December 5-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

We've talked before about nisser, the little elves who run around being both mischievous and helpful all winter.  You may remember that they prefer to eat gruel, specifically risengrød-- rice gruel.

Danes use the term "gruel" to refer to any sort of cooked, soft grain or legume.  For instance, oatmeal is havregrød, and I've recently seen dhal referred to as "den klassisk indisk linser grød."  The classic Indian lentil gruel.  The concept is so popular that there's even a restaurant in Copenhagen called "Grød," which serves up fancy oatmeal, dhal, congees, and, of course, risengrød, which for our purposes (ie, not sounding gross) I will call rice pudding.

I tried making (and eating!) risengrød for the first time this year and was pleasantly surprised.  I guess it's like a boring risotto, but it's actually really good and comforting.  On its own, it isn't sweet-- the traditional way to serve it is either with butter and salt, or with butter and cinnamon sugar on top.  

Having heard that I'd made my own risengrød for the first time, a Danish friend of mine said, "So!  It's happened!  You are now a real Dane."

Who knew that was all it took!

The Lifeys 2014!

[We had a disagreement about how to start this post. So, in fairness to all parties, both intros appear below]

B: It's 2015! And as is our tradition, we are looking back at 2014 and recognizing the best of the year. That's right, dear readers, it's time for the Lifeys 2014!

E: Deep in the darkest, coldest days of winter, there is a spark of light. Nay! A ray of light! A light that shines boldly, inviting you to come in from the ghastly rain, curl up with a cop of hot cider, and peruse . . . The Lifeys.

(Also, B only said "dear readers" to try to sound like me!  He knows I'm funnier!)

And so, without further ado, our picks for the 2014 Lifeys!

Best Movie: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Food to Make: Lentils and Rice in Coconut Milk
Runner-up: Pumpkin Curry with Chickpeas (we put spinach in too)

Best New Baby (in order of appearance):  Baby R, A, O and H

Best New Toddler: C (no competition)

Best Accomplishment: Talking

Best New Tradition: Takeaway sandwiches and salads from Fika on Tuesdays - our busiest work day.

Best New Album: Alexi Murdoch, Time Without Consequence

Best Meal Out (so good, we ate there three times!): Berlin's Dolores California Gourmet Burritos

Best European Vegan Discovery: Veganz, the all-vegan supermarket

Best Performance: Verdensballet 2014 at Møllerup Gods. Even the Queen came.

Best Dinners in Berkeley (tie): Potluck with the Santa Barbara posse
                                              Cactus Taqueria with R and J

- C's picks -

Best New Pursuit: Hopping

Best Playground: Prague's Petřínské park playground with lots of slides (map)
Runner-up: Børnenes Jord, here in Aarhus

Best Berry: Raspberry

Best American Discovery: Splash pads!

December 2-- Advent at ADAFT 2014!

I always promise B that ADAFT won't turn into a food blog.  But since part of our theme this year is "food in my belly," I want to share this recipe.  It's for beans and rice, so it's what lots of the world eats, and it's also delicious.  (It'll be getting at least an honorable mention at the Lifeys).

East African Lentils

 

The Lifeys 2013!

Yes friends, it's time once again for that most hallowed and anticipated annual event--the Lifeys!  Where the Daring Duo (C doesn't get to vote yet) gives awards to the best things in the year.  With no further ado...

Best Trip Abroad--bringing C to her ancestral homeland, March/April  (we wanted a picture right at the "Welcome to the US" sign at customs, but apparently that's not allowed).

Best New Danish Destination--Sandbjerg Gods, Sønderborg, Denmark  (seriously, do a Google Image search for this)!
      runners-up-- Vejle, Denmark and Ry, Denmark

Best Meal Out--lunch in Tucson at the Tucson Tamale Company, March
      runner-up-- dinner in London at Nakhon Thai, August

Best New Thing to Cook--Red Lentils and Spinach Masala
       runner-up-- Almond Butter Cups

Best Books--The Help, by Kathryn Stockett; and
       Island Beneath the Sea, by Isabel Allende

Best Accomplishment--tiny C learning to walk!

