Zucchini cream soup

A great soup to warm your day and just make you feel better (if you're having a slight cold due to extreme temperature changes).

Omnivore approved & complimented. Which does not happen very often.

ZUCCHINI CREAM SOUP
serves: 4

1 onion
4-6 cloves garlic
2 small carrots ( or 1 medium)
3 small potatoes
2 medium zucchini
0,5 - 1 l vegetable broth
drop of olive oil
salt, pepper
season to taste

Wash & cut your veggies to small bites.

Heat a drop of olive oil. When hot add chopped onion and stir-fry for a few minutes, until the onion turns soft. Add garlic and chopped carrots. Stir fry a minute, then add potatoes and just enough water to cover it. Cover your pot with a lid and let it simmer until the potatoes are half-way cooked (they turn a bit tender, but not quite yet).

Then, add chopped zucchini to the pot, pour with vegetable broth (not too much, you don't want your mixture too liquid - add just enough to cover the veggies, you can always add more broth later on), and season to taste. Let it cook a few more minutes on low heath, until the zucchini turn tender, but not mushy.

Remove from heat and let it cool a bit, then add to blender and blend away - you don't need to blend it completely, a few solid pieces in the soup will only add to the texture.

If your mixture is too thick, return to pot, add a bit more broth and bring it to boil again.

Serve hot with some toasted garlic bread.

Pasta in creamy pecan sauce

Cold temperatures are ideal for hearty dishes. Still vegan although not very healthy, is it. But sometimes, one just needs a bit of cream in life.

Since buying pecans I was looking for a way to use them up. I did think about a pecan pie, just because I've never done it before, but it seems out of place in the middle of July. So instead, as pecans taste almost like walnuts, I went for a cream sauce.

PASTA IN CREAMY PECAN SAUCE
serves: 2

200 g pasta
a handful of pecans (or walnuts, hazelnuts)
a drop of nondairy butter
about 1 - 2 dcl plain nondairy milk
about 1 dcl nondairy cream
pinch of salt, pepper
spices to taste

Cook pasta according to instructions, then drain.

In a food processor grind the pecans to tiny crumbs, but avoid turning them into butter.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a pan, melt the butter. Add the crumbled pecans and toast lightly. Add cream and milk, season to taste, and let it simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens.

If you've added too much milk, the sauce will be too liquid and won't stick to the pasta, so you may want to thicken it with cornstarch. If your sauce is too thick, just add a bit more milk to it.

Add pasta to the sauce and combine together. Serve hot.

Summer Break

Day 153. Can't believe, really.

I've been on a break the past week. We had planned to go mountain hiking and just travelling around, but then of course, everything went against it, even the weather.

Just a recap.

The past weekend I joined a bachelorette party for one of my best friends who is getting married this upcoming saturday. The party lasted a good 12 hours (!) and we had a blast and sadly nearly killed the bride, but everything was ok in the end :) Part of the party consisted also of all 14 girls envading the concert stage of a popular Slovenian band - we had an agreement with them that they'd dedicate a song to our bride, but instead, the funny people they are, they brought all of us on stage where we had to dance and sing with them for about 5 songs or so in front of our whole hometown!

I slept about 4 hours and when I returned home I found my partner had injured himself, cutting his heel deep and ugly and there went our hiking plans. Then, even the weather turned ugly and has stayed like that for the past days, so we have about 14°C today and is just damn cold. Not the usual July's 30°C by far. I hope the weather turns better until weekend otherwise we'll all freeze to death on the wedding! Summer cocktail dresses, anyone?

So, instead of travelling and having fun, we did some shopping and some minor trekking and slept really late everyday. And we cooked and ate, wrapped up in blankets like hot dogs.

With colder temperatures, the dishes went heartier, too.

Barley minestrone with fresh swiss chard

Grilled tofu with zucchini & cherry tomatoes, corn on the cob and oven-roasted potatoes

Conchiglie in creamy pecan sauce

Hearty zucchini cream soup

And just as all things put together weren't weird enough, on Saturday, while having my breakfast and looking up the news on my laptop, the ugliest thing happened. Just like that, when I reached for a glass of juice, the glass tripped, broke and the juice spilled all over my laptop keyboard.

