Cake recipe with chamomile tea and no eggs

Here are a few special features of the recipe—don’t worry, though; it’s super easy, just not your run-of-the-mill lemon cake:

Organic spelt flour instead of wheat flour: Spelt is considered more natural than wheat, is easier to digest, contains more minerals, and has a nutty flavor. It’s a conscious choice that benefits your health and the environment because spelt is usually easier to grow.

Oil instead of butter: Vegetable oil makes the dough moist, makes the cake vegan, and has a smaller carbon footprint than animal butter, which is considered one of the most climate-damaging foods.

Chamomile tea as a liquid: The biggest surprise is probably the use of freshly brewed chamomile tea. It makes the dough wonderfully moist and gives the cake a delicate, almost floral note. Tip: Let the tea steep well so that the aroma comes into its own. SANDnature uses “Smooth Operator” organic chamomile tea from the tea manufacturer Samova.

Turmeric for flavor and color: This “super spice” not only gives the cake a golden yellow color, but also adds light, exotic flavors.

A look inside SANDnature in Timmendorfer Strand on the Baltic Sea

The SANDnature Lifestylehotel is a place to breathe deeply. Adults only (ages 16 and up), it is designed with natural materials and a clear focus on sustainability. Located directly on the second row of the Baltic Sea, it is the perfect destination any time of year, whether you’re looking for a relaxing short break or an inspiring getaway. If you want to learn more, you can find tips for a sustainable weekend on the Baltic Sea or exciting impressions of a culinary journey here. Now, in the cooler season, the region captivates with its deserted beaches, perfect for long walks in the wind and salty air. Without the summer tourist crowds, SANDnature is the perfect place to relax and welcome the cozy season..

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Smooth Lemon Cake

Delicious lemon cake from the SANDnature Hotel with oil, oat milk, and chamomile tea

Course dessert, cake

Cuisine European, german

Keyword vegan baking

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 250 g Spelt flour organic
• 2 TSP Baking powder organic
• 150 g Sugar
• 50 ml Maple syrup
• 75 ml Canola or sunflower oil
• 100 ml Oat milk
• 100 ml Smooth Operator, brewed (Smooth Operator is an organic chamomile tea from the Samova brand)
• 1 Organic lemon Juice and peel
• 1/3 TSP Turmeric Grounded
• 1/3 TSP Salt

Zuckerguss

• 200 g Icing sugar
• 4 TSP Lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) on the convection setting
• Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt
• Add oat milk, lemon juice, oil, maple syrup, sugar, and brewed Smooth Operator chamomile tea (Samova). Mix everything together well
• Add grated organic lemon zest and turmeric powder
• Place the finished dough in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper
• Baking time approx. 35 to 40 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F)

Der Beitrag Recipe from SANDnature: Smooth Lemon Cake – vegan and fresh erschien zuerst auf GREEN TRAVEL BLOG.

A healthy and sustainable lifestyle in Croatia

The Hotel Korinjak, located on the island of Iž, promotes an ecological and mindful lifestyle. It offers yoga, sound massages, and a menu without meat, fish, or eggs.

“”Our mission is to promote a lifestyle in harmony with nature, which includes conscious nutrition,” they say. “We believe that food should not only nourish the body, but also the mind — light, wholesome, and full of vitality.”

The secret to the vegan pašticada is its sweet and sour sauce, which contains cloves, plums, and a pinch of cinnamon

The sauce is what makes this famous Dalmatian dish so special. A blend of onions, carrots, plums, and aromatic spices like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg gives it a festive, exotic flair.

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Vegan Pašticada

A rich, aromatic Dalmatian-inspired dish –fully plant-based - from Hotel Korinjak in Croatia.

Course Dinner, festive dish, vegan

Cuisine Croatia, Dalmatia

Keyword Croatia, Pasticada, tofu, Vegan

Prep Time 4 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

For the marinade:

• 300 g Seitan or soy medallions
• 1 Red onion sliced or rings
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 100 ml Dry red wine vegan
• 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 spring Rosemary
• Splash of Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

For the sauce:

• 2 Onion medium size (finely chopped)
• 2 carrots sliced into rounds
• 1 small Parsely root or a piece of celery (chopped)
• 1 tbsp tomatoe paste
• 2 tbsp Prošek (Croatian desert wine) or date syrup
• 2-3 Dried prunes chopped
• 1 pickled cucumber finely chopped
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 2-3 Cloves or a pinch of ground cloves
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil
• 500 ml Vegetable broth or water

Optional Tip for additional taste

• Splash of Balsamic vinegar
• pinch of Cinnamon
• pinch of Nutmeg

Instructions

Marinate the protein

• Slice the seitan (or rehydrate soy medallions according to package instructions).
• Place in a bowl with onion, garlic, wine, vinegar, bay leaf, and rosemary.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).

Searing and sautéing

• Remove the seitan from the marinade and briefly sear it in olive oil until golden on both sides. Set aside.
• In the same pan, sauté the chopped onions, carrots, and parsley root (or celery) until soft.
• Add tomato paste, prošek or date syrup, dried prunes, chopped pickle, mustard, and spices. Let everything cook for a few minutes to release the aromas.
• Simmering
• Return the seitan to the pan. Add vegetable broth and some of the marinade.
• Simmer on low heat for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If using soy medallions, stir gently so they don't fall apart.)
• You can partially blend the sauce with an immersion blender at the end to thicken it, leaving some texture.
• For an extra depth of flavor add near the end of cooking a slash of balsamic vinegar, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. This will enrich the flavor beautifully.

Serving suggestion

• The Hotel Korinjak recommends homemade potato gnocchi (egg-free) or creamy mashed potatoes with olive oil and parsley next to it.

Der Beitrag Vegan Croatian Pašticada Recipe erschien zuerst auf GREEN TRAVEL BLOG.

