Basil Polenta Casserole with Feta

This recipe is simple and mouthwatering! Go crazy with any herbs you prefer- We used parsley and basil. The recipe calls for mozzarella but we are on a spiritual fast and avoiding cow dairy- therefore we used light feta made from goat's milk (very low lactose). Polenta is made from corn and can be found in the pasta/dry goods section. Organic polenta is necessary as over 90% of corn is a genetically modified crop.

2- 3 TBSP olive oil

1 large onion

1/2 cup celery stalks, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

800g can of whole tomatoes

handful of: parsley & basil, finely chopped

4 cups of water

1 cup polenta, organic

1 tsp salt and dash of pepper

2 cups light mozzarella (dairy-free cheese if you are vegan)

1. Sautee onion, celery, carrots and garlic for about 10 minutes with the olive oil. Add can of whole tomatoes and sauce. Reduce to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Sauce will reduce.

2. Boil water and salt. Reduce to low, add polenta and cook for 10 minutes. Polenta will thicken.

3. Grease the bottom of a casserole dish with olive oil. Next transfer ingredients to the casserole dish; first with a layer of sauce, then some cheese, then polenta, then sauce, polenta and cheese again.

4. Let sit for an hour to marinate and then bake at 200C for 25 minutes

Serve with your favorite side of greens. We made green peas with fresh mint and lemon. A delightful combination!

Seeds are spouting!

Great news!! This morning we woke up and met our new little babies- our seeds are sprouting (all but parsley and peppers.) I am thrilled that we will hopefully be able to eat from our own backyard this summer.

Our dream- to have our own biological farm, in the country, with animals and beautiful sunsets as seen in the photos.

These little seedlings are the first step. I know Nikos and I are on our way :)

The dangers of Paraben

There are many chemicals and products we should attempt to avoid on our quest to better health. I wrote a blog on GMOs which is one example. Another example, which has been brought to mainstream attention over the past few years: PARABEN (methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben.)

What is Paraben: A man-made chemical used in body products: shampoos, conditioners, body lotions, shower gels, sun screen, deodorant, make-up, etc. It preserves these products so they can sit on the shelf for years without growing mold/bacteria. The problem is your body is an organ so it ingests these products just as if you were putting them in your mouth. According to Mercola.com, " The body can absorb as much as five pounds of cosmetic chemicals every year."

Parabens mimic hormones in the body and can disrupt functions of the endocrine system. Doctors warn that parabens fight against normal biological processes which can lead to neurological, behavioral and developmental problems in unborn babies as well as reproductive problems with couples attempting to get pregnant. Even more so, studies have exposed threats that increased paraben levels leads to breast cancer, low sperm count and early puberty.

When I was in Denmark last month, my aunt shared that some friends of hers were having a hard time getting pregnant. The culprit- high levels of paraben found in the body.

Next time you use a cosmetic product, check the label what you are putting on your body. SO often we trust marketing campaigns, a pretty picture, or colorful packaging, when it is the worst choice for our health. Paraben-free products are available everywhere, even in conventional grocery stores. I buy my products at the biological store, but L'Occitane also carries paraben free products (80% are paraben free.) The Body Shop is another option. Beware of products that have fragrance, or are labeled "natural." (Fragrance also contains "phthalates” which are HIGHLY toxic, but protected as "trade secrets" in the business world.)

If you are pregnant or attempting to get pregnant take extra caution with paraben as it will give you that much more assurance that you are protecting your baby from possible birth defects.

Read more at these links below:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Are-parabens-dangerous

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1401232/parabens_cancer_and_other_dangers_of.html

Lime Corn Cakes with Avocado Chunks

These are a healthy spin on the traditional, heavy corn cakes available at most Mexican restaurants. The dish is delightful served together with the salsa. The avocado and lime flavor complements the corn perfectly. Delicious and light :)

Lime Corn Cakes

200 g fresh or frozen sweet organic corn

1 egg, beaten

50 g self-rising flour

1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

olive oil for sautéing

Avocado Chunks

juice from one lime

1 avocado, cut in chunks

handful of fresh parsley or coriander, chopped

salt/pepper to taste

1. Combine corn, egg, flour and onions in a bowl and mix together

2. Heat olive oil in pan on high, turn oven down to medium and drop spoonfuls of batter into pan and form into cakes

3. Cook about 3 minutes on each side

4. Mix last four ingredients to make avocado chunk salsa and serve over warm corn cakes

Corn cakes can also be served cold (with the salsa) and makes a great picnic option!

