Reading List

I took the picture for this post on my last trip, but, as always, my mind is already on the next trip ahead. Here are my picks for this week's installment of the reading list focusing on summer travel:

1. Kristina Bazan is always flawless, but this post specifically gets me excited for my trip to Paris in just a few weeks.
2. If you're also getting a little tired of this stifling New York heat (or the heat wherever you are), take a peek at these perfect nearby getaways.
3. If you've watched Jurassic World and you want to go to places that look just like it, this list might help you.
4. How perfect and comfy are these espadrilles for summer trips?
5. Here's CN Traveler's list of the 25 most repinned travel destinations of all time. (you can also follow us on pinterest here, for our own curated wanderlust picks).
6. I can't wait to eat at this picture perfect restaurant in Copenhagen this summer.
7. Carin's beautiful pictures of Paris at Dusk make me excited for my upcoming trip to Paris.
8. How incredible is this blogger's vlog of her trip to Tokyo?

Quinoa Salad with Eggplant and Lemon

I have been impatiently waiting for my lemons to preserve and I used the ones from the Steirereck to make this salad for a bigger gathering. This is my kind of salad I could dig in and finish the whole bowl! Oh so yummy and healthy. what is there to know about quinoa:

Quinoa is a rich source of the B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and is a rich source of the dietary minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Quinoa is also a good source of the B vitamins niacin and pantothenic acid, vitamin E, and the dietary mineral potassium. The pseudo cereal contains a modest amount of calcium, and thus is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. It is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

All those reasons to eat quinoa ! And stay healthy ! That is the best part !

Print recipe

reparation time: 40 min
Cooking time: 25 min

You Need:

200 g quinoa
1 large eggplant cut in dices
1 elephant garlic, cut in small pieces
olive oil
4 green asparagus | or 1 cucumber
1 yellow bell pepper
2 sprigs with approx. 12 leaves of Thai basil
    - alternatively use ½ cup cilantro or parsley
½ cup organic olive oil
½ preserved lemon from the jar + a bit from the salty juice
chili

Cook the quinoas as directed on the package, make sure they are not to hard, just right, which is different for everyone. Let cool. You can easily cook the quinoa a day a head; it keeps well in the fridge.

The eggplant will be fried in plenty of olive oil over medium to high heat in a pan, add the garlic when halfway done and stir frequently, the eggplants should turn light brown and become quite soft. Let them cool.
In the meantime chop the asparagus for decoration, leave the pretty heads aside, and cut the bell pepper as desired. Chop the herbs and mix them together with the eggplant under the cooled quinoa. In a bowl make the dressing with olive oil, lemon and chili and stir well. 

Pour the fragrant dressing over the quinoa, mix well so the juices can combine with the grains and decorate with the bell pepper and asparagus. 

Roadtrip: Seattle to Portland

On my second day in Seattle, we did the unthinkable. We skipped Seattle entirely and started our roadtrip through Oregon. If you ever head out to see the Pacific Northwest I highly recommend renting a car and trying to see as much of the surrounding nature as possible. Start out in either Seattle or Portland, but make sure you see the other city too! They're only 2.5 hours apart! I've driven in the states before, but this time it hit me again how vast this country really is.

We got up bright and early at 6 so we could make use of the whole day properly. This strategy of course included massive cups of coffee and keeping ourselves awake and alert by continuously eating.  Our first stop were the infamous Multnomah Falls. I'd seen this waterfall so many times in pictures, but I was so impressed by the scale of it, not to mention how great it was to be able to walk across it on a bridge.

Our next stop on the agenda was Trillium Lake with views of Mt Hood. We were hoping to capture the reflection of the mountains across the lake, but the weather was against us. It was extremely sunny and windy so we decided to just rest and take in the scenery instead of walking around the lake to get good shots of every angle.

After Trillium Lake we were hit with a sever case of hunger after over four hours of driving so we decided to head into Portland. The first stop on our list was Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel. It was so interesting to be in the city were Stumptown began!

Stumptown left us recaffeinated and ready to continue exploring Downtown Portland. I was amazed at how many oldtimers we saw during my time there and I think I started annoying Vincent with my fangirling every time I saw one. If you're ever in Portland I would also highly recommend Heart Coffee, Blue Star Donuts (they're made of brioche dough!!) and make sure you check out Nob Hill for a stoll in an adorable neighborhood.

Last, but certainly not least, Salt and Straw ice cream. Over the past two years I had increasingly heard about Salt and Straw, so naturally I needed to see what all the fuss was about. When we arrived on location there was a line that wrapped around the block and while I don't usually participate in queues I patiently got in line. However, my patience soon wore thin so I figured out an alternative to waiting for another hour: you can skip the line if you buy a pint! With a pint of Sea Salt ice cream and caramel ribbons in hand, the world immediately looked much rosier and it was the perfect end to our time in Portland before we headed back to Seattle

As always you can follow along in real time over Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat (sophiesvob).

The London Plane

I just got back from my trip to Seattle at 1 am today, but even after a long day back at work I feel incredibly inspired and refreshed. Before I share the pictures from our crazy road trips around Oregon and Washington State (and of course a Seattle Shortlist), I wanted to devote one post entirely to The London Plane. Half restaurant, a quarter flower shop and a quarter concept store, but 100% beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Not to mention the food was amazing (any restaurant that serves home made hazelnut butter with salt on toast earns a solid place in my heart). Before we had our main courses, we all had a round of warm biscuits with seasonal preserve and creme fraiche. I immediately knew we were in for a treat, the kind of treat I wouldn't be mad about having every day. We also shared the chicken salad, focaccia, avocado toast and snap pea salad. I was so happy to hang out with Cory and Bethany again and meet Daniel for the first time to chat about our passions, photography and travel!

