Yoga, training and health inspiration for you

Learn how eating according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can benefit your health! This is our third blog post in the series about vegetarian, healthy food.

Feed your body and wellbeing with TCM

We eat every day, and it is such a beautiful opportunity to do something good for our body, mind and spirit.  When I was studying shiatsu massage – a type of Japanese massage that works with pressure points – I also learned about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Food and herbs have an important place in this tradition. It was so inspiring! To me, it was such a new way to look at food.

While Western medicine focuses mainly on the content of the food – like vitamins, calories and minerals – TCM focuses more on how the food works energetically in the body. We look at how food can support our physical and emotional well-being during varying times of the day, different seasons and even during different phases of our life. It is all about creating balance, harmony and a natural flow.

5 tips from Traditional Chinese Medicine about food

• Keep your stomach nice and warm: In TCM we look at whether foods are more Yang (warming or even hot), neutral, or Yin (cooling or even cold). Our stomach is seen as a little soup pot and our spleen as a fire that heats up the ‘soup’ (food) in our stomach. When the ‘soup’ is nice and warm, we can extract the nutrition well from our stomach, and we also digest and process the foods well. If the ‘soup’ doesn’t warm up well, we can eat a lot, but still lack nutrition.

• Hydrate yourself with ‘wet’ meals and warm water: In TCM, the best way to hydrate is considered through ‘wet’ meals, like warm soups, stews and sauces. This way of hydrating is the most gentle on our stomach. Water in itself, besides being physically cold (if not heated) – is also considered energetically cold. On a summer’s day some more cold water won’t hurt you, but the general advice in TCM is to drink preferably warm or hot water. Coffee and tea are not recommended in large quantities: They are considered medicine due to their strong qualities (and thus be taken in smaller amounts). Their ‘bitter’ nature also makes us dehydrate and pee.

Photo: Elaine Lilje

• Choose the right ingredients – neutral or warming as the base

1. Neutral and warming ingredients are generally those that have a mild and slightly naturally sweet flavor. Think of grains such as rice, oats, wheat and quinoa, but also of mild sweet vegetables, like carrot, pumpkin, beets, cabbage, potatoes, corn.  Proteins that are warm or neutral are eggs, beans, peas, old hard cheese.
2. Cold food: Lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumber, zucchini, pack choy, tomato, eggplant. Basically, lots of leafy greens and also some fruits. Many fruits are cooling or cold: like bananas, melon, pineapple, apples, pears and plums. Eating fruits on a hot day, is therefore a nice way to cool down (not all though, as we'll see later).
3. Hot foods! Think of chocolate, coffee, ginger, chili, raw onions, avocado, lamb, pungent cheeses, garlic and shrimps. Also, certain fruits, like mango, pomegranate, lychee and cherries. It’s important to keep the balance. If you have a tendency to have lots of ‘heat’ and much upward energy – like in the form of headaches, red face, tensions in the upper body, then it can be good to reduce the hot foods. Even more so on a summer’s day, when it’s also hot outside.
4. To a certain extent, we can influence the cooling and warming effect of foods by the way we prepare them. Grilling and drying foods, brings a hot and warm quality. The other way around, making a mango into an ice cream or a smoothie will make its effect on our body colder. In essence, the quality of the ingredient stays the same, but we can nudge them a bit further down the Yin-Yang spectrum.

• Dairy is special in TCM: Think of milk, soft cheeses, yogurt, butter, cream and so on. Most dairy belongs to the cooling foods. But beside being ‘cool’, dairy is said to create a dampness and slime in the body that makes us more slow, it can make us tired, a bit phlegmatic. No worries! TCM doesn’t say not to eat it, but to eat it with the right measure, in smaller amounts. Dairy that is fermented, like kefir and yogurt, are also considered more beneficial.

• Play with Yin and Yang foods and find your way: We are all different. Some of us have a tendency to be more cold and slow, and some of us are more warm and maybe fast. What we eat can help us find a comfortable and happy balance.

Nice summer salad

Well… lots to play with! I hope you enjoyed these insights and principles. I will add a nice summer salad to this recipe that has a beautiful balance between warming and cooling elements, so it’s refreshing, yet nicely supportive to our digestion. Millet salad – with roasted veggies, orange and almonds

Mundekullas Gröna Kök – want to buy Stephanie's book?

