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For the speculoos cake you can use old speculoos cookies. Even after Christmas, the creamy cake tastes irresistible. We show you a simple recipe with a vegan version.

The speculoos cake enchants with a fresh note of lemon and Christmas spices. Making speculoos yourself is very easy – so you can use your homemade speculoos cookies for the cake. Alternatively, you can use store-bought speculoos.

Tip: Use old speculaas for the cake to avoid wasting food.

In addition to the speculoos biscuits, the cake lives from the aromatic speculoos spice. Together with a little lemon and subtle sweetness, an irresistible cream is created that makes the cake special.

Serve the speculoos cake during the Advent season, on the Christmas holidays or in the following wintry weeks. Here you can find out how to do it safely.

Speculaas Cake: A simple recipe

When buying your ingredients, pay attention to organic quality. Organic seals such as Demeter, Naturland or Bioland assure products that are free from harmful substances such as synthetic chemical pesticides. This is how you protect the environment and your health. If possible, also buy products from regional production in order to avoid long transport routes with increased CO2 emissions.

Ingredients:

100 g butter
200 g speculoos
20 ml espresso
400 g vanilla yoghurt
200 g sour cream
2 tsp speculoos spice
2 ELA horn syrup
1Organic lemon: peel zest
1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground
1 handful of speculoos

Directions:

Put the butter in a small saucepan and let it melt over medium heat.
Meanwhile, crumble the speculaas biscuits into small pieces.
Mix the crumbly speculoos with the melted butter and espresso in a bowl.
Cover the bottom of the springform pan (diameter 23 centimeters) with the speculoos batter.
Tip: You don’t need to grease the base beforehand as the cookie mixture already contains butter.
Put the yoghurt and sour cream in another bowl. Mix them with the speculoos spice, the maple syrup and the zest of the lemon.
Spread the yoghurt mixture on the speculoos base and spread the cream evenly.
Place the speculaas cake in the fridge for two hours.
Decorate the speculoos cake with some cinnamon and crushed speculoos cookies before serving.

The vegan version

If you want to avoid animal products in your diet, swap out the following ingredients for a vegan alternative:

Speculatius: When buying speculoos, make sure that the biscuits are suitable for vegans.
Butter: Replace with vegan margarine or vegan butter. Coconut oil is also suitable, but changes the taste with its subtle coconut note.
Vanilla yogurt and sour cream: Instead of yogurt and sour cream, buy plant-based products like vegan yogurt. You can get a wide range of vegan alternatives to these dairy products in health food stores and well-stocked supermarkets.
You can keep the cake in the fridge for a few days. The speculoos cake tastes particularly good with hot chocolate or Christmas coffee.

The season of the porcini mushrooms has long since begun: while the hard-working collectors are already cavorting in the woods and looking for the most beautiful specimens, the others conjure up the most delicious dishes at home. It is particularly important to heat the porcini mushrooms to at least 70 degrees, otherwise, health problems can occur.

Thoroughly heat the porcini

Before the collected porcini mushrooms can be eaten, they should be heated to at least 70°C for two minutes. If this recommendation is not followed, the fox tapeworm eggs can survive. The parasite can cause the rare disease alveolar echinococcosis, one of the most serious liver diseases. The first symptoms are abdominal pain and elevated liver values. Up to 15 years can elapse between infection and diagnosis. Only heating the food to at least 70° degrees, such as when roasting, preserving, or baking, destroys the pathogens sustainably – this also applies to heating porcini mushrooms.

It depends on the number of porcini mushrooms

The lovers of the small forest plants can hardly get enough of them. But in addition to heating the porcini mushrooms, the amount consumed is also important: The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) recommends eating no more than 250 g of wild mushrooms per week. The reason for this is the still high levels of heavy metal and radiation exposure.

That is why porcini mushrooms are healthy

Freshly prepared porcini not only taste great, but they are also healthy. For example, they contain more fiber than apples. The sheltered little ones also have a high content of folate and vitamin D. Figure-conscious people should definitely integrate wild mushrooms into their diet because they are low in calories and fat.

The best unusual pumpkin recipes: Try pumpkin pralines, pumpkin ketchup, or pumpkin pancakes!

It’s finally pumpkin time again! The orange-colored fruit shines at us from everywhere. But why only ever prepare pumpkin soup or other hearty pumpkin dishes? We have put together original sweet recipes with pumpkins for you.

1. Pumpkin Pancakes

The fluffy pancakes get a slightly nutty note from the butternut pumpkin shavings in the batter. Pumpkin seeds and roasted pumpkin shavings provide a crispy topping. Perfect with: maple syrup or our pumpkin jam.

2. Pumpkin Pistachio Tiramisu

Who says tiramisu always has to be biscuits and cocoa powder? Spicy nutmeg squash, chopped pistachios, and creamy mascarpone form a heavenly alliance in this dessert – try it!

