Ok, here’s the thing: The German cuisine is not really known for its healthy twist, and that, my friends, is not a prejudice, it’s a fact. If you ever visit Germany, and you happen to leave any of the larger cities, chances are slim that you will find a vegetarian, let alone a vegan meal. Of course, times are changing in Germany as well, but Bratwurst, Currywurst, and other meaty dishes are still the most common traditional dishes you’ll find in my country.

There are exceptions, however. One of them is the traditional so-called “Frankfurter Grüne Soße”, which translates to “Frankfurt Green Sauce”. This local dish originated in the Frankfurt area and has become quite popular in the entire country. Green Sauce is an herbed sauce that uses seven different herbs, which are pureed with yogurt, cream, eggs, and some other ingredients. While you could argue that the ingredient list of the original version is not exactly healthy, given the amount of heavy cream in it, the amount of herbs found in this sauce is, however, noteworthy.

It is noteworthy because the German cuisine is unfortunately not known for its excessive use of fresh or dried herbs. This is also true and not prejudice. The greatest amount of herbs are often found on the plate as a decoration, and frankly, most Germans leave them to be decoration. So the Frankfurt Green Sauce really stands out.

Obviously, I am slightly exaggerating right now. While our traditional dishes are not really high in nutrients, or fresh vegetables and herbs, many of my fellow Germans love good food and know how to cook delicious, and nutritious meals. Since traditional German foods aren’t really popular amongst younger folks, and health-loving peeps (like me) anymore, many Germans eat quite international these days. I don’t have any statistics to complement my statements, but from a feeling, I would say that the Mediterranean cuisine is the most popular one here, but the French, Thai, Vietnamese and American cuisine are also quite popular.

Back to this sauce. My version is plant-based, of course, and therefore I would say that it is definitely lighter than the original version. I used coconut yogurt, instead of cream, and I’ve omitted the boiled eggs completely. So really, the taste does not resemble the original recipe at all, but that’s definitely not a bad thing in this case.

Let’s have a look at the seven herbs, that make this sauce so special. You do not need to have access to all of these herbs in order to make this sauce. More about alterations in the recipe below:

• Cress: The little leaves are so much more than just decoration. It contains a multitude of minerals and trace elements and even small amounts can really pay off.
• Pimpinella: This pretty herb is also called “small meadow button” (at least in German) and it is very healthy for the body, especially because of its bitter substances. According to herbology, Pimpinelle has digestive, draining, and antispasmodic effects.
• Sorrel: I was always proud of the fact that I knew early on where sorrel grows and how to identify and distinguish it from other herbs. What I didn’t know then was that it is a medicinal plant rich in vitamin C and iron.
• Chives: No, chives are not just a loveless decoration to garnish your meals. In herbal lore, it is said to reduce spring fatigue. Like most herbs, chives contain vitamin C and iron, but in quite small amounts.
• Borage: In Germany, we call borage “cucumber herb”, my guess is because it tastes delicious in cucumber salad. Borage has very fleshy, hairy leaves, and it grows from May to October. Particularly noteworthy is the high content of gamma-linolenic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid, which among other things can strengthen the immune system, regulate blood pressure, and accelerate wound healing.
• Chervil: This herb is also called “soup herb” here in Germany. Chervil is harvested from May to September and is recommended in herbology for colds, stress, and headaches.
• Parsley: In the past (we are talking about ancient greek) parsley was much more than just decoration. It was valued as a medicinal herb and was used, among other things, to aid digestion. In the German cuisine, however, it is seldom more than a marginal garnish, something that we should change. Other cultures use parsley as a staple in their dishes (think Fattoush salad), which is so amazing! Parsley is surprisingly high in vitamin K (10 g cover the daily requirement by over 100%). Vitamin K is good for our keeping our bones healthy and it aids blood clotting.

German Green Sauce is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, but I prefer them with roasted “salt and vinegar” & rosemary potatoes. You could of course also serve it with roasted vegetables or simply as a dip.

Enjoy!

xx

Lynn

The post Plant-based German “Green Sauce” appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

*Ad. This post is sponsored by my gluten-free friends from Alnavit.

This recipe is also available in German. / Dieses Rezept gibt es auch auf Deutsch.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: gluten-free baking. Ever since I started baking gluten-free bread and cakes, there have been plenty of ups and downs. At the beginning of this journey I wanted everything to be 100 % perfect, whole-grain, no white starch added. Obviously it did not take long before I realized that I needed to change my approach, and loosen up a little. Before I keep going, let me quickly explain to you why I dabble in gluten-free recipes. My sister May is a celiac, which means she has a severe form of gluten-intolerance.

