Finally my Barcelona blog post online. As I don’t like talking wrong about people, I will say most of my pictures were “lost.” So after gathering some of the images, I downloaded to my Mac, iPhone pictures and some other ones I got back. I finally finished this. 

Last year I needed a vacation. So why not Barcelona? Haven't been there since I became a mom, love their food, and they happen to speak one of my mother languages. But to be honest, I was a bit skeptic about being in my old "Party Town" with a toddler. We were invited to spend some days at Barceló Raval. It is a beautiful and centric hotel in Barcelona filled with art, elegant interior and the most beautiful (sexy) light for selfies or bed games if you are not traveling alone ;) 

The cool thing about the location of this hotel is that you can walk around the city and leave your car parked. As a celiac, it is always hard to travel. Many countries have no gluten-free alternatives  (Sorry France for bashing you), But Barcelona was a tremendous Gluten-free destination.

From small stores full of fresh fruit to huge markets offering cured meats, and seafood. A paradise for Gluten intolerants.  Of course, you can have bread, but who needs this when you can have oysters with Cava and Ibérico with cheese?

I love traveling off-season. In October it was like Norwegian Summer, some days were pretty hot, but in the mornings a trench was needed. Here you can see Pepa early in the morning wearing a Mint & Berry Trenchcoat, Tiny Cottons t-shirt, Zara kids Jeans, Adidas Stan Smith kicks and Acne Studios beanie at 7 am. And before we were wearing shorts and sandals.

My favorite breakfast/brunch place was Caravelle: A very cool and Scandinavian style place that serves fantastic coffee. It was so good; we went there two times. They have a large gluten-free selection — for example this tortilla staple with poached eggs and avocado.

Or these "sunny side up" fried eggs with mushrooms and avocado. All eggs were on point and the second time around I had the Spanish breakfast that had pork with pork and a side of pork :)

Walking around Barcelona was fun. No need to move too much, and for a two-year-old, it was quite ok. The narrow streets and balconies are a must-see. Pepa was wearing a jumper from 1+family, a Nike jacket and Suicoke Sandals with Hipsterkid sunglasses.

Pepa wears a "coord" tank top and shorts from Gray Label, Nike jacket Socks with Adidas Stan Smith sneakers.

Another place I enjoyed wasDüal Café. A tiny spot next to the market hall. They had as well many gluten-free things (if you aren’t vegan) like this tortilla with mushrooms and tomatoes or a massive amount of delicious Iberico ham with a poached egg with hollandaise sauce.

After a great breakfast and walk, we needed a Mom-Daughter nap, but first some time at Barceló Raval´s terrace, they have an incredible 360° view terrace, and you can see the whole Barcelona from up there while tanning or cooling down in the pool.  At night, that terrace turns into a hot summer party with live music and cocktails.

At Barceló they have a great gluten-free selection at breakfast and in the evening as well. They made the whole dinner gluten-free. Starting with some bubbles and cheese chips, Toast with hummus, patatas bravas, and zucchini rolls deliciously filled.

For the mains, fish with steamed veggies and for me a tender beef with sauce over mashed potatoes, I was not missing gluten at all!

A must do for someone that hasn’t been in Barcelona yet or if you are traveling with kids is go to Barcelonetta beach and enjoy the view while sipping Sangria and eating some mussels. Be sure to ask if they come with flour cause some of them do. Some Patatas Bravas are always welcome as well.

There is a fair as well, where kids can do some bungee, drive cars and do some vehicle crashing or drive on the Ferris wheel. I always have loads of fun and Pepa had a blast.

Pepa wears jumper from and hat from MarMar, I wore: Do nothing club shirt, vintage shorts, bag from Ebeth and sunglasses from Ace & Tate, and my favorite fun lipstick from MAC: Ruby Woo.

One of the things  I like about Barcelona is that you can take the car and drive around, finding beaches and small towns and that is what we did. We saw beautiful beaches and hidden pearls when we decided to drive up north along the coast.

