Summer Edition ´012 Day 24, 21st of August: normalean & the day of coincidences

Right now I am sitting on Dame Street, Dublin, in front of the central bank of Ireland waiting for Svenja my former classmate in 2006. I can’t remember when we met the last time. But first I have to tell about my last day in Stockholm. (The sun here in Dublin is shining, there are cold clouds and a very windy wind is blowing rhough my hair).

So, last day in Stockholm, I leave it with a happy & a sad face, I could have done so much more but I am on vacation, still, and still I need to learn to slow down.

we got up, got dressed, had breakfast & then Veronica and me went to Gamla Stan to have lunch at Hermitage, the vegetarian restaurant where I met Hubert & Flora on saturday! When I was inside getting my food at the buffet, Veronica looked for a place to sit outside (although it was a bit rainy) and so she accidentally (No.1) sat next to the door where I just sat on saturday.

There she met (No.2) a boy & a girl (just like I met a boy and a girl on saturday) but… they were taking the same flight just like me in the evening (No.4). We began talking, Ailish & Brendan are into music (No.5) like Brandon is a singer/songwriter just like me & Ailish is stuying music production. We began talking about tattoos and Veronica showed her zodiac sign Gemini and Brendan was not only also Gemini but was born on the very same day as Veronica, even in the same year!!! (No.6) I believe in the power of coincidences!

We said goodbye but not for very long for I would meet them on the plane!

Veronica and me went back home, I bought some nice stamps for my selfmade postcards, designed accidentally by “Malin Koort” (No.7) =)

I had to check some things on the internet, packed my stuff, played “Happily Ever After” for Veronica in the kitchen and finally we said goodbye. Although I wanted to speak & learn more svenska I don’t think I wasted my time. It was so beautiful and I have to get back to weden to see more places and landscapes.

I took the bus to the airport which took about one and a half hours, costed 115kr. Pretty long ride through swedens country side! It was beautiful, I was listening to Nada Surf “Lucky & “The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy”. I love these albums and I am looking forward going to the concert in november.

So at the airport I checked in my guitar and everything with my luggage went just right! There I met Bendan & Ailish again, we kept on talking about music & our plans and futures, our dreams. We also sat together on the plane so we could play the “who am I” game.

“Hello Dublin”

The two of them gave me some tipps, where I could go to an Open Mic Night and where I can have vegetarian & vegan food, for Ailish is a vegan herself!

We said goodbye & I hope I will meet them again! Would be so cool!

So I went to my couchsurfers home, in the very beginning I am always full with doubts and very careful but I think it is okay there. But still it is good, having those doubts and being careful for you never know how some people really are. The flat is full with brazilians. They are having a huge rooftop where you are having a great view over the city! I got some noodles in the evening by my host Jose and I slept in the living room on a huge matrasse!

normalean*

My ten songs on the bus from Dublin airport to Dublin city:

1. David Bowie- Space Oddity
2. Coheed & Cambria- The Willing Well II
3. The Beatles- Baby’s In Black
4. Russian Circles- Russian Circles
5. Sparkadia- Sleeping Lion
6. Fugazi- Cashout
7. Stephen Sondheim- By The Sea (Sweeney Todd)
8. Phoenix- Girlfriend
9. Unknown- Slowdown (have to look up for the artist!)
10. Olli Schulz- Der Moment (in this very moment we pass Olli’s Bar!) :)

Vegan Recipe #3: Macadamia Coooooookies

Finally I baked my first vegan cookies!!! They taste so good, but still, as with the other cookies I had, they are too crunchy… I like cookies more if they are soft and smooth :) So I have to try out, what I have to change making them like that. But Now I tell you how I made the first vegan cookies I’ve ever made :)

Ingredients:

1st part:

100 g washed(!!!) macadamia nuts
100 g vegan chocolate
100 g sugar
140 g vegan butter
50 g of grounded almonds
pinch of salt
vanilla sugar or real vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (don’t use more, trust me!)
1 table spoon of  apple purée (as alternative for 1 egg)

2nd part:

180 g flour
1 tea spoon of  baking powder

Preparation:

It’s pretty simple:

1. cut the washed macadamias into pieces you might think appropriate for your cookies

