Hello beautifuls,

I needed to step up my blogging and have now moved to a new platform, Rawness.se.

You find me here and I will continue sharing my best recipes and tips but also write about health, training, travel and life in general. Come join me ❤

Spaghetti con salsa di Pomodoro

Hi gorgeous ones,

I love pasta. LOVE it! It gets me thinking of the movie Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts goes to Rome to eat. But not just to eat, also to eat without guilt. Ha! What a hard thing that is, eating without guilt. And how weird and twisted that food should be associated with such an awful feeling. Eating should be something pleasant and slowly I’m getting there. Slowly getting rid of all the shame, guilt, self loath and other nasty feelings thats not doing me any favors what so ever. I call it Radical Selflove 2016! ❤ Join me!

So, back to the pasta. Did I mention I love pasta? I love it in all forms – spaghetti, macaroni, lasagna, linguine, fettucine, orecchietti (another post about this one soon) You name it. I also love the raw versions but let us leave those out for today. Today I’m talking about the italian kind of pasta. Cooked to perfection – al dente – to the tooth.
I’m not saying that gluten is necessarily bad for you but I am not feeling my best when eating it so I have tried all kinds of gluten free pastas. Some of them pretty descent but still not good enough, they tend to turn out mushy. Until today. Today I tried a new kind of organic rice pasta which was incredible. Tasted like the real deal with the right texture and everything. Together with a sauce made of slow baked tomatoes, garlic, chili, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper it was heavenly.

So lets get to it, should we?
To create this sauce you need time. Its the easiest recipe ever but the tomatoes gets so much better if you roast them slowly on a low temperature.

For 2 portions you need:
7 big aromatic tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 chili
handful of fresh basil
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

300g pasta of choice

Put your oven on 300 degrees (f) Cut the tomatoes in halves or quarters. Roghly chop the garlic and chili. Put it all in a baking dish, tomatoes with skin downwards. drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the middle of the oven for approximately 4 hours.

 

 

Cook the pasta after instructions.

Take out and let cool slightly before mixing. Set aside a few tomatoes as topping. Now scrape out all the goodies in the baking dish, you want all the flavors in your sauce. Mix smooth.

Drain the pasta and stir through the tomato sauce. Top with the remaining tomatoes, fresh basil and rawmesan.

Need the recipe for rawmesan?
Here it goes.
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
salt to taste
Add all above in your blender and mixed until nuts are chopped and all is well combined. Sprinkle over pasta, salads, on pizza. Store in an airtight container in the fridge

 

ENJOY!

 

 

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How to make crispy potato chippies – Oil free

Hi friends,
It’s Thursday and I’ve spent most of the day in the kitchen. First making these and then experimenting with recipes for our menu change at Open New Doors. I can’t describe how full I am, I have literally been chewing since noon.

I often get the question HOW TO make crispy potatoes without using oil. Its dead easy. And if you wonder why I prefer them oil free, the answer is simple. I don’t mind a little oil but if its not a necessity to make them insanely good I don’t see a reason why to use it. I have dropped all labels except vegan and I don’t follow any diets. I eat what makes me feel good and I am convinced that we are all different. Whats good for me might not work for you but I can assure you all that these chippies works for EVERYONE 😉

So lets get started shall we?

First you need:
10 medium sized potatoes (I’m a hungry girl)
2 tbsp sriracha (or replace with 1 tsp cayenne)
1-2 tbsp paprika powder
1 tbsp cumin
salt to taste
1-2 tbsp water

Heat your oven to around 500 fahrenheit/250 celsius,
Wash the potatoes in cold water. Don’t peel them, the skin makes them even crispier.
Cut them in wedges and put in a bowl, add sriracha (or cayenne, paprika, salt and water. Toss them around using your hands making sure they’re all coated in spices. Spread them out on a tray lined with parchment paper and make sure they’re well separated, otherwise they get mushy. I usually bake them with they’re “skin side” down. Now bake until golden brown . it takes about 20-30 minutes in my oven. Keep an eye on them – they burn quickly.
Take out, let cool for a second and eat with more sriracha, avocado and a big salad.