Most places were closed because it was off-season, but at least one restaurant per beach was open. They were very friendly about me not eating gluten and added extra eggs or meat. I didn't felt bad or left out because of gluten.

My tiny mermaid loves water so much that she was in every beach, pond or swimming pool wearing swimming diapers you can find at every supermarket in Barcelona or with her favorite bathing coord suit from Tiny Cottons with SPF 50 protection we got from Littlehipstar. The flamingo was from the store next to the beach in Lloret de Mar.

If you follow me on Instagram, you could have seen some outtakes of the trip and videos like this one. Yes, I was in love with this oversized T-shirt from On vacation club, I wore it almost every day as a dress or at the beach. Hooray for huge shirts.

I will return to Barcelona for sure. It is very celiac welcoming and kids friendly, the off-season is my favorite season as it isn’t full of cars and tourists, but you can still enjoy the warm weather and beaches. 

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Tres Cabezas Coffee was first Introduced to me by my super bae Ingri (she is not only gorgeous but second place in the World Aeropress Championship and in the Norwegian Brewers Cup).  I remember the coffee from Tres Cabezas a lot, not only for its unusual name but the taste was awesome!

Last Summer, I was invited to the opening party of their new Coffee Roastery and third "19 grams" café in Berlin. I was electrified about having a place close by where I can drink some of their amazing roasts.

Tres Cabezas is being re-branded slowly to 19 grams. But funny-wise, outside of the café you cant see neither "19 grams" nor "Tres Cabezas" but the sign says "BLOODY GOOD COFFEE"  And they are so right.

This place is gorgeous. The industrial feeling and open spaces make me feel comfortable right away. There aren't many walls around, but glass walls and doors. You can actually see the whole store: from the offices to the roastery and even the kitchen.

You can not only eat here, but you can buy their coffee, coffee equipment, their advent calendar and more. They even have a private area if you need to work in silence.

But why do I write about this place just now? Well, HO HO HOLY SHIT, It is almost Christmas! So it is time for me to get an Advent Calendar for me and one for Pepa. I don't eat chocolate in the morning, but I crave coffee, good coffee. So I was thrilled to hear 19 grams has a Coffee Advent Calendar: A selection of 24 of the world's best Single Origin Coffees (whole beans or ground)

The design idea is fantastic as they deliver the coffee in resealable and reusable cans. So you can re-use them as a gift box, for storage or even for some DIY projects. And by re-closability of the cans, you can still enjoy the coffees after Christmas because the cans keep the aroma of the individual beans longer. And that's a good thing because every single bean is a little gem. 

Exclusive to the calendar, there is a coffee advent calendar website, where you will find out everyday information, videos, recipes and exciting stories about the coffee, the farms, the roasting process, and their roasting. So you become the absolute coffee pro! 
​
Everything is made by hand as you see. even the labeling. So they have a limited amount of them. ​

While I was waiting for my food I ordered some coffee, the filter brew of Columbian Beans and a double espresso to keep me awake. Both perfect!

As a flexitarian, I enjoy some meat once in a while. OK! I love meat. So as the boy wasn't with me this time, I ordered their signature dish: BLOODY GOOD BREAKFAST: Spanish Chorizo, maple bacon, roasted tomato, mushroom chutney, blood pudding, and two poached eggs. They do have Vegan and Vegetarian options. I took the meat-full gluten-free option. I was in meat heaven! delicious and those poached eggs were made just like I like them: runny and with a hint of vinegar.

Sadly, I am gone to Portugal from the 7th, So I have two choices: Or I'll get myself an Aeropress and take some beans with me, or I'll start today opening them... what would you do?

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Quince, quince & more quince. Why I have never eaten this fruit? In Peru, we use it as an "Energy Cleaner". We put it somewhere in the room and it turns black when it converts bad energy into good energy. Either way, enough with my Peruvian Juju.