I froze. I panicked. I didn't know where to start cleaning - the table, the couch, my clothes, the laptop. The laptop!! I hopped up, grabbed a dish towel and tried to drain the liquids off the keyboard. I even turned the laptop upside down in hope it will drain off. Of course it didn't. The liquids reached the processor or motherboard or all of it. It died. I'm laptop-less the past few days and know I need to buy a new one, but I honestly don't want to pay a month's income on it.

So I started looking for a new one and with all the offers I'm lost and don't even know what I want or need. I mean, I know what I need is not much - something to browse, mails, write and edit photos. But the thing I really need now is a laptop that is immune to my clumsiness. And to bombs & disasters as well, with my luck.

This summer is a real burden to my wallet. What with birthdays, bachelorettes, weddings (gifts & clothes) and now a new computer. And did I mention we still didn't go to holidays anywhere? And I wanted to go to Bali or Thailand or... and instead what? Just Italy or Croatia yet again?

I'm back in the office today so there goes my summer break. 5 days of laziness and now, who knows when I'll have the time again to take the time off. Or the money, for that matter.

Peach'n' blueberry smoothie

The peach season is on its highest and we're drowning in peaches. I like them quite firm best and as soon as they turn tender they are not appealing to me anymore.

That is, until I tried to incorporate them into a drinkable version and found heaven.

PEACH'n' BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE
serves: 1 or 2

3 smaller tender peaches (or 2 big peaches)
1 small banana
drop of lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1 handful of frozen blueberries (I'm emptying the freezer)
1-2 tbs vanilla flavored yogurt (non dairy)
drop of water (to taste & consistence)
1 tsp açai berry powder
1 tsp hemp protein powder

Put everything in a blender and blend away.

Notes: peel fruit first! :)

the Redwood

Just the other day I happened across a post talking about Heather Mills' vegan product line called the Redwood and thought I'd need to go on a search to find it... and a few days later I stumbled across it in my fave Interspar store as part of new supply - brand new on shelves!

I was most intrigued by yogurts that are not based on soy beans, but peas. But besides that, I also chose to give fake cheese another go and to try falafel as well.

I have bad experiences with fake cheese. I tried Sheese once and after a bite threw it all away and swore never again! But then I found Redwood's Cheezly and before I knew it I had a Mozzarela style (I chose this because it read "super melting") in my shopping cart.

I haven't tried the Wot, no dairy? pea-based yogurt yet, but I have successfully eliminated the falafel bites for a lunch with my partner (he approved and gave permission to buy it again! which surely tells a lot!):

And I tried Cheezly many times now: by itself (ok), melting it in a risotto (great) and topping a pizza:

Which surprisingly turned out great, given my experiences with fake cheese, and it even melted ok, though not exactly like mozzarella. The Cheezly gave the pizza a slightly sour taste, which turned out to complement the pizza great!

When the pizza was done, the cheezly was all soft, so I just spread it out a bit with a knife.

All in all, I'm satisfied with the products (still need to try the yogurt) and, as far as falafel and cheezy go, I will surely buy it again!

Banana wafer dessert

It seems once you discover parfaits, you just want to keep playing with it. That's what they are - fun! Fun to make and fun to eat, since you never know what surprise might await you in there! I had some wafer (or napolitaner) stored that needed to be put to use (= I craved it!) and decided to implement them in a mildly sweet & sour simple combination, that I do not call a parfait, because there are not enough layers for that. It's just a delicious cold dessert to enjoy on a hot day.

BANANA WAFER DESSERT
serves: 2

• nondairy yogurt, plain
• 1 banana
• a few wafers
• 1 tsp açai berry powder
• 1 firm peach

Fill the bottom of a serving glass with crushed wafers (save a few for garnish).
In a blender combine the banana with yogurt (at will add a drop of lemon juice and a tsp sugar for coservation). Pour over wafers. Garnish with peach slices, açai berry powder and crushed wafers.

Serve cold.

