Gyozas and mango pomelo salad

After a week filled with traditional eatings and tons of chocolate, these gyozas and the mango pomelo salad tasted just heavenly. My boyfriend is a real talent when it comes to asian food. These gyozas (or fried dumblings) were made following Jamie Oliver's recipe. Only the minced meat was replaced with soya. Me no eat meat. When eating, the gyozas are dipped in a sauce, that is a mixture of soya sauce and sesame oil. You can also use rice vinegar in it.

The salad was done according to the book, published by the best asian restaurant in Finland (at least in my opinion) - Farang. Hahah, I wrote here "nipple knowledge" because this.. detail knowledge is in Finnish called "nippelitieto" :D Oh well, yes, just for your knowledge; farang is thai and it means "foreigner". The restaurant Farang opened a sister restaurant this spring, called Gaijin. And gaijin, also means "foreigner" - in japanese :)

Gyozas filled with soya, spring onion, garlic, ginger, cabbage

Green mango, pomelo, mint, chili, roasted peanuts, ginger and nahm jim sauce

Raw chocolate balls

I have been enjoying the freedom to eat what I feel like SO much after the raw two weeks. To be completely honest, I haven't even had any green smoothies or salads. Instead, we made the smashed potatoes, soya balls and lingonberry jam on Friday and.. I forgot to take a photo! It was soooooooooo gooooooood! Also, we made super good green curry yesterday and again.. no foto! I suck. I know.

Today I made these raw chocolate balls for Tuesday when I have the biggest happiness to get my dear friend back from Australia for Christmas. I have missed her so much! We are having a little glögi, pipari and torttu evening. And then it's only one more day at work before the long waited Christmas holiday! Yey!

Raw chocolate balls
1 dl raisins
1,5 dl almond flour
6-7 dates (soaked)
4-6 tbsp raw cocoa powder
1 tbsp honey
touch of salt
1 tbsp psyllium fiber
1 tsp vanilla
1 tps cinnamon
1 tbsp lucuma and tocotrienolis

Blend everything and make cute balls. Roll the balls finally in cocoa powder and palm sugar ( like I did here) or in coconut flakes. I used (too much) water blending the raisins and dates, which resulted in the final "dough" being waaaaay too wet. I ended up adding more and more and.. more and more the flours. The end result was pretty ok and I managed to cover up the muddy outlook nicely with the final powdering.

The recipe is from Kaunis päivä tänään -blog. Arigato!

Healthy snacks busted

It's disturbing to see how much products are being sold with a "healthy" image. Probably the most popular are the fat-free yogurts that are stuffed with sugar. One bad tackled, one bad (worse) replacing. Today I was in the city and bought some "healthy" snacks from a supermarket. For the first time I bent down to see the inci-list of the yogurt covered stuff. Yogurt covered pineapple - how guilty does that sound? Not much.

But the truth is, that the only yogurt you can find from the list, is a flavoring! And the main ingredient is sugar. Along with various E-codes. I'm not saying these are bad bad monsters that will destroy your health, hehe, no. Just pointing out, that don't be blind on what marketers try to make us believe. Keep your eyes open, read the inci-lists and make your own judgements.

Raw ginger bread balls

Raw ginger bread balls
Dates (dried, soaked)
Almond flour
Hazelnut flour
Honey
Ginger bread seasoning
Vanilla

Blend everything until smooth and roll the balls in almond crunch.
Perfect, healthier alternative to the yummy real ones. Both great :)

Raw challenge day fourteen - that's it!

Two weeks accomplished. Now give me that green curry, soya"meat"balls and rice porridge!!! :)

Seriously speaking, what's up next? I'm thinking about keeping one huge salad on my menu at least once a day. Also, the green smoothies and raw porridges will certainly be often on my breakfast menu. I still have the same no-no's: meat, coffein, getting drunk :) They make me feel instantly bad and/or are a risk to my health. Also trying to keep the intake of white flour and sugar reasonable. I mean, saying "no" to a warm cinnamon bun would be just stupid. With all the sweets in general, I'll probably be doing more raw than baked in the future. It's a small change you can easily do, that benefits your health.