​After watching the last Berchtesgadener Milch Video, I decided to make a cake myself using some of their products: Organic butter and Quark (curd). The first thing that got in my head was german cheesecake or crumble pie... so why not mix them both?

Ingredients:

For the quince compote:
1 kg of quince
50g sugar
2 cinnamon stick
5 tbsp water

For the filling:
500g Bio-Quark from Berchtesgadener Milch
2 eggs
1 package Vanilla Pudding powder
50g sugar

For the dough:
1 pack Butter of Berchtesgadener Milch
250 g Buckwheat flour
100g ground almonds (if possible roasted)
150g brown sugar

Let´s get Quinced! ​Wash the quince, cut it roughly. Don't worry about the size of the dices, you can re-cut them after cooked and when they are less hard. Put them in a saucepan with the water, sugar and the cinnamon sticks and cook them for about 25 minutes, let them cool.

​Put all the ingredients together for the dough and shape it into a ball. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for one hour.

​Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites stiff. Stir the yolks with the sugar until creamy. Add Quark and pudding powder and mix everything together. Incorporate the egg whites. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease the springform.

Briefly knead 2/3 of the dough press it into the springform pulling up the edge. Spread the quince on top and then add the quark mixture and sprinkle with the rest of the shortcrust pastry as a sprinkle. Then bake the cake for about 55 minutes.

Did I mention this cake is Gluten-Free??? Sprinkle powder sugar and eat it while it is warm. I had some vanilla ice cream with it and I really loved it! 
Here is the video I was talking about. I hope you try this at home and don't forget to tell me how was it!

After visiting Bombay Café Bunty's, I couldn't get Indian food out of my head... And as I needed to spoil a big fan of Indian food, I decided to make my very very first curry. Ehmm ok, Asif (from L.A. Poke) told me yesterday that there is no "Curry" in India as we know it in Europe. Let's say I made an Indian Pumpkin and Chickpea Stew :)

It had to be vegetarian and I always find it much difficult to create a recipe if there is no meat or animal broth in it.  But to be honest, this was absolutely delicious. Not only because I made it but I still get love declarations directed to the curry instead of me. So let's start the curry-ing around:

Ingredients: (4 people):

1 red onion in halves
2 garlic cloves
Thumb size ginger peeled
3 tbsp neutral oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander (ground)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin (ground)
400 gr Butternut squash, peeled
1 can of chickpeas (drained) 400 gr
1 can coconut cream or milk
1 cup veggie broth
2 full hands of spinach or baby spinach
Salt 
Lime
Fresh Parsley

Let's get started! the main thing to do is make the curry paste. For that, you put the onion, garlic, and ginger into your food processor or blender and add oil to it. Blend it to a paste.

In a dutch oven or cast iron pan, fry the paste for a few minutes. (I diced my pumpkin at that time) add a pinch of salt to it.

Once your onion paste is starting to look light purple and a bit transparent, add all the spices and fry for another minute. Doesn't it look now like those store bought curry pastes? 

Add the squash and chickpeas and mix with the spices, then add the coconut milk and broth. Bring to simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the squash softens and the sauce thickens, 

Two weeks ago I decided to try the new Indian restaurant in Charlottenburg: Bombay Café Bunty's. I thought I should tell you guys how it was. Bunty (bourgeois Suhasish Chakraborty), the super cool owner, opened the doors of his modern taste of India restaurant in October. Very close to Savignyplatz, the heart of culinary Charlottenburg.

I really like Indian food and I never cook it at home as it takes real skills. I like to go to restaurants for this kind of food but it has been a bit underwhelming to try over and over Indian restaurants that aren't really super good. But then I got in Bombay Cafe Bunty's and it was Love at first sight & bite.

The first you notice is the beautiful interior design. It doesn't look like every Indian restaurant in Berlin. It looks modern, a raw brick wall on one side and industrial lamps. Close to the toilets a super cool neon sign that says: "BE NICE OR FUCKING LEAVE" shows you that Bombay Café Bunty's (BCB) isn't just another typical a European/Indian place.