2. mix all the ingredients of the first part together, make them to a smooth dough (a cookie dough, haha)

3. now filter the flour and the baking powder over your dough making sure you don’t get any hard parts into your dough

4. heat the oven, I used 200° and turned it down when I put the cookies in to 180°

5. form your cookies as big as you want (I got 14 out of it)

6. put them into the oven and wash up ;)

7. after 15-20 minutes (please watch your cookies for every oven is an individual) put them out of the oven and let them cool down

8. enjoy your cookies with friends :)

Vegan Recipe #2: Rice & Shine

The first time I give a recipe of mine a name: “Rice & Shine”. I was so hungry for it all day, I had it on my mind and then I just had to cook it right after work. It is a kind of curry with coconut milk, green squash, tofu and rice to tell you the main ingredients right on the start.

Ingredients:

-1 cup of rice (took basmati)

-some tofu

-1 green squash

-1 carott

- 1 can ok coconut milk

-sundried tomatos

-garlic paste

-thai paste (took yellow)

-indian spicery like curry and curcuma

- salt, pepper, chili

Preparation:

Start with the rice, it takes the same time as preparing the vegetables. Take 1 cup of rice for 2 persons, let water boil in the kettle (it is saving energy) and then pour it into a pot, add some salt and the rice.

Now to the main menu: Cut the tofu into pieces and roat it gently in peanut oil.

When it is finished give the cut green squash to the tofu and roast it also, after a few minutes the cut carotts and dried tomatos as well.

Let them all roast in the pan and after a more few minutes pour the coconut milk into the pan, let it simmer.

When it is not as fluid as in the beginning add the spiceries. First I took the garlic and the thai paste and then the indian curry mix, salz, pepper and chili. Attention: Be careful using the garilc and thai pastes, they are very hot!

Let it simmer again, taste it, if it is fine you are finsihed and have a great vegan meal :)

Now drain the rice and add it to your meal.

Special hint: Cashews might fit perfectly to this recipe, but unfortunately I didn’t had some at the moment! (Would roast them gently with the vegetables at the beginning)

Have a good one!

Vegan repice #1: Special Salad

I always love salads of any kind. And I eat it like all the time as well :) I know, salads aren’t such a special meal but to create it vegan is, for some people, a challenge. So I show you one of my favorites right now.

Ingredients(for 1 very hungry person):

-1 hand full of field salad

-some tofu

-1 small onion

-1 carrot

-1/2 pomegranate

-1/2 Avocado

-sunflower seed

-walnuts

First cut your tofu into pieces and roast it gently with peanut oil (the taste of it fist perfectly to tofu), give it some salt and pepper, when finished lay aside.
Cut the onions into fine pieces and roast them gently, too (you can use them raw as well, but I don’t like it so much).
Cut all of the other ingredients as you like to. Cut the pomegranat into two halfs turn one piece upside down and hammer on it with a knife so that the cores get out (you use them…).

The dressing:

-olive oil

-brandy vinegar

-salt, pepper, some other spices or herbs you like

-mustard (my secret ingredient)

Enjoy your, maybe, first vegan meal!

Waiting for the world to change- I’m CO² neutral

what is this graphic about?

As you proably know, to use the internet we need power and energy. To produce this energy many many many kinds of power houses have to run and they emit CO² which isn’t that good or our environment (and to reduce the emission of CO² they invented nuclear power houses, which is probably (watch out for my cynical tone) more dangerous than the CO² emission.

chemical structure

But what to do against it?

So where was I at the beginning? Right, our use of the internet. So we use the internet day by day, check FB, google, and blogs, blogs, blogs… I can’t reduce the emission of CO² but I can make it better… If I plant a tree… But, I have no land (indeed my parents have some, but I am not able to plant anything right now- I am lazy!)

So… someone else plants a tree for me, for trees (as almost every other plant) convert CO² into, omg chemistry come back to me please… Ok I won’t get it… Plants convert CO² into O² and something more through photosynthesis and we get healthy air again. And who plants a tree for me, these people here: http://www.kaufda.de/umwelt/

We also do reduce the CO² emissions if we eat meat free aka vegetarian and we save even more CO² emission (ca. 7 more) if we live vegan! Did you know that?

I really don’t want to missionaire but you have to think about what you are doing right now, for our planet (plant + e = planet) can’t bear this living any longer.

Think and change :)

“Wer will, dass die Welt bleibt, wie sie ist, will nicht, dass sie bleibt.”

credit: all images I used are from the website: http://www.kaufda.de and http://www.wikipedia.de

NY Day 09: August 22nd 2011

The first day I slept very long although I have been woken up early by my nice flatmates (I hate those guys… Germans!) After showering & breakfast I made my homework and went to s’Nice (Vegetarian and Vegan food) to have a great & delicious carrot muffin with cream on it. Not mentioning the café latte for they have other size-understandings than in Europe.

After school we went to Lower East Side & South Street to watch Williamsburg Bridge & Manhatten Bridge from Manhattens point of view.

We had dinner at Katz’s Delicatessen, actually we wanted to go to Himalaya Café again but on mondays it’s closed. At Katz’s I had Kniffles, they are quared potatoes and they were okay.

The reason we went there was Arlene’s Grocery for the weekly monday nights live Rock’n'Roll Karaoke show… Of course I had to sing up for this opportunity. The other singers where quite good, it was pretty much fun and a “Holy Shit”. When I got on stage singing “London Calling” I first had to find the right height for my voice for Joe sang it really low, but I kinda made it :) It was great dun and many people, also the host of the show, liked it! We have been there until 1:15 am and then went home. Arelene’s is for free on mondays!

Nick & Norah’s Infinate Playlist was set here ;) I made this up.

MJ

Photo of the Day:

1-März 2009: Gegen Murphy

Hallo!

Also, das vegane Leben funktioniert ganz gut, ich esse sehr gern vegan und werd heute in paar Brotaufstriche für die Woche zaubern ;)

Was dumm ist: Ich hab bis jetzt 3 mal was nicht veganes konsumiert, weil ich nicht im Traum daran dachte, dass da Milchpuler drin sei: Zwiback, Chips und (!!!) Bio Limonade… man muss echt so aufpassen, was für komische Zusatzstoffe in Sachen drin sind… das glaubt man manchmal nicht.

Sonst gab es diese Woche zu essen: Spaghetti mti Tofu-Bolognese, Spinat-Tortellini mit Zucchini, Lauch-Suppe sehr leckeres Dal ;)

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

24-Februar-2009: Der Countdown läuft, Baby

Der Countdown läuft, Baby
Halt Dich fest wenn die ganze Menschheit das Jahrtausend verlässt
Armageddon oder Weltfrieden, das Jahr 2000
Bring mich nach Hause, bring mich nach Hause
(Bring mich nach Hause, bring mich nach Hause)

Na, wer kennt noch diesen Song??? :D

Ja, für mich und drei Freundinnen läuft auch der Countdown, denn wir werden Fasten… 46 Tage lang nur vegan leben, was bis jetzt schon einige Vorbereitungen kostete, dank Dani haben wir tolle Rezepte und Webseiten gefunden und etas Zeit erspart…

Ich werde in den nächsten Wochen über das “vegan projekt” berichten, was es zu essen gab, was nich und so weiter und so fort. Uns allen vieren fällt es aber wahrscheinlich nich ganz so schwer, da wir alle schon seit Jahren Vegetarier sind.

Auf folgenden Webseiten könnt ihr euch über Vegetarirmus und Veganismus informieren:

http://www.peta.de (allg. Informationen)

http://www.vegan-wonderland.de (Online Serivce)

http://www.so-ja.de (Rezepte!)

und wer jetzt sagt und denkt, dass man, wenn man vegan lebt, Mangelerscheinungen bekommt, der irrt sich… denn nur diejenigen, die sich falsch ernähren und nicht wissen, was für Nährstoffe sie brauchen, bekommen Mangelerscheinungen… wir wissen, was unsere Körper brauchen und man kann ohne jeglichen tierischenFette und Produkte leben! Außerdem schmeckt das alles auch sehr gut, es gibt super Ergänzungsmittel und Alternativen, die wir suchten und fanden…

Think about it!

MJ