Ravishing Risotto!

It's already the last day of the Veggie Challenge! Wow, time flies. I think it went pretty good, and I guess that's because I've been aware of what I'm eating for a long time now. Okay, except for my guilty pleasures; cappuccino's, chocolate and wine... But they're not everyday habits so I allow myself a little indulgence now and then.

mixed edible mushrooms

Well, I've been having so much fun creating all these recipes, that I decided to make it a weekly; Supper on Sunday! Of course this last one will be a vegan recipe (and not on Sunday), but in the future, next to the vegan recipes there will also be recipes with cheese, eggs, honey and sometimes even fish. Get ready for a summer with delicious meals, drinks and desserts!

it tasted really good!

For this week, I made a vegan mushroom risotto for 3 persons. Start by making 0,6 liters of vegetable broth. Mean while, chop 2 cloves of garlic, a leek and 300 grams of mixed mushrooms and fry them in a tablespoon of olive oil. When the broth is ready, put a few tablespoons aside and let about 20 medium threads of saffron soak in it. Get back to your frying pan and add a chopped red paprika and a sliced courgette. Simmer about 5 minutes and add 300 grams of risotto rice. Stir and let the rice become a little moist, then add a part of the broth. Stir and let it simmer and add the rest of the broth. Simmer on a medium fire for about 20 minutes. Check and stir every other minute and if the mix gets dry too quick, add a little more water. In the end, add the saffron-mix and 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley, stir and serve!

What to Wear Wednesday!

Skin white as snow, lips red as blood and hair black as ebony... I'm guessing you know who I'm talking about. Snow White, the most beautiful girl in the kingdom, but also a very vulnerable woman and not too smart. Till now. Because our girl Snow is back with a vengeance. With the two movies; "Mirror, Mirror" and "Snow White and the Huntsman" and a TV series called "Once Upon a Time", she shows the world she has wits and can kick some serious butt.

Once Upon a Time, Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror, Mirror

I like the new Snow White. I mean, there's no weakness in being a bit sensitive, but she used to be a damsel in distress depending on other creatures to defend her. Now she manages to battle as well as to stay feminine. So this cool ladylike gal is this Wednesday's style icon!

perfect for a summer day!

For inspiration I went to Etsy and found what I was looking for. From LadyTa there is this flirty yellow skirt in which the modern Snow will feel dainty yet strong. The white linen peasant top from marypearlsvintage makes it sweet but not too soft. The red skinny belt from ByTheBelt adds spice and a chic touch. And to complement this ensemble, Snow White laughs in the face of the Evil Queen with the lovely necklace from gjentagelsen!

Curry with naan

It's been a few weeks into the Veggie Challenge, and the eating-less-fish-part is going peachy. But the vegan part can be hard at times. Especially when you're eating out. A lot of restaurants only have vegetarian options which almost always include goat cheese. A salad with goat cheese, a quiche with goat cheese, a pasta with..., well let's stop before I start to sound like Bubba Blue. Now I like goat cheese, but maybe it's a little too easy as a solution for serving dinner to vegetarians. And it's not vegan, and that's what I was aiming for.

yum!

In Eindhoven we do have a restaurant (probably more) that offers delicious vegan meals. It is called "Ons". It's the Dutch word for 'ours' and 'us'. Sounds cozy, and it is! When you enter, you get this grandma's kitchen vibe, with the cute lamps, tables and coaches. The easygoing staff is helpful and the food tasty and sustainable. They also have eco-friendly fish, meat and cheese by the way :) Inspired by their menu that changes each season, I made a divine 2 person recipe for curry!

pak choi from our own garden

Bake 2 cloves of minced garlic and a small piece (about 1 cm) of grated ginger in a tablespoon of sesame oil. Add 1 tablespoon of green curry paste, 1 teaspoon of turmeric and 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and stir. Then add about 150 grams of canned chopped tomatoes, 2 deciliters of water and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, stir and let the whole thing simmer for 10 minutes. Add 300 grams of chopped pak choi and 200 grams of slashed baby corn. Simmer for another 10 minutes while you prepare 2 prebaked naans and then eat up!

stock your kitchen pantry with these!

What to Wear Wednesday!

The last New York story I will share with you is appropriate for What to Wear after all. Because it's about my hunt for nice supplies to make new items. Items for you to wear! In April, I started preparing by checking out craft sites and yelp.com. I wanted to know what places would sell nice material and where I could find them. In New York, I took my home-made map and started at store one on my list and worked my way down. The first store was Beads on Fifth, a place that is pack-jammed with thousands of beads (duh), chains, findings, tools and many more. I was impressed, because the really nice store that I'm used to in Eindhoven, is less, well... big...

lots of choice in these stores

Next I went to Lavaliere, Fun2Bead and YorkBeads. They were all fun and useful stores, but I saved the best for last... Tinsel Trading. This true gem is a Utopia for creative people who love to work with beautiful ingredients. But also for individuals who delight in dreaming, fantasizing about other worlds and have a huge weak spot for the old days. I happen to be all of the above.

in front of Tinsel Trading

Tinsel Trading was founded by the store owners grandfather in 1933 and it still breathes the vibe of classical times. Next to their wonderful collection of modern ribbons, stamps, flowers and much more, they also have a fascinating assortment of vintage lace, beads and original letter press stamps. I almost grew wings when I was wandering in this store, I really liked it that much. So if this story makes you yearn and you are in New York or visiting soon, pay this boutique a visit!