Find them right off of leafy green Occidental Square in Downtown Seattle:

 

Reading List

This week's installment of our reading list:

1. The photography for this recipe of Lilac syrup is just stunning. If you want to use that in lemonade, here's a recipe for you.
2. Rachel from Pink Peonies makes the best shopping lists, like this one for summer totes.
3. If you're always looking for great instagram accounts to follow, check out this post we wrote a while back.
4. As if my wanderlust wasn't bad enough already, this list of the most amazing lakes (or natural swimming pools) across the world really doesn't help.
5. I recently discovered a new high street brand (I've been trying to diversify my closet beyond 100% Zara right now). How great are their dresses?
6. Real estate and interior design are some of my biggest obsessions, especially when it comes to New York City and more specifically West Village. This townhouse would be an absolute dream.
7. I would love try out all of these flower cocktail recipes this summer.
8. One of my favorite film makes, Ben Brown just posted a new video about his trip to South Africa, and it's insanely stunning.

Infused Water II - Pineapple

So simple and so delicious! A floating slice of pineapple and the summer feelings are near. Add some lemon juice and mint leaves. These ingredients cool the body and help to get through a hot summer day without sweating too much.
When I offered this drink to new friend who happened to come by this morning, he offered in return he would be my hand model and pour the drink while I shoot the photo. Great new friend!

 Thanks, this is refreshing!

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Brooklyn Public Library

For their first event, NYC GO (New York City's Board of Tourism) decided to take us to the Brooklyn Public Library. We were allowed behind the scenes access to the archives (which included a matchbox collection and old album covers) and the rooftop of the building. Situated on a corner between Prospect Park and the Grand Army Plaza we had stunning views from the rooftop of the library. We could even see Manhattan and One World Trade in the distance. I also had the chance to meet the beautiful Natalie (@misshattan) and shoot some portraits on the roof. It's moments like these, watching the sun set over this stunning city, that make me so grateful to be fortunate enough to live here.

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Infused Water I - Lemongrass and Lemon Balm

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It has been really hot today and the first thing that comes to mind is that summer is right here and as the temperatures are climbing we must drink more as usual. The best way to stay healthy and hydrated is to drink between meal times and plenty of water is the best. Ignore the sodas and the sugary drinks, sometimes those tasty waters hide a ton of sugar in them and the calorie intake along with the unwanted hunger attacks after 20 minutes are unreal. 

Not so with these waters made by you, tasty and really pretty, your hydration plan gets an upgrade, your mood swings to green and you will get inspired to come up with your own creative ideas on how to prep your jug of water.

I must add that we are fortunate here in Vienna with the best quality tap water of the planet for a city with almost 2 million inhabitants. More than 150 years ago smart engineers built a water pipeline from the mountains into Vienna with fresh water. This system is so amazing that no matter how high our buildings are we need no pressure pumps. We open our tabs and the water runs freely. We shower with it and we even use the water to flush our toilettes. Sounds insane for everyone else - yes, we are so blessed with fresh water!

Crack a stalk of lemon grass and wash a sprig of lemon balm that's all you need and a little time outside the fridge. After 2 hours your water is infused and ready to be enjoyed.

All ideas work as well with sparkling water, but I prefer the natural water for this by far. It brings out the taste so beautifully ! Enjoy and feel your beauty inside out.

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I have been told by friends that one cannot drink too much water and so they keep a bottle with them everywhere they go but that is not true. Essential minerals can be washed out by excessive drinking as well and that can weaken a body. The rule with almost everything in life is moderation. 2 liters of water are perfect for your body and will keep you hydrated well unless yo spend your days in a dessert under a scorching sun. Your body counts fruit, vegetables and soups as liquid as well.

Reading List

Hi everyone! This week I'm introducing a new segment called "Reading List", essentially made up of links I found while online, favorite apps, shopping items, recipes and the best blog posts by other bloggers. I spend a fairly decent amount of time online searching for inspiration and I figured it would be fun to share them with you!

1. This Rhubarb Mojito looks like the perfect summer drink.
2. I recently found and downloaded the app Moves and I'm already obsessed! It tracks how many steps you take, calories you burn and how far you walk and even tracks your runs. I try to walk at least over 10000 steps a day (about 10km) and this really helps me keep track of my goal! The best part? It's free!
3. If you still need a great summer sandal, I love these ones by Vince Camuto.
4. The first thing I make when I go home this summer, will be this Dulce de Leche Crepe Cake!
5. The number one place I want to travel to right now is Tokyo, and I loved this 3 day guide by CN traveler.
6. I'm going to try to work my way through this list of rooftop bars in New York before I leave for Europe.
7. This style post by Nicola Warne is giving me serious excitement for going to the beach this summer.

Hope you have a great week!

Spot Dessert Bar: Summer Edition

If you guys have been following along for while, you might remember this post about Spot Dessert Bar. Last week, they invited us in to taste and photograph some of their classics along with some upcoming specials that will be featured on their summer menu. And who in their right mind says no to free dessert? They work closely with Ian Kittichai from Iron Chef Thailand to develop new and creative dessert tapas year round. I also decided to include some behind the scenes photos here, because I'm so impressed at the effort that goes into each of their dessert creations. You already know how much I love food, but you might not know that I currently work in the food industry. If you're interested in behind the scenes from food photo shoots, NYC restaurants and locations and of course my travels, follow me on snap chat: sophiesvob (for more professional photos, as always, instagram). Keep scrolling for more precise descriptions of these desserts! Thank you for reading as always!

The classics: Green Tea chocolate lava cake and golden french toast with vanilla ice cream (my personal favorite).

Pistachio dusted chocolate mousse cake.

Coconut smoke infused coconut truffle.

Lychee Panna Cotta with raspberry sorbet, chocolate caviar and edible flowers.