Author: blueberrysmiles22

A Vegan Weekend in Berlin

Posted in Berlin, Germany, TravelTagged 7 Comments

Hello and happy Sunday!

I’m back with another post. Yes, it’s been a while … It felt right to take a bit of a break, as writing blog posts was becoming just another item on my expanding to-do list and one that I just wasn’t mustering up the motivation for. Add to that an increasingly sluggish laptop and a cell phone breakdown that resulted in lost data (note to self: regular backups are a must), spending more time staring at a screen and piecing together posts after work or on the weekends just wasn’t what I wanted to be doing. Nevertheless, my passion for plant-based eating is as strong as ever (check my instagram account @blueberrysmiles22 for my foodie ventures), and I’m happy to continue sharing experiences, thoughts, recipes and recommendations as much as I can. I hope you find this helpful!

At the end of March I enjoyed a short but sweet weekend break to Berlin – a city I’ve wanted to go to but never quite made it a priority to visit. When a friend suggested a change of scene, it was the first city that came to my mind. Short flight from Switzerland, lots to see and … amazing food. Berlin has a reputation for being the vegan capital of Europe and, after having been there, I can definitely see why. (After a year in London, I was skeptical: could Berlin be more vegan-friendly than London? Turns out the answer is yes!). At the hotel reception I discovered the first sign: a packet of freeze-dried smoothie snacks (these ones from Frau Ultrafrisch – a company from Hamburg). Not being able to resist inspecting anything that looks healthy and delicious (especially in pretty packaging) I picked it up and was immediately encouraged by the receptionist to take it (incidentally the moment I realized I liked this hotel a lot).

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Chestnut Hazelnut Squares

Posted in Cookies, Cakes & Bakes, Recipes, UncategorizedTagged , , 1 Comment

Thursday, November 1 was World Vegan Day – a day for celebrating veganism, brought into life by The Vegan Society of the UK in 1994, 50 years after the term “vegan” was conceived. And what better way to celebrate it than to eat lots of fabulous plant-based food with other vegans/vegan-friendly people?

Here in Switzerland, the Vegan Society of Switzerland (Vegane Gesellschaft Schweiz) hosts an awesome annual potluck on November 1st. This year they kindly reached out to me, asking if I would like to bring some dessert and share the recipe, which is where these Chestnut Hazelnut Squares come in. I can’t get enough of them: soft yet substantial, sweet and nourishing. Paired with a cup of hot chocolate or a turmeric latte they’re my favorite fall treat and personal epitome of autumnal “hygge”.

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Maca Peanut & Salted Date Quinoa Granola Crumbs

Posted in Cookies, Cakes & Bakes, Recipes, UncategorizedTagged , , 2 Comments

It’s been a while since my last post, so I’m happy to finally be back with another recipe. Most of September I was on holiday in Indonesia and somehow I just didn’t have any time or energy to dedicate to my blog or food photography.

But never mind that now, let’s talk about these crunchy, deliciously sweet & salty, nourishing, comforting and super speedy Maca Peanut & Salted Date Quinoa Granola Crumbs. A serious mouthful. What is it exactly? Not chunky enough for granola, yet still kind of clumpy, I wasn’t quite sure what to call this mix, so I settled for “granola crumbs”. They can be sprinkled on top of smoothie bowls or fresh fruit or eaten on their own with mylk, for a satisfying (and seriously addictive!) snack.

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Green Protein Smoothie

Posted in Recipes, Smoothies & Nice Cream, UncategorizedTagged , , 2 Comments

Today I’m sharing another smoothie bowl recipe. My go-to smoothie is my all-time favorite blueberry smoothie, but I do love a good green smoothie every now and then. Getting in some greens while enjoying a sweet bowl of deliciousness AND getting a protein boost sounds like a pretty good situation to me.

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Nourishing Breakfast Waffles

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized, Waffles & French ToastTagged , 4 Comments

I’m back with another recipe, and this time we’re not firing up the grill but heating up the oven to prepare some delicious baked waffles. (Alternatively, feel free to try these with a traditional waffle-iron). I recently bought some silicone waffle molds and love how much easier it is to make waffles in the oven. You can make them all in one go and can pop the molds into the dishwasher to reduce clean- up.