It’s for her that I try to make all of the recipes on this blog gluten-free or provide gluten-free options at least. Because of her I also know how lucky I am that I do not have an intolerance, because choosing and having to live gluten-free are two completely different things. While I can easily eat gluten-containing foods while I’m on the go or on vacation, my sister cannot or else she gets really, really sick (like, literally).

So, as I said, in the beginning, I wanted my gluten-free recipes to be 100 % whole-grain. Most packaged or processed foods that are labeled gluten-free often contain nasty additives, and an insane amount of corn or potato starch, which is anything but healthy. I wanted to do things differently. And I succeeded, however, there is a fine line between a recipe being healthy and whole-grain and a recipe being … tasty. Many of you can probably relate that not all whole-grain bread, cakes, or muffins are also enjoyable. That’s when I had an epiphany, and I started to give up on wanting to be perfect, and instead, I started to combine healthy and tasty. Adding a small amount of corn or potato starch to gluten-free flour mixes really makes the outcome more fluffy, and therefore more enjoyable.

When it comes to gluten-free flour, and bread mixes, I often come back to my friends at Alnavit. I’ve been working with them for over three years now, I sometimes consult the product development team with my expertise and experience, which is why I know for sure that they are really trying to combine gluten-free and healthy in their products. A quick look into their ingredient lists reveals that their products are prioritizing promoting healthy living and well-being since the majority of them are whole-grain.  To ensure a pleasurable taste, their products contain a minimal, but necessary amount of corn or potato starch. However, starch is never the first ingredient on the list, which is a great sign of quality. The order of the ingredients indicates the amount of those ingredients, from the largest to the smallest amount.

Today’s gluten-free pizza sticks are made using Alnavit’s new country-style bread mix. I’m afraid, but Alnavit is mainly sold in German-speaking countries, so it will be tricky to get it in other countries. I have provided a homemade gluten-free bread mix in the recipe below, however.

The pizza sticks were such a hit in my household, aka with my husband. When I first made them, I had 7 of them, which kind of equals a whole-pizza. But they were just too good not to eat them all. After my first attempt, I also make a version with spinach pesto to increase the number of nutrients. Both versions were super tasty, and the gluten-free dough was really easy to handle.

You can serve these at a BBQ dinner with friends, at a kid’s birthday party, or simply make them as a fun dinner instead of pizza. No matter how you choose to enjoy them, be sure to snap a picture and send it to me via social media.

Enjoy!

xx

Lynn

The post Gluten-free & plant-based pizza sticks appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

During the summer months, I’m craving more and more Mediterranean dishes. We also eat olives almost daily, dip some delicious sourdough bread in high-quality olive oil, enjoy crispy salads, and the occasional non-alcoholic beer. These things remind us of former vacations, and they instantly put us in a good mood.

Did she really just say bread, oil, and beer?

Often, people can’t imagine that these things have a place in a balanced diet. Healthy eating is often only associated with abstinence and dieting, but the exact opposite is the case. With my recipes, I don’t want to take anything away from anyone, but rather encourage people to eat more. To integrate more vegetables, try out more unfamiliar things, and to eat more things that are good for the body.

It all comes down to a healthy balance. As long as we regularly supply our body with nutritious food, for example with vegetables, fruit, nuts, and oilseeds or pulses, we can consume all of the less-nutritious foods without hesitation. Now, that doesn’t mean that bread isn’t good for you. A high-quality organic loaf of sourdough bread with a high proportion of whole grains contains an enormous amount of fiber. These complex carbohydrates are good for the intestinal flora because they nourish our good intestinal bacteria. Therefore, I have no interest in the demonization of carbohydrates. For me, life is too short for low carb.

That is why today’s recipe celebrates old bread. Panzanella is in fact a Tuscan bread salad that is basically a leftover food. If we have some bread leftover, I like to fry it in a pan to make croutons. It is a small but significant contribution to prevent food waste. But Panzanella is more than just recycling leftovers. The bread salad shows how seemingly simple ingredients can create an incredible taste experience together. Of course, Panzanella is a traditional Tuscan dish, and I am in no way trying to take credit for it. All credit goes to the beautiful area of Tuscany and its friendly people.