Bunty told us that in Bombay, where he comes from, the cafés actually look like this. Surprising, right?. You can see hanging on the walls beautiful artwork and amazing pictures by a photographer that spent many years in Bombay and in India in general.

So we started ordering food. Bae is vegetarian so he ordered the Tandoori Mango Paneer Tikka that is a homemade cottage cheese marinated with mango juice, yoghurt, and other herbs and I had to steal a bit of it because it looked delicious, and it was outstanding.

The next one he got was the Samosas.. sadly I can't eat gluten so I couldn't try these ones (look to the main picture) They were baked Indian dumplings filled with mashed potato and peas covered with mint-tamarind chutney.  WHY??? Why I can't eat gluten... Frank looked in cloud seven while eating them and he said they were the best Samosas he had in a very long time.

As a Flexetarian, I ordered the meat: Lamb Seekh Kebab. A Lamb skewer served with Zaziki and regularly with Lavash Bread. The lamb was so good! it was so tender and juicy and at the same time crispy outside. The spices were very good and you could totally taste the difference between BCB and other Indian restaurants in Berlin.

While I was enjoying my delicious white wine, the main dishes arrived. Starting with mine:  Their Coconut-Lime-Shrimps curry. This is a west-Coast Indian dish made with coconuts and lemongrass. 

And I am not a person that would keep saying: "OH MY GOD! This is so good!" but I just couldn't stop myself from saying this the whole time. It was actually hard to keep a conversation while eating as it was so creamy and spicy and good. It was the kind of spicy that doesn't numb your tongue but let you taste all the diverse ingredients and spices... BRAVO!

The Vegetarian dish arrived:  Aloo Mutter Curry. Franks go-to dish is this one. This is a potato and peas curry with caramelized onions. He said it was his favorite Aloo Mutter Curry in Berlin. We both really loved the food.

The dishes were quite big so we didn't order any desserts (and there was none gluten-free) but I doubt I could have been able to eat any other pea that night. 

As I wrote on the title: This is in my honest opinion the best Indian Restaurant in Berlin. And I wasn't paid to say this or blog about it. And as I am already sending my friends there when they ask me about new places, I thought I would share them with you. 

​Get your bum all the way to Charlottenburg, cause it is super worth it! And let me know how did you like it!

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​Last Bulmers recipe of this week, "the main dish”. This is one of my favourite recipes. When you think of a Fricassee, you would probably think of that Fricassee de Poulet a L’Ancienne… a very French comfort food between a saute and a stew. But in my case I think of a warm English homemade food. You might be thinking I got it all wrong and I am a bit crazy. So I may have to explain a little bit:

When I was a kid, I spend a lot of time at my grandparents home. My grandmothers family is French and my granddads, English. So a mix in the cuisine was for sure in every meal. Fricassee is made with dry white wine, but if you have some cider lovers around, (some with a sweet tooth) it will be made with cider. Cider is originally from England (after the romans brought it when they colonised) and as apples grow very fast there, it was the perfect setting for the beginning of production of this golden drink. So you can now do the math: Grandpa’s love for cider and Grandmas fricassee. The perfect English French love child.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (2kg) fresh or unfrosted
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 yellow onion, diced.
1 big carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
250gr brown mushrooms
3 tbsp potato starch (glutenfree)
1 1/4 cup Bulmers Pear Cider
1 liter chicken fond
Fresh thyme
Fresh parsley
5 bay leafs
3 egg yolks
125ml heavy cream (30% fat or more)
fresh lime juice.

​Divide Chicken into 10 pieces: Legs, thighs, wings and 4 breast pieces. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Use a Dutch oven if you have one. If not, use a large pot. Add the oil and 2 tbsp butter and fry the chicken skin side down until golden and turn. Don’t crowd your pot! Just fry your chicken and set aside and add more chicken until you are done. Leave the chicken on the side.