Best Month--July

Best New Game--Citadels

Happy New Year!

December 23--Advent at ADAFT 2013!

Sure, everyone plans out Christmas dinner in loving detail.  Everyone knows "a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright."  (Not for the turkey, mutters the Scandinavegan darkly).  But how many really consider Christmas breakfast?

Consider it considered, darling readers! 

I love oatmeal, and B often tells me that my morning bowl is an astounding thing to behold.  True, but I'm not going to take pictures of my oatmeal and put them online.  That's going too far, although I am not joking when I tell you there are whole blogs devoted to oatmeal.  But what is does mean is I am eminently qualified to tell you about a certain festive bowl of oatmeal I'm planning. 

Here's the deal--Americans think Christmas is all about cranberries, maybe pumpkin, and fruitcake.  While those things might make good oatmeal, Danes are ahead of the game because their favored Yuletide dessert is rice pudding with stewed cherries and almonds.  Just replace "rice pudding" with "rolled oats" and voila, breakfast is served!  I will admit to wavering--while I've got the oats and cherries ready to go, should I stir in almond butter?  Or sprinkle toasted almonds on top?  Or both?

Eh, it's going to be tasty and festlig either way!

Black (Licorice) Friday

I'm not sure if we've mentioned this before, but licorice is a pretty big deal here in Denmark.   How big?  Let me give you some examples.

While pregnant, my doctor advised me not to eat more than 75 grams of licorice per day until the baby arrived.  I had never in my wildest dreams considered eating 75 grams of licorice in a day.  But people here regularly do!  Let me just say, 75 grams is a lot.  Also, eating licorice every day?  Only the Scandinavians do that.

Now imagine an American fair or amusement park.  Obviously there's a hot dog stand, an ice-cream stand, and possibly some sort of fried-dough-- funnel cake, churros, deep-fried Twinkies, whatever.  I give you Tivoli, the enchanting Danish amusement park.  There is a sausage stand, an ice-cream stand, and a licorice stand.  See below.

I was once on an SAS flight from Copenhagen to New York, and the available hot drinks were coffee (obviously not decaf) and licorice tea.  None of the flight attendants seemed to find this at all odd; in fact, no mention was made of the fact that it was licorice tea--it was just called "tea."  I personally find licorice tea truly abominable, although I am doing my best to Dane-ificate and have embraced both black and salty licorice.

If you didn't gasp, you should have (and have obviously never tried salty licorice).  As a child I shunned black licorice and only accepted the red stuff, which I've never seen here in Denmark and Danes would probably call "konfekt" if they deigned to notice it at all.  Sometime in the last three years I started eating the black kind, probably because it was a naturally vegan product foisted on me at every turn.  And then I kind of liked it.  And then I discovered the really good stuff--gourmet licorice, if you will-- Lakrids by Johan Bulow.  And then Johan Bulow had the salty kind too, so I tried it and, you guessed it, I kind of liked it.

Yesterday I was on my way to yoga and saw a sign announcing that the king of licorice, Johan Bulow himself, will be here in Aarhus on Friday, signing copies of his new book, "Lakrids i Maden." It will feature 72 recipes for both sweet and savory dishes, all containing licorice in some form.  I may need this book (though it is surely not vegan) simply because I can't imagine 72 ways to use licorice.

The Danes, however, are one step ahead, and have already developed licorice bread, ice cream, croissants, and coffee.  When I remember that I've heard licorice referred to as "the Danish chocolate," this seems OK to me.  But then I think, "licorice coffee? why???"

I guess the Dane-ificating has a ways to go yet.