Mushrooms vs. meat – These are the advantages

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the conventional meat industry is responsible for about 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Mushroom cultivation is a good alternative and has many other benefits:

• Carbon neutral food source: Although mushrooms emit methane, they increase the carbon uptake of trees and are therefore considered CO2 neutral.
• Little space required: Mainly due to the fact that mushrooms grow in vertical spaces and in some cases even underground.
• Rapid growth: Under optimal conditions, mushrooms grow in just a few weeks. You can harvest them all year round.
• Organic waste: Mushrooms can use organic waste as a growing medium and do not require fertilizers. This conserves resources and reduces waste.
• Low water consumption: Although mushrooms like a humid and warm climate, they require less water than most crops and much less than meat production.
• Versatile: Mushrooms grow in different climates and are all over the world.
• High in protein: Mushrooms are a nonfat source of protein. However, they are not equivalent to meat in this regard. However, if you include legumes in your diet, you will definitely get enough protein.

Are fungi plants?

Did you know: Science distinguishes between plants and fungi. Although they are generally assigned to botany (the plant world), according to the Max Planck Institute, they form a separate kingdom alongside animals and plants. The reason is that plants get their energy from light and carbon dioxide, while fungi get their energy from organic compounds.

Edible mushrooms therefore do not store CO2 in the same way as trees, but increase the CO2 reduction for our planet through their root symbiosis with trees. In 2023, a group of researchers argued that the production of edible mushrooms should be encouraged to sequester more carbon.

Thai oyster mushrooms as a meat substitute

The oyster mushroom, with its shell-like appearance, is native to Southeast Asia and loves tropical climates with high humidity. They grow in colonies on tree trunks. 

Thai people have been eating oyster mushrooms for a long time and use it as an ingredient in many dishes. Its function as a meat substitute originally came from the fact that the population often could not afford meat. As mushroom cultivation is cheap and easy, there are many farmers who make a living from it, as the Franco-German TV channel ARTE recently reported in a documentary.

Mushroom cultivation at Keemala

Our Green PearlsⓇ partner Keemala is located on the beautiful island of Phuket. The 38 villas (each with its own pool) are surrounded by a large forest and garden area where a variety of ingredients are grown for the resort’s cooking classes. In addition to herbs and vegetables, Keemala grows its own oyster mushrooms! If you are taking a cooking class, you can visit the mushroom farm, pick your own mushrooms and cook them fresh.

Chao Na Bowl with oyster mushrooms – Recipe from Keemala

Keemala also gave us their recipe for the popular “Chao Na Bowl”. It’s a Thai rice dish with vegetables, oyster mushrooms, anchovies and fish sauce (so it’s meat-free, but not vegan or vegetarian).

You can find the recipe here:

How sustainable chefs in Europe are using seasonal and regional mushrooms

The most popular mushroom in Europe is the porcini mushroom, which is especially common in spruce and mixed forests. It is one of the most protein-rich mushrooms (ahead of oyster mushrooms and button mushrooms) and therefore a good substitute for meat.

The Paradiso Pure.Living Vegan Hotel on the Seiser Alm uses porcini mushrooms in four ways

In July 2024, the Paradiso Pure.Living Vegan Hotel took the step from a purely vegetarian hotel to a 100% vegan hotel. No meat was ever served at the mountain hotel on the Seiser Alm in South Tyrol, but now all other animal products are banned as well. Both for reasons of animal kindness and sustainability.

The new kitchen concept developed by Greek vegan chef Aggeliki Charami in March 2024 has contributed significantly to this development. (We suggest you take a look at her Instagram account, which has over 13,400 followers and provides an interesting insight into the vegan gastrohype).

You can get mushrooms here in the form of porcini mushroom soup, for example. The trick is that they use porcini mushrooms, in four different forms in this dish: Roasted, ground, powdered, and broth. With chickpeas as an additional ingredient, the soup has another source of protein and is also very filling.

Click here for the Porcini Soup recipe

Naturhotel Outside: Handmade porcini tortelloni with home-picked mushrooms from East Tyrol

Nature surrounds the Naturehotel Outside, located in the Hohe Tauern National Park, South Tyrol. The sustainable hotel makes sure its food is sourced as locally as possible, and many of the mushrooms served in the restaurant are foraged by the hotel itself. “We mainly collect chanterelles and porcini mushrooms in the fall. We cook them right in our kitchen – fresh. Some of them we preserve for the winter,” says owner Daniel Ganzer.

One popular recipe is porcini tortelloni, for which you can find the recipe (including video instructions) in this blog post.

“Porcini mushrooms are everyone’s favorite” at Gut Guntrams 

About an hour’s drive from Vienna, Gut Guntrams is another Green PearlsⓇ partner offering special accommodations in nature. Fruits play an important role here, even more so than mushrooms. The stylish buildings made of local wood “float” above the fruit trees. The “Guntrams Ark” is dedicated to the preservation of old fruit varieties.

Mushrooms are on the menu, too. The owners like to go foraging themselves and also buy mushrooms that hunters bring in from the woods. Porcini mushrooms are a favorite of the owners and their guests.

Mushrooms au gratin as an appetizer

Tip from Gut Guntrams: Gratinate the mushrooms with Grana cheese, lemon and olive oil and serve as a starter.

OLM Nature Escape: “Our culinary chef knows all the mushroom places”

The chef of the newly opened OLM Nature Escape, Berni Aichner, forages for mushrooms himself and is known for finding the best “mushroom spots”. The circular aparthotel is located in Sand in Taufers, South Tyrol, and was built from the ground up as a sustainable, energy self-sufficient building.

There is a special culinary concept where you can book all meals (except the included breakfast) in a kind of modular system. OLM Nature Escape also organizes fine dining events with Berni Aichner and star chef Theodor Falser.

Berni Aichner’s porcini carpaccio with organic olive oil and coarse salt is particularly popular.