Reduce heat and add the diced vegetables. let them there until they are golden and a bit transparent… about 10 minutes in a Dutch oven. 

Bulmers Pear cider aka Perry is made from fermented apples but with pear flavour. Either way, it is a Pear elixir you can use instead of wine for the preparation of many desserts or savory meals.

​Add the mushrooms and let them get darker. They will release some water. Add the starch and stir until all the starch is incorporated. Pour the cider while whisking.. it will get thick very fast. Add the broth and keep stirring. Return the chicken and its juices back to the pot. 

Why I chose Bulmers Pear cider? I wish I had invented the chicken-pear match in heaven, but this was made loooong time ago as it compliments the white meats with its fruit subtlety. You can go hours in google reading all the great recipes using this two ingredients, from salads and stews to terrines and pattées. So Bulmers Pear cider was my weapon of choice.

​Tie your herbs with a natural twine and bring the fricassee to boil and reduce to simmer. Cover the half of the pot with a lid and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. If you have a thermometer, check that the inside of the chicken is at 70C. Remove chicken again. And let it boil for 10 more minutes.

​Now let´s make this baby thick and creamy! In a bowl, whisk the yolks and cream. Keep whisking and add slowly the cooking liquid from the pot. half a cup. And then add this mix with the yolks and cream back to the pot. Return the chicken to the pot, add a tbsp of butter and add some lime juice.

​Put this single pot fricassee on the middle of the table as well as rice. That silky sauce it’s a killer combined with a well cooked grainy rice. Get some glasses, add some ice cubes and pour some pear cider on them. Fricassee is hot hot hot and Bulmers Pear will refresh you.

I missed this year's Food Zürich because I was too busy with a restaurant curation, So I got a super cool #Zuerifoodbox from Visit Zürich to feel a bit better. Check the end of the blog post to see what was in the box or just start following my insta stories :)

I was so surprised to see that many of the Zürich recipes are actually gluten-free or easily transformed into celiac-safe recipes. Like the Zürcher Geschnetzeltes. I just changed the spoon of flour for a spoon of gluten-free flour and voila! Zürich at my dinner table.

I used my own Rösti Recipe to serve with this recipe from the legendary Restaurant Kronhalle... But I might try their Rösti recipe soon, they use cooked potatoes instead of raw ones.

Ingredients: (4 people)

Geschnetzeltes:

800 gr. Veal fillet, cut into finger-wide strips
Salt and pepper to season the meat
2 shalotts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
100 gr of mushrooms (white and brown), sliced
1 tbsp flour
100ml white wine (dry)
150 bouillon
100ml brown gravy
150 creams
salt pepper, cayenne, little cognac at will

Rösti:

1 kg potatoes
Salt and Pepper
Neutral oil

Warm your oven to 50C and start peeling your potatoes, then grate them with coarse part of your grater. Try not to get your fingers caught there... Once you are done with that, press the water off them and leave the potatoes in a sieve and let it sit.

The main thing about cooking a great dish is to buy great ingredients. Like this veal came from a trusted butcher and you should always check for quality for a better taste.

Sauté the meat briefly in butter, season and put on a sieve. Collect the leaking meat juice. Keep the meat warm.

Press the potatoes again with your hands and let it rest again.

Start frying your Rösti and pour yourself some wine. Cooking is better when you are drinking wine. You can save the Rösti in a form and leave it in the oven to keep them hot.

Dust with the flour and deglaze with white wine. Mix well. Fill up with the bouillon and gravy, add the meat juice, simmer for about 15 minutes on small fire.

Add the cream. Simmer again briefly, puree with the stick blender and then pass through a sieve. With cayenne pepper, and add cognac until it tastes good for you. Incorporate the meat in the sauce.

In a deep plate, add the Rösti, cover with the Geschnetzeltes and sprinkle with some green herbs and enjoy with dry wine.

