All posts by Helle Møller

Retired from a long working life as secretary/assistant in UN and EU institutions. Freelance stress counsellor and proofreader/copyeditor. Now living in Berlin.
Eat More Oats

Seeded whole-grain soda bread

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NOTE: this needs to get started the night before baking.

  • 50 g millet
  • 50 g quinoa or whole buckwheat seeds
  • 50 g amaranth
  • 100 g oats
  • 500 ml buttermilk, divided, plus more for brushing
  • 1 tblsp vegetable oil or ghee, plus more for baking tin
  • 500 g whole wheat flour
  • 100 g all-purpose flour
  • 50 g flaxseeds or chia seeds
  • 50 g sesame seeds
  • 50 g sunflower seeds
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 55 g butter, cut into pieces
  • 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup or mild-flavored (light) molasses
  1. Mix millet, quinoa, amaranth, oats, buttermilk, and 1.5 dl water in a small bowl. Cover and let sit 8–12 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 175 C. Lightly oil an 20 cm diameter baking plate, pan or tin.
  3. Mix whole-wheat flour, flour, flaxseed, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and baking soda together in a large bowl. Work in butter with your fingers and add the “overnight porridge” and syrup.
  4. Mix until dough is smooth, homogenous, and still slightly sticky.
  5. Form dough into a ball and place in prepared pan. Cut a large x into the top, brush with buttermilk, and sprinkle sunflower seeds and oats on top. Bake until golden brown, 55–70 minutes.
Berlin, Photography

A walk in Tegeler Forst

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29 October 2020. I found this walk on Komoot’s list of most beautiful autumnal forests in Berlin: https://www.komoot.com/tour/275005256. Start and end S-Bahnhof Frohnau.

A beautiful walk in real mixed forest, with a couple of minor obstacles along the way:

I had time to play with some “ICM” photography:

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Chestnut-potato soup

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NOTE: The recipe that inspired me did not mention neither thyme, rosemary, ginger or garlic, but I think those flavours are required, and go well here. Alternatively at least a couple of bayleaves. There is no reason to make northern European food more bland and boring than it has to be. Perhaps I’ll add garam masala and chili next time.

It did list a dl of cream, but I have never been able to see the point in adding cream to savoury dishes, so I threw in 100 g oats instead (since I am trying to incorporate oats into everything these days).

  • 1 tblsp butter (I used ghee)
  • 200 g chestnut, cooked and vacuum packed
  • 400 g potatoes
  • 100 g oats
  • 2 red onions (the original recipe says 1)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • Sprigs of thyme and rosemary
  • 1 l vegetable stock
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the chestnuts, potatoes, onions and garlic in large pieces and add, together with the ginger to a pan and sizzle in the butter.

Add the stock, thyme and rosemary, salt and pepper and bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Fish out the herbs, and blend the rest. Season and serve garnished with chopped parsley or roasted oats.

Eat More Oats

Pumpkin and oats curry, thai inspired

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650-700 g hokkaido, in 2 cm pieces.

200 g cooked chickpeas

100 g oats, plus some for garnishing, roasted in ghee or oil

250 g broccoli, in pieces

100 g snow peas, trimmed and halved

200 g chopped red onion

3 (or more) finely chopped garlic cloves

20 g finely chopped ginger

3 tblsp coconut oil

2 tblsp sugar (coconut blossom sugar if available)

2 tsp Thai red currypaste, OR fresh lemongrass, lime leaves and chili

400 ml coconut milk

Salt and pepper

Lime or lemon juice

Fresh koriander

NOTE: An ice-cream scooper usually helps to carve away pumpkin seeds and fluff.

Also, Contrary to what many recipes will have you believe, it is not necessary to remove the peel. When cooked, it is eminently edible, and there is nutrition, colour and texture which it is a shame to waste.

Sautée onion, garlic and ginger in the oil.

Add sugar and let it lightly caramelise.

Add currypaste or lemongrass/lime leaves/chili and stir.

Add coconutmilk and bring to a simmer

Add pumpkin and chickpeas and simmer for ten minutes.

Add broccoli and snow peas and simmer for about three minutes.

Season with salt, pepper and lemon or lime juice, and garnish with the chopped fresh coriander and roasted oats.

Daytrips from Berlin, Photography

Impressions from a walk 20 October 2020

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This was my first, and definitely not last, walk with Berliner Wanderclub. Fifteen people met at Bernau S-Bahn Station and took bus 894 to Wandlitz. We then walked to Liepnitzee, followed the southern shore to Obersee and Hellsee, past Schloß Lanke and Upstallfließ, and finished in Lobetal (a very interesting place). In total around 16 km. Unfortunately, I forgot to record the exact route on komoot.com.

Bonustip: The “Alte Schmiede” in Lobetal doubles as library and café (coffee and homemade cake: 2 euro), and probably a lot more for the citizens of Lobetal, most of whom are physically or mentally challenged one way or another. The café also has outdoor seating.