Of course, there are no strawberries in the traditional Panzanella recipe, so it’s more accurate to call this salad a bread salad with strawberries. The reason why I added strawberries is my love for seasons and for these incredible local berries. I often put them in green salads, so adding them to my bread salad was a given for me. If you want the real Tuscan-experience, book a trip to Tuscany (difficult at the moment) or omit the strawberries in this recipe.

No matter how or where you enjoy this bread salad, I hope you can enjoy it with someone you love.

Take care,

xx

Lynn

The post Summer strawberry panzanella (Tuscan-inspired bread salad) appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

Before writing this recipe I had to google what the English word for today’s root vegetable is. Surprisingly I learned that kohlrabi is actually quite a German thing and most common in German-speaking countries. That’s why the word kohlrabi was apparently incorporated into the English language. Correct me if I’m wrong. The dictionary says that kohlrabi is also less commonly known as cabbage turnip or stem turnip, so I will stick with kohlrabi in the hope that non-German speakers will understand what I am talking about.

Kohlrabi is a small cabbage that I vividly remember from my childhood. It’s one of those vegetables that we would always eat raw as children, alongside with carrots or cucumbers. Since it has quite a mild and juicy taste, I still love nibbling on it. However, I never really cook with it. Or at least I haven’t until recently. A kind reader asked me the other day why there are no recipes with kohlrabi on my blog or in my cookbook. I messaged her back that this was not intentional, but that I simply never cook with kohlrabi. Since I am constantly looking to expand my horizon and my skills in the kitchen, I took on the kohlrabi challenge the other day and that’s how today’s blog post started.

Making kohlrabi fries is probably not the most creative way to cook with the small cabbage, but it is a realistic and easy way to incorporate more veggies into your diet. As kohlrabi needs less time in the oven, it is also a simple and super quick lunch or dinner recipe. I bake it in avocado or coconut oil as these are two plant-based oils that can withstand higher amounts of heat. As I am a huge fan of cajun spice I added it to the kohlrabi along with a little bit of flour to get a nice crust. Obviously I am not deep-frying the kohlrabi, therefore the fries are not super crunchy.

I served it with my go-to mayonnaise made with white almond butter, apple cider vinegar, and a couple of other staple ingredients. It comes together in about a minute and requires no food processor or blender.

Heavenly for body and soul, because …

… kohlrabi is easier to digest than other cabbages. You cannot really compare it to broccoli or Brussels sprouts in terms of nutrient density, but kohlrabi does contain quite a high amount of Vitamin C. 100 g of kohlrabi contains about 60 % of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C. In terms of minerals, kohlrabi contains a good amount of potassium, which is especially important for people with cardiovascular problems. Besides potassium, kohlrabi also contains a fair amount of calcium, magnesium, and iron. The purple versions are especially rich in anthocyanins, which are plant-compounds commonly found in blue or purple foods such as blackberries or blueberries. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants, which is why I usually go for the purple kohlrabi. Unfortunately, you have to eat the peel when you want to benefit from the antioxidants, which can be hard later in the season as it can get quite hard the longer it is stored. But if you find fresh, organic purple kohlrabi, you can definitely eat the peel.

When is kohlrabi in season?

In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland kohlrabi is locally grown from June to September. It is quite affordable, similar to potatoes I would say. In the winter months, kohlrabi is imported from Italy and Spain. You can also enjoy the leaves similar to the leaves of beetroot. I usually add them to stir-fries.

Since kohlrabi season is just about to start, do try today’s recipe for a seasonal and local snack.

Enjoy!

xx

Lynn

The post 20-minute kohlrabi fries appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

This recipe is also available in German. (Dieses Rezept gibt es auch auf deutsch.)

This recipe was supposed to be the first one in my new book. But due to Coronavirus, things are uncertain. So I thought this recipe might bring some joy into your life in social isolation or quarantine. I’m usually quite hesitant to drop catchy titles, but I just love this tofu, and I’m 99% sure that you will too.

Tofu is not a regular in my diet, but we do enjoy a little bit of tofu every now and then. My husband really loves smoked tofu, and I like it in my Asian-inspired dishes such as Thai curry noodles or summer rolls. We’ve never made tofu the center of our plate, however. At least until I’ve started experimenting with different tofu techniques. There are plenty of tips on the internet, and since I’ve had a little time on my hands during social isolation, I’ve tried a couple of them. And what can I say: some made a HUGE difference. Life-changing, to be exact. Now I’m a tofu girl, and I’m never going back.

