Recipe: Veggie Stew with Pearl Barley

I bought this cook book "Vegan for Lazies" when I was on vacation this fall, so I wanted to show you the first recipe I tried out:

Winter is just around the corner, so I opted for an easy veggie stew with pearl barley and smoked tofu.

 You need:

• 650 ml water (about 2 3/4 cups)
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt 
• balsamic vinegar
• 80 g pearl barley (1/2 to 1/3 cup)
• 1 leek
• 100 g smoked tofu (or any kind you like)
• 300 g frozen vegetables (I chose a broccoli- cauliflower-carrot mix)
• 1 teaspoon hot mustard
• 3 tablespoons chives
• any seasonings and herbs you like

Cook the water.
Press one of the garlic cloves and add to water.
Season with salt and balsamic vinegar (I added a little vegetable stock powder, because I thought there isn't enough flavor to it).
Add pearl barley, cover and let it simmer for about 15 minutes on low temperature.
Clean and cut leek into thin rings and dice tofu.
Add to pearl barley along with frozen veggies.
Bring to a boil again, cover, and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.
In between, add the other pressed garlic clove.
Add mustard, chives, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and any other seasonings to your taste.

 And there it is! I gotta admit, it isn't the best looking meal I've ever cooked (that's why I added this sparkling effect thingy to the picture), but it was really tasty and I'm definitely gonna make this again during the colder months.
What's your favorite winter meal?

xx Nina

Interior: My Record Shelf

This is what you always see in the background of my ootds... Because I get compliments from time to time for my record shelf, or for what is on it, I wanted to show you all the "stuff" in detail.

Alarm Clock:
I got this one from IKEA a while ago (I think it's still available), and I really like the retro    touch of it. I never use it to set my alarm though, I rather stick to my phone.

Plant:
This beautiful, weird, spiky plant and its pot is also from IKEA. I'm not a flower type of person, so I need something I don't really have to care for. I also prefer the look of cactuses and plants like this one.

Polaroid Camera:
I looove taking pictures with this baby! It's always something special when this credit card size picture comes out, you shake it and slowly the picture gets visible and you realize that you look like crap. But even then, it still looks kinda cool, just because it is a polaroid. I got it myself for christmas last year when I still was in the US. It was a special offer for 50-something dollars. Now you can get it off amazon for $60 and for 70€ on the german website.

Candle:
No explanation needed, I love candles with a slight scent and gotta replace it like every month.

Picks:
These are just some picks I picked up (got it? :D) at the Hard Rock Café in New York. Always grabbing one of those if I'm in need.

Flask:
This was the last flask in the urban outfitters sale with this design on it. It says "good vibes" which I love, and with the mountains in the background I really get this summery roadtrip feeling and makes me wanna go somewhere nice.

Louminous Ball:
Actually, there isn't anything to add...it gives a nice glow.

Converse-like coin bank:
Yeah, now it gets really fancy...I put coins in it?

Magazine:
I like to read magazines and I liked this NYLON music issue I bought at the Newark airport this summer because it has interviews of great bands like The Kills and Haim (check them out if you don't know them!) in it.

Tissues:
It is November and my nose is gonna start its marathon soon I feel like. I found this pop art design box and thought it would deserve a spot on my shelf.


And this post got longer than I thought it would be. Anyway, hope you like this kind of information. If you want me to do a record collection related post - just tell me. Now, I gotta change into my work clothes and head off to work. See you soon!

xx Nina

OOTD: Flannel Fall

faux leather jacket Zara / scarf pieces / dress asos / flannel BDG / tights urban outfitters / creepers the fabulous

cross ring shop wasteland / rings urban outfitters

Hey guys! 

I know it's been a long time since my last post and I don't really have a good excuse, maybe it's just a sign of my unability to blog, but whatever. Now, I'm back and really want to keep up with regular posts. Here's the look I wore today to school. I got this flannel at UO a couple of weeks ago, cause they had this flannels for 30€ sale plus free shipping, so how could I resist. Btw, I ripped my other flannel a while ago... (still wearing it though, it has kind of a punk touch to it now). Anyway, I hope you like the look and you'll watch out for my future posts.

xx Nina

OOTD: AC/DC on tour

cropped tee forever 21 / flannel clockhouse by c&a / denim levi's / creepers the fabulous / backpack nasty gal / sunnies h&m

That's the look I wore yesterday to a flea market. It really feels like summer at the moment! 