Today's "farewell dinner" was amazing! It must be partly habituation to the raw, but the cheese sauce on this pasta tasted do cheesy, you cannot imagine! Although the raw two weeks are now ending, I know this is going to be my lunch tomorrow.

And yes, a big portion of smashed potatoes, soyaballs and lingonberry jam in the evening :)

Pasta with cheese sauce


Pasta: 
Slice zucchini into thin slices (cheese slicer is a good help)
blend with one tablespoon of coconut flour

Cheese sauce: 
1 dl cashews (soak for 1-2 hrs)
quality salt
black pepper
1 tbsp soya sauce / tamari
1 tbsp lemon juice
(1 tsp lemon zest)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
(thyme)
water (not the soaking water of cashews)

Blend it into the most delicious pasta sauce! I didn't have lemon, so I used half a lime instead. Worked just fine!


Last, but not least, a big thank you to Katja of Moments-blog, for handing out all these recipes!

Raw challenge day thirteen

You know those days when you are feeling tired, the darkness is bringing you down and you just instinctually turn to something good to eat. And there's nothing wrong with that (occasionally)! Turns out, even on a raw diet, with a little bit of imagination, you can satisfy your sweet tooth easily with raw chocolate, dried plums and like.. mixing apple, maple syrup and peanut butter. Way too good. So, not the healthiest day, but at least better than a pizza and a bowl of Ben&Jerry's! This being said in all respect and love to BJ. 

Ok, pretty much NOT interesting information. Actually, I just wanted to come here to say thank you for all you kind people, who have been reading this blog and commenting to me on these topics. It feels so great to deliver some ideas and inspiration! I will not be posting on daily basis from this challenge forward, but I certainly hope to keep you reading :)

Today's dinner was stuffed mushrooms with salad. It's a small portion - the lines above explain pretty good why I wasn't too hungry :) The recipe was fantastic, however.

Recipes from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments-blog

Raw challenge day twelve - papaya!

Papaya salad

spinach
papaya
avocado
coconut flakes
salt
black pepper

dressing:
peanut butter
sesame oil
chili
lime juice
olive oil

I think this will rate quite high on my list of lunch salads. So simple and so tasty! Two weeks have almost passed and I'm having bit of a mixed feelings. Mixed, but positive. This two week challenge has definitely done good to my digestion, since it's working better than in years. I've also found some new food favorites, that will definitely be on the menu in the future.

Also, I've noticed, that it is possible, that a smaller amount of a sweet thing is enough. One evening, I ate about 1/4 of a chocolate bar which I assumed to be 200g, but no, it was actually only 100g! So I ate like 25g and was totally satisfied. Weird. Also today, we went into this cutest cafe with my boyfriend and I had two bites of his cinnamon bun. Normally, two bites would have gotten me only to order a bun of my own, but not this time. Totally happy with two bites. How odd! For sure this'll change pretty soon, haha.

Then again, I haven't been so punctual following the plan (as you probably already figured out from the previous paragraph..), so for sure I did not get the full effect. But little's better than nothing :) Two more days to go!

Raw lasanga - boy, I'm in love!!

When I still ate meat (about seven years ago), my favorite food in the entire world was lasagna. So, in addition to the risotto the other day, I was a bit suspicious with this one. But boy did this knock me off my feet!! By far the best raw food I have ever tasted! My boyfriend also loved it. The taste is so amazing, you totally forget you are eating raw food. You are just in lasagna heaven. Ok, maybe that's enough :) I'll let now the pics speak for themselves. But please, try this one out!

The recipe is in Katja's blog in the Raw Food for Dummies section. It's in Finnish, but I'm happy to translate it in English/Swedish if someone asks for it.

Raw challenge day eleven

Didn't have a pear this morning. Used banana instead. Also didn't feel like having a smoothie - so I used a bit less water. And found the best breakfast porridge! Ok, one of them. All have been so yummy!

Lovely morning
a handful of spinach
two handfuls of lingonberries
one banana
2-3 dried figs (soaked)
2-3 dried dates (soaked)
dried acai berries (soaked)

Maybe my head is spinning, but for me this tasted pretty chocolatey :) Added some mulberries on top. And here you have my lunch salad. Note the honey falling down, hehe. I have such an eager and talented photographer, who's unfortunately not always present when taking these pics (as you can see the difference in this post). Hope you guys don't mind!