1. Squeezing excess liquid out of the tofu.

I own a tofu press, and I am not ashamed of it. Just kidding, but I really never thought that pressing tofu would make such a huge difference in taste. Why? Because pressing tofu squeezes the excess liquid out of it, which makes the texture less watery. The tofu will therefore later taste less bland, and it will absorb the flavor of the marinade much better. Before you invest in yet another kitchen tool, however, note that you do not need a tofu press to achieve this. All you need is a kitchen towel (a paper towel works too, but is less sustainable), two plates, and lots of heavy books. You simply wrap the tofu into the towel, place it between two plates, and then weight it down with heavy books. This will do the trick. Let the tofu sit like that for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer.

Another tip is freezing the tofu. Once you take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature, the de-freezing process will drain all excess water out of the tofu. The only downside of this method is that it takes a little longer. However, if you know you want to eat tofu for dinner, then take it out of the freezer in the morning, and place it into a bowl in the fridge. When you come home you can immediately start making the recipe below.

If you want to invest in a tofu press, then start googling. I own this one*, but it’s a plastic one and not of the highest quality. It gets the job done, however.

2. Do not cut the tofu, tear it.

I’ve found this dip on a website of a tofu brand. In my noodles dishes, I’ve always broken down the tofu into a texture that slightly resembles minced meat. But I’ve never tried it with pan-fried tofu. By tearing the tofu with your fingers into random shapes, it gets bumpy edges. This enables the marinade to stick to the tofu much better. Honestly, I doubt I will ever go back to cutting my tofu with a knife. Though I haven’t figured out how I will do this when I grill tofu.

3. Add the marinade after pan-frying, not before.

This makes SUCH a difference. I used to marinade my tofu in the sauce before pan-frying it because I always thought it makes the tofu absorb the flavors better. However, when I added the sauce last, it clung and stuck to the tofu in such a delicious way, that I will never go back. Granted, this method only works with thick and creamy marinades on a nut butter base. So whenever you use nut butter or tahini in your marinade, try adding the sauce after pan-frying. This gives the tofu a crispy outer layer, and it almost resembles nuggets. I do not like using this comparison, but I cannot find a better way to describe it.

4. The best marinade

I’ve always used a nut butter-based marinade, but recently, I’ve worked on the sweet-acid-balance a little more. This recipe has been my favorite for quite some time, but I’ve changed it up a bit. Instead of using lime juice only, I added apple cider vinegar, which gives it a little more of a tangy flavor. Of course, you could also use garlic and ginger, but I tried to keep it as simple as possible by only using nut butter, apple cider vinegar, tamari, and a dash of lime juice.

Is tofu healthy?

Tofu has gotten a bit of a bad reputation over the last decade. This is mainly due to the genetic manipulation of the soybean in countries such as the United States. Growing genetically modified soy is, however, banned in Germany and to my knowledge, in the entire European Union. When I buy soy products, I only buy them in organic quality, preferably with one of the trustworthy organic labels. Also, I only buy tofu from German or Austrian crops to make sure it is GMO-free. So look for organic, GMO-free tofu when you buy your next batch. Tofu is an excellent source of plant-based protein, so it can definitely be regarded as healthy food when eaten in moderation.

If you suffer from a thyroid condition such as Hashimoto or other chronic illnesses, you might want to consult your doctor first. An excess amount of soy products is not recommended for people with thyroid conditions. However, eating tofu in moderation is normally considered unproblematic. Even people suffering from thyroid conditions can eat tofu in healthy moderation. Nobody eats tofu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.

The post Life-changing Tofu appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

This week it’s all about rhubarb on my blog! At least today, because I am still working on the perfect rhubarb muffins for Easter weekend. I really hope to have them on the blog by Thursday or Friday. Rhubarb is one of those foods that divides people. Either you love it or you hate it. I’m definitely team rhubarb.
If you have always wanted to buy the pretty red sticks but don’t know exactly how to prepare them, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, I’ll cover rhubarb preperation, the deal with oxalic acid and ways to use rhubarb.

When is rhubarb season?

In Europe, rhubarb is available from the beginning of April to the end of June at the latest. Traditionally, it is only harvested until the 26th June (a former German Holiday), as the oxalic acid content is too high by then. More about this in a moment.

Is rhubarb healthy?

Rhubarb is not really susceptible to pesticides, which is why it does not need to be sprayed at all or only slightly. So you don’t necessarily have to buy it in organic quality. Rhubarb is rich in fibre, contains a lot of vitamin C as well as iron, potassium and phosphorus. It is also very low in fructose, which also gives it its acidic taste.