Not a fan of paprika or cumin? Just add whatever spices you like. These are awesome with salt and herbs such as thyme or rosemary. Just remember the water, otherwise the spices won’t stick and leave you with boring chippies, and who would want that? 🙂

Best snack ever! Cut – Toss – Bake -DONE!

Chunky Monkey Banana Bread

Good evening friends,

I’ve been familiar with the word Banana bread for quite som time now but I still remember the when we first met. You were sweet, moist, hearty, addictive and kinda easy – it was love at first chew. Since then we’ve had a on and off relationship and we are definitely ON tonite.
So, as you might know I live at two addresses. The pink house far out on the countryside, which is HOME and then we have a flat in the city where one of our restaurant is located. Jumping between these two means carrying clothes, food, gadgets and not having clue what is where. So today when cravings kicked in I didn’t have much to play with but I did have overripe bananas, peanut butter, dates and pecan nuts lying around which resulted in this epic thing. It is sweet, chunky, satisfying as nothing before and maybe the best banana bread I’ve ever made. So lets get started.

You need:

3 ripe bananas
1-2 tbsp peanut butter (I used an chunky, organic unsweetened kind)
4 dates – pitted (preferable medjool dates)
1 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup nut milk (I used almond)
2 tsp baking powder
1 handful of crushed pecans
a large pinch of vanilla
a pinch of salt

topping:
1 banana
crushed pecans
peanut butter
maple syrup
salt

Put your oven on about 400 fahrenheit. Grease a bread loaf pan with a drop of cocout oil or use a silicon mold. Mix the bananas smooth, transfer into a bowl and stir in the peanut butter and nut milk. Chop the pitted dates roughly and add to the bowl together with buckwheat flour, baking powder, pecan nuts, vanilla and salt. Pour the mixture into your pan or mold and top with sliced banana, small dollops of PB, chopped pecans and finish of with a drizzle of maple syrup and a little pinch of salt. Bake for about 35-45 minutes and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting it to let it shine from its brightest side. Too freaking good and its a must to try slightly warm with a layer of peanut butter.

And hey, if you’re not a fan of buckwheat flour you can easily replace it with oat flour.

 

Enjoy and have a gorgeous start of the week.

Love and Light,
Erika

Spicy Veggie Curry

Thai food is definitely one of my favorites. Papaya salads, soups w. coconut milk, beautiful curry pastes, fresh cilantro, chili, fluffy rice… I love it. And i was actually surprised over how easy it was eating there as a vegan when visiting Kao Lhak in November. And of course, as the nerd I am, I brought both curry pastes and fresh kaffir lime leaves with me home (great tip, the pastes stay fresh for a long time in the fridge and the lime leaves you just pop in the freezer). There something magic about these aromatic leaves while fresh. They add so much flavor and depth to stews.

Good thing about this curry is how versatile it is, just add whatever veggies you have at home and maybe some lentils, tofu or chickpeas if you want to up the protein.

So, Let’s get started.

You need:
1 onion
2 tbsp red curry paste (be careful here – they can be very spicy)
1 thumb of ginger
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
1 cup water
5 kaffir lime leaves
1 lime – zest+juice
1 tbsp sweetener of choice – i used coconut sugar
salt to taste

3 carrots
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/2 head cauliflower
2 small heads of broccoli

Chop the onion and grate the ginger, add in a wide pot together with a drop of coconut oil and the curry paste. Cook on medium heat until onion is soft. This to release all the flavors in the paste. Pour over the coconut milk and water, add the sweetener, kaffir lime leaves, lime and salt to taste. Let simmer while you prepare the veggies.

Peel the carrots and slice them thinly together with the bell peppers, cut up the cauliflower and broccoli in florets and slice the stems. Add all to the pot and let cook for about 10-15 minutes until veggies start to soften but still has some crunch. Taste it to see if you need to add more salt. Serve with rice, cilantro and some lime.

Enjoy!

