No, I am not dead. I am just overwhelmed with school. Fortunately, Christmas Holidays begins next week (hurray!), so although I will have to work anyway (the last day to finish my research project is getting closer. Tic-tack, tic-tack…), at least I will have time to breathe.

It has been awfully rainy and cold the past three days because of a Siberian cold front.  It’s not that I hate cold (I love visiting Moscow for Christmas, and that would be certainly a problem). I hate cold without snow.  With that kind of weather, the best you can do is to curly up in your sofa,  cover yourself with a blanket and read a book while sipping your hot tea (or chocolate, if you prefer it).  I am looking forward my school break to do that. Instead of it, yesterday I had to curl up with a geography textbook (I had the exam today), and it lost most of its charm.

I can’t study without music. I don’t know why, but I got used to it….and now I just can’t concentrate in complete silence.

I haven’t cooked too much lately. Some days my mother does baked potatoes with extra ones for me without asking me before, and I can’t say no (could you?). When I have sweet potatoes in the fridge, I don’t need anything more and cooking something else seems just stupid. It’s a pity that a person can’t live just on sweet potatoes.  On other days I just don’t have the time, or I am not at home.  I have school until 14.30 every day except Thursday, when I have a split shift. Because I don’t have time to come back to home, I spend the hour and half I have in a café near school. The place is OK, but you still feel the bitterness of the coffee after adding the two packets of sugar. But some weeks ago I discovered another café (half an hour from school, tough) where you can order coffee with SOYMILK! I know people who live in vegan-friendly places will think it’s nothing out of this world, but apart from Starbucks (which you can only find in Barcelona, by the way) I don’t know any other café who offers it. So sometimes I just don’t come back at home until 6PM or so because I stay there doing homework. It is cozier, not as cold and smells better than the library. The only minus? They have nothing vegan to eat.

I know it sounds strange, but I concentrate better there than in a library and of course better than at home. I just can’t work at home. My mind seems to go somewhere else when I try to focus on some task. So it worth wait a little bit more to eat because I do twice as homework there.

And talking about coffee, I am working on a special post about this addictive and caffeinated drink. I thought about cooking something with coffee (maybe a dessert. I love how it enhances the flavor any cake!), plus collecting recipes from the web, some graphics (I found such a cute icons!) and extra stuff.   

I know what are you thinking: “Stop pestering me and go on with the recipe” (sometimes I have to remind myself that this is a blog about food). So, for those you dislike chilly and rainy days, I have the perfect recipe today: a smooth, warm roasted chickpeas and zucchini soup!

Roasted chickpeas and zucchini soup Recipe form: ~ original recipe ~ Serves: 3-4 -2 medium zucchinis (or 1 large) -2 cups water or stock -2 cups chickpeas -2 tsp chickpeas seasoning blend -1/4 cup coconut milk (optional) -salt -oil (I used olive oil) I love chickpeas, and I can snack on them like some people snack on chips or candy (which is great, because it’s a healthier addiction).  My family is usually quite skeptical about vegan food, but they all love chickpeas. Some days ago I sautéed them with some chana masala, a spices mix used with chickpeas….and they didn’t leave any leftovers!  It also works great with sweet paprika (here is called pimentón dulce). My father likes chickpeas, but he is crazy about hummus. Especially with a lot of garlic. I love it too, but sometimes you fancy something different, and the zucchini/chickpeas combo works perfectly. Add a little bit of vegetal milk (I strongly recommend coconut), extra seasoning for more spiciness, cover it with more coconut milk, nuts (or even raisins as I did. The savory and sweet combination is terrific!), olive oil and…voilà! Heat 1 or 2 tsp of oil on a saucepan and add 1tsp of the chickpeas seasoning. Add the chickpeas and sauté for 5 minutes or until they become golden and crispy. Set aside. Put the water (or stock) to boil and add the chopped zucchini, salt, coconut milk and another tsp of seasoning. Boil until they become tender, about 10 min. Turn off the heat. Let the cool a little bit. Put the zucchini (stock included) and the roasted chickpeas in a blender. Puree until you get the desired consistency. Add a little bit more coconut milk, salt and spices if desired. Serve with chana dal or some nuts, extra coconut milk and olive oil on top.

Creamy Pumpkin soup with cashews

It’s curious how a person can live several years in a country, and don’t go out from the city where he or she lives.  I have lived in Moscow until the age of seven, and I have never been to St. Petersburg…until this summer. Yeah, after knowing that I was going to come to Russia, my lovely cousin (I don't know which blog I must link: this or this?)organized a weekend trip to St. Petersburg because she knew that I have never been there before.  

The journey was tiring because we took a night train, which means that nobody slept very well (an armchair is not the most comfortable place to sleep), but I don’t complain because seeing the city worth it. St. Petersburg in summer is full of tourists, with wide roads and old but restored buildings that looked very picturesque. Unfortunately, I was wrong with my weather prediction, and I spent the two days roasting in trainers and long jeans because it was 25ºC (which means that you have the feeling that it’s like 35ºC).