Mundekullas Gröna Kök won the Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2021 for Best Vegetarian Cookbook in Sweden and Best Hotel Cookbook in the World. The book features more than 70 vegan and vegetarian recipes and 10 chapters on playing with flavors and textures, how to design and plant-based meal or buffet, the love for cooking farm-to-table. Buy the book here

The series about healthy vegetarian food

• Back to Basics – How to eat sustainable, plant-based and delicious?
• The most important ingredients for creative cooking – love & curiosity!
• Recipe: Panzanella with fennel, orange & plums
• Recipe: Lukewarm gnocchi with broccoli, spinach, radish & tarragon

Breathing & yoga online to cool you down

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To watch a full video you need to be logged in as a paying Yogobe member. Haven't tried Yogobe before? Try it for free during 14 days – get started here!

Mundekulla retreat center

Mundekulla is an ecological course and retreat center in the Småland countryside. At Mundekulla, people meet for courses, conferences and festivals, focusing on personal development, mindfulness, creativity, nature and of course beautiful nutritious food! Since its start over 20 years ago, the center has been built on sustainable principles. With traditional building methods and green energy, as well as with a focus on social justice and promoting various peace projects. The whole idea with Mundekulla is to create and co-create learning, art, music, community and health. The best thing is all the wonderful, meaningful encounters with other people. That's the core. Find out more at mundekulla.se

Photographer: Elaine Lilje

How do we sustain inspired and healthy cooking and eating in daily life? It’s not always easy! In this blog post, I'll give you tips and inspiration for healthy, creative, and wholesome eating.

Cooking to let go of the day

Sometimes for me, it helps to see cooking not just as something that needs to be done, but rather as a way to unwind. A moment to let go of the day. Especially when I sat behind the computer for a long time or when I had many meetings with people, cooking could be a beautiful way to calm down. It’s a way to work with all my senses and to be in the moment, enjoying the smells, colors, and warmth.

It requires a little mind shift, but it can really bring a more calm and more enjoyable quality to cooking, especially on busy days. Of course, it helps when we have some practical pillars that can help support this.

Tips for healthy, creative and wholesome everyday eating 

• A good mix of easy and more challenging, creative recipes.
  It’s good to have a whole bunch of easy and fast recipes for daily life, that take under 30-minutes of preparing time. These are the go-to meals on a daily basis: think of vegetable soups, salads with good grains and nuts in them, a simple curry or Indian dal with lentils. We can save the more challenging or time-consuming recipes for weekends and special occasions. You can make the daily recipes more festive by adding some easy but wonderful toppings, like sunflower seeds, sesame, dried cranberries, nuts or fresh herbs.

• Have easy healthy and yummy ingredients and snacks always available.
  Some of my favorite go-to ingredients for easy and good eating, are: canned butterbeans, dried fruits, frozen tempeh by Bärta, hazelnuts and walnuts, frozen green peas, apples, cucumbers, red paprikas, baby spinach and other lettuce, good olive oil. The great thing about many of these ingredients, is that all you have to do is to combine them on a plate, and you are ready to go.

• Make extra’s!
  While you are making a soup, a curry or a salad, just make extra! Then you immediately have a good lunch (or another evening meal) for the next day.

• Food excursions!
  Make the Farmer’s Market, visiting a local farm or buying at REKO-ring (regional networks and markets for local farms) part of a fun (bi-)weekly excursion. This way, you can combine exploring local, healthy and seasonal ingredients, with a nice day out with family or friends.

Photo: Sara Vitale

• Foraging and walks in nature.
  I have a puppy that needs to go on a daily walk. Since I am out every day, I have discovered the amazing amount of edible plants that grow in the Swedish countryside. Not only is it really fun to pick wild plants for eating, it is also very tasty and healthy! So if you love nature walks, I would highly recommend studying edible wild plants, such as berries, herbs, mushrooms, leaves and flowers. Some of my favorites are wild pea (gökärt), sorrel (ängssyra), lingonberries, pine sprouts (granskott), ramson (ramslök), parasol mushroom (stolt fjällskivling), lilac (syren) and dandelion (maskros).

