Vegans are often accused of two things: they either get no protein at all, or they get all their protein from “artificial sources” such as protein drinks. Truth is, for me – and most of the vegans I’ve met – neither is the case! I love me some Mexican bean tacos, Indian lentil soup, and Middle-Eastern chickpeas. Since I’ve been tracking my protein intake with the app My Fitness Pal for quite a while now, I can confidently say that I get plenty of protein every single day, without drinking protein shakes like my life depends on it. Of course I eat the occasional protein bar, simply because I like them.
This Strawberry, Rhubarb and Rose Soup has actually evolved super naturally. I still had some fresh organic rhubarb laying around, and wanted to make a recipe with it that wasn’t what is typically done with rhubarb. I already once made a rhubarb strawberry lemonade that I absolutely love, so inspired by that I wanted to make another ‘drink’ that involved rhubarb. Obviously, this soup isn’t a ‘drink’, but I guess that if you would thin it down a little, you could definitely call this a smoothie as well.
A few weeks ago I was cleaning out my spice cabinet and came across a little jar of dried, edible, rose petals. I had bought them once to use as decoration for cupcakes but eventually never used them. I’ve always loved eating flowers, be it in restaurants or as a topping on a simple rice cracker, but apart from using flowers in drinks, cooking and developing recipes with them has always been a little bit outside of my comfort zone.
So, in order to step out of my comfort zone, I took a look at my favourite book, The Vegetarian Flavor Bible, to search for some ingredients that pair well with rose. Next week there is a recipe coming up that uses rose water and these pretty little candied rose petals. It is delicious and perfect for summer, so stay tuned!!
Ever since I started my research internship at the KNMI (Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute), this salad has been part of my go-to lunch if I have the ingredients on hand. It is super simple to make with only 5 ingredients, it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, and it is really tasty too! And it will even taste better if you let it sit for a while, so the flavors can really mix together.
I’m a huge granola fan (examples: coconut quinoa granola, the ultimate granola). It’s pretty healthy, crunchy, full of fiber and good carbs and a little sweet, so what’s not to love? However, sometimes I like to spice it up a bit (literally) and make a savory granola. This granola is perfectly crunchy and has quite some fire to it thanks to a generous amount of black pepper.
I’m gonna be honest about it, I’m not the biggest fan of ginger. I think its flavor can be kind of intrusive and sort of overwhelming. However, when you only use a little bit of it, for example in a smoothie or in these delicious bliss balls, it just add a little depth and warmth to the overall flavor of the dish.
These tiny bliss balls are real powerhouses with healthy whole food ingredients like fresh ginger, turmeric, nuts and seeds. For example, it is scientifically proven that ginger has plenty anti inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics. Interestingly, a 2012 study even showed that when mice with tumors were fed 100 mg ginger extract per kg body weight, their tumors decreased in size by 56%! Even though this study was done in mice, it still provides an interesting perspective of the positive effect that ginger may have on our body.
Hey guys! It’s been too long since my last post here, sorry!! My 5 week trip to Thailand was truly amazing, and ever since I got back I’ve been extremely busy with my thesis… Only half a year to go and I’m done with my bachelor! Time flies when you’re having fun I suppose!
Before I went on my trip I actually made sure I had some recipes to share with you on the blog while I was on my trip, but in the end I was too busy enjoying my vacation to post them, so in stead I’ll share them with you now.