I really like this look, because there are just a lot of staple pieces of mine like the black'n'white flannel, my black skinnies, my creepers (that I got off ebay for 5€!), my favorite backpack, and some round sunnies. I own a lot of band tees and went for the AC/DC one this day, because I haven't worn this one for a while. 

I bought quite a lot of stuff at the market, but I'm gonna show it to you in a separate post. 

Enjoy your weekend (or your vacation like I do, muhaha)!

xx Nina

A Day Off School

cropped tee urban outfitters / denim BDG via urban outfitters

I had the Wednesday off - and not because I skipped school or pretended that I'd been sick (although that had happend a couple of times, I gotta admit). Anyway, here's what I did on that day:

Chilling around the house

that means lying in bed, watching TV, reading a book or a magazine, surfing the internet and putting all the stuff in my online cart I cannot afford and NOT buying it, watching YouTube videos, eating...

Eating

my bad habit is to enjoy the proximity of food when I'm home a little too much, so I'm constantly walking back and forth to the kitchen and back into my room...but that's just how it goes when you're home alone, right?

And I had this yumminess for breakfast:

cherry soy yogurt with organic chia raspberry granola and a pear 

Going outside

for me, it's important to go outside of my apartment, so that I don't forget that there is a life outside of my PJs and my bed. I gotta remind myself of the world out there, and we had really nice weather today (which cannot be taken for granted in October in Germany).

Riding my bike with my grandma

I love riding my bike, and I cannot imagine a single day when I don't use it. For me, it's the best way to get from one place to another. You get some fitness, fresh air, you do something for the environment, and you're mobile. We just had some errands to run and went to the city where I bought...

Shopping 

a white basic shirt for work and a pair of slightly acid washed jeans. Shopping when most of the people are working is kind of relaxing - at least to me. However, I sometimes wonder how many people don't have to work at like 1 pm.

I <3 ma bike

That's it for today again. Do you have a bike or do you use it at all? Do you have a scooter or a car or do you prefer public transportations? Leave me a comment if you like, I'd like to know!

xx Nina

Product Review: Soy Bolognese

There it is - the result of my Soy Bolognese experiment! As you may remember, I received this product in my "Vegan Box" of September, so I gave it a try...

First, it was just a dry mixture of soy protein, tomato powder, natural aroma, sea salt, vegetables components, spices, and herbs. All you have to do is to add water and let it cook 20 minutes. Then, you can add whatever you think belongs to a perfect bolognese.

I went for a classical Italian style bolognese sauce and added a carrot and a red pepper to it. At the end, I sprinkled a bit of the Jeezano vegan parmesan on top. Btw, I used gluten free spaghetti which are made out of rice and corn flour. 

DE: So, nochmal etwas detaillierter auf deutsch, denn ich glaube kaum, dass die "Farmitra Soja Bolognese" in Amerika bzw. in vielen anderen Ländern erhältlich ist. Nun, während ich das trockene Halbfertigprodukt für 20 Minuten gekocht habe (bis sich die Sojastückchen mit Wasser vollgesogen haben), habe ich ein bisschen geschnippelt: Eine Zwiebel, eine Paprika, eine Möhre, drei Knoblauchzehen. Diese Zutaten werden in etwas Pflanzenöl angebraten und nach ein paar Minuten eine Dose geschälte Tomaten hinzugegeben (als Alternative gehen auch passierte Tomaten oder Ketchup). Dies einige Minuten köcheln lassen und würzen (Ich benutze da immer von allem etwas: Salz, Pfeffer, Paprika, Basilikum, Oregano - und Sambal Oelek für etwas mehr Schärfe). Wenn das Soja-"Gehackte" fertig ist, dieses auch mit in die Pfanne geben und verrühren. Wer mag, kann auch noch ein paar Röstzwiebeln hinzufügen, ich habe das gemacht, weil mir die Zwiebeln ausgegangen sind und mir eine Zwiebel zu wenig war, aber habe Röstzwiebeln in der Sauce für gut befunden. Nochmals abschmecken und fertig ist das Festmahl! Die Packung reicht für 4-5 Portionen (wenn man die Bolognese also eintuppert und in den Kühlschrank stellt, hat man die nächsten Tage auch noch was davon).

plate IKEA / apron who the hell wants to know this?! 