What about the oxalic acid?

Rhubarb is often called unhealthy because of its high oxalic acid content. Oxalic acid is found in many green foods such as spinach leaves, chard or parsley. Since some kidney stones consist of the calcium salt of oxalic acid (calcium oxalate), green smoothies, for example, are often said to cause kidney stones. It is indeed true that oxalic acid can inhibit the absorption of calcium and also iron. For this reason, foods with a high level of oxalic acid should not necessarily be eaten in huge quantities. But be honest: someone who eats a balanced and healthy diet is definitely on the safe side. The formation of kidney stones is not caused by oxalic acid only. In most cases, many other factors are responsible for this, such as an unhealthy diet with too little water, too few minerals (especially magnesium and calcium), too much table salt and consequently dysbiosis and hyperacidity.

The oxalic acid content in rhubarb increases over the course of the harvesting period. Therefore, rhubarb should be eaten as early in the season as possible and should not be harvested or bought from June onwards. What I find especially interesting: dark red sticks contain less oxalic acid than the green ones. However, the leaves of rhubarb contain even more oxalic acid, so they definitely belong on the compost and should not be added to smoothies.

Can you lower the oxalic acid content?

It is perfect if you eat rhubarb with calcium-rich foods. However, this is difficult for vegans, because apart from sesame, it is mostly vegetables that are rich in calcium. Also, I don’t think anyone would appreciate a nice broccoli and rhubarb compote. What you can do is add a little bit of sesame to your porridge with rhubarb compote to increase the calcium content. If you eat dairy products, the combination of rhubarb compote and yoghurt or curd is obvious, but it is generally not advisable to eat dairy products in combination with fruit (leads to fermentation in the intestine). Again, some sesame seeds might be the better choice even for vegetarians.

If you are taking iron supplements, it is recommendable that you do so 1-2 hours before eating rhubarb. If you are already suffering from kidney stones, rhubarb is probably not the best choice. At least in large quantities. Also, children should not eat too much of rhubarb.

Do you have to peel rhubarb?

Actually, yes. There’s a lot of oxalic acid in the peel. As you can see in my pictures, I’m not so strict about that. I usually only peel the hard parts of the rhubarb stalks. But when in doubt, always peel them.

Can you eat rhubarb raw?

Yes, you can. Rhubarb is not poisonous when eaten raw. But be aware that it is extremely sour.

How to use rhubarb

Rhubarb compote is, of course, a classic (see recipe below). Rhubarb cakes or tarts are also very popuar. Here is Germany, we’re crazy about rhubarb meringue cake. You can also make rhubarb jam. Less common, but no less delicious, is the use of the red sticks in savory dishes. It can be added to stews, for example, or cut thinly into salads. For seasonal reasons, rhubarb is often combined with strawberries. This is really one my favorite combinations in the spring.

To sum it up

Rhubarb is only available for a short time anyway and if you eat it as a compote, in cakes or salads, there is little danger of eating too much of it. If you eat a healthy and balanced diet anyway, there is no reason not to indulge in it.

To let your rhubarb experiments begin, here is the easy peasy recipe for rhubarb compote.

The post How to cook rhubarb + quick rhubarb compote appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

‘Tis is the season. The season of strawberries, asparagus and rhubarb aka my favorite time of the year on the farmers market. It comes so naturally to me to only buy certain fruits and vegetables seasonally that I would not even think to buy strawberries in the winter. Also, nothing compares to sun-grown, local strawberries, fresh white and green asparagus and juicy rhubarb. For example, buying strawberries in the winter can mean a lack of taste, nutrients and color due long journeys from overseas or other countries. I therefore celebrate the seasons to the fullest to make sure that I need a break from them until the next year.

When I lived in the U.S. I was surprised that white asparagus was not really a thing over there. You could get some in fancy grocery stores, but green asparagus was the main type of asparagus at least in the placed where I have lived (North Carolina, New York, Texas). Now I have not lived in the U.K., but I remember seeing white asparagus in London last time I visited. So if you read this, please let me know where you are from and if white asparagus is common where you live. Just me being curious. So if you can’t find white asparagus, you can of course use the green one instead.