Eco-Hotel Okelmann’s uses cultivated organic mushrooms

Picking wild mushrooms is not enough to feed the world’s growing population – they also need to be cultivated. Brinkers Pilzdiele in Asendorf, Germany, shows how this can be done according to the guidelines of organic farming. Located just a few miles from the family-run Hotel Okelmann’s, it has long been a trusted supplier of organic mushrooms.

Info: Mushrooms may only be collected for “personal use”. (In some countries this is specified in kilograms (e.g. Austria 2 kg), in others (e.g. Germany) it is less precise. In any case, hotels are not legally allowed to simply pick mushrooms from the forest for their own use, but must obtain a permit or buy the mushrooms.

Hotel Restaurant Heimatliebe is also perfect for celebrations! The two sisters Maren and Kristin will lovingly and professionally take care of the right setting for your event, which can of course be completely meat-free.

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Der Beitrag Mushrooms as a meat substitute? A sustainability check on the trend and where to try it erschien zuerst auf GREEN TRAVEL BLOG.

Are you flirting with the vegan lifestyle or already living it? How about a completely vegan weekend in South Tyrol? Perfect for relaxing, trying it out or maybe showing your partner how diverse a vegan lifestyle can be 😉 South Tyrol is home to the first completely vegan hotel in Italy. It not only offers climate-friendly cuisine but also great activities for couples or active vacationers.

LA VIMEA – A completely vegan hotel in the town of Naturno

LA VIMEA, located in the tourist town of Naturno in Val Venosta, South Tyrol, is the ideal place to relax and take some time off. The adults-only hotel offers daily yoga sessions and a wellness area complete with a saltwater pool, natural swimming pond, sauna and Ayurvedic treatments.

A special feature is the vegan theme. Here, vegans will find a hotel where they won’t have to ask about ingredients or find bacon served at the table next to them. As for the cuisine, you can relax and enjoy the surprising creations of Chef Luca Sordi. But there’s more! For the team of LA VIMEA, vegan doesn’t only apply to food, but to all other aspects of life. For example, the furnishings are made entirely of plant-based and cruelty-free materials. You won’t find leather or sheepskin here.

Veganism is more climate-friendly

One benefit of a vegan lifestyle: It tends to be more climate-friendly. According to the German Federal Environmental Agency, a vegan diet produces about 40% less CO2 emissions than a conventional diet that includes dairy and meat products. Of course, this doesn’t apply to every single meal, but to the diet as a whole. To make the eco-advantage perfect, LA VIMEA also sources its food as regionally and seasonally as possible.

LA VIMEA weekend specials

The vegan hotel offers some special deals tailored to weekend stays. What we particularly appreciate: South Tyrol is easily accessible by train from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. So nothing stands in the way of a sustainable and vegan weekend. 🙂

Romantic vegan getaway

2 Nights | 2 People | 999 Euro | Offer valid from March 29 through November 3, 2024

LA VIMEA has recently launched a new package for couples. It’s called “Romantic Vegan Getaway“:

When you arrive on Friday, one of the most beautiful double rooms with balcony will be waiting for you. And to start the weekend off right, you will receive a welcome gift of organic vegan chocolate and a bottle of Prosecco Rosé (with or without alcohol). Afterwards, perhaps a refreshing dip in the saltwater pool or the natural swimming pond.

Between 5:30 pm and 6:45 pm, an aperitif platter with small snacks and a signature cocktail or mocktail is available – even in your room upon request. For dinner, dress up and enjoy the restaurant’s vegan cuisine. Afterwards, especially on warm summer evenings, we recommend a short evening stroll through the village of Naturno, with its 6,000 inhabitants, to enjoy the special atmosphere.

On Saturday, an active outdoor experience awaits you. The hotel will provide you with two modern e-bikes for the whole day. Breakfast will be served at the hotel and 2 picnic lunches will be packed for your bike tour.

Tip: Download beautiful bike tours around Naturns on komoot.

After a day of activity, dinner at the restaurant will taste even better. Especially if you relax at the spa first.

On Sunday, you will check out late, giving you time to relax after breakfast. Perhaps you would like to start the day with a yoga class on the sundeck in front of the hotel. Community yoga is an integral part of the hotel here. And as an extra highlight you can enjoy the forest sauna for one hour. At 15:00 your journey home begins.

Active Vegan Getaway

3 Nights | 1 to 2 People | 645 Euro p.p. for 2 persons in a double room, 825 Euro for 1 person in a double room | Offer valid from March 29 through November 3, 2024

Another weekend offer from LA VIMEA is the “Active Vegan Getaway“. It includes 3 nights with organic vegan half board. For two full days, you will receive e-bikes and packed lunches, as well as 2 green smoothies to boost your energy.

During your stay, you can also take advantage of the hotel’s spa facilities and yoga classes to round out your active weekend.

If you would like to read more about vegan travel, we recommend the following article, which covers the topic in more detail:

Save this article as an inspiration for later!

Der Beitrag A sustainable weekend getaway for vegans erschien zuerst auf GREEN TRAVEL BLOG.

What plant-based milks are available?

I remember a few years ago there were maybe two or three different types of plant-based drinks. Mostly soy or almond drinks. Rarely an oat-based one. Now you can walk into any supermarket or drugstore and find at least five, usually more, different dairy alternatives from different manufacturers.

The most common are still soy drinks and now oat drinks. There are also almond, rice and, more rarely, coconut-based milk alternatives. In better-stocked stores, you can also find several other varieties of nut and cereal milk alternatives, such as hazelnut and spelt. And there are sunflower and pea-based dairy alternatives.

Which dairy alternatives are most popular in (sustainable) hotels?

As I mentioned at the beginning, many sustainable hotels welcome the change in guest behavior. At STURM, a sustainable wellness hotel at the foot of the Rhön mountains, the team noticed that not only vegans and lactose-intolerant people order coffee specialties made with oat milk. This is the favorite, the team reports, not only because of its better environmental footprint, but also because of its natural sweetness. That’s why it’s so popular in STURM’s (vegan) desserts. The barista version also foams well and can be used for cappuccinos and the like.