Raw Walnut Coconut Fudge (Vegan)

Raw Walnut Coconut Fudge

1 cup walnuts
3/4 cup pitted dates
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)
2 1/2 TBSP raw cocoa powder
2 tbsp. agave nectar
tiniest pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup dried coconut

1. Pulse walnuts food processor, set aside a bit for the topping. Add dates and pulse for about one minute. Add remaining ingredients (except coconut), mix until blended well and put in a pan to set, about 2 inches thick.

2. Cover with coconut and push into fudge. Flip and push coconut into other side and put in fridge to set for a couple of hours. You can also eat this fudge right away if you wish.

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa

Quinoa recipe is great for dinner- bring the leftovers for lunch to work and it serves as two meals in one!

Cranberry-Walnut Quinoa

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

1 DL parsley, chopped

2 tbsp of vegan butter or olive/sunflower oil

1/4 cup cranberries

1/4 cup walnuts

1 large garlic clove, diced

1 large onion, diced

dash of salt, ginger and pepper (to taste)

Put first two ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil for 5 minutes, reduce to medium and add remaining ingredients. Cook for about 20 minutes, until onions are soft. Top with fresh parsley if you desire.

Sesame Chestnut Scramble (vegan)

A simple stir-fry- full of flavor and simple enough to make in 15 minutes. Make certain that your tofu is organic as most soy is genetically modified (GM) and, if possible, you should make a good attempt to steer clear of GMO products indefinitely.

Sesame Chestnut Stir-fry (vegan)

400 g organic tofu (non-GMO)

1 large onion, diced

1 zucchini, diced

2 TBSP sesame seeds

1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped

200 g cooked chestnuts, chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 TBSP sunflower/olive oil

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

dash salt

1. Sautee onion and zucchini with 1 TBSP oil for 5 minutes

2. Add chestnuts, tofu, sesame seeds with one more TBSP of oil, cook about 5 minutes

3. Add lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and cilantro, cook for another 3 minutes

Raw Almond Butter

I like making my own nut butters from scratch. It is much more cost effective, natural and I can control how sweet I make the butter. For this batch, I kept things a bit lighter. Make certain that your almonds are raw. If you buy almonds (or any nut) roasted most of the nutrients have been scorched out of the nut, and the purpose of eating raw is to ingest all these nutrients into your beautiful body.

Almond Butter

1 cup almonds, raw

1 tsp agave nectar

dash of cinnamon

1. Soak almonds for two days

2. On second day push off almond peel (it should slip off easily) and place in food processor an pulse till creamy.

3. Add agave and cinnamon to taste and put in fridge to set

Almond butter is good to use in place of peanut butter, so you can make a PB & J sandwich, or even better an almond butter and blueberry jelly sandwich. We buy our blueberry jam from IKEA but I will be making this from scratch once blueberries are in season. Almond butter is also good on muffins, toast, and pancakes. I will serve this for Nikos tonight with hot peaches.

South African Samoosas, by Manshil

They’re a staple at any celebratory get-together back home, and are sooo versatile! They’re always filled with savory fillings (I did corn, coriander and feta, for example) or even sweet fillings.

You need samoosa pastry, Chinese spring roll pastry or phyllo pastry (in which case you may want to stick two sheets together since it’s so delicate). Cut these in rectangles, about 7cm x 25 cm (roughly, you needn’t be too exact). Remember to have a damp dishcloth at hand to wrap the pastry in to keep it from drying out as you work.