I can't wait to go back top Zürich for the next food and try some more classic Zürich, some experimental like the Insects Essento Dinner I was last year or try another Michelin Restaurant like the awesome Ecco.

Berlin is hot, hot, super hot at the moment. Having a toddler 24/7 and this heat makes me so unproductive and lazy. But as I need to get some things done, I decided to go pick up my new WMF pots in West Berlin with the help of a friend. (He is tall enough to carry the big boxes)

But on our way back, we got a bit hungry, so I thought why not make a quick Gazpacho? It was pretty late so my kitchen was kind of dark but still wanted to share this with you.

The main thing about Gazpacho is the ingredients. As they won't be cooked, you have to be sure that you have good quality veggies and your tomatoes should be as ripe as possible. 
​
Ingredients:

8 Ripe Tomatoes or 2 cans of 400 gr of shredded tomatoes 
a handful of cherry tomatoes
1/2 Cucumber
1/2 Paprika or 5 small ones (like in the picture)
2 garlic cloves
1 Shalott
50 ml white wine Vinegar
2 tbsp Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Chives or any other herb

Now it is chopping time. We will be cutting 2 different things: Soup and Topping. Start chopping 1/4 of your cucumber in thin slices and then cut the slices in 4. Do the same with your paprika, cut 1/4 of your paprika in thin stripes and last but not least, cut about the half of your cherry tomatoes in half. Put all these ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle some oil to it and let it rest..

Chop the rest of the ingredients in small dices and add vinegar, oil, salt and pepper and let it rest in the fridge for 15 minutes or more (if you have time). Make sure that you mix it well so all the flavours will combine.

For serving, add a spoon-full of the topping mix and serve the soup over it. I have this vintage hen jar that I had for many many years and I love how it looks when I serve soups from it.  With a spoon serve some more topping in the middle and sprinkle olive oil over it. Do not spare on oil! It just makes your soup taste better! 

Cut and sprinkle some chives or fresh herbs over your Gazpacho, it gives it a great aroma. Toast some bread and enjoy with Cold Grüner Veltliner or a dry Rosé if you are a fan of Rosé.

All Pictures were Made by Christian Mentzel... I tortured him as art director to see the picture outcome. It was really hard not to be the one making the pictures though ;)

There are loads of places in Berlin that serve brunch, but my all-time favorite place to go with friends is Allan's Breakfast Club aka ABC. This tiny french place owned by the super french and super cool Allan is not only cute, but serve the meanest eggs benedict in town. It is situated in the heart of Kollwitzkiez in Prenzlauer Berg and just some minutes from my flat, very convenient. 

I took Kay and my frenchie girl Marie for some drinks and brunch last Friday. While we waited for Marie to arrive, we had some coffee and lemonade while we had a chat with Allan, man! it was hard to decide what to eat, but this time we didn't go for those mean Bennies, but tried some other stuff.

We chose to try different dishes instead of ordering just one per person. Starting with a delicious potato  waffle covered with cured salmon rose, capers and avocado, sprinkled with a buttermilk & creme fraiche dressing and red pepper.

Did I mention that I had a hangover? And the best cure for this is: Bloody Marys!  The best frigging BMs in town, even better that the ones my grandma used to make *wink wink* 
If you are into this ridiculously tasty red drink, you definitely need to make a pitstop at ABC after a crazy party night. Or if u are like me, just after 2 glasses of wine, haha.

Talking a bit about Allan, he comes from France but he used to live many many years in Australia, hence the awesome eggs Benni and the poached eggs in some of his dishes, like in this creamy Czech Mountai soup with a drowning poached egg on top. Did I mention bacon???? BACON!

Marie ordered a hot chocolate with Belgium Callebaut chocolate buttons. OHMYGWAAADDDDFFF!  Allan adds the hot steamed milk over them so that they melt... ahhhhh heaven! If I wasn't too much afraid sugar, I would stop by everyday to have this chocolate and milk heaven.