At the Gut Nisdorf on the Baltic Sea, oat milk is also the most favorite alternative, says owner Jörg Gloor. He also likes to use oat milk in his muesli. Only waffles do not work so well with oat milk, he says.

In the family vacation apartments, guests can also book breakfast and then find a basic supply of bread spread, vegetable drink and margarine or butter in their own refrigerator upon arrival. The rest can be bought fresh in the morning at the breakfast bar.

At the family-run hotel Okelmann’s in Lower Saxony, a good quarter of the coffee specialties are now served with a plant-based milk substitute. Mostly with oat milk. But soy milk is also on offer. Of course, the sisters, who are the fifth generation to run the hotel, don’t charge extra. “We think the plant-based alternatives are great, especially the oat drink, which tastes delicious and is easy to froth in the barista version,” says Kristin Okelmann. Then she adds: “Our oat drink with organic oats from Germany also comes in a returnable bottle, so we save on plastic waste, too.”

Pea drink: a (still) underestimated alternative

Other experts in the hospitality industry confirm the trend our partner hoteliers are seeing. They also point to the vegetable alternative made from peas. The high-fat content of the legumes makes the pea drink particularly creamy, while the high-protein content ensures a stable foam. When it comes to taste, at least in my experience, the differences between brands are huge. Some are to my liking, others not at all. So here it is: try it! Or, like me, stay with oat milk 😀

The most popular plant-based milks in the sustainability check

Now that you’re familiar with the full range of dairy alternatives, you’re probably wondering which are the most sustainable. And the healthiest. And the most climate-friendly. Because that’s what a lot of people who are giving up cow’s milk are looking for. I’ve done the research for you and put it all together in a chart:

As you can see, cow’s milk is the worst performer across the board. When it comes to water consumption, different sources score differently. Here, almond and rice drinks tend to come out on top, depending on the study and the way it is calculated. This is another reason why you should enjoy these drinks in moderation. Almonds in particular often come from dry California. So if you drink almond drinks, make sure the almonds come from Europe and preferably from organic farming.

Locally, here in Germany (where I am located), there is usually only one milk alternative: oat drink. Oats are easy to grow here in Germany, use relatively little water, and do not have to be transported long distances due to their regional nature. So from an environmental perspective, oat drink is the most environmentally and climate-friendly choice. Other locally grown crops such as peas and lupins are also sustainable alternatives.

Why is cow’s milk bad for the climate?

By the way, the reason cow’s milk is worse for the climate than plant-based alternatives is that cows produce methane when they digest. In addition, land is used to raise livestock and grow feed. This land is lost to plant-based food production.

If you’re thinking about the recent discussion at home about soy drinks, cattle feed and the like, keep in mind that the soy that ends up on your table as a soy drink or yogurt often comes from European farms. Rainforests are cleared primarily for the soy that animals eat, as well as for pasture.

How healthy are plant-based beverages?

After sustainability, this question is at the top of all the articles. However, the only real consensus is that plant-based drinks are mostly water and, in principle, not harmful to your health. Even the natural sugar content in oat milk isn’t a problem if you don’t drink it by the gallon.

What to look for when buying: Some manufacturers add extra sugar to their plant-based drinks. Avoid these. Plant drinks are also often fortified with minerals and vitamins. It is up to you to decide if this is okay for you or if you would rather skip it. If you’re eating a balanced diet anyway, you don’t need the additives in plant-based drinks 😉

Sustainability tip: Make your own plant-based milks

Most plant-based drinks and milk alternatives are easy to make. For example, oat milk is 1 part oatmeal to 9 parts water. Put it all in the blender with a pinch of salt and a sweetener of your choice, depending on your taste. Then either squeeze it through a muslin cloth or just pour it through a strainer (if you don’t mind a few flakes). A little (vegan) protein powder makes the oat drink more stable. Do the same with nut milks.

And here’s another tip: You can use the pomace to make cookies or spreads!

Uses and tips for replacing dairy milk

In principle, you can always replace cow’s milk 1 to 1 with a plant-based drink of your choice. Your taste decides. There are also good alternatives for cream, creme fraiche, yogurt, etc. In the end, it all comes down to what you like. But if you’re just starting out, here are my recommendations, having given up cow’s milk and most cow’s milk products myself a few years ago:

In cooking: If you want it to be neutral in taste, soy products (with European soy) go in the pot. Most of the time I also use oat cream. For dips and the like, I like soy yogurt because it has more of a sour curd taste than other vegan yogurts.

In coffee: Oat drinks and nut drinks; other grain-based milk alternatives are also tasty. For example, if you don’t like it quite as sweet, spelt drink might work for you.

Baking: I usually just use whatever I have on hand. Mostly oat milk. Keep in mind that oats already have a natural sweetness, so you may want to reduce the sugar content a bit.

By the way: Most of the desserts in STURM are also made with oat milk. For example, the chocolate-nut brownies. The team at the sustainable hotel in the Rhön even gave us the recipe:

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Vegan Chocolate Nut Brownies

Chocolatey, juicy, and with just the right amount of crunch from the nuts, these brownies are not just for vegans! | Makes one 22x30 cm baking dish

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine Vegan

Keyword Brownies, chocolate, chocolate cake, Vegan

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Baking Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 270 g Flour
• 120 g Sugar
• 50 g Cocoa
• 1 Core of a vanilla pod
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 150 ml Oat Milk
• 125 ml neutral oil like sunflower or canola
• 125 ml Maple Syrup
• 200 g Chopped Dark Chocolate plus a bit for decoration if you like
• 150 g Nuts

Instructions

• Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.
• Add the liquid ingredients (oat milk, maple syrup and oil) and mix well.
• Finally, mix in the chocolate chips and (coarsely chopped) nuts.
• Pour the batter into a baking pan (about 22x30 cm) and bake the brownies for about 25 minutes at 200°C top and bottom heat.
• If you like, you can glaze the brownies after they have cooled. Simply melt the chocolate, stir in some coconut oil or other vegetable fat, and pour the mixture over the brownies.

