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Wednesday 26 February 2014

Diagnosis: fructose malabsorption / Diagnose: Fructose Malabsortion

Today i've finally been diagnosed having an fructose malabsorption (better known as fructose intolerance)! Why i say finally? I was so weary of having undefined stomachaches, stomachcramps and flatulence. Now i even know what causes all the pain and inconvenience. It are those fructose suckers! ;) Well, better said it is the less amount of GLUT-5, which is a transport protein based in the wall of he small bowel, responsible for reabsorbing fructose into the bloodstream

But due to the fact that there are not enough GLUT-5 proteins, not all the fructose can be reabsorbed and it continues its way through the digestive system and into the colon, where fructose actually isn't meant to be. In the colon the fructose needs to be fragmented by bacteria and that's were smelly gases and cramps come from.

The only thing you can do about it is, really, to avoid fructose.
Fructose exists mainly in all kind of fruit (most in apples, pears, cherries, dried fruits) and vegetables (most in onions, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots). But also normal refined sugar contains 50% fructose and alternative sweeteners like honey, agave, maple syrup are No-No's as well.

The first 4 weeks after the diagnosis are called abstention phase where you are encouraged to leave out fructose whereever you can.
I handle this by leaving out fruits and sugar completetly, i'm substituting sweetness by using rice and spelt syrup and by constraining the variety of vegetables i eat to only avocados, spinach, salad leaves and potatoes.

I hope my stomach and small bowel are feeling better soon from all the constant fructose intake and i'm willing to share some fructosefree recipes with you!

See you, xx Jenny

Monday 20 January 2014

Switching to nature cosmetics / Der Umstieg zu Naturkosmetik

Although i'm always aware that i only pile vegetable, healthy and regional foods on my plate, i never really was with cosmetics. But since my increasing consciousness about animal rights and ecological sustainability i feel dubious about ingredients in conventional cosmetics, often accompanied by animal testing. Many synthetic ingredients in conventional are only for making it durable, and why should we put that on our largest organ?
There is no need for new high-tech and revolutionary substances, when we can tap the full potential of natures treasure chamber! No chemical imitation can be better than the original made by nature!
And that's why i finally provided myself with only nature cosmetics, without using up my old conventional ones.

My first parcel, which i was really excited about, filled with nature and vegan cosmetics.
I'm gonna reveal my experiences i made with this lovely products soon!


At the same time, this is my first not food related post, but i believe being "healthy" and feeling comfortable in one's skin is not all about food and weight, it seems to be sort of a lifestyle you need to get "healthy" from the inside as well, and you need to get to know what's good for your wellbeing, your conscience, your ecological footprint, whatever...I'm definitely going to continue posting about what makes me feel comfortable in my skin, be it yoga excersises, a petition i joined, a class about nature cosmetics im took part...



Sunday 5 January 2014

Spekulatius Crème brûlée mit Grand Manier Orangen und Espressosauce

Hallo ihr Lieben!

Das ist kurz vor knapp Blog-Eintrag, denn am 5.01. endet der  großartige Kochbuch-Wettbewerb von rundum und ich wollte noch unbedingt mit einem Rezept, das bei uns eigentlich am Weihnachtsabend ausprobiert und verspeist werden sollte (kam natürlich im Endeffekt alles anders :D), teilnehmen.
Und zwar handelt es sich hierbei um eine weiße Schoko und Spekulatius Crème brûlée mit karamelisierten Grand Manier Orangen und einer Espresso Sauce.
Zwar ist die Zubereitung etwas zeitaufwendig, aber die Mühe lohnt sich allemal!




Ihr braucht:
- 40g weiße Schokolade
- 250ml Sahne
- 250ml Milch
- 90g Zucker
- 1P. Vanillin-Zucker
- 6 Eigelb 
- 90g Spekulatius

- 3 Orangen
- 50 g Zucker
- Grand Manier, zum Ablöschen

- 80ml Wasser
- 2 EL Instant Kaffee Granulat
- 1 1/2 TL Rohrzucker

Zubereitung:

1. Erhitze die Sahne + Milch + Zucker in einem Topf.
2. Wenn das Gemisch kocht, ziehe den Topf von der Herdplatte und löse die Schokolade darin auf.
3. Heize den Ofen auf 110° Unter,- Oberhitze vor.
4. Bereite ein Wasserbad vor 
5. Rühre über dem Wasserbad jedes Eigelb einzeln in das Milch,-Sahnegemisch.
6. Fülle die Masse in feuerfeste Crème Brûlée Förmchen und lasse diese für ~ 1 1/2 Stunden im Ofen.

Währenddessen können die Orangen und die Sauce zubereitet werden:

für die Orangen:
1. Filitiere die Orangen
2. Erhitze den Zucker in einer beschichteten(!) Pfanne, bis dieser beginnt zu karamelisieren.
3. Lösche das Karamell mit erwärmtem Grand Manier ab, bevor es zu braun wird.
4. Daraufhin werden die Orangen zugegeben und köcheln ein paar Minuten mit.

für die Sauce:
1. Erhitze die 80ml Wasser in einem Topf
2. Gebe das Kaffee-Pulver und den Zucker hinzu und rühre
3. Lass das Gemisch köcheln, bis die Sauce etwas eingekocht ist und die gewünschte Konsistenz erreicht hat (dauert bei mittlerer Hitze 5-7 Minuten)

Zum Abschluss wird die Crème dünn mit Zucker bestreut und mit einem Küchen Flambierer befeuert! :)
Ich wünsche euch gutes Gelingen und guten Genuss! 

