Oh dear, I didn´t blog for over a year! I´m not really sure how the last months could fly by within a heartbeat. But I wasn´t just lazy – I´ve changed my life.

Long story short, my daughter moved to another city for her studies, and I decided it was time for a big change. Since I can remember I had this dream of living on an island. So, why not? Why not now?

Before I had time for second thoughts, I sold my house and here I am: On Sylt, a little Island in the North Sea, next to the Danish border. Actually, Sylt is the biggest of the German North Sea islands, but compared to my hometown Dortmund it´s teeny-tiny. But Sylt has it´s own airport, a car shuttle from the mainland every twenty minutes – and lots and lots of great food!

I am so excited about my new life! Nearly as much as my dog.  Every day we walk along the beach. A stone´s throw away is one of the most beautiful beaches I´ve ever seen – and I´ve seen quite a lot! Through the open windows I hear the seagulls crying and every cloudless night I marvel at the mind-blowing starry sky.

Still, there is much to do. Real estate is unbelievably expensive on Sylt. The money I got for my house in Dortmund could only buy me a VERY run down flat on the island, at least with a balcony. (I miss my beloved garden, though.)

Would I have run from this project if I had known before about the collapsing walls, handymen who seemed to cause more harm than they did good – if they showed up at all – , the budget overflows, and all the other big and small catastrophes? Yes. Definitely! Or at least I would have done a lot of things differently. However, let´s look on the bright side,  I´ve learned a lot.

I´m still fighting with the stubborn construction dust that invades every crevice and opening, no matter how tiny. But it´s done!!! I´m tired, exhausted, yet I´m recovering. Finally I can stop spending my waking hours worrying about things and decisions – about the perfect tile, the perfect shade for walls, floors, the sofa, … I don´t know how many hours I spent with finding the right lamp cord or water tap or sink.  Let alone the cupboard! Or trying to get hold of a new bricklayer in the middle of the construction season after the first one vanished with the advance payment …

Finally I can start living  a normal life again – with cooking and writing and shooting photos. (I can only hope, my tax documents from the last two years turn up again!)

Now it´s time for settling in. And what better way is there for feeling at home in a new place than enjoying the regional food?

Discover with me the island! I´m going to share my stories and photos and recipes with you. Please check in every now and then, I´d love to see you around.

Today I´ll share the recipe of my grandmother´s brine. I love pickles and I tried so many recipes I found on the internet, but I keep always going back to this one. It´s milder than the common brine and works with just everything.

Grandma´s Brine

1 cup vinegar, white or red
2 cups water
3 Tbsp sugar
1,5 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp juniper berries, slightly crushed
3 bay leaves
2 twigs of rosmarin

Be adventurous with the spices, try mustard seeds, coriander, dill, ginger, chilies, garlic or whatever you have handy!

Put all the ingredients in a pot, bring it to the boil. Meanwhile chop the vegetables (I used 3 big cucumbers) and put them in a very clean container. After the brine has cooked, pour it over the vegetables. Wait at least 1 hour before you tuck in, but they are best after one or two days.

Enjoy!

Surprisingly, I´ve learned to like my food without salt. After four days without any my tastebuds are becoming a lot more sensitive for all the subtle flavours I missed before. By now I can enjoy an apple or a clementine like a good glass of wine, the mix of fruity, sweet and tart flavours developing in my mouth.

But I still miss the salt, so I now allow myself one gram per day. That´s not much, but used with care it really brings me a lot of joy. Like yesterday in my delicious white bean hummus. Since it´s completely fat free, apart from the small amount of tahin, I didn´t expect much, but actually it was absolutely yummy!

I´m starting to like this kind of nutrition and even if my sinuses are still torturing me I´m beginning to feel more energized than I´ve felt in months. Maybe I´ll expand the 14 days to three weeks. We´ll see.

Fat Free White Bean Hummus

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of dried white beans, soaked overnight and cooked  (about 3 cups cooked beans)*

juice of 1 lime

1/4 tsp cumin

freshly ground black pepper

salt

1 big garlic clove

2 tbsp. Tahin

3 tbsp. water (or more, adjust to your own taste)

Method:

Put everything in the blender and mix until its a creamy paste.

Enjoy!

*You can use canned beans, but try to use freshly cooked dried ones, it really makes a big difference.

Do you know the Fairy Tale about the king and his three daughters? He asked them to express how much they loved him. The first compared her love with the joy of ruling a kingdom, the second told him, he was as precious to her as her jewels. The third one, the only one who loved him deeply, answered: “Father, I love you more than salt.” He didn´t understand her comparison at all and banished her from his kingdom. But in the end he tasted a meal cooked without any salt and found it inedible. Everything tasted blunt. He forgave his daughter and they lived happily ever after.

I understand the princess, I love salt, most of all the flaky Maddon Sea Salt, which smiles at me everytime I open my cupboard. In my opinion there is no dish which couldn´t be enhanced by a good pinch. Unfortunately my detox diet doesn´t allow ANY salt. The hunger is not that bad, I have surprisingly few cravings, but I so deeply miss the salt.

I´m still not feeling better after the first two days, but I didn´t really expect an effect this early. The pounds are melting like I wish the snow would. Three pounds in two days, that´s quite a lot. I´m holding on and hopefully habit will kick in and I won´t miss the salt so much.

The dressing I had today with the black bean & orange salad was surprisingly delicious and would have been gorgeous with a pinch of salt. It was the tastiest dish I had for the last days. Actually, it was so good, I saved some tablespoons and had them for desert. I will definitely make this dressing again after the diet. With a pinch of salt, of course, and I´ll double the amounts.  I think, it would be nice as a dip, too.

Raw sesame seed and orange dressing:

2 tbsp. raw sesame seeds

juice of 1 small orange

Put it in a blender and mix until it´s a creamy paste.