Given the fact that it was not a photography tour and that therefore, there would not be much time to take photos, I only took one lens with me, and I must say I am quite pleased with what one can achieve in a short time with the Canon 24 mm, aka “Pancake”.

Practised some “ICM photography” on the way (too rushed, of course, since photography was not the purpose of the walk and I had to keep up with fourteen other people):

  • Dorfkirche Lanke
  • Schloß Lanke
Upstallfließ
Favourite recipes, Main courses

Baked Butternut Squash “Hasselback-Style”

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Here served with leftover Masala Oats, converted into a salad with the help of walnut oil, lemon juice, feta, and rucola and herbs from the balcony.

1 butternut squash

2 cloves garlic

2 red onions

1 tin tomatoes

1 tblsp harissa

1 knob fresh ginger

1 tsp turmeric

2 tblsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper

Bayleaves

1 tblsp honey

1 tsp smoked paprika

100 g feta

Herbs to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200 C

Halve the squash and remove the seeds with a spoon or an ice scooper, depending on the size of the cavity.

Place the squash peel up and cut almost through at about 4 mm intervals. Place a pencil on either side to make sure you do not cut it all the way through.

Slice garlic and onions and mix with the tinned tomato and 1 tblsp olive oil, season with turmeric, chili, salt and pepper, and spread this mixture in a small baking tray.

Place the squash peel up on top of this layer. Place a couple of bayleaves in the slits. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil on the squash halves and bake in oven for 20 minutes.

Paint the squash halves with honey, dust with smoked paprika and bake, uncovered, for another 20 minutes.

Scatter feta cheese over the halves for the last ten minutes in the oven, or just before serving.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Eat more oats: A quick breakfast to-go or just a snack

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160 g dried dates

60 g peanut or almond butter (I used almond butter, and next time, I might replace some of it with tahin

50 g honey

4 tblsp pumpkin seeds

4 tblsp chia seeds

100 g oats

50 g chopped almonds

Optional: for extra nutrition, add 1 tblsp baobab powder, and for extra flavour, 1 tblsp of the best and darkest cocoa powder you can find.

Coarsely chop the dates and purée them with hot water. Start with 1 tblsp water and gradually add just enough to make a thick, fairly smooth purée.

Slowly heat up and mix the nut butter and honey.

Mix all ingredients well – best done by hand.

Line a small, square plate, 15×15 cm or similar, with baking paper, and PRESS the mixture into it. You want to be able to cut it into compact bars once it has set.

Leave cold for at least an hour.

Favourite recipes, Main courses

Masala oats

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Again recently, a lot has been written about the health benefits of oats, so my current obsession is to try to incorporate oats into as many meals as possible.

In this case served with one of my favourite aubergine dishes – an old faithful.

2,5 dl oats

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic and a small knob of fresh ginger, finely chopped

5 dl vegetables, in this case red pepper and zucchini, chopped

1 dl cooked green lentils

1 small tsp turmeric

Salt

Chili to taste, in whichever form you have available

1 tsp garam masala

Dry-roast the oats till they smell good.

Heat the oil and sizzle the cumin seeds. Add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté.

Add the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients except the oats, and sauté till the vegetables soften. If it starts to dry up, add water rather than oil.

Add the oats, stir well, and cook through.

Garnish with (preferably) fresh coriander, or any other herb you have available.

Berlin, Photography

A Stroll in the neighbourhood

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Along Ritterstraße and Reichenberger Straße, and a visit to Galerie Kwadrat, to, and back along, Landwehrkanal.

Much of the way along Landwehrkanal, this woman followed me (she stopped and lingered and looked at me every time I stopped to take a photo, which was quite often, so I’m sure). I shook her off shortly before the end of my walk. Who is she, and why was she following me?
Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Chili sauce made with red and orange chilis from the freezer

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(Home grown, on my south-east facing balcony, the summers 2018 and 2019).

Chilis really do freeze well. Strength and flavour remain unchanged but, as can be seen in the photo, they turn a bit soggy when thawed, so they cannot be used for anything that requires the crunch of fresh chilies.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO WASH YOUR HANDS EXTREMELY THOROUGHLY AFTER HANDLING THE FRESH CHILIS AND BEFORE TOUCHING YOUR EYES – OR ANY OTHER ORIFICE FOR THAT MATTER – BE IT YOUR OWN OR THAT OF SOMEONE NEAR AND DEAR TO YOU. ‘Nuff said,

About 300 g assorted red and orange chilis (after removal of stems and – most – seeds

2 large red onions

8 cloves garlic

1 red pepper

1 large knob of fresh ginger

4 tblsp rice vinegar

Run in food processor till it has the texture you want.

Heat a generous amount of olive oil and add the mixture. Then add

1 tblsp sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tblsp tomato paste

2 tso shrimp paste.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes.