Eating vegan while travelling...

So many posts have been written on finding vegan food while travelling and eating out. When we left for a four day-trip to Bonn and Cologne I was a bit scared. I had just made the decision to go vegan, and I was not so sure what to do when somebody else was doing the cooking for us.
As I have told you before, I am taking the 30-Day-Vegan challenge, a programm offered by the wonderful Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Two days before we left, she was talking about the subject of eating out as a vegan. And she made it look like a doable task.

The first evening, we went for a Chinese restaurant . They offered vegetarian Ma-Po-Tofu, with mushrooms, onions and peppers, a bit spicy, and it was delish. So delish that I forgot to take a picture, I really have to get into the habit of taking pictures before I finish my dinner!
Breakfast in the hotel was easy. The had fresh rolls, margarine, marmelade. Fruit salad and fresh fruit. I still do not like marmelade, but in a nearby supermarket I found the famous "Wilmersburger Vegan Cheese", so I was quite happy with the breakfast there.

The second day we headed for an Italian restaurant. I ordered a salad with tomatoes, onions and artichokes, bread on the side. Perfect little lunch. In the evening we went to Bad Godesberg for some Lebanese food. Falafel and hummus, anyone?

On Saturday, we visited Cologne. Lunch at an Italian restaurant again. Vegan Spagetti with garlic and olive oil. To my delight, lots of pasta and garlic.
In the evening we had some salad, pita and olives from the supermarket.

On Sunday, we visited the Gamescom, a kind of gamers' paradise. The whole area was so crowded with people, I skipped Lunch that day. Salad for dinner.

Altogether I was really amazed how easy it was to eat vegan while eating in restaurants. Of course we passed many "Brauhaus-Style"-restaurants where they would mainly serve pork chops or fried chicken. But if you look carefully, there are so many choices. At least in bigger cities.
Especially in Cologne you can find so many Chinese, Japanese or Italian Restaurants.

The whole trip encouraged to keep on eating vegan. Although my son always looked at me and said things like "Poor mama, no pizza for you, you are not allowed to eat cheese!"
Well, this is wrong: I made this decision for myself, deliberately. I am not "Not allowed to", I simply do not WANT to eat cheese. (Note to self: Try"Wilmersburger Pizzaschmelz"!)

I am so curious where this vegan thing will lead me and what the journey will bring!

Breakfast and a surprised mom...

We came home yesterday from a short trip to Bonn and Cologne, so this morning I faced an empty fridge. I needed breakfast, now, but all I could find was a block of tofu and some not-so-happy spring onions. There were also some tomatoes from my mom's garden.
I know what you are thinking: "Why doesn't she do some tofu scramble?" -Well, that's what I did. I gave tofu scramble a try about one year ago and found it very complicated. I kept looking up the recipe, and thought "what's next?" - "Which spice comes next?" - "How long do I have to stir this?"...Too much thinking in the morning!
This time, I did it kind of free style. I chopped up the spring onions and sauteed them in a pan with a bit of oil. Meanwhile, I crumbled the tofu and diced two tomatoes. Put the tofu in the pan, together with the tomatoes. Then I sauteed everything until almost all of the liquid was gone. Then I added about two tablespoons of nutritional yeast, half a teaspoon of cumin and pepper and a good pinch of turmeric. Sauteed it a few more minutes and breakfast was ready to be served. With two slices of toast on the side, this was the perfect start to a hectic day.
You might think "Well, tofu scramble, wha's the deal, every vegan knows this...". Here's the surprise end of the story: Have you ever tried to offer tofu to a twelve year old boy?? Have you ever seen this expression on his face when you mention that a dish is vegan?? A mixture between disgust and fear...
Today I thought I'd give it a try (again). My son likes srambled eggs for breakfast and I asked him if he'd like to try the tofu... He tried it and finished of a whole plate of scrambled tofu. No ketchup, just the tofu. And even the vegetables. To my great surprise, he liked it! Maybe it's these big pieces of tofu that scare him :-)

Doesn't it look pretty?

Back to eating vegan...

Soo,...I did it again! Started another attempt to go vegan. And failed. But learned. A lot.