The Summer List

The other day B and I were listening to the Youth Group song "Forever Young," and it got me thinking.  See, there's this line about "so many songs we forgot to play..."--well, I don't want to forget to play them.  That's a metaphor, of course.  The point is, there are certain things that are just quintessential summer, and if we forgot to do some of them, we'd regret it.  And so will you, if you don't do these things.  Here's the list.  (And the song, should you suddenly be seized by the desire to hear it).

Forever Young

1.  Go to the beach.

2.  Eat ice cream.  (In Aarhus, we recommend Misto.  In Berkeley, go to Naia).
3.  Wear an enormous sun hat.  Feel ultra-glamorous.

4.  Take an early morning walk.

  

 5.  Eat strawberries.
 6.  Swim in an outdoor pool.
 7.  Play Kubb.

8.  Grill something.
 9.  Watch a stupid summer movie. (We heartily recommend "Wet Hot American Summer" and "Eurotrip").
10.  Eat corn on the cob.
11.  Visit a rose garden.

12.  Go to an outdoor concert, preferably in the park.
13.  Sleep with your head at the foot end of the bed and the window open.

Tomorrow it's August, so don't delay!  Start working on your summer list right away.  You won't want to fall behind, because another list is coming in the fall.

Happy summer everyone!

Behold the Beet-wich!

This winter I discovered an awesome sandwich.  It's simple, yet unexpected: almond butter, avocado, and beets.  There's no way you can go wrong.  So far I've had it with roasted golden beets on spelt toast, with shredded raw beets and rye berries inside a tortilla, and now--and most elegantly--with beet sprouts on buckwheat bread.

Do try it, in any variation on the above.  It's yummy!  While you're eating, enjoy this clip from The Office.  I always think of it when eating beets.

And you thought I just wrote about chocolate all the time.

Scandinavegan Summer: Rhubarb Runs Riot!

I know that it's September now, and it's getting late for rhubarb--though if you're in the Midwest or Pacific Northwest, maybe you can still have it.  But I can't leave rhubarb out of the picture this summer.  It's so Danish to me!  See, before moving to Denmark I had actually never eaten rhubarb in any form at all.  Here, of course, it's at the farmers' market all spring and summer, and maybe your friends even give you big bunches of it because it's taking over their yards.  So I had to try it.  And since my first try was such a huge win, we've been eating it ever since in ever-evolving forms.

(I'm not putting up the original recipe.  My first rhubarb vehicle was a strawberry-rhubarb crisp, and it's true that it's delicious and tastes like the essence of summer.  But come on, it's a crisp!  You put the fruit in the pan with some sugar, and then crumble stuff on top!  Who needs a recipe for that?  Also, I'm vain and don't have a photo of it).

We have now had rhubarb crisp, rhubarb coffee cake, rhubarb bar cookies, and rhubarb muffins.  Here's one of the muffin recipes--the very one, in fact, I chose for my probably-the-last-of-the-season bunch of rhubarb.

Raspberry Rhubarb Corn Muffins

1 1/2 cups cornmeal/polenta
1 1/2 cups flour (I like whole grain spelt, but whole wheat or white flour work too!)
dash salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar
3/4 cup applesauce
about 1 cup rhubarb
about 1 cup raspberries (frozen is just fine)

Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare a 12 cup muffin tin.

Wash the rhubarb really well.  If it's anything like mine, there's a bug in it.  Chop it into half inch long pieces and put it in a bowl.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and let sit.

Combine the lemon juice and soymilk.  Whisk briefly and let sit.  It will curdle; that's the goal here.

In a big bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, the rest of the sugar, the baking soda, and the salt.  Stir.

Add the applesauce, oil, and vanilla to the soymilk.  Stir well, then fold into the dry ingredients.  Fold in the rhubarb chunks.  Very gently add the raspberries.

Fill the muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes.

Scandinavegan Summer: Mushroom Eating!

B and I were just in the US last week, where we admired the juicy tomatoes and peaches and corn that abound on the West Coast.  We both felt like those were real summer foods.  So we went to farmers' markets and the Berkeley Bowl and the Monterey Market and ate absolutely tons. 

