cacao buckwheat zucchini breakfast muffins

These muffins have a zillion healthy-ish things crammed into them, and they’re also gluten-free. Yum. Recipe at the bottom.

Recently I’ve hosted both my sister and my mom in Copenhagen and nothing makes you appreciate the city you live in more than serving as a semi-tour guide. I guess it helps that for most members of my family, my existence in Copenhagen has been a bit of a mystery. What does she do? Where does she live? Who is this extended Danish family she keeps talking about? (Yep, me and the ol’ host family are still really close, and it’s extended to both sets of host-grandparents, who cheer on my slow progress in Danish lessons). I’ve now spent a total of 1 year (working) plus 4 months & 2 weeks (student) in Denmark, so providing my family with some context is really nice. Seeing and participating in the bike culture in Copenhagen. Checking out my work, where I grocery shop, my favorite cafes. And nothing opens your mind to a place you sometimes take for granted than having visitors – their joy and curiosity leads you to discover new places and new phenomenon. 

An example being: there is a large park in Copenhagen that hosts free dance lessons and open dancing with music many nights during the summer. It began in June and I’m sad to say I only checked it out for the first time last night, where I learned some salsa moves and spent two hours dancing with abandon with my sister, a friend from work, and various random Danish men – some of whom were awkward, strict, nerdy, friendly, focused, etc. It was just a good time. The event draws individuals of all walks of life: ages, sizes, couples, passer-by, etc. Everyone danced with everyone and at some points they would stop for a random non-salsa song or two and then the Danes went wild and broke it down in the love-able way that only Danes do while dancing.

Living abroad has so many ups and downs. And you really have to learn to take each day as it comes and not freak out, sometimes. My friend Charlotte who lives in Beijing told me that there expats talk about having ‘a bad China day’ where everything will just go wrong and the system will get you down and life seems miserable, and I like that concept because at least it means that you can label it, expect it, and process it as just ‘a bad COUNTRY HERE’ day and not a complete breakdown of your entire existence. So while having my family visit was wonderful, I can’t say I didn’t also get pretty homesick. I gave myself a few days of self-pity and then picked myself up and went out into the world again and let Copenhagen court me until I remembered why I love it so much, and how much it makes me smile. Although I still wish D.C. and Copenhagen were located right next to each other, just for ease of obtaining almond butter and, of course, seeing my family. 

When my mom was here one of the best moments we had together after exploring was just being in the kitchen together like I was home again – her at the stove stirring up a spicy daal, me making some strange gluten-free healthy muffin concoction like always. It was perfect. No matter where you are in the world, no matter which kitchen, being with familiar people and creating is always home.

Cacao Buckwheat Zucchini Breakfast Muffins 

slightly adapted from Clean Food Dirty City

dry ingredients

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

4 tablespoons raw cacao powder, or cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

wet ingredients

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla or vanilla powder

2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, heated so it is liquid

1/4 cup coconut cream (the solidified top part of a can of coconut milk)

2 tablespoons coconut milk or coconut water

1 banana, peeled, mashed

1 cup finely shredded zucchini

coconut flakes, to top

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients. Use an immersion blender to completely blend the bowl of wet ingredients until the batter is uniform and there are no lumps. Combine with the dry ingredients. Batter should resemble the texture of thick pancake batter and not be either too doughy or too runny – adjust with more buckwheat flour or coconut water/milk as needed.

Pour into greased muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Centers should be set but don’t over-bake, nobody wants dry muffins!

pineapple coconut heat wave

last summer in DC i found myself building up this awesome heat tolerance. i still attribute it to the fact that i was doing heated power yoga sessions up to six times a week, and after finding the zen to complete yoga poses with hand weights while covered – dripped, fully soaked, coated, wet hair – in your own sweat (and sometime’s getting a splash of someone else’s!) for 60 minutes, living in humid 95-degree DC weather became more tolerable.

one danish winter under my belt and i’m back to square one. i’m there with the best of the danes right now, and we’re all complaining – dying – with this heat and humidity. don’t get me wrong, it has been pretty damn humid, but still, i was shocked to convert the temperatures today and realize that it’s been MAYBE 80 once – the rest has been high to mid 70’s. it pales in comparison to DC.