Lemon ice tea

I've been drinking plenty of water these days since it's so hot I'm almost constantly thirsty. And well, one can get sick of water alone. So the other day I made me some ice tea, just for a change.

LEMON ICE TEA
makes: 1 litre

• 1 l water
• fresh peppermint branches (or 2-3 tea bags)
• a few pinches of green tea leaves (or 2 tea bags)
• (some dried nettle leaves at will)
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 organic lemon (wash and slice)
• ice cubes

Bring water to boil, then remove from heat and add herbs or tea bags. Let it soak according to instructions, then remove from water. Mix in sugar, then let it cool down completely.

Once cooled, add lemon slices, ice cubes and some fresh peppermint branches for garnish and serve cold.

Pecans and nuts

I know for many of you out there, this will be hard to believe, but in my country, pecans are not so easy to find. And since seeing a picture of a pecan pie, I have always been interested in pecans - researching, looking out for them, trying desperately to get a hold on the nuts. I wanted so badly to try it! With all the fuzz about it, they have tobe good, right? They simply have to be something special and exotic for us.

So, last week, out of the blue I came across it - the last package of pecan nuts on the pile. Oh joy! I grabbed it so quickly my partner barely had time to notice.

I went home, opened the package at once and tried a nut.

I should have known. I mean, look at the nuts. Don't it just remind you of something similar that is widely available in Europe?

Don't you think it looks like or reminds you of, well... walnuts?

Well, it certainly tastes the same. So much about different and exotic. But since I do have them home now, I shall just make me a pecan pie. Oh, why not.

ps: be aware, 100 g of pecans amounts to over 700 calories!!

Blueberry parfait

Just the other day, I was craving something sweet, but cold; fruity, but creamy; a bit crunchy, but healthy. With temperatures as you wouldn't believe, I'm not touchin the stove, let alone the oven, to make meals, or if I do, it's something cooked in under 10 minutes or nothing.

So what can you make, when you want all of the above but don't want to drink it in a smoothie? Why, a parfait, of course. Mine is actually not so solid, and you can't really see all the layers, but it counts!

BLUEBERRY PARFAIT
serves: 2

• a handful of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• drop of lemon juice, squeezed
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp açai berry powder
• nondairy yogurt
• 1 firm peach
• some granola and chopped nuts for garnish

Put the blueberries in a blender with half of the banana, the lemon juice, sugar and drop of water and blend away. Pour in serving glass. Top with açai berry powder, top with the remaining banana (sliced), top with yogurt and garnish with peach slices, granola and chopped nuts.

Tomato sauce

TOMATO SAUCE (for pasta)
serves: 3-4

1 kg - 1,5 kg ripe tomatoes
1 onion
3-4 garlic cloves
drop of olive oil
salt, pepper, spices to taste
pinch of sugar
fresh basil leaves


Wash and prepare your veggies.

Cut tomatoes in chunks and remove seeds. Chop onion and garlic.
Heat a drop of olive oil in an iron-cast skillet (one that allows slow cooking) and lightly stir-fry onion and garlic. (you can also add some leek in there). Then add chopped tomatoes, season to taste, stir, cover the skillet and let it cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The longer you cook it, the better (I must have cooked it about an hour). Add a pinch of sugar for sweetness and chopped basil leaves.

Serve hot on pasta (we used home made).

If you like, you can blend the sauce before serving to obtain a smooth consistence (we prefer it that way!).

Boyfriend approved and praised.

Making pasta

We've passed 140 days of my challenge and I'm dropping the day count in the headers. I'll just track it in posts if neccessary.

So, day 142.

This past week has been real crazy, like working 10 hours per day, so absolutely no cooking, just smoothies and salads and sandwiches. But I did me some fair amount of kitchen work during weekend, when I made pasta all by myself (well, the man helped, too).

I've been given a pasta maker as a birthday present and it sure went into use fast!

Making pasta at home is actually extremely easy, even when you don't have a pasta maker. All you need is flour and eggs. Really!