I love these waffles for weekend breakfast, especially pre- or post-workout, as they’re not only tasty but also super nourishing and packed with good-for-you ingredients such as banana, dates, buckwheat flour and this nutty ground chia and flax seed mixture from Iswari Suisse {brand collaboration}.

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Mediterranean Tofu Skewers

Posted in Recipes, Savory, UncategorizedTagged , 2 Comments

The weather here in Zurich has been incredible – hot, sunny and all things summery – the perfect weather for barbecuing. One of my current favorites for throwing on the grill are these flavorsome tofu skewers, the recipe for which I came up with in collaboration with Migros, for their summer grill campaign (#grillitarier).

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Sweet Potato Nice Cream

Posted in Recipes, Smoothies & Nice Cream, UncategorizedTagged , , Leave a comment

One of my favorite things for staying cool in this hot weather is a serving of delicious, smooth and creamy, refreshing nice cream. I love how a frozen banana is pretty much all you need for a cooling and naturally sweet treat – but I also love experimenting with different flavors and fun ingredients.

Yesterday, for a post-workout meal I added some frozen sweet potato to my blender and ended up with a super satisfying, dessert-like concoction that left me with a big smile on my face. You can blend frozen sweet potato, frozen banana and cacao for a very simple version (with dates or maple syrup for extra sweetness), but below I’ll share with you exactly what I used.

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Ultimate Banana Bread by Nourishing Amy

Posted in Cookies, Cakes & Bakes, Recipes, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , 2 Comments

Today’s recipe is from my wonderful friend Amy from Nourishing Amy (@nourishing.amy) and I’m so happy to share it with you, because it’s epic.

There are arguably some recipes that we all should have in our repertoire and one of these is banana bread. We all need a good banana bread recipe for cold winter evenings and a cup of tea, just as much as for summer brunch outside, served with fresh fruit, and for that any-time-of-year moment when we realize those bananas just need to be eaten.

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Migros #Grillitarier Party

Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , 2 Comments

Hello and happy Sunday!

Summer is here and with it the BBQ season has started. Barbecuing is something I’ve always liked – who doesn’t enjoy soaking up the sun and spending time with family and friends while tantalizing scents of delicious food sizzling away on the grill waft through the summer breeze?? And this summer I’m seriously getting my grill on through a fun summer campaign launched by Migros. As a #grillitarier I’m loving coming up with plant-based ideas for the grill, using delicious Migros ingredients.

On Friday I had the pleasure of being invited to an amazing grill party hosted by Migros, which involved lots of food bloggers, fun and, of course, grilling! It was an absolutely stunning sunny summer evening up on the Uetliberg, and it could not have been more ideal for a barbecue. First we were treated to refreshing iced tea and nibbles (I loved the beetroot-hummus avocado slices) while getting to know the other bloggers and the lovely people from Migros. Then, we were let loose on a tempting array of fresh produce and ingredients – huge baskets of fruit and vegetables, meat and fish for the omnivores and tofu for the veggies – to make dinner with.

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Photo by @davidbiedert.

I loved the feeling that everyone was working together and bouncing off of each other’s ideas. We ended up eating our fabulous feast – various skewers, salads, grilled aubergine, stuffed peppers, hummus, guacamole and more – under a tent while listening to chilled live music.

My food favorite was probably the new Cornatur Algen Burger (a vegan burger made with algae). It’s a breaded patty and tastes a bit like fish sticks. I’ll definitely be buying it and really recommend giving it a try – as a burger or, like here, cut up and made into skewers along with aubergine and peppers.

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Photo by @davidbiedert.

And for dessert? This being Switzerland, the fondue pans came out 😉 We melted chocolate over the grill (one pot for milk chocolate and one for dark) for dipping in fruit skewers, while trying not to burn ourselves – or drop our phones into the fire!

My take-away from the evening (besides the goody bag with all the grill essentials one could need!): a strong reminder of how a barbecue offers something for everyone – from fully plant-based to the other end of the scale – and is such a relaxed and satisfying way to spend time with people and unwind from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Hope you enjoyed reading and head over to the #grillitarier Website for all kinds of BBQ recipes, sweet and savory!

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Photo by @davidbiedert.

London: Best Vegan Food (Part IV)

Posted in London, TravelTagged , 2 Comments

Hello and happy Sunday!

After an extended weekend in London, I’m back with another post about awesome plant-based food in London. If you’ve missed my previous posts on vegan eating in London, feel free to check these out too:

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