You wold think that ABC wouldn't have a choice for vegans with all these eggs and bacon, but their boost up smoothie bowl is vegan, glutenfree and AMAZING, it is a bowl of frozen smoothie, covered with fresh fruits, coconut flakes and cacao. A huge bowl of energy and awesomeness.

What would it be a menu of a french restaurant without a Croque Monsieur? Well, Allan offers a Tweaked Croque Monsieur. He uses brioche instead of bread, filled with loads caramelized onions, melted Gruyere cheese, Ardeche ham and mushrooom bechamel, served with chips and salad.

But don't let this picture fool you, I moved the chips to show you the brioche and the whole thing was bigger than my head ;)

Here is Allan opening a Bodvár n5 rose from provence for me. If I didn't have to go to work after brunch I would have probably stayed there for hours sipping some more glasses of it. ​And for the ones not drinking wine, we got some more homemade lemonade and a beautiful and elegant coffee martini. 

Some will ask why i didn't show you the many-times-mentioned Eggs Benedict in this blogpost. It is so you get up and run there and try them! And of course the rest of the menu and the flat whites and the oysters in summer and enjoy their terrace. and and and...  Just go there!
​
​Cheers!

As their opening hours were confusing in the past year for many people... here I´ll explain them to you:

Opening Hours: 

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday and Friday 10am-3pm
Sat and Sunday 10am-4pm

But from May:

Thursday and Friday: 3pm-6pm open for coffee, cake and Rosé
Wednesday- Thursdays and Fridays 6pm- Midnight for Wine

I try to reduce my dairy intake as much as i can, I love ice cream and that can be a problem. I thought vegan ice couldn't be as good as regular one until I went with Ailine to the new vegan ice cream place in Kollwitzkiez called Tribeca, and they convinced me. I had a lucuma quinoa ice cream and I loved it.

I thought maybe I can recreate that at home and it wasnt so easy. After 4 batches, I finally got the perfect ingredients and amounts. I have no churn at home, so that was the tricky part. Be creamy without having that machine. (And don't taste like coconut) So at the end, I decided on Cashews for the base of it.

Ingredients
​
150 gr raw cashews 
500 ml Soy milk
3 tbsp Vegetable Shortening or fat
4 tbsp Lucuma powder
1/2 cup  agave nectar 
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
A hanfull of quinoa pops

First of all, soak the cashews for a night or a day. Drain them and then you can start. Simmer the milk until it has reduced to the half and let it cool. Add cashews, milk, melted fat, agave syrup, vanilla, lucuma powder and sea salt to a high speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth, you want it to be completely creamy and blended.

Lucuma is a peruvian super food. It is my favorite one. sadly I dont think you can eat it raw, so mostly it is use for desserts, smoothies, ice creams... you name it. It contains beta carotene, iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium, and protein. Its maple-like taste makes it a sweet addition without increasing your blood sugar levels, unlike many sweeteners that offer empty calories.

Besides all that, it keeps you young, Ladies! Lucuma has an anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and skin-repair effects on human skin! So just order a bag at amazon and lets start the lucuma eating bonanza.

Returning to the recipe, put the creamy mixture into a bowl and cover it with plastic foil. Freeze it for one or 2 hours. Take it out of the freezer and mix it in a kitchen machine for 15 minutes on high speed. It will be hard but creamy. What we are trying to do here is to break the ice pieces so it stays creamy instead of hard and ice-y.

Add a piece of parchment in a freezer friendly form. And like a lasagna, alternate ice cream mix and quinoa pops. If you can find them, here is how you can make them. Freeze for a couple of hours or until it is hard. 

As any ice cream, before eating, take it out of the freezer some minutes before eating. But with this ice cream, make it for longer time. about 15 to 20 minutes. That is the only "con" of my recipe. 

Using an ice crem scoop, or a tablespoon, serve it in a waffle cone, waffle, brownie... you name it! and enjoy!