Raw challenge day ten

Today has been like 4/5 raw. We had a team breakfast at work today and I didn't wanna make any fuss with my "yeah guys, sorry, I only eat leaves and water", so I had a normal breakfast with them. The salmon rye bread tasted excellent! And yeah, my boyfriend makes fun of my smoothies, saying I'm having "leaves and water" :)

I have been feeling super well since the first three-four nauseous days. I've also been eating some natural yogurt, that is not raw, but obviously does the trick. I've also had quite a lot of raw chocolate and other little raw snacks. This snack was not so little, hehe, but it was super good. The orange chocolate cake (stays excellent in the freezer, and, hehe, yeah I ate it half frozen) and an apple. And maple syrup. With ginger tea (ginger, honey, lemon). Delissssshhhh!

Raw challenge day nine - risotto!

Risotto is my absolute favorite food. If I spot risotto on a restaurant menu - I'm done with the choosing. So there is no way even trying to compare real risotto with the raw version. But then again, it's not surprising that this recipe instantly became my favorite - it's a risotto! *say it with an italian accent*

Raw Cauliflower risotto
3-4 dl minced cauliflower
1/2 dl cashew nuts (soak, if you remember :)
raisins
coconut flakes
lens (or other) sprouts
avocado
salt
curry
jeera (cheese cumin?)
black onion seeds

I love these naked bars as a snack. So delicious and easy to carry around. I guess the brand is "nakd", but for me it first looked like "naked" so naked it'll be. These are raw wholefood, gluten/wheat/dairy free, no added sugar or syrups, cold-pressed, never baked. This choco orange bar includes only dates, cashews, raisins, cocoa and a hint of natural orange & chocolate flavor. If you make these bars yourself, you can use orange peel and be even more raw :) Homemade bars are nevertheless way cheaper. But these are yummy, as said :)

Independence Day Raw Dinner

Had to come back here to show you my lovely dinner. This salad is definitely my favorite on this challenge (so far) and since it's the independence day and Tuesday and December and all... chocolate ice cream as a dessert :)

Strawberry salad
Rucola
Strawberries and raspberries
Avocado
Pine nuts
Coconut flakes
Black pepper
Olive oil
(honey and salt)

Chocolate banana cashew ice cream
Frozen bananas
Cashew nuts (soaked)
Raw cocoa powder
Lucuma
Honey
Little bit coconut oil

Raw challenge day seven - cheating

I have a confession to make. Well, it's not really a confession, since this was never meant to be a torture diet and I feel I'm doing the right thing listening to my body. I've had some troubles sleeping three nights in a row (very unusual) and last night, literally in the middle of the night, I sat down with a bowl of natural yogurt with peanut butter and cherry jam. It was all lovely and helped me to fall asleep.

I've had that nasty nauseous feeling three evenings in a row. It might be just the toxins in my body starting to move, but on the other hand, as I already said, this was never meant to be a torture diet. So, this morning I had a bowl of nice warm oatmeal porridge with my green smoothie and I'm feeling a lot more balanced now. I'm thinking I'll adapt the rest of the challenge a bit more suitable to my body. Going pretty much day by day - listening to my body.

This amazing salad was today's lunch. It's not very filling, but that was just fine since the breakie oatmeal bowl was not the smallest :)

Happy independence day to all my Finnish readers!

ps. all the recipes from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments

Raw challenge day.. six?

Yes, it is day six :)

Yesterday's nauseous feeling is gone and although all the blended soups are coming out of my ears (you say that in English..?) I feel good since I just had a snack that almost brought tears into my eyes. Muesli and milk! I'm a real muesli addict and could easily eat one package if muesli with milk on one sitting. 

Almond milk

Blend 1/4 almonds with 3/4 water. Add honey and vanilla to sweeten. Strain it through a "straining fabric". And save the pulp for later use (like raw porridges, brownies, sweet balls, shakes). 

Muesli

Blend your favorite dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Or go to Punnitse ja Säästä and buy their "trail mix". 

