Sustainable enjoyment – what does that mean for you? 

For me, several aspects play a role in this topic: Sustainable ingredients, organic quality wherever possible, cooking for myself, a focus on wholesome ingredients, eating mindfully, but at the same time not restricting anything… That’s why I buy and work a lot gladly with the products of my cooperation partner Allos :

The organic pioneer stands for products that are sustainably produced in organic quality and packaged sustainably. In addition, Allos has and supports projects and initiatives that work to protect biodiversity, prevent food waste and promote education in the field of healthy and conscious nutrition. The focus is on social and environmental responsibility, not profit and growth.

To make this even more clear, Allos is also B Corp certified. 

What does it mean to be B Corp certified? B Corp is a global network of companies that are not about being the best company in the world, but rather about being the best company FOR the world. B Corps are pioneers in sustainable business. The “B” stands for “Benefit”, i.e. for positive work. B Corp companies voluntarily meet the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.

With this certification, Allos once again emphasizes its own corporate philosophy that successful companies should use their strength to solve social challenges and that maximizing profits should not be the primary goal. Sustainable and conscious enjoyment come first.

How do I implement conscious enjoyment?

First and foremost, I think about where my food comes from. We recently subscribed to a Biokiste and I can recommend this to everyone! Every two weeks we receive a huge box with organic fruit and vegetables from the surrounding area. In this way we save transport routes and support a farm directly from the area, as it also has better financial planning thanks to the subscription program. In addition, we save time that we would otherwise spend in the supermarket and we are surprised every week.

I love that! Since I don’t always get the same vegetables that I usually grab at the supermarket out of habit, I’m “forced” to try new dishes. Recently we had Brussels sprouts cabbages in the box. Have you ever heard of this? These are the cabbages that grow on top of the Brussels sprouts plant. These are also called Brussels sprouts florets or terminal buds and look a bit like a cross between a white cabbage and savoy cabbage. However, they are often not sold and thrown away. Unfortunately! Because they taste incredibly good. There are so many foods that we just don’t eat and throw away out of habit, such as carrot greens, kohlrabi leaves or radish leaves. Food waste is an incredibly important issue!

In Germany, 18 million tons of food are wasted every year: that’s a truckload every minute! I have already reported more about this here . Appreciation of food is also an important issue for Allos. The practical implementation: The company regularly donates products to SIRPLUS. The social impact start-up from Germany saves food and feeds it back into the economic cycle. Donated food is resold cheaply in rescue markets and an online shop or is also donated.

Allos has brought out some great new products: For example, there are new varieties of plant-based drinks!

Whether for coffee, cocoa, tea, for cooking, baking or for breakfast: the Allos product range is extremely diverse and there is the perfect flavor for everyone.

Allos oat drink 0% sugar

The taste is fresh and light and the drink is also low in fat and gluten-free! I recommend the oat drink for baking, cooking or simply in muesli. It’s also the perfect ingredient for smoothies that don’t need extra sweetness, just a little creaminess. However, I would not recommend the drink for a creamy coffee because it is too runny. I love my coffee with a frothed, creamy plant drink.

Allo’s Oat Barista Drink

The Allos Oat Barista Drink is ideal for cappuccino, latte & co. The oat drink foams wonderfully and does not flake out in the coffee. The recipe is unsweetened and made from whole grain oats and is therefore rich in fiber. Perfect for latte art fans looking for another all-vegetable alternative!

Allos Rice Hazelnut Drink

Ooooh this drink is so incredibly delicious and creamy! With only four ingredients and the combination of the light sweetness of rice and roasted hazelnuts, this plant-based drink is a real insider tip! It’s like drinking hazelnut cream. And although the drink is unsweetened, it tastes very sweet! Perfect hot in coffee or cocoa, or pure in between – preferably ice cold!

By the way, my personal tip: I recommend always shaking all drinks well before opening, so that nothing settles!

Best of all: For all drinks one can speak of short transport routes, sustainable organic cultivation and environmentally friendly packaging. For example, the oats come from sustainable cultivation by organic farmers in Italy. Allos obtains the rice, among other things, from Italian cultivation and other long-standing partners in Europe. Regarding the packaging, I have already reported here once. Briefly also here: The Tetra Pak of the plant-based Allos Drinks now consists of 88 percent renewable raw materials and is therefore the most sustainable Tetra Pak currently on the market.

Vegan gratin with my organic box & Allos Gratin Cuisine

But now to the recipe, which is probably why you clicked here ? As mentioned, we receive an organic box every two weeks and it contains so many delicious organic vegetables. However, I am not super creative every week and know what exciting things I could cook with the vegetables. The easiest way to accommodate a lot of vegetables in one dish: vegetable casserole! And vegan is just as creamy and hearty as with the cow’s milk variant.

Here is my recipe (for a large casserole dish, i.e. twice the size of the dish in my pictures):

For the vegetables:

Just a colorful mix of fresh vegetables, I had:

• 4 very large potatoes
• 1 head of fennel
• 1 leek
• A handful of broccoli
• 2 onions
• Fresh herbs
• Lots of garlic – yummy :)))
• And oil for frying!
• salt & pepper to taste

 

For the sauce:

• Some oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red paprika powder
• 3 heaped tablespoons of yeast/ yeast flakes
• Fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary (otherwise 2 teaspoons of dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary or basil, a mix is ​​also welcome!)
• 1 pack of Allos Gratin Cuisine
• Some oat drink to dilute
• salt and pepper to taste

 

I grated the potatoes into fine slices because they cook better that way. I cut the remaining vegetables as finely as possible. Then I set aside a teaspoon of garlic and a tablespoon of onions. In the next step I sautéed the onions in oil in a large pan and then added the garlic and potatoes. After 3-5 minutes I turned the heat down and added the leeks and fennel. In between, I added a little water to the pan so that the vegetables are slightly steamed. After 6-7 minutes on medium heat I add the broccoli and sauté it for just 1 minute.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, I sautéed the onion and garlic that had been set aside in oil. After 2 minutes I added mustard, soy sauce and the paprika powder and also sautéed for a few seconds – stirring constantly, of course. Then the Allos Gratin Cuisine is added. This is very viscous, so I added some oat drink and rinsed out the Allos packaging with a little water. Add the noble yeast and herbs, salt and pepper to taste! Let simmer and stir until the sauce becomes very thick, so the casserole gets nice and creamy!

Then I put the fried vegetables in two layers in the casserole dish. The sauce goes between the layers. Finally, I garnish the casserole with fresh herbs and put the whole thing in the oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes – or until the casserole turns golden brown on top. If you want, you can of course also add vegan cheese.

I served the whole thing with fresh salad and fresh herbs!

The Allos Gratin Cuisine is brand new on the shelf and it offers the perfect plant-based alternative for cream and cheese in a casserole, gratin or a vegan lasagne. Incidentally, the recipe is gluten-free, based on rice and refined with a little nutmeg and sea salt.