Breakfast

STOVETOP NUT COCONUT GRANOLA [v|gf]

02/14/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 9 Comments

It’s Valentine’s Day today and though I make nothing of it, this recipe is for my favorite person. I could now tell you how much he means to me, that he is the best travel buddy in the world and I can’t imagine daily adventures without him anymore. But I’d rather tell you that I love him so much that I created this Stovetop Nut Coconut Granola just for him (hint: not saying the last sentence with too much seriousness).

I’m not very romantic and won’t bore you by telling you the story of how we met or anything like that. At least not today. I think the internet is overflowing with love stories today. So let me tell you another story instead. Last night we went out on a late night grocery shopping spree. And as it always happens with those late night food searches, it’s usually not the healthy and green items that want to be taken home with you. So Felix (the favorite person I was referring to earlier) was desperately looking for his brand of sweet, very sweet granola. Luckily the supermarket was out of stock. Unfortunately, it was quite late already and I was too tired to make him a batch of oven-baked granola. So I made him this quick recipe of Stovetop Nut Coconut Granola the next day….

WINTER DETOX GREEN SMOOTHIE

01/25/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 9 Comments

Anyone else who can’t stand these dark winter vibes anymore? I’ve had enough of cold, grey days. I want sunshine in my life again, colorful fruit bowls and fresh salads. And I want my high energy level back again. Every year it’s the same procedure. Every winter I’m taken by surprise. Like why is my body and mind suddenly so tired? At times, I don’t even recognize myself anymore. Then I wonder how other people deal with the winter blues. But I quickly realize that I need to find a solution for myself instead of looking at others. And that’s the moments when I get moving.

I go on daily walks outside (running to the supermarket or close by coffee shop does not count), I visit the gym more often, I do yoga and I make myself a green smoothie with my JTC Omni V Blender in the morning. In the past few years, every single winter I went through this exact process. And every single winter I make the same smoothie because my body seems to crave its green, fresh, slightly sour, slightly sweet taste. It’s literally the easiest thing to make….

GINGERBREAD PANCAKES WITH WINTER TOPPINGS (v | gf)

12/19/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 1 Comment

Gingerbread Pancakes by black.white.vivid.

It’s the last week before Christmas and I’m currently on a flight from Istanbul to Munich. Though Munich used to be my home for more than two years I only have some business meetings here before heading up North to spend Christmas with my mum. In previous years I never really got into Christmas mood until the very day. Maybe it’s because we lived in countries that don’t celebrate Christmas. There was the occasional glittery and often very pink Christmas tree in shopping malls in Hong Kong. And even in Egypt, the German school would organise a yearly Christmas market which was hugely popular and very crowded. Last year we spend most of the Christmas season moving from Cairo to Istanbul, searching for a flat and unpacking boxes.

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WARMING WINTER PORRIDGE

11/30/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 11 Comments

I take it back. What I said about autumn in Istanbul in my last post. Winter has officially arrived now. It’s been rainy, windy and freezing the past few days. I didn’t leave the house much because I didn’t want to deal with reality. And that reality is that I no longer live in a country where there is no winter (I miss your weather Hong Kong and Cairo). I moved to Turkey in the hopes that summers would be longer than winters. And even though summer are definitely much warmer than in most European countries, Turkey’s winter are as uncomfortable….

SPICED PERSIMMON ROASTED APPLE SMOOTHIE

11/28/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 6 Comments

This past week has been intense, exhausting and very tiring. First of all, autumn is coming to an end. That’s such a bumper if you ask me. Icy winds took over colourful leaves. A thick scarf, a woolen hat and even gloves have become essential accessories on a Sunday morning walk. Here and there you can already hear the first Christmas tunes. But I’m not ready to let autumn go yet. After all it’s my favourite season. I love its cold but sunny afternoons. I enjoy its flavours and produce. Everything pumpkin and apple, preferable with cinnamon and cardamom lets my heart jump of joy. I even love the first very cold and rainy days, snuggled in a blanket with a hot cup of chai latte. I’m lucky that I live in Istanbul because it’s still autumn here. That means I can still hold on to autumn a little longer. Also my very autumn-y smoothie recipe with Spiced Persimmon and Roasted Apple relives this season….

