Vegan Planet

When I became vegan, I bought some cookbooks. One of those, Vegan Planet, I used a lot in the beginning, and then, somehow, not anymore. I don't know why - it looks pretty and the recipes were tasty. When I flip through it, I instantly remember the feeling of my first months as a vegan - a very good feeling of a summer full of discoveries and happiness and, most importantly, the friendship of some of the most wonderful people I got to know in my life. So my task last weekend was: Cook something from Vegan Planet!

For one day, I chose Chilled Ginger-Peach Soup with Cashew Cream - a soup that tastes like a smoothie! Perfect.

And for the next, Walnut Crusted Millet and Celery Root Croquettes, with the recommended Yellow Pepper Coulis. Very good! Although I did not taste much of the walnut crust, which is a pity.

Yeah, I will never become a food photographer :-)

So, if you are searching for another vegan cookbook for all occasions that looks pretty (no photos though) and tastes good, I can definitely recommend this one. It is very well suited for beginners, as it has a well-written chapter about "vegan basics", featuring nutrition, reasons for being vegan, hidden animal ingredients, and presenting food that the average omni has never used before, like flax seeds or tempeh.

Pancakes for breakfast

The most wonderful man in the world makes the most wonderful pancakes in the world for breakfast. So here's the recipe, including a recipe for chocolate sauce by our swedish friends.

Pancake with strawberries and vanilla oat whipped cream.

Preparation time: about 30 minutes total.
Suggested music: Swedish medieval music from Patriarkus!

Ingredients for the pancakes:

• 150 g flour
• 250 mL soy milk
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg replacement (e.g. 1 tablespoon soy flour; it seems this is not even necessary, we left it out and it still worked)

What to do:

1. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
2. Add soy milk and optional egg replacement while stirring.
3. Pour small portions of the batter into a pan over medium heat. Brown lightly from both sides.

Pancake with vanilla oat ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Ingredients for the chocolate sauce:

• 1 part cocoa powder (the one used for baking)
• 1 part sugar
• 1 part water
• dash of salt

What to do:

1. Mix the cocoa powder and sugar in a small pot. Add the water bit by bit while stirring.
2. Bring to a boil on the stove. Let simmer until it thickens a bit.