It was good, but too much of a good thing - the festive season affects your stomach

When people eat, they come together. Families around the world have different traditions around Christmas. But in almost every family, meat is on the menu, usually accompanied by various drinks and small, sweet treats. And in abundance. We enjoy great dishes prepared with love in a festive setting and the room is filled with magic. The stress of getting presents is blown away.

Whilst this atmosphere gives us wings for the moment, our stomachs are upset the next day at the latest. As the Christmas season is never just a celebration - because we also meet up with our closest friends, dear colleagues, grandma, grandad, great aunt, and so on - a general malaise creeps into our bodies. The social batteries are almost exhausted. The last reserves are leading us into the new year. And we long for relief.

If you don't want to wait until the New Year to make your New Year's resolutions, you can save yourself a tummy ache when choosing your New Year's Eve menu and protect the environment at the same time.

Meat consumption requires many resources. Probably the biggest: land. It's not just the space the animals need to live. It is also the land on which the feed has to be grown. Both also require a lot of water. In comparison: I can relax in the bathtub 77 times, or eat 1kg of beef. With pork "only" 30 times. The Austrians' favourite lunchtime snack is the Leberkäsesemmel (meatloaf roll). So to make a Leberkäsesemmel, I could relax in the bathtub 3 times. Dairy products are no better. Let's not talk about the origin. Because in most cases, we don't know how and where the animal lived. However, we must not forget the many regional producers who pay close attention to animal welfare and much more. An example from Wagrain-Kleinarl would be “Bio aus dem Tal” (Organic from the Valley).

Food of animal origin sits in our stomachs and makes us tired. Not particularly beneficial if you want to stay awake into the new year. So today I'm presenting three dishes and a drink that will help you start the new year feeling full and awake.

Put a pan of salted water on the hob until the water boils. Peel the potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the herb dip: mix the yoghurt, mayonnaise, herbs, 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt, garlic & onion powder to taste, then chill.
Just before the potatoes are ready, add the broccoli to the potatoes. Strain and rinse in cold water. Mash together in a bowl with salt, pepper, nutmeg, flour & a teaspoon of butter (the easiest way to do this is with your hands) until a homogeneous mixture is formed. Chill the mixture.

For the (quark) dumplings, mix the flour, 125g sugar, vanilla sugar, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Add 40ml milk, 250g Vega cream & 40ml mineral water, mix well and chill.

Chill the gin & tonic. Wash the limes, grate the peel and squeeze the limes. Add 50g sugar and 150ml water to 50ml juice. Heat the water and sugar in a pan (do not boil) until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lime juice & most of the grated zest and pour into a freezer-proof container. Depending on the outside temperature, place in the freezer or on the balcony. Stir well with a spoon once an hour to make the sorbet nice and creamy.

For the bruschetta, chop the tomatoes, add olive oil, basil and salt. Mash them with a fork and put them to one side. Mix the butter, salt and garlic (to taste) and set aside.

Lightly moisten the rim of the glasses (with water or lime juice) and squeeze in the remaining lime zest. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the sorbet, gin & tonic to taste, garnish with lemon balm & cucumber. The sorbet can also be enjoyed without gin & tonic.

Cut the rye bread into slices, spread with the garlic butter mixture and bake in the oven until crispy to the desired consistency. Top with the tomato mixture and serve with fresh basil.
Shape the croquette mixture, roll in breadcrumbs, brush lightly with oil and bake in a hot oven at 170° for 15-20 minutes to the desired consistency and serve with herb dip.

While the croquettes are in the oven, deep-fry a tablespoon of quark dumpling mixture in a large pan until golden brown. Then drain on kitchen roll, roll in a cinnamon-sugar mixture, serve with the jam of your choice and enjoy the evening.

Veganism is an ever-growing trend. Does everyone have to be vegan? No.
Would it be good for your physical well-being and for the environment to question your diet a little? Yes.
Of course, a balanced diet is important, no matter how you eat. Even in the world of plant-based nutrition, ready meals are not the healthiest choice. However, the flavour of many dishes makes no difference whether I choose an animal-based or vegan product. It's always important to try something new. But the environment and your body will thank you for replacing some things. In my household, for example, I only use oat milk and butter from Floraplant.

But the most important thing is to find out more about the subject. If you do your own research, you’ll be overwhelmed.
In recent years, we've often heard about Veganuary. The concept: to go vegan in January. If you sign up for Veganuary, you will receive a daily email in January with recipe suggestions and information about climate change. You can simply unsubscribe from the newsletter at the end of the month once you feel you have enough information.
From experience, I can highly recommend this newsletter to you. This does not mean that you are obliged to take part in the programme.