For me, asparagus season is almost like a Holiday. We really celebrate this time with annual family get-togethers where we serve many pounds of asparagus with potatoes, hollandaise and – traditionally some sort of salty meat. I prefer eating asparagus in a bit more modern way with sweet potatoes, tamari-roasted mushrooms, wild herb salad and a delicious salad dressing. We have been eating this recipe literally every single Saturday and Sunday since asparagus season started and I still have not gotten enough of it.

So while I have you here, I thought I’d share a quick anecdote from our home to yours. We are terrible with getting things done around the apartment. Our hallway still lacks proper lighting, there are posters and picture frames that we were went to hang on the walls and we even have cupboards in our storage that have still not been installed. So imagine how proud we were this week when we actually managed to get this String pocket cupboard on my kitchen wall. OMG – I had been wanting one of these for years and when I finally got it I could not – for the live of me – decide where exactly I wanted it to go. Embarrassing, I know, so if you can at all relate to this, please let me know.

So now that the cupboard is hanging in my kitchen, it feels like it has been here forever. Sometimes, you just need a little push to get things done. What do you think?

So let’s examine this heavely Spring Bowl:

Heavenly for body and soul, because …

… asparagus really is a treasure for our health. It contains a good amount of folic acid, which is not only important for the happiness hormone dopamine, but it is also very important for unborn children. A folic acid deficiency can lead to spina bifida, an open spine, which is why pregnant women are often recommended to eat lots of folic acid containing foods or take supplements.
– Even though asparagus is not red, it contains a good amount of beta-carotene, which is most commonly found in orange or red produce. 100 g of asparagus already contain 30% of the daily-recommended intake of beta-carotene. Given that it’s easy to eat 300-500 g of asparagus at once, asparagus really is a great source of beta-carotene. Combined with the sweet potato, this dish really is great for your eyesight and immune system.
– Another nutrient in asparagus is vitamin E, the beauty vitamin. It is a strong antioxidant and can slow down the aging process and increase fertility.
– Asparagus is also rich in vitamin C and K. Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting and strong bones. Vitamin C is another strong antioxidant that protects the immune system and increases iron absorption.

The post Seasonal asparagus spring bowl appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

Hello friends, I am back from the dead. No really, I am back for good, because I am proud to say that I have finished my thesis, which was the last part that kept me from holding my Master of Science diploma in my hands. To say that I’m relieved is an understatement. Though I am not planning a career in the business world anytime soon, I needed to finish my studies for myself. To know that I could do it. And to know that in case my blog won’t be able to support me anymore, I got options with my degree.

So the other day, Jannis and I discovered that there is a stand on our beloved farmers market that actually sells homemade, vegan Kimchi. I was so thrilled when I tasted it that Kimchi has become a staple in our kitchen. Of course I also love making it myself using this recipe. But sometimes it’s nice to know that you can get quality ingredients locally.

So what’s the deal with Kimchi? Kimchi is fermented cabbage that originates from South Korea. It’s extremely delicious, very healthy and also quite easy to make actually. It’s also quite spicy due to ginger and chili, and a little sour due to the fermentation process. It really goes well with anything – I add it to my avocado toast, to bowls, to salads or to stir-fries. A great staple to have in your household. As it is fermented it also keeps for months, so you can make a couple of batches and store them for when you are ready to eat it.

The other day we added kimchi to our summer rolls and oh my, it was delicious. Of course you can also make this recipe if you do not have kimchi at hand. But it does add a little exciting extra to this dish, I’m not gonna lie. Basically kimchi makes every dish better, so expect to see more of it here soon.

Oh, if you’re living in Germany or in any German-speaking country, I would appreciate it if you could fill out this quick survey for my next book. Since it will only be in German first, the survey is in German only, I’m afraid. Thank you so much for your help.

Now have fun rolling those summer rolls. They really are perfect for spring and summer!

Lots of love,

xx

Lynn

Enjoy!

The post Kimchi Summer Rolls appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

It was about time. Living in a small city means your restaurant choices are extremely limited. So it may be possible that my fiancé and I take the train to Hamburg every now and then only to eat at our favorite Asian restaurants. Our favorites include anything Vietnamese, Thai and of course Japanese. We love ramen noodle soup and edamame. So it was about time that we tried making edamame ourselves. AND IT WAS AMAZING.

Seriously, this may be the easiest recipe of all times. It literally takes 5 minutes and you have the best snack to impress not only yourself, but also any guests you might invite for a little edamame feast.