Last Monday I started the "30 Day Vegan Challenge" offered by the wonderful Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. You sign up for the programm and for thirty days you receive daily messages, menu suggestions and tips for going vegan. I really like that program, Colleens approach to eating vegan is so easy and uncomplicated, just what I needed!

Lunch, almost vegan, except the feta...

Well, I was really vegan for six days. Then came yesterday, Sunday. We always have a late breakfast on Sundays, with fresh rolls, jams, cheese and ham or whatever. I completely forgot to get something vegan. No, I do not like jam, sorry... So I had cheese. I have always loved cheese, until I found out that I cannot tolerate milk. I did feel really really bad afterwards. Stuffed and sick.

In the evening, we went to a Chinese restaurant that offers dinner buffet. You help yourself with anything on offer. And there were a lot of things on offer. I could have eaten vegan without starving: They had vegan spring rolls, rice with mixed vegetables, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower and chinese noodles. A salad bar, vegan sushi and fruit for dessert.
But there was also crispy duck, my big weakness, and fried fish. Anything fried is my second big weakness. So I could not resist and had duck and fish and sepia and chicken. Not vegan at all. Did I enjoy my dinner?
 I am sorry to tell you: Yes!

But then something happened: I looked at my plate and suddenly I did not see the crispy duck pieces or the fried fish, I saw them as alive animals. These pictures of fish, swimming in the sea and chickens, alive and picking, they changed my mind. Or, better said: They confimed my decision to go vegan. This dinner, with all the mixed  animals on my plate, this dinner was my final "Goodbye-Dinner"

Goodbye to crispy duck, farewell, fried fish and have a nice day, chicken nuggets. The whole week I had felt light and healthy, today I still feel stuffed and sick.
I had a nice breakfast, toast with almond butter and sliced banana, later I will go to a organic supermarket, to stock up on a few things for breakfast, soy yoghurt and veggies.

On the menu for tonight: Pasta with Ratatouille. Vegan ;-)
What is your favourite vegan breakfast?? Any suggestions??

Vegan breakfast, toast with avocado and tomatoe, juice and tea with soy milk

Thankful...

The month of Ramadan has passed, the Eid celebrations are over and the kitchen is relatively clean again.
My brain is working again, and I have been thinking a lot. Especially Ramadan is a good time to be thankful. Here are some of the things I am thankful for:

-My family, especially my parents who never let me down. I can always rely on them, don't know where I would be without them. God bless them!
-My body, still healthy and working well.
-My job. Well, I could list you a thousand things I would love to do instead of sitting at my desk, but, hey, I can feed my family from the money I earn.
-We have food on the table every night. What a blessing!
-The internet. Of course :-)
-My washing machine and the attick, where I dry our clothes. After two summers in Algeria where we had to wash with our hands... Love my washing machine!
-Friends, real life and virtual friends

I am sure there are so many things I am thankful for, but these are the most important at the moment. Time to get the day started, my son wants to visit the zoo today. Lovely weather today! Perfect for a little day trip!

What are you thankful for today?

Thoughts on Ramadan and Simplicity

A fresh salad, simple and oh so good!

Wait, Ramadan and Simplicity? How do these two connect??
Maybe you have seen pictures of iftar tables, bending with food, plates loaded with lamb and veggies, loafs of warm bread and lots of dates and fresh fruits and salads. So where is the simplicity??

Well, first of all, I have read so many great blog posts everywhere on the subject of simplicity, they are inspiring me so much. Rhonda at Down-to-earth is doing an especially inspiring series of posts on the subject of starting a life more simple. I love her view on simplifying your life.

Second: To me, Ramadan is always a good time for changes. The on ething I have changed this year is the food. Well, not the food itself, don't mess with traditions! But I am changing the way we deal with the food. Year after year, we have wasted so much food! Where is the sense in that, fasting for 30 days AND throw away food at the same time?
There were always leftovers. Your eyes are big, but the stomach gets smaller and smaller. Every night, there was soup on the table, bread, some meat stew, finger food like bourek, salad and pickles. We are only three people in our household, no wonder we could not eat all of this.

And I forgot to freeze the leftovers more than once. I left the dry bread untill it collected dust and could not be re-used anymore. Or I left the bread in a plastic bag so it became molded. This year, I cook less. I freeze leftovers, I buy less bread.

