Quinoa back to basics: sweet & savoury

I was visiting my dad last weekend and mentioned my quinoa risotto to him. He was like: yeah, nice, but what is quinoa? I mean, what can you do with it? (aside from risotto, he he) So I've decided to take a step back and talk about the basics of quinoa for a second. Dad, I hope you're paying attention ;)

Red quinoa and some cool Freud-themed stickers I rediscovered at my dad's house :)

Quinoa is technically a seed, but it's commonly used as a grain. It comes in different colours: there is white, red and black quinoa. It's a so-called 'slow carbohydrate', and also a good source of protein and fibre, making it super good for you on all counts! The basic way to cook it is boiling 1 part quinoa in 2 parts water in a covered pot for around 10-14 minutes. I like to make a bigger batch and then keep it in the fridge to use in many different ways:

First of all, who says you can't use it in sweet dishes? Here are some ideas:
-make 'porridge' by warming some quinoa with milk or milk substitute (I'm not vegan, but I love almond milk), fruit, some cinnamon and whatever nuts/seeds/dried fruit  you like. You can also add chia seeds, hemp, or whatever other superfoods/toppings you want (OR CHOCOLATE!)
-you can also add your cooked quinoa to yogurt and make a parfait with honey and fruit
-or add it to pancake batter to make it healthier and add texture.

Red quinoa porridge with almond milk, banana, pear, peanut butter and cinnamon :)

I already gave you a savoury option here, but there are many, many more ways to use cooked quinoa:
-use it in a salad instead of couscous
-add it to soups to make them more filling
-have it with stir-fried vegetables, pasta sauce or pesto
-or just enjoy it warm with a trickle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Happy hipster eating!

Transcending purpose

Rarely do I simply accept a garment's designated function as exclusive. If you dig through the (blurry) archives of this blog you can see what I'm talking about: sweaters as skirts, scarves as tops, cardigans worn the wrong way around, a lot of knotting, chopping... OK, I'll stop bragging, the point  is that you can do so much more with your clothes if you use  your imagination a little -here are a couple of ideas :)


DIY top: I stole Ivania's idea and slashed an old Tshirt into a tank top with a high neck and (very) low arm holes... It's super easy -snip, snip!- and I love this cut because it's sexy by virtue of showing shoulders and ribs in lieu of the more predictable chest or midriff areas.

I'm wearing DIY top, random sports bra, Weekday skinnies and fluffy cardigan. Also, my hair is shorter now.

Cardigan-turned-dress: Speaking of the fluffy cardigan, I've been wearing it with everything (it's so cozy and warm!) but you didn't think that I'd stick to using it as a cardigan did you? I recently discovered that you can also wear it as a wrap dress. Just drape it together and fasten it with a belt. I actually love the chic shape and the texture of this 'wrap dress' :)

Weekly inspiration/wishlist

TGIF! It's finally the weekend, so I thought I'd leave you with some nice things to dream about ;) This week, I was inspired by...


Everything in this picture from the Whistles website caught my attention. The short, indeterminately wavy hair, the slightly awkward length of the jeans combined with the clunky, stilt-like shoes, the cut and upturned cuffs of the jeans, and this much more casual, less explicitly feminine way of wearing espadrille shoes... it looks effortless and real. For me, the only thing spoiling it is the clutch. Just added on my mental wishlist:

-lace-up sandals and mallorquinas -mine will be flat and probably in tan or navy leather (like last year) -these are currently on my 'saved' list.

-relaxed fit blue jeans

Y tu mamá también, a movie directed by Alfonso Cuarón (it's a good one!). I was inspired by this frame. Besides the scenery, what I also find beautiful is the way this swimsuit frames the back of the female protagonist. I also like the idea that you can just put on a pair of pants or wrap a sarong around you and you're dressed. Do I really need to wait for the summer? Maybe I could just get one now and wear it as a backless top...

Quinoa risotto

Quinoa risotto is super easy! The principle is the same as normal risotto, except you add egg yolk to help make it creamier, since quinoa doesn't release starch like rice does. I used champignons but you could use any kind of mushrooms you like :)

per person:

lug of olive oil, knob of butter
1 small onion, finely chopped,
1 clove garlic,
about 8 champignons,
1/2 tsp thyme,
1/2 cup quinoa,
1/2 stock cube
1 egg yolk
1 chunk parmesan, to grate
optional: 1/2 glass white wine, handful parsley, chopped


Soften the onion in a pot with the butter and oil on medium heat, then add the sliced mushrooms and garlic and sauté till the mushrooms have begun to cook. Add the thyme and the quinoa and sauté for another minute, then add the wine if you have it and let it evaporate, otherwise proceed to the next step, add boiling water -for every 1/2 cup of quinoa, add one cup- and the stock cube. Cover the pot and let simmer until the quinoa is ready and the water is almost(!) completely evaporated -just like with rice risotto, you don't want it to be completely dry because then it won't be creamy. You may have to add some extra water along the way, just check a couple of times. When the quinoa is cooked (this usually takes about 10 minutes), take it off the fire, add the egg yolk and parsley, mix, grate some parmesan in and over it, serve.