The trick with these is folding them, and it takes a fair bit of practice. I would say take a strip of paper; and do it on that a few times. First you start with a small container of flour and water mixed to a runny consistency- taking a corner, to the opposite edge, creating a funnel shape (i.e a small strip of the outside of the bottom edge must stick to the inside of the opposite long edge). Sparingly smear a bit of the flour mixture, and press lightly to stick the two surfaces together. Put your filling in of choice in the “funnel” so that it fills up just below the edge, and fold this up so the top of it is closed by the pasty above it, seal edges with more flour mixture, keep folding over until you reach the edge of your strip, and seal of remaining bit of pastry with your mixture. Voila! Get a bunch of people to do it together, it’s tons of messy fun!

Best to refrigerate before cooking for at least an hour (or half in the freezer). These can be frozen, and made direct from frozen! To cook, deep frying for about 3 minutes (or until golden brown) in any (medium heated) oil you would normally use for this, or like I do, take a baking tray, spray bottom with non-stick spray, brush samoosas lightly with vegetable oil, and put them in a preheated (180 degree celcius) oven for until golden brown (about 20min), not forgetting to flip over to get both sides crisp. Serve hot with lightly sweetened crème fraiche (touch of vanilla and honey!), or ice cream!

My filling of choice for dessert: dark organic chocolate, chopped, mixed in with a few red chilli flakes. You can do a ganache and mix in the flakes and a tiny bit of chillie powder to taste if you like it spicier, since the ganache is easy to pipe in, and you can mix the powder in. If you’re not a chillie fan (though chillie-chocolate is combination that will blow your mind and palate!) white chocolate and pistachios or cashews.

Carrot Quinoa Loaf

This recipe is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and goes well with a salad (fruit or veggie) or soup. Nikos and I had this with a salmon salad and marinated jumbo shrimp. We ate nearly the whole loaf in one sitting- this bread has added protein, due to the use of quinoa, and is also loaded with fiber. We used bio honey in place of regular sugar. A sweet, cinnamon mouthwatering dish...

Carrot Quinoa Loaf

1.5 C gluten free flour mix

1/2 chickpea or oat flour

1/3 coconut, shredded

1/3 honey

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp rock salt

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp all spice

1 cup cooked quinoa

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup plain organic soy yogurt or almond cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp coconut oil

1. Cook quinoa for 12-15 minutes: 1/4 cup quinoa with 1/2 cup water

2. Shred carrots

3. Put dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another bowl, mix separately and then add together

4. Put in loaf pan and cook at 200C for 50 minutes

5. We served with homemade cinnamon-sugar creme

Cinnamon Sugar Creme

1 cup plain soy yogurt

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp vanilla

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

How much do you know about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's)?

Educating yourself on this topic can greatly increase your health and even possibly save your life.

I come from America and GMO foods are widely hidden in foods as it is not mandated that labels contain GMO information. In Europe GMO's have been widely banned (corn isn't used as widely as it is in America) and if GMO ingredients are in foods, it must be stated on the food label. This is called FOOD SAFETY. Sadly, enough GMO products are making their way into foods all over the world, thanks to food giants like Monsanto, which are much more concerned with making money than protecting you or your children's health.

Some Facts:

1. Organic products cannot contain GMO's- so buy organic dairy, meat and eggs as these animals have not been fed GMO foods (especially corn). Farmed fish are now fed corn as well so buy wild fish.

2. Over 90% of Corn, Canola, Soy, and Cotton crops are GMOs. Avoid labels with high fructose corn syrup, fructose or soy lethicin. Soda's give you a huge dose of corn- bad news.

3. Just to mention a few studies: animals given GMO foods have become sterile, had liver cell dysfunction, become obese, and have also died. In one area, people living near GM plants have contracted skin, respiratory, and intestinal reactions to corn pollination as well as an increased immunity to antibiotics. This list goes on and on....

The scary part is that GMOs are in infant formula, our kid's school lunches and nearly EVERY food product on the grocery store shelf in America. THIS IS A MULTI BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS!!

Educate yourself and protect you and your famiy's health-Read more at this site. This author has written three books and used to work in the marketing department for a GMO company. A 10 minute video and website link are included below. If you don't have time to watch a 10 minute video, please watch the last minute and a half of the video as it lists facts and dangers regarding the GMO business.

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/649.html

www.seedsofdeception.com

Vegan Lemon Lentil Salad

• 
  
• 
  
• Vegan Lemon Lentil Salad
• 1 cup dry green lentils
• 2 cups water
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• half a handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
• salt to taste

1. Bring water to a boil add lentils and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes until fully cooked. Let lentils cool.

