Hope 2017 brought only good things to you so far and that you have settled in well by now. I am starting to actually write 2017 instead of 2016 when I need to date something, so I dare say, I have finally arrived  ;–) And how is it going with all the more or less courageous new year’s resolutions? Still in the game? Not easy, is it, to change one’s habits. Well… my resolutions never work for long. So this year, I didn’t even make any in the first place ;–)
But as life goes, strangely, they were made for me. Came upon me naturally so to speak. And they happen to be the first new year’s resolutions in my life, that are so easy to keep up and consequently change my life.

But let’s start at the beginning. You know this kind of force that grabs you when you are really interested into something (new)? It doesn’t let go of you and draws you in deeper and deeper,  up to that point, when you even dream about it?
That is exactly what happened to me recently.

It all started with my interest in healthy food as base for a healthy, happy life. Obvously, to reach that goal, you would want to eat unencumbered, natural, nutritious products. That leaves no way past organic food. It has been proven that organic food is more nutrient-dense than conventional products and contrary to conventional produce free of contamination (think synthetic pesticides etc.) and gene manipulation.

So organic was my choice since then, if I could get it.  I have to admit though, that the high prices made me stop and wonder sometimes, why on earth these products are that much more expensive… And I found myself speculating, if, maybe, it is all just a big marketing stroke of genius to make more profit. And is it really organic, if it says so on the packaging?
But then I did some profound research (that even led to a couple knobbly organic potatoes appearing in my dreams, singing a song about how they are the best choice, while pealing each other and finally jumping into the soup pot with goggles and flippers… I know, my subconsciousness is capable of creating some pretty weird nightly inside-head-movie-productions ;–) ).

After knowing more about organic-farming processes, I had to conclude that the price-performance ratio is absolutely fair and it really is organic when the packaging claims it (at least here in Austria). AND another door opened up to me that put “organic” up on a way higher level than just “more nutrients in that apple for my body”.

Conventional agriculture is a big player when it comes to climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity, water shortages, preventable diseases, child labour, poverty and injustice. Organic farming on the other hand is offering solutions for a way out of this mess. It is all about producing healthy, high quality products at fair prices while sustaining nature’s natural cycles.

And if there is one piece of wisdom that I know must be true: nature knows best how to run this world. Admittedly, I do wonder sometimes, why this planet has need of these armies of snails who massacre my beautiful green salads in my vegetable patch each year. But I am still amazed at other times, just how ingenious nature is. I mean, maybe a gross example now, but thinking conventional vs. organic again: even poop has a purpose in the cycle, being the natural fertiliser that is feeding all the little creatures in the soil, who consequently produce the nutrients that our plants need to strive – and the circle starts again.

Once I realised all that, supporting organic farming in my role as consumer was rather a logic consequence than a deliberate decision. And it brought upon me a whole new mindset. And there we are, my new year’s resolutions summed up: be an aware consumer.

Because, as you get on this “trip”, I can tell you, it does not stop there at organic agriculture… but enough of that for now, let’s get down to cooking business. Or rather baking: do you find yourself in this particular situation sometimes, when a subject captivates you and although you feel that your concentration is wavering, belly rumbling, you still don’t want to leave those pages? Simply too interesting to spend even just a few minutes away to prepare yourself a nice (healthy) snack? I had that a lot lately. So I stocked up on my favourite soft biscuits of the moment. Homemade of course ;–) And now there are a couple of batches sitting in the freezer, waiting to be devoured during my research-sessions :–D

Meet my (vegan & glutenfree) soft biscuits:

Buckwheat flour, puffed quinoa and banana build the base of these healthy treats, which makes them a great fit for all of you who own a gluten-sensitive digestive tract. They are not too sweet and I love them that way. But if your taste buds are not adjusted to mild sweetness, you might want to try a bit of the batter before baking and add your sweetener of choice. For some bursts of sweetness with every other bite, I like adding dried fruits (raisins or goji berries are great) or dark chocolate.

My 1 and 1/2 year old boy loves them as well by the way. Portable, healthy and delicious: makes them a great finger food for the little ones too.

Ingredients:
1 cup holds 250 ml = your average coffee cup

• 1/2 cup very ripe (therefore maximum sweetness) banana (approx. 1 big banana), mashed
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup puffed quinoa (or other puffed stuff like amaranth, millet)
• 1 1/2 tbsp (crunchy) peanut butter (or other nut/seed butter)
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds (or other seeds/nuts chopped)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 orange: juice and zest
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• dash salt
• optional: 1 tbsp chopped dried fruit/dark chocolate

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl mash banana and mix in cinnamon, salt, orange juice and zest, sunflower seeds and dried fruit/chocolate.
2. Add buckwheat flour, quinoa and baking powder.
3. Stir until well combined. The result is a fairly sticky, thick batter.
4. Preheat your oven on 180°C top-bottom heat.
5. Transfer the batter to your lined/greased baking tray in little heaps, about a teaspoon each. Flatten them a bit with moist fingers and off they go into the oven.
6. Bake for around 12 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom. Enjoy right away and store leftovers in the freezer, as they taste best on the day of baking.

Yields around 22 biscuits  3 cm in diameter.

PS: If you want to go a bit deeper on the subject agriculture, I recommend starting with the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), or more commonly known as The World Agriculture Report. Please, stick with me! Sounds a much more complicated read than it is ;–) Especially here you will find relevant subjects in well “digestible portions”.