HOME-MADE PASTA

400 g pasta
3-4 eggs

The main rule here is: take an egg for every 100 - 120 g of flour. Put the flour in a heap on a working surface, making a hole in the center. In there, add whole eggs and with a fork proceed to mixing everything together, then proceed to hand kneading until you get a nice smooth ball that doesn't stick to the surface. Cover with a napkin and let it rest for half an hour.

Then, cut the ball into smaller pieces (2-4) and roll it out by hand or machine. Then just cut into desired shapes.

When done, let the pasta dry for a few hours or so, if you want to store it, or just let it dry for half an hour and cook immediately.

Top with favorite sauce, like basil pesto (pictured ingredients):

or tomato sauce :)

Day 139 - hurting

That was an interesting weekend. We've been having real summer now with temperatures way about 30°C and it's hot and sweaty and makes you lazy and want to just rest and do nothing.

So Saturday, I took advantage of the fresh morning hours and got busy in the kitchen, just testing out my pasta maker (yeah, pictures follow), after that we just lay low and tried to move as little as possible. We considered going out to town in the evening, but stepping out on the balcony quickly kicked sense into the brain again.

Then yesterday (sunday) I got fed up with being stuck inside and we voted for the mountains. We visited Krvavec, a ski-resort mountain quite close to the capital, that this summer hosts a Summer Park with adrenaline sports and other sports options. With brilliant sunshine and some comfortable degrees it was a perfect day!

First we took a drive and a walk around, just to get familiar with the place. Then, we quickly entered the "adventure" park that lets you climb trees and make tarzan-like stounts some 10 metres above ground and where I nearly got killed by attempting the "skater" - that is, mount a skate and slide across from one tree to the other 10 m high with only an iron "rope" to hold on to. Yeah right. Good thing we were all secured and fastened up since the skate sped up, I tried grabbing the rope to stop and the skate just slipped under my foot, continued the trail by its own and left me hanging in the air, trying to find my way back to the starting point where I'd then found ground under foot - not solid ground, because, mind you, we were 10 m high in the trees.

So naturally, today, I'm all sore and hurting. My arms are just not used to me hanging around like a monkey and doing stunts. I did take some console yesterday in the lunch - the oh-so-forbidden Cottage cheese dumplings (sirovi štruklji) that were absolutely delicious.

After lunch we discovered another highlight of the day - the mountain carts! That's like go-cart down the mountain slopes. Did you know I am a bit crazy? Well, you know now! I absolutely HAD to try it and got a nice photo to prove it which I will not post here, of course :) The ride was thrilling and bumpy and fast as hell and I had to do a lot of braking, sadly, because eventhough I like trying out stuff like that, I'm always afraid I might like fell over and injure myself or even die. So, brakes are my friends. Anyway, the one ride I took left me shaky and possibly with a slight concussion and after that I had trouble seeing clear for some time which eventually started leading to a headache that I quickly recognized as a migrane. Took a pill for it as fast as I became aware of it and, luckily, it went away.

So, eventhough the day was very much fun, I'm hurting today and had real trouble getting dressed and going to work. Can't say that I'm sorry, though!

Day 136 - divine chocolate roulade

My dear friends have a very clear point of view about my birthday celebrations, which they made perfectly clear last year when I decided I'd make no cake.

Let's just say they scared me to death and convinced me it is not appropriate to invite them over if I don't serve them sweets. So much about friendship.

So this year the thought of "no cake" did not even cross my mind, but since I do like it when I can actually eat what I make, I was decided on a dairy-free if not vegan treat. But making cakes with no cream is a handful. So then I spotted this recipe for a chocolate roulade which I altered to a dairy-free version with a coconut cream.

This treat is pure chocolate. Like chocolate with chocolate. It's hearty and, as if I knew, even the weather was cold enough to enjoy a hearty treat, no light cream.

DIVINE CHOCOLATE ROULADE
serves: 6-10 people

For the spongecake:

• 5 eggs (divide)
• 3 spoons sugar
• 1 dark chocolate bar (100 g)
• a spoon of vegan margarine
• 2 spoons flour

Divide egg whites from yolks. Beat the whites until firm. Whisk yolks with sugar. In a pot melt the chocolate with a bit of vegan margarine until liquid. Chill a bit, then add to the egg yolks and mix together. If needed add a spoon or two of flour to the batter. Pour it in a large baking tin, covered with baking paper and bake 10 minutes at 190°C. 