Our conclusion about plant-based milk

The question of the sustainability of plant-based beverages versus cow’s milk is complex because, as always in agriculture, there are many components involved. There is land use, water use, environmental impact, and, and, and. However, I think it is wrong to fall into “whataboutism” on this issue. Of course, it is more beneficial to give up beef than cow’s milk. And yes, the coffee I pour my oat milk into has a worse environmental (and social) footprint than a glass of cow’s milk. But hey, baby steps are better than no steps at all. And if you’re using oat milk instead of cow’s milk, you’re probably also making sure your coffee is fairly produced. At least that’s the way it’s done in sustainable hotels, and we can take a cue from them at home.

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Superfood made in Germany

Berries contain antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium, and folic acid. Superfoods grown in Germany include

• Blueberries get their blue color from the plant pigment myrtillin. It is thought to prevent heart disease and cancer. Vitamin C and vitamin E are also good for collagen production in the skin.
• Strawberries contain more vitamin C than lemons, a full 65 mg per 100 grams. Strawberries also contain biotin, pantothenic acid, folic acid and vitamin K: Strictly speaking, strawberries are not berries at all, but aggregate fruits.
• Raspberries are popular with athletes because they are high in B vitamins and contain the digestive fiber pectin.

What all berries have in common is that they are mostly water, and despite their sweetness, they have very few calories. If your berries aren’t sweet enough on their own, you can help them out by adding a little sugar or another sweetener of your choice. That’s what the hotel chefs at STURM do.

Vegan berry sorbet recipe with frozen berries

This recipe uses organic frozen berries. Three years ago (2020) there were headlines about frozen berries being contaminated with norovirus. In the meantime the situation has improved. In 2021, the consumer organization “Stiftung Warentest” tested frozen berries and found no viruses or other contaminants. It was also noteworthy that none of the organic frozen berries were contaminated with pesticides, which can happen with conventionally grown berries. So when you’re shopping, look for the organic seal. Better yet, use berries you’ve picked from your own garden or from friends and family and freeze them.

Tips for freezing berries

Make room in the freezer and spread the berries out on a piece of baking paper or beeswax cloth. After two to three hours, you can transfer the slightly frozen berries to a container or freezer bag. The advantage: The berries do not freeze together, and you can portion them perfectly for your vegan berry sorbet. This also works with banana chunks 😉

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Berry sorbet (vegan) recipe

Wonderfully refreshing for the summer. Original recipe from the STURM in Mellrichstadt.

Course Dessert

Cuisine European

Keyword berries, Sorbet, summer-sweet

Equipment

• 1 blender

Ingredients

• 17,5 oz frozen berries organic
• 6 oz sugar
• 1/" Lemon Juice of it
• mint for decoration

Instructions

• Mix all the ingredients in the blender and serve immediately.
• Fresh mint is ideal as a decoration.

Optional

• If you like it creamier, add some plant-based yoghurt.

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In the tourism industry, this new consumer awareness has already made a difference – many hotels now have vegan and vegetarian dishes on their menus. Often, it is the hotels themselves that are leading the way in the “Planetary Health Diet”. In a moment, we’ll introduce you to some of these hotels. But first, let’s take a look at some of the arguments surrounding the diet.

Advantages of a vegan-vegetarian Diet

I’m not a vegan myself, but it helps to remember the benefits of a plant-based diet:

#1: Climate protection: A plant-based diet produces significantly less CO2 emissions than an animal-based diet. According to the Heidelberg Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, margarine has four times fewer emissions than butter, and a plate of lentils consumes 20 times less CO2 than a beef steak and contains more protein!

#2: Animal welfare: Vegans are innocent of factory farming and animal cruelty. If you can’t give up meat completely, consider where it comes from and buy organic meat whenever possible.

#3: Social justice: Growing food for people instead of animal feed could help fight world hunger.

As for whether a vegan diet has any health benefits (or drawbacks), the science is mixed. The point is that, in general, nutritionally conscious people (i.e., both vegans and people who eat meat only occasionally) live much healthier lives and have lower risks of obesity and various diseases.

Tip: If you don’t want to give up meat, but want to reduce it, start by eliminating all meat-based convenience foods and processed meats (sausages, frozen chops, cold cuts, etc.) from your diet. Numerous studies show that the consumption of processed meat in particular is a cause of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Vegan-Vegetarian Travel? No Problem in Italy!

If you’re already a vegetarian or vegan, you’ll want to find accommodations that accommodate your diet when you’re on vacation. Northern Italy is a wonderfully vegan-friendly destination, as there are several hotels here that are completely dedicated to a vegan-vegetarian diet.

LA VIMEA: “pure vegan” Hotel in South Tyrol

The attitude towards meat at LA VIMEA is clear: “We do not accept meat consumption in any way and do not believe that it can be sustainable in any way. The hotel in Naturno was the first vegan hotel in Italy and offers creative vegan dishes such as stuffed zucchini flowers, grilled stone fruit, risotto or hay soup.

The hotel has also made sure that all the furnishings are vegan. The hotel’s sustainable wellness program includes a saltwater pool, a natural swimming pond, and daily yoga classes.

Eco Park Hotel Azalea – 100 percent plant-based cuisine

In Trentino, you’ll find the Eco Park Hotel Azalea, which serves an entirely plant-based cuisine. They take care to use as many local products as possible. Flour and cereals come from a traditional Italian stone mill, wild herbs are picked in the meadows and the tap water comes from the Dolomites. This family-run hotel also welcomes vegans and vegetarians. As the name of the hotel suggests, everything here is about flowers and blossoms – and you’ll find one or the other on your plate 😉

Paradiso Pure.Living – Vegetarian travel in the Dolomites

At Paradiso Pure.Living, the vegan-vegetarian menu is designed to keep the ecological footprint to a minimum. The hotel was the first purely vegetarian hotel in the Dolomites and has the best location for an active vacation (summer and winter) in nature.