Note: if you're sceptical about raw egg yolk in the risotto, you could substitute some cream.

New addi(c)tions

& Other Stories opened in Amsterdam and I'm completely hooked. Although it's not the cheapest store around, its sale was pretty amazing, and I somehow always end up leaving with something whenever I go...

Here are some things I recently acquired there, plus a short review of the store that I wrote for Scriptus:

This brand may be owned by H&M, but it’s, well, a whole other story. Good quality clothes, chic designs that oscillate between basic-with-a-twist and trendy-but-not-too-trendy, prices that you can afford… during the sales (enough said) and a beautiful aesthetic which translates to an artfully arranged, spacious store where the accessories function as decorations, and comfortable dressing rooms with curtains that actually close all the way shut –thank God. Forget fighting the crowds and messy piles of clothes at Zara, here you can shop the sales and leave with your dignity intact. Oh, and aside from jewelry, accessories and shoes, they also have a cool beauty line. If you’re my friend and you have a birthday coming up, you know where I’ll be buying your gift ;)

Nubuck ankle boots, originally 125 euros, 38 euros in the sale

'Faison dust' nail polish (here)

Furry suede sandal fabulousness. After wearing these to near-death last summer, I've really come to appreciate walkable-height sandals and after wanting these for about a year (I first saw them on Liza Chloé's feet), I just had to! I wore them on New Year's Eve with black skinnies and a black blazer :) 

Stay warm!

Here's my latest article for Scriptus!

I’ve returned from Canada with many valuable experiences and a renewed determination not to let the cold cramp my style. It seems like, from the beginning of November (which is when the temperature dropped to 0, by the way), everyone wore exactly the same every single day: a down parka and snow boots. Here are some lessons I drew on how you can stay warm without looking like you’re going on an Arctic expedition.

•You can still wear a coat! A good coat should contain some wool (don’t worry, you don’t have to spend a fortune, especially if you go second hand!) and be on the thick side. Preferably with a collar so your neck and chest are protected, and preferably long so your, erm, bum doesn’t get cold. I like belted coats because a) they are flattering and b) they fit snug and thus keep you warm.

•Layer. Thin sweaters under thick ones, turtlenecks under shirts under blazers, long sleeves under a sleeveless top… After the bra-over-Tshirt trend nothing you do can look weird. Check out layering expert Leandra Médine’s manrepeller.com (yep) for unexpected ways to wear half the clothes you own at once (literally). On really cold days, try wearing your denim or leather jacket under your coat –you can slip them off together once you’re indoors.

•A huge scarf will keep things interesting (especially if you’re wearing the same black coat every day) and protects your neck and face. Thick wool ones are the best because they’re warm and they hold their shape, but chunky knitted ones are also effective.

•See the cold as an opportunity to wear a cute hat! Pom poms make everything better.

•Try to wear something fitted on your legs, like thick tights or skinny jeans, so the cold wind can’t creep from under your cuffs.

•The most important thing of all: keep your feet warm. Buy your (ankle) boots roomy enough to fit thick woolen socks, because if your feet are cold you’ll be suffering no matter how warm the rest of your body is!

Illustration by Garance Doré

Unexpected hero

They always say that love comes when you least expect it, and I never thought I'd fall in love with short dungarees or cute double buns, but here you have them!

I'm wearing Ikeda dungarees, Brunello Cuccinelli shrunken sweater, Weekday fluffy cardigan (here, but I got it for 10€ in the sale, muahaha)

When I was in Canada, we went to this street festival where a woman was moving out and was giving away her old clothes on the sidewalk. My roommate fished out this pair of dungarees and said they'd look cool on me. I was a bit sceptical but hey, they were free after all so why not? I took them and they quickly became favourites... I suspect it's because they are practically an outfit on their own -perfect for lazy people like me. Don't know what to wear? Just grab those babies! In the summer all you need is your bikini/ a top under them, but they're also cool in the winter with tights, a thin sweater and a long cardigan.

As for the double buns, gravity still wins so they come undone pretty quickly, but they are just impossibly cute and they shape your hair into nice waves.

The party version: I love them so much I even wore them to a party over a black turtle neck with the ultimate (furry) heels -more on them later. I did my hair and makeup in a 60's style -pouffy ponytail and eyeliner- and drank like I was a character in Mad Men ;)  

The turtleneck sweater is a zara basics oldie and the heels are from & other stories.

Today's lesson: life's too short to dress boring. Go have fun, yolo, etc. etc. Happy week from me. :)

Leftover idea

Living on your own has its beauties (nobody there to judge you on how long it's been since you did the dishes...) but cooking just fo yourself can be a little less graceful. And I can never calculate the amounts properly, so I always end up with leftovers. Instead of overeating because I don't want to leave/throw away a ridiculously small amount of food, I'll be posting ideas on what to do with it.

Pasta: you left a tiny bit of cooked pasta and now it's hanging out in your fridge looking cold and bland. Turn it into soup! First cover it in boiling water from the kettle to warm it up, then drain. If you're making a soup just chuck it in, if you're extra lazy just use chicken/vegetable stock, spices/herbs of your liking (I used chives) and swirl a beaten egg in the soup while it's boiling-hot. Voilà!