COMFORTING CARROT CAKE OATMEAL (VEGAN + GLUTEN-FREE)

11/10/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 4 Comments

I think we all deserve a cozy and comforting bowl of warm oatmeal at the moment. Because yesterday Donald J. Trump was elected president. Even though I’m not an American, I still care. And I think everyone is allowed to care. Yes, there is no shame in crying about it. You are allowed to be sad, angry and disappointed. Please have all kinds of feelings about it because it means that you care. I also care about Turkey, the UK, and Germany, my home country. I care about every single country on this planet. My friends live all over the world and everyone is affected by the outcome of this election in one or the other way. I’ve always seen the world as one part, as one united nation. But lately politics has been ugly. And there has been so much hate. Too much hate. And fear. …

PEACH AND STRAWBERRY 3 WAYS

09/03/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. Leave a Comment

Do you know that moment when you suddenly realize, the end has come? You knew it all the time but you repressed that thought. And from one second to the other your life may change completely because you know peach and strawberry season is going to end soon. Yes?! Sounds familiar? Well, I had that moment a few days ago and decided to pay a little tribute to my favorite summer fruit combination. So I created a little collection of three recipes with peach and strawberry as the main ingredients.

But this isn’t a selfless act to bring you creative healthy food. After our Lisbon trip and the overload of sweet treats I ate during those few days, I felt a little sluggish. Maybe it’s also what people call the post-vacation blues. Though I have to admit I’m quite happy being back home with my cats and to an abundance of fresh summer fruits and veggies. Either way, I don’t regret anything (because who has ever regretted a bite of freshly baked pastel de nata) but it was time to go back to my usual diet….

COLD BLUEBERRY SOUP – A RECIPE FROM FINLAND

07/21/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 9 Comments

This cold blueberry soup is a reminder of my recent trip to Helsinki and its many wonderful food markets. We arrived by ferry from Tallinn in the morning and spent one day in the city, all while the sky gleamed in bright blue and the sunshine warmed the streets of Finland’s beautiful capital. It was a perfect day to explore Helsinki. Strolling the food markets became an instant favorite. They were overflowing with fresh produce from the region, colorful flowers and the occasional fish stand. One things that surprised me to see over and over again – berries of all sorts, colors and shapes….

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND FENNEL PORRIDGE – A RECIPE FROM LATVIA

07/14/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 4 Comments

Growing up at the Baltic Sea, I’ve really come to miss the ocean, moody days and nordic beach landscapes here in Istanbul. Every time I go back home to visit, everything has changed, most of my friends moved away but the cooling sea breeze and smell of the smashing waves still makes me feel like this is the home I’ve never left. I never realise how much I miss it until I’m there again. As a child and teenager I would always feel most comfortable by the sea and I would never get bored looking out to the horizon. Most summers we would spend our days at the beach, mostly swimming and sunbathing, sometimes playing volleyball or learning how to windsurf. I would walk the shore and collect shells and stones only to through them back to the sea at the end of the day. There, I imagined the beautiful jewelry I could make with my finds or the artsy collages I could create. The sea always got my thinking and imagining and visualizing. Today I still feel like the ocean is the only place where my thoughts can run free. No limitations, no obligations – just an empty head that wants to be filled with ideas….

ROASTED PEACH APRICOT SMOOTHIE

06/16/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 2 Comments

Oh the joys of summer, they come in all forms. Sunshine, warmer temperatures, trips to the beach, ice cream and summer fruits. I’m not sure when my love for apricots and peaches started but it hasn’t been that passionate earlier in my life. As a German I grew up loving apples and strawberries. Noting wrong with that but it’s such a great feeling to extend your love to other fruits. So yes, my love for peaches and apricot is a recent one. I think it was that summer in France when I studied in Bordeaux for a semester. There was a traditional French bakery on my short walk between home and university. Every single day I’d pass by in the morning when the scent of freshly baked treats would fill up the streets of our neighborhood….