Now the hard part about this recipe is finding the edamame. While I’m sure it will be easy for anyone living in a large city with lots of Asian supermarkets, it might be impossible to find edamame in rural areas in all parts of the world. Big cities will have a WholeFoods or a Trader Joes, that’s where I would start my edamame search. However if you’re not living in a big city, it might be hard to find edamame. And I’m not even going to throw in the word „organic“, because forget it. 9 times out of 10 you’re lucky to find edamame where you live, so you can’t be picky about the ones you find.

If you happen to live in Germany, your best chances are Alnatura, the organic supermarket chain. Look for a brand called „Bio Inside“. To my knowledge they are one of the few European brands that sell organic edamame both shelled and peeled. Non-organic edamame can be found in most Asian supermarkets in Germany.

And if you’ve read this far and still don’t know what I’m talking about. Here’s a brief lecture on what edamame actually are. Edamame are young soy beans, and since they are picked when they are young, they are soft and edible. On the contrary, the soy beans used to make soy products such as soy milk or tofu.

Heavenly for body and soul, because…
…edamame have a great amino acid profile. They contain all nine essential amino acids, making them a complete protein. That’s great because, our body cannot produce essential amino acids on its own. 100 g of edamame already contain 12 g of protein, which is approx. 20% of the daily recommended protein requirement of an average woman.

Now I’m curious to hear if you can find edamame where you live. And if you tried the recipe. Let me know in the comments below.

Enjoy!

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It has been three months since my cookbook hit the shelves of the German-speaking bookstores for the first time. Crazy, right? Since then, the book has already been completely sold out twice since we never expected to be so popular. Writing the book was probably the biggest challenge I’ve ever taken. In retrospect, a bachelor thesis or finals week in college felt like a joke compared to it. Gosh, how I hated the people who told me back in college that life was ten times worse than finals week. Now I’ve become one of them.

I know I’ve said this a billion times already, but I cannot thank you all enough for your support. I know that some English-speaking readers even bought the German copy, just to support me. How crazy it that?! As a big cookbook lover, I know how easily cookbooks dust in the shelves without anyone actually ever cooking out of them. I really enjoy looking at the pictures in my cookbooks, but actually cooking out of them – that rarely happens here on my side. Can you therefore imagine how incredible it must be for me to get all your photos, emails and instastories with my recipes. I mean – come on! How come you all have so much time to cook? Joking aside, I am so immensely grateful to you all for letting me take part in your lives. Seeing my recipes end up at your dinner table is beyond crazy to me.

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Do you take time to plan a new Christmas menu every year? Or are you more traditional with regards to the food you serve on Christmas Eve and the Holidays? My family definitely belongs to Type 1 and with four women and a man at the table, choosing the right menu is not always easy. It must be gluten-free for one of my sisters and preferably full of plant-power for me. My dad hardly dares to say it, but he would not say not to a little meat. Yes and one of the sisters has a bit of a sweet tooth, so dessert is a must in my family as well.

That’s why our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve consists of many smaller dishes, which we try to prepare already on December 23rd. Here in Germany, Santa already brings presents on Christmas Eve, so that’s when all the magic happens. We also all love a big, fresh salad, as well as oven vegetables and some other vegetable side dishes. For dessert we usually keep it simple and classic with a fruit salad. But last year we had prepared small mini-crumbles, which we all enjoyed very much. That’s why they are also part of today’s Christmas menu.

New this year are delicious lentil and millet patties. Of course they do not taste like meat, but the high proportion of fried mushrooms, red onions and spices such as rosemary and thyme give them a wonderfully festive aroma. Also, our oven vegetables will get a very special twist this year in the form of Swedish Hassleback potatoes. Maximal visual outcome with minimum input. That’s ‘ma Christmas jam, everyone. By cutting into the potatoes or vegetables, they absorb the aromas of the spices and roasting way better. With delicious olive oil, rosemary and sea salt, the oven vegetables remain simple, yet festive.

My secret favorite, however, is the butternut squash. I was inspired by the simple yet incredibly tasty side dish from my last trip to South Africa. On one evening we were served cooked butternut squash with cinnamon and nutmeg. No more and no less. And since this side dish is very juicy, it perfectly complements the patties and the oven vegetables in this menu.

Heavenlyn for body and soul because…
… well, because it contains so much the concentrated plant power. The colorful salad provides plenty of vital substances such as vitamin K from the kale, which, among other things, ensures healthy bones. The butternut squash is a great source of beta-carotene, called provitamin A, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is not only important for the eyesight, but also for an intact immune system. Like all lentils, beluga lentils contain a lot of plant-based protein as well as dietary fibers that keep us full for longer. Millet contains magnesium, which is important for our muscles and nervous system, but also iron, which is essential for oxygen transport in the blood. A little bit of vitamin B5 is also found in millet (4% in 100 g millet). The beauty vitamin B5 promotes, among other things, beautiful skin, hair and nails and counteracts stress.