I was feeling so out of control, that I even added some mulberries and agave syrup. Totally wild :)

Raw food challenge day five

I've been feeling a bit nauseous and cold today. Not sure if it's because of the food or because of the lack of sleep last night. It is interesting, they say that feeling nauseous in the beginning of a raw diet is just because all the toxins in your body are starting to move and exit - then again, you can wonder if it's just that your body is lacking something it needs. The body is truly amazing and it can adapt to SO many different diets, so quite naturally it will also get used to changes. So is the feeling better a symptom of the toxins being gone, or is it just habituation?

Have I noticed any significant changes so far? Well, at least my food digestion is working a lot better than usually. And I don't have such a sugar cravings in the afternoon and evening. It's also quite liberating not to have to think about what you are going to eat. And funny to be so excited about getting to mix a BANANA in your smoothie! Well, it just makes such a difference to the taste :) Also, I had some natural organic yogurt yesterday evening, because I felt like something milky. And has a bowl of yogurt ever tasted so amazing!? Gosh :) 

Coming back to body adapting to different diets - one thing that I definitely notice, is that I'm getting used to the real flavors and pure, clean food. If I now think about what I'd like to have, if I could eat anything, it's not the usual risotto/pasta/Ben&Jerry's/mudcake - I feel more like having a warm oatmeal! Or rye bread with butter! 

Ok, there were some thoughts, here is the picture of my dinner salad. Have a lovely evening! 

Raw challenge day four

So far I've had the best and the worst taste experiences with this challenge. I kinda ruined the melon smoothie the other day and yesterday's papaya smoothie.. let's not even go there. Then again, some foods have been out of this world delicious, like todays breakfast porridge. That was more like a dessert and I enjoyed every single bit of it! Afternoon snack was raw chocolate mousse, and you can never go wrong with that :) Also the "sushi" that I had as a dinner was yummy.

Yummy porridge: 
3 dried plums
3 dried dates
2 dried figs
2 tbsp goji berries
2 tbsp dried cherries
1 dl buckwheat
100g blueberries
banana

Soak everything except blueberries and banana overnight. Don't use the soaking water of buckwheat, do use the needed amount of soaking water of the fruit. Blend everything and add some cuties on top. I used almond flakes, coconut flakes and raisins.

Chocolate mousse: 
1 avocado
3 soaked dates (use the water)
3 tbsp raw cocoa powder
honey
vanilla

Blend and enjoy! I added some mulberries and cashews on top.

Recipes from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments

Sexy on Raw

Raw challenge day two

So I promised not to post every meal - well I skipped breakfast! I mean posting it, not skipping the eating. That would have been just weird after yesterdays post.

These raw meals are just making me so happy. Just take a look at my (half eaten) lunch. See, I tried to resist posting it until halfway through, hih.

Then again, shall we not talk about the dinner soup. Let's just say that I needed a strong mind to spoon it all down and a handful of raw chocolates as a dessert. But I bet it was good for me :)

Pineapple, orange, avocado, pecans, coconut flakes, honey.

Recipe from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments

Raw challenge day one

Konbanwa! First day done and so far I'm loving all the foods. And I'm SO far from starving! Just take a look at the size of this "snack" :) Reading the menu I thought I'd need a lot of extras during the day, since losing weight is obviously not the goal here, but at least today I have been more than fine. Only extras have been a couple of bites of raw chocolate. I'm thinking all raw goodies are definitely included in the challenge :)

An apple, a mandarin, two figs, kiwi, dried mulberries, dried coconut flakes and honey. 


ps. I'm not planning on posting every meal and thought here, I'm just so excited today that I cannot help myself :)

Good raw morning!

Thinking about having "just a green smoothie" for breakfast doesn't sound that tempting. Nor filling. But just take a wild guess how this was, yes, both tasty and very filling (yes, the portion is also huge). Think of it as a combined bread with veggies and a fruit salad :) Just that it is all pure, natural and in a form that is easy for your body to digest and to absorb all the nutrients. You know, that after a night of "fasting", the body is like a dry sponge. It is happily looking forward to efficiently use all the things you give it in the morning. So while a french breakfast with white bread and nutella might sound awesome, it's not the best choice. At least not every morning :)

You also must know people that skip breakfast in an attempt to lose some weight. Or maybe it's just a habit not to eat. Or maybe your body just does not take in anything (or it feels like it). But the truth is, that you should eat something within the first 1-2 hours you are awake. This sends the body a message, that it is time to wake up, start to burn the fuel that it is given and to function in all the magnificient ways it does. Not having breakfast tells something more like "Gosh, dude, it seems we are NOT having any fuel today! It's not yet for certain, BUT we better now start to hold on to the fats, just in case. And let's also start to slow down all the preparing work; inflammation curing, diseace protection and cell renewal."