I could explain how beautiful the city was, but I think you will enjoy more seeing it by yourself =) Probably a Russian recipe would have gone better with the post, but I have got by on quick and easy dishes since I began school (you know, the difficult life of a student). So here is a quick and easy pumpkin soup with cashews, tofu and panch phoran. Don’t you love this wonderful vegetable? I have on mind more pumpkin recipe (like the raw shredded pumpkin with raisins and cinnamon I had today for lunch), so if you are a pumpkin lover too, be on alert.

A vegetarian café in St.Petersburg. Me drinking a cup of tea (yeah, it's what I am looking at) and my cousin. The room where we stayed. I would like to have a balcony like this. Out breakfast: a huge amount of fresh fruit. Blackberries, raspberries, cherries, prunes from the closest market. A Japanese restaruant called "Two chopsticks". I ordered the vegetarian set. Delicious! Last day, in the theathre.

 

Creamy Pumpkin soup with cashews When I saw SusanV recipe Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran, I knew I had to try this spice blend. Panch phoran is used in Bangladesh and Eastern India, and it’s composed from cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mustard and kalonjii in equal amounts. I didn’t have kalonjii, so I omitted it. I could say it a panch phoran….my way It’s difficult to explain its tastes or smell, so I will only say: try it. Combined with the sweetness of the pumpkin, the creaminess of the tofu and the nutty note of the cashews, it won’t disappoint you. Recipe from: original recipe Serves: 2-3 ½ medium pumpkin 1 peeled apple ¼ bloc firm tofu 2-3 tbsp cashews 1 cup water ½ cup milk (I used soy milk, coconut milk would taste great too) 1 tbsp panch phoran (or to taste) 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tbsp oil 1tsp salt Extra cashews for decoration Chop the pumpkin, the apple and the tofu. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the panch phoran, until it becomes fragrant. Add the chopped ingredients and sauté for a couple of minutes. Put the water to boil, and add all the ingredients. Cook on a low heat for 20-30 minutes without the lid (or only partially covered), or the milk can boil over. Put it all in the food processor and puree until it becomes a smooth cream. Add more salt if necessary. Serve with some extra cashews on top and a drizzle of oil.

Two beans beetroot buckweat soup recipe

It has been raining all the week, and today was not an exception. After many weeks of sun and warm temperatures, everybody already said goodbye to the winter and put away their coats. But an unexpected cyclone arrived, and I had to take out of the wardrobe my thick socks again. I couldn't go running during all the week, which is a problem for me because I need it to avoid my bad mood (yes, endorphins are my drug)
 
Strangely enough, this cold and rainy week I have been doing some experiments with raw food. I have tried different green smoothies and raw broccoli, and I would like to try raw lasagna. Anyway, I think I couldn't go raw: today I only had a green smoothie for breakfast (while usually I have a big bowl of porride, muesli, buckwheat or any other cereal with beans and steamed vegetables) and I have been craving something cooked all the day. I will go on trying green smoothies because they taste good (if you don't put too many greens, of course, as I did once….) but I will wait with the rawfoodism at least until spring or summer, when salads and cold dishes are more appealing. Meanwhile, I will follow cooking comforting stews and soups, like the one I did last week: a beetroot soup with mung beans, kidney beans and buckwheat.

One of the most traditional Russian dishes it's a soup called "borsht". Well, in fact I think it's Ukrainian, but Russian adopted it so many years ago that it became I dish of the national kitchen. Beets, together with potatoes and turnips, have always been a staple of the Russian cuisine. This soup is not borscht, but it's very similar to it (borsht hasn't got beans, and the main ingredients are beets, cabbage and potatoes)
Anyway, It tasted delicious, and I will try to do another version soon, maybe with other beans, tofu or seitan. I think the key is the toasted buckwheat, which gives a subtle and delicious flavor to the soup.
 
Talking about something not food related, yesterday I finished reading Eclipse. It took me only two days to read it, and I can say I love it =). As I did with New Moon, I borrowed it, because although the books are fantastic they cost more than 15€ and I didn’t want to pay so much money when I knew that I would read them in less than two days (I read New Moon in one day) Tomorrow I will borrow Breaking Dawn from a friend . I can’t wait to read it. Have anymore read it? Why do you think? It’s really a good book or it’s a bestseller just because of all the advertising?

Two beans beetroot buckweat soup

Ingredients:
2 carrots
2 medium beetroots
1 onion
1 tomato
1/2 head red cabbage*
1/4 cup mung beans
1/4 cup kidney beans (half cooked)**
1/4 cup buckwheat
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried garlic
Salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
A couple of laurel leafs
5 cups of water, stock or beans cooking water.
*Use regular cabagge if you don't have red cabagge. I used it just because it looks better because of the bright colour.
**You can also try with black beans or white beans.
 