• Grow your own!
  For those of you who love to also work with plants, you can grow your own food! Why only grow decorative plants? There are so many plants that are both beautiful and edible. Only have a window to grow in? Then go for sprouts and herbs. Especially sprouts of mung beans, lentils, and yellow peas are east to grow. If you have a garden, the sky is the limit (and the climate ;)). Lazy gardener? Go for berry bushes, fruit trees, rhubarb and edible weeds. These take care of themselves.

• And… last but not least: Be kind and patient.
  It’s not easy to change eating habits! It takes time to find new ways, discover what works for you. And sometimes that frozen pizza is the best option for you that day. Don’t be discouraged when you don’t get it right every time. You’re on a journey, enjoy the ride!

Recipe – easy, tasty and healthy 

The recipe of the month is one of my favorite and easiest recipes to go to:
Creamy tomato soup with lemongrass and lime leaves! So easy and yet so tasty, as well as delicious. Guaranteed within 30 minutes on the table!

Mundekullas Gröna Kök – want to buy Stephanie's book?

Mundekullas Gröna Kök won the Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2021 for Best Vegetarian Cookbook in Sweden and Best Hotel Cookbook in the World. The book features more than 70 vegan and vegetarian recipes and 10 chapters on playing with flavors and textures, how to design and plant-based meal or buffet, the love for cooking farm-to-table. Buy the book here.

Read more: Inspiration & recipes from Stephanie Verstift

• Back to Basics – How to eat sustainable, plant-based and delicious?
• The most important ingredients for creative cooking – love & curiosity!
• Salutary qualities of cooling foods on a hot summer's day

• Recipe: Panzanella with fennel, orange & plums
• Recipe: Lukewarm gnocchi with broccoli, spinach, radish & tarragon
• Recipe: Millet salad – with roasted veggies, orange and almonds

Videos for creativity and healthy living

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To watch a full video you need to be logged in as a paying Yogobe member. Haven't tried Yogobe before? Try it for free during 14 days – get started here!

Mundekulla retreat center

Mundekulla is an ecological course and retreat center in the Småland countryside. At Mundekulla, people meet for courses, conferences and festivals, focusing on personal development, mindfulness, creativity, nature and of course beautiful nutritious food! Since its start over 20 years ago, the center has been built on sustainable principles. With traditional building methods and green energy, as well as with a focus on social justice and promoting various peace projects. The whole idea with Mundekulla is to create and co-create learning, art, music, community and health. The best thing is all the wonderful, meaningful encounters with other people. That's the core. Find out more at mundekulla.se

Photographer: Sara Vitale

This soup has quite a few flavours in common with a Thai red curry, yet it stays mild and doesn’t go ‘all the way’. It is a great soup for a lazy day, as you can put this soup on the table in less than 25 minutes. It is an all-round, affordable and loved by all recipe, and therefore very suitable to make for large groups.

Ingredients

Serves: 3-4

• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 big yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cm fresh ginger, grated
• 0.5 tsp sambal oelek or freshly chopped chili
• 5 lime leaves
• 2 stems of lemongrass, sliced once over the length
• 0.5 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 50 ml tomato paste
• 500 ml canned tomato
• 500 ml water
• 150 ml coconut
• Splash of agave syrup
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Optional: Handful of fresh coriander
• Optional: Bean sprouts, garlic sprouts & sesame

Preparation

• Glaze the onion in sunflower oil in a soup pot on medium heat.
• Once it starts to get some colour, add garlic, ginger, sambal oelek, lemongrass, lime leaves, a little salt and coriander seeds.
• Stir well for about 1-2 minutes and add some extra oil if needed.
• Now add the tomato paste and fry together with the spices for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add water and bring to a boil.
• Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes just with the water to let the flavours truly extract.

• Add the canned tomato and bring to a boil again and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
• To finish, take the soup off the heat and remove the limes and lemongrass.
• Add the coconut cream and blend the soup smooth with a stick blender.
• Add more salt, pepper and sambal oelek to taste.
• If the soup is a bit sour or ‘flat’ add a little splash of agave to make the flavour more rounded.
• It is lovely to garnish with fresh coriander and sprouts.

• Alternative: The soup combines well with chili, limes, ginger, and sesame seeds. Replace the tomato paste and canned tomato with butternut squash for an Asian pumpkin soup. Also, very yummy! For extra protein, you could top the soup with black lentils, cashews, or peanuts.