3. Sweet quark cake with pumpkin and rosemary

Nutty pumpkin on a creamy bed of quark – heavenly! The rosemary completes the taste experience. The great thing about this juicy cake: It is not too sweet and is therefore suitable for all kinds of occasions.

4. Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

ingredients

…for the yeast dough

  • 160 g cooked, pureed pumpkin
  • 450 grams of flour
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 packet of dry yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 80 g margarine, melted
  • 200 ml soy milk

…for the filling

  • 50 g margarine, melted
  • 30 grams of brown sugar
  • 30 grams of white sugar
  • 3 tsp cinnamon

…for the icing (if you like)

  • powdered sugar
  • soy milk

That is how it goes

  1. First, prepare the yeast dough. To do this, mix all the dry ingredients together before adding the pumpkin, soy milk, and margarine. Knead everything into an elastic dough and leave covered in a warm place for 1 hour.
  2. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface into a rectangle. Melt butter, and mix sugar and cinnamon. Spread the butter over the dough and spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over it. Now the dough is rolled up and cut into slices about 2-3 cm thick. Place the snails on a baking sheet, cover with a cloth and let rise again for about 30 minutes.
  3. Bake at 175 °C (circulating air) for about 15-20 minutes.
  4. Let the snails cool down a bit. If you like, you can also prepare a frosting from powdered sugar and soy milk, which is decoratively distributed on the snails.

5. Pumpkin Chocolate Pralines

Pumpkin purée and chocolate drops are hidden under the sweet chocolate glaze – heavenly! The pumpkin pralines are also great as a souvenir.

Ingredients

  • 75 g cooked pumpkin (e.g. Hokkaido)
  • 55 grams of butter
  • 60 grams of brown sugar
  • 60 g powdered sugar
  • 1 pinch of vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 120 grams of flour
  • 1 pinch of ground cloves
  • 1 pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 75 g chocolate chips
  • 300 g couverture (whole milk or dark chocolate, depending on your taste)
  • sprinkles

That is how it goes

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin flesh, butter, and sugar.
  2. Add flour, vanilla, and spices. Continue beating until the mixture is homogeneous. Sprinkle chocolate drops.
  3. Place the dough in the freezer for an hour until it starts to set.
  4. With the help of 2 teaspoons, form small balls, which you place individually on a plate lined with baking paper. Put the balls in the freezer for 2 hours, preferably overnight.
  5. Melt the couverture in a water bath. Dip the chocolates in with a toothpick, sprinkle with sprinkles and place in the fridge until the couverture has hardened. The chocolates will keep in an airtight container for about a week.

In order not to gain weight and not to have to do without alcohol when partying, young people fast before drinking alcohol – and thus endanger their health. EAT SMARTER enlightens you about the dangerous phenomenon of drunkorexia.

What is drunkorexia?

The term drunkorexia is made up of the English word “drunk” (intoxicated) and “anorexia” (anorexia). A recent British study shows that more and more young men and women are giving up food before drinking to stay slim.

Alcoholic beverages are high in calories and hit the hips. For example, half a liter of beer has 200 calories, a glass of white wine (200 milliliters) provides 150 calories and glass (300 milliliters) of the Caipirinha cocktail contains 320 calories. For many young people, however, a party without alcohol is unimaginable. Instead of drinking a glass or two of wine with relish and enjoying the evening tipsy and fully conscious, many people get drunk to the point of intoxication. Excessive consumption of alcohol also means a lot of calories.

In order not to gain weight, it is better to forgo food than one or two cocktails in the evening. Often the aim is even to drink so much alcohol that you throw up. This is to get rid of the calories you have taken in. Very few are aware of how dangerous such behavior is and how much it damages the body.

That’s how dangerous fasting before intoxication is

It is still controversial among medical professionals whether drunkorexia is an independent clinical picture, but it is definitely dangerous and harmful to health. In order to stay healthy, our body needs nutrients, minerals and vitamins. We eat these when we eat. Substituting alcohol for food can quickly lead to acute malnutrition. In addition, alcohol damages the body. For example, it removes minerals from the body, inhibits the regeneration of skin cells, and can lead to liver damage in the long term.

Alcohol consumption in moderation

Having a glass of wine or a cocktail every now and then is okay. Aiming for a healthy body weight too. However, one’s health should not be jeopardized either.

In order to avoid a so-called neural tube defect in the baby, you should take folic acid before and during pregnancy. You can find out when and how much in this article.

Vitamin B folic acid: when should you take the tablets?

With a balanced and varied diet, healthy adults usually do not need to take dietary supplements. An exception is folic acid – the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate.

The BfR recommends taking 400 grams of folic acid daily in the first trimester of pregnancy in addition to the usual diet, which should be as rich in folate as possible. Women who want to have children should also deal with the topic. Because according to a new flyer from the BfR

There is a reason for the point in time: the development of the central nervous system begins around three weeks after conception, with the so-called neural tube

Vitamin B: Which foods contain folate?