To end this post, here's a beautiful, hungry, model-like, "I'm-so-fancy-I-don't-eat-spaghetti-with-a-fork-and-a-spoon-but-with-a-fork-and-a-knife" picture. See you next time!

xx Nina

Dark Lip Friday

beanie ebay / ring gift / lipstick L'Oréal / lipgloss Yves Rocher 

My outfit today wasn't anything special so I thought I just show you what...my face and hand look like? Anyway, I like a dark lip now that it's getting colder and, well, fall. And I'm that kind of girl that starts wearing a beanie as soon as it gets below 20°C (68°F). So I went for my "whatever" beanie, it just matches the weekday. Only one week until fall vacation!

Enjoy your weekend!

xx Nina

My Birthday Haul: Sexy Seventeen

On September 19, I turned 17. I didn't really plan to celebrate, because 17 is "nothing special" in comparison to sweet sixteen and elegant eighteen. Anyway, I invited some girlfriends over to have a sleepover with cocktails, gossip, and movies.
One thing I noticed when I looked at my little gift collection: the older you get, the more envelopes you get. Well, I don't wanna complain :D

Dad:
He always gifts me events, so I was soooo happy when I unpacked the concert tickets of "Wallace Vanborn", an old school - alternative rock band from Belgium, we both like. Then, there's a ticket for the annual "Cologne Theater Night", which I heard a lot about but never attended. Aaaand like you can see, I got the Beatles - Sgt Pepper LP!

Grandma:
1. an envelope
2. dark chocolate (which I love!)
3. her self knitted socks (which I love even more, I can't imagine a winter without those socks, I have like seven pairs of them now)

Mom:
"What do you want for your birthday?"
"Umm, I don't know I'd need new nail scissors."
- So I got a manicure set. And a candle that glows in different colors and smells heavenly. And an envelope (with old paper in it...again) :D

My sisters:
Guess what's from my 19-year-old and what's from my 10-year-old sister? Right, my older sister got me the John Green book "Looking for Alaska" that I desired for so long. This beautiful picture was a project of my younger sister and our 4-year-old neighbor...cute.

My friends:
Apparently, one gift hasn't arrived on time, but this is how it goes at times when we order almost everything online (same reason why we didn't have a cocktail shaker to mix our cocktails that day).

1. a "Breaking Bad" mug + key chain (love this show, will always love it, just...true love)
2. a voucher for my own personal horoscope (a friend of my friend's is a professional astrologist)
3. a ring and a pair of ear studs (oh, and flowers)



All in all, it was a really good birthday, certainly not just because of the gifts. I had a good time and got to see (almost) everyone of my family again. Now, my days til I become an adult are numbered!

When's your birthday and what gift were you the most happy about?

xx Nina

OOTD: Heisenberg

Beanie ebay / Shirt market / Skirt urban outfitters / Flatform Sneakers buffalo

Yes, the lighting in this picture is really shitty, and yes, I am a confessed "Breaking Bad"-fan.
Whoever has not watched this amazing tv series yet, go do it! I got this shirt at a market in France, but there are similar ones on emp-online.com.
What's your favorite tv series?

xx Nina

Vegan Box: September

The Vegan Box of September has finally arrived! For everyone who don't know the "Vegan Box", it is a monthly subscription box with items, mostly food related, that are 100% vegan and mostly organic. You can choose between the small (14.95€) and the large box (24.95€). If you chose the large box, there are further options like soy free, gluten free, just food, etc.

I chose the small box, and had some difficulties opening it at the beginning. :D

Opening the box, you find a list of all products that are in the box with descriptions, informations like "gluten free", "organic", and so on, and the price you would have paid for it in a store.

That's what the box looks like in the inside. I really like the packaging!