2. Combine remaining ingredients with lentils and toss.

Silky Chocolate Mousse (Raw/Vegan)

This is chocolate mousse made from avocados and you would never believe it when you taste it!! It is pure heaven and better for your body than traditional mousse. We topped with homemade cashew cream (raw/vegan).

Silky Chocolate Mousse (Raw/Vegan)

2 ripe organic avocados, large

1/2 cup agave

1/2 TBSP pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup natural cocoa powder

1. Mix all ingredients in a food processor or by hand till smooth and refrigerate till cool.

2. Serve with fresh cashew cream, raspberries or mint chips.

Raw Cashew Cream

Cashews are so buttery and delicious-I love to eat them any chance I can get!

This recipe serves as a vegan substitute for recipes that call for cream. You can also use it in cakes, pies, mousse or with fresh fruit. You may also choose to omit the honey ,OJ and spices and use the plain cashew cream in place of cheese on burgers, nachos, salads, sandwiches or any other dish that needs an extra kick (just follow step one/two).

Cashew Cream

1 cup raw cashews

1.5 TBSP orange juice

1.5 TBSP honey or agave

cinnamon/nutmeg to taste

1. Soak cashews in a bowl of water overnight- make sure the water completely covers the cashews.

2. Day 2, drain water and process with food processor till creamy.

3. Add remaining ingredients. Blend with a food processor till creamy. YUMMMY!!!

Our seeds are planted

We are officially parents-to-be,

considering our little seeds actually sprout. Today I mixed bio soil with planting soil (70/30) in long planters- dill, parsley, tomatoes, arugula, spinach, carrots and bell peppers. I followed the directions perfectly. I made sure the soil was warm, I didn't plant the seeds to deep and I watered them enough so the soil is moist but not wet. I hope I gave the seeds enough room and didn't put too many seeds next to each other but we will find out soon enough. We will keep you posted on how our little guys are coming along!!

As I was planting I closed my eyes and asked that my father join me, as agriculture was his heart's soul desire, and less than five minutes I looked to my left and there was a little baby bird feather on the planter next to me. The funny thing is it was very windy today so for the feather to find its way to me was miraculous. Angels exist, and today I spent the afternoon with my Pappa :) Jeg elsker deg Pappa...

Vegan Swedish Cocoa Balls

Here is the recipe for Swedish Cocoa Balls (cocos bollar). Honestly, your life is about to get much sweeter!!

Vegan Swedish Cocoa Balls

100g non-dairy butter (I use light vegetable based margarine but you can use regular butter)

1 DL sugar (I used organic beet sugar)

1 msk vanilla sugar

3 msk raw cocoa powder

3 msk strong coffee (espresso)

4.5 DL oats

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl with your hands. Roll into balls and then roll in rock sugar. Put in refrigerator to set for about an hour and store in the refrigerator till ready to eat.

Delicioso!!!

Starbucks Cake Pops

Get your butt down to Starbucks and treat yourself to a scrumptious cake pop! There are three flavors- birthday, rocky-road and coconut. The birthday pop was our favorite. It is the pink pop featured in the picture and tastes like birthday cake. The inside was like the middle of a doughy sugar cookie. The rocky-road had mini marshmallows on the outside and a fudgy chocolate filling, yummy. The coconut was our least favorite. It didn't have any special "kick" to it but we had NO problem eating it :))

Not the healthiest sweet, but from time to time, a small amount of naughty dessert is not only necessary, but good for the soul!

Sunflower Honey Rolls (vegan optional)

These rolls are pre-made and then frozen till you are ready to heat and serve. They are a good addition too your breakfast meal and will give you energy to start your day on the right foot. I love putting jam, butter or a cheese spread on this nutritious roll and pair with a side of freshly cut fruit.

You can make this recipe vegan if you use agave instead of honey and non-dairy milk (almond, rice, soy, oat, etc.) instead of regular milk. I use sunflower oil but any oil with a subtle taste will work great. All alterations are completely up to the chef!