Sadly, those aren't really things that the Scandinavian summer specializes in, but we're not too sad, because there are a lot of other interesting and tasty things around here.   The Scandinavegan will be presenting the best of the Danish summer, foodwise, and how to eat it.  Stay tuned!

Today we're starting with mushrooms, since last time we wrote about mushroom hunting.  Now you're probably loaded up with chanterelles, something like this, right?

Well, if you're anything like us, you have a much smaller basket of mushrooms, which is perfect for today's recipe: Woodsy Chanterelles on Toast!

(I like to say "on toast," but the truth is, we never actually toast the bread.  One could, though).

ca. 100 g of chanterelles, washed carefully and sliced
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
woodsy herb of choice; ie sage, thyme, or lavender
salt and pepper
a pinch of flour
sturdy crusty bread (sourdough is always nice)

Start off with a good slosh of olive oil in your skillet.  You could use butter, if you roll that way, I suppose.  When it's hot, begin sauteing the garlic; then, carefully and gently add the mushrooms.  Sprinkle them with salt so they release their juices.  Crumble in your herb of choice, just until it smells good.  Now gently use a wooden spoon to separate the veggies from some of the oil and juice.  Imagine the skillet divided in two; one side mushrooms, one side sauce.  Whisk in the flour--probably about a teaspoon will be plenty.  Whisk really well so there are no lumps, then gently fold in the mushrooms again.  Season to taste and serve with the good bread.  Delicious!

Back in the Saddle with the Scandinavegan!

Hot on the heels of last year's epic fail (11 in 2011 with the Scandinavegan) comes Round 2: 12 in 2012! (still with the Scandinavegan!)

Jeps, last year I had high hopes. I imagined telling the world about how an American ex-pat could create new and exciting vegan dishes in Denmark. The only problem was, last year I still wasn't very good at it.

Sometimes I'd stand there in the aisle at the grocery store, paralyzed by indecision, wondering what on earth I could make for dinner. Føtex would play their happy little tune,

"Føtex er sej,
Vi gør mere for dig!"

but I'd just wish they'd tell me what to make for dinner, and that it wouldn't be liverpostej.

Now I'm getting pretty good at it, though. I know where to find the non-traditional foods we like (tofu at the Asian market, beans at BazaarVest, winter squash at the health food store), so we can eat almost all of our old favorites. Which means, of course, that I now have to break into the Nordic culinary scene. How can I adapt traditional Danish meals, which tend to be heavy on the pork and fish, in order to delight the vegan palette?

B. gave me a helping hand at Christmas with Claus Meyer's excellent cookbook, "almanak."

It's all about eating good, natural food when it's in season, and making new and creative use of typical and traditional Danish foods. It is organized by week number (obviously) so you can just go through the year, cooking the menu for the day every day. Plus it's beautifully illustrated with photos of both the meals and the origins of the foods--stormy harbors, wild mushrooms, fields of rhubarb.

So for my first 12 in 2012 entry, I'm sharing with you this salad recipe from "almanak." We had it for dinner tonight, and it's great! Don't be scared of the cabbage!

Salad with avocado, baked onions, grapefruit and cabbage

2 onions
1 T olive oil
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. honey (bonus Dane points if you use local Danish honey your friends or neighbors raised themselves!)
1 large or 2 smallish grapefruits
1 avocado
about 1/3 of a large cabbage, washed and shredded.

Stick your onions in an oven safe dish and bake them at 350 F for about 45 minutes. Take them out, let them cool; then chop off the ends, peel off the skin, and coarsely chop the rest. Stir up your dressing with the oil, vinegar, and honey, plus a dash of salt and pepper. Pour it over the onions and let them sit while you do the rest.

Peel and chop the grapefruit into small pieces. Peel and chop the avocado, too. Stir the cabbage into the onion and dressing mixture, then gently fold in the grapefruit and avocado. Season to taste and serve!