So if you happen to be one of those breakie-skipping-folks, maybe you could start tomorrow by having a glass of juice. Or blend a small smoothie with juice, yogurt and fruits/berries. Think about that you are doing your body a huge favor.

Pineapple Spinach Smoothie
3 handfuls of spinach
1 dl hamp seeds
1/2 dl coconut flakes
a big chunk of pineapple
an orange
water

from Raw Food for Dummies by Katja/Moments

Raw two weeks

Katja threw a challenge in her blog last spring about eating raw food for two weeks. Personally, I think it's pretty extreme to go from a meat - white flour - sugar -including diet into 100% raw. So, careful if you think about trying this. I even don't think 100% raw diet suits everybody. For me, I think the good ratio is about 50-50. Now, however, I'm so tempted to try this challenge out of curiosity. I want to see, how my body feels about this chance to inhale so much nutrients and less "useless" stuff. Any piece of additional energy (+ reduced stress levels) this dark time of the year is welcome. My main goal is NOT to stick to the food plan like a stupid monkey - I just try to listen to my body and give it what it needs. I'm pretty sure at the end of the first days, I hear a strong request for milk and muesli. If that's the case, so then be it. A bowl of muesli with milk coming right up :)

I went shopping yesterday/today and was kind of terrified with the costs of all these veggies and stuff. And (I'm afraid to admit) not even all of them are organic! Well, this is an experiment and in the future, I'm sure I'll reduce the amount of raw - and try to increase the amount of organic. But I have to admit that I love the way my kitchen table and fridge look right now.

Tomorrow is the first raw day. I'll let you know how it goes :)

Here is the link to the Raw Food for Dummies -challenge. 

Greek meets Finnish

Sour crack bread, chevre and home made rhubarb jam

Riceless sushi

Today I made some sushi without rice. This would be a good meal for a carb-avoider, but for me the reason was just that there wasn't any rice vinegar in the fridge :) As I also had only fresh ginger (instead of what you normally have with sushi), I made a lovely ginger tea with honey as a warm drink. For dessert I had a piece of that amazing raw orange chocolate cake.

Sushi (nori, cream cheese, tahini, salad, carrots, surimi sticks), ginger tea and soya sauce.

New address

uwwu857e6jg

Welcome to the new home address for my little blog <3

Raw versus Traditional

I found this comparison when cleaning my computer desk top. Remember when I posted the raw rum raisin ice cream? Well, if you had to choose the traditional rum raisin ice cream or the raw version by the ingredients list - which would it be?

Rum raisin ice cream (Valio)
Non fat milk
Cream
Sugar
Water
Raisin (5%)
Milk protein
Lactose
Glucose
Non fat powdered milk
emulsifier E471
Thickener E401
Thickener E412
Thickener E410
Thickener E1422
Rum (0,7%)
Vanilla aroma
Vanillin aroma
Caramelized sugar syrup
Acidity E331 


Raw rum raisin ice cream
Cashew
Banana
Rum
Raisin
Honey

Raw Ben&Jerry's

This was supposed to be quite something else, but ever since the first taste, I fell in love and forgot there were any other ideas in my head. OMG, it's like melted chocolate cookie dough Ben&Jerry's!!

Raw chocolate cookie dough Ben&Jerry's

frozen banana

soaked cashews

lucuma

raw cocoa powder

raw cocoa nibs

honey

vanilla

water

and one raw brownie in bits

Good morning porridge

Oatmeal, apple, vanilla soya milk <3

Winter snack

Hey hey hey, it's been a while. I was spending time in my home town and other than that, I've just been busy and eating mostly very boring and/or unhealthy food that certainly doesn't qualify for a post. In Joensuu we did make some delicious lemon risotto and salmon, that I was supposed to post, but the hunger (once again) was stronger than the thought of taking photos. Also, my sister made this amazingly sweet and yummy baked ice cream!! I was asking her to quest blog, but she wasn't too eager.