Tip: The Paradiso Pure.Living shared their hummus recipe with us. (If you’re still looking for a plant-based protein source or a healthy spread). I make hummus almost every week. We have it for breakfast on the weekends with fresh bread. Very tasty, very healthy and keeps you full for a long time.

Eat meat? But consciously!

In the car-free town of Zermatt, overlooking the Matterhorn, is the extraordinary CERVO Mountain Resort. There are no less than three different restaurants, one of which, the BAZAAR, is 100 percent vegetarian. The other two restaurants have meat on the menu, but at an extra cost to offset the extra CO2 generated. The beef comes from farmer Edgar Imhoff, who runs an animal-friendly cattle farm about 30 kilometers outside of Zermatt.

“Sustainable use of natural resources requires a well-thought-out value chain”

CERVO Mountain Resort

Meat from the own pigs

At the Bavarian hotel HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu, meat is an integral part of the local cuisine. But sustainability also means ensuring that the pigs, calves and cattle live a life appropriate to their species. Hotelier Marc Traubel says in an interview with Green Pearls®: “We have very, very many of our own pigs for our guests (…) The pigs are down there now, they are fed over the summer, they have a nice life and then at some point, they just end up on our grill.”

A vegetarian option is also a staple of the daily menu. You can even go completely vegan, but you have to order in advance!

Our conclusion: Vegan-vegetarian or meat – You make the difference

As you can see, you don’t always have to wait for the big players to make a difference when it comes to animal welfare and the environment. Consider caged eggs, for example. According to the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband, 60 percent of German eggs came from caged hens in 2008. By 2021, only 5 percent will come from “small cages” (= larger cages). The reason is that at some point consumers simply refuse to eat eggs from tortured hens and are willing to pay more for them. This could also be the case with meat products.

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Did you know? Hummus is an optimal protein supplier

If you live (mostly or completely) vegetarian or vegan, you’ll find hummus a top source of protein, including important amino acids. It is filling and super delicious! In the Orient, hummus is eaten for breakfast and it gives you long-lasting energy for the rest of the day.

Chickpeas contain a lot of fiber, which is why they are good for digestion. In addition, they score with iron, vitamin C, folic acid, B vitamins and contain the minerals magnesium and potassium.

Furthermore, the recipe includes olive oil, lemon juice and sesame seeds – all healthy foods.

Chickpea hummus recipe from Paradiso Pure.Living

Before you can get started, you’ll need some utensils in your kitchen (don’t worry – if you don’t have any of these, we’ll give you alternatives!).

What is needed

1. One night lead time to soak the chickpeas (canned chickpeas are not an option, because Mauro and Grazia wouldn’t agree :-))
2. A pressure cooker (alternatively, you can cook the chickpeas in a regular pot until soft, but that takes hours instead of minutes!)
3. A food processor (it works wonderfully with the Thermomix) If necessary, a blender and as a last alternative a potato masher or the fork.

Now it starts! We wish you a lot of fun while mixing. Share your result with us and Paradiso Pure.Living on Instagram.

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RECIPE: CHICKPEA HUMMUS

This recipe is prepared by ChefsMauro Massei & Grazia Bianchi according to a vegetarian-vegan concept"Pure.Food" at Paradiso Pure.Living Hotel.

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Middle East

Keyword chickpea, Hummus

Prep Time 12 hours hours

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 250 g Dried chickpea ordinary or black
• 50 g Tahin good quality is important
• 1 fresh clove Garlic
• 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive
• 2 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
• 5-7 g Sea salt
• 1 Glass Chickpea cooking water if needed

Bread

• Pita, toasted bread or chips (according to your taste)

Instructions

Preparation

• Soak chickpea in cold water adding 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice at least for 12 hours.
• After the chickpea is soaked, boil it 8 - 10 min in a pressure cooker until the peas are lightly overcooked. 
• Drain them, but save a glass of cooking water to use later.

Processing

• In a high-speed blender place the drained chickpea, tahin, garlic (it is better to remove the core), sea salt, extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Blend all until very smooth pasta. 
• Adding the cooking water (if needed), reach your desired consistency. 
• Add sea salt and lemon juice according to your taste. 

Plating

• Put Hummus in a serving plate. Season top with spices (paprika, coriander, cumin, sumac or other spices according to your taste).
• Sprinkle the dish with black and white sesame seeds, fresh choppedparsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 
• Serve hummus with your favorite fresh berries or seasonal fruits. At Paradiso Pure.Living they love to serve it with fresh raspberry or grape 🙂
• Put pita, toasted bread or some chips, according to your taste. At Paradiso hummus is served with handmade amaranth chips.

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So why a vegan Christmas dinner?

If you conjure up a vegan recipe variant, you generally use fewer resources and cause fewer emissions than if you opt for a variant with animal ingredients, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme. So does that motivate you to check out some alternatives to the usual meat classics for your holiday menu this year? For us in any case!

Therefore, we have put together a menu for you from the vegetarian/vegan recipes of our Green Pearls® partners. In this post, we’ll tell you which dishes are suitable for Christmas with family and friends and how to prepare them. Let yourself be inspired 😉

Aperitif

As an appetizer, we found a super delicious sweet potato hummus for you at CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt. The sustainable hotel’s kitchen combines oriental, italian and welsh influences in a creative and unique way. The CERVO Mountain Resort kitchen team procures all ingredients regionally, i.e. products come within a maximum radius of 150 km. To accompany the hummus, consider serving vegan lentil chips of your choice or fresh bread for dipping. With this tasty appetizer, you can get yourself and your guests in the right mood for the festive evening. Click here for the recipe!

