• 500 ml buttermilk, room temp
• 200 ml water, room temp
• 2.5 tsp yeast
• 1/2 tbs sugar

• 1 tbs salt (=15ml)
• 550 g / 4 cups and 1 Tbs whole wheat flour (or whole spelt flour)
• 200 g / 2 cups rolled oats
• 50g / 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or a mix of seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame etc)

Optional: add to taste some spice (fennel, coriander, cumin, anise, caraway, lemon zest)
mix into the bowl. This makes a sticky, wet dough

Preparation by hand:

First dissolve the yeast in warm water, then add all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
The dough is quite liquid and sticky.
Put it into a buttered cake form (or use a non-stick form).
Let it rise for 30 minutes.
Bake in preheated oven at 390 ºF (200 ºC) for about 50 min to 1 hour.
Tip: use the double amount of the ingredients to fill a 30 cm long-square cake form.

Preparation with bread machine:

Put all ingredients into the machine, liquids first, flour and seeds last, and choose a dark bread cycle.

Bread Flour Converter:

Doesn't it look gorgeous?! And so easy to make.

• 500 g beetroot
• 500 g white cabbage (or 1/2- 1 cup sauerkraut, chopped small)
  
• 200 g potatoes
  
• 200 g carrots (2-3 carrots)
  
• 1 leek
  
• 1 onion or 2 shallots
  
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbs oil
  
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
  
• 2-3 Tbs balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice (you can skip this if you use sauerkraut)
• Extra: 1 cup chestnuts, cooked
  

Garnish

Sour cream

Dill for garnish

Preparation

Clean, wash, peel and cut the beetroot, potatoes and carrots into small chunks.

Peel onions and garlic, chop finely and fry in oil.

Add beetroot and saute briefly.

Add water (or vegetable stock) and bay leaf.

Add the potatoes and simmer for about 5 min, while you clean the leek and cut it in thin stripes.

Clean the cabbage, remove the stalk, cut in quarters, then in small pieces.

Add the rest of the vegetables, salt and pepper, vinegar and cook for another 25 min.

Add the cooked chestnuts, cut in half, 5 min before serving.

Serve

Serve stew in soup plates, add a spoon of sour cream and garnish it with dill.

Tip: Some regional recipes do not use cabbage, or use instead of cabbage half a cup of sauerkraut. The heart of the recipe are the beetroots, the other veggies in the recipe you can vary in quantity to your liking or which veggies you have already in your fridge.

We were cooking vegetarian Borscht in the black Forest in winter time. The hot soup felt so good that we cooked a variation even two times, and enough to warm it up!  We made once a variation with added chestnuts, fresh lemon juice, without cabbage but sauerkraut instead.

We serve pearl pickling onions and "petite dill pickles" (Cornichons) with it, and black tea or dry white wine to drink.

Important: continuously stir the cheese mixture, also when serve it is important that always someone is slowly stirring with one's bred chunk on the fork so the cheese doesn't split.

Ingredients (4 portions: 200g cheese per person)

• 1 loaf of white bred (Italian bred or baquette)
• 1 clove garlic
• 400 g Gruyère
• 400 g Emmentaler (or Vacherin cheese, a Swiss cheese from fribourg)
• 3 dl dry white wine
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 1 Tbs Kirsch
• Nutmeg and pepper, freshly grated

Directions

Prepare the table and cut the bred into 1-inch cubes.

Rub the garlic on the inside of fondue pot (Caquelon).

Grate the cheeses into the fondue pot. Mix the wine with the cornstarch and add to the fondue pot and stirring slowly and continuously heating it so it bubbles gently, but do not boil. Add the kirsch while stirring. Season with nutmeg and pepper – while stirring.

Tip: The Gruyère & Vacherin cheese fondue is called "moitié-moitié" and is the best! If Vacherin cheese is not available use Emmentaler or half Emmentaler and half Appenzeller.

2 Tbs olive oil or coconut fat

1 red cabbage (approx. 2 pounds/1 kg), quartered, cored and shredded

2 apples (approx. 400 g), finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup red wine

2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 pinch glove powder

2 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 sweet potato

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Wash the cabbage, cut in 4 pieces, remove the trunk and shred it.