Saturday 7 December 2013

My boyfriends' advent calender DIY

Hey mates!


I was terribly busy with crafting and cooking and baking an opulent advent calender the last few weeks.I'm gonna share just some pictures of the content of the calender :)


These funny fellowers are filled with 24 different small chocolate bars (from there)



 Additional, I added a small present for each day, for example:



 handmade filled chocolates, truffles and advent cookies 


white chocolate and cherries

traditional advent cookies
raspberry filled chocolates
dark choc. rum truffles 


 homemade preserves:


christmas balsamic vinegar, flavoured oil, chocolate chilli liqueur

plum jam, tomato chutney, rum oranges and pickled feta


If you're intrested in knowing any of the recipes above, let me know! :)


Friday 29 November 2013

Savoury baked apples / Pikante Bratäpfel

Although i did do a lot of baked apples in my life, i haven't ever seen a savoury baked apple. I'm wondering why... Well, but this needs to be changed and here is the opportunity to: Ann-Katrin, from the German blog Penne im Topf is introducing new and small blogs during the Advent season and i'm taking part with this wintry baked apples! 
They're filled with chestnuts and red cabbage and reeeally simple to make.

You'll need:
- 6 quite big apples
- 1/2 head of a SMALL red cabbage 
- about 15 chestnuts
- 2 small shallots
50-60g margarine/(vegan) butter

What you have to do:
1. Cut your chestnuts the way above and roast them, sprinkled with water, for about 25 mins with 200°C.
Resprinkle with water if it is evaporated. (~every 5 mins)
2. Meanwhile, cut the red cabbage into tiny little cubes/stripes, as well as the shallots
3. After the 25 mins, let the chestnuts cool down until they're cooled enough to get peeled.
4. Peel the chestnuts and cut them into chunks
5. Mix everything together and add the butter (it should be all sticking together)
6. Core the apples generously and fill them with the mixture, bake them for 20 minutes with 180°C

I think they go best with a nice mushroom sauce and a piece of steak! 

Thursday 14 November 2013

Yellow Okra Coconut Curry

Ooh, i truly love Thai Currys, i mean... who doesn't? ;)

I would leave every Indian Curry standing for a lovely yellow Thai Curry. What's your favourite Curry?
I you haven't ever had okra (also called ladyfingers or bhindi) you should know that they taste most alike green beans and if cooked for too long, they start to ooze a slimy liquid which is good for thickening. Also Okra is rich in fibre (~5g per 100g), in antioxidants and in Vitamin C (36mg per 100g). Moreover It's supposed to be really soothing for the enteric flora and super low in calories. 
A superfood, indeed! :)
 


ingredients:
- 500g Okra
- about 10 cherry tomatoes
- 50g fresh or desiccated coconut
- 2 med. sized onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- small piece of ginger
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 1/2 tsp Paprika ground
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
salt, pepper
- 1 tin of unsweetend coconut milk
(optional: a few prawns for decorating 
 & desiccated coconut to coat the prawns with)




method:
- Cut the okras into about 4cm long pieces
- Cut the onions into small cubes
- Cut the ginger and garlic into tiiiiiny little cubes
- Heat up some oil in a pan, add the onions and stir, until they start to brown
- Add ginger & garlic
-Add all the lovely spices, the okras and the coconut and let them roast over moderate heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and the tomatoes
- Let the whole meal simmer for ~ 20 minutes or until the okras are soft
(Meanwhile, roll the prawns in desiccated coconut  and start to fry them, 2 minutes before you plan to serve, in plenty of oil.)

I recommend serving the meal with a mixture out of brown and wild rice. :)



Monday 28 October 2013

Quorn jetzt in Deutschland verfügbar!

Juppi! Letzte Woche bin ich durch den Edeka geschlendert, und was ist mir im Veganen Kühlregal da aufgefallen: Quorn! Ein Produkt, das ich aus meiner England-Zeit kennen und lieben gelernt hab.
Quorn ist ein weiterer Fleischersatz, jedoch nicht aus Tofu oder Seitan, nein, sondern aus Mykoprotein, ein aus Pilzkulturen gewonnenes Eiweiß. Hört sich nicht umbedingt schmeichelhaft an, schmeckt aber fantastisch, die Konsistenz und das Aussehen sind sowas von 100% und Quorn ist äussert kalorien,- und cholesterinfreundlich, dafür reich an Proteinen, Ballaststoffen und Aminosäuren!

Hier z.B. ein Auszug aus der Nährwerttabelle des Quorn Geschnetzeltem

RichtwertePro 100gPro Portion
Brennwert – kJ/ kcal477/114415/99
Eiweiß14,0 g12,2 g
Kohlenhydrate5,8 g5,0 g
- davon Zucker1,3 g1,1 g
Fett2,6 g2,3 g
- davon gesättigte Fettsäuren0,6 g0,5 g
Ballaststoffe5,5 g4,8 g
Natrium0,3 g0,3 g
Salzäquivalent0,8 g0,7 g


Erhältlich ist Quorn im Moment nur in ausgewählten Edeka, Rewe und Globus Märkten.
Hier hat der Hersteller super Rezepte veröffentlicht.
Mich hat Quorn garantiert überzeugt, ich hoff das tut es mit euch auch. :)