When baked, remove from oven and place the cake on a humid kitchen towel and remove the baking paper. Roll the cake with the help of the kitchen towel into a roulade and let it cool down completely. Best is to prepare the cake the day before.

I made 2 roulades, because one would just not feed everyone.

The next day, prepare the filling:

• 1/2 can (200 ml) of thick coconut milk, or cream even better
• 200 ml of vanilla vegan pudding
• sugar to taste
• a few spoons of coconut flour
• drop of rum to taste

Unroll the roulade and spread it with the filling thickly. Roll it up again and let it cool in fridge so the filling gets thick and firm.

Then, prepare the topping:

• 1 bar dark chocolate (100 g)
• 2 spoons of vegan margarine
• dairy free milk just as needed (I used coconut flavored rice milk)

In a pot melt the chocolate with the margarine, adding a drop of milk as needed for consistency. Mix well, then spread the roulade generously with the topping. 

Decorate to wish, I used coconut flour and nothing else, just because I forgot about decoration :)

Let the roulade cool down and the topping get firm. Serve chilled.

Day 135 - cucumber sandwiches

This is a snack I only recently discovered, but I love it (but, nobody else besides me, it seems). The name reminds me of the movie Wimbledon with Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst (have you seen it?) when the agent says: "what do you call those little cucumber sandwiches?"
Peter Colt: "Cucumber sandwiches"
Agent: "You British have a name for everything, don't you?"

So here they go.

CUCUMBER SANDWICHES
serves: 1-2

• tramezzini bread, 1 slice (try to get a brand that doesn't use milk in the recipe)
• vegan spread (like cashew cheese spread, I used a lactose-free cheese spread)
• cucumber, peeled and sliced

Take a tramezzini bread slice, cut in half, spread a half with your spread, place cucumber slices on spread and cover with the other half of the bread slice. Cut the sandwich 2 times in diagonal to get 4 triangle sandwiches.

I even toasted mine a bit to achieve a crunchier feel. 

A very light and refreshing snack for hot summer days when cooking anything seems mission impossible.

You can fill this sandwich with just about anything and I do recommend a generous amount of filling since it can get tough to eat otherwise. 

The bread is also great for toasted sandwiches.You can also use regular toast bread instead, just cut off the borders.

Day 135 - after

Being 28 sucks. Really! :) It should be summer and holidays and everyone on vacation and instead I'm working my ass every day, overloaded. My mail inbox is screaming. I have so many "to do" notes attached that I cannot even follow anymore. Luckly, at least I have pretty birthday flowers to keep me company:

Meals are not important at this moment. Are just an excuse to take a break from work and well, just insert fuel to keep going. Not that there's plenty of vegan food choice where I eat. Like yesterday - the only thing I could find on the menu was some potatoes and a large salad that was not so yummi to begin with, since it taste like plastic. Or maybe I'm just spoiled with the organic stuff I have back home.

Pasta, too, is nice, when I get to chance to make it. Like in this case, when I was just reusing leftovers from the birthday party (not today, but a few days ago). Had me some grilled veggies and some vege burger and I just chopped it all and poured with vegan cream. It was actually yummi.

But after lunch yesterday (potatoes & salad) I became really, really hungry at evening. So I did something I almost never, ever do. Ordered me some garden pizza, with cheese and all. The thing was awfully big and, luckily, there were 2 of us eating it, but I ended my half of it only to feel awful later. I could just feel the cholesterol flooding my veins and even my heart started protesting about it. So, next time I crave pizza I'll try to remember the pain.

I have doubts about eating lunch today. That is, I'm too lazy (and busy) to get out of the office to eat, but I don't feel like ordering anything, not even chinese. I'm considering going to the Loving Hut, but I need to take the car for it and I kind of don't feel like it. So I figure, since I'm complicating this much, I can't be that hungry to begin with. So why not just not eat for a change.

