Seasonal treat – Elderflower fritters

May 26, 2018 by nadel&gabel

Suddenly it was all white. Clouds of small white petals that look like snowflakes. And a sweet flowery scent was in the air. This scent that is so iconic for late spring/early summer and that we now have in our own garden! I’m very sensitive to the perception of odors. More than f.ex. my ear, my nose registers stimuli and connects them with certain images and memories.The smell of elderflower is closely linked with my childhood, a herald of summer […]

Categories: cake, cookie & dessert, diets, German/Swabian, In the kitchen, seasons, snacks & small dishes, summer, vegetarian • Tags: elderflower, fritters, german, seasonal, summer

Foraging and finding – Fir tip honey

May 6, 2018 by nadel&gabel

Long time no see, he? Yes, this has been a quiet place for a long time, although this doesn’t mean that I haven’t cooked, knitted or sewed. But priorities had shifted during the last months. After our movement we were busy making our house a home. And then came April… oh, this extraordinary warm summer-like April, and most of I could think of was our garden. We did a lot of unweeding, sowing and planting. We furnished our terrace, build […]

Categories: breakfast, dairy-free, diets, gluten-free, In the kitchen, pantry, seasons, spread, sauce & spice, spring, vegan, vegetarian • Tags: blog, conifer, cough, fir, green, healing, honey, inspiration, natural, pine, preserving, spring, spruce, syrup, tips, wood

Crunchy – Nutola

February 12, 2018 by nadel&gabel

During the last year I’ve tried to reduce the amount of carbs I was eating. I avoided sugar nearly completely, cut down on grain products a lot. This wasn’t easy for me, lover of pasta and pizza. I didn’t do this change in eating routines doctrinaire – I hate to be dictated by someone or something. But it made me think eating and cooking from a different angle. I browsed the internet for low carb recipes for inspiration. What I […]

Categories: breakfast, dairy-free, diets, gluten-free, In the kitchen, snacks & small dishes, vegetarian • Tags: almond, baked, breakfast, cereal, crunchy, easy, gluten-free, granola, hazelnut, honey, low carb, nutola, nuts, recipe, seeds, sesame, sweet tooth, toasted

Into the Krauts – Golden and red Sauerkraut

November 19, 2017 by nadel&gabel

5 1/2 years of food blogging and quite some more of cooking … it took such a long time for me to attempt one of the most iconic German dishes, Sauerkraut. The ‘Krauts‘ – the view from outside doesn’t leave any doubts. Although Germans weren’t the first that developed the idea of lacto-fermented cabbage. I, for my share, have made already a few experiences with wild fermentation – homemade yoghurt, Kimchi ,water kefir -, learned about the health benefits, especially for digestion and […]

Categories: around the world, autumn, dairy-free, diets, German/Swabian, gluten-free, In the kitchen, pantry, salad, seasons, spread, sauce & spice, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian, winter • Tags: bacteria, beetroot, cabbage, carrot, cumin, fermentation, fermented, flavour, german, ginger, healthy, Kraut, lactic acid, pantry, probiotic, recipe, Sauerkraut, turmeric, vitamin, winter

An ode to dear friends – Crêpes with chard and a twist

October 15, 2017 by nadel&gabel

To you chard, my loyal friend. Once – through out my childhood and youth – I neglected you. I apologize, I deeply regret this! Today I know that I just didn’t know you that well, didn’t know you at all. I only met you in two ways: as a green-brown pulp that was said to ressemble creamed spinach (but did only vaguely, of course) and in form of thick thready stalks of indifferent taste that were hidden away in a […]

Categories: around the world, categories & ingredients, diets, grains & legumes, In the kitchen, Uncategorized, vegetable, vegetarian • Tags: chard, crêpes, dinner, easy, feta cheese, fruity, healthy, orange, pancake, recipe, savoury, simple, tomato, vegetable, weeknight

Culinary heritage – Vegetarian Soljanka

September 23, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Soljanka – a hearty dish that was omnipresent on our trip through Saxony, Brandenburg and Thuringia. It probably is the best known Russian soup besides Borschtsch. It’s popular all around Eastern Europe and exists in uncountable variations. In Germany the popularity basically is limited to the eastern part of the country. 40 years of separation into two different states left its traces – by far not only, but as well in terms of culinary traditions. Due to ‘socialist brotherhood’ a […]

Categories: around the world, autumn, diets, German/Swabian, gluten-free, In the kitchen, seasons, soup & stew, vegetable, vegetarian, winter • Tags: cooking, cuisine, DDR, Eastern Europe, easy, Germany, gherkin, hearty, paprika, recipe, russian, smoked, soljanka, sour, stew, tart, tofu, weeknight

At its peak – Summer chicken salad

August 13, 2017 by nadel&gabel

This summer somehow is an up and down. Grey, rainy and rather cold were the last days. It seemed like autumn already was entering the field. But like so often this summer the warming sun broke through the clouds, fought her way back. And her light pushed aside all the grey. I always feel that this time of summer is a double-edged sword. It’s on its peak, the plenty of ripe fruits and vegetables is overwhelming. Now they’re best, juicy […]

Categories: gluten-free, In the kitchen, meat, salad, seasons, snacks & small dishes, summer • Tags: celery, chicken, cold, fresh, fruit, harvest, party food, peaches, picnic, salad, spring onions, summer, walnut

Hydration – Watermelon cucumber granita

July 7, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Ok, it probably doesn’t go much easier than this “recipe”. But the summer heat is on again after a little break and what you definitely want to avoid is turning on the oven and spending too much time in a small kitchen. So watermelon in any way is the choice of the day. This granita basically multiplies the hydrating and refreshing effect of watermelon – turned into frozen crystals and upgraded by a splash of lime juice and some cucumber. […]

Categories: cake, cookie & dessert, dairy-free, diets, gluten-free, In the kitchen, seasons, summer, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian • Tags: cold, cucumber, easy, fresh, frozen, granita, ice, lime, no fuss, recipe, refreshing, summer, watermelon

Pulse – Spring pasta with peas, ricotta and lemon

May 14, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Except from our – magnificent – trip to São Miguel (dispatch to follow) during our Easter holidays, there has been a lot of work going on here right now in ‘real life’, while my digital life has shifted to Instagram mostly these days. This won’t be the beginning of a lenghty complaint, but an explanation: My recreational program these days mostly consists of some knitting in the evening and short walks in the sun in the afternoon – in case it […]

Categories: grains & legumes, In the kitchen, pasta, seasons, spread, sauce & spice, spring, vegetable, vegetarian • Tags: carb, easy, fresh, green, legumes, lemon, pasta, pea, pulse, quick, ricotta, simple, spring, zest