Sometimes life is full of unicorns and puppies and rainbows. And sometimes it´s more like this. Sometimes you think, hey, this whole grown-up-thing isn´t too bad, I think I´m getting the hang of this. And sometimes it´s all too much and all you want to do is curl up in a dark cave, go to sleep and avoid all responsibilities.
I´m guessing everybody knows this feeling. Or at least, if you believe the countless lists Buzzfeed has made, everybody who like me is in their mid-twenties and hasn´t got it all figured out. I mean, you think you know what´s expecting you once you graduate school and start university. And at first you are all excited, to live by yourself. All the possibilities. Nobody there to tell you what to do, what to eat, to clean your room. That is, until you discover that you are the one who has to tell yourself that. To eat better. To clean the apartment. To do laundry, write assignments and maybe not stay up until late at night every day. To make yourself some soup when you´re sick. And soon enough you find yourself in this exact situation, the years go by, you are almost graduating again and the whole new world of internships and applications turns up. And you are just sitting there thinking what the frick is going on? How did I get here? When did I sign up for this?
This post isn´t meant to bring anyone (or me) down or complain about how overly complicated my life is. For the most part I am more than lucky, I know that I have it better than many people in this world and I´m really grateful for it. But I think it´s important to show that especially in the internet, everybody presents his or her best self. We take selfies with flattering light, we present our food from the best angle possible, we write about our holidays and vacations, festivals and parties. But real life is different. Life is messy and complicated and beautiful at the same time. And it´s okay to feel overwhelmed from time to time. Sometimes all you need is to take a break and refill your batteries. Sometimes you need to build a fort and watch Disney movies all day. Or binge watch a new show on Netflix. Or take a road trip to the beach. Or go for a run.. Or, like in my case, accept that there is nothing you can do against being sick so maybe it´s best to just stay in bed and not try to simultaneously prepare all the assignments and presentations you are supposed to do. It´ll be okay. We can adult again tomorrow.
Now, on a lighter note, on to this recipe. Asparagus season ends next week and I´ve been meaning to share this recipe with you earlier but you know…all of the above happened. But it´s not too late, we still have another glorious week full of asparagus and we better make the most of it. This post is maybe less of a recipe and more of an inspiration. I happened to throw together a bunch of stuff and really liked the outcome but nothing is set in stone. Replace the quinoa for couscous, bulgur or millet, add other vegetables, use feta instead of mozzarella or leave out the cheese and make it vegan…
Serves 2-3:
One hand full of green asparagus
1 Mozzarella
8-10 cherry tomatoes
50-75 g quinoa
Chopped pistachios
½ onion
½ lemon
Olive oil
Salt/pepper
1) Wash the asparagus. Cut off the ends. Then cut the rest of the asparagus into pieces. Heat a pan with olive oil and roast the asparagus until it is soft and tender. Let cool. Wash and rinse the quinoa, place in a pot with water and salt and cook until it is soft. Drain and set aside to cool.
2) Cut mozzarella into small pieces and tomatoes in half. Chop the onion, place in a glass or bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. In a bowl, add asparagus, quinoa, tomatoes, cheese and pistachios. Mix the onions with 2-3 tbsp. of olive oil and salt and pepper. Add the dressing to the salad and serve.