Day 132 - birthday

It's my birthday today and, despite wishfull messages, it's been going on quietly. For a change, I'm all alone in the office and it's boring. I'm overloaded with work, and it's stressfull :) I'm a bit hungry, but can't manage to get up and grab a bite to eat. I'm a bit tired and a bit lazy and I can't do anything about it, can I.

Celebrating is easy, it's the preparations and cleaning afterwards that is tiring. And serving everyone and being in 5 places at a time. I've spent my whole weekend back home, entertaining people, cooking, cleaning. I don't mind, because we had a really really nice time. I've spent a fortune on food alone, but everyone showed up and it was absolutely lovely. We had an outdoor picnic and, this year, even the weather stayed fine (I had rain every birthday the past 5 years!). We drank and ate and talked and laughed. Lovely! The right way to celebrate. And today, I'm a bit sore and a bit nostalgic.

I'm 28 today. And everyone remembered. And it just makes you feel loved and appreciated. And just writing it down, 28, it makes me feel a bit old, too. Like, at 28 you're supposed to have a career, and a house, and be married and have children.

I'm not married, even doubt I'll ever be, since my current partner doesn't seem to keen on it, and well, it doesn't really matter to me at this moment, either, or I'd be pushing it, and I am not. Because really, what difference would it make?

I do have a job, but it's not really a career. Nor do I want it to be. I'm not even sure this is what I want to be doing, although I like it and I'm good at it. But I do feel I am meant for something else. Like I dream of a little house (and no, I do not have a house, not even a flat, we're just renting) with a big kitchen where I'd cook and bake away and maybe make a business out of it. Like a home bistro' or an online cake sale or something, as long as it's organic and vegan.

And I don't have children and I don't really see me having children. I know I'd make a good mother, but just the thought of it is utterly bizzare. But, at least for some time, my family can stop buzzing me about it, cause everyone else is getting family and I do believe 2 babies in the family in 1 year are more than enough. Oh right, forgot to tell. Not only is my soon-to-be-sister-in-law (she's 30) having a baby (and is absolutely thrilled about it and making me an aunt), but I just learnt my first cousin of 24 is pregnant as well! (and I do have a feeling she is not so thrilled about it, since she's been all bitchy last weekend, well, I wouldn't be so thrilled about it today, not to mention at 24!). And the two of them are both due on the same day, can you believe it? I still can't.

Well, anyhow, my birthday celebration was on Saturday and I did some small baking (recipe follows) and got some amazing gifts, even though I told everyone not to bring me anything at all. Some respected that and I was so happy about it and they even asked me to do the same for them, cause we're all just so sick of this gifts, like, now you need to think about what to buy, and go search for it, and what if they don't like it and it's just stress. And I don't want that, I just want to gather everyone on the same place at the same time so I get to actually see people and talk to them, cause I rarely have time to do that anymore, since I live away and I feel like an outcast most of the time, not knowing what is going on in my own family.

Some of the amazing gifts I got include a retro pasta maker to make my own lasagna and spaghetti (can you imagine??), a beautiful japanese tea pot, an Amazon gift certificate, so I can buy me kindle and other books and chocolates, flowers and money, of course. And some Maca Root powder that fits lovely into my exisiting superfoods collection:

All in all, it was a lovely weekend. After the picnic me and my boyfriend stayed on location, just camping in a trailer. And when we woke up in the morning it was like camping on the sea shore. I did however manage to injure myself, several times even, like bruises and cuts, but the most painful happened when playing with my dog, when I managed to fell on a slippery hill side - the ground just dissappeared under foot and I fell directly on my right arm & shoulder. The dog stopped running immediately and turned to me, tilting her head and just looking at me like "wtf? are you alright?". I honestly didn't know. At first, I thought I dislocated my shoulder, since I fell rather hard on it. But it seems my bones are tough and the only thing that hurts today is my upper arm muscles that took the blow. But boy, does it hurt! I cannot do much with the right arm, but I've seen worse before and even this will go away with time.

Until then, I'll just indulge in an orange-flavored dark chocolate thins I got that are absolutely yummi!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!