Appetizer

There’ s nothing like a warm soup as a light appetizer don’t you think? The Naturresort Schindelbruch in Saxony-Anhalt attaches great importance to regional cuisine and has the perfect vegetarian dish for you with its delicious chestnut seed soup . If you eat a vegan diet, or want to whip up a vegan version for someone in your festive party, it works beautifully with this recipe. Simply replace the animal elements of milk, cream and butter with plant-based alternatives made from oats and soy. Have fun preparing it!

Main course

“Sea & Mountains” Dumplings

Some recipes can be wonderfully varied depending on taste or completeness of the ingredient list 😉 The “Sea & Mountains” dumplings by Luca Sordi, chef at the vegan hotel LA VIMEA in South Tyrol, are perfect for this. So get inspired and modify the recipe according to your or your festive guests’ preferences, or cook it 1:1.

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Dumplings “Sea & Mountain”

South Tirol mushrooms, seaweed salad and Mediterranean aromas (inspired by the Earth day and plated like the sea).

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Dumplings, Mushrooms, Vegan

Prep Time 0 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

The pasta dough

• 300 g Durum wheat semola flour (pasta flour)
• 150 g Water (warm)
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
• 2 g Black charcoal
• 1 pinch Salt

The filling

• 100 g Vegan ricotta (or other vegan mild cheese)
• 300 g Mix of raw mushrooms (Chef Sorte used Oyster and Shitake)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• Aromatic herbs (rosemary, savory, sage, thyme)
• Salt & Pepper

The blue cauliflower cream

• 250 g Cauliflower
• 150 ml Cooking water
• 50 g Seeds oil
• 2 g Blue pea flower powder
• Nutmeg, Salt & Pepper

The seeweed salad

• Seaweed (Chef Sordi used Dulse and Wakame)
• Olive oil extra virgin
• Fresh chili, Lemon zest, Garlic, Parsley

The caviar

• 50 g Tapioca pearls
• olive oil extra virgin
• smoked paprika, salt

The foam

• 150 g Almond Milk
• 8 Juniper berries
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

The Dumplings

• Mix the flour, salt and charcoal.Pour the warm water and oil on top of the dry part and mix energetically (by hand of with help of kitchen aid).

  You need to get a dark gray dough, with plastic texture, not too dry.

  Give to it a rectangular shape, cover with kitchen film and keep it in the fridge for at least one hours.
• Cut the mushroom for the filling and cook them in a super hot pan with olive oil, garlic and herbs. Add salt and pepper just at the end, when well cooked.
• Blend them with the ricotta, getting a homogeneous mix

  Season with fresh thyme or savory and in case more salt and pepper.
• With the help of a rolling pin make a 2 mm pasta sheet.

  Cut the pasta with a round pasta cutter or other circular tools – Chef Sordi made 9 cm but it is up to the final size you want to get. Up to you!
• Put the filling in the center of circular pasta, make the pasta around a bit wet and close it with the technique you prefer. Chef Sordi use a “culurgines” shape (sardinian pasta) – you could find plenty of videos on

  youtube also for similar shapes (gyoza, momo, chineese dumpligs).

  Boil for 4 minutes in salted water.

The blue cauliflower cream

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Chop the cauliflower in small florets. Put the cauliflower in and cook for 8-9 minutes.

  Blend them, still hot, with some cooking water, the oil, salt pepper nutmeg and blue pea flower color.

The seeweed salad

• Cook the seeweeds according to the pack instructions and cool them down.

  Mix in a little bowl some oil with finely chopped aromas: garlic, chili, lemon zest, parsley.

The caviar

• Cook the tapioca pearl for about 20 minutes or until the pearls are completely transparent.

  Strain them an wash them several time under fresh water.

  Season with oil, salt and smoked paprika.

The foam

• Bring the water to a boil. Turn off and infuse the (previously broken) berries for 15 minutes,

  Remove the berries, add the salt and cool down to about 40°C (just warm).

  Make the foam with the help of a stick blender.
• Warm the cauliflower cream and put couple of spoon on the plate.

  Procede to put the pasta, seasoned with just some oil and fresh herbs.

  Put now the seaweed salad, at room temperature.

  Finish with the smoked caviar, the foam and some cress.

Potato Strudel

The open kitchen concept at Biohotel Sturm in the Rhön means you can watch the kitchen team prepare your order. Use this idea and prepare the menu for the party together with your guests. This will automatically create a happy, relaxed atmosphere in which you can create something as a community, i.e. cook your dinner. On top of that, it’s less work for you as the host and you don’t miss out on anything by standing alone in the kitchen for hours.

The Biohotel Sturm’s vegan potato strudel recipe is perfect for this. If you already cook the potatoes in advance, the rest of the preparation goes really fast. Here’s to good cooperation 😉 Click here for the recipe.

Vegan Neapolitan Cauliflower Salad

Some foods have great stories to tell. So does the Vegan Neapolitan Cauliflower Salad from Chef Paola at Eco Park Hotel Azalea in Trentino. As a rich and traditional side dish, it was traditionally prepared by her grandfather on Christmas Eve. Over the holidays that followed, the family kept adding “leftovers” so that the salad tasted a little different each time. In the process, a folk story was told. Sustainability at Christmas, that’s what it’s all about. Have fun recreating the cauliflower salad and telling stories!

Colorful gnocchi

The next recipe also comes from the kitchen of Eco Park Hotel Azalea. At this amazing resort in Trentino, especially at Christmas, there are incredible things to do for young and old (if you want to learn more, feel free to read on here – LINK to the blog Alternative Winter Vacation). But not only that, the chef Paola knows what children like: colored gnocchi. These delicious potato gnocchi get their different colors with the help of natural plant powder. With the sauce of your choice, this colorful dish is guaranteed to leave nothing on the plate. You can find the recipe here.

Dessert

From the villa wonderland of Keemala, Thailand, we received this unusual and refreshing dessert recipe for an organic, lemon-flavored Longan Cheesecake. After you have had all the hearty, hearty food and probably a piece or two of chocolate or a sugary cookie or two, this lemon dessert is perfect. The Longan fruit used for it is believed to improve skin health and grows on the Longan tree, which belongs to the soap tree family. You can get the ingredients for this special dessert at the Asia Market.