Sunflower Honey Rolls

50 g yeast

6 DL milk

2 msk sunflower oil

2 tsk salt

2 msk honey

16b DL dinkle flour (spelt flour)

1.5 DL sunflower seeds

1. Heat milk in saucepan to 37C and pour over yeast- let yeast dissolve

2. Add oil, salt, honey and mix and then flour and seeds

3. Knead with hands until dough is smooth, about 5-8 minutes

4. Roll into ball and let sit and rise for 30 minutes under a towel

5. Shape dough into 24 pieces on wax paper and let sit and rise again for 20 minutes

6. Freeze buns on wax paper- once frozen transfer to a storage bag and store in freezer till ready to bake

7. When you are ready to bake, remove from freezer and place directly on a baking sheet. Bake at 200C for 20-25 minutes

When these come out of the oven they are fresh, moist, and full of flavor. So easy and delicious!

Smoked Salmon Salad and Marinated Shrimp

Marinated Jumbo Shrimp

10 jumbo shrimp

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 sunflower oil

3 tbsp lemon

3 tbsp mustard

5 sprigs parsley

dash peppar

1. Boil shrimps for 5 minutes, de-shell and clean. Leave to cool-down.

2. Put oils, lemon, mustard in a small bowl

3. Pour sauce over shrimps and top with parsley and pepper

4. Let marinate in fridge overnight

Smoked Salmon Salad

1 bag of organic pre-cut lettuce

8-10 mini tomatoes, halved

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

one small package smoked salmon (150g)

1 tbsp gravad lax sauce (recipe in blog or from IKEA)

drizzle olive oil

dash of salt and pepper

1. Wash all veggies and put in salad bowl

2. Top with salmon, sauce, olive oil and then salt/pepper

Dairy/Gluten Free Cupcakes!! Cupcakes Crush, Malmo, Sweden

I am on my way back to Greece and on my way I picked up some homemade cupcakes from owner and baker, Asa-Helene, of Cupcake Crush. Asa was kind enough to bake four special cupcakes for Magnus and I- what a treat!!

The flavors are very unique: lime-coconut-raspbery, wasabi-chocoate, lemon licorice, and mocha-chocolate. I was SO excited to try a bite as these cupcakes are they dairy and gluten free, which is right up my alley. Here are our thoughts on these unique beauties:

Overall, the consistency of the cake and frosting was incredible- due to the use of rice milk, rice/potato flour and vegan margarine.

There was one cupcake that stood out well above the rest- The chocolate wasabi cupcake. The cake seemed to weigh a lot in my hand so I thought it might be dry, due to being so dense, but when I put it in my mouth it melted. I almost had a heart attack. If I could marry a cupcake this is the one I would keep for all time. This is my perfect cupcake. This cupcake had a layer of "guff" white meringue and was covered in a very hard dark chocolate shell. Cracking into the chocolate was like finding a gold treasure at the end of a rainbow. I couldn't quite taste the wasabi, however, it very well might have been what I loved so much about the cupcake, but it wasn't very distinct to either Magnus or I.

The chocolate mocha was fantastic as well, the frosting was creamy and perfectly sweet and tart. I didn't like the other two as much, the coconut lime and lemon licorice. I felt the licorice taste was very strong and I am not used to eating licorice as much as Magnus, so he liked it more and thought the lemon matched the taste perfect. I would have liked a stronger lemon flavor. The frosting consistency was perfect though. The coconut and lime went well together but it didn't "wow" me like the wasabi chocolate. I did like the consistency of the cupcake, it has pieces of lime zest in it, which made the cake chewy, and crispy coconut crumbles on top of, yet again, frosting with perfect consistency.

So as an overall rating I liked these cupcakes more than any of the others because best they are dairy and gluten free. When I am eating healthy food it tastes better to me, because I am eating for both my body and my mind. These cupcakes were exotic as well and kept my tate-buds thoroughly entertained. People will pay good money for fun and taste like this!

If you are in Southern Sweden contact Asa-Helene and place an order through her website. The cupcakes are 25KR each. Do yourself a favor and order two wasabi chocolate cupcakes just for yourself :) Thank you Asa!!