Wash apples, remove seeds and shred them.

Chop onion.

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil/fat and simmer the onions and apples.

(For the very traditional German-Style Blaukraut add one table spoon sugar and caramelize, that will enhance the dark blue color – I personally do not cook with added sugars for health reasons).

Wilt in the cabbage and season with salt, pepper, glove and some freshly grated nutmeg.

Add the red wine and vinegar, cover and let it simmer for 20 min.

Add the chunks of sweet potato and cook for another 15-20 min.

Tip: adding chestnuts to the red cabbage gives a wonderful tasteful natural sweet flavor – add instead of sweet potato and cook them right in the beginning with the cabbage.

• 75 g onion ½ onion
• 75 g leeks ½ leek
• 50 g carrots 1 carrot
• 25 g celery root ¼ celery root
• 40 g ham
• 25 g butter
• 50 g barley
• 15 g flour

• 1,5 l bouillion

Enrichment

• 1,5 dl full cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 pinch saffron

Special

• 2-4 trout filets

Directions

Chop the veggies and ham and glaze in butter.
Add the barley and simmer

Sprinkle the flour into the pan.

Add the broth.

Cook for about 30 min. till the barley is tender.
Add cream, egg yolk and saffron, bring to a short boil then reduce the heat and add the trout filets for about 5 min.

Serve

Skim some veggies/barley into the warmed soup bowls, whisk the soup, serve the soup over the veggies/barley and the fish on top, garnish with some chives.

This recipe I wrote down from a booklet we received in Switzerland for our 2011 elections. The booklet portraits all the parties we can give our votes, in total 12 parties this year, published by the Swiss federation.

Barley soup is traditional for one area in Switzerland, the Graubünden, which is one of my favorite areas…if you click on the Graubünden link and have a look at the pictures from Graubünden you may understand….

Train tracks through the lush valley.

This train is world famous, it takes a full 360º circle inside the mountain. The railway conquers a gradient of up to 70% without rack and pinion!

Many homes still look like from centuries back, yet well maintained and with modern interiors.

Preparation

Simmer the cream, vanilla and sugar for 5 min.

Soak the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of cold water for about 5 min.

Let the cream cool down a bit and whisk in the gelatine leaves (squeezed from the water).

Fill the liquid into small forms, let it cool out, then put them into the fridge for about 3-4 hours.

Serve

To serve, turn each panna cotta out onto a serving plate. Spoon over the berry sauce and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Fresh Berry Sauce

• 2 Tbs sugar
• 350g/12oz raspberries or berry mix

Blend berries with sugar (or honey) and pour decoratively around the panna cotta.

The berries can be fresh or deep frozen.

Extra: add a splash liqueur (Grand Marnier, cherry, Triple Sec etc) to the blend.

I prepare this breakfast nearly every day, but without ever measuring the ingredients; so it comes out different nearly every time I make it. This is an attempt to write a recipe for Lila:

Ingredients (7 servings)

• 3 cups barley

for flavor you can add:

• 1 Tbs cinnamon
• cacao
• yoghurt
• 3 bananas
• 2 apples
• walnuts or almonds, chopped
• raisins
• juice of 5 tangerines or 2 oranges

Preparation

Soak the barley over night in enough water.

Next morning rinse the soaked barley, cook it tender in about the double amount of water (using a pressure cooker this takes approx. 10 min)

Mix the barley in a bowl with the other ingredients to your taste and vary with the flavors so it never gets boring.

Serve it in bowls and sprinkle with cocoa.

Add honey if you like the sweet taste.

Variations:

Add flax seeds when cooking the barley

Add cashew nuts

Add cranberries or dried plums instead of raisins

Add sesame seeds

Add 2-3 cardamon seeds to the cooking

Add any other fresh fruits and berries as available

We had friends over one day and they said that their son was wheat intolerant. This along with my own wish for a wheat free substitute inspired me to begin experimenting.

After a few tries with tasty oat muffins (that kept falling apart on me, Harito had a suggestion. She said if you boil the oats, they will stick together. Playing with different mixes eventually I had a mixture that worked. The oats stuck together with a muffin like consistency, like magic!

My first goal was to NOT use fruit, sugar or eggs to stick the oats together.