Well, did you feel like a little different Christmas dinner? If you still need some inspiration, then I have the following ideas for you:
– stuffed butternut squash with lentils and kale
– sweet potato parsnip soup with truffled popcorn (so good!)
– festive roasted Brussels sprouts with pumpkin and pecans
– heavenly spiced apple red cabbage
– lentil loaf with cranberry sauce

I hope I could inspire you to try some of today’s dishes this Holiday season.

Lynn

What to prepare the day before:
– the dressing for the salad
– roast the hazelnuts (or you can buy roasted nuts or almonds to save time)
– chop the almonds for the crumbles
– remove the seeds from the pomegranate
– cook millet and beluga lentils
– prepare the cranberry sauce
– free the kale from the stalk

For the winter mini-crumbles:

For the winter kale salad:

For the cinnamon-roasted butternut squash

For the Hassleback-style oven-roasted vegetables:

For the lentil-millet patties with cranberry sauce:

Bon Appetit and Merry Christmas!

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*Webung/ Ad. This post is sponsored by Alnavit. This post is also available in German.

One of the most popular recipes from my cookbook is the recipe for gluten-free seed crackers. The recipe is so simple, yet all of the German readers seem to love it as I keep seeing it in tagged Instagram-posts. Therefore, I decided to share this recipe favorite also with my international audience today. Also, I just came back from a trip down memory lane in the US, so I’m feeling especially jolly these days.

One of the most frequently asked questions about my book is why I put (gluten-free) in paranthesis in front of some of the ingredients. Since my sister has celiac disease, the worst form of gluten intolerance, the entire book is gluten-free. But it’s more “gluten-free” by accident, because I do not use simply use gluten-free substitutes, I’ve only used foods that are naturally gluten-free. There are some foods that can easily be contaminated with gluten, such as yeast or dried vegetable stock, therefore I like adding the addition “gluten-free”, so people with a gluten-intolerance or celiac disease are sure to check the label before they buy an ingredient. Also, there is a huge confusion about oats and gluten. I always put “certified gluten-free” when referring to oats, too, and that’s also one of the most frequently asked question on the blog.

Are oats gluten-free?

Oats are naturally gluten-free because they are not botanically related to wheat. However, oats are often grown in fields where wheat, spelt or other gluten-containing foods were previously grown. There are traces of gluten on the harvestors or in the sacks or trucks in which the oats are transported. In addition, oats are mostly processed in factories that also process gluten-containing grains. Therefore, oats must be grown in strictly gluten-free fields and flocced in a gluten-free mill to avoid traces of gluten. Anyone who has ever been to a mill knows that traces of gluten in a normal flour mill cannot be avoided.

Who should use gluten-free oats?

People with intolerances or celiac disease should always buy gluten-free oats to avoid irritation of the intestinal wall. Most people with celiac disease already notice the smallest traces of gluten in their food, which is why gluten-free oats are a literal life-safer to them. I often get asked where I buy my gluten-free oats from, and I really like my partner Alnavit. Since I personally do not have a gluten-intolerance, I also eat regular oats, but my sister absolutely loves Alnavit* and all its gluten-free choices.

Alnavit is a close partner of mine, and they belong to the Alnatura family. I always call them Alnatura’s partner for people with intolerances. Nearly all of their products are gluten-free. But even for people like me who do not live a gluten-free life, the Alnavit products are great, because most of them are whole-grain and contain a minimal amount of ingredients. I live for their buckwheat noodles and the gluten-free whole-grain penne. Not because they are gluten-free, but because they have the highest organic quality that tastes good.

For this recipe, all you will need are your choice of seeds, some sea salt and water. You can go crazy with all of the seeds, but you WILL need the chia seeds, because they work as a binding ingredient in this dish. You can sway any other seed for another, but the chia seeds are definitely needed. If you’re not allergic to gluten, then you can use any kind of oats, but if you do have an intolerance, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.

And don’t forget to add that rosemary or any other dried spice of your choice. It makes the crackers extra yummy.

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

*Werbung / Ad. This recipe is sponsored by Alnavit. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me dancing through my kitchen all day long.

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