOVE munching on raw veggies, it is nice to have a cooked veg-packed meal in the evening. I especially feel the comfort it offers after a long a stressful day at work. This recipe used to be one of my favorites, however, my Mom always made her version with bacon and more oil, so I - of course - had to give it a low fat plant-based makeover. 

   

+ purslane pitaya green smoothie +

So, I had two of my wisdom teeth pulled recently, and I had to resort to a liquid diet for quite a while. Ice cold smoothies were my go-to meals - apart from baby food - and I had to be creative. I can't even tell you how long I'd been wanting to try purslane. One of my colleagues was kind enough to bring me some from their garden and I could barely contain my excitement. I think my fascination with wild and foraged food will not die down any time soon.  

+ strawberry bubblegum ice cream (homage to the new king of pop) +

So, we went to see Justin Timberlake in Vienna this week. My friend and I queued for about 5 hours roasting in the sun  before we even got inside the venue, and then we waited another 2 hours there for the show to start, but it was all worth it. That man is a true pro. The whole 20/20 experience was impeccable. I didn't think I would fangirl as much as I did, but I was simply overwhelmed by his charisma.  

I originally wanted to call this "bubblegum shake", but then I realized, that not only it tastes like bubblegum, but it contains strawberries, so it felt most appropriate to call it Strawberry Bubblegum Ice Cream after one of JT's songs - especially now that the weather's getting hotter and hotter.