Mundekullas Gröna Kök – want to buy Stephanie's book?

Mundekullas Gröna Kök won the Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2021 for Best Vegetarian Cookbook in Sweden and Best Hotel Cookbook in the World. The book features more than 70 vegan and vegetarian recipes and 10 chapters on playing with flavors and textures, how to design and plant-based meal or buffet, the love for cooking farm-to-table. Buy the book here.

Read more: Inspiration & recipes from Stephanie Verstift

• Back to Basics – How to eat sustainable, plant-based and delicious?
• The most important ingredients for creative cooking – love & curiosity!
• Salutary qualities of cooling foods on a hot summer's day

• Recipe: Panzanella with fennel, orange & plums
• Recipe: Lukewarm gnocchi with broccoli, spinach, radish & tarragon
• Recipe: Millet salad – with roasted veggies, orange and almonds

Yoga online to unwind and relax

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To watch a full video you need to be logged in as a paying Yogobe member. Haven't tried Yogobe before? Try it for free during 14 days – get started here!

Mundekulla retreat center

Mundekulla is an ecological course and retreat center in the Småland countryside. At Mundekulla, people meet for courses, conferences and festivals, focusing on personal development, mindfulness, creativity, nature and of course beautiful nutritious food! Since its start over 20 years ago, the center has been built on sustainable principles. With traditional building methods and green energy, as well as with a focus on social justice and promoting various peace projects. The whole idea with Mundekulla is to create and co-create learning, art, music, community and health. The best thing is all the wonderful, meaningful encounters with other people. That's the core. Find out more at mundekulla.se

Instant happiness on a plate! This salad balances hot and cold and taste wonderful! 

Millet salad & TCM

Millet is a great gluten-free replacement of couscous. In traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), millet is considered a cooling food that nourishes yin in our body (good in summers!) by building fluids and moistening dryness. It clears heat and eliminates toxins from the body. The zucchini and orange also have cooling qualities.

Yet, by roasting some ingredients and adding some warming ingredients like cayenne, paprika, ginger and cinnamon, we have a nice balanced salad that’s refreshing on a summer’s day, yet supportive to our digestive system.

Ingredients

2 servings

• 50 g dry millet
• 200 g carrots, peeled & chunky
• 1 red bell pepper, chunky
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 small onion
• Handful of almonds
• Optional: 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Handful of flat parsley, chopped
• Handful of rocket/rucola

For the dressing:

• 1 orange
• 100 ml sunflower oil
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp caraway
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 orange, juiced
• 2 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Preparation

• Roast the carrots and bell pepper with olive oil and salt in the oven at 220 degrees. Ensure that each vegetable is on its own tray, so they each have their own baking time.
• After 20 minutes, check to see if they are golden, with a little burn here or there. Stir and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees until they are fully roasted.
• Grill the zucchini in a hot grill or frying pan.

• Meanwhile, boil the millet in water with salt until done.
• Strain and rinse the excess starch out. Let the millet cool down.
• Peel and cut 1 orange into equal wedges without the peel. Keep aside for later.
• Squeeze the juice of the other orange into a bowl and whisk into a dressing together with the apple cider vinegar, sunflower oil, caraway, honey, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
• Roast the almonds for about 10-15 minutes in the oven at 160 degrees with some sunflower oil, salt and optionally smoked paprika.

• Mix the dressing into the millet and add the vegetables and orange pieces.
• Taste if the salad is juicy and flavorful. Add some more oil, vinegar or salt to taste.
• Garnish with parsley, rocket and the roasted almonds.

Serving:
Very nice on a summer buffet with different salads, a vegetarian grill party or for a picnic in the park. Make sure you store the almonds separately and only add them just before serving. This way, they’ll stay nice and crispy. Combines well with fresh counterparts, like a green salad with butter lettuce, spring onions, herbs and cucumber.

Want to buy Stephanie's book?

Mundekullas Gröna Kök, won the Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2021 for Best Vegetarian Cookbook in Sweden and Best Hotel Cookbook in the World. The book features more than 70 vegan and vegetarian recipes and 10 chapters on playing with flavors and textures, how to design and plant-based meal or buffet, the love for cooking farm-to-table. Buy the book here

More recipes and inspiration from Stephanie Verstift

• Lukewarm gnocchi with broccoli, spinach, radish & tarragon
• Panzanella with fennel, orange & plums
• Back to Basics – How to eat sustainable, plant-based and delicious?
• The most important ingredients for creative cooking – love & curiosity!