however, let it be said that danes prefer to be a bit more natural about this whole summer thing. most of the year it’s wet, colder, and quite dark, so of course the buildings are designed to let in a lot of sun and air. and we’re all set up for heating quite fine. but air conditioning does not exist here. ‘climate controlled’ spaces aren’t really a thing. there’s no waiting anxiously in the car for the first blast of cold, cold air. i asked my roommate where i could buy a fan for the apartment and she said, ‘well – i guess we don’t really do fans here. i don’t know!’ so i just experience the heat in all its glory – on my bike, in my apartment, at night, etc. that’s probably why it feels rougher. but i’ll live. more re-calibration will occur.

in the meantime, this is what i love to drink right now. it’s tart and sweet and refreshing. it’s more like a thick juice in consistency than a smoothie, really.

pineapple coconut drank

1.5 cups pineapple, chopped

1 cup coconut water, the pure kind, no sugar added

1/2 cup cold water

8 sprigs of mint

1 large banana

juice of one whole lemon

blend in your blender! garnish with a sprig of mint and add some ice cubes! drink! stay cool!

 

vegetarian and raw eats in stockholm

8t8 swedenborgsgatan 1

this cozy health food grocery store slash cafe boasts an impressive amount of specialty goods in such a small space. organic fruits & vegetables, condiments, chocolate, spices, teas, grains, alternative proteins – the list goes on and on. they offer a large collection of raw snacks, including chocolate, snack bars, and crackers. home-made treats change daily – the first day i walked in there were slices of raw carrot cake and raw energy balls, while the second time i visited they had made tropical mango chia seed pudding. for lunch they offer a rotation of noodle & salad bowls five ways, for around 100 sek – i tried the rice noodle salad with curried tofu cubes. it was topped with seaweed, sprouts, and came with a wonderful dressing. the best part was that they accommodated my love of spice and brought out a basket with oils, red pepper flakes, and other asian condiments. do not miss out on the freezer full of lily & hanna’s rawfood ice cream. you will be tempted to try them all. my advice: give in.

hermans vegetariska restaurang fjällgatan 23b

a vegetarian stockholm classic. they offer discounts for students so you’ll see a lot of young people eating at this all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet. sit outside and you’re treated to one of the best views of stockholm, overlooking the harbor area. (should normal seating prove not relaxing enough, they have hammocks, too.) i was impressed by their selection of well-seasoned dishes that span a variety of cuisines – mediterranean, indian, italian, etc. bland buffet food this is not. coffee & tea are included in the buffet price. check out their dessert area – it’s worth paying extra to try some of their home-made sweets. the raw cake was sold out when i visited, but they have a variety of vegetarian and raw desserts including cakes, cheesecake, muffins, energy balls, cookies, and bars. i’d recommend visiting the fotografiska museum afterwards: it’s open late and is located just down the stairs from hermans. lunch is around 110 sek, dinner is around 175 sek.

drop coffee wollmar yxkullsgatan 10

delicious small batch roasted coffee (micro-roast?) near mariatorget. you can get a tasting flight and sample several of their bean varieties. there are a few choice seats outside for people watching and maximizing summer sun, if you can manage to snag one amongst all of the strollers. inside is light, airy, and open – the perfect place to do some reading and watch the talented staff – it is an art form here. light sandwiches and food available as well.

ecobaren @ centralbadet drottninggatan 88

if you’re willing to splurge a little bit, you’ll find ecobaren tucked into a leafy green courtyard alongside centralbadet, one of stockholm’s oldest bathing houses. take a seat outside or in, and you’ll probably be surrounded by relaxed spa-goers in white robes sucking down smoothies. they offer organic drinks and homemade juices as well as a variety of salads, classic scandinavian plates, raw entrees, and warm dishes for those that want more substance. the raw pad thai is good, and make sure to try the raw energy plate for 170 sek – a beautiful, colorful plate with lots of different vegetables, topped with a delicious tomato walnut pesto and homemade raw crackers. very filling!