Cashew Cream Cheese w/ Rosemary Salt.

This creamy, creamy cream cheese is made with only a few ingredients and turned out really well even without a blender. It's seasoned with the beautiful rosemary salt I made earlier today.

You need for the scented salt:

- sea salt
- fresh twigs of rosemary
- finely grated lemon zest (I used organic store-bought. If you're eager to prepare this on your own - go ahead!)


Remove the leaves from a few rosemary twigs. Mix sea salt and rosemary leaves in a food processor until both is well combined. Add a small amount of grated lemon zest. The salt will give your dishes only a slightly hint of rosemary and lemon without being very

For the cream cheese the cashews first must be soaked in hot water. I let them soak for about 2 hours, maybe 3 or 4 would have been better. I will try this the next time. If I happen to be patient enough.

- 200g cashews, soaked (non-roasted, non-salted)
- 80-100ml soy milk (or your favourite non-dairy milk)
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- rosemary salt 

First blend  the soaked cashews with a handheld blender (or better in a blender, if you have) with 1 teaspoon cider vinegar. Then add spoon by spoon soy milk until your preferred consistency. I used about 80ml. Just have 100ml on hand and use as much as you need.
Mix very well and stir from time to time with a spoon to make sure you get all cashews mixed. I had a few very tiny chunks left so mix 2 minutes more when you think it's ready!
Season with the rosemary salt (or plain salt).

Let the cream cheese chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Spread on a toasted bagel. Enjoy.

Summer food.

From time to time I cook at punk shows for a bunch of people and I never know what to cook until last minute. I barely can follow a recipe, recipes make me totally confused and so I just think about something that sounds good, make a rough plan and go shopping. If I find everything I planned - yay. If I don't find everything - I make something different. It doesn't matter because I use everything I find in the particular kitchen where I cook and often change the plans during cooking anyway or add something I never thought of beforehand. I improvise and it's always way too much but more or less it's tasty.
Yesterday I got asked: "So you make awesome stuff off the top of your head?" Erm, yes. Kind of.
But then I always forget how I made it, which is irrelevant most of the time, but yesterday I made the best lentil salad ever. I hope, that I can remember everything.

- red lentils
- ground hazelnuts
- garlic
- lemon (juice and zest)
- mint
- salt, pepper, paprika, ginger, soy sauce
- olive oil
- dash of sugar

Heat a little olive oil in a pot, add lentils. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes. Add water until lentils are covered and stir from time to time. Red lentils cook very quickly, from 10-15 minutes. Add salt, pepper, ginger (I didn't have fresh one, I used powder as I found this in the kitchen and thought: oh, ginger!), juice from one lemon, soy sauce, sugar.

In a small pan heat some olive oil and add ground hazelnuts and smashed and chopped garlic, stir well until it smells very, very good and the hazelnuts are getting a bit darker. Turn off the heat and put the pan aside.
Chop a lot of fresh mint. When the lentils are done fold in the mint and the hazelnut-garlic mixture together with the zests of one lemon.

Serve on chicory leaves and enjoy. I might have good ideas for cooking, unfortunately I don't have good ideas for names. So this is just a very good summer lentil salad. Or THE summer lentil salad.

Yesterday I served this salad along with arugula salad with caramelised cherry tomatoes; the dressing was something like balsamic vinegar, oil, tahini, salt, water, mustard. The main dish was tagliatelle with a zucchini-snow peas-sage-cream sauce and roasted walnuts, which were also very good and I was very happy with the result altogether.

In general: just add roasted nuts and as much fresh herbs as you can and everything will be perfect.

summer lentils

arugula with caramelised cherry tomatoes

tagliatelle w/ zucchini, snow peas, oat cream, roasted walnuts

Asparagus with oystermushrooms and cherry tomatoes

- 125g green asparagus

- 150g oyster mushrooms

- some yellow and red cherry tomatoes

- garlic

- salt, pepper

- lemon zest

- nutmeg

- oil or margarine

Cut off the ends of the asparagus and cut the rest into 3 cm pieces, the mushrooms into stripes. Smash the garlic with the side of a big knife.

Heat 1 tblsp margarine or oil in a pan and add aspargus first. Stir from time to time and fry for a few minutes until the asparagus starts to get brown. 

Now add the mushrooms and garlic, I had 2 big cloves. Fry for another 5 minutes on medium heat, slightly stir from time to time. Add salt, pepper, lemon zest and a big pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. When it's almost done cut cherry tomatoes into half and add. Lower the heat and wait til the tomatoes begin to melt. Serve this on its own, considering it a low-carb thing or serve with a rice or potatoe dish. Great flavours and the tomatoes bring enough liquid to have a luscious and tangy dish.