Yoga classes online to do before the lunch

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To watch a full video you need to be logged in as a paying Yogobe member. Haven't tried Yogobe before? Try it for free for 14 days – get started here!

Mundekulla retreat center

Mundekulla is an ecological course and retreat center in the Småland countryside. At Mundekulla, people meet for courses, conferences and festivals, focusing on personal development, mindfulness, creativity, nature and of course beautiful nutritious food! Since its start over 20 years ago, the center has been built on sustainable principles. With traditional building methods and green energy, as well as with a focus on social justice and promoting various peace projects. The whole idea with Mundekulla is to create and co-create learning, art, music, community and health. The best thing is all the wonderful, meaningful encounters with other people. That's the core. Find out more at mundekulla.se

Photo: Elaine Lilje

Curious about healthy, sustainable and plant-based foods? Let me guide you through the basics of healthy and sustainable food and give you my best tips for cooking tasty, and healthy, food!

Inspiration to healthy eating

Many of us love to live a life that feels healthy and balanced, with care for ourselves and the environment. That is joyful, inspiring and nourishing to our wellbeing. Food can be such a beautiful way to work with all of that, and at the same time it can sometimes feel challenging too! May this blog series, where you'll get recipes and learn more, be an inspiring contribution to your personal journey and exploration. Whether you are new or seasoned on this topic.

Food that help you to a sustainable and healthy life

What to eat? How to cook for ourselves and others? How to make sure you’re getting all the nutrition you need? For me, when I first started cooking vegetarian and vegan, a whole world of possibilities opened up. While I expected to feel restricted by a more plant-based kitchen, it rather felt like the opposite: it was a doorway to a whole new world of ingredients, flavors and ways of cooking. Did I mess up sometimes during my experiments? Sure! And still do occasionally. Did I discover delicious and sustainable jewels along the way? Oh yes! Majority of the time. Before we dive into more in-depth topics, let’s start with some basics.

Healthy and sustainable foods

• Plant-based meals: Whether you choose vegetarian or vegan, eating more plant-based meals is good for our bodies and for the environment. Filled with minerals, fibers and vitamins.

• Organic ingredients: Grown on healthy land and soil, with limited or no use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers or genetic modification.

• Local and seasonal produce: Working with local and seasonal produce is a great way to reduce transport emissions, support local farmers and eat in line with the season.

• Fair trade: Products that are made with dignity and a better income for the people who produce them. Especially important in certain sectors like cacao, coffee, banana, etc.

• Ecological products: Ecological products can include being organic, however ecological points more towards how the products are produced, processed, and packaged. For example, with recyclable packaging, green energy, no waste policies, and so on.

Photographer: Elaine Lilje

5 tips for creating nourishing and delicious plant-based meals

• Get the full picture.
  For a healthy plant-based meal, look at the full picture of all ingredients. I usually like to take the raw food pyramid as a base (also for cooked foods): Vegetables and greens as the base, grains or starches as the next level, followed by proteins. Then fats and herbs and spices in the top. Don’t forget those healthy fats! They also play an important role. You could think of seeds, avocado or extra virgin olive oil.

• Become friends with plant-based proteins.
  Proteins are important building blocks for our body, and they help us to feel satisfied and full after a meal. Good protein sources are legumes such as beans, lentils and peas. You can also use nuts, almond and seeds. sprouts, tofu, tempeh and quinoa. If you eat vegetarian foods, you can add eggs, thick yogurt and cheese to the list. With ‘becoming friends’ with your ingredients you’ll know better how the ingredient responds, what other ingredients they like and what brings out the best in them.

• Experiment!
  Many of the plant-based proteins are either dried or frozen, and therefore easy to store and use when you feel inspired or when you need them. What happens if you use the ingredients a little differently than before? White beans to make a humus? Tofu in a creamy tomato sauce?

• Discover the wonders of umami.
  Umami is considered the fifth base flavor in the Japanese kitchen and i s often associated with meat, however, there are many ways to bring umami into a plant-based meal. Through ingredients such as fermented vegetables like sauerkraut or kimchi, soy sauce, sun-dried tomato, mushrooms, miso, smoked paprika. But also through cooking techniques like smoking, grilling or making pickles. At best, umami is subtle and well-balanced. It should be used in moderation, same as with a good perfume.

