I’m sure you’ve heard this before: chocolate makes you happy. Actually, to be exact, it’s the cocoa that does it. It contains essential nutrients like theobromine that promote the brain’s release of serotonin and dopamine and elevate your mood.
The one thing that’s really important to me when it comes to recipes? They must be unusual and creative. Additionally, I want to show that we all know and already cook with many foods which are naturally vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free and that these kinds of dishes are not only exciting but can also be delicious as well as healthy.
The best thing about being your own boss? You can watch the Oscars and don’t have to apply for a holiday the next day. How did I manage to get through one of the most exciting nights of the year? With energy balls and gallons of matcha tea. That kept me going until 6 in the morning, when the awards for best actor and actress were given out.
For most people, fasting means sacrifice. Just like banning sugar, fat and processed foods from their diet. To me, it’s a challenge and an incentive to change the way I think, to analyse the food I eat and to become creative in the kitchen. What can I use to substitute sugar in a cake? How do I incorporate more vegetables in my daily meals? The beauty of this is surprising myself, having excellent Eureka moments and enjoying many creative challenges.
„You should always give in to temptation; who knows when it will come around again”. In this case, the temptation can be filed under healthy snacking and since it’s Valentine’s Day, is definitely worth giving in to. Do you already have a Valentine’s Day planned for your loved one? I’ve got a magical snack for you, which will reduce the object of your affection to a puddle of bliss. These also work as an office in-between mini-meal or a seductive dessert.
As many of you have noticed, I’m fiddling around with raw and superfoods at the moment. The apple of my eye, my Thermomix, is chiefly responsible for the success of anything involving batter and dough in my kitchen. It quickly turns nuts and dried fruits into a sticky mass, which is ideal for raw cheesecakes and the like. It also takes less than a minute to turn rice into rice flour or cashew nuts and water into a heavenly cashew milk.
To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of broccoli– at the most, I tolerated it fried in bread crumbs, like my family cooked it way back when. But I think the previously boring broccoli has shed its dusty image at this point – probably owing to the green smoothie hype as well as the little-known fact that this vegetable isn’t just pretty but can also taste amazing.
A holiday that appeared endless did indeed come to an end and I can say in all honesty that I stepped out of my comfort zone many times this month…
Turmeric turns things a beautiful yellow. It is used as a spice as well as a dye. Dishes with turmeric have a tenderly bitter and mild, peppery flavour. Turmeric belongs to the ginger family and in some languages is also called yellow ginger or yellow root.
The first time I was introduced to chia seeds was 7 years ago at a coeliac expo. At the time, they were completely unknown and not really sold anywhere. 2 years later, I took a trip to New York, which changed my attitude and exposure to chia seeds considerably. They were also already popular in Australia. It took a few years, however, until they made their way across the pond to us. At this point there’s a veritable chia hype, even over here, and everybody is familiar with these little miraculous seeds.
I’m going to spend New Year’s Eve completely differently this year: somewhere warm with a turquoise ocean and sandy beach. Yes, I’m flying off at the end of December for a little beach break. The one thing I’ll miss for sure is the customary Austrian midnight waltz. Customs and rites are a big part of Christmas and New Year’s. I got curious and researched traditions from around the globe and also created six New Year’s Eve recipes for the current issue of WOMAN magazine. And you can get them all here!
Ever heard of krill oil before? This very special and very healthy oil is extracted from a small crustacean named Euphausia superba. The number of krill in the Antarctic Ocean is enormous – estimates run into several billion tons – making it the largest biomass on Earth. The International Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources ensures that only a fraction of that ends up being caught, a mere 0,03%.