The content:
Allos pure pieces bar organic (2x 1.29€)
1x apricot-pistachio-fig + dark chocolate
1x almond-cranberry-cashew + dark chocolate
Hanf & Natur hemp oil peeling soap (1.99€) + two free samples
Naturata instant malt chocolino (2x 0.89€)
Jeezano parmesan (3.69€)
Famitra soy bolognese (3.98€)
Noiserarie Productions nougat creme (4.89€)
+ free sticker "sausage makes animals sad"

-> 14.90€ instead of 18.91€

I really recommend this box to everyone who eats/lives vegan or just wants to get to know new products. You can cancel the subscription monthly if you don't like it, but it's definitely worth a try!

For Germans: http://www.vegan-box.de/
For Americans: http://www.consciousbox.com/ (I haven't tried the conscious box yet, but I heard only good things about it)

I'm gonna tell you about the next vegan boxes too, if you like such reviews. Which of the items are you the most curious about?

xx Nina

OOTD: Floating away in a Zeppelin

Band Tee ebay

Grungy look I wore to a little concert with local bands yesterday. This time in front of my heater and record player instead of my wall. Next to me, there's still a balloon from my birthday party on friday. I had a sleepover with a handful of good friends. We created our own cocktails and talked...a lot. It was a nice 17th birthday. Now I'm off to my mom's to celebrate with my family. Until next time! 

xx Nina

OOTD: Fruity Couture

Cardigan Forever21 / Dress (worn as shirt) Vero Moda / Pleather Skirt Forever21

Another Outfit, this time a couple more pictures, still in my room though. Today, I just felt like wearing a cap...

Rings Claire's

Snapback Vans

 Sorry for that facial expression, but it was the only picture I took where you can kind of see the flower print.

Flatform Sneakers Buffalo

Do you want more outfit posts or more information about the vegan lifestyle? Let me know!

xx Nina

Series: Vegan through Cologne - Well Being

I decided to do a little series over a unspecific period of time in which I visit different vegan restaurants/restaurants with vegan options in and near Cologne, and review them. Last month, I've been to the Vietnamese vegan restaurant "Well Being". 100% fresh made, 100% vegan, 100%
without flavor enhancers.

The inside looks very neat and cozy. There are tables for 2-8 people, as well as a bar. There is not a lot space though and because the "Well Being" is quite well-patronized, you should order a table in advance.

The food, oh the food! So delish! I've been there with a really good friend of mine, Mira-Belle, and we shared four appetizers, so that we could try a bit of everything.
We had (from top to bottom):
Kim Chi 
usually fermented, seasoned cabbage, spicy!
Summer Rolls 
with peanut-sauce
Miso Soup
with tofu, seaweed, and spring onion (my personal fave)
Bò Bía Rolls
with HoiSin-peanut sauce (pretty similar to summer rolls)

And of course, we ate it all!
The prices are really affordable too, all together it was only 14.80€ (drinks and tip excluded)!
The main dishes cost about 8.50€ each, and you can even make your own spring rolls if you want. Everyone should find something they like:  raw, gluten free, cold, warm, spicy, sweet, rice, noodles, rice noodles, veggies, tofu, soups, and so on and so forth.

That's us, full, happy, and not able to take a halfway normal photo.

Address Brabanter Str. 9, 50674 Cologne (near Rudolfsplatz)
Website Click here

I hope you liked this little review-kind-of-thing, and might try this place - or got inspired to look for some vegan restaurant near you. See you next time!

xx Nina

New In: Buffalo Shoes

Studded Flatform Sneakers Buffalo / Plateau Peep Toes Buffalo

It's been a while since I ordered something online, so I thought "Why not treat myself for...I just want them!" Both pairs were on sale (otherwise, I couldn't afford them) and I don't have anything similar. Actually, this is my first pair of heels (I've only owned wedges before) and I'm pretty excited about it. Since yesterday I'm trying to walk throughout my apartment trying to look like KIND OF natural/sexy/like I can walk in heels. 

They are so pretty! 

What was the last pair of shoes you bought? I'd like to know! 

Have a great weekend! 

xx Nina