Easter mood

It only needs a few items to get me in the Easter mood. For more every day pictures follow me on instagram.

Flakey bake

Thanks to my 21 day yoga body transformation training with Sadie Nardini I prepare healthy breakfasts   - and I feel great! Yes, I do love Italian "brioche" and during the first few weeks of my yoga body transformation it was a bit tough to not eat a chocolate croissant with my morning cappuccino, but just the way Sadie forecasted, my body got used to the transformation and the healthy intake. 

I got proof this morning. At the coffee shop I asked for "skim milk" for my cappuccino but they only had "partially skimmed milk". The beverage was way too rich for my newly programmed taste buds; they did not tolerate the extra fat and I really thought my body did not need any additional calories hiding in the milk. The result: I did not even drink half of my morning cappuccino.

The "brioche" behind glass sure looked yummy and smelled fantastic, but when I thought how much butter and white sugar must have been used to make it, the temptation vanished and I was suddenly looking forward to eating my healthy muffin that waited for me in my kitchen.

I loved the recipe I posted a few weeks ago (blog post "start with a healthy treat") and I have experienced a bit with it. My new favourite healthy morning treat involves coconut flakes and strawberries.

Coconut & strawberry muffins

1 1/2 cups (165 g) of oat bran (substitute with wheat bran)
1 1/8 cup (280 ml) non-fat milk
1 cup (100 g) unsweetened apple sauce
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup (40 g) ground flaxseed
1/4 cup (18.75 g) coconut flakes (and some extra for sprinkling)2/3 cups (125 g) of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (140 g) whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (240 g) fresh strawberries (washed and cut up)

• Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C
• Grease muffin pan or use paper liners.
• In a bowl mix bran and milk and let stand for 10 minutes 
• In a second bowl mix together egg, apple sauce, brown sugar and vanilla, then blend with the bran mix. 
• In a third bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then add ground flaxseed and coconut flakes. Stir the flour and flaxseed mix into the bran mix. Do not over beat. Mix the lemon zest with your strawberries first, then blend the fruit in with the dough. Scoop into muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle some flakes over the muffin before serving it.

If you have any other great ideas to modify this recipe, let me know and comment below!

Feel feminine

Shopping for sales in Italy I found this black pleated skirt (fornarina) and there are lots of ways to wear it. My favourite is matching it with a light pink sleeveless shirt and a thin belt. On colder days I just add a cardigan - white, light gray or another shade of pale pink works well. There is nothing like a pleated skirt to feel feminine.

Organic shopping

Some women go shopping for shoes, purses and dresses. I go shopping for organic food, especially when I am in Germany. Organic products are readily available everywhere in Germany, whereas in Italy, I have to go search for my every day cooking ingredients. However, when I get back to Italy, shoes are definitely on my shopping list!

A different kind of pesto

Why not make a creative pesto with kale or savoy cabbage.

No doubt: Italian cuisine is maybe one of the best in the world, but I find many Italian restaurants and famous TV chefs are too focussed on the traditional recipes, and this can get kind of boring after a while. Luckily, my friend Jenny who lives in Canberra provides me with the original Australian version of the Donna Hay Magazine. I find great inspirations in her creative style cooking. My problem, however, is to find some of the ingredients the Australian chef calls for. As astonishing as this might seem to anyone living in Sydney, Toronto, L.A. or New York City it is hard to come by dried seaweed, shiitake mushrooms and peanut oil in rural north eastern Italy. I even went to the local market in Venice a few times where you can buy the loveliest and freshest fish as well as local fruits and vegetables, but I still could not cross out "lemongrass" and "thai basil" from my shopping list.
Whenever I find a recipe in the in the magazine that calls for common Italian ingredients I give it a shot.  I made Donna Hay's kale pesto a few months ago and it was delicious. Last weekend, I was thinking about it again. I had all the ingredients at home, except for the kale. Too lazy to drive around looking for it, I used savoy cabbage instead and liked the pesto even more than the kale version.
Here is the recipe of my savoy cabbage and almond pesto (adapted from Donna Hay's kale and almond pesto). You will need:

2 cups of blanched savoy cabbage leaves (remove big stems)

1 cup fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup of toasted almonds
2 red chillies
1/3 cup grated Grana Padano (Donna Hay suggests Manchego cheese)
1/2 cup olive oil and some extra for drizzling the almonds.

Cook the savoy cabbage for less than a minute, that way it retains its great colour.

Heat a pot of salted water (sea salt) and once it boils add your washed savoy cabbage leaves. I cut off the hard stems, but leave in the little ones. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, strain and let all the remaining water evaporate (this is very important). I usually do not only cook the 2 cups of cabbage that the recipe calls for but the whole thing. Whatever I do not use, I serve as a side vegetable. For a side dish just drizzle some olive oil and lemon over it. Can be enjoyed cold or hot.

Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C. Place almonds, chillies and garlic on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until almonds are golden brown. Watch out, because from one second to the next, your almonds can burn. Let cool for a minute, then deseed the chillies. Place chillies, almonds and garlic in a food processor then add the kale, parsley and cheese, process until roughly chopped then add your olive oil and stir gently.

Donna Hay suggests to serve roast chicken and pesto together with some veggies or potatoes. When I told my boyfriend V. I would prepare some chicken for him he could eat with the pesto he just frowned. "Chicken and pesto? That's not Italian. I will have some pasta with the pesto, thanks." Italians, eh?! What can I say?

Vegan tip: Just leave out the Grana Padano cheese or, if you prefer, substitute with soy cheese or sheese and you have a fantastic Vegan pesto.

Storage tip: Your pesto will be good in the fridge for a week or even ten days. Put it in a glass and pour some olive oil on top, this will keep the pesto from drying.

When processing your ingredients, make sure not to overdo it.

No need to knead

Better than any bread from your local bakery: home-made artisan bread.

Thanks to my Norwegian friend Kristin I made my first no-knead bread about three weeks ago. She suggested I would give it a try, because Norwegians just like Germans love a hard crust on their fresh bread and she thought I would like it. Would I ever?!?! This is the most delicious bread I have made so far and it really is almost no work at all. By now, I must have already made about six loaves and I want to share with you how it's done. It's so easy.

I basically watched the youtube video by the inventor of this great method, Jim Lahey, from Sullivan Street Bakery in New York. I'ld suggest you watch the video by clicking here.
I tried the recipe exactly as it was suggested and loved the first loaf, but then made little alterations and now I even like it better. You need:

3 cups or 384 grams all-purpose or bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 5/8 or 406 ml lukewarm water

After step one, the dough will look like a big lump, just cover it.

After 18 hours the dough is smooth, ready to be folded. 

Your house smells like a bakery when the bread is done.

• Step 1) In a large bowl add flour, yeast and salt and mix the dry ingredients. Add 1 and 5/8 cups or 406 ml lukewarm water and just mix with your hand, no need to knead! Cover with a towel and put in a warm place for at least 12 hours, but 18 hours is even better, I find.
• Step 2) After 18 hours the dough should be smooth. The yeast did all the work, not your hands. Carefully place the dough on a dusted parchment paper (I use oat meal for dusting) and fold the dough over from the corners to the middle (watch above mentioned video for details). 
• Step 3) What Jim leaves out in the video is that you should let the dough rise again for at least 30 minutes, better one and a half hours. 
• Step 4) Place an oven-safe pot that has a heat-proof lid in the oven and preheat to max. (225 degrees celsius is mine, Jim suggests 500 degrees fahrenheit). Detach the dough from the baking sheet and place it into the hot pot. I just flip it over and it comes off easily. I then dust the dough with some more oat bran. Quickly put on the lid and place it in the oven for 30 minutes with the lid on, then another 20 minutes without the lid. Done!

The crust on this bread is amazing. To me and my boyfriend V. this bread tastes better than any artisan bread at the local bakery. It seems like a lot of waiting in between steps. That's why I came up with a schedule that works for me. Here is what I do: I make the dough at around 6 p.m. before I get supper ready, it takes literally 2 minutes, no dirty dishes except for the the measuring cups. The day after at around 10 a.m. I fold the dough. At 11.30 I preheat the oven and at noon I put the bread in the oven. At 12.50 p.m. the bread is ready for lunch or it will be cooled down later-on for supper. Do the calculating and see what schedule works for you. 

Of course I did not only make white bread, but tried some variations. My favourite is this whole wheat bread with flaxseed.

The whole-wheat bread does usually not last more than 12 hours in my house.

1 cup  or 128 grams all-purpose flour
2 cups or 140 grams whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt 
some oat or wheat bran or cornmeal (I used oat bran)

With your hand just gently mix the ingredients, no kneading at all.

You get a smooth dough without kneading after 18 hours of no work.

The process is exactly the same. Add the flaxseed to your dry ingredients before adding the water. The rest is just the same. This is my personal favourite!

Lacy, dressy, comfy

Strolling through the boutiques in northern Italy, I found this cute Molly Bracken dress. I loved it at first sight. It goes with so many items in my closet and is much more than just a simple underdress. I am showing a few combinations here, others might follow.

    

For combo number one I threw on a long blue shirt that I used to wear mainly at home with leggings. The brown chunky boots (Clocharme) dress the outfit down a lot. The grey high heels (Café Noir) make the ensemble look a bit dressier. 

The second outfit is a red lacy dress that I wear with high heel black shoes and (again) lacy socks.

In the last three pictures I wear a simple brown cardigan and a leather belt.