I also  opt for less packaged food . At the supermarket, everything comes in plastic foil, so I am trying to buy veggies and fruit at the organinic supermarket or at the Turkish market, where you can pick as much as you need, without packaging. Usually, I send Hubby too the Turkish market. But then he comes home with every.single.vegetable in his own plastic bag, everything in a  big bag and some extra (!) plastic bags, for "just in case"...It's driving me crazy!

Now I am doing the shopping by myself with my own bags. I'll try freezing the leftovers  in glass jars rather than plastic, have never tried this, but have seen so many times on the net. Also, this year, I will not buy the -very convenient- cans of chickpeas, instead I will buy large bags of dry ones and soak and cook them myself., so easy...

We will still have soup, bread, stew, salad, fingerfood and pickles every night. Just a little les sof it all.

This week on my balcony...

He is a bit camera-shy

One of the tomatoe-plants. Hopefully, this will make one serving of salad...

Thai Basil, growing stronger everyday

Another batch of mixed salad

There is no way that our humble balcony could ever compete with those wonderful gardens that I always see in blogs like Soulemama or Beauty that moves... Well, if you look at it from the right perspective, it is quite green and blooming!
But I love to grow our own vegetables, really. Hubby always makes fun of me in spring, when I am planning on what vegetables to grow. "It's not a garden, remember?" I do remember, but when we do have a salad, all grown by ourselves, he loves it just as much as I do.
This week I will present you a visitor that I found in the jasmin, maybe you can spot him? (It's a June bug, they love the big linden tree behind the house)

Ramadan Preparations

 Freezer cooking the Algerian way, five packs of baklava should get us through this months...

Part of the Ramadan shopping, fresh coriander is essential for the shorba, the soup we have for iftar

This week we will enter the Holy Month of Ramadan. As a muslim family, it is obligatory that we do fast from dawn till sunset, no food, no drink for 30 days.  I remember Ramadan back in Algeria, some members of the family woke up for suhoor, the meal before sunset, they had some dates and lots of water. Others would just sleep until noon. The men would go to the market, then my mother-in-law would prepare iftar, the evening meal with that you are breaking of the daily fast. This would be followed by a long nap in the afternoon, and then, finally at about 8 pm, iftar time. Such a bliss to have the first sip of water!
This year here in Germany, the fasting begins at about 3.00 AM and lasts until 9.30 PM. Many people experience a kind of mental high during this time, a feeling of strengthened faith and a reconnection with God. They read the Quran a lot, and spent much time in the mosque, praying. But what if you have to go to work? Not a very good idea, indeed...You get up at 2.30 am, have a quick breakfast, go back to bed and try to get some more sleep. Then off to work. No coffee... No chocolate......
Have you ever tried to concentrate when the only thing on your mind is food? (Or, as the days go by, sleep?)
You get home, take a quick nap and then wait for iftar. You stay up late, as there is not much time for your body and stomach to make up for 17 hours of fasting. And it goes on like this for the next 29 days.
I know, this might sound strange or weird to non-muslims, especially now in the summer months, as you are not allowed to drink during the heat of the day.
But as much as I dread the month of Ramadan, it is always a precious time, a good experience. It always makes me think about food a lot, how we handle it, how much we waste, what it is like to be hungry. Have you ever noticed just how much food you eat during the day without really noticing? Without being hungry?
I am always surprised how often I enter the kitchen and snack on some olives, nuts or some chocolate.
During Ramadan, we usually break the fasting with a glass of water and some dates. I promise you, there has never been a drink sweeter or more refreshing than this humble glass of water at iftar. I can literally feel it running through my body.I am looking forward to this feeling already.
So, the shopping is done, there is meat in the freezer and the pantry is filled. I have been browsing through Algerian cookbooks to get some ideas of what to cook and the menu for the first day (at least) is ready. I always want to be more organised, like freezing bourek or appetizers, but I never make it this far ;-)
Seventeen hours of fasting can become very long, I wonder if I will make it this year without falling asleep on my desk at work. We will start on Tuesday or Wednesday, anybody wants to see our iftar table then??