My second goal was to make a blank muffin mix that could then be mixed with any flavors you like. Fruit, spices, nuts or whatever flavors and textures one might find preferable so the basic recipe can be customized to achieve your desire.

No mashed banana, no honey, no sugar, no eggs. Just a basic oat muffin. You can add any flavors you wish!

The 6 Muffin Mix

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup small rolled oats
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1 cup Milk [or 1 cup buttermilk, yum!]
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot [or 1 Tbsp tapioca flour]
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

The 12 Muffin Mix

Ingredients

• 1 cup small rolled oats
• 1 cup oat flour
• 2 cups Milk [or 2 cup buttermilk, yum!]
• 2 Tbsp arrowroot [or 2 Tbsp tapioca flour]
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Tips:

• If you only have salted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.

Notes:

Mix dry ingredients: small rolled oats, arrowroot, baking powder, salt (do not add oat flour yet, otherwise you may end up with a bread texture). You will add the oat flour later. Mix these dry ingredients and milk in a pot and warm slowly, add butter to the mixture in the pot. Stir regularly. The mixture will remain liquid until the end where you will notice it creates a thick pasty texture. Once this glue like texture is achieved, turn off the flame and fold in the dry oat flour (as if you are making a scone). You can add a little more milk if needed to mix the oat flour into the dough (but not too wet).

You may need to adjust liquid or dry ingredients depending on humidity and altitude.

Bake on level of oven that provides even heating (depends on oven size, usually mid to lower).

Altitude considerations – You might have to adjust the temperature or cooking time, the following notes may help:

• Bake 35 minutes at 175C (350F)
• Liquid: 900 meters (3000 ft) - Increase liquid for each cup 1 to 2 T
• Liquid: 1500 (5000 ft) - Increase liquid for each cup 2 to 3 T
• Liquid: 2100 meters (7000 ft) - Increase liquid for each cup 3 to 4 T
• Baking Powder: for each teaspoon decrease 1/8 teaspoon
• Baking Powder: for each teaspoon decrease 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Baking Powder: for each teaspoon decrease 1/4 teaspoon.
  

Symphony of Science - The Poetry of Reality (An Anthem for Science)

Symphony of Science - the Quantum World!

Symphony of Science - 'We Are All Connected'

Symphony of Science - 'The Unbroken Thread'

• 700 g flour (today we use spelt flour)
• 1 cube fresh yeast – 42 g
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 300 ml water, lukewarm
• 1 Tbs salt
• dash of milk (to glaze rolls)

Preparation

1. Put flour in a bowl, make a dent in the middle. Crumble the yeast and pour in some of the lukewarm water and the sugar, and mix it in with one part of the flour.
2. Let is rest for 40-60 minutes (it will start to make bubbles), then add the salt and start mixing it with the rest of the flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon, then knead until it forms a lively dough.
3. Put the dough into a bowl and let it rise 30 - 40 minutes.
4. Then form the dough into a roll and cut bun pieces. Each bun should be about 50 grams. Form them into buns, e.g. twist, baguette-bun, pretzel or simply round buns. Put them on a greased baking sheet (or use baking paper), cut crosswise and brush them with warm milk.
5. Bake for about 15 - 20 min in at 210-225° C (410-430ºF).

Tip: Prepare the dough in the evening, step one and two, then put the dough in a big enough bowl (so the dough can rise)  in the fridge and continue next morning with step four.

Put the flour in a bowl and make a dent in the middle
add some of the water (lukewarm!), the sugar, and crumble the yeast into it
let it rest for 30-40 min, then add the salt…
…and knead the mixture into a dough, adding the water as needed
	Let the dough rise for 30-40 min and continue, or put the dough into the fridge to continue next day:
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, cut into equal pieces
…and form them into rolls (round, long, pretzel, however you like)
Bake them for 15-20 min
Tip: One part of the dough we kept aside to deep freez

Ingredients

{Note: we made the recipe with the double amount of ingredients}

for the starter

• 2 tsp dry yeast
• 2/3 cup water
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. unbleached flower

for the dough

• 1/2 cup unbleached flower
• 2 cups rye flower
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup water

Preparation

1. To make starter: sprinkle the yeast into the water in a bowl. Leave for five minutes: stir to dissolve. add flower and mix to form a thick batter cover with a dish towel and leave for 2 hours.
2. To make the dough: mix the flours and the salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the starter and half of the water.
3. Mix the flour. Stir in the remaining water and form a fairly moist, sticky dough.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
5. Put the dough in a bowl and cover it with a clean dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down, then let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape into long loafs, place them on a floured baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes.
7. Dust the loafs lightly with flour. Cut six or seven short slashes, 1/4 inch deep at 1/2 inch intervals. Cover with dish towel and proof until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes at 400ºF until hollow sounding when tapped underneath.
9. Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

• 2-3 potatoes medium sized, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1 cauliflower, washed and cut in florets
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 2 tbs vegetable oil (try organic coconut oil)
• 1 onion
• 1/2 inch ginger, freshly grated
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds ("methi")
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander seed powder

• 1 tsp Garam Masala powder
• salt
• coriander, fresh for garnish

Preparation

1. Simmer the cumin seeds and methi seeds in the oil for a minute or two.
2. Grind the onion and ginger into the oil and simmer till golden.
3. Add all spices.
4. Add the potatoes.
5. Add the cauliflower florets.
6. Add some water, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the frozen peas and salt as per taste and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
8. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander.

Tip: if you don't have all the Indian spices you can use curry powder instead.

Tip: Using frozen cauliflower florets

1. Variation: add some curd

2. Variation: you can add 1 cup of coconut cream: use only a little water so that it does not stick to the button of the pan and add the coconut cream about 5 minutes before serving, so that it simmers lightly with the vegetables.

• 1 cup porridge (grits or oats) (100 g)
• 1/2 quart water (5 dl)
• 2-3 apples, grated
• 1 tbs lemon juice, fresh
• 1.4 ounce walnuts, chopped (40 g)
• 3 1/2 ounce dates, cut small pieces (100 g)
• 1/2 quart fruit yogurt (540 g)

Decoration

• walnuts and dates

Preparation

• 6-8 tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 pound tomatoes
• 15-20 black olives, pitted
• 3 tbs capers, or to taste
• 3 ounces salted anchovies fillets, chopped (vegetarian solution: add instead of anchovies the double amount of capers)
• 1 tsp hot chili
• 1 tsp oregano, if possible fresh and finely chopped
• 2-3 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 pounds spaghetti
• salt

Preparation

1. Sauté the fine chopped garlic with the anchovies in olive oil.
2. Add the peeled and chopped tomatoes, bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce to a simmer.
3. Add capers, olives, chili, oregano and some freshly ground pepper.
4. Cook at simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. While the sauce is cooking bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook them until "al dente" (firm but not hard, soft but with a "bite").

Before serving add the parsley to the sauce.

Salt may not be needed because the anchovies are quite salty, if you leave them away and use more capers instead add salt to taste.

Drain the spaghetti, dress with the sauce and serve.

Ingredients

• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 apple, cut to chunks (use all except the stem)
• 3 handfuls of baby spinach
• 2 cups rice milk or fresh coconut milk or simply water

Blend all ingredients except the spinach till nearly smooth, then add the spinach for a last blend to achieve the final smoothness.

Berries are a powerful source of antioxidant and frozen berries can be a convenient food item to store – healthy and tasty.

Because of there antioxidant quality and because berries are found to lower blood pressure and to lower cholesterol berries are real "power-food" – and so is spinach! Spinach has been shown to protect against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer and arthritis. So... try this out!

Sweet delight number 1a

Ingredients

• 1 pear, cut to chunks (use all except the stem)
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup of blue berries (frozen or fresh)
• 1.5 cups of rice milk

Blend all ingredients at once. This smoothie is sweet and like a dessert.

Why it is called Number 1A: I asked for a name and my friend says that this smoothie is as tasty as all of them – all smoothies are just a delight and should only be called number 1, 2, 3 and so on, he loves them ALL!

Tip: make your smoothie to take on the road or to take to the office, it can be a full meal – I call it my fast food version.

Super Berry Power Smoothie 2 (ver. 2.1)

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups berry mix (fresh or frozen)

1 banana

2 sticks of celery, cut to chunks

2 cups rice milk or fresh coconut milk or simply water

Blend all ingredients at once.