Sunday 31 August 2014

a bread that changes your life...???

...how can a bread change a life...???

i mean it is amazing that food blogger sarah britton's recipe of this super healthy and delicious bread spread out so quickly and that there is hardly anyone around the net, who did not try her yummy recipe.

...same here...i thought i have to try it myself...i always used to make my own bread and became curious...i got all the needed ingredients (some of them require a little bit of effort to get)...and...because i did not do it straight away, i somehow forgot about it.

...as i recently discovered that my body isn't able to cope with gluten anymore, this bread came into my mind again and i finally gave it go.

this is the first bread i had in months (i wasn't really into trying any gluten-free bread before)...so somehow it did change my life...i am back in the bread baking community...hallelujah...!!!

..this bread contains a lot healthy...really healthy...stuff...is nutty, delicious, soft, chewy and easy to make...i am in love.

as this one was my first attempt, i followed the original recipe to be on the save side...but i am pretty much sure you can vary the ingredients as long as you use psyllium husk and chia seeds .

if you have not tried this recipe yet and i can highly recommend to do so...best regards...silke












this is what you need


- 1 cup sunflower seeds

- 1/2 cup flax seed

- 1/2 cup hazelnuts or almonds

- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats

- 2 tablespoons chia seeds

- 3 tablespoons psyllium husk powder

- 1 teaspoon sea salt (i will use 1 tablespoon next time)

- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (i had to use honey this time)

- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil

- 1 1/2 cups water



this is what you have to do


- mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl

- combine melted coconut oil, maple syrup and water in a separate bowl

- pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir everything thoroughly until completelty soaked

- the dough should be quite thick

- if too thick add some more water and stir in well

- pour the dough into a small greased loaf pan

- let sit for at least two hours at room temperature

- it can be easily rest overnight

- preheat oven to 350 degree fahrenheit

- bake for 20 minutes

- remove the bread loaf from the pan

- place onto the rack

- bake for another 30-40 minutes

- the bread is readily baked when it sounds hallow

- let cool completely before slicing

- enjoy

- it stays soft and chewing up to five days


please check out http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2013/02/the-life-changing-loaf-of-bread/ for the original recipe and further information about the nutrition of the bread.

i hope you enjoy this bread as much as i do, even though it might not really change your life...thanks for stopping by...best regards...silke





Wednesday 20 August 2014

button wax seals

sooo easy and sooo pretty.

...i really love to write letters and post them by mail...at least every now and then.

it is a very unique and personal way to express yourself and whatever you have to say...and hopefully it lightens up the face of the recipients with a big smile.

...apart from using pretty stationary is sealing a letter with wax a beautiful idea to pimp your letter.

unfortunately the selection of wax seal to purchase is quite poor...mostly lilies, hearts and arms...so i can't tell you how delighted i was, when i came across the idea of handmade wax seals made from buttons.

the variety of suitable buttons is just amazing, they just need to be embossed.

...i totally fell in love with the idea and would like to share it with you.




























this is what you need




- champagne corks
- embossed buttons
- crafters knife
- glue



this is what you have to do




- cut a small hole into the middle of the bottom of your cork




- apply some glue onto the surface




- stick the loop of the botton into the hole


- press firmly until the glue is dried




- and your are done


- to see how to use the wax stamps you can refer to one of my previous posts:












i hope you enjoyed this tiny tutorial...best regards...silke

inspiration for this post:

Wednesday 13 August 2014

nutty white chocolate and red fruits treats

being a chocolate lover and trying to cut back on sugar is a very difficult task...so i actually try to add a lot of healthy stuff to my chocolate...which i think is reducing sugar at least a little bit.

there are so many recipes for energy bites and granola bars out there and for sure i am going to try a lot more.

...white chocolate and red fruits are such a great combination...delicious and beautiful...so i am going to start with my first three attempts to make chocolate a bit more healthy.

white chocolate cherry cashew bites, white chocolate barberry granola bar, white chocolate strawberry pistachio bar...yummy...!!!








white chocolate strawberry pistachio bark








this is what you need


- 200g white chocolate

- handful sliced dried strawberries

- handful pistachios


this is what you have to do


- melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave

- add your strawberries and pistachios to the chocolate, keeping a few aside

- pour the chocolate mixture into a lined pan

- spread it out and flatten the mixture with a spatula

- sprinkle the remaining strawberries and pistachios on top of the chocolate mixture

- place the pan in the fridge

- break into pieces after thoroughly chilled


inspiration




white chocolate barberry kernel bars









this is what you need


- 3/4 cup oat bran

- 1 cup water

- 3/4 cup pitted dates

- 1/2 cup chia seeds

- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

- 1/4 cups pumpkin seeds

- 1/4 cups dried barberries

- 1/4 cup chopped white chocolate

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- pinch of salt



this is what you have to do


- preheat  oven to 160 degrees

- place dates in your blender and chop roughly

- add water and blend until you reached a smooth mixture

- add remaining ingredients and stir well until combined

- spread the mixture onto a lined pan 

- flatten with a spatula

- bake for 25 minutes 

- leave in the oven for another few minutes

- let cool on a  colling rack for another 10 minutes

- cut into slices

- store in an airtight container in the fridge



inspiration:




white chocolate cherry cashew bites








this is what you need


- 1 cup cashews

- six pitted dates

- 1 tablespoon sliced dried cherries

- 100g white chocolate chips

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- pinch of salt


this is what you have to do


- place all ingredients into your high speed mixer 

- blend until the mixture is combined

- roll into size bites

- keep in the fridge in an airtight container



inspiration:

http://betterwithcake.com/desserts/healthy-no-bake-cherry-white-chocolate-chunk-cashew-cookie-energy-bites/


I hope you enjoyed browsing through some healthy nutty and fruity white chocolate treats...best regards...silke

Wednesday 6 August 2014

crochet clothesline handbag

black clotheslines...how could i resist...i had to take all i could find, not initially knowing what to do with them...first i was thinking of another set of placemats, but i made a few black ones already and skipped that idea.

...going through my craft material, i came across those shiny black handbag handles and decided to crochet another bag...you can never own enough handbags, right???

it was really simple to make and i love it.





this what you need


- five clotheslines twenty meters

- two handbag handles

- one large crochet hook




this is what you have to do




- start by working chain stitches in your desired length



- turn your work over



- continue the following rows with single stitches or half double stitches



- i used single crochet stitches



- after a few rows start increasing your stitches every row until you have reached the intended size of your bag.

- continue decreasing your stitches again to create the backside of the bag.



- if you are not happy with the edges...



...add single crochet stitches all around your work



- fold your work into two halves with the right side outside



- stitch the seams together



- ensure the seams are lined up and even and that the pattern match



- add the handbag handles, using the clothesline only





- add the second handle



- and you are done


- thanks for stopping by and enjoy your new crochet handbag...best regards...silke