• Be prepared to eat a fantastic meal and also be prepared to fail!
  I love to think up new ideas in my head and then see how they work out in the kitchen. Whether it turned out delicious or not, I learned just as much! A bit of laughter, compassion and curiosity are some of the best ingredients.

Recipes & inspiration

I wish you beautiful cooking! In the blog her at Yogobe you'll also find one of my favorite recipes for early spring: Lukewarm Gnocchi with broccoli, spinach, radish and tarragon. The next part of the series is coming in June – stay tuned!

Book (in Swedish) – Mundekullas Gröna Kök

Mundekullas Gröna Kök won the Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2021 for Best Vegetarian Cookbook in Sweden and Best Hotel Cookbook in the World. The book features more than 70 vegan and vegetarian recipes and has 10 chapters on playing with flavors and textures, how to design and plant-based meal or buffet, the love for cooking farm-to-table.

In May, you find a great price for the book – buy it here! 

You can also follow my kitchen adventures on Instagram: @stephanie.verstift

Photographer: Elaine Lilje

Mundekulla – what kind of place is that?

Mundekulla is an ecological course and retreat center in the Småland countryside, in Sweden. At Mundekulla, people meet for courses, conferences and festivals, focusing on personal development, mindfulness, creativity, nature and of course beautiful nutritious food!

Since its start over 20 years ago, the center has been built on sustainable principles. With traditional building methods and green energy, as well as with a focus on social justice and promoting various peace projects. The whole idea with Mundekulla is to create and co-create learning, art, music, community and health. The best thing is all the wonderful, meaningful encounters with other people. That's the core.

Read more at: mundekulla.se

Meditations to appreciate the food even more

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Photographer: Elaine Lilje

Gnocchi is one of my favorites. The mushy starchy texture is delicious and has more flavor than pasta. You can make me happy with gnocchi any time of day or year! This recipe has spring and summer vibes with lots of fresh greens and roasted radish.

Ingredients

Main dish for 2 persons

• 200 g gnocchi
• 10 radishes, in halves
• Bunch of spring onions, whole
• 100 g green peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1 broccoli, in chunky pieces
• 100 g fresh baby spinach
• Salt and fresh black pepper

Dressing

• Olive oli
• Sea salt
• Zest and a little juice of 2 lemons
• Handful of fresh tarragon, chopped

Preparation:

• Grill the broccoli in a grill or frying pan for 5-10 minutes until golden and a little charred edge here or there. Also grill the radishes and whole spring onions (or add the spring onions thinly sliced).

• Boil the gnocchi and the green peas in water with some salt. Whilst that is cooking combine some olive oil, salt, lots of lemon zest, a tiny splash of lemon juice and freshly chopped tarragon to make a lemony sweet herb dressing.

• Once the gnocchi is ready, combine all the ingredients together. Add the dressing and grind some black pepper over the dish.

• Put on your summer hat, find a nice spot in the sun and get ready to enjoy!

• Tips: Instead of tarragon you can also use flat parsley, dill or chives. A wonderfully tasty and colourful add-on are caramelized or pickled chioggia beets. Instead of gnocchi this dish also works well with pasta or on top of a creamy potato mash with chives.

• Serving: For extra protein you could add a butter bean dip, roasted almonds or a simple salad with beans or sprouts on the side. Vegetarian add-ons could be soft-boiled eggs, parmesan or goat cheese.

Book: Mundekullas Gröna Kök

Mundekullas Gröna Kök won the Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2021 for Best Vegetarian Cookbook in Sweden and Best Hotel Cookbook in the World. The book features more than 70 vegan and vegetarian recipes and has 10 chapters on playing with flavors and textures, how to design and plant-based meal or buffet, the love for cooking farm-to-table.

In May, you'll get to buy the book to a reduced price – buy it here!

Read more from Stephanie and Mundekulla

• Back to Basics – How to eat sustainable, plant-based and delicious?

Yoga classes to enjoy before the lunch/dinner

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To watch a full video you need to be logged in as a paying Yogobe member. Haven't tried Yogobe before? Try it for free during 14 days – get started here!

