It may just be the season, but the whole blogosphere and Instagram community seems to be going crazy about smoothies and smoothie bowls at the moment. I’ve also been observing an increasing demand for smoothies low in fructose, which are just a little bit more challenging to make. I already introduced you to Smoothies recipe a while ago, but in general I keep on combining and testing whichever ingredients I manage to get my hands on. One of my favourite finds so far this year is marshmallow. Ok, not quite, but close. It’s actually the common mallow. Common mallow is this lovely little plant, which grows on the side of roads and hiking paths, which we usually don’t pay much attention to. Most people don’t even know that its leaves as well as flowers are edible and that both make wonderful additions to any salad. When added to soups, mallow acts as a thickening agent. Of course you can make some delicious tea with it too. But it is not just its taste that draws me to common mallow. In the end it’s all the more fun, when there are some additional health benefits involved, right? So what good can mallow do for you? First of all it is rich in Vitamin C and beneficial mucilage. The abundant mucilage soothes throat inflammations and coughs. It also has a slightly laxative effect. Not too shabby, don’t you think? What’s best is: Common mallow is free. When you are out on your next walk in an area that resembles nature you’ll probably start spotting it everywhere. Because it literally grows everywhere. That small patch of grass, the one that all the dogs in your neighborhood choose to pee on, does not count though. So grab your book for identifying local, wild flora, go out and collect some mallow for your salad and this fructose free smoothie recipe….
Spring arrived in Istanbul a few weeks ago and we are already heading full speed towards Summer. While in Southern Turkey the skin-warming sun lures people into the sea for the first time this year, in Istanbul we are celebrating the sun’s return by letting sweet and plump, bright red strawberries melt in our mouths. All the while the Spring showers, turning the Black Sea region into a bright green wonderland, are responsible for the abundance of delicate and rich greens on display at our weekly farmers market. Trying to refrain oneself from those treats would almost be an insult to this country’s fertility. Thus, happily volunteering to pay tribute, mint, parsley, dill, thyme, basil and other greens pile up in our kitchen every week. We’ve become quite creative in terms of putting the various herbs to use, though sometimes we just can’t keep up and the delicate little plants wither away. To use up all of the leftover herbs in due time I came up with this little rainbow salad. Instead of the usual lettuce I put in bol bol (Turkish for plenty of) fresh herbs resulting in a feast for the eyes and fireworks for your taste buds. I wouldn’t even mind having this salad two days in a row. …
Last month I treated myself to a little something special. No, I didn’t visit any expensive restaurants, nor did I spend a day at a local Hamam (well actually, I did that too). I did however venture into the world of Ayurveda. Seriously? Ayurveda? Yes, seriously. At the end of the day everybody has their own idea of what a proper ‘treat’ should look like, right? And no, just to spoil the premature excitement and even though that would have been a nice treat as well, I didn’t spend 4 weeks at a yoga resort, meditating all day and sipping on one chai after another, as might be the common association when it comes to Ayurveda. (Note to self: Remember to travel to a distant place and meditate for four weeks someday). Anyway, my exploration into the field of Ayurveda was of course food related and came in form of an Ayurveda cooking class. It sounded interesting enough to make me get up very early on a Sunday morning and literally hop on a ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul.
Willkomen in Fructopia! In dieser kleinen Welt dreht sich alles um ein gesünderes Leben ohne Fructose, ohne Zucker, ohne Weizen. Schön, dass ihr da seid! 