The Lifeys 2011!

Can you believe it? It's been a whole year since the last Lifeys!* Remember how you waited, tense with anticipation, for the day they would debut? Remember how you plopped down in front of your laptop with a package of microwave popcorn, some ice cream, and a handful of wine coolers? Remember how you rehashed them--what we wore, who we sat next to, how our hair looked--all week with your coworkers?

Well, it's that time again. Presenting...

THE 2011 LIFEYS!

Best New Meal: Peruvian Potato Stew (from Viva Vegan! by Terry Hope Romero)

Best New Stand Alone Game: The Resistance

Best New Game Expansion: Dominion Hinterlands
Runner-up: Saboteur: De Uitbreiding!

Best Actually Good Movie: The King's Speech
Runner-up: Midnight in Paris

Most Startlingly Amusing Movie: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
(disclaimer: this movie is, in fact, really stupid and kind of gross, but also hilarious)

Most Mindblowing Food: Peach and Blue Cheese Pizza at the Cheeseboard (B); lime pickle (E)

Best New Artistic Pursuit: Folding Julestjerner

Best New Album: Shallow Grave, by The Tallest Man on Earth

Best Meal Out: Indonesian take-away in Noordwijkerhout, South Holland, The Netherlands

Best Penny Arcade: This Dilapidated Universe (August 24th, 2011)
Runner-up: Surprise Ending (October 31st, 2011)

Best Burritos: Molina's Crazy Burrito, November (B)
The Sunny Side Cafe Tofu Breakfast Burrito, August (E)
Runner-up: Papalote, August (E)


*which can be seen HERE

December 23rd--Advent at ADAFT!

Today B and I made stollen, which some of you may know is German and also delicious. I feel compelled to say this because even though lots of Americans know about stollen, it seems that no Danes do, which is strange since Germany is RIGHT THERE. Danes are overall uninterested in German Christmas traditions, remaining convinced that gløgg, æbleskiver, and pebernodder are the keys to a good time.

But I am actually not super keen on gløgg. And besides, as previously mentioned, stollen is delicious and needs no other justification.

I'm not including the recipe because if you didn't already plan to make stollen, you don't have time to do it now. So just look at ours and be happy instead!

Tired of Turkey? Why Not Try a Vöner?

I figured in these days after Thanksgiving, when everyone's been eating turkey, turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, even turkey pancakes--well, what better time for the Scandinavegan to make her move?

You're sick of turkey, I know you are. You're wishing there were some delicious, high-protein, plant-based alternative... one that doesn't have a dumb name like "Tofurkey." Something tasty and exotic, yet not too frightening...

Behold the Vöner!

As I was saying: high-protein, plant-based, exotic yet somehow familiar, non-stupid name... well, you can't win them all.

But what IS it? And why does it seem so familiar? It's a vegan döner, the Turkish street food that's taken Germany by storm in the last 15 years. You can find döner everywhere in Germany, but if you're lucky enough to wander by Boxhagener Straße 56 in Berlin, you'll find yourself here, at Vöner, home of the vegan version.

So German, and yet so Berkeley.

Of course, we were there on an October evening, so it actually looked more like this.
Still super-hyggelig, though!

And if you're worried about authenticity (who doesn't worry about the authenticity of their soy-based meat analogs?), well, fret no more. It comes on a spit, just like the real thing. Yes, you saw it here on ADAFT, a giant sizzling spit of seitan.

All jokes aside, though, it was tasty, filling, and very reasonably priced. So next time you're in Berlin, remember what the Scandinavegan told you, and head right over to Vöner!

More Bang for Your Buck(Wheat!)

Scandinavegan Presents: Buckwheat!

en del af 11 i 2011

First of all, I want you to know that this is not a fraught story, like the last one about buckwheat. I went to the store, planning to buy buckwheat flour, bought it, came home, and made vegan blinis. Simple as that.