Noisy
Leafy greens like spinach and salads
tomatoes
legumes
nuts
oranges
sprouts
wheat germ
whole grain products
potatoes
liver
eggs
For a folate-rich diet, the DGE recommends eating at least three servings of vegetables a day. When preparing, you should make sure that you only wash and steam the vegetables briefly and without chopping them up. You shouldn’t boil it or keep it warm. It is also advisable to eat whole grain products, milk and milk products, and the occasional liver every day. However, the DGE advises avoiding liver in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The best-before date: For many, the reference “best before” means “definitely lethal” – and so tons of food that is still edible ends up in the garbage. Norway is therefore now introducing a new formulation that is intended to lead consumers to more conscious consumption.

The best before date on food gives consumers an indication of how long a product can be enjoyed. Until this date, the manufacturer guarantees that the quality, taste, and appearance will remain unchanged.

After this date, however, a product does not automatically become inedible. Nevertheless, the expiry date is often combined with the use-by date – this actually states by when food should be consumed – for example in the case of meat products.

This misunderstanding leads to extreme food waste. Norway now wants to counteract this problem with a new best-before date.

New best before a date with the addition

The new expiry date is not actually a new date but a new formulation. The packaging will now say “Best before but not bad after” – several companies in Norway are already using this new formulation on their products.

Throw away less food

This innovation has not yet arrived in Germany, but here too the products should not be automatically thrown away as soon as they have reached their best-before date.

A common-sense check can help here: Is the product still edible? How does it smell, how does it look? A little taste test helps too. A product should definitely still be edible a few days after the best-before date. Also, make sure you store your groceries correctly and shop with foresight.

When you bake buns, you save valuable food from being thrown away. It only takes a few minutes and rolls from the day before taste fresh again. Here you can find out what to look out for when baking bread rolls.

Bread is one of the oldest staple foods in the world. According to the WWF, 90 percent of Germans eat it at least once a day.

Baked goods are also among the most frequently thrown away foods: According to the WWF, more than a third of the production ends up in the garbage. In the supermarkets, rolls that are more than three hours old are no longer considered fresh. In addition, many people do not want to eat soft rolls from the day before. It is very easy to bake bread rolls and save them from the dustbin.

Bake the buns in the oven

How you store bread and pastries is crucial to help them last longer. Bread and pastries are best stored at room temperature and protected from air, for example in a bread bin. In the refrigerator, on the other hand, the baked goods quickly harden.

You can simply bake them in the oven so that your rolls still taste fresh from the baker later:
Brush the buns with a little water using a kitchen brush. If you don’t have a kitchen brush, run the buns under running water for 1-2 seconds.
Place the wet buns on a baking sheet.
Bake the rolls at 150 degrees Celsius for five to eight minutes until they are crispy again.
Allow the baked buns to cool briefly on the baking rack before serving.
This method is suitable if you want to bake a larger quantity of rolls. Avoid heating the large oven for just a bun or two to conserve electricity.

Bake the buns with the toaster

Many toasters have an attachment for baking buns. With a toaster, you can therefore bake small amounts of bread rolls, saving time and energy.

How to bake your rolls with the toaster:
Place one or two buns on your toaster’s raising device.
Choose the highest temperature and bake the buns for two to three minutes.
Then flip them over and bake for another minute or two. Then they are crispy on the other side too.
After you’ve baked the buns, serve them immediately.

Bake hard buns

You can also re-bake older, hardened rolls instead of throwing them away. If they are already too hard, you can use them for other things, such as breadcrumbs.

In this way, hard rolls taste fresh again:
Soak a tea towel in water and wring it out well.
Wrap the bun in the damp cloth and let it soak up the moisture for 2-3 minutes.
You can then use either of the two methods described to crisp up the moistened bun

Along with tea, coffee is one of the most popular warm drinks that we consume during the day. And to be honest, drinking a birthday coffee without coffee is no longer really drinking coffee. Also, many people don’t get off to a good start in the morning without a cup of coffee.

The reason for the stimulating effect of coffee is the caffeine. This is the natural component of the coffee bean and is created during the photosynthesis of the coffee plant. In small amounts, caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and the heart. The caffeine content in a cup of coffee is between 50 and 100 mg, depending on how it is prepared.

Coffee before going to bed It cannot be said that enjoying a cup of coffee before going to bed delays falling asleep. Of course, the stimulating effects of caffeine can make some people take longer to fall asleep. However, the coffee does not affect the actual sleep phases. Especially since those who enjoy coffee regularly usually do not have these problems. It is often the regular coffee drinkers who can sleep really well after enjoying a cup of coffee before going to bed because the caffeine provides good blood flow to the brain. In addition, the effect of the caffeine only occurs 20 minutes after drinking. The previous phase of fatigue is then used by many people to fall asleep. So go to bed immediately after the night coffee and you will fall asleep better.