Today, I finally have some free time in the evening at home. Went jogging, cleaned a bit and practiced some songs for the weekend. Hey, when did this food blog turn into a diary, haha. Sorry. So, back to the track. Here's just a small snack that I had in the evening while watching Svenska Hollywood Fruar and Grey's Anatomy.

Milkshake with banana and cinnamon, dried plums, cashew nuts, almonds and dried mulberries

Raw orange chocolate cake

This cake is the real thing! Not for sissies. Not for those who prefer milk chocolate and coffee with heaps of sugar and milk. This cake is for serious flavor lovers who can handle the sweet avalanche of orange and chocolate with every bite.

Raw orange chocolate cake

Crust:

2 dl raisins
2 dl almond flour
2 tsp psyllium-fiber
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut oil

Blend everything into a smooth dough that sticks together. Start with raisins and almond flour, then adding the rest. This recipe makes a very small cake, so for a normal size - double it.

Filling:
3 small organic oranges (use the juice and the peel)
10 dates
2 dl raw cocoa flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp honey/agavea
1 dl coconut oil
5 tbsp cocoa butter (melted)
2 tbsp lucuma powder
2 tbsp toco powder
2 tbsp carob powder
a touch of salt
a bit of cinnamon

Blend the orange juice (+shredded peel) with the dates. Add the other ingredients.Blend. Don't eat it all yet.

Let it stay in the fridge over night (if you have the patience) for the flavor to really come out.

PS. How hard would it be to write down the source for the recipe when you print it out? I really would like to give the credits to the person who has created these recipes (unless they are my own, of course). And MAN have I now tried to trace back this recipe - with no success. So, in case you are, or you know the person whose recipe this is, feel free to trace me back and kick my big ass. I'd appreciate it :)

Little Christmas party

We had a lovely little christmas party yesterday. Only one raw cake, everything else was traditional. I'll make a post for the cake later. Baking (and eating) these made the weekend just perfect, cosy, happy and christmassy.

Ginger bread house

We bought a ginger bread house from Ikea. Felt the irony on the cashier :) Well just think about it.. how is it with assembling Ikea furniture :)

Anyhow, my boyfriend did an amazing job with this little house - I'm so proud! But kinda happy this is the only home we are building together :) The damage list includes one burnt finger, one ruined frying pan and one damaged spoon. And one eaten chimney :) So little cost for such a cute house - don't you think! We are ready for the little christmas party tomorrow!

ps. notice the little gekko on the wall :D

Colors for lunch

A light lunch with lovely colors: steamed carrots, avocado and surimi sticks. Bits.

Favorite breakfast

Every other morning I feel like I have found the best breakfast in the world and this is the thing I'll have for the rest of my life :) This one is just too fab to be true - and very good for you! Green smoothie has baby spinach, celery and a banana in it. On the two pieces of organic oat bread I have regular butter and peanut butter. Now hop on the bike and off to the gym before work. The morning outside seems to be so beautiful, the sun just rising up..

French breakfast

Fresh baquette, butter, cherry jam, fruit jam, nutella, orange and mango juice, pain au chocolate, latte, grapes.

Snack bars

I realized today I have some dates in my fridge, that have been in an opened package for almost a week, so I had to figure out something to do with them. I decided to go for some snack bars that I could put into the freezer - and take with me as a snack whenever. Didn't have any recipe at all, but the result was pretty delicious. The recipe is tagged "raw", but I'm not really sure if oat brans are raw.. guess not.. but it's not so nöpönuuka!

Snack bars
dried dates (soaked)
the soaking water
carob powder
lucuma powder
toco powder
cocoa nibs
organic oat brans
almonds (chopped)
little honey

Kale sweet potato soup

Nothing feels nicer on a chilly autumn day than a big bowl of hot soup, enjoyed with two huge pieces of oven-warm home made nutty bread! The recipe is from the lovely Joy the Baker blog.

Morning after breakfast

Green smoothie, walnut bread with butter and happiness-flavoured black tea <3

This breakfast felt so good after a great girls' night in. The green smoothie had banana, pear and parsley in it and tasted awesome!