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Organic Longan Cheesecake with Lemon Flavor

This refreshing longan cheesecake will sweeten your day or round out your festive menu. Serve with homemade longan tea.

With organic longan, you'll strengthen your immune system and keep your skin healthy, because it contains vitamins C and A, as well as the minerals iron, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Thai

Keyword Cheesecake, Lemon, Longan, tarte

Servings 1 cake

Ingredients

cake

• 250 gr Flour
• 1 Egg
• 70 gr White sugar
• 120 gr Cold butter
• 1 Pinch Salt

Filling

• 125 gr Dried organic longan
• Cinnamon powder
• 125 gr Dried organic longan
• 50 gr Red beans
• 125 gr Orange juice
• 50 gr Lemon yellow
• Almond paste
• 500 gr Cream cheese

Decoration

• 125 gr Fresh strawberry
• 50 gr Blueberry Fresh
• 50 gr Black grape (without seeds)

Notes

Preparation

1. Knead all the ingredients for the short pastry using a food processor for a few minutes. It works the same way with your hands.
2. Press the dough in a tart pan and prick it with a fork to let the steam escape and prevent bubbles from forming under the crust.
3. Once the tart is in the oven, saute the dried longan, red beans, cinnamon, orange juice and salt.
4. After 10 minutes, pour everything on the tart, leaving half for the top layer, then bake it for another 20 minutes at 180 °C.
5. For the last layer, mix the cream cheese with the grated lemon zest and put it on top.
6. Garnish with breadcrumbs and dried longan.
7. Decorate the plate with mixed fruits and edible flowers.

Your Christmas menu can look this creative and appealing without any meat, and optionally even completely without animal ingredients. It sounds incredibly delicious, doesn’t it? Could we inspire you to prepare a vegetarian or vegan menu? Feel free to let us know what you’re serving on Christmas Eve.

Save one of the pins so you can have the recipes at your fingertips when the time comes.

Der Beitrag Christmas menu differently – Vegetarian and Vegan options for goose and duck erschien zuerst auf GREEN TRAVEL BLOG.

Vegan baking is easy as pie

By now, vegan baking has really arrived in the “mainstream”. But until not so long ago, many hobby bakers frowned at the thought. Baking? Vegan? Without butter, milk, and egg? That’s not possible at all!

In the meantime, however, even long-time baking professionals (and grandmothers) have to admit that vegan baking is not that difficult. Replace the cow’s milk with plant-based drinks, the butter with margarine, and the egg with banana, applesauce, soaked flaxseed, or omit it altogether.

By the way, if you want to know more about chocolate, cocoa and the sustainability of both, check out this blog article: Chocolate: How to snack sustainably

Vegan chocolate cake à la HUBERTUS

Before you dive right into the preparation of the cake, the HUBERTUS has given us a few tips for you.

Here’s what you should keep in mind:

1. The cake consists of three individual layers or cakes. You should bake them under exactly the same conditions so that the cakes look as similar as possible and one does not have a curved surface and the other does not. Make sure that the oven temperature, baking time, and cake pan are the same. If a cake does become domed, you can simply bring it back into shape with a knife at the end 😉
2. The cakes can be pre-baked very well. This way you can also give them enough time to cool. Cooling is important! Otherwise, the cold cream just flows down from the warm base. Also delicious, but not as pretty.
3. If you can’t get plant-based curd, you can also reach for skyr or yogurt. Of course also on a plant basis. It’s best to use quark or skyr though because they are firmer. With yogurt, you should use a little less so that the cream is not too liquid.

Have fun baking and share your result with us and the HUBERTUS on Instagram.

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Vegan chocolate cake with berries

This cake is a dream of chocolate and berries. And it's vegan too! With this you will convince not only your vegan friends, but also the non-vegan ones.

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine European

Keyword berries, cake, chocolate, Vegan

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Equipment

• 1 Cake pan (22 cm diameter)

Ingredients

For the base (specification per base, 3x necessary)

• 200 g flour
• 25 g cocoa not sweetened
• 15 g baking powder
• 150 g sugar
• 250 ml sparkling water
• 50 ml Canola or sunflower oil
• 8 g vanilla sugar
• 1 Tbsp Margarine for greasing

Plant-based curd cream

• 200 g plant-based cream to whip
• 8 g Cream stiffener
• 100 - 200 g plant-based curd or skyr
• 1 - 2 Tbsp Agave syrup

Topping

• 100 g Blueberries
• 100 g Raspberries
• 100 g Blackberries
• dried flowers for decoration

Instructions

• First, you need to bake the cakes/bases that will end up stacked on top of each other. That means you have to repeat the next three steps three times. So in the end you have three identical cakes that you let cool completely.

The cake bases (3x)

• In a bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and vanilla sugar.
• Add the sparkling water and oil and mix until smooth. Attention: Stir really only as long as it is necessary.
• Grease a round cake pan (22 cm diameter) with margarine. You can also additionally cover it with baking paper.
• Fill the dough into the pan.
• Bake at 180 °C for about 40-45 minutes. You can check whether the cake is cooked through with a stick test. If the cake gets too dark, you can cover it with aluminum foil.
• Then let it cool down completely (!).
• Repeat the steps for the other two bases.

The Crem

• Whip the plant-based cream with the cream stiffener.
• Blend the cream with the plant-based curd or skyr and sweeten the mixture to your taste with agave syrup.
• The cream should be rather firm and stored in the refrigerator until use.

The arrangement

• Place the first cake on a plate or cake platter and top it with some cream. Do not use too much, because the weight of the other two cakes will still push the cream to the edge.
• Put the next cake on it, top it again with some cream and put the last cake on it. Top it with the rest of the cream.
• Decorate the vegan chocolate cake with fresh berries and dried flowers. Bon appetit!

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