Asa-Helene's website:

www.cupcakecrush.se

Planting seeds at home- Magnus's Top 5 Tips

Magnus is an expert when it comes to home planting. He has mini greenhouses all over his flat and I came at the perfect time- planting season- which means that I can pick up some tips from him. I purchased organic local seeds from both Denmark and Sweden (carrots, peppers, tomatoes, dill, parsley, arugula, spinach) and we will be planting next week in our Athens flat. We will start indoors and transfer our seedlings outdoors when it becomes warm enough. Thankfully, I have a lot of farmer blood flowing in my veins. Plus, we have Magnus :)

Here are Magnus's TOP 5 tips on home planting, in no particular order:

1. Planting depth- Make sure that seeds are not planted too deep in the soil, otherwise they might never have the chance to sprout.

2. Soil quality and type- Make sure that the first soil isn't too fertilized because it will inhibit instead of assist in seed growth. Avoid soil with too much added turf. Sand is often found in planting soil, which is good for the seeds. Put an inch of normal planting soil at the bottom of the pot so when the roots are matured they are able to feed off this before replanting to a bigger pot (or outdoors). This bigger pot/outdoors will only have normal soil.

3. Water- If your plants are in a dry environment, make sure to cover the pots with a plastic bag with small holes. This will allow the soil to maintain moisture and heat, acting as a mini greenhouse. A mini-greenhouse is the best option if it is possible to buy or build one. If you live in a humid area this will not pertain to you. Just be sure that soil stays moist but not wet.

4. Lighting-Make sure to add extra lighting if the pots do not receive roughly 14 hours of steady light. Any florescent lamp or bulb will do. It has been shown that if you have poor lighting, such as winter months in Sweden, it is better to solely have artificial light on the plants.

5. Transferring outdoors- When transferring plants from indoors to outdoors, make sure that the temperature difference isn't too great. Bring the plants outdoors for a few hours each day for about a week to get the plants acclimated to their new environment.

Planting and harvesting seeds from home can save money off your grocery bill and nothing tastes as good as homegrown produce- it IS worth the effort. We hope you give it a try this season. But hurry, as planting season has already started!!

Vegan, dairy free, Lentil Carrot Soup with Apple Almond Crumble

Lentil Carrot Soup

150g onion, finely diced

300g carrots, finely diced

150g red lentils

1 cube vegetable bullion

2 tsk fresh mint

2 spk apple cider vinegar

salt/cayenne pepper

1 L water

1. Bring first three ingredients to a boil and cook over medium for 20 minutes or so

2. Add last three ingredients and simmer for another 10 minutes

3. Remove from heat and, with a kitchen aid mixer, puree ingredients will smooth.

4. Top with apple almond crumble, recipe follows below

Apple Almond Crumble

70 g almonds, briefly chopped

3 spk fresh parsley

1 large sweet apple, finely diced

2 small cloves garlic, finely diced

1 spk olive oil

1 tsk fresh mint

salt/pepper

Sweden's Finest

Here are some photos of my favorite things about Sweden. Notice how many different kinds of marinated fish (sill) the Swede's have in the grocery store!! My favorite is the curry sill. It goes so well with boiled egg, onion, and red pepper. The graffiti is minimal here, but the picture included reads, "You are poor because they are rich," very true in some countries but not so much in Sweden due to the social democrat government. One of my favorite activities about the Swedish culture (Danish too) is sitting down for a long lunch full of goodies to pile on rye bread. It is healthy, delicious and I get to play with my food a bit- so the kid comes out in me. It is creativity at its finest :) The messmor comes from Northern Sweden and is made from a blend of goat and cow milk and is sweet in a light caramel sort of way. There are no words to describe the taste- it is one of a kind and only available in Scandinavia (to my knowledge). I don't eat a lot of dairy products, but when I am here I do indulge in the cheese. One other aspect of Sweden worth mentioning is how intricate their recycling system is. When Magnus takes out his trash it takes him about 5 minutes to sort everything- different colors of glass, papers, bottles, cans, compost- you name it, needs to be sorted. And the Swedes gladly do it out of respect for their country, the environment, and each other. I believe this is one aspect other developed countries should pay attention to and hopefully incorporate into the daily practices of all the communities.