1. Soak the beans the night before if you are using dried ones.
 
1. Prepare the beans. I half cooked the kidney beans, but if you already canned and cooked beans it's also ok, because they are usually not completely done. The mung beans cook faster, so you can cook them straight in the soup. If you cook the beans, save the boiling water.
2. Chop all the vegetables. I think the way you chop them is important, because it can make the difference between a good soup and a wonderful soup. You can julienne the carrots, but I still don't know how exactly I must do it, so I do it my way. I don't remember where I learnt it (but I'm sure that I have seen in some food blog): first you slice them, but instead of doing it in parallel, slice them crosswise, so the slices will be longer. Then, cut the slices lengthways and you will get sticks. You should finish with something similar to this:


3. Chop too the beetroots, the onion, the tomato and the cabbage. You can also grate the beetroot.
4. Put some olive oil in a pot, and sauté 1 minute the onion. Chop or mince the garlic and add it, together with the pepper, dried garlic, the laurel leaves and a little bit of salt (just to soft the onion)
5. After a few minutes, add the carrots and the beetroot. Cook 5 minutes more.
6. Add the water or stock, the beans and simmer it on a very low heat about 20 minutes
7. Toast the buckwheat on a dry saucepan. Add to the pot the buckwheat and the cabbage. Follow cooking for 30 minutes more, or until the beans are done.

Krupnik (polish barley soup)

Hello everyone! As I promised, here you have the first post with a recipe, which is what I suppose you are interested in =) Maybe it can be interesting to read sometimes about other people's life, but if you don't get anything from it(for instance, a delicious and wonderful recipe =P), at the end you get tired. People need information, useful information (unless your life is sooooo interesting that is enough to entertain your readers, which I think is not my case )

This Christmas Holidays I have been in Prague and in Krakow with my cousin, her husband and some of their friends. They rented a cosy,and not as expensive as an hotel, duplex, and we lived there for a week. I only can say that I loved Krakow. If you compare it with Prague, maybe it's not as majestic, as amazing, but it has got something special: the Main Square, the crowded and full of shops streets of the centre or the quiet and charming streets of the old area, the Jewish quarter, the street traders selling Pretzels on every corner....The word to describe it would be cosy.

I am not going to describe all my travel, mainly because I have a lot to say. Explaining it all in one post would be tedious to read for the visitants and a waste of things to explain for me. Why explain all in one post when I could write at least a dozen of them? Instead, here you have a few photos ;)



Krakow has got many vegetarian restaurants and cafes, and I survived on their menus for one whole week. Nevertheless, I couldn't try any very typical polish dish, because the polish cuisine it's not an especially vegetarian one. In fact, it uses a lot of meet, usually pork, so the vegan dishes were not polish (one day I even ate Indian food). Because of it, I decided to find a recipe in internet and adapt it. The chosen dish was a soup called Krupnik . Polish eat a lot of soup because of the cold temperatures. Krupnik is a soup with barley, mushrooms, vegetables and chicken. Of course, I didn't use chicken: I substituted it for seitan. The main reason why I choose it is because I had almost all the ingredients on hand, and a lot of mushrooms getting limp in the fridge which I had to use.

Krupnik: polish barley soup
*I found a lot of versions of Krupnik, and they were all different. Finally, I chose the one from The Fresh Loaf and adapted it.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 2 links of seitan sausages of seitan steaks. I used the Pumpkin (Sau)Sage from Have cake, will travel!, but you can use any. You can also try any other meat substitute. I don't buy that kind of things because they are expensive, but if a meat substitute with chiken flavour is available in your store, you give it a try.
• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2/3 cup dried brown lentils
• 2/3 cup pearled barley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 150 g. of mushrooms (wild mushrooms are better). You can also use dried mushroom, but you will have to soak them before. Reserve the soaking liquid!
• Water to cover ingredients (about 5 glasses of water) or stock
• A little bit of olive oil


• Chop all the vegetables and the seitan or meat substitute.
• Heat a casserole on medium heat and add the oil. Sauté the coarsely chopped onion one minute, add the seitan and cook one minute more, stirring (if you don't want to add oil, you can skip that step and add all the ingredients in the water directly)
• Add the celery, carrots and mushrooms. Cook one minute and add the barley and lentils.
• Cover with the water or stock, add the bay leave, a little bit of salt (only a little bit: it's better to add the salt at the middle of the cooking because the lentils will be more tender) and pepper.
• Simmer on very low heat during 1'30 hours or until the barley and lentils are soft. If you simmer on very low heat, the vegetables won't finish falling apart and the soup will have time to develop the flavours. In fact, 1’30 hours were not enough for me, and I had to simmer ir 20 minutes more.
• Serve with rye or sourdough bread and fresh or dried dill on top.