But blinis you say, that sounds Russian. I thought this was a Danish blog. Well, Danes like buckwheat too! My Danish friend G made blinis last time B and I visited, and explained that Danes always eat them when it's just the beginning of spring. She served them with creme fraiche, chopped red onion and Danish caviar. I served mine with homemade tofu creme fraiche and red onion. You know what Danish caviar is? It's lumpfish roe. (We thought we heard wrong too, but that's really it. Lumpfish).

Anyway, here's the recipe. It was delicious.

Vegan Blinis (makes about 10)

2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup or so plain soymilk
3 T soy flour
5 T buckwheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground flaxseeds
1 T oil (plus a little more for the pan)

Measure out the soymilk and stir in the lemon juice; then set it aside to curdle. Meanwhile, begin heating a large skillet, and grind your flaxseeds if they aren't already.

Combine the two flours, baking powder, and salt.

Stir the ground flax and oil into the curdled soymilk.

Vigorously whisk in the dry mixture. It should be pretty runny; if it isn't, add a bit of water.

Oil your skillet lightly and pour in about 2-3 T batter. It will run all around and start setting up straightaway. Cook for about 90 seconds on each side.

Serve hot, with creme fraiche and chopped red onions.

Eat and be happy for Danish springtime!

A Muffin Story

If I could make subtitles here, I'd subtitle this post

"The Most Ridiculous Story About Whole Grains You've Ever Read."

This story starts off doubly tragic, but it gets better, so don't despair. B and I had been unable to find oats in Denmark. It was strange, because Danes love muesli (mysli), which is basically plain rolled oats with stuff mixed in. Nevertheless, not a package of plain rolled or steel-cut oats could we find. Just muesli and more muesli--raisin, coconut, high-fiber, even chocolate.

Then one evening as I lamented our lack of oats, B said,

"Hey! I bet that little health food store down the block has oats!"

We lost no time putting on our shoes and bustling down the the Helsekost before it closed. Once there we zeroed in on a likely package labeled BOGHVEDEGRYN, took it directly to the cashier, paid, and zipped home again.

At breakfast we were dismayed to discover that the contents did not taste particularly like oatmeal as we knew it, nor did they cook up quite the same. A quick check on Google Translate revealed that this was because they were not, in fact, oats. They were buckwheat groats.

OK, so where is the humor and uplifting resolution? Well, here's what I found funny about the whole business. (Besides that just saying "buckwheat groats" is pretty funny on its own).

First, imagine this from the point of view of the guy working in the health food store. Just before closing, a wild-eyed couple rushes in. They make a beeline for the whole grains, grab a packet of buckwheat groats, and without sparing a glance for anything else, pay and leave. Why the desperate need for buckwheat groats? Is there some sort of whole grain black market? A bet, a dare? An urgent craving? Really, when was the last time someone got this excited over groats?

Second, why did we not look up the Danish word for oats before we left? Who wouldn't do that?

Finally, how on earth did we not get it? Boghvedegryn. Boghvedegryn. Boghvede. Boghvede. Not that Danish is really known for its English cognates, but seriously. Boghvede. Buckwheat. It sounds the same!

Anyway, there's a double happy ending coming up. For one thing, we found oats--rolled rather than steel-cut, but still--at Bazar Vest yesterday. Now B can stop worrying that I'll make him buy muesli and pick out all the raisins and seeds by hand. And for another, we turned the buckwheat groats into some tasty muffins and ate them for breakfast.

Just to make sure this really is the funniest essay about whole grains ever, I'm going to leave you with a little muffin joke. I've probably already told it to every single person who reads this blog, but that just makes it a joke that's stood the test of time.

Two muffins (usually they're corn, but in honor of our adventures and pitfalls, today they're buckwheat, of course) are baking away in the oven. The first one says,

"Whew, it's hot in here!"

The second one says,

"Eep! A talking muffin!"