I bought a vintage glass tube filled with oval glass beads (amongst others)

A vegan recipe with radish from our own garden

Although I didn't write a lot about our allotment garden lately, we do work there every week. First it was only getting rid of the weeds, a few cut off trunks and loads of brambles. But then came the fun work; seeding and planting veggies, watering them (we had a very hot and dry week in May) and this weekend; we could harvest our first crops! And I made up a delicious recipe to cook on a vegan day for the Veggie Challenge!

our first harvest!

This is a recipe for two persons. First, boil 150 grams of rice in a large quantity of water (a liter will do fine), together with one vegan bouillon cube. Check the package of your rice for the recommended cooking time.  Stir fry two chopped cloves of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil. Then add 200 grams of sliced mushrooms. Stir fry for 5 minutes. Then add 200 grams of chopped radishes and stir fry for another 5 minutes.

from the supermarket, for now... :)

Meanwhile, when your rice is ready to be drained, catch the broth in a bowl so you can use this in your veggie mix. This will add flavor and some creaminess to the dish. Make sure the rice stays warm by putting a cover over the pan. While you add 50 grams of dried cranberries, also add a few spoons of the broth. Let it simmer  for a few minutes before you add one thinly sliced leek and add some more broth. Simmer for 5 minutes on a low fire so the leek stays crispy. That's it! Very simple yet really scrumptious. Spread it over two plates together with the rice and bon appetit!

yum!

What to Wear Wednesday!

Although I still have a New York story to tell, since today is Wednesday, I will write about fashion of course. So let's take a little leap to San Francisco. One day we went to Haight-Ashbury, because friends told us this was a place we shouldn't miss. And right they were. Easy going people, hippies, bars, tattoo-shops and plenty of clothing stores. Also, the Bettie Page clothing store. With sugar, spice, and.... only new clothing... This ladies and gentlemen, was the hardest moment of my challenge so far.

the pain, the agony.... :)

Maybe I was curious, maybe I just wanted to torture myself, but I went in. And saw the fantastic dresses I had only seen online. I could feel them, sniff them, hey, maybe I could even try them on. Just for a few seconds. To see how they would look on me. To imagine wearing them to a party and... oof, I snapped out of it just in time. I urged Eddy to leave the store with me. Luckily there was a lot of distraction outside. And vintage stores galore! So we quickly went to a store with a suitable name; Held Over.

a gem disguised as a piece of glass

This is a store with so many things, you could get lost. But you won't because of the super smart division they made. Not only a girls and a boys part, but also every era has it's own rack. And the clothes in each era are divided in themes! Perfect for browsing. I found a real cute 70's prairie dress. It fitted really well, but had a bit too much prairie over it. Little House on the Prairie that is. But with some adjustments to the sleeves in mind, I bought it. Less Laura Ingalls, more Jackie Burkhart it will be! When it's done I will show you for sure.

Another challenge?

The last time I ate meat is about six and a half years ago. Before, I was always thinking and trying, but I never took a definite decision. Till then. Unfortunately for Eddy, we started dating when I was fully convinced a few months later. He liked his beef and burgers, like a lot of people do. And he still does, but we both agreed on cooking one kind of meal at home, instead of two different ones, so he only eats meat outdoors or during a BBQ. But we eat fish. And although it sometimes feels weird for me to choose for eating one kind of animal and not eating the other, most of the times there is a balance. You know, we both moderated our demands to come to a compromise.

the official logo

But now there's a defiance that will be a good expansion on the not eating meat. And it's called the Veggie Challenge. In this, you are dared to adjust your way of eating. When you always eat meat, try to live a few days without, when you're a full vegetarian, try to go vegan for a few days. And you only have to maintain this for a month. A month? Maybe I'm delirious because I didn't have a proper shopping spree for so long, but this sounds easy! (I'm gonna be very sorry for underestimating this, I'll bet) So, I decided on reducing my fish-eating-days from four to two, and increasing my vegan days to two. But what will we eat? Well my friends, you will benefit from this too. I will post delicious recipes this month!

vega burger with chutney in a restaurant, it was delish!

The first recipe will taste lovely with a (non vegan, I know) delicious pungent cheese. It's called Onion Chutney and it tastes wonderful with savory flavors. Chop 3 red onions in half and then into slices. Cook them in a stirring pan on a low fire together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. After 20 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. Stir and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, till it's thick. Then put it in a sterilized jar to conserve it, or eat it the same day of course!