Photographer: Elaine Lilje

What is Mundekulla?

Mundekulla is an ecological course and retreat center in the Småland countryside, in Sweden. At Mundekulla, people meet for courses, conferences and festivals, focusing on personal development, mindfulness, creativity, nature and of course beautiful nutritious food!

Since its start over 20 years ago, the center has been built on sustainable principles. With traditional building methods and green energy, as well as with a focus on social justice and promoting various peace projects. The whole idea with Mundekulla is to create and co-create learning, art, music, community and health. The best thing is all the wonderful, meaningful encounters with other people. That's the core. Read more at: mundekulla.se

A wonderful cake that don't take you more than twenty minutes to prepare, by chef Lina Bou. Just let it cook in the oven while you do your yoga  – after which you can treat yourself with a freshly baked cake with a deliciously crisp crust!

What you'll need

Servings: Makes two small loaves or one big

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1,5 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted organic butter, softened (vegan alternative, use organic olive oil)
• 1 cup rapadura sugar
• 4 tbsp honey
• 2 large organic free ranged eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (basically a pumpkin cooked in the oven until soft, scrape out the seeds and mix the inside to a puree. Normally I leave the puree in the fridge over night to cool down and use it the day after for baking.)

How to do it

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 50 Minutes

• Preheat the oven to 175°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Generously grease two 20 x 10-cm loaf pans with butter.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until well combined; set aside.
• In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until just blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until very light and fluffy, a few minutes. Add in the pumpkin. It is okay if the mixture looks grainy and curdled at this point.
• Add the flours and mix on low speed until combined.
• Turn the batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly, and bake for 35 – 50 minutes, depending if you make one or two cakes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Fresh out of the oven,the loaves have a deliciously crisp crust. If they last beyond a day, you can toast individual slices to get the same fresh-baked effect…

Photo: Bas Van Est

While the loaf is in the oven...

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About Lina Bou

Lina is an internationally acclaimed retreat chef and published author that has cooked for people from around the world. Originally Swedish, half Spanish she now lives in France since six years. As a freelance cook she travels around the world, to cook for different events, consulting for companies, restaurants and cooks. She also does limited health consultation on distance and organizing nutritional or culinary workshops. Her speciality is vegetarian foods, often including wild foraged edible plants and flowers.

Find more info about Lina on her homepage and on Instagram.

Here is a recipe that will make your mouth water! Lina Bou, a chef specialisted on holistic nutrition, shares this vegetarian polenta and potato cake with you. Maybe for dinner this weekend? Happy cooking!

What you'll need

• 100 g / 1 cup polenta
• 100 g / 3/4 cup rice flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 3 free-range eggs
• 125 ml / 1/2 cup olive oil, at room temperature
• 125 ml / 1/2 cup plant-based yogurt or milk
• 1-2 spring onions
• 3-4 potatoes, grated
• 1 zucchini, (or other vegetable in season, like pumpkin or broccoli) cut in small cubes
• 1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 100 g goats cheese

Topping

• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, or other nuts
• 2 tsp organic olive oil
• 1 tsp local honey
• handful chive

How to do it

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 30x22 cm tray or line it with parchment paper.
• Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until combined.
• Whisk eggs in a separate bowl, then add oil and plant yoghurt/milk.
• Finely chop the onion. Peel the potatoes, grate them coarsely and add them to the wet mixture along with the zucchini, onion and parsley. Crumble in half of the cheese. Give it a good stir and then pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the flours. Use a wooden spoon to combine the batter and then pour it onto the tray.
• Crumble the remaining cheese on top. Combine pumpkin seeds, oil and honey and sprinkle them on top as well, along with the chive.
• Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly in the tin before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely. Store the cake at room temperature in an airtight container and it will keep for a few days.

Photo: Bas Van Est

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About Lina Bou

Lina is an internationally acclaimed retreat chef and published author that has cooked for people from around the world. Originally Swedish, half Spanish she now lives in France since six years. As a freelance cook she travels around the world, to cook for different events, consulting for companies, restaurants and cooks. She also does limited health consultation on distance and organizing nutritional or culinary workshops. Her speciality is vegetarian foods, often including wild foraged edible plants and flowers.

Find more info about Lina on her homepage and on Instagram.