Mango Popsicles

Super summer ice cream deliciousness with mango and chocolate chips! And sugar sprinkles in pastel colour.
They're easy to make as long as you have a good vegan cream as base. Just add what you like the most, the variations are endless - I made these two weeks ago with a piece of fresh peach in each popsicle and lots of vanilla and I guess I will try something with raspberries the next time.

- one package (300ml) soy whip cream (the one I used comes out of the box in a very thick creamy texture and doesn't need to be whipped up for the popsicles. If you have a more liquid cream, whip it up properly before mixing with everything else)
- mango sauce
- chocolate chips
- agave syrup
- sugar sprinkles
- popsicle mold

Mix the whipped cream with agave syrup. Then layer it in the mold with the fruit sauce. I filled the mold about 2/3 with whipped cream, added mango sauce, then the rest of the whipped cream and chocolote chips. Fold the chocolate chips gently into the whipped cream (with a tea spoon) to have a solid base of your popsicle. End with some sugar sprinkles and then freeze over night.

Fantastic Mango Dip.

There was a half mango left in my fridge and I it had to be a dip. So I made the best mango dip today, using three ingredients:

- half a very ripe mango
- few leaves fresh mint
- 1 tsp soy sauce 

Puree everything together, et voilá: creamy, fruity, fresh, luscious, colourful, fancy but ridiculous simple and quick. It's perfect for a lot of hearty, spicy dishes and fried stuff.

I ate it to fried tofu slices together with mashed potatoes (sprinkled with coconut bacon) and salad.

Mashed potatoes are one of the best things and I truly don't understand how it's possible that there are people who don't recognize the importance of mashed potatoes. To vary my mashed potatoes I cooked them today together with a kohlrabi. I had a purple one! They're very pretty (but look the same like the pale green ones, once you've peeled them).

- potatoes
- kohlrabi
- vegan butter
- salt
- rosemary
- soy or rice milk

Dice potatoes and kohlrabi (kohlrabi dices should be smaller than your potato dices) and cook in slightly salted water until very tender and almost overdone. Drain the water and mash with vegan butter, salt, rosemary and a splash of soy or rice milk until fluffy and creamy.

Fried tofu slices are also simple as hell: cut tofu into thin slices, marinate in soy sauce for a few minutes and then fry the slices in (olive) oil until the edges get golden brown and crispy. Some garlic is highly recommended.

There are lots of coconut recipes out there, I used this as an idea but I skipped the liquid smoke and used shoyu instead of tamari. AND: I made it in a pan, this version is a bit quicker. Just use a very slightly oiled pan on medium heat and stir very often.

Hokkaido-Mango-Soup w/ fried beetroot

- onions
- oil
- 3-4 medium potatoes
- 1 medium hokkaido squash
- 1 mango
- 3 small beetroots
- juice of 1 lime
- veggie broth
- salt, pepper


Fry finely diced onions (I had two small ones) in a little bit of oil until golden brown. Add diced potatoes and two of the beetroots and stir for a few minutes. Then add 1 litre of cold water and a bit veggie broth. Cook for five minutes, then add diced hokkaido and cook until everything is very tender. While your soup is cooking cut the remaining beetroot in very thin slices and fry from both sides in oil until crispy. Put them on some paper towel until needed.
Add one ripe, diced mango and salt and pepper to taste to the pot. Turn off the heat, add the lime juice and puree with a handheld blender until you have your preferred consistency.
Serve with some of the fried beetroot slices. 
This soup is totally recommended if you just got a tooth pulled out.

Sushi Saturday.

Yesterday it had to be sushi and I made lots of maki sushi with mango, avocado and fried tofu. Furthermore inari-zushi and a miso soup with udon noodles and veggies as a starter.

Chopped coriander roots

Mango. I also made some with mango and coriander

Tofu fried with soy sauce and sesame

Miso soup with garlic, onions, roots of coriander, broccoli, chard, carrots, coriander leaves, shiro miso, soy sauce and udon noodles

Very not matching colours

Good things.

The kitchen window was open all night long for the first time in this year. I love it. Going totally sleepy into the kitchen which is filled with cool, but not too cold, fresh air, hearing birds and making coffee.

A new pillow for better sleep. And a new blanket to keep the bed safe from cat hair. At least, it's worth a try.

Planting plants and pretending to have a garden like every year.

For example, this garden sorrel has been accompanying me for over 7 years. We have quite a good relationship. It will look all fancy in about two weeks.

The sun of course.

Mango-basil cream cake.