Broccoli stems, do you cut them off and throw away? I use to do that but not anymore, now I think its the best part of the whole broccoli. Lets call it the tenderloin 🙂 Just slice it up and use it in stews like this one.

 

 

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

 

 

The never-ending hunt for the perfect gluten free bread has been ongoing for years. I’m not a fundamentalist in any way except for when it comes to veganism. I eat gluten, I actually love “real” pasta, sourdough bread and a good semla. Occasionally! But I don’t want to eat it too often as it doesn’t make me feel awesome. So I’ve been working on creating a really good, gluten free bread with easy to find ingredients which is easy to make. It has taken some time but here it is, the best one yet.
I always use dry yeast as it’s easy to have at home because of the long shelf life but you can replace it with regular yeast, just make sure you know how to convert it.

The Ultimate GF sandwich bread

 

For 1 big bread, 10 squares

1 satchel dry yeast á 12g
3.5 cups of water (40 Degrees)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup or sweetener of choice
2 tsp salt
0.25 cup psyllium husk
200g brown rice flour (sorry for using weight here but I used the whole bag and forgot to measure it)
3.5 cups rolled GF oats
0.75 cup buckwheat flour
0.75 cup flax seeds

Flax seeds and pumpkin seeds for topping.

Put the oven on 250 degrees.
Start with dissolving the yeast in the water, add oil, sweetener, and salt and the psyllium husk. Whisk it together and let swell for a few minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Cover a baking tray with a parchment paper, scrape out the dough and press it out evenly, leaving you with a rectangular shape almost as big as your tray and about 1-1,5 inches thick. Brush it with water and sprinkle it with the seeds. Cover it with a tea towel and let ruse for about 45 minutes. Bake on 250 degrees for 10 minutes the lower to 225 and bake for additional 15 minutes. Take out and let cool completely before cutting it into pieces. I also cut them lengthwise to be able to fill them with lots of goodies. At Open New Doors we fill them with a sundried tomato and hemp seed pesto, spinach, avo, tomatoes and crushed black pepper. Best Sammie ever 💚👌

 

Tulum by vegan

Tulum equals paradise! Simple as that. Little did I know this when we booked our tickets here in late June. We needed a quite place and we wanted fresh fruit, warmth, salty swims, beaches, coconuts and yoga. We turned to Mexico, a country I’ve visited several times. It matched the criteria and Tulum seemed like a nice little village for rest and recreation. Flights and hotel were crazy cheap due to low season. Said and done. Summer was crazy. Cookbook, three restaurants (now two luckily) and a farm. So when October arrived I was in serious need of a break. Together with my two best friends I got on the plane. We arrived at Cancun airport late at night and a taxi took us three sleepyheads to Tulum. What a place!

Where to stay?
We stayed at a boutique hotel with apartments called Villas Geminis. I have nothing but good to say about this place. Spacious, clean and with a fully equipped kitchen. We had a private soaking tub on the terrace and the breakfast was great. Staff were very helpful and kind. It felt very familiar and I’m definitely going back to stay with them again. Unfortunately they were fully booked in January, when I’m going back – this time with my beloved man. But I strongly recommend this hotel. It’s located in the village so its not by the ocean but the hotel provides bikes for their guests. Great way to get that extra little sweat going.

Now, in January, we’re staying at a flat we got through Airbnb, once again in the village. I found a great yoga studio, Yoga dicha, and the flat is just next to it so it was a easy decision. IF you fancy yoga, I definitely recommend this place. Beginner or advanced – all are welcome.

Apart from yoga I found Tulum being great for running. It’s hot yes, but before sun rises it’s perfect. It’s something very satisfying about running in humid climate, it feels very cleansin and kind to the body.

What do do?

We spent a lot of time on the beach with books and music, that was what we needed at that time. But apart from amazing beaches there is a lot of sites worth visiting. The Mayan ruins around Coba and the cenotes (we snorkeled Gran Cenote and Dos Ojos). We spent a day in Playa deal Carmen but that was just stressful. Far too busy and unautenthic for my liking.

So how about food?
Oh, YES! Being vegan was so easy. We did prepare a few lunches and dinners in our kitchen but eating out is both reasonable priced and beyond delicious. Mexican food is pretty awesome. Not to mention the fruit. There is a fruit and veg market in town called Pool, it’s definitely worth a visit.We had a kitchen in our room so we did some cooking, and got all our groceries from there. They also have organic soy milk.
For restaurants I would recommend Co.conamor. Amazing little place. Lots of raw food, all organic. It’s a magic spot and their summer rolls are to die for. And their smoothies to, so good!
Restuarare are another gem. Vegetarian restaurant close to the beach but in the jungle side. Flavourful, colorful and amazing food. Try their coconut ceviche – TO DIE FOR!

Are you feeling fancy? Then you should definitely visit Hartwood, located on the beach, and one of the hippest spots in Tulum. Drinks there are amazing, not to mention the ambience. I love being in a classy restaurant when everyone wears flats and simple dresses. Thats my type of place.  We didn’t eat there, but the food looked delicious so its on the to do list for january.
Papaya Pizza & Co – small pizzeria in the village. We ended up here by chance and it was so darn good that we returned for our last dinner. Orlando – the owner – is such a lovely soul. And his pizzas are out if this world. Always vegan options but he changes them daily due to what he feels like. Best pizza I had in my life to be honest. Can’t wait to go back there on New Years Day.

So, I’m a fan of my coffee. But it needs to be really good otherwise I rather skip it. I wasn’t too impressed by many of the places but then we found Ki’Bok, and coffee happened everyday. great cappucchinos, soy or almond milk and the staff are so kind. They also had some vegan sandwiches, but I  didn’t try those – I’m a fruit kind of girl when it comes to breakfast.

For drinks and live music we found two places that we all loved, first was Batey  – a guarapo and mojito bar. Guarapo is freshly squeezed sugar cane juice (with or without rum) and and they have converted a WV Beetle into a juicer. So cool. The staff are very attentive and the best drink on the menu is their “Mediterrenean” – A mojito with basil and cucumber. Try it with the rum Flor De Cana, delicious. Live music happens here almost everyday and the music is great. If you like cocktails this is THE place to go.

We lived in the village but spent a few hours on the beach everyday, my favorite spot was La Vita e Belle,  a hotel and restaurant. That part of the beach is the best in my opinion and their food is great to.Apart from their salads they have both a pizza and a risotto thats easy to veganize.

 

Thats all my favorites in Tulum – I’m going to update that list in january, after another two weeks spent there.

 

Please don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions!

Enjoy Tulum beautiful ones ❤

 

Vanilla and raspberry “cheese”cake

Hello Beautifuls,

Long time no posts, I’m sorry about that but I’m so busy atm. Soon opening our third café, writing a book, planning a retreat, trying to have a life 🙂

But as promised, here’s my recipe for this sweet and creamy vanilla cake with raspberries. Great thing is that it is so versatile, just add what ever fruit och Berry yiu wish.💕

Vanilla and Raspberry cheesecake
16 pieces

Base:
2 dl almonds
7 large medjool dates
2 tbsp cacao
1 pinch of salt

Mix in a high speed blender till crumbly. You want it to be sticky but not to smooth. Press out evenly in a springform (23cm)

Filling:
6 dl cashew nuts – soaked for 2-4 hours
1.5 dl coconut oil
1 dl coconut nectar or sweetener of choice
1 tsp vanilla bean powder
1/2 dl water

1 dl raspberries – fresh or frozen doesn’t matter + a handful for decoration.

Mix all except the raspberries until silky smooth. Be careful to not overheat the mixture. Pour all but 1/2 dl over the base. Press down the raspberries so they’re hidden in the mixture. Mix the remaining filling with a handful of raspberries and spoon it out over the cake, create swirls by “making waves” using a fork. Freeze for 8 hours. Take out and let thaw 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! ❤️

Chocolate Maca Truffles

Hi guys,

I’m in a hurry so I’m just going to drop off a recipe and then off I go 😉

I love these chocolate treats for so many reasons.
They’re delicious, healthy, energizing and they’re so incredible easy to make.
You just need 4 ingredients (5 if you fancy that little hint of salt) and a pretty decent blender.

So, let’s do this.

Ingredients:

1 cup dates (preferable medjool – besause they’re so juicy)
1 cup cashews
6-8 tbps raw cacao, depending on how “chocolate-y” you want them
3 tbsp maca (I’m using Organic Burst)
(pinch of salt)

Mix all above till a chewy dough, form and roll small balls. roll them in whatever your heart desires, I love rolling them in cacao nibs to give them a slightly bitter touch.

Have a amazing evening!

Love you all!

/Erika

Raw Vegan and Organic Beauty

This subject has been a lot on my mind lately and I felt I need to share it with all of you.

I do believe we all are perfectly beautiful just the way we are and I love everything natural but I am also a girly girl and I love to pamper myself with delicious smelling creams and oils and to take long bubbly baths followed by a manicure and a pedicure. To get my hair fixed and to wear make up on occasions. I LOVE these things!

BUT;
There are so insanely many products out on the market promising you less wrinkles, to restore your youth, making you a new, shiny and better you! Most of these non natural, just loaded of crap which you are supposed to cover you skin and hair in. NO THANKS! It’s just as important what we put ON our body as it is what we put in it. So today I want to share a few of my favorite beauty tips and products.

* Water! Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!!! No matter what miracel cream you’re using, your skin won’t look amazing if your body is dehydrated. In order to get that dewy looking skin you must drink a lot of water. I’m trying to drink 2-3 liters of water a day (depending on what I eat -if I eat a lot of “watery” veg and fruit like cucumber and watermelon I might drink a little less) If you exercise a lot – drink more. To make it easier and to make the water more enjoyable – add fruit, berries and herbs. Voilá, that water turned into a luscious drink. So guys, hydrate yourselfs!

* Fruit, Vegetables and Berries! Fruit, veg and berries isn’t just amazing looking and absolutely delicious. It’s also beautifying. It moisturizes your skin, and gives you that sought for radiant complexion – all naturally
For example:
Apples – Vitamin C in abundance and presents free-radical damage.
Beetroot – High in antioxidants.
Strawberries – The malic acid in strawberries is a natural whitening agent for that colgate smile:)
Sweet potato – Anti-inflammatory, high in vitamin A which helps fighting acne-causing bacteria
Avocado – For a vitmain E boost, an antioxidant that protects your skin from damages.
Cantaloupe – This delicious melon is high in water content (which will keep your skin plump and dewy) and is also high in vitamin A and beta carotene.
I could go on forever, but you get the point, right? Load your plates with organic fruit and veg and make that glow come from within instead of using a fashion brand highlighter full of chemicals.

* Coconut Oil! I could talk about this magic oil and all the benefits for weeks but to keep it short and simple. Raw, organic coconut oil is my beauty elixir No.1
I use it for pretty much everything. Hydration, cleansing, as a hairmask, oil pulling, as shower gel, as a natural lube (does not go well with latex – so please keep safe lovers) and in cakes 🙂
I wash myself with it, face AND body and I use it after showering as a body and face oil. During the winter months I’ve also been using cacao butter in my face, on hands and lips as it’s so cold and dry now and my skin need a little extra. It smells amazing and as it’s anti bacterial, anti microbial and contains a natural sunscreen (equal to spf 15) its actually all you need for your skin.

* Lani Hair Oil! A vegan, all natural product containing only 4 ingredients, all oils (Camelia, Coconut, Kukui nut and Macadamia nut) This product has transformed my hair from frizzy and dull to the hair I’ve always wanted. Soft, shiny, manageable and with beautiful curls. I have natural curly hair but usually it just ends up looking like a mess but after using this it’s beautiful. I leave it in overnight once a week and its just magic! Wash with schampoo, use a bit of conditioner, let air dry and just WOW!

I’m thinking of writing another post of the products I’m currently using and can’t live without, like schampoo, mineral make up, sun tan, body scrubs etc. Let me know if you would be interested to